This week we have the privilege of hearing from Dakota Matthes as our guest blogger. Dakota is a first year seminary student at Graceland University which is associated with Community of Christ. Dakota loves animals and especially his dog Bowser who he takes everywhere. Recently he moved to Falmouth, Maine taking a job as an LPN at a retirement community. We wish him the best of luck on this new adventure as Dakota and Bowser get acquainted with their new patients and friends. Big thanks to Dakota for being vulnerable and sharing his story with us! Thinking about my faith journey through the 50 years of my life thus far, I have so much gratitude for where I am right now! I am currently in my first year of Seminary in the Community of Christ Seminary through Graceland University Online. I have reconnected with the fellowship of disciples in the Community of Christ, and my cup runneth over with love and peace as I journey on. It hasn’t always been this way, however. I started my life out in the Catholic tradition, being christened as an infant in 1969 at St. Mark’s Catholic Church in Boynton Beach, Florida. My maternal grandmother was Catholic, and so my mother and her siblings and all of us kids/cousins started out that way too. Unbeknownst to me then, but as I would much later realize, the presence of addiction, alcoholism, mental illness and dysfunction plagued my family-of-origin. I suppose like most children I thought my childhood was normal, and that everyone else’s lives were the same. I began to see in adolescence though, that my home was anything but normal. Suspected in adolescence, but really discovered in my adult years, I learned that Mother had many symptoms of bipolar 1 disorder, dissociative identity disorder, and covert, gaslighting narcissism. Suffice it to say, there was a lot of neglect, confusion, and abuse as the years went by. We converted to Lutheran when I was 5 years old. Then at age 9 we converted to RLDS (after hearing about the church through my Aunt Anne). As it turns out, the RLDS—now Community of Christ—was my saving grace through adolescence and early adulthood. The only escape I had from my home of chaos and insanity was in my mind. From about 14 on I would get up before dawn, when the house was quiet, and read my 3-in-1 (Inspired Version of the Bible, Book of Mormon, and Doctrine & Covenants). I calculated what I needed to read each day in order to complete the three books in a year. I read them each year of high school. These quiet, priceless moments with my God and Higher Power/Higher Self were the source of my thread of hope to survive. I desperately wanted to serve God during these years and had dreams of being in the priesthood one day. At 15 years old in 1984, women in the priesthood passed the World Conference vote and I was elated! Our church was joining other Christians in leading the way toward egalitarianism. The big fear for me, even after this historical passage, was that I would still be rejected because of my identity and orientation. Having been born and assigned female at birth, I felt excluded from my dreams of serving in the priesthood when I was 14 years old. And even though I was elated the following year, when women were accepted to be a part of the priesthood of the church, I was carrying a big secret that I was sure would continue to exclude me—I was LGBT. Not sure of the words to describe myself I struggled with my identity, my gender dysphoria, my transgenderism, and my romantic attractions. I had been hiding my feelings for several years already. I knew it was not okay to talk about it at home. Feelings of any kind were mocked and shamed, but worse than that was anything to do with homosexuality. That was vehemently made known to be evil, disgusting, and perverse. Anyone with feelings of this nature was going to hell, was spawn of Satan, and did not deserve to live freely among the righteous, as was told/taught by Mother herself. I heard no positive reviews of people like me in church, school, or community either, so I assumed my mother was right. Although I felt like a loving, decent person that did good in the world, I believed I was judged as disgusting and unlovable, doomed to hell and disfavor in the sight of God. This made me inexorably sad, and I fell into a deep depression. I wanted to die, even wished for it to put me out of my misery of complete and utter loneliness and despair. I lived every day of my life inauthentically and carried huge guilt for lying so much. So were my days until I reached college. My freshman year at Graceland College I fell in love with another woman who was a senior and a leader on campus. I now found joy in my life amidst the fear and shame. Still very difficult to manage such conflicting emotions to do with my self-worth, I was unable to reconcile being a lesbian with being a faithful servant of God. So, at 22 years old, after coming out and being disowned by my mother, I dropped out of church too. Not officially, as in renouncing my baptism or anything like that--I just fell by the wayside and became like the prodigal son for the next 25 years. During those years I fell into alcohol and drugs, unprotected sex and many unhealthy relationships in which I accepted emotional abuse because of my low self-esteem. I became angry and rebellious. I decided God didn’t exist, because I didn’t believe in a God who would judge me. I fell into atheism, eventually coming back toward agnosticism, then eventually realizing I had a huge, gaping, spiritual hole in my soul. I had thrown the baby out with the bathwater when I left church and denounced God. I had lost spiritual connection and was more unhappy than ever. It was then I began slowly, seeking out spiritual food for my life. I did meditation and some chanting. I read books on Buddhism and Hinduism. I did yoga and qigong. I discovered what my gender dysphoria really meant and that it could be treated. I began to see doctors and started the process of transitioning to male. I sporadically attended churches like the Unitarian/Universalist one, the Unity ones, and an occasional Catholic mass or two (I liked the ritual). Then I found myself slowly drawn, stronger and stronger, back to the church of my youth. Before I returned, I desired to get healthier and so I quit the vices I had started after college. I sought out 12-step programs to help me, and the spiritual guidance I received there put me on a path to self-love. I believe it is this that finally led me to follow my urgings to enter the doors again of my beloved church, now called the Community of Christ. I was not sure I would be well received. What I didn’t know before I entered was that the church officially accepted the LGBTQ community in 2013 through the World Conference proceedings and we could now be called to priesthood and be united in civil unions. What joy was mine in 2017, when after being clean and sober for nearly 5 years, I entered the congregation in Leavenworth, Kansas, was met with love and gladness, and found out all the new growth and change in the church since I had left in 1991!! I was elated!! To learn of the enduring principles and the mission initiatives of the church, to hear talk about the worth of all persons, unity in diversity, and all are called: it’s like every ounce of the pain of my isolation and rejection and exile was gone in an instant. I was loved! I was seen! I was welcomed back into the fold with open arms! I have experienced nothing but love, kindness, welcome, and appreciation ever since, and it is the greatest blessing of my life. Big thanks to Dakota for sharing his heart with us! I'm always amazed at the journey's people travel to find acceptance and love.
This week hug someone close to you! Let them know they are loved by you no matter what life situations present to them.
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My in laws recently took a trip to Africa with Outreach International to learn about the culture and process Outreach has with people. Check out my earlier post “The Eyes of Love” talking about my experience with OI. At one village they got off of the bus to visit with their community leaders and see the progress they have made in community change. My mother in law vividly remembers stepping off of the bus and the real young kids immediately running in fear and crying. Now of course this is where I insert any mother in law joke that comes to mind. Joke - I am amazed that her reputation is not only known nationally but internationally. Joke - I am assuming they were taking my strategy of not speaking to my mother in law. It's been two years, we haven’t quarreled, I just don’t want to interrupt her. Joke - The kids had heard there were more vicious things than Lions they just hadn’t seen them until now. Ok that’s enough! In all reality I have a great mother in law that is very respectful of boundaries and I received her approval before posting any of these jokes. She said the kids ran because they had never seen this big a group of white people before. They were stricken with fear for something they had not experienced. As she thought about it, it became real to her that we fear what we do not know. Fear is a natural emotion we feel. It was in this moment she realized the importance of educating and teaching acceptance to overcome fear. Acceptance allows us to see and understand others instead of letting fear drive our actions and behaviors. Too much of what we see and get from media or others today is fear. Fear others are taking our jobs, creating unsafe situations, or not practicing the right beliefs. But we have to find ways to not follow the fear but go to the source to truly understand what is going on. So lets explore how acceptance impacts our spiritual journey's. Specifically lets look at what teaching acceptance is, a more in-depth look at why its important, and where God is in the midst of this. How to Teach Acceptance? Teaching acceptance is a process of eliminating fear from our lives slowly while embracing who others are. Culturally respecting others beliefs and perspectives is imperative for peace. Acceptance is not about coexisting but embracing others differences. Others' choices may not be our own but respecting who they are and the choices they make are vitally important for building community. So what are some ways to help us teach acceptance? Story Telling - Stories are essential ways for people to hear others perspectives. They bring emotional attachment to situations and problems creating more pull with people. Stories have a way of working into our heart strings and pulling them ever so gently. Dialogue - Talking with others allows multiple perspectives to be shared so there is common understanding of all potential concerns and problems present. There is almost always two sides of every problem. Let Go of Personal Stereotypes/ Judgments - We are not void of judgments as much as we try. But acknowledging our judgments and letting go of them creates an openness for others and ourselves to learn. Internal awareness of our own processes is some of the major work we can do. Exposure - When we find ourselves with negative thoughts or ideas in our head about a certain group of people its important that we go to the source. Direct exposure tends to be the best and most accurate knowledge. Spend time learning for yourself what the group is about and who they are. Culturally Diverse Books - Reading books about other cultures and by authors from different backgrounds can help us become more accepting. They are great way to educate us when we are too shy or timid about interacting with others. Check out our guest blog post "Diversity and Your Bookshelf" by William Ottens to read further about this. Golden Rule - This applies as we imagine ourselves when we use the words we use. This is all the time not just when someone is around us. Positive thoughts bring more positive thoughts. At the heart of personality is the need to feel a sense of being lovable without having to qualify for that acceptance. Paul Tournier Tolerance Is A Dirty Word? Some people believe tolerance is what needs to happen while others believe that is not enough. Where do you stand? Should we as society just be tolerant of others? Is tolerance a step toward acceptance? Or does acceptance need to happen for someone to be truly valued? I tend to think its not about just being tolerant of others but accepting others as able and capable of making their own decisions. This means seeing the positive qualities and characteristics we can out of individuals. Below is a TEDx video by Andrew Sayer which talks about Tolerance being a dirty word. I thought it was an interesting perspective and wanted to share it with you. Unity in Diversity Community of Christ has an enduring principle of Unity in Diversity. It’s a core belief that our differences make us better and that those differences are needed for us to be whole as a community. I find when I really try to live by this principle, I become less frustrated with others, more open for help, and more willing to learn. I think this enduring principle is also a goal. If we truly are to be one with each other we have to acknowledge and value the differences we find. This can be difficult but when we become more diverse we actually become more efficient and effective. As I have stated before more diverse work forces actually create better financial gains. Check out this article “Why Diversity Matters” for details. Another example is just looking at nature! The diversity in the habitats of the world create balance and support systems. Look up the root systems of aspens, the pollination of bees, or the running of salmon to see how we are all integral parts of one another. Others depend on us and our unique roles in this world. It’s about seeing the Christ in me and the Christ in you as parts of the whole. Without all of us in this together what’s the point? Without you alongside with me what really matters? Unity in diversity breathes the need for us to truly sit and be with one another. Bask in each other’s presence and love the person for who they are. So how do we live this as a community? Well how about we figure that out together. Thank you for all those who are enjoying our posts! We welcome any feedback you have.
This week ask another person what is something that has been hard for them to accept. Truly listen to their perspective no matter how different it is from yours. Happy One Year Anniversary! It has been one year since we started this blog with the post "Let's Explore Together." I want to thank everyone who has visited our site and followed us throughout the journey no matter when you started. I also want to give a big thanks to Jim Fairchild who manages our website and all of our social media posts. A lot of our success is on his constant dedication of caring about others through social media. Thanks Jim! When I was younger I went on a backpack trip to Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico. On the trek, we planned to cover 85 miles in ten days. The first two were with a guide before we were cut loose on our own. After leaving base camp we hiked a short two miles in before stopping at our first campsite. We scheduled to take it easy the first day before getting into more difficult hiking. It was beautiful outside, perfect weather for hiking. Tents were pitched, gear was laid out, and most of us laid down to take an afternoon nap. A few hours later I woke up to a loud pounding on my tent. I opened my eyes and noticed my breath rising. As I followed my breath, the tent ceiling came into sight where I saw indention's being made from something hard hitting it. My body shivered from the cold air. I rolled over to look out the window. And to my amazement the ground was covered in white. It was hailing quarter to golf ball size hail everywhere. The storm persisted for a few more hours requiring us to cook dinner under a tarp. I remember laying in my bed that night thinking, "What have I gotten myself into?" The significant change in weather was unexpected and caught me off guard. However I also thought how the covered white ground was also beautiful in its own way. Luckily the rest of our journey had fairly good weather; sun with bouts of rain. We were able to skirt away from any bear encounters and hike up the ranges highest mountain, Mt. Baldy. The trip was an awesome example of persistence and the welcoming power of nature. Even in the midst of terrible weather God meets us there. Everywhere we look throughout nature God is present asking us to welcome the beauty around us. Our spiritual journey's will be filled with obstacles and tough questions that may make us fall. When we begin to welcome all that life brings we will truly understand the love present in our God. How do we welcome the unpleasant happenstances in our lives? How do we let go of our own desires and bask in God's presence? Let's explore together to find answers about welcoming all moments. Welcoming Unpleasant Situations No one wants to experience the difficult situations and circumstances life brings. From a red light making us late for work to a loved one dying we all encounter them. Our response is typically to become upset, sad or frustrated in the moment thinking only of the negative. What we don't realize is these unpleasant situations also shape who we are. Our response is critically important for who we are to become. And many times accepting them is a process. So how do we live a life in which we welcome what life brings? You are probably thinking, Craig you are crazy, why would I ever welcome the bad things life gives. Well when we focus on welcoming all the aspects and dimensions of life we come to accept the emotions, thoughts, and situations we have as opportunities to experience and learn. I too many times get angered, say a few choice words, and become upset over situations and events missing the opportunity to see the beauty present. Welcoming what comes simmers our emotions, removes our expectations, and makes us see the situation for what it is. As I said this is extremely difficult because our emotions are strong and hold us captive in those moments. I also know there are situations in life that are extremely awful and should not happen in a just world. For these situations using the term "welcoming" is difficult and almost not suitable. Accepting or moving forward from them is a long, tumultuous process. Can we ever use the term welcome with those experiences? Is there something from them we can learn and use? Where is God in the midst of these? "The Welcoming Prayer" created by Father Thomas Keating is a powerful prayer about are attitude toward what life brings. This youtube video by PeaceLutheranC shows great imagery while going through the prayer. Enjoy! Adversity Brings Reevaluation |
Please Note The views expressed here are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of Community of Christ. We believe individuals should be allowed to have their own opinions and be at different places in their faith journey.
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