Christians Changing Culture

Tomorrow the Supreme Court is expected to rule on California's Proposition 8 and the Defense of Marriage Act, These rulings could dramatically affect gay rights and the definition of marriage. To the gay community it could mean a) the sanctioning of the marriage union by society, b) the ability to access the legal benefits which are currently afforded to those who are married over those who are not married, in a common law marriage or in a civil union, and c) having the 14th amendment upheld for US citizens who are gay and lesbian. To the evangelical community it could mean a) the breakdown or the upholding of their moral view of marriage being only between a man and a woman, b) the loss or the upholding of the 1st Amendment allowing places of worship to practice their interpretation of their holy text without legal penalty, and c) the legal protection for private citizens, companies and corporations to conduct business and issue benefits guided by their moral conscience and beliefs without penalty. It is a battleground pitting two sides with drastically different views who are likely never to concede firmly held convictions. The ruling will be a win for one side and a loss for the other with the war ever continuing to wage.


I believe if anything is going to change in this ever escalating war, the change must occur within the Christian community. I agree with Andrew Marin who said, "Evangelicals, and conservative Christians in general, need to let go of the same-sex marriage fight and invest in figuring out how to love like Jesus regardless of what system is in place." Jesus and his early followers did not change society or culture by fighting a political war against the laws and rulers of the day. Rather they brought about change by loving those around them. Christians know they cannot change themselves on the inside. They believe that in order to change, they must first yield to Jesus in an unconditional surrender thus allowing Jesus to make changes to their hearts. It is hypocritical to think the change can be brought to society and culture through law without surrender to Jesus. It is time to stop fighting society and laws and start fighting for the change of souls by loving others and leading them to surrender their lives to Jesus. This surrender is not brought about by coercion or argument. It is brought about by loving as Jesus loved, by being a witness and example. It is brought about by sharing the truth of God's word and his love expressed to all in his word. God is calling all to be reconciled to himself through a loving relationship with Jesus. This includes those within the gay community.


Jesus believes in absolute moral law. He wrote the law. Christians need not give up convictions nor belief in the perfect law of love. Christians need to live by that law of love. Christians are called to love and serve society around them. Christians are to be both an example of God's moral law of love and a voice calling others to yield to that law of love by first surrendering to God not by changing hearts nor behavior first. Changing of hearts begins by surrendering to God's unconditional love. Change of behavior follows a change of heart. To dictate or demand change in society through law, coercion or force is backwards to the way in which Jesus brings change and will ultimately fail.


Christians have realized their own moral failure and know they stand under condemnation. They understand the only way to be saved from condemnation and wrath is to accept the full payment of the penalty offered by Jesus. In doing so, they are morally purified by God and set on a course for change. Christians desire to love as God loves them, but understand they are incapable of such love. Christians yield to God to allow God's love to permeate their hearts and pour out to God and others. Christians should not, therefore, demand change in others that they know themselves to be incapable of doing.


If Christians desire to uphold the sanctity of marriage it cannot be done by fighting society's definition of marriage. It must be done by strengthening and valuing their own marriage. Christians need to focus on their own family. Christians need to love their spouse and children well. Christians need to endure difficulties in their own marriage, yield to God, and allow God to change and improve their own hearts and marriage. A Christian marriage is one in which both partners yield to Jesus, help each other conform to his image, and love each other well putting the needs of the other ahead of their own. Christians do need to redefine marriage. The definition of marriage is not a means to individual happiness where a partner is meeting the individual's needs. The definition of marriage is a covenant promise to God to sacrifice an individual's needs and desires for the betterment of the spouse so both with grow in love for God and each other. A marriage is a picture of the union of Jesus to his bride, the church. Jesus united with his bride by sacrificing his life for his spouse. He did not seek his own happiness and pleasure but rather the needs of his spouse. The sanctity of marriage will be upheld as Christians sacrifice their own desires for the betterment of their spouse. The sanctity of marriage will be upheld as Christians yield to and grow in the love of God. The sanctity of marriage will be upheld as Christians love their spouse and children well.

What is Christianity?

I recently read an article expressing concern about the political influence and power the "Christian right." Christianity today is viewed more as a political power opposed to gay rights, women's rights, and abortion. Yet the term Christian originally meant a follower of Christ. A follower of Christ meant one who is trying to be like Jesus. Jesus was not a political figure. He did not oppose government or policy. His greatest opposition was to the religious political powers of the time. He opposed hypocritical religious leaders who laid heavy legalistic, moralistic burdens on their followers. He opposed powerful religious people who vied for political power and influence.  

Jesus never condemned people as his followers do today. He accepted people, forgave people and loved them as they were. He certainly wanted and encouraged people to change but not by demand or coercion but rather by showing love and grace. 

After Jesus rose from the dead, ascended to heaven and his followers received the Holy Spirit, people were drawn to Jesus by his followers. It was not a forced conversion. People simply saw how the followers of  "the Way" were loving each other, giving to each other and helping the community. Followers of Jesus shared wealth and material possessions. Followers of Jesus helped the poor. Followers of Jesus accepted people of both genders, all races and all economic status as equals. It was love that marked the Christian. Today it seems the Christians are branded as haters. Christians are seen as hating the political left, gay people, abortionists, the poor and women. Jesus must be weeping to see how his named is marred by the very people who claim to follow him and his example of love and grace.

The gospel message is hidden by the view of Christianity as a political power and the poor example of those who claim to follow Jesus and yet condemn others. The gospel was and is good news. The gospel does not condemn. People are already condemned by their own conscience and sense of guilt. The Holy Spirit is doing his job of convicting people of their guilt. We are all guilty of not loving ourselves, others or God perfectly. We know this in our heart of hearts. We know that if we stood before a perfect, holy and just God, we would be condemned and deservingly so. The gospel is simply that we can be forgiven of our wrongs, be set free from condemnation and reconciled to the God who longs to love us and embrace us as his own children. That forgiveness is available because Jesus was condemned on our behalf. He paid the penalty for our wrongs, the penalty of death that we deserve. We are all condemned to hell. It is not that gays and abortionists are condemned over all others or are under some special condemnation. We are all condemned. It doesn't matter if we are gay, straight, pro life, pro choice, conservative, liberal, male or female. We are all equally condemned.  The only way out of condemnation for all of us is faith in the sacrifice and love of Jesus. Believing that he died and rose from the dead proving he was very God is the only way to receive forgiveness for our wrongs.

Christianity is not a religion. It is not a political force. It is not an exclusive club. It is not a moral institution. It is not even the means by which we may be saved from condemnation. A real Christian is someone who has surrendered to Jesus and is trying to follow him and his way of love and grace. A Christian understands grace and the forgiveness is a gift from God. A Christian is not perfect. A Christian does many, many things wrong and contrary to the teachings and examples of Jesus. A Christian is simply forgiven by grace through faith in Jesus. In other words, a Christian is not condemned for wrongs committed but believes the condemnation was paid by Jesus who is very God. It is this acceptance of love from God that motivates a Christian to follow God's perfect law of love. Though a Christian often fails, the Christian does not rely on success or failure but rather on the grace and love of God. 

Yes, Christians should be agents of change in the world but not through political force, coercion or condemnation of others.  Christians should be the change, the example, the way. As followers of Jesus, Christians should seek to love others not condemn others. Christians should change the world through acts of kindness and love as his Jesus' original followers did 2000 years ago. 

No one can change on their own including Christians. Christians rely on the Holy Spirit to change them from the inside out. Christians don't expect to change on their own. Why should Christians expect the world to conform to a holy standard which they themselves cannot conform without the Holy Spirit? Anyone can changes external behavior through will power but no one except God can change the heart. Only as God draws a soul to Jesus and that soul surrenders to Jesus can the Holy Spirit be received and begin to change the person. Change will not happen by politics, by laws, or by effort. Change will happen as a person is drawn to the love of Jesus, receives forgiveness and the power to be changed by the Holy Spirit.

What is a Christian? A Christian is someone who has received forgiveness by accepting the sacrifice of Jesus on their behalf. A Christian is someone who follows Jesus and is like Jesus not by personal effort but by reliance on the Holy Spirit. A Christian is someone who brings change to the family, the church, the community, the nation and the world through examples and acts of love and charity. 

From Zero to Fifty

On June 22nd 2013, my parents will be celebrating their fiftieth wedding anniversary. I am engaged to be married for the first time in my life. As I look to them for an example of how to have a successful and happy marriage, one thing stands out: commitment. My parents made a vow that they have kept for fifty years. That kind of commitment is truly golden and rare.

I have many friends who come  from a broken home. Either their parents divorced or they had an absent father. I had neither. My parents never considered divorce and my father was always present. My parent's attended athletic and cultural events where their kids were participants. They continue to do so for their grandkids. My parents took us out for dinner one on one. This was not an easy task since there were  five of us. My parents took us camping for a month of vacation for several years during our childhood. Cell phones and laptops didn't exist, so we were without a phone or any connection to the outside world. We had each other and nature. That time bonded us as a family.

I am engaged to a woman who lives overseas.I have not been able to touch her now for eleven months. We've communicated nearly every day via Skype so we can at least see and hear each other. We've done a Bible study every time we've talked. We pray together every time. During this long waiting process, we are learning the meaning of commitment. Not being able to touch or do activities together is very difficult. We only have time of conversation, sharing videos and playing online games. We've endured many delays in obtaining a visa for her so we can marry. We've tried unsuccessfully to buy a house. It is difficult only to shop for a house over the internet. I can visit the home, but my fiancee cannot. We've endured the hardship of trying to sell a home in a buyers market. We've had to make life changing financial decisions together. Though all this we remain committed to each other. We are committed to love one another. This love is not just a high feeling. Our love from the beginning has been a commitment to show love in action.

I feel very blessed to have parents who have remained committed and faithful to one another for fifty years. I am blessed to find a woman who is committed to loving me for fifty years or more should we live that long. I, too, and committed to her for life. I know it is our commitment to each other and to God that will keep our love and marriage strong for our entire lifetime.

I am not naive enough to think that our marriage will be without difficulties. My parents certainly endured trying and difficult times. Raising five children was not easy. My dad had to make difficult choices to give up things like business travel, golf and fishing so he could spend time with family. My mom endured times of sadness. Each child presented our own unique form of difficulties. I know it was not easy for my parents, but they remained faithful to God, their kids and each other.

My fiancee and I are starting at zero years and have an example of fifty years to follow. I am so blessed and thankful that I have such a fine example of love, commitment and faith to follow.

Buying a House in Boulder

In Illinois where there is still high unemployment and many forclosures, houses are taking many months to sell or are not selling at all. I put my townhouse on the market in August and did not receive an offer for 9 months. I had to accept a price that was $50,000 less than what I had paid for it in 2000. I had bought it at pre construction prices, so the day I moved into the house it was worth more than I paid for it. At the peak of the housing bubble, it was worth $100,000 more than I paid for it. Though the housing market is starting to show slight improvement, across the nation, houses are still selling at low prices and taking a long time to sell. Not so in Boulder, CO.

I've been window shopping in Boulder for a few months now and even attempted a few offers with the contingency of selling my house in Illinois. I stood no chance of buying in Boulder with a contingency. In Boulder, a house goes on the market on Friday and by Sunday there are 3 or 4 offers on the house at or near asking price. Not many are selling houses so inventory is very low. With the ever increasing fear that interest rates will rise, there are many buyers looking to buy now. This is creating a highly competitive market which is great for sellers but terrible for buyers like me. If I'm able to make an offer on a house, I'm competing with 2 or 3 other offers without a contingency. Most of the time, I'm unable to make an offer before the house goes under contract. I've missed making an offer before the house is under contract by a day and sometimes only by a few hours. 

One seller was very smart. The seller put the house on the market on Sunday and told their agent that they'd accept offers until Wednesday at noon. This allowed the seller to receive many offers and choose the best one. It gave buyers like me a chance to think. Unfortunately for me, we decided to put an offer on another house only to have it go under contract before our offer was presented. In the meantime, we missed the deadline for the other house.

There are foolish people who think they can take serious advantage of the market. One seller is selling by owner to avoid paying an agent. The seller is not listed on MLS. His price was originally set at $4,000 more than the closest comp in his association of condominiums. He was also unwilling to pay my agent out of the sale of the house but wanted me to pay my agent cash on top of his selling price. My agent graciously sent him comps and explained that his house would not appraise at his price which would be a loss for him, the seller, and me, the buyer. After receiving my offer which $8,000 less than his asking price and $4,000 less than comp which was an end unit and in better condition, the seller rejected my offer and raised his price by $10,000. Even in the highly competitive Boulder seller's market, this seller will not sell his condo until he lowers his price closer the comps.

Why is the Boulder market so good for sellers whereas in most of the country, it's a buyer's market? There are three reasons as the real estate motto goes, "location, location, location." Boulder has been ranked the #1 city to live in the Men's Journal. Boulder is near the Foothill Mountains, known as the "Flatirons." Boulder with its many bike paths and bike lanes is rated the 3rd best city for bikers. There are many paths for walking and running in Boulder. Backpacker magazine rated Boulder the best place to raise a kid in 2009. Forbes rated it 27th in the best places for business in 2012.There are many startup companies in Boulder. Boulder has 40,000 acres of open space at the edge of town. Boulder is the home of the University of Colorado.

I enjoy Boulder. I bike to work in Boulder. I have a very nice tech job at a small company in Boulder. I love the run the trails in the foothills. Walking down the pedestrian mall on Pearl Street can be an entertaining experience. 

I'm confident that when I'm able to actually buy a house in Boulder (maybe after I don't have a contingency), I'll be able to sell it for a profit. However, it's not likely that I'd want to move from Boulder.

Mortgage Rates	30 yr fixed	15 yr fixed	5/1 ARM	30 yr jumbo
5/29/2013	3.99	3.21	2.97	4.20
5/22/2013	3.74	2.97	2.7	3.99
5/15/2013	3.71	2.92	2.68	3.99
5/8/2013	3.6	2.82	2.64	4.0
5/1/2013	3.52	2.75	2.63	3.93
4/24/2013	3.57	2.80	2.65	3.98
4/17/2013	3.61	2.85	2.66	3.98
4/10/2013	3.64	2.89	2.7	4.03
4/3/2013	3.73	2.95	2.72	4.07
3/27/2013	3.75	2.97	2.71	4.1
3/20/2013	3.78	2.97	2.71	4.13

My Proverbs 31 Woman

¹⁰ A wife of noble character who can find?
    She is worth far more than rubies.
¹¹ Her husband has full confidence in her
    and lacks nothing of value.
¹² She brings him good, not harm,
    all the days of her life.

²⁵ She is clothed with strength and dignity;
    she can laugh at the days to come.
²⁶ She speaks with wisdom,
    and faithful instruction is on her tongue.
²⁷ She watches over the affairs of her household
    and does not eat the bread of idleness.
²⁸ Her children arise and call her blessed;
    her husband also, and he praises her:
²⁹ “Many women do noble things,
    but you surpass them all.”
³⁰ Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
    but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised

Proverb 31:10-12;25-30


I have been single all my life, but have desired to be married. When I was just 3 years old, I asked my aunt how old you had to be to get married. I am now 47 years old and engaged to be married to a very beautiful woman. I have never been married all these years. It was worth the wait. God asks us to wait on him. I believe when we wait, God gives us his best. When we take matters into our own hand to take what God does not give us, it causes tremendous grief. I have often done that and regretted it. God certainly forgave me but I also at times suffered consequences.

The woman God has given me is certainly a woman of noble character, a virtuous woman. She believes in obedience to God and his word. She studies his word daily. She is very involved in her church. She attends classes and teaches others. She loves to worship in song. She truly loves, respects and honors God.

She is certainly worth more than rubies. In fact, the first part of her name is Ruby which shows her value. Love is what we all need the most and she gives love very freely and consistently. Receiving her love is of greater value than any precious gem.

She is strong. She has endured trials and God has molded her character through those trials. She is from the Philippines which is a very poor country. She has very little in material possessions compared to the poorest American. In spite of poor living conditions, she is able to laugh and giggle freely.

She is wise. We read the Bible together and she often demonstrates wisdom from the Holy Spirit with the insights she shares. She gives me wise input into all our financial decisions as a couple. She has a good understanding of the differences between men and women. She knows how to speak and listen to me.

She is certainly not idle. She worked in another country to make money not for herself but for her family. She received a nursing degree and had to work hard to be able to afford school. She works faithfully for her family and for her church. She shows unselfishness in all she does. She is very generous and giving.

She has no children yet, but I'm certain when she does, they will call her blessed. She loves kids. She gives affection, love and instruction to her sibling's children. I certainly praise her and believe she is worthy of honor and praise.

She is certainly beautiful in her outer appearance and takes time to make herself look so. Yet, I know that beauty will fade. Her heart's beauty will never fade. She truly fears and respects the Lord. The love she has in her heart shines on her countenance giving her even more beauty.

Soon after we met, I prayed to God. I was interested in a few women at the time and asked for his wisdom to help me choose. I felt led to begin a Bible study. It was doing a study on 1 Corinthians 13 which convinced me to begin to court this woman. I asked her father's permission to do so and he readily agreed. In a short time, I visited her in the Philippines. It did not take me long to be convinced with no uncertainty that she was the woman God had prepared for me. I asked her father's permission to marry her and then after receiving his approval, I asked her. She said yes. Now we are waiting for her visa to be issued so she can come to America and we can be married.

I waited a long time to meet her and now have been waiting over 10 months to marry her. I'm still waiting, but God has already proved that waiting on him is the best thing to do. His timing is perfect and his gifts are the greatest.

God often tells us to wait. He is teaching delayed gratification and faith. I know it will be very gratifying to be with my bride but I must wait. The time waiting has certainly tested my faith and my trust in God. I admit at times I've faltered. It is not easy to wait but God has proved that it is worth it.

What are you waiting for? Wait on God's time and his gifts. It is worth it.

I love you

I love you. Those are the three most powerful words in the English language. From the time we are born, we not only long to hear those words but know they are true. The most important thing we need to know as a baby is that Mom and Dad love us. Sadly, many of us grew up not knowing that to be true. The two people who should have loved us the most didn't.

As we grow up, we seek to know we are loved by others -- by siblings, aunts, uncles, teachers, friends, acquaintances, bosses, etc. We perform our best. We do our best to earn the love and acceptance of those we meet. If that doesn't work, we do our worst just to gain attention as a substitute for being loved. If we are not loved or do not feel loved, we will do much to fill the hole in our hearts that it leaves. We will dress like others to be accepted. We will do what others do hoping to fit in. We will hold onto unhealthy relationships, we will socialize, we will serve others, we will give away our money, we will give our time, we will drink, we will take drugs, we will even kill just to be loved and accepted.

I love you. We need to hear those words daily. We need to be touched so we know we are loved. We need people to spend time with us to know we are loved. We need to receive gifts to know we are loved. We need to be served and receive acts of kindness to know we are loved. We need to be praised and told we've done well to know we are loved. Gary Chapman author of The Five Love Languages believes that we speak and hear 5 different love languages to communicate love.We all need physical touch, gifts of love, quality time spent with us, acts of service, and words of affirmation to feel loved.

Are you loved? Do you have parents who love you? Do you have friends who love you? Do you have a spouse who loves you? Do you have children who love you?

There must be at least one individual in your life who loves you. If not, you could not survive. Being loved is that important. CASA, an organization fighting child abuse states "'No child can live without love' is a powerful and truthful statement. Growing up in a loving environment and being shown love is fundamental to a child’s development."

The good news is there is at least one individual who loves you. He knows you intimately. He knows all the good things you've done. He knows all the bad things you've done. He knows every lie and every truth. He knows when you've loved and when you've hated. He knows when you've given and when you've taken. He knows every fault, every hidden thing about you. And he loves you. He loves you passionately. He loves you unconditionally. He desperately wants you to know how much he loves you.

There is nothing you can do to earn this individual's love and there's nothing you can do to stop him from loving you. He loves you as you are right now. He's loved you since before you were born. He will love you long after you've died.

His name is Jesus Christ. Yes, Jesus Christ. Jesus loves you. He passionately loves you. He desperately wants you to know he loves you. You can't earn his love. You can't do anything that will stop him from loving you.

There is, however, a problem. The problem is that you've done things that separate you from God. You see God is righteous and holy. He's never done anything wrong. He is love. He is good.

You and I have done many things that are not loving to both ourselves and others. We hurt others. We hurt ourselves. This both grieves God because he loves us and separates us from God. God's law is a law of love. He tells us to love him because he first loved us and to love ourselves and others. His command is to love him and love others perfectly. We fail to do both.

God is also just. There is a penalty for the things you do wrong. That penalty is death. Death would separate you from God forever. God does not want that. He wants to be with you forever. He loves you.

So, God provided a way to both satisfy his justice and his love. He took the penalty for the unloving things you've done upon himself. Jesus came to this earth, lived as a man and died. He lived a perfect life of love. He died for you, taking the penalty you deserve. Having done this, God has provided a bridge to himself for you. All you have to do is accept his love and cross the bridge by believing that Jesus died for you because you've done unloving things. Believe this and God will forgive you. God gives us all a choice. We can choose to remain condemned for our disobedience to God's law of love or we can choose to accept his payment for our guilt and be reconciled to him and his love.

There is a catch. The catch is that if you accept Jesus, he will begin to change you because he loves you. He knows the unloving things you do hurt you and others he loves. So he will give you the power to change when you submit to his reign in your life. You will also be so overwhelmed with his love for you that you will want to serve him and others. You will want to tell others about his love.

God is not out to deprive you of good things. On the contrary, he wants to give you the best. Following him and living by his loving commands is the best.

You may be skeptical of this. This may seem too good to be true. But what if it is true? Is it not worth investigating? I challenge you, look into this. See if it is true. Ask a Christian friend. Tell that friend you are skeptical but want to know the truth. Read a Bible. Read the gospels and examine the life of this man Jesus. Read books by former atheists like C. S. Lewis' 'Mere Christianity' or Lee Strobel's 'The Case for Christ.'

You'll find these three words are true: 'Jesus loves you.' Yes, you. As you are. No conditions. He loves you. He made you. He wants to spend an eternity with you. Yes, Jesus wants to touch you, to spend time with you, to give you gifts, to serve you and to affirm you. One day he wants to say to you, 'I love you, my child. I'm so joyful that you let me love you. I'm so joyful you let me change you. I'm so joyful you let me serve others through you. Well done. Come near now and be with me and my father forever.'This is about the greatest and truest love that any of us can find.

A Right Wing Evangelical Christian Defends Gay Rights

I am a white, male, right wing, evangelical Christian. My political and moral views are often very conservative. In the last three years, my traditional and strongly held convictions have been greatly challenged. I've been living in the home of a lesbian who has been a dear friend of mine since High School. I've known her for over 30 years. I've interacted closely with many of her lesbian friends and have had some difficult conversations.

I am now engaged to be married and firmly believe in the sanctity of marriage between a man and a woman. I believe that God conducted and ordained the first marriage between a man and a woman. My fiancée and I have been reading many books on the topic of marriage to prepare us for marriage. We see the purpose of marriage as being a means to grow each spouse into the image and character of our savior Jesus Christ. We don't see marriage as a means to make each other happy or to feel loved always. We see it as way for us to grow in love toward our God and toward each other. We see it as the most intimate human relationship possible. We are in love but that love is much more a commitment to each other than a feeling. It is a daily decision as well as daily actions based on that decision. I do not believe that society gives me the right to marry. I believe marriage is a covenant promise made to God and to my spouse. It is a lifelong commitment to love one person first and foremost.

The issue of gay marriage and gay rights has taken on a new meaning for me. For the Christian, gay marriage and gay rights are moral issues. To the gay community they are civil rights issues only.  Christians who fight against gay rights think that if society permits gay marriage and other gay rights, society is condoning sin and destroying the sanctity of marriage. In fighting against gay rights, the Christian is building a wall of mistrust and anger which blinds the gay person to the love and acceptance that Jesus modeled. Rather than loving and accepting the individual as Jesus loved and accepted people, the Christian is making the gay person a target of violence and hatred. When Jesus was presented a woman caught in the act of adultery, he told the crowd that anyone could throw the first stone to kill her if they had no sin. No one threw stones for all recognized their own sinfulness. Christians today have become stone throwers. Jesus did not condemn this woman. He did not throw stones.

The current gay rights movement has its roots in the Stonewall Riots of 1969.  In the summer of 1969, a group of gay New Yorkers made a stand against raiding police officers at a popular gay bar called The Stonewall Inn. Very few establishments welcomed openly gay people in the 1960s. Those that did were often bars. Police were cracking down on gay bars for operating without Liquor Authority licenses. Licenses were refused to bars that served gays. Often Mafia affiliates ran the unlicensed establishments and so had to deal with the police to stay in business. Police would raid the gay bars and demand money under the threats of imprisonment. On June 27, 1969, a police raid on the Stonewall arrested 13 people inside the bar. A woman, cried out to the assembled bystanders as she was shoved into a paddy wagon, "Why don't you guys do something!" The crowd fought back. Chants of “Gay Power!” echoed in the streets. Soon, beer bottles and trash cans were flying. The crowd swelled to over 2000. Police reinforcements came. Over the next 6 days fire hoses turned on people in the street, barricades were thrown, police were kicked and a firebomb was thrown inside the bar. Gay pride parades originally occurred on June 27th to commemorate the Stonewall Riots.

Before the gay rights movement, people could be arrested for kissing in public, holding hands or dancing. Police harassment and brutality have been constant features of gay and lesbian life for decades. Gays have been detained indefinitely. They have been beaten and publicly humiliated.  Lesbian and male drag queens through the 1950s and 1960s suffered frequent rapes and sexual assaults from police officers. Civilians committed these same crimes without interference from police. GLBT people are fighting for protection under the law not persecution by the law.

In 1953, President Eisenhower issued executive order making homosexuality a necessary and sufficient reason to fire any federal employee. Many defense industries followed suit. Eisenhower's executive order stood from 1953 until 1993. There has never been any employment protection for gay people as there is now for straight white women, straight men, and women and men who belong to racial and ethnic minorities. Employers routinely refuse to hire gay people regardless of their qualifications and fire any who manage to be hired. GLBT people are fighting for equal employment opportunities.

In fighting for gay marriage now, the GLBT community is fighting for civil rights. When a partner is hospitalized, the partner who has loved and lived with them for decades is refused the right to be at their bedside or to make life decisions because they are not family. If a partner dies and no will has been left, the surviving partner has no legal claim to shared property and possessions. Gay couples without marriage licenses are denied family health benefits.

I have also observed that gay marriage is a matter of acceptance for the gay community. The gay community wants to be accepted as normal by society rather than be persecuted and mistreated. The gay couple wants to have a ceremony celebrating their love and commitment as much as any straight couple. The gay couple wants this ceremony and marriage to be accepted by society as normal. The LGBT community is not seen as normal. They do not feel accepted by society and certainly not by Christians. Every difference sets them apart and contributes to their sense of not belonging. Acceptance of gay marriage would give them more of a sense of acceptance. The only place where they truly feel safe and accepted is among their peers. In society, they are not only afraid of not being accepted but also of being harmed. The fear is well founded for they have been the victims of much hate and violence.

Having closely interacted with people in the gay community for 3 years, I've seen the anger and the hurt. I've been educated about the harm and discrimination afflicted upon gay individuals. I understand why Christians are seen as the enemy. Gay people do not see a loving and compassionate Jesus when they observe Christians. They see the church and Christianity as a powerful political organization that opposes basic human rights.

When Jesus walked the earth, he accepted people as they were. He had no political agenda. He did not fight to overthrow oppressive Rome or free his fellow Jews. He did not condemn individuals. He forgave people and told them to go and sin no more. People were motivated not to sin anymore because they were not condemned but rather were loved and accepted. When Jesus walked the earth, he chose to attend parties hosted by people society considered terrible sinners. When Jesus walked the earth, he broke society taboos and spoke with women. He allowed prostitutes to touch him. He touched and healed ostracized lepers. If he walked the earth today, do you suppose he would walk into gay bars and attend gay parties or would he refuse to associate with "those" people as his followers do?  If he walked the earth today, do you think he would loudly condemn gays and fight against individual rights as his followers do now?

The class of people Jesus loudly criticized where religious authorities who pridefully considered themselves better than the "sinners" around them. Are not we Christians in danger of being like these hypocritical religious leaders?

All of us fail to love God perfectly with all our hearts, souls and minds. All of us fail to love perfectly ourselves, our friends, our acquaintances, our neighbors and our enemies. We all fail to keep these two basic commands of God to love him and to love others. His laws are for our own good yet all of us fail to keep them. All of us, therefore, are under just condemnation and deserve hell. Forgiveness is available to us all. Jesus took the penalty of death that we all justly deserve. He offers his death as payment for us so we can be reconciled to the God and Father who passionately and unconditionally loves us all. There is no special hell for gays. There is no special condemnation for the LGBT people. God offers his love and forgiveness to all of us and all of us need his forgiveness. There are none who do right. There are none who are sinless. Only Jesus perfectly loved. Only the death of Jesus can be accepted by God as a means for forgiveness. God offers us all a choice. We can choose to be condemned or we can choose the payment for our sins offered by Jesus and receive forgiveness. He desires a relationship with all human beings. His offer is open to all.

The gay community only sees condemnation and opposition from the Christian community. It is my hope and prayer that my gay friends would see beyond the bad example of Christians and see the loving acceptance offered by Jesus.  It is my hope and prayer the Christians would cease to condemn and be a better example of the love and acceptance that Jesus has given them so that others would receive the same love and acceptance.

We believers in Jesus are fighting the wrong battle. Our battle is not against society. Our battle is for souls. That battle is fought on our knees and by imitating our savior in loving others well.

Before the throne of God we are all equal. The only right we have before God is the right to die for we all deserve condemnation. We can earn no rights or privileges from God. We can only receive grace as a gift which we don't deserve.

Commuter Biking in Boulder

For the past year, I've been riding my bicycle to work, to run errands and to visit friends. There have only been 2 or 3 days where I drove my car to work because of icy road conditions. I've managed to do grocery shopping on my bike. I've visited friends in nearby towns riding my bike. I use my car only once or twice a month. In fact, I used my car so little that the battery drained. I now purposely run the car just to charge the battery when I don't use the car for two weeks.

I live in Boulder, CO which is rated the 3rd best place for biking by Bicycling Magazine. There are plenty of bike lanes and bike paths that make commuting by bike very easy.

I've found the experience very enjoyable and found many benefits to biking instead of driving a car. It is a great stress reliever after work to ride my bike. My route is on a bike path which runs alongside a creek. It is pleasant to hear the rushing water of the creek. I have a nice view of the Flatirons along the route. I have very little stops since most of the route is on a bike path. Driving a car home in slow moving traffic would add to the stress of the day. It is much more enjoyable to ride a bike.

I've not been sick in two years or more. I've not even had a cold. I'm sure biking every day contributes to my health. There are other factors of course. I run 4 or 5 times a week. I eat healthy. I regularly see an acupuncturist and chiropractor.

A study the Oil Price Information Service did for CNNMoney found that the average American household spent $368.09 on gas.  I'm not only saving on gas, but also maintenance cost on my car. In 2011 the average American spent 1.6% of their income on auto maintenance according the US Bureau of Labor Statistics .

There are downfalls to riding practically every day in all kinds of weather. I have had some falls on ice which has damaged my bike and given me a few bruises. It can be miserable riding in falling snow and on icy roads. The bike itself does need to be maintained and repaired, but the expense is much less than a car repair.

The downsides are minor compared to the benefits. My overall mood and health is much better riding a bike than when I commuted by car. There is great joy in riding every day. Even in the winter, it is very invigorating to ride a bike. In the spring on warm sunny days, it is a real pleasure to be on a bike in nature.

I would recommend commuting by bike to anyone.  May is national month, so it would be a good time to start.

HTC Incredible Review

I have owned an HTC Incredible Droid for over two years. At first I loved the phone. I could read my friends post on Facebook and post to Facebook. I could read and compose both work and personal email. I could listen to music. I could use the GPS to find my way around town. I thought it was great.

I've changed my mind. I still love the GPS. I get lost easily so it is a big help except when it is inaccurate or gives poor directions which it has done. 

I love the music player except that it uses too much space. I had loaded much of my music on the phone only to remove it later. I now use the Google Play which has all my music in the cloud. This is great except I don't dare cache anything to the phone due to space issues. This means it takes a while to load and play music. Sometimes the music will not play at all and sometimes it pauses while it buffers. It also doesn't play where there is little or no reception. This makes it rather useless in the mountains where I like to run the trails. 

What has changed my mind about the phone is the use of space. Though there appears to be plenty of space available on the phone, the operating system continues to warn me that it is low on disk space. The major hogs of space have been the Facebook app, the Yahoo mail app and the Kindle app. I dare not use these apps. It is better to access Facebook and mail through the browser app. The worst part about using up space is that the phone will not receive text messages or voicemails if it thinks there is not enough space. If I don't clear the space on the phone, I will not receive a text message or voicemail until I do. I've gone days without receiving a message. I wondered why someone had not responded for days until I cleared the space and then received several text messages and voicemails. 

The worst thing about the HTC Incredible Droid is that it fails to work as a phone. This is its primary function. I will call someone or receive a call and the person will not hear a word from me. It is silent. I hang up, reboot the phone and then call them again. This fixes the problem, but it should never be a problem. At the very least a phone should function as a phone.

I do not recommend anyone buying or even receiving for a free an HTC Incredible Droid. It is not worth the headaches and frustrations.

The DACA executive order has given priority to illegal immigrants over regular citizens and military personnel.

The DACA executive order has given priority to illegal immigrants over regular citizens and military personnel.

On June 15, 2012, President Obama signed a memo calling for deferred action for certain undocumented young people who came to the U.S. as children and have pursued education or military service here. Applications under the program which is called Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals ("DACA") begin on August 15, 2012. Individuals who arrived in the US illegally under the age of 16 and who were under the age of 31 on June 15, 2012 are eligible to remain in the U.S. for 2 years effectively granting them a 2-year amnesty. These illegal individuals who apply are processed through the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. This USCIS office also processes fiancé(e) and marriage visas for fiancé(e)s and spouses of US citizens. This process has been severely hindered by the DACA.                    

On August 6th 2012, the USCIS received an I129F PETITION FOR FIANCE(E) from myself. I am a natural born U.S. citizen. The process for my fiancee to receive her K1 visa is supposed to take 6 to 8 months. After more than 8 months and the application had not yet moved from the California Service Center to the National Visa Center. Prior to the DACA, the process in California took only 5 months. According to the USCIS web site, no processing for K1 Visas has occurred for the entire year. The last petitions processed according to the site were received on July 18th. This date has not changed since December of last year though the site was last updated in April this year. Jorge Lowree, a staff member for immigration issues, in the office of Jared Polis confirmed this. He said, “I have discussed your case with the California Service Center. The Liaison in their office has indicated that while your case is outside of their typical processing time, they are currently dealing with a tremendous backlog of fiancé visa petitions. Therefore ... they are currently processing cases received on or before July 18, 2012.” This tremendous backlog has occurred because of the DACA.

When called my representative, Jared Polis and spoke to Jorge Loweree in charge of immigration issues, I received no help to push my petition forward. I should have not expected help from the staff of someone has signed a letter asking President Obama to give healthcare to the same individuals covered by the DACA.

Among those of us who seek a K1 visa for fiancé(e), are military and former military personnel who met their significant other abroad. It would seem that President Obama did not consider the welfare of ordinary U.S. citizens and brave military personnel in approving the DACA. Such a memo signed by President Obama gives priority to illegal immigrants over U.S. citizens and military personnel.

My fiancee has already shed many tears because of the delays. The DACA has personally hurt us and we are very upset.


This was not a law passed by Congress. The "Dream Act" failed to pass. The president issued this executive order bypassing congress. The constitution which the president has sworn to defend clearly states that congress creates laws not the president.


In overstepping his bounds as president, he has clearly hurt many citizens and military personnel who are anxiously waiting to be united with their loved ones. I have now been waiting more than 10 months when it should have taken at the most 8 months. Thank you Mr. President.