Squint your eyes and look closer.

Last Friday night, I traveled up to Denton, TX to meet B. (in the pic above). We went to Dallas for a rockin Ani Difranco concert. It was a good night. Ani is a favorite of mine and it was my first time to see her live. If you are familiar with Ani, you know that she is VERY liberal and FAR FAR left. As a result she has a large lesbian following, so you can imagine how different an Ani Difranco concert is from a John McCain political rally.

B. and I were remarking about how the people around us would react if they knew that we loved Jesus and B. seemed to be the only one in the room that did not applaud when Ani asserted that she would be voting for Obama (I did clap, because I will- in fact- be vboting for Obama). We had the best time and were very comfortable being around so many respectful and kind women. Usually at concerts, it is important to be very cautious of some of the creepy men around and utilize the buddy system.

As I looked around during Ani's song, 32 Flavors, this neat feeling of thankfulness passed over me. Regardless of my personal decisions and stances on sexual orientation, I am greatful for places like this concert for making ME the minority and giving these women a safe space where they can just BE. Our world (and sometimes especially the evangelical world) seems to be intent on dehumanizing these very women while they are beautiful and worth being loved by the same Creator with whom I am in relationship.

Before we can speak to anyone on ANY level about their decisions, we have to learn how to love them. MAy I find myself in many more situations where I am indeed the other, and may I have the oportunity to find space to just be while making that space available to others through relationships.