Dear Gay Kid,
I spent my whole life trying to be someone I wasn't. From the time I was 4 feet tall I was lying to everyone around me, pretending to be a person that I knew I really wasn’t. I hated myself. I hated who I really was. I hated that I was gay. I hated that I lived in a world where that wasn’t normal.
If you had told me two years ago that I would be into growing my own food I would have laughed at you. And yet I sit here today dreaming about the delicious vegetables I will grow in my 3rd garden box. It strikes me as to how so many things can change over a short period of time. Not only is my family beginning to dabble in gardening, but now I’m even thinking about getting some chickens for fresh eggs! So why all the change? Well it’s simple really, we wanted to save money and eat healthier food. Eating healthy is costly and so the next logical step is to grow your own food.
Eating better was our own personal choice. I realized one day that everything I was putting in to my families lunches was in some way shape, or form “processed junk food”. We were not eating any natural foods like fruits and veggies. Our “go to” side dish for family meals had become potato chips, or some other form of processed snack food. I was convicted by the Holy Spirit and decided that we needed to make a change. We are really just beginning this new way of life and sometimes old cravings get the best of us, but it’s no longer the norm, and for me that’s serious progress. I wish that everyone would eat healthier and choose to enjoy the natural foods that God has blessed us with, but that is a choice people must make on their own. Choice is a powerful word, and it is central to what it means to be an American.
When it comes to some of today’s hot button cultural issues the idea of Choice is a flash point. There are those who seek to justify their sexuality by using the argument “I didn’t choose to be this way”, or “you can’t choose who you fall in love with”. Others fight for a woman’s “right to choose” abortion. These folks insist that you can’t legislate morality and that government has no right to create laws that limit their behaviors, or infringe on the “right to choose”. Yet according to these same people, the government should most certainly use law to tell others what they can ”choose” to eat, or drink!
The most recent example of this comes from the current Mayor of New York, Michael Bloomberg, who recently made headlines when he proposed a ban on soft drinks that come in cups larger than 160z.
To me, the hypocrisy of these people is outrageous and It would almost be hysterically funny if the threat to our personal liberty wasn’t so serious. I find it ironic when far-left progressives and liberal media elites constantly compare conservatives to Hitler’s Nazi’s, or describe those on the “right” as ”self-righteous Bible thumpers” who want nothing more than to be the nation’s Morality Police eager to control what people do, think and say. Yet in reality, conservatives only wish to protect the lives of unborn children, for less Government intrusion into our lives, and the preservation of traditional marriage.
Love him, or hate him, I think Rush Limbaugh summed the debate up best when he recently explained the difference between a liberal vegetarian and a conservative vegetarian:
“A conservative vegetarian will eat his vegetables and leave you alone. A liberal vegetarian will eat his and then demand that you only eat vegetables, too. And this is one of the big differences between liberals and conservatives across the board — whatever it is, whatever the left-right issue is.”
Despite what you hear from all the clamoring mainstream voices, ask yourself, who is it really that wants to restrain freedom and control the lives of others?
This is in honor of Grace Church’s teaching pastor Matt Williams, who just finished an amazing teaching series on RUTH. This one’s for you Matt!!!
1. Hey Dad, I would like to introduce you to my wife Laura, my daughter Molly Reagan, my son William Kenneth Moore IV (Liam) and baby Obie.
2. I have no idea what I’m doing, could you help me out here?
3. Let’s go play 18 holes.
I wish I could say these things, but I can’t, because my Dad passed away almost 20 years ago. I never realized how much I would miss him until I had a family of my own. Don’t kid yourself, even grown men need their Fathers, we never stop needing our Dads. Proof? All you have to do is look at our society and wittness generations of men floundering through life with no real direction and no clue on how to lead a family.
Never underestimate the power of a Dad.
On July 6th of 2011 I marked my jobless plight with a post titled Celebrating 1 Year Without a Job. In that post I shared my job seeking adventures. The funny, the shady and the disappointing.
In that post I had hoped to communicate that no matter how hard things had been I knew God was in control and that He would continue to take care of my family. In spite of the lack of work and career direction, it was clear that God had orchestrated this “fig tree moment”. It was just what my soul needed, focused time with God.
A mentor of mine suggested I read the book Red Sea Rules. Rule #6 really spoke to me, When unsure, just take the next logical step by faith. After reading that book I began to realize that the next logical steps for me were to get back into Christian radio and pursue my passion for God’s Word and the ministry via seminary. I had no idea if any of these things would lead to a job, but I just felt like I needed to move forward in these areas.
When the lecture topic my first day of seminary was how aspiring to church leadership was a ”nobel” thing, I knew I had made the right choice. My descion was confirmed as each of the following class lectures seemed like they were crafted just for me! I still had no clear idea of what I was going to do for work, my 99 weeks of unemployment compensation were running out, and our 3rd baby was on his way. All of those things could easily converge to drive any man into a room with 4 padded walls. And while I did have some minor freak out moments, I began to get a sense that God was a calling me back into full-time ministry of some kind. I still had no handle on the where, what, or when.
Obie James Moore was born on November 22nd, and a week later I was hired by the State of SC to help bring employers and job seekers together…don’t let the irony of that slip by…I had been unemployed so long that unemployment hired me!
On Monday December 12th, 2011 I went back to work. The final fig leaf had fallen…
I share all of this because many of you have been praying for us for so long. This is your victory as well. Led by the spirit others have provided financially, and always when we needed it. This blessing is yours also. I’m here to testify of God’s greatness, his wisdom, mercy and perfect timing. And just so you understand what I mean by “perfect timing” please follow this chronology:
- July 7th 2010, 8:45am Bill loses his job.
- July 7th 2010, Laura’s old boss calls to offer her a part-time consulting job. That plus her part-time job at our church gives her the equivalent of a full-time job.
- Jan. 1st 2011, Laura goes to work full-time as a temp consultant for Spartnaburg Community College.
- March 2011, Laura applies for the SCC AD job, but does not get it.
- April 2011, Laura is asked to return full-time to previous position at SCC with a significant pay increase and state health benefits.
- May 2011, Laura finds out that she is pregnant with our 3rd child. (Laura’s healthcare plan had just kicked in)
- September 2011, Bill starts SBTS classes.
- October 2011, Bill launches BackSpinRadio on WHRZ.
- November 22nd 2011, Obie is born.
- November 30th 2011, SC Works offers Bill a job.
- December 12th 2011, Bill goes back to work.
-December 13th Bill’s receive’s the last unemployment check in his account.
If we had not lived this miraculous timeline I would probably have a hard time believing it could happen. Perhaps that’s why most of us don’t experience more of God’s supernatural power in our lives…we don’t really belive it’s possible.
Why do we need to keep Christ in Christmas? Has someone taken him out? How is that even possible, since without Christ there is no Christmas? The two can’t be separated, they are linked for all eternity. That’s why I think what my KCIC friends are really worried about is the loss of the aesthetic trappings of the season.
I understand where they are coming from since I love those things as well, but I ask them to consider this. If you take away the trees, the gifts, the lights, the shopping, the overeating and the occasional “Merry Christmas” from a gas attendant, or cashier what would we really have lost? I humbly submit that we would have lost nothing! in fact I think we all would have gained a new focus and understanding of the true meaning of Christmas as all the commercial distractions would have been swept away. Without these things we are free to celebrate and reflect on the wonderous gift that was given to all man-kind.
The Divine, in the flesh, with all the vulnerability that comes with being an infant. Imagine the creator of the universe with a poopy, in need of a diaper change! imagine the Holiest of Holies surrounded by the stench of animal feces and urine! This is the strange way Jehovah chose to save the world!
Cheer up my dear KCIC Culture Warriors! Regardless of what our society does or does not celebrate, when the King of Kings and Lord of Lords reigns in your heart, everyday is a Holyday and it is impossible to celebrate Christmas without Christ.
Noel! Noel!
This post was in response to Happy Holidays & the kingdom of God by OneCupofJoe.
Understandably, Americans love the 1st amendment. Not only do we love it, we do it well, I mean we can rock some serious free speech. I don’t know if there is any other nation in this world whose citizenry can express their opinions with the color, pizzaz and down right nastiness that we Americans can.
While I love my right to free speech and exercise it as much, and as those close to me would say, as loudly as possible, there is a dark and ugly side to our nations most prized freedom.
We’re a nation of Critics. From top to bottom, no one can bloviate, insult, accuse, or complain quite like we can. Need proof? Just tune into the current election coverage.
Sadly we Christians, myself included, are some of the biggest offenders when taking part in this dark national pastime. Sometimes I think were worse, because much of our vitriol is justified by a deep-rooted sense of self-righteousness.
Emboldened by a faulty understanding of scriptures like Matthew 7:15 We are quick to pull the pin and lob a barrage of “truth in Love bombs” that are heavy on the “bomb” and light on the “truth/love” parts.
When it comes to expressing thoughts on the work of fellow brothers and sisters sometimes we can be downright vicious. Recently I saw a YouTube video from a popular Christian speaker,and for no apparent reason other than to get some laughs he trashed the music of some extremely popular and successful Christian musicians. Having been involved in CCM for 15 years I had witnessed first hand the ministry impact of these particular musicians and I was bothered by the way the speaker seemed to diminish their work.
In response, I respectfully encouraged the speaker to “be careful” when making such public dispersians on fellow Christians. My remarks unintentionally lead to a onslaught of negative posts as some used the thread to making sweeping accusations against Christian Music and the people who enjoy it. I was saddened by the hateful nature of these posts and I wondered how unbelievers would react to such infighting.
I’m not suggesting that Christians don’t have the freedom to form subjective opinions when it comes to faith-based art, entertainment, and even ministry. All of us have different personal preferences, it’s part of what makes us unique.
I also believe that we have the room to express those opinions in the proper context. But in offering our critiques, we must be careful not to disparage the Kingdom work being done, just because we may not like, or prefer the style in which it is presented.
The blessings that come with American citizenship are truly God-given, but for the Western Christian I fear that the line between the American identity and the Kingdom identity has become blurred. As the national discourse grows more shrill it is vital that God’s children demonstrate the sacrificial and deferential nature of Christs kingdom not only by how we live but by how we love one another.
John 15:13 says “There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” I don’t think it’s to much of a stretch to suggest that part of laying down ones life can mean giving up your right to criticize.
