Blogaround

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1. NASA picks 8 new astronauts, 4 of them women, including 1st female fighter pilot in years (posted June 17) Cool!

2. Dear Churches: This is how to talk about clergy sex abuse (posted June 18) "Those who think that it is okay to behave in a way that demeans or exploits their colleagues have no place in this army. ... If that does not suit you, then get out."

3. I Am Sorry (posted June 19) "I am sorry we promoted sexual orientation change efforts and reparative theories about sexual orientation that stigmatized parents. I am sorry that there were times I didn’t stand up to people publicly 'on my side' who called you names like sodomite—or worse. I am sorry that I, knowing some of you so well, failed to share publicly that the gay and lesbian people I know were every bit as capable of being amazing parents as the straight people that I know. I am sorry that when I celebrated a person coming to Christ and surrendering their sexuality to Him that I callously celebrated the end of relationships that broke your heart. I am sorry that I have communicated that you and your families are less than me and mine."

Followed by this: Exodus International to Shut Down. "From a Judeo-Christian perspective, gay, straight or otherwise, we’re all prodigal sons and daughters. Exodus International is the prodigal’s older brother, trying to impose its will on God’s promises, and make judgments on who’s worthy of His Kingdom. God is calling us to be the Father – to welcome everyone, to love unhindered."

4. History of Juneteenth June 19 is Juneteenth! "Dating back to 1865, it was on June 19th that the Union soldiers, led by Major General Gordon Granger, landed at Galveston, Texas with news that the war had ended and that the enslaved were now free." Awesome!

5. How Long Can You Wait to Have a Baby? (posted June 19) "Rarely mentioned is the source of the data: French birth records from 1670 to 1830. ... In other words, millions of women are being told when to get pregnant based on statistics from a time before electricity, antibiotics, or fertility treatment."

6. A Brief Note on Exodus (posted June 20) "When I read Chamber’s apology, prior to the announcement, I sort of smirked. I thought, are you being serious? Do you think a Press Release apology can make up for all the blood on your hands? For all those who spent years in your treatment and then, put a bullet in their head or jumped off a bridge or hung themselves?"

7. Why I Can’t Say Love the Sinner / Hate the Sin Anymore (posted June 20) "And despite all my theological disclaimers about how I’m just as much a sinner too, it’s not the same. We don’t use that phrase for everybody else. Only them. Only 'the gays'. That’s the only place where we make 'sinner' the all-encompassing identity."

8. I'm 8 Months Pregnant, But Haven't Told Anyone. Here's Why (posted June 19) "For the past 30 weeks I’ve been too scared to even assume another little bundle is coming home."

9. Surviving the Exodus . . . finding a radically new life. (posted June 21) "I concluded, as most of us did, that 'God indeed can heal, but he won’t heal me.'"

10. The doctrine of the Trinity ... it’s a trap! (posted June 23) Haha, this is pretty much exactly how I feel about the Trinity.

11. And I'll conclude this blogaround with this video, where Matthew Vines gives a talk on "the Bible and homosexuality." It is awesome. Seriously. If you haven't already watched it, you need to watch it.