by Summer D Clemenson | Aug 1, 2023 | Book & Product Reviews
I found this book in the bottom of a box of books my sister gave me and it looked like it had seen some hard living with have the cover ripped off. I didn’t expect to enjoy this book. I am not sure why. I think I just expect to only like certain kinds of books and I should stop doing that. The summary on the back of the book sounded complicated and too human and I thought I would just get through it to say I did, but in the end Illumination Night by Alice Hoffman was filled with rich characters that I could empathize with and grow to appreciate their development.
Illumination Night is about 3 families and how they intersect and interact with each other. Each with their own battles and needs, whether is mental illness, marital stress, elderly needs or teenage angst and divorcing parents. The book has beautiful characters that are easy to relate to and learn to love. I appreciate the way Hoffman makes her characters so real that the story is really just details around them. I really enjoyed this book and I look forward to reading more from this author.
I got this book from my sister Jamie Holloway. You can get your own copy of Illumination Night by Alice Hoffman on Amazon.
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Read My Review on GoodReads:
Illumination Night by Alice Hoffman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I did not think I would like this book but I am pleasantly surprised that I was so wrong and I think that Alice Hoffman may be on my list of favored authors for her ability to make her characters so realistic. This book is about families and generations and households and growing and learning and all that implies among the generations and the moments of magic and pain that can either make it worth it or cause a lifetime of searching for something else.
View all my reviews
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Feel free to leave your comments below!
My name is Summer. That is how you can call me. I hope that I am a blessing to you. I am not perfect. I will fall again. But I am forgiven.
For anyone reading this that isn’t a Christian, unapologetically, I am a Christian, but I believe there is room for lots of beliefs and religions in the world. It is not my intent to offend people with different beliefs than I have and I would be open to open-minded conversations with no goals of changing anyone’s mind, but sharing information.
If you are interested in becoming a Christian…Do you know Jesus? Do want the Holy Spirit to fill you and give you understanding and salvation? Ask Him. Want someone to pray with you? Contact me.
If you would like to know Jesus as your friend, but want to make this amazing commitment by yourself please pray something like this:
Thank you Jesus that You are the Son of God, the God that created heaven and earth. Thank you Jesus that You came to earth in the form of a man so that You would be able to empathize with my humanity. Thank You that You did this in order to fulfill the promises You made at the foundation of the world.
I realize that I am a sinner and do things that hurt myself and keep myself away from you. Thank You that You died for my sins so that You could defeat death and bring me into Your life. Please forgive me.
I ask You to be Lord of my life. I ask you to heal my hurts and show me what my new life, empowered by You looks like. Thank You for Your mercy.
by Summer D Clemenson | Jul 31, 2023 | About Summer, Life, Opinions
When I was younger I wondered why my grandparents were married. From the surface, they had little in common and I had little to no understanding about relationships, especially what makes a healthy marriage. When I was really little, grandpa hadn’t married Nana yet and it was just Nana that we went to visit all the time in her little house. Before their marriage, I was told to call Grandpa, Bill. But around the time my youngest sibling was born, Nana and Grandpa had got married and they came to see us and the newest family member. I was about 5 years old.
After Nana and Grandpa were married, because I had a lot of grandfathers, I was told I could call him Grandpa Bill; I was confused and didn’t know how to tell him from the other grandfathers. But by the time I was about 8 or 9 years old, Nana told me it was time to just call Grandpa, Grandpa. She was right, he was the most grandfatherly, grandfather I had. None of the other grandfathers showed up to teach me anything or fix anything. Sometimes I forgot and called him Grandpa Bill, but he was the only one that didn’t get called by his last name and I thought that was special too.
I remember at my first nephew’s, 1st birthday party, Nana had sat on some ketchup. She was notorious for wearing white jeans so it was really noticeable. Grandpa asked me if I would help her. I didn’t know how to file that so I declined. It was so sweet to watch him quietly tell her and then help her clean off her jeans. I see it so clearly like it is still happening. I didn’t know how to be outside of myself then. Now I would be able to offer help to someone, but I think it took Grandpa showing me how to take care of Nana, and some therapy to learn how to show compassion and care for people.
As I have been married, I see how much like Nana and Grandpa I am, but also I see how I chose a partner that is a lot like Grandpa in some ways too. I understand that their opposite ways of being are how they complimented each other. Each person was great individually but they were so much better together. When Grandpa teased Nana it was to stop her from being so serious and anxious. I know this because Karen G Clemenson does it to me too. It’s ok that they liked to read different genres of books, what is important is that they took the time to find out what types of books each other liked to read. Grandpa and Karen both love the Seattle Seahawks and I am sure that Nana chose to watch the games with Grandpa for the same reason I watch them with Karen, but I know Nana and I also learned to appreciate other parts of the game; like the beauty of a well sculpted athlete like DK Mecalf.
I have learned over the years that Love, alone, does not hold a relationship together. Liking someone does not hold a relationship together, by itself either. You must have a combination of Love, Like and the most important element is Compromise. Without these three elements from all parties, a relationship cannot be equal, and cannot stand through the trials of humanity. I am so thankful that I was able to see these qualities in my nana and grandpa. I am also thankful that I see them in my marriage and a few trusted friends.
Happy Belated Birthday, in Heaven, Nana.
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Feel free to leave your comments below!
My name is Summer. That is how you can call me. I hope that I am a blessing to you. I am not perfect. I will fall again. But I am forgiven.
For anyone reading this that isn’t a Christian, unapologetically, I am a Christian, but I believe there is room for lots of beliefs and religions in the world. It is not my intent to offend people with different beliefs than I have and I would be open to open-minded conversations with no goals of changing anyone’s mind, but sharing information.
If you are interested in becoming a Christian…Do you know Jesus? Do want the Holy Spirit to fill you and give you understanding and salvation? Ask Him. Want someone to pray with you? Contact me.
If you would like to know Jesus as your friend, but want to make this amazing commitment by yourself please pray something like this:
Thank you Jesus that You are the Son of God, the God that created heaven and earth. Thank you Jesus that You came to earth in the form of a man so that You would be able to empathize with my humanity. Thank You that You did this in order to fulfill the promises You made at the foundation of the world.
I realize that I am a sinner and do things that hurt myself and keep myself away from you. Thank You that You died for my sins so that You could defeat death and bring me into Your life. Please forgive me.
I ask You to be Lord of my life. I ask you to heal my hurts and show me what my new life, empowered by You looks like. Thank You for Your mercy.
by Summer D Clemenson | Jul 28, 2023 | Book & Product Reviews
Although I began writing poetry when I was 9 years old, I do not generally enjoy reading poetry. I know that probably sounds terrible but I really tried to enjoy this book. Sweet, Young, & Worried by Blythe Baird is a book of poetry that is obviously about her life as she navigated through a troubled teenage life into a young-adult life with mental health issues and questions about her sexuality, not to mention a poor connection with her mother. Where I have empathy and even can understand this, I was not impressed with this book.
I felt the writing was too simple and went for easy shock factor. There is nothing sweet in this book.
I got this book from my sister, Jamie Holloway. You can get your own copy of Sweet, Young, & Worried by Blythe Baird on Amazon.
Read My Review on GoodReads:
Sweet, Young, & Worried by Blythe Baird
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
I don’t find this book sweet at all. I do find it young and worried, however. There is not a lot more to say beyond that.
View all my reviews
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Feel free to leave your comments below!
My name is Summer. That is how you can call me. I hope that I am a blessing to you. I am not perfect. I will fall again. But I am forgiven.
For anyone reading this that isn’t a Christian, unapologetically, I am a Christian, but I believe there is room for lots of beliefs and religions in the world. It is not my intent to offend people with different beliefs than I have and I would be open to open-minded conversations with no goals of changing anyone’s mind, but sharing information.
If you are interested in becoming a Christian…Do you know Jesus? Do want the Holy Spirit to fill you and give you understanding and salvation? Ask Him. Want someone to pray with you? Contact me.
If you would like to know Jesus as your friend, but want to make this amazing commitment by yourself please pray something like this:
Thank you Jesus that You are the Son of God, the God that created heaven and earth. Thank you Jesus that You came to earth in the form of a man so that You would be able to empathize with my humanity. Thank You that You did this in order to fulfill the promises You made at the foundation of the world.
I realize that I am a sinner and do things that hurt myself and keep myself away from you. Thank You that You died for my sins so that You could defeat death and bring me into Your life. Please forgive me.
I ask You to be Lord of my life. I ask you to heal my hurts and show me what my new life, empowered by You looks like. Thank You for Your mercy.
by Summer D Clemenson | Jul 27, 2023 | Book & Product Reviews, Opinions, Queer Community
I got the first book in this review from a box of books from my sister, but before I could publish it I read an article that suggested that grown up should read children’s books and it inspired me to actually do that and so, until I get bored, I plan to find 7 books for the month and review them. So here is 7 Children’s Books for July…
I Pray You’ll Be…by Hannah C. Hall
This copy of I Pray You’ll Be…by Hannah C. Hall came to me in a box of books and I was surprised because my sister often gives me only adult books. But what a joy to have this children’s picture book!
The illustrations by Catalin Ardeleanu are beautiful and easy to engage a little one in conversation about. The story is uplifting and the timing is poetic to read. It was so fun to read by myself that I know I will enjoy reading it to my great-nephews and any other children that come for a visit. I usually pass these books on to a great, but I think I will keep this one for my collection.
Thanks Sis!
I got this book from my sister, Jamie Holloway. You can get your own copy of I Pray You’ll Be…by Hannah C. Hall on Amazon.
Read My Review on GoodReads
I Pray You’ll Be . . . by Hannah C Hall
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Beautiful illustrations! Wonderful story! I love this book!
View all my reviews
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The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf
The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf was first printed in 1936. Ferdinand was a bull, but not like other bulls that like to fight each other, “He liked to sit just quietly and smell the flowers.”
This story is powerful because it doesn’t hide the violence of bull fighting and it doesn’t hide that Ferdinand is not anything like other bulls. In many ways this story could be a metaphor for other topics. I love that Ferdinand is brave enough to be himself and his mother, although she is worried he might be lonesome, is understanding enough to let him do what makes him happy.
The drawings by Robert Lawson are simple in black and white but are easy to discuss with children to encourage conversation and compassion with Ferdinand and other bull’s plight. I think The Story of Ferdinand is a timeless tale.
View all my reviews
I got this copy of this story at The Longview Public Library. You can get your own copy of The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf on Amazon.
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Song of Creation by Paul Goble
Song of Creation by Paul Goble
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Song of Creation by Paul Goble was published in 2004. It is a collection of amazing artistry and songs of praise to the Creator. As you take in the vibrant art of nature and read out loud the prayers you might be able to imagine a flute playing in your mind, as I did.
“O all you works of the Lord, bless you the Lord: praise him, and magnify him forever.”
As a person who doesn’t just read books but loves to talk about them and encourage little ones to grow their vocabulary and ability to think, there are tons of beautiful things to talk about amongst the stunning illustrations.
View all my reviews
I got this copy of this story at The Longview Public Library. You can get your own copy of Song of Creation by Paul Goble on Amazon.
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Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
Where The Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
In a world where Max, the main character, who is probably 5-7-years old, felt a little out of control, being able to shout, “BE STILL,” and seeing his terrible monsters tamed was just what he needed. To be able to command the wild rumpus and to make it stop on his authority, made coming home to a warm meal very welcoming.
We all feel out of control sometimes. Whether we are 5 or 50 years old and this story was fun to read and relate to, just as it has been since 1963 when Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak was published.
The illustrations are imaginative and draw you in so it is no surprise that Where the Wild Things Are was the winner of the Caldecott Medal for the Most Distinguished Picture Book of the Year in 1964.
This timeless story will always delight!
View all my reviews
I got this copy of this story at The Longview Public Library. You can get your own copy of Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak on Amazon.
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Julián is a Mermaid by Jessica Love
Julián Is a Mermaid by Jessica Love
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Julián is a Mermaid by Jessica Love was published in 2018 and has beautifully colorful and inspiring pictures.
Julián is a boy in love with mermaids. He sees gorgeous people dressed up on the subway with his abuela and he wants to be like them. He daydreams all the way home and as his abuela goes to take a bath he becomes creative with things around her house.
As she emerges from the bath, Julián’s abuela sees what he has done. He is nervous that she will be upset but she returns with a beautiful necklace. Once she is dressed, they go for a walk to a place with many fancy people, “Like you mijo. Let’s join them.” And they do.
This touching story of acceptance shows how much love Julián and his abuela share with each other.
View all my reviews
I got this copy of this story at The Longview Public Library. You can get your own copy of Julián is a Mermaid by Jessica Love on Amazon.
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Butterflies by Seymour Simon
Butterflies by Seymour Simon
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Butterflies by Seymour Simon was published in 2011. It is meant for children that are about aged 5 to 9 years of age but any child would love the outstanding photography by the many artists who collaborated in this book. While I read the book, I learned that there are more than 20,000 kinds of butterflies.
While many butterflies live in North America the greatest variety and number live in the rain forest. Butterflies are important pollinators to flowers, plants and vegetables. Butterflies also provide food to animals like bats, birds, lizards and frogs.
There are 4 stages of a butterfly’s life: Egg, Caterpillar, Pupa (the transformative stage into a butterfly) and Adult. Butterflies drink their food with a long tongue called a proboscis. They smell with their antennae and taste with their feet!
An Irish saying goes: “May the wings of the butterfly kiss the sun and find your shoulder to light on, to bring you luck, happiness and riches today, tomorrow, and beyond.”
I really enjoyed this book and I hope you will enjoy it too!
View all my reviews
I got this copy of this story at The Longview Public Library. You can get your own copy of Butterflies by Seymour Simon on Amazon.
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Separate Is Never Equal Sylvia Mendez and Her Family’s Fight for Desegregation by Duncan Tonatiuh
Separate Is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez and Her Family’s Fight for Desegregation by Duncan Tonatiuh
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Separate Is Never Equal Sylvia Mendez and Her Family’s Fight for Desegregation by Duncan Tonatiuh is a book that was published in 2014 but is about a real story that happened in 1945. When Sylvia moved with her family from Santa Ana, California to Westminster, California, she was excited to start at her new school in her neighborhood. But on the day her aunt took Sylvia, her brothers and her cousins to enroll, they were told her cousins could enroll, because their skin was light, but Sylvia and her brothers would have to enroll in the Mexican school. That day Sylvia’s aunt chose to not enroll any of the children, but take them home.
When she told her brother-in-law, he did not understand. He was born in Mexico, but he had become a United States citizen and his children had been born in the United States and had perfect English. He had worked hard and owned his own company. He did not understand why he kept being told, “This is how it is done,” whether he spoke with the county superintendent or the school board.
The Mexican school was not safe. It had no playground. The teachers didn’t care if the children learned anything. It was not a good environment and Mr. Mendez wanted his children to have a good education. As Mr. Mendez kept looking for answers he met a man that suggested that he file a lawsuit. He knew of another man that had helped to integrate schools in the San Bernardino area. This seemed like a good plan and Mr. Mendez spent a lot of time traveling all over Orange County searching for people that wanted to help with this plan and he found them.
In June of 1947, after one hearing and an appeal that were both won by Mr. Mendez and his team, Governor Earl Warren signed a law that allowed all children to go to school together, regardless of race, ethnicity or language.
Separate Is Never Equal Sylvia Mendez and Her Family’s Fight for Desegregation by Duncan Tonatiuh is winning story for children that are at least 5-8 years old. It is also the winner of The Pura Belpre Award.
View all my reviews
I got this copy of this story at The Longview Public Library. You can get your own copy of Separate Is Never Equal Sylvia Mendez and Her Family’s Fight for Desegregation by Duncan Tonatiuh on Amazon.
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Feel free to leave your comments below!
My name is Summer. That is how you can call me. I hope that I am a blessing to you. I am not perfect. I will fall again. But I am forgiven.
For anyone reading this that isn’t a Christian, unapologetically, I am a Christian, but I believe there is room for lots of beliefs and religions in the world. It is not my intent to offend people with different beliefs than I have and I would be open to open-minded conversations with no goals of changing anyone’s mind, but sharing information.
If you are interested in becoming a Christian…Do you know Jesus? Do want the Holy Spirit to fill you and give you understanding and salvation? Ask Him. Want someone to pray with you? Contact me.
If you would like to know Jesus as your friend, but want to make this amazing commitment by yourself please pray something like this:
Thank you Jesus that You are the Son of God, the God that created heaven and earth. Thank you Jesus that You came to earth in the form of a man so that You would be able to empathize with my humanity. Thank You that You did this in order to fulfill the promises You made at the foundation of the world.
I realize that I am a sinner and do things that hurt myself and keep myself away from you. Thank You that You died for my sins so that You could defeat death and bring me into Your life. Please forgive me.
I ask You to be Lord of my life. I ask you to heal my hurts and show me what my new life, empowered by You looks like. Thank You for Your mercy.
by Summer D Clemenson | Jul 26, 2023 | About Summer, Life
God tells us to do our best to be a good example and not cause harm to others. I try to live this always. I would hate to make someone stumble. I am thankful when situations are easy.
I had a wonderful experience this week. I went to my niece’s house to give a gift to my great-nephew. My niece had made a post on Facebook that she needed a break. Her little one needs to touch her all the time and she just needed a break. So I bought him a doll made of silicone. When silicone is touched and matches the body heat of the person touching it, it feels somewhat like skin. My great-nephew is going to be a big brother soon so I thought he might enjoy having his own baby to care for while mommy is busy. The doll didn’t come with a bottle so we had stopped at the store to get one. That was a good idea, because he did have a little doll and a shopping cart that he pushes the doll around in, but he didn’t have a bottle or cup to feed the baby with. The doll worked out well. His other baby can’t go in the tub with him, but this one can. He enjoyed taking care of both babies and the bottle and little cup that we bought him helped out a lot.
My niece lives with her mother and it was nice to see her too. Families are made in all kinds of ways and this niece came to me through a marriage that didn’t last but I never stopped loving her so I kept her. Her mother has been through a lot and has worked hard to overcome so much. I admire her journey and strength. I mentioned that I am close to graduating out of therapy. I am still overcome by that idea. After she thought about that, my niece’s mother said: “Good job. That means you have learned all the tools you need.”
People may have said something like that to me but this was the first time that I remember someone looking me in the eye and saying it to me. I really needed to have that experience.
I have been really torn about going to Nana’s celebration of life. I want to see my grandfather. But I am not a small talk person. I am not a big family function person. These people do not send me letters or cards. I have tried to create the type of pen pal relationships with some of them that I missed so much with Nana as she began to deteriorate mentally and that didn’t work. I haven’t spoken to my mother and siblings in a long time. I don’t want to answer questions of people I haven’t seen since my great-grandfather’s memorial service. There are just some truths that are painful and I don’t want to dishonor my mother in order to be authentic.
Becoming an auntie has been the best thing that ever happened to me. I want to see my other nephews and niece so badly, but they have the choice to reach out to me and they don’t.
I am hurting today. I have been hurting for about a week. I always hurt but this is deeper. It is making it harder to function. All I want to do is sleep. I know part of it is a little depression. Funny, Karen never says she can see it, but she says things like: “Please make sure you take your meds and eat some oatmeal today.”
I know that Nana is with Jesus and in my heart. I know that memorial services are to help the loved one remember the one we lost, together, but I have my own memorials for Nana as they naturally happen. I think it would be best if I kept doing that and save my family the stress of my honesty. Besides I hurt. My body is fighting cancer. It is going to be 85 degrees on Sunday and the heat makes me ill. Fibromyalgia is already messing with me…and then there is that bill that I was surprised with that will make it impossible to rent a car for the trip…our car is to temperamental.
To be honest with myself. I don’t think I can do this event well. Not everything is about me.
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Feel free to leave your comments below!
My name is Summer. That is how you can call me. I hope that I am a blessing to you. I am not perfect. I will fall again. But I am forgiven.
For anyone reading this that isn’t a Christian, unapologetically, I am a Christian, but I believe there is room for lots of beliefs and religions in the world. It is not my intent to offend people with different beliefs than I have and I would be open to open-minded conversations with no goals of changing anyone’s mind, but sharing information.
If you are interested in becoming a Christian…Do you know Jesus? Do want the Holy Spirit to fill you and give you understanding and salvation? Ask Him. Want someone to pray with you? Contact me.
If you would like to know Jesus as your friend, but want to make this amazing commitment by yourself please pray something like this:
Thank you Jesus that You are the Son of God, the God that created heaven and earth. Thank you Jesus that You came to earth in the form of a man so that You would be able to empathize with my humanity. Thank You that You did this in order to fulfill the promises You made at the foundation of the world.
I realize that I am a sinner and do things that hurt myself and keep myself away from you. Thank You that You died for my sins so that You could defeat death and bring me into Your life. Please forgive me.
I ask You to be Lord of my life. I ask you to heal my hurts and show me what my new life, empowered by You looks like. Thank You for Your mercy.
by Summer D Clemenson | Jul 18, 2023 | Community, Education, Local Interests, Opinions, Queer Community
Senate Bill 5599 has been the center of many debates online; Many debates among Christians that believe there is only one way to live. I entered into one of these debates hoping to speak some compassion into the hearts of these fellow believers and along the way I learned a few things. I have waited a few weeks to sum up my notes and thoughts on these conversations so I could make sure that my emotions were not getting in my way. Because this bill can bring up a lot of emotions if you are letting go of common sense. Here are my thoughts on Senate Bill 5599.
SB 5599 was originally sponsored by Senators Marko Liias (primary), Claire Wilson, Manka Dhingra, Liz Lovelett, Joe Nguyen and Emily Randall. It was passed on May 9, 2023 and will take effect on July 23, 2023. In a nutshell the bill states that if a minor comes to a licensed overnight shelter or licensed organization and it is known that they are there, unknown by their parents, that the organization must contact the parents or guardians within 72 hours. However, if there are compelling reasons suggesting that that minor is being abused this rule doesn’t apply, but the organization must make sure that the minor receives proper medical, mental and legal help, which may include gender affirming care or abortion without parent or guardian consent, after proper medical, mental and legal help has begun. FYI this is a paraphrase. There is a link to the full bill below for your reference.
Previously I had read about School-Based Health Center Programs because I had heard about other Christians that were afraid of what that would mean in public schools because there was another bill that mentioned gender-affirming care. My response is always to research. My belief system tells me that since perfect love casts out fear, that God has given me a mind to learn. So I must not let my emotions get in the way. So I ask questions and read what I can so that I don’t need to be afraid. From what I have read, School-Based Health Center Programs are very much like what I experienced as a child in public school. I remember receiving eye exams, hearing tests, scoliosis checks, and my first tuberculosis vaccine at the nurse’s office. I received counseling all through grade school, middle school and high school with a program like this. Kids that need prescriptions given during the day get them from the nurse’s office, minors needing hormone treatments would fall under this category. I imagine that children that show signs of abuse would get help through this program.
The conclusion I have come to about the fear that these Christian parents are worried about is non-existent if they are not abusing their children. If they are listening to their children and letting them be individuals and not extensions of themselves. If they are willing to let go of a version of a legalistic God that doesn’t understand humanity.
What are people afraid of?
It sounds like I have heard the word indoctrinated a lot. And while there may be a few teachers that have an agenda, I don’t believe that all teachers and administrators do and parents have the right to question their children’s teachers and administrators. We live in a world where children have all kinds of families. I had two women in mother roles in my family and it wasn’t because my mother was a lesbian; my father had divorced my mother and remarried. Most of my friends had more than one mother or father when I was growing up. I had no experience with queer families until I was an adult, that I know of, but I know they have been here and children should not be ashamed to talk about their parents. As a woman married to another woman, I can assure you that my wife and I are just like any other married couple trying to grow each day into a better person while we pay our bills and take care of our cat and when we are able to afford children, we will be glad to foster and that is what our foster kids will see; just two imperfect people, trying our best, much like most other married people.
When we have kids our agenda will be to raise healthy, community-minded children that know how to take care of themselves, ask questions and make decisions.
What is a lifestyle?
Dictionary.com says that a lifestyle is the habits, attitudes, tastes, moral standards, economic level, etc., that together constitute the mode of living of an individual or group.
The phrase “Gay Lifestyle” always bothers me, because what the definition above doesn’t specify but does imply, is the factor of choice. We choose our habits, attitudes, tastes, moral standards, way of living and even our economic level. We might not realize this but even by not choosing, but just doing what we know, we are making a choice. I know I didn’t choose to be queer. I prayed for years to be what I thought God wanted me to be and in the end, I already was what He created me to be.
During my conversations with people my marriage was called a perversion and I appreciate people’s right to their opinion but what if the real perversion is the division that is caused when people are being shunned from a body of believers because of who they love or how they feel about their body? I read my bible almost every day and I enjoy my time with God. In my relationship with Him, I have learned to question even Him because the moral standards written in the bible were written in a culture and time that are vastly different than what we experience now. We see this because slavery is illegal and women can own land; in fact there was no cultural standard for a loving, committed relationship between two souls, regardless of gender because women had no value when the bible was written. In the bible, marriage was more about maintaining social responsibility and child rearing and had nothing to do with love. But marriage is no longer defined by my ability to have children, so gender is just a human issue. In Jesus we are all equal, there is neither Jew or Greek, male or female (Galatians 3:28). The bible says that when Jesus returns, we will no longer have human bodies (1 Corinthians 15:52), nor will be given in marriage (Matthew 22:30). This leads me to believe that love is so much more important than gender in God’s eyes (Mark 12:30-31).
Transgender Issues…
We do not see what God sees and we do not know what God knows (Isaiah 55:8-9). If your child is confused about their gender, love them, hear them and help them. Why would you allow yourself to be afraid of such a human issue, when as a Christian we are called to live a spirit-led life? Did you know that a transgender person is not allowed to take hormone treatments until after they have completed 4 months of counseling to make sure they are making the right decision? There is a process to make sure that the person is not making a mistake. So those hormone treatments that the school nurse might be administering will never start immediately. Surgeries are never going to happen at school and not every transgender person can have or will choose to have surgeries because each person’s path is their own. It is common for children to be curious at some point in their development about their sex and most children come to the discovery that they are happy with the sex they were born with but if your child is so unhappy with their gender that they don’t want to live, I know I would be very comfortable with helping a child find peace and safety in their body and God would have grace for that. We are all God’s creation and He loves us and sees our full potential and He wants us to love and care for each other, instead of fighting and dividing ourselves from each other.
One person brought up the bathroom issue and I want to mention here that at every facility that I have been to where children are, there are separate bathrooms for children and adults. Students don’t have a lot of time in the bathroom and they are there to get their business done. At one grade school I visited, a representative nearly ran to meet me at the front door as I entered. It was obvious that it was important to this school that the kids were top priority. I don’t think bathrooms are an issue in schools.
I believe that church and state should be separate. I believe that Jesus came to save me from the law because when I am living a spirit-led life, where I am loving God with all my heart, soul and mind and my neighbor more than myself, I wont need laws to tell me to be careful with others and mindful of boundaries. When the law is more important than love we make a mockery of what Jesus did on the cross (Galatians 2:20-21). I think the fears that I keep seeing in these conversations are the false prophets (2 Thessalonians 3:6) that Jesus told us about and as believers we need to be careful not to forget why we are really here: to let go of our fears and learn to love.
There is no reason to fear SB 5599 if you are loving your children, listening to your children and doing your best to let them grow into the human God created them to be. Remember to be brave!
Read More:
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Feel free to leave your comments below!
My name is Summer. That is how you can call me. I hope that I am a blessing to you. I am not perfect. I will fall again. But I am forgiven.
For anyone reading this that isn’t a Christian, unapologetically, I am a Christian, but I believe there is room for lots of beliefs and religions in the world. It is not my intent to offend people with different beliefs than I have and I would be open to open-minded conversations with no goals of changing anyone’s mind, but sharing information.
If you are interested in becoming a Christian…Do you know Jesus? Do want the Holy Spirit to fill you and give you understanding and salvation? Ask Him. Want someone to pray with you? Contact me.
If you would like to know Jesus as your friend, but want to make this amazing commitment by yourself please pray something like this:
Thank you Jesus that You are the Son of God, the God that created heaven and earth. Thank you Jesus that You came to earth in the form of a man so that You would be able to empathize with my humanity. Thank You that You did this in order to fulfill the promises You made at the foundation of the world.
I realize that I am a sinner and do things that hurt myself and keep myself away from you. Thank You that You died for my sins so that You could defeat death and bring me into Your life. Please forgive me.
I ask You to be Lord of my life. I ask you to heal my hurts and show me what my new life, empowered by You looks like. Thank You for Your mercy.
by Summer D Clemenson | Jul 11, 2023 | About Summer, Life, Opinions, Thanksgiving
Nana was always a big person to remind me the importance of saying thank you. She always told me that people that didn’t send thank you cards, often stopped getting gifts because people like to be appreciated. I have noticed as I became an auntie that when my nieces and nephews were able to read and write, just like Nana to me, I would send them stamps and stationary and mention this same notion to them. As much as I love them, nieces and nephews that become adults and don’t make sure I have an address to mail something to, which would be on a thank you note, don’t tend to get gifts, because I too, like to be appreciated.
I miss Nana’s letters. I miss Nana but I know she is with Jesus. I also know she is with me. I visit her in my dreams and thoughts much more often than I could see her on earth. It was a pleasure to answer her letters and know that she would so happy to read them. I think people have forgotten how nice it feels to get happy mail. (more…)
by Summer D Clemenson | Jul 10, 2023 | Book & Product Reviews, Opinions, Prayers
When you are a Christian or any other religion where you have a Creator, prayer is probably the most important part of your belief system, or at least it should be. That is, at least what I think. I got this book from a box of of books from my sister and it was a great reminder. How To Talk With God by Joyce Meyer is a simple reminder of some very basic things about how to talk with your Creator. It should be basic because it really is just talking to your best friend, at least He is YOUR best friend.
When you don’t know what to do…
When you have a need…
When you feel anxious and afraid…
When someone offends you or hurts your feelings…
When you are sick…
When you are discouraged or feel like giving up…
When someone you love is suffering…
When you have a problem of any kind…
PRAY! (more…)
by Summer D Clemenson | Jul 7, 2023 | Book & Product Reviews, Opinions
The Florence Legacy by Lauraine Snelling came to me in a bag of books that I have been working on for over a year as I also worked on other piles of books from my own collection and library books. I tend to be attracted to intense reads that require at least a few Google searches and lots of notes. This book was not that but it was kind of a nice reprieve from my usual.
The main character, Bree, is a widow, a single mother of two adult children, a grandmother and an author. At the beginning of the story one of her close friends from a group of friends has passed away. Their group had always talked about going to Italy and in the will of their lost friend, they are surprised to receive the money they need to go on their dream trip. (more…)
by Summer D Clemenson | Jul 6, 2023 | Book & Product Reviews, Opinions
Being a person that does not believe in parties but people, I was grateful to one of my wife, Karen G Clemenson’s, clients that suggested that I look up Nikki R. Haley when I was voicing my dissatisfaction with our current president. With All Due Respect Defending America with Grit and Grace by Nikki R. Haley is a great book and Haley is strong woman that helped me to see both my favorite and least favorite presidents as more human, which has helped me personally as well.
Nikkie R. Haley was born to Indian-American immigrants. She was raised in Bamberg, South Carolina. Her parents were well to do in India but chose to come to the United States so that their children would have opportunities they could never have in India. Her fathers wears a turban because he is a Sikh. She was disqualified from a children’s pageant because she was neither white or black. These are just a few things that made her different as a child growing up in the Southern United States. (more…)
by Summer D Clemenson | Jun 27, 2023 | About Summer, Life, Opinions
I keep thinking about this funny story of shopping with Nana lately that keeps me chuckling. My nana really tried with me. She was not accustomed to dealing with a child as fat as I was. When she was a child and had gained a few extra pounds my great-grandmother (Grammy) took her to the doctor and Nana was put on a diet. During her pregnancies, my grandfather was in the Army and the Army hospitals were very strict about weight gain during pregnancies. That is probably why Nana was so calorie conscious. She was naturally a very active woman. At her prime, she was 5 foot 7 inches tall; just like me. If I had been born with her metabolism I would probably have grown to be somewhere between a size 10-12 just like her, but I was born with a different metabolism. (more…)
by Summer D Clemenson | Jun 22, 2023 | Book & Product Reviews
My sister, Jamie Holloway, has figured out how to get people to mail her books to read for her opinion and when she is done with them, I often am the recipient of bags of books to read. Drums of Autumn by Diana Gabaldon was one of those books in a bag full of books and I am glad I read it. Although it was super long, it has 1070 pages, the font is small and the margin was super tight which made it hard to read until I got farther into the book, I really enjoyed it, once I got over the violent beginning. People are a bit more civilized now than they were in the 1700’s and I really don’t like senseless violence. (more…)
by Summer D Clemenson | Jun 12, 2023 | About Summer, Life, Opinions
Grammy came and saw me a few days before Mom sent the email that told me you had had your stroke. I saw her in my reflection in the mirror. I had been thinking about her off and on. She didn’t say anything but I felt her very strongly. I knew it was profound but I didn’t know why until I read that the doctor didn’t think you would recover. I don’t remember her voice; she died when I was so little. But I feel her love and strength. I know she was the head of the family until she died and you had taken her spot. I don’t know what we will do now; I think I will have to become that head of my family. I think I have known that for a long time now.
It was Thursday May 25, 2023 when my mother emailed me. I know it was hard for her. I appreciate her communication. I know you understand why I have stayed away, because you told me that grandparents understand. That doesn’t mean that I haven’t enjoyed our visits in my dreams and the letters I have written you. I wish you were able to answer them. I have missed your letters to so much. As I was talking to God about you, I knew He was with you. Most importantly I didn’t want you to suffer and being unable to communicate or move was not the way you would want to be alive. I asked Him to heal what He was going to heal, knowing that that doesn’t always mean our bodies, and thanked Him for his grace and mercy for our family. (more…)
by Summer D Clemenson | Jun 10, 2023 | Book & Product Reviews, Opinions
I was wandering mindlessly through the Longview Public Library with a friend when I found this book. I didn’t need another book to read; I have tons of books on my To Read pile but You Don’t Know Us Negroes by Zora Neale Hurston called to me. This is only the second book I have read by Zora Neale Hurston. The purpose of You Don’t Know Us Negroes and Other Essays is to share the true beauty and idiosyncrasies of Black culture. My first experience with Hurston was somewhere around 2005, while I was attending Lower Columbia College. I was extremely ignorant of Black culture, but I was drawn to a book on display for Black History Month entitled: Their Eyes Were Watching God. Because of Hurston and a few other authors I have continued to be curious about all other cultures and I read all kinds of books. I would say, that beyond the grave, Hurston must live on. (more…)
by Summer D Clemenson | Jun 5, 2023 | Poetry
I don’t look it but I am the most gentle of flower
You told me I walked like a football player
I would never be loved
or get a good job
Instead of telling me I was strong, creative and reliable
you told me I was slow, stubborn and had to have things my way (more…)
by Summer D Clemenson | May 24, 2023 | About Summer, Cancer, Chronic Illness, Life
The last week or so has been a lot. I am tired and I am scared. These are the words to sum up how I feel and I hate that I have only these words to say. Last Monday, May 15, 2023 I had my final D&C. I didn’t realize it would be my last one, but now I know it is. It was the most painful. I don’t usually ask for pain meds, but I begged for some, at least 2 to get through the first day. After that I welcome pain to help me know my limits, but that first day, I felt like my lady parts were on fire and it was not something to be ignored. When I heard from the doctor again it was to inform me that I had to come into the hospital again for an MRI on Sunday May 21. There is nothing calming, sweet or non-traumatic about an MRI so I wont go into details, but my technician was really nice.
Today Karen and I met with my oncologist, online for my post-op. We were told that the hormone treatments have kept the endometrial cancer from growing or spreading but they have not done anything to get rid of the cancer. We have been working on this for over a year now. But since the treatment is keeping it at bay, my doctor is concerned about my breathing and my weight (it is allergy season and I am very congested and I have only recently begun taking Mounjaro) and my doctor is about to have a baby and going on leave from June to October, we are planning for my hysterectomy to be in October. This will give my body a chance to see if Mounjaro will help me with weight loss, get through allergy season, and my doctor will have a chance to have her baby and heal and bond with her little one.
I trust my doctor. She is a good doctor. She gave me many more details but beyond the fact that my surgery will be at Good Samaritan Hospital because they are set up for larger patients and she wants me to see a plastic surgeon about a tummy tuck if they can’t do a laparoscopic hysterectomy, I don’t remember anything else. It is weird how the word CANCER can create a vacuum in your mind, making it really hard to remember important things.
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Feel free to leave your comments below!
My name is Summer. That is how you can call me. I hope that I am a blessing to you. I am not perfect. I will fall again. But I am forgiven.
For anyone reading this that isn’t a Christian, unapologetically, I am a Christian, but I believe there is room for lots of beliefs and religions in the world. It is not my intent to offend people with different beliefs than I have and I would be open to open-minded conversations with no goals of changing anyone’s mind, but sharing information.
If you are interested in becoming a Christian…Do you know Jesus? Do want the Holy Spirit to fill you and give you understanding and salvation? Ask Him. Want someone to pray with you? Contact me.
If you would like to know Jesus as your friend, but want to make this amazing commitment by yourself please pray something like this:
Thank you Jesus that You are the Son of God, the God that created heaven and earth. Thank you Jesus that You came to earth in the form of a man so that You would be able to empathize with my humanity. Thank You that You did this in order to fulfill the promises You made at the foundation of the world.
I realize that I am a sinner and do things that hurt myself and keep myself away from you. Thank You that You died for my sins so that You could defeat death and bring me into Your life. Please forgive me.
I ask You to be Lord of my life. I ask you to heal my hurts and show me what my new life, empowered by You looks like. Thank You for Your mercy.
by Summer D Clemenson | Apr 27, 2023 | About Summer, Opinions
I am in a semi-shut-down. My therapist asked me to write down my emotions prior to a real shut down. I think they are pretty much the same. I feel alone. I feel stagnant. I feel exhausted. I feel like my choices don’t make an impact. I feel like I can’t have what I want. I feel resentful. I feel jealous, not that I want to take what other’s have but it has been seemingly impossible to get ahead so we can have our own. I feel angry that I feel jealous. I feel sad because while I don’t have the stability that I crave, there are things I don’t do that would make a difference, but if I don’t feel like I have a safe space to come home to, I can’t really put myself out there.
This has been a hard few months. My sister, Jamie Holloway, has been through a terrible bout of sickness that no one thought she would make it through. Some for a moment and some forever. I know my friend enough to know to give her a chance to rest a bit and make up her mind before I write her off. And after about a week she proved to me that she was going to fight for that ounce of life she had, but others had made choices based on her condition when she came into the hospital septic and in renal failure. For many patients this would have been the end but Jamie is nothing of the average patient. Unfortunately this left her having to prove that she was a fighter and also having to make some hard decisions. Luckily her sister was able to be here and watch the transformation and also to fight with her. I was able to cheer them both on and try to be there twice a week while Jamie was in the hospital and now 1 time a week, while she is home. She lives in Vancouver and I too am chronic, we have 1 car and my wife works 3 jobs so it has been a challenge.
Besides Jamie, I am trying to focus on the end of my therapy; I am about to graduate out. I needed to define my last need. This is it. I get overwhelmed with too many stressors. I have also begun meeting with a peer counselor, I have been taking essential oils classes, trying to get used to my wife’s work schedule which includes days, graveyard and swings, sometimes all three in a 24 hour period, while continuing to make sure the laundry is done and there is something good to eat in the fridge whenever she walks in the door, because I am not sure when that will be. I am also getting closer to my last D&C before we decide if I must have a hysterectomy and that scares the hell out of me…all while we live in a hotel.
The hotel is a wonderful option, when you are technically homeless, compared to living in your car or on the street. But it is stressful. This is a nicer hotel. It costs a lot. But it allows my companion animal and it is not infested with bed bugs and cockroaches, which I can’t say about a previous motel we lived in. Why would we live in a motel or hotel, over an apartment or house? It is not easy to get into a place without the first and last month deposit, pet deposit and a low or no credit score and no rental history. Unfortunately when you live in motel/hotels, or with friends, you don’t have a lease so you don’t acquire rental history. It takes a long time to correct bad credit and build good credit. We have been working on that. There are programs meant to help us but if you are willing to work and can’t stop everything whenever you are called by them, it makes it harder for them to help you. If you have mental of physical health issues that cause barriers that the organizations don’t want to accommodate that too is an issue. When you have an emotional support animal, even if you have the paperwork, renters will just wait until someone else comes along without an animal to rent to so they don’t have to deal with you. This is not a temporary reality to me, this is my life for that last 9 years. It is taking its toll. Sometimes my compulsive thoughts just take over. I feel crazy at home with regularity.
I don’t have a kitchen, a garden or another room to go in to. These are things that many people take for granted but that I know would bring so much value to my life. I have made do because I am a creative and strong woman. But I want to live in a peaceful place where strangers are not walking by my front door or my only window all the time. Where I can vacuum my home when I want to and choose what cleaning products are used. I want to be a foster mother and love on children that deserve to be loved. I want so much more in my life.
I know I am not alone. I have God, Karen G Clemenson and my cat (who doesn’t think he is a cat). I also have some great friends that I would like to be able to invite to my home. I want to be able to make choices about how to decorate my home because I hate the colors of the room I live in and I want to express my wife and I through design and practicality. I want to have more room to have my hobbies around. Right now my choices are survival choices but I would make more choices if the majority of my things weren’t in storage.
I have been sick lately because of the stress of the last month. I am getting better and I am trying to get some balance back. But my emotional balance feels out of reach and I feel overwhelmed. I force myself to do things because I know it is good for me to get out of here. Not just because I hate it here but because it is good to see the world and the trees and talk to someone that isn’t in my head. I was made for so much more than this hotel room. And yet I am so thankful for this hotel room because I see the remnants of people’s lives on the street. I see the tents and tarps and I know that I am blessed. When we go to the grocery store, I see other homeless people and some of them are mental health patients that don’t have a clear wellness plan and I am grateful that I have Karen to help me stay on mine. So just because I live with challenges, I know that we have come so far and I am not unaware of that.
But it doesn’t stop me from not eating or eating too much or sleeping my day away sometimes. The weight of my thoughts continue into my dreams which often include being chased or attempted murder by relatives. Sometimes my dreams are sweet and I relish those. I love the ones with children, where I can cherish them and help them to grow or help a group of people work more efficiently because I have the resources needed to do that. Xavier wakes me up when the dreams are too stressful. I appreciate that. That is one of his tasks, besides making sure I take my meds when the alarm goes off. He can be very persistent when he needs to be; he has learned from Karen how to stare at me just right and then regularly meow until I just take them.
Xavier is getting old and I wont have him forever. I am thinking my next emotional support animal will be a dog so I will have a walking partner. I need a house with a fenced yard. Small dogs make me nervous and I have only felt safe with large dogs. I have learned to love other people’s small dogs, but I want a German Shepherd blend or something similar. I believe in rescues so I am not going to seek out a pure breed. We are all mutts in our house. So we are back to the home. This is the argument that I always come back to. Most cats don’t like to go for walks and I need to walk, yet I can’t run so I need to be able to provide a space where my dog can do that because dogs need to use their muscles and run. Plus sometimes a dog can reach a hurting child better and faster than a human can and I know that a loving dog might be just what a hurting foster child needs while they adapt to new surroundings.
But even looking for rentals is a stressful thing for me. I am angered that renters are so selfish. It is so expensive to find a home. The rules and expectations are set so high. You must have 3 times the income of a rental that is already nearly $2000 per month, 2-3 years of good rental history, no evictions and you have to be able to stand on your head and hold your breath for 3 minutes. How does one do that in an area where most of the jobs are minimum wage…and that is why my wife works 3 jobs. Most rentals don’t allow for any pets, let alone one little cat that is really well cared for, and wouldn’t have it any other way. I know that some pet owners don’t care for their animals properly, but I am not that person. My cat has a high standard and if Xavier is not happy, we do not sleep, until he is. I really do get up with my cat in the middle of the night just for his need for cuddles; if I don’t he will sit at the foot of my bed and grunt until I do. If he doesn’t think something is clean enough he complains about that too. I know, like Jamie, me and my household is not the norm…I wish that other households had not ruined it for me.
I am trying to build the future I have been dreaming of for as long as I can remember. I am feeling desperate. I have prayed for this for a long time and so many times that I am feeling like I am losing hope and my faith, which I rely on for my next breath, is wavering. I don’t want more empty promises that turn out to not be true. I need a miracle. I don’t want to shut down.
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Feel free to leave your comments below!
My name is Summer. That is how you can call me. I hope that I am a blessing to you. I am not perfect. I will fall again. But I am forgiven.
For anyone reading this that isn’t a Christian, unapologetically, I am a Christian, but I believe there is room for lots of beliefs and religions in the world. It is not my intent to offend people with different beliefs than I have and I would be open to open-minded conversations with no goals of changing anyone’s mind, but sharing information.
If you are interested in becoming a Christian…Do you know Jesus? Do want the Holy Spirit to fill you and give you understanding and salvation? Ask Him. Want someone to pray with you? Contact me.
If you would like to know Jesus as your friend, but want to make this amazing commitment by yourself please pray something like this:
Thank you Jesus that You are the Son of God, the God that created heaven and earth. Thank you Jesus that You came to earth in the form of a man so that You would be able to empathize with my humanity. Thank You that You did this in order to fulfill the promises You made at the foundation of the world.
I realize that I am a sinner and do things that hurt myself and keep myself away from you. Thank You that You died for my sins so that You could defeat death and bring me into Your life. Please forgive me.
I ask You to be Lord of my life. I ask you to heal my hurts and show me what my new life, empowered by You looks like. Thank You for Your mercy.
by Summer D Clemenson | Apr 26, 2023 | About Summer, Life, Opinions
I woke up today from a dream. A nightmare, really…In my dream my father was trying to murder me. I know this isn’t real, but only a dream. But in the dream my father was angry because I didn’t like the way he wanted to celebrate Christmas and I wasn’t going to come. There is some truth to that. And I don’t come to family functions. Actually I have had to cut myself off from the family because I don’t like the way they treat me and when I asked for change it didn’t come, so I realized I had to make the painful choice to choose to separate myself from them.
The part of the dream that is surprising to me is that I am so used to being in danger at the hand of family members in my dreams, that although in my dream, I breathlessly defended myself, I woke up feeling very normal. I am allowing myself to mourn the expectation that I should feel safe with my relatives. I feel sad. But I also feel hopeful because I do know I am safe because I chose my safety. I didn’t ask my relatives to do anything I wasn’t willing to do. I asked them to show me respect and seek therapy, for their own peace and mental balance. It isn’t healthy to lose days or weeks after a visit with family members; that is my experience with many of my relatives. I can’t help but wonder if they didn’t just trigger my PTSD but maybe I triggered them, which is why our visits are so stressful. That thought too makes me feel sad. What if I made their lives hard, in the same way they caused all the emotional memories to take over and make what could have been a great time, be anxiety ridden and stressful?
In my dream I was being chased by my father, which according to an article I read, could symbolize that I feel out of control. There is truth to this. I have no control over what the rest of my relatives are going to do. I can only control myself. That is why I left. I asked for more care and relationship and it was not available to me. I asked for better honest communication and less manipulation and that could not be arranged. My family shows love through things and I don’t want things. Money is of higher value than relationship and that is not how I roll so I had to go. I was told that if I was the only one with the problem, then it was my problem.
In the article I read, they only gave examples of what it might mean if someone were trying to kill me with a weapon, but in my dream my father was trying to strangle me. I don’t need someone to tell me that he wanted me to stop talking. I was taught to be the secret keeper by both my parents. I am a great secret keeper, which makes me a great person to confide in, for people that need someone to talk to, but I have kept secrets that didn’t benefit me and I am not doing that anymore. I need to talk about the pain that I held in. That pain is killing me. I am telling my stories. Unfortunately, my stories are attached to other people and this is making other people angry. Abusers don’t like to be outed, especially when they may not have realized they were abusers because of their own trauma experiences that have never been healed. But you have to let the ugliness out into the light so it can be healed and that is what I am doing.
I am proud of myself though because in the dream there were other parts of the dream where I was showing how I have grown in my ability to make decisions and take my power back and I want to revel in that for a moment. Towards the end of my dream I was taking control over the parts of the dream that were my domain. No, I can’t control other people, but I can control my life. I can set myself up for success. I can speak my truth. I can help others. Maybe some day there will be enough healing to allow room for my relatives but that is in God’s hands. He has done larger miracles and He knows best. He knows and loves my relatives too. I have faith that He wants to heal us all. Maybe that is why I was at peace when I woke up. I don’t have to worry about His timing or His protection.
Read More:
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Feel free to leave your comments below!
My name is Summer. That is how you can call me. I hope that I am a blessing to you. I am not perfect. I will fall again. But I am forgiven.
For anyone reading this that isn’t a Christian, unapologetically, I am a Christian, but I believe there is room for lots of beliefs and religions in the world. It is not my intent to offend people with different beliefs than I have and I would be open to open-minded conversations with no goals of changing anyone’s mind, but sharing information.
If you are interested in becoming a Christian…Do you know Jesus? Do want the Holy Spirit to fill you and give you understanding and salvation? Ask Him. Want someone to pray with you? Contact me.
If you would like to know Jesus as your friend, but want to make this amazing commitment by yourself please pray something like this:
Thank you Jesus that You are the Son of God, the God that created heaven and earth. Thank you Jesus that You came to earth in the form of a man so that You would be able to empathize with my humanity. Thank You that You did this in order to fulfill the promises You made at the foundation of the world.
I realize that I am a sinner and do things that hurt myself and keep myself away from you. Thank You that You died for my sins so that You could defeat death and bring me into Your life. Please forgive me.
I ask You to be Lord of my life. I ask you to heal my hurts and show me what my new life, empowered by You looks like. Thank You for Your mercy.
by Summer D Clemenson | Apr 22, 2023 | Community, Life, Opinions, Prayers
I have spent the last week dialoguing with a local woman, that I will refer to as Susan, about homosexuality. She is a Christian woman that has different ideas than I do. I believe she is a kind woman but according to my understanding of my queer family, she is judging us and I have told her so, in a loving way. She shared a video with me of a woman that at one time was a LBGTQIA+ Activist but now is telling others that you can’t be gay and be a Christian. I appreciate the woman in the video’s experience but we all have our own experiences and I don’t agree with her.
As I told Susan: I know what God has told me. When I realized that I was queer, I had already gone through so much with God’s help; little did I know what He had in store for me. But when I had come to the realization of my sexuality, I told Him I thought He had more faith in me than I thought I could possibly be worthy of. The last 9 years have been a crash course in homophobia, white supremacy and being disabled and all that implies. Not one step was taken without God either dragging me, carrying me or showing me a new way.
Because my main spiritual gifting is empathy, I feel people’s pain and I can tell you that it has been hard to tell other’s pain from my own at times. That is what judgement does. It cause pain. It steals trust. It shuts down communication. It stops growth. It also causes the human reaction to judge back…which is rally hard to avoid. I am telling you the consequences of not listening to part of the bible that says judge not lest ye be judged and why look at the speck in your brother’s eye when there is a log in your own eye. We are here to love each other. Not make new laws and rules. That action only makes a mockery of what Jesus did on the cross.
There are people that deserve to be fought for that have been long hated by the church, shunned, lied about and not supported and whether you want to admit it or not, when you make someone have to shut a part of themselves away from you, to protect themselves, when you judge them, and they are queer, to a queer person, it is called homophobia.
In the video I watched, this woman said that some queer people have the agenda to make the “gay lifestyle” top of the mind and that might be true, but many people have different reasons for that. Personally I don’t watch a lot of TV. A quick response to not wanting to be manipulated through media: Read more books and encourage your children to do the same. But I think that portraying a world that is more realistic is profitable, emotionally. There are many households with two moms or two dads and that is not so weird in real life so why would it be odd in a TV show?
The problem is that when you make statements like, “You can’t be gay or lesbian and also be a Christian,” you are shutting out a lot of people from an important conversation. You are also making God a lot smaller than He really is. God affirms everything He has created. He loves ALL his creation. True, some people can “be saved” from being queer but not everyone; in fact it is quite rare, so what about the ones that have been shunned and abused for their entire life. If Jesus would leave the entire flock for one lost sheep, don’t you think that your ideas and behaviors might make it hard for those lost sheep to come home?
Here is a truth. I found faith in my backyard when I was 5-years-old. In my baby book my mother wrote that since I was 6-years-old, she could find me studying my bible, on my own. I have worn 3 1/2 bibles out in my life (my current one is almost done). I dragged my family and friends to church for the first 20 years of my life and then God told me to leave that church. He said that church could not teach me anything more. At 20 years old, I found myself at another church. I stayed there diligently for 5 more years and then my car broke down and no one ever called me to see if I needed a ride. They only called me when it was my turn to dress the communion table. I told them what I thought about that. I stayed with them off and one for 13 years but I also challenged God. As a 30 year old Christian I thought I should feel more mature. So just Him, my bible and me and He taught me things, no one had ever told me, or maybe I missed with all the lights, sounds and humanity in the churches I had been at…I am very easily stimulated.
Now I visit churches but I never stay because they are too human. The last one I was at taught things that were not in the bible. The one before the pastor was always more interested in planning his next mission trip, although his teaching was intelligent and interesting, but I could feel the fear of key people in the church because they didn’t know what would happen if a gay person was allowed in the church, the church before that was accepting but I felt like a token gay person in an affirming church…and to be honest the worship music was full of joy but the sound was an assault on my ear drums (I am so sorry).
Where are queer people supposed to congregate where they are not going to be abused, where they can learn the word, where they are not going to be treated weird and they are going to be treated with the love of Christ?
Susan thanked me for listening to her and not hating on her or blocking her. In reality I was treating her as I would want to be treated; as most people in the queer community, that I have met, want to be treated. We want to be able to be ourself without being told to be quiet or hide. We want to be heard and not put down. We just want to live our life. If that is a bad agenda, I would think that is the agenda all people have.
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Feel free to leave your comments below!
My name is Summer. That is how you can call me. I hope that I am a blessing to you. I am not perfect. I will fall again. But I am forgiven.
For anyone reading this that isn’t a Christian, unapologetically, I am a Christian, but I believe there is room for lots of beliefs and religions in the world. It is not my intent to offend people with different beliefs than I have and I would be open to open-minded conversations with no goals of changing anyone’s mind, but sharing information.
If you are interested in becoming a Christian…Do you know Jesus? Do want the Holy Spirit to fill you and give you understanding and salvation? Ask Him. Want someone to pray with you? Contact me.
If you would like to know Jesus as your friend, but want to make this amazing commitment by yourself please pray something like this:
Thank you Jesus that You are the Son of God, the God that created heaven and earth. Thank you Jesus that You came to earth in the form of a man so that You would be able to empathize with my humanity. Thank You that You did this in order to fulfill the promises You made at the foundation of the world.
I realize that I am a sinner and do things that hurt myself and keep myself away from you. Thank You that You died for my sins so that You could defeat death and bring me into Your life. Please forgive me.
I ask You to be Lord of my life. I ask you to heal my hurts and show me what my new life, empowered by You looks like. Thank You for Your mercy.
Please wait...
