Comments for http://jon-odell.com/blog Tue, 27 Jul 2010 00:17:43 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 Comment on My Essay in Commonweal Magazine by Jonathan Odell http://jon-odell.com/blog/stories-of-the-spirit/my-essay-from-commonweal-magazine/comment-page-1/#comment-182 Jonathan Odell Tue, 27 Jul 2010 00:17:43 +0000 http://jon-odell.com/blog/?page_id=382#comment-182 Susan, I'll pray for you, your son and your pastor. I'm so gratified that you found the essay a comfort and do hope it will serve to open the dialogue with your pastor. That was my purpose in doing the speech as well as writing the article. This conversation cannot be held without regard to the humanity and the personal stories of the people involved. This is not something that can be neatly swept under a rug woven with a few choice Bible verses. Your pastor's heart MUST be engaged. I wish he could have been with me last week. I was the artist-in-residence at a weeklong camp for gay teen Christians--seventeen beautiful young people who are struggling to show their love for Christ through the truth of whom God made them and not the lie their churches would have them tell. I left inspired and hopeful. I'll be thinking of you on Wednesday. Please let me know how it goes. Susan, I’ll pray for you, your son and your pastor. I’m so gratified that you found the essay a comfort and do hope it will serve to open the dialogue with your pastor. That was my purpose in doing the speech as well as writing the article. This conversation cannot be held without regard to the humanity and the personal stories of the people involved. This is not something that can be neatly swept under a rug woven with a few choice Bible verses. Your pastor’s heart MUST be engaged.

I wish he could have been with me last week. I was the artist-in-residence at a weeklong camp for gay teen Christians–seventeen beautiful young people who are struggling to show their love for Christ through the truth of whom God made them and not the lie their churches would have them tell. I left inspired and hopeful.

I’ll be thinking of you on Wednesday. Please let me know how it goes.

]]> Comment on My Essay in Commonweal Magazine by Susan http://jon-odell.com/blog/stories-of-the-spirit/my-essay-from-commonweal-magazine/comment-page-1/#comment-181 Susan Mon, 26 Jul 2010 22:58:57 +0000 http://jon-odell.com/blog/?page_id=382#comment-181 As a Christian mother of a gay son, I'm struggling to understand why this is still an issue. My son is the exactly the same beloved child (ok man) he was the moment before he came out to his father and I. He was raised to believe he is a child of God and nothing has changed that in his eyes or in ours. However, our church is another story. While we are starting the ONA process, the pastor does not have his heart in it. I'm hoping your article will ignite a spark in him. Thank you for such a thoughtful and well written essay. It will be our topic of discussion at Wednesday's meeting! As a Christian mother of a gay son, I’m struggling to understand why this is still an issue. My son is the exactly the same beloved child (ok man) he was the moment before he came out to his father and I. He was raised to believe he is a child of God and nothing has changed that in his eyes or in ours. However, our church is another story. While we are starting the ONA process, the pastor does not have his heart in it. I’m hoping your article will ignite a spark in him. Thank you for such a thoughtful and well written essay. It will be our topic of discussion at Wednesday’s meeting!

]]> Comment on Award Winning “City Beautiful” Series by Jonathan Odell http://jon-odell.com/blog/publications/selections-from-the-award-winning-column-series-city-beautiful/comment-page-1/#comment-178 Jonathan Odell Sun, 25 Jul 2010 18:35:52 +0000 http://jon-odell.com/blog/#comment-178 Thanks, Beth. Still trying to understand it myself! Thanks, Beth. Still trying to understand it myself!

]]> Comment on Award Winning “City Beautiful” Series by Beth Granger http://jon-odell.com/blog/publications/selections-from-the-award-winning-column-series-city-beautiful/comment-page-1/#comment-176 Beth Granger Sun, 25 Jul 2010 13:08:40 +0000 http://jon-odell.com/blog/#comment-176 Facinating. You certainly grew up in an interesting place Jon. Facinating. You certainly grew up in an interesting place Jon.

]]> Comment on Who Is This Man? by Jon Odell http://jon-odell.com/blog/stories-of-the-spirit/who-is-this-man/comment-page-1/#comment-162 Jon Odell Tue, 29 Jun 2010 01:16:11 +0000 http://jon-odell.com/blog/?page_id=281#comment-162 Meg, did you work with Mississippi Liberal Frank Smith? I loved the book and wish I had appreciated him more while he was alive. Thanks so much for the kind words about the book. Delphi is actually modeled after the Delta towns Carollton/Charleston, Ms. I'd love to know more about your story, Meg. Meg, did you work with Mississippi Liberal Frank Smith? I loved the book and wish I had appreciated him more while he was alive. Thanks so much for the kind words about the book. Delphi is actually modeled after the Delta towns Carollton/Charleston, Ms. I’d love to know more about your story, Meg.

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