Living Out Loud with Darian

I've been attending The Vision Church of Atlanta since I moved to Atlanta a year ago and I've only written about the church once on this site and not for any particular reason. But with all of the drama surrounding the Juanita Bynum situation and the homophobic sermon I wrote about here that enraged me to the point where I had to stop and pray, I felt it was necessary to offer an alternative to the dogma and fire and brimstone messages we're used to hearing.

The Vison Church of Atlanta under the leadership of Pastor O.C. Allen III is an LGBT affirming church that is inclusive and accpeting of all of God's people. But beyond that it is a place you can go where God's love is extended to you despite your circumstances, and where his word is taught in an effort to build a relationship and not as a tool of oppression and division.

There are a lot of gays and lesbians who refuse to enter a church like Vision, so many of us are so used to being spiritually abused Sunday after Sunday that we reject love from a church that empowers you to grow in Christ and does not cite your sexual orientation as a hinderance in doing so. Pastor Clay often says he ministers to a congregation of "wounded people" and he's exactly right. Most of the members that make up Vision and churches like it at one point were told they were abominable, a disgrace in the eyes of God, unworthy of love, rejected by family, friends, and often suffered from their own internalized homophobia as a result.

I made up in my mind years ago that despite what man or T.D. Jakes or Eddie Long had to say about me I would not allow their prejudice and interpetation of the bible convince me that I wasn't worthy of God's love. I thank God for my pastor and The Vision Church for teaching a radically inclusive word.

If you've been rejected by your church because you're different I want you to know that you haven't been rejected by God. You were made in his image and he knew who you were going to be before you knew yourself. Your life is not a mistake! I invite you to take a few minutes out of your day and listen to highlights from a radical word from Pastor Clay by clicking on the link below. It just might change your life.

A Radical Word :Pastor O.C. Allen III

Labels: Religion, Spirituality

Throughout my series of commentaries it has been my intention to challenge you to examine your life in order to facilitate your spiritual growth. My goal is to help you judge how much your life reflects the life of Jesus Christ. I would like to continue the discussion looking at a subject that we have talked about previously, choosing between flesh and Spirit. In looking at this topic again, I would to use a different scripture than I have used to this point. Romans 8:1-6:

1.So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. 2.And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death. 3.The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. 4.He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us, who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit. 5.Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. 6.So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace. (New Living Translation)

The text needs very little explanation. I would like to point out something that may seem obvious to some but can never be overstated. The central tenet of Christianity is belief in Jesus Christ as the son of God; living, dying, and risen from the dead. In so doing Jesus not only takes the punishment for the sins of the world he also gains victory over death. According to Romans 6:23 death is the result of sin. It is my mission to share the Gospel to all who will hear it that the Spirit of Christ might continually be visible in the earth.

Whether we know it or not our connection to Christ does not end with our profession of faith. The profession of faith begins a transforming journey of our consciousness from what we know ourselves to be, flesh, to who God created us to be before the foundations of the world, spirit. The Apostle Paul said it this way in 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”

God does not see us in the same way that we see ourselves. When we describe ourselves, we use the physical characteristics, occupation, and even our place in society. When God looks at us He sees a reflection of Himself. The challenge comes when we have to fight between how our flesh may define us and how Spirit (God) defines us. If we are to live victorious Christian lives we can no longer govern ourselves by what flesh wants. When talking about “flesh,” we do no minimize its definition to just sex. The works of the flesh are outlined in Galatians 5:19-21. We are all guilty of the sin outlined in this passage. The benefits of the kingdom here on earth are righteousness, peach and joy in the Holy Ghost. You “inherit” these benefits when you live a life that transcends flesh and operates fully in the Spirit. This is the ultimate goal of salvation.


You can never have life, peace and joy as God intended as long as your life is defined by carnal things. Life in the Spirit is so much bigger than what we can see with our natural eye. As I have said before, we are the expression of God in the earth. Without transforming our thinking from carnal to spiritual, we are destined to live well beneath our privilege. The goal of the Christian life is not simply to go to heaven. The goal is to have heaven on earth. The first step to heaven on earth is to choose: flesh or Spirit. Which do you choose?

Romans 6:23

Galatians
:19-21

Email Albert: albertrlee@hotmail.com
Myspace

Labels: Religion, Spirituality

In light of the recent discussions about pornography and promiscuity I feel very pressed to weigh in on the discussion from a spiritual perspective. For the LGBT community there is great skepticism about the relevance of the Bible and its teaching on sex and sexuality. This debate is destroying individuals, families, local churches, and national denominations. Putting the debate aside I want to ask if there is relevant instruction for people about how we govern our bodies?

What does God say to the believer about our body and our relationship with Him? Ask yourself. Is my sexual expression a reflection of the plan and purpose of God for life? When God sees what I do privately is He pleased?

1 Corinthian 6:15 tells us that our bodies are members of Christ. Verses 19 and 20 go a little further and say “Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you and which ye have from God, and that ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price. Therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's.

I want to encourage everyone who is reading this post. Your sexual desire does not have to be control force in your life. You do not have to allow the counterfeit images of pornography to be your dream and your fantasy. Promiscuity does not have to be your identity. The purpose of God for all of our lives goes far beyond sex. I speak to every gay, lesbian, bisexual and trans-gendered person reading this blog. I know messages of guilt and condemnation are what you have heard most often. But I say to you today that God wants to express Himself through you. He loves you and has a plan for your life. I know you have been hurt. I know you have been kicked. But the love of God is greater than every gay-basher. Look past every obstacle and see your savior, paying the price for you. I heard a preacher say, “Jesus was hung-up for my hang-ups.” Paul said it best in Galatians 2:20. “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.”


In the words of Jesus, our savior, as He hang dying on the Cross, IT IS FINISHED.

Love you

Email Albert: albertrlee@hotmail.com
Myspace

Labels: Religion, Sexuality, Spirituality

It has been a full three weeks since last I was able to share with you due to my travel and singing schedule. I return this week to build on the themes we’ve discussed thus far; Abundant Life, Our Identity in God, Reflecting the Resurrection in Our Daily, and God’s Undying Love for His Children.

Today we continue with this scripture: Galatians 6:7-9. Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.

As a young child I heard my mother say to my brother while he was dealing with very serious legal trouble, “you reap what you sow.” I didn’t I understand at the time how far-reaching that piece of wisdom was. I didn’t understand that the seed that my mother was talking about and the seed that scripture talks about goes far beyond what a farmer puts into the ground. I would even suggest to you that it goes far beyond the conventional message that is prevalent in many churches today where seed usually refers to money.

The passage of scripture often quoted is 2 Corinthians 9:6-7. “He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.” I will not dispute that this particular passage is discussing monetary seed. I believe, however, that the passage in Galatians encompasses a much broader definition of what seed can be and how powerful it is in our daily life.

Those of you who have grown up in church know many preachers discuss sin in terms of thought, word, and deed. I have come to realize that those three elements can also be looked at as seed. Everything that our minds contemplate, every word that comes out of our mouths and everything we do is a seed that produces a harvest. For those of us who primarily sow to the flesh the scripture says that our harvest will be corruption. While this can be a challenging pill to swallow, we understand that everything on this earthly plane will one day pass away. What a waste it would be to spend all our time focused on the things that have no value in eternity. We all like nice things, but what should our priorities be. On the contrary, the scripture makes a bold statement that those who sow to the Spirit will reap life everlasting. If you remember my very first post, I told you that it was God’s absolute intention for his children to live abundantly. I also said that this abundance was not mere material abundance but it was also spiritual abundance.

This begs the question; how does one sow to the Spirit? There are two passages of scripture that I would like to share with you. The first deals with things that can be categorized as flesh and as Spirit. The second passage helps us to direct our thoughts in such a way to stay at peace in our minds. Galatians 5:19-23. Now the doings (practices) of the flesh are clear (obvious): they are immorality, impurity, indecency, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, anger (ill temper), selfishness, divisions (dissensions), party spirit (factions, sects with peculiar opinions, heresies), envy, drunkenness, carousing, and the like. I warn you beforehand, just as I did previously, that those who do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the [Holy] Spirit [the work which His presence within accomplishes] is love, joy (gladness), peace, patience (an even temper, forbearance), kindness, goodness (benevolence), faithfulness, gentleness (meekness, humility), self-control (self-restraint, continence). Against such things there is no law [that can bring a charge].

Philippians 4:8. Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

If we examine our lives closely we can’t help but see ourselves in these passages (thank God for Grace and mercy). When scripture points out our shortcomings it is very easy to see the Bible as irrelevant and outdated. But if we judge our own life by the scripture we are presented with a wonderful opportunity for monumental spiritual growth and maturation.

Your thoughts, concerns, comments, and questions are always welcome. General comments can be left here on the site. Things of a more personal nature can be sent to me via email or Myspace.

The Lord bless you and keep you; The Lord make is face to shine upon you, and be gracious unto you; The Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace.


Email Albert: albertrlee@hotmail.com
On Myspace

Labels: Religion, Spirituality

In preparation for this weekly post, I look for things that have inspired me along life’s journey to share with you in hopes that you too will be inspired. This evening I read passages of scripture, I meditated and I went through old posts to see where I should pick up. I didn’t find anything that jumped out at me to share with you. I wasn’t interested in running off some theological babble that is way too much work to read and understand and for some seemingly irrelevant.

I have grown weary of arguing with people about what is so clear to me when I study the Word of God. If I endeavor to follow the letter of the law, I have realized that I fall short every time (Romans 3:10.) If I, with the guidance of the Spirit of God can embody the spirit of the law, then I can help breathe life into those that the law has killed. Paul said in 2 Corinthians 3:6, “The letter killeth, but the Spirit giveth life.”

So I asked God, “What should I write about.” And only as God Himself could answer, he replied in a quiet voice barely audible in the depths of my spirit, “Tell my people I love them.” Even as I type this I am moved to tears at the thought of a God that could love us so much that he would pay the price for our sin. If each and every one of us received what we deserved for our mistakes, shortcomings and failures toward God and each other the human race would be no more. (Romans 6:23) But, His love not only paid the price for our sins; his love fulfilled the perfection required by the law. The shed blood of Jesus Christ has greater power than the worst sins we could imagine.

My question to you is this. What do we do with so great a Love? How can we make this love active in our lives today?

I can answer this question with one passage of scripture.Matthew 22:38-40. Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

It would be so easy to use scripture to point out your faults and your shortcomings. I could go to the scriptures and pull your file. But in pulling your file, unfortunately, the same scriptures would condemn me. Instead I take this opportunity to challenge you to love God better this week. Love the people you come into contact with this week. Pay special attention to the people that you would normally look down on and find a way to show them love. Love the people that you would prefer to hate. And equally as important, love yourself this week. Why? You cannot give what you do not possess.

For further understanding of Godly love check out the following passages of scripture. 1 Corinthians 13, 1 John 4:7-12, Matthew 5:43-48, Romans 13:8-10, Galatians 5:14, 22, Hebrews 12:1-14.

I admonish you to use these scriptures this week as a source of strength and encouragement and a vehicle for prayer and meditation. Until next time, God Bless.

Albert on myspace
Email: albertrlee@hotmail.com

Labels: Religion, Spirituality

I want to take this opportunity to wish every reader of LOLDarian a very Happy Easter. I usually am very long winded in my writing, but for today I come only with a few words of encouragement. In keeping with our previous discussions about identity, as we have recently celebrated the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ, this is a perfect time to examine our own lives.

Scripture suggests to us in 1 Corinthians 11:31 if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. If we take responsibility upon ourselves to examine our own lives, we can avoid the chastening of God. We have all had experiences where we knew we were reaping the consequences of our personal choices. If there are things in our lives that need to be crucified and buried this is a good time for a spiritual spring cleaning. It is always easy to see the faults of other people, but it takes a spiritually mature person to see your own mess and ask God for help (Matthew 7:3-5). I challenge you this week to take your spiritual growth into your hands. Is your life a reflection of the same victory revealed in the risen Christ?

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Albert on myspace
E-mail Albert: albertrlee@hotmail.com

Labels: Religion, Spirituality

Bishop Harry Jackson , senior pastor of Hope Christian Church in D.C. recently sat down with NPR host Tony Cox to discuss homosexuality in the Black church.

Bishop Jackson recently spoke on a panel at the National Black Church Summit in Philadelphia. The summit is an annual event sponsored by the National Black Justice Coalition. He was invited to balance out the more liberal viewpoints with his more conservative views on social issues. This is exactly the position he takes during this radio interview on NPR.

Bishop Jackson cites homosexuality and same-sex marriage as contributing factors to the breakdown in traditional families.This doesn't surprise me at all. If Jerry Falwell can blame us for 9-11 then Bishop Jackson can definitely blame us for the heteros not being able to keep their relationships together.

Make sure you listen closely to Bishop Jackson's response when Tony Cox reminds him that slave owners and white supremacists used certain scriptures to oppress Black people. Cox asks Bishop if he ever wrestled with using scriptures in the same vein to opress LGBT people, his response is typical.

You can listen to the interview here .

Labels: Religion, Spirituality

Who Am I? Why Am I Here? Why do I need to answer this question at all?

Who am I? This is the question that was posed at the end of last weeks post. It’s not an easy question for any of us to answer because there is no concrete answer. As we evolve as people the answer will also evolve. While it is a challenging question to answer, understanding your identity can be the difference between abundant life and a pitiful existence on earth chasing after things that only sustain us temporarily ultimately leading us to nowhere very quickly.

One reader suggested that identity has to be examined from three perspectives. How God identifies us, how we identify ourselves and how others identify us. It will come as no surprise that my opinion on these three perspectives is this: The one that holds the most weight is how God identifies us. If we can discover how God sees us, His identify becomes the foundation for how we view ourselves and hopefully how others see us.

To begin answering this question I would like to share with you a very familiar portion of scripture.

Genesis 3:1-6 1Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? 2And the women said unto the serpent, we may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: 3But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, ye shall not eat of it; neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. 4 And the serpent said unto the woman, ye shall not surely die. 5For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good from evil. 6And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did not eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.

What does this story have to do with understanding identity? The answer is everything. The serpent tempted Eve with a few things. He tempted her with how good the fruit looked and how good it had to taste seeing that it looked so good. (God knows we’ve all given into something or someone that looked good whether it was good for us or not.) More importantly he was able to tempt her with the promise that eating from this tree would make her like God. Here is the ignorance of Adam and Eve. Everything that the serpent was offering they already were. How do we know this? Genesis 1:26 says, “And God said let us make man in our own image after our likeness…” The first key to unlocking our identity as defined by God is found in this scripture.

You and I are created in the image of God. We are a direct reflection of who God is. Everything that God is can be found in us. I don’t know about you, but the thought that the creator of heaven and earth created me as a direct reflection of Him is way past what my limited mind can really grasp. If we only define ourselves by our name, our sex, our occupation, our sexual orientation, and how much we have, we negate God in us. Without this knowledge the other stuff has little importance. John 4:24 tells us that God is a spirit. If we are created in His image, then we too are spirit first and foremost.

We will stop right there for this week but I would like to encourage everyone who reads this post to examine themselves this week. Take an account of the things that hold a significant place in your life. Does it build your spirit or does it destroy your spirit?

As always, I look forward to hearing your thoughts by comment, email or myspace. Have a Blessed Resurrection Sunday.

Reconciling Your Spirituality with Your Sexuality:
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Albert on myspace
Email:albertrlee@hotmail.com

Labels: Spirituality

Last week we started with this verse:


The thief cometh not but to kill, steal, and destroy; I am come that you might have life and have it more abundantly. John 10:10

Last week I left you with this verse to ponder. This familiar passage of scripture is used as a cliché in many pulpits around the world. In reexamining this text I would suggest to you that this verse is so much more than a catchy phrase that a skillful orator uses to elicit an emotional response from the congregation on Sunday morning. Within this verse are hidden the hopes and dreams of Jesus Christ for His people.

It is important for us all to understand that while life poses many challenges, there is a God who knows all, sees all and in spite of it all still has abundant life planned for His children. Jeremiah 29:11 says it this way: For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.

You might be thinking, “The scripture is all well and good but how do I make the scripture real in my life? How do I manifest abundant life? How can I experience this peace?” I stated in last weeks post that there are no easy answers to spiritual questions and I would be an ego driven fool to think I have all the answers. I trust that although what I have say may challenge you to think about these things differently, if we begin the process of answering these very difficult questions, the answers will hopefully reveal to us a renewed sense of self and a greater sense of purpose.

There are two ways; in general, we can look at abundant life. We can look at it from a natural perspective or we can look at from a spiritual perspective. The place where I would like to begin the heart of our discussion is Identity. Conventional wisdom would say that given this forum (“loldarian.com") I must be talking about sexual identity (straight, gay, bi-, SGL, transgender.) But since there is nothing about any human being that is “conventional”, I try not to use “conventional wisdom” when dealing with God’s most perfect creation. You! The question that we all try to answer for ourselves is Who am I?

This question is often answered with some any of the following: name, occupation, race, sexuality, etc. I would contend that the answer to this question has absolutely nothing to do with your name, occupation, race, sexuality or anything else that is limited to this earthly realm. Your name is what you are called, your occupation is what you do, your race is the color of your skin and your sexuality is…well…I think you get the point.

So answer the question for me! WHO ARE YOU? Do we begin uncovering the seemingly mysterious question of our identity from a spiritual or natural perspective? Why?

Don’t keep your thoughts to yourself. Feel free to leave a comment or contact me directly. We are all in this together. The Bible says in Proverbs 27:17 Iron sharpens iron; so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.

Email:AlbertRLee@hotmail.com

Labels: Religion, Spirituality

I first met Albert Lee in the fall of 2001 working in the off- broadway show No Easy Walk to Freedom in New York City. I was cast as a dancer in the ensemble and he was a lead soloist. We quickly grew to become really close friends during the run of the show and remained in contact with each other after I decided to leave New York.

Albert holds a master's degree from the Juilliard School of Music and has a voice that is truly anointed. He is a man of integrity and strength and someone that I often look to for support and spiritual guidance. Many of our conversations tackle the challenge of reconciling your spirituality with your sexuality, a challenge that we have both faced head on.

Each week on this site he will be delivering a "word" for all who choose to receive it, especially those of us who feel shunned by the church or even by God himself.

Albert Lee

I am so excited to begin sharing this weekly commentary with you. After several years of friendship with Darian and countless conversations about spiritual issues I am grateful for the opportunity to share some of my views on the issue of spirituality and sexual expression. You should know upfront that Darian and I don’t always view these issues in the same way and on many occasions we have disagreed. Darian’s invitation for me to contribute to this blog is a testament to his commitment to serve the LGBT community in more ways than just activism. In a time where issues of sexuality have been used to sway elections and the Bible has been used to support personal prejudice it is of grave importance that the message of Jesus Christ and the Church is offered to all people.

While I consider myself to be a learned man of God, I do not claim to have all the answers. What I will share with you is based on my own sojourn toward understanding and accepting my own sexuality. Although this is a journey that has been wrought with spiritual highs and lows, many emotional nights, and times of great mental anguish, an unfailing belief that God has a greater purpose for my life has driven me to continue seeking greater truth.

As we attempt to understand spirituality and sexual expression together I pray that my contribution to Living Out Loud with Darian will be a blessing to those who read it, that our lives will be enlightened and that we come to understand the joys of the greatest gift that God has ever offered mankind, salvation through Jesus Christ. I do not begrudge people of other religions and spiritual persuasions their belief, but as a Christian man the foundation of everything that I am is built on Jesus Christ and it is from that perspective that I share with you.

For this first post I leave you with the words of Jesus himself for you to contemplate.

John 10:10 “The thief comes not but to steal, kill, and destroy: I am come that you might have life and have it more abundantly.”

What does it mean to have abundant life?

I look forward to hearing your thoughts.

Feel free to leave a comment on this site or you can e-mail Albert at albertrlee@hotmail.com

Labels: Religion, Spirituality