It Is Time to be Brave

On Saturday night Queer people met at the one LGBTQ nightclub in Colorado Springs, Colorado, a very conservative community, where they felt they could be themselves, Club Q. They were dancing, laughing and having a great time when Anderson Lee Aldrich walked in with a long rifle and two firearms and opened fire, killing 5 people and injuring 25 others. He was overtaken by two people who attacked him and stopped the shooting. At this time, Aldrich will face multiple murder and hate crime charges yet he has no bond and the docket does not reflect whether Aldrich has retained an attorney at this time. It is time to be brave.

In 2019, Colorado passed a red flag law that allows family members, roommates or law enforcement to petition a judge to temporarily remove a person’s firearms if they are a risk. In June of 2021, Aldrich was arrested for a bomb threat situation, yet he was allowed to keep his firearms.

We must mourn this loss of life and trust and then be brave. Be angry but not sin. This is just one of many terrible things that humans have done to each other but we must not let this let the darkness become who we are because we were made to be the light of the world. We were supposed to unlearn fear and choose love and be love to a world that is confused.

My wife, Karen G Clemenson, asked me the other night, after I had told her what I had learned about the actual first Thanksgiving, which is not at all what we were taught in grade school, does that make me feel good? What did I plan to do with that knowledge? I told her the same thing. I plan to mourn the fact that I was lied to. I plan to mourn the loss of life of innocent people. I plan to become a person with a greater ability to empathize with others. That doesn’t mean that I wont celebrate Thanksgiving in a way that honors my belief in being thankful to God for the blessings He pours over us every day, the people that we have to love, the roof over our heads, medical care, books to read, the ability to think, clothes to wear and food to eat.

Does it make me sad that these beautiful people were attacked on the eve of Trans Day of Remembrance? It makes me feel a lot of things. Sadness is just one emotion. I feel angry, disgusted and exhausted. People should be able to live their lives in peace.

It also seems to make me connect with the fact that Donald Trump threw his hat in the ring for President in the next election, last Tuesday. I believe that everyone has the right to believe what they believe, but that also means that I have a right to believe what I believe. I believe that Trump is a power hungry man that doesn’t care about anyone but himself. I believe he is an emotional neglect survivor that is abusive and spews the violence that he knows and encourages the same.

“A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heard, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.”

Luke 6:45

I think Trump encourages White Supremacists and people that hate to come out of hiding. I am not against Republicans. I am against hateful people.

Hateful people are everywhere, whether they are attacking queer people or Native Americans, Black people or other people groups. We must be brave and mourn what must be mourned and then look at what can be learned and love even more. It is not always easy. Society tends to push us towards hatred and it may seem that by being against hateful people that I am saying I hate them but that is not the case. I pray for people that hurt me. I may separate myself from them if I feel I can’t be loving towards them but I try to refrain from negative speech and I try to be honest without being violent in my words.

It is ok to be sad and mourn but we also must be brave and love with all our hearts. Be well my friend. I am thankful for you.

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Read More:

• Colorado Springs LGBTQ club shooting suspect faces murder and hate crime charges, court records show by Elizabeth Wolfe, Holly Yan and Amanda Watts for CNN on November 21, 2022

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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.