We pulled up to a one room east Texas Baptist church. We, three of us, were in my friends Honda Accord. As we parked, I saw a bunch of good ‘ol boys draped all over a beat up Ford truck in front of the smallest church ever. They stared stoically as we pulled up, and I said before getting out of the car, “Oh Jesus, I think we are going to die.”
Jesus responded, clearly, and said, “Stop it, you are not going to die and those are your brothers.”
Yes, sir … Jesus…sir.
Earlier that week I had gotten a call from their Pastor. He had a very strong Texas twang. He said that he simply didn’t know what to do with a situation that had happened. Recently the police had executed a park sting (arresting gay people having sex, or attempting to have sex, out in the parks.) They had arrested two men in this Pastor’s church. With deep emotion he said;
I know what I have been taught about homosexuality; that it is an abomination …” and his voice wavered a bit, “but I have known both these men since they were kids. They grew up in this church. We don’t know what to do or what to think. We need you to come talk to us.
Of course I agreed without hesitation.
Until I hung up the phone.
This church had about 80+ members and maybe 30 of them attended each Sunday. The two men were regular attendees. This church was also in east Texas; an allegedly dangerous land. From what I had heard, East Texas is not very hospitable to people with same-sex attractions. So the thought of driving to East Texas, to talk to a small Baptist church that referred to homosexuality as an abomination, share my testimony, and do a Q&A with the congregation was intimidating.
Then there was the large crowd of Good ‘Ol Boys hanging out front waiting on us to arrive.
Then, the man abruptly takes my right arm with both hands and shoves it up into the air. As he was forcefully speaking I noticed a plastic mechanical pencil in my hand. The man declares, “These hands must be recommissioned to their original calling! Lord put these hands to your use!” Everyone, all maybe five of us, in the room seemed happy.