Living In The Mix

***LONG POST ALERT*** So, I've been wanting to write this post for a long time, but I haven't been able to get around to it for a few reasons: 1.) Life happens 2.) Work happens 3.) Health issues happen 4.) I had to wait for certain parts to be made public before I could talk about the experience, because it is important to the context of the full story and seeing as they were confidential it would not have been appropriate for me to share before the dates that information would be announced.  The reason this post will be so long is because it includes many events and things I've already brought up, but have to bring up again as they play a key part in the entirety of the story. The whole story spans from December 2018 to October of this year.  So, buckle up, take a deep breath, and read on! A MUSIC VIDEO In December last year Emma told me that North Star International was partnering with the More Good Foundation to create a special mus...

The last few weeks have been a crazy whirlwind for me and my wife. If you had told me a year ago that I'd be doing the things I am today I would not have believed you. A year ago I was not out to the general public nor to most of our family. Now, Emma and I have participated in a music video with North Star, we've come out to all of our family, we have come out to our church leaders and are working closely with them to help them learn how to help LGBTQ+ Church members and providing them with resources to learn and help (that is an ongoing process and I will probably write a blog post about that when we've gotten farther into it), I've come out to the general public and started this blog and a Facebook page to go with it, and just this last week we have officially become part of the Voices of Hope Project with our videos and essays being launched.  It is a surreal feeling to see all of this happen in such a short time when it took me and us as a couple so long to b...

F or members of the LGBTQ+ community both inside and outside of the Church coming out is a big deal for many reasons. It means that you are coming to accept who you are and overcoming the shame that you have carried-possibly for decades-due to your sexuality falling out of the "norm" of how society defines sexuality. It is a major step toward living a life of authenticity and self-love. It is a demonstration that you will not be controlled or shamed into hiding who you are. It is putting yourself-your entire self-on public display for all to see. It is the willingness to be vulnerable and live whole-heartedly.   It is an invitation for others to come to know the real you and finally be able to connect wholly and completely without reservation with family, friends, colleagues, and others you interact with. It means you will no longer live in fear of other's opinions, judgement, hate, and discriminatory views. It is a big deal.  But...why? I'm sure that we have ...