Try the Other Church

Description: An LGBTQ person with a rainbow shirt on walks away from a church. The congregation says, "Try the other church across town. We do this because we love you."

Simple question: Would you do this with your own child? Would you say, "Try the other family across town. We do this because we love you."?

If you would, you shouldn't. Because you are seriously hurting them and robbing yourself.

When our kids were in high-school we almost always had one or more of their friends living with us because their parents kicked them out for this or that reason.

Once, the parents of one met with us. They wanted to know how we did it as parents.

Lisa and I talked about unconditional love, providing safe space to grow, trusting our children to eventually find their way, rejoicing in their differences, allowing them to find and establish their boundaries and find and test ours, and celebrating the diversity of our family.

To this day all of those children who stayed with us are now wonderful adults who keep in touch with us. We love them all. We consider them friends. We see them at times like Christmas when they come home from far away.

Love means acceptance, affirmation, inclusion, and support.

The healthiest communities are the most diverse. Because this means that the members are free. Free to be who they are, as we are free to support them in that endeavor.