An Old Emergence

Let me begin by saying that this particular post is more of a long-form story than my usual four paragraphs and a quote. But I’ve been away for a year and thought it would be a good idea to update everyone on what has been going on. It’s been a truly transformative year, and I am excited to share what has transpired in my life. It feels like only yesterday that I was contemplating taking a year-long sabbatical from social media. Even I was skeptical about whether or not I would be able to last a few days, much less 12 months. As I look back over my original goals and aims for the year, I can’t help but laugh at how some of those goals (as with most New Year’s resolutions) fell quickly by the wayside. Yet, I ended up achieving goals I hadn’t even set for myself. And, overall, I can confidently say that my year “unplugged” was a positive one. I put “unplugged” in quotations because I came to understand that it is very nearly impossible to spend extended periods of time truly unp...

Today marks the 26 th observance of World AIDS Day, bringing awareness to the global AIDS pandemic. And while it has been over thirty years since awareness of HIV/AIDS bubbled over into mainstream consciousness, there is still much to be done to combat the gross stigma against those living with HIV. We know now that HIV is not a “gay” disease as it was once thought to be, but we also know that the gay and bisexual male population is still at greatest risk for infection in the United States. However, it is the stigma of being HIV positive that is most detrimental to our communities, not the virus itself. In the gay community, terms like “clean” and “DDF” (drug and disease free) are often used to describe oneself when connecting with others within the community. This perpetuation of the idea that testing positive for HIV makes someone unclean has pushed many to concealing their HIV status. Even more destructively, the fear of receiving a positive HIV test keeps many from g...

Four years ago I was sitting among a few male friends on campus in the lounge of our University Ministries offices. We had decided, a few weeks back, to form this group so we could spend some time in closer mentorship with our University Minister. At the time, I was struggling through reconciling my journey of self-discovery and my faith. Some of that reconciliation was earth-shattering. And while I never brought that up with this particular group, I was comforted by their companionship as we talked weekly about other struggles. This particular Wednesday night also happened to be Ash Wednesday. Earlier in the evening, I had joined with my church family in Nashville to observe the ritual of receiving ashes. At Glendale, my small, liberal Baptist church, we received ashes in the shape of a circle, denoting the cyclical pattern of life and of our faith journeys. This night was my first encounter with Ash Wednesday at a church of my genuine choosing. It was also the first time I had e...

The month of January is filled with reminders of challenging times for me. Tonight, as I sat on my couch watching Rent , I was reminded of the people I carry in my heart. I was reminded of the people from whom I’ve been parted in the past. In December, I observed the fifth anniversary of the death of my best friend’s little brother. Oh goodness, he was amazing. He was a ball of creativity, of innovation, of life. It is no easier to bear the burden of his death now than it was five years ago. I see him in little things every day, and I wonder how he would approach every challenge I face. And I pray that I do his memory justice. In just a few days, we will observe the ninth anniversary of the passing of Susan Bank. I cannot believe it has been almost a decade since the death of my tenth grade English teacher. There is not a day that goes by that I don’t think of her and the myriad things I learned from her. It is amazing how one person can touch your life so profoundly. I would n...

I know it's a strange, but I was so glad to wake up and go to work this morning. And while I have a good job that lets me support myself pretty comfortably, that's not why I slid out of bed without too much resignation this morning. After two weeks off work for the holidays, who really wants to start waking up at 5am again? No, this morning I finally got to settle back into my daily routines. In an effort to live into this idea of greater discipline in 2014, I have set up an intentional life schedule to help keep me on track with being productive outside my office. These routines (including working from 7-4, Monday through Friday) break down my day into manageable and achievable portions. So this morning when I stood up and immediately clicked on my Songza "Rebirth of Alt-Pop" playlist to get me going, I transitioned easily into my morning routine of breakfast, tea, and shower. Routines can often reach a ritualistic state when performed often enough and with...