Vatican approves new tests to weed out 'gay' priests

Men who aspire to the priesthood may face psychological tests to check whether they are homosexual.
Despite the fact that Roman Catholic priests are celibate, the church under Pope Benedict XVI has become hostile to people with homosexual desires being ordained.
The Vatican has approved psychological tests to weed out those with "deep-seated homosexual tendencies" or "uncertain sexual identity" in a new document, Guidelines for the Use of Psychology in the Admission and Formation of Candidates for the Priesthood.
"In all too many cases psychological defects,sometimes of a pathological kind, reveal themselves only after ordination to the priesthood.
"Detecting defects earlier would help avoid many tragic experiences," according to the guidelines, which were issued by the Vatican's Congregation for Catholic Education.
"Those who today ask admittance to the seminary reflect in a more or less accentuated way the unease of an emerging mentality characterised by consumerism, instability in family and social relationships, moral relativism, erroneous visions of sexuality and a systematic negation of values, especially by the media."
The tests must be voluntary, but refusing to undergo one would likely bar you from the priesthood.
In May a senior Vatican official wrote to every bishop of the Roman Catholic Church reiterating that the ban on gay men entering seminaries to train for the priesthood applies to all such institutions.
Pope Benedict XVI approved the letter from the Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone.
It confirms that candidates from the holy orders and missionary seminaries and "all houses of formation for the priesthood, including those under the "Dicasteries for Eastern Churches, for the Evangelisation of Peoples, and for the Institutes of Consecrated Life" are subject to the gay ban.
The Cardinal said he was responding to various queries about the rules, which were set out under Benedict in the 2005 document Instruction Concerning the Criteria for the Discernment of Vocation with regard to Persons with Homosexual Tendencies in view of their Admission to the Seminary and to Holy Orders.
"The Church, while profoundly respecting the persons in question, cannot admit to the seminary or to holy orders those who practise homosexuality, present deep-seated homosexual tendencies or support the so-called 'gay culture'.
"Such persons, in fact, find themselves in a situation that gravely hinders them from relating correctly to men and women.
"One must in no way overlook the negative consequences that can derive from the ordination of persons with deep-seated homosexual tendencies.
"Candidates who show a homosexual tendency will not be allowed into the priesthood unless they can demonstrate that they have been able to remain chaste for at least three years."
The Vatican's current stance on homosexuality dates back to 1961 where a ruling said that being gay was a "perverse inclination."

Rev Says

Dear Colleagues,

I hope you are keeping dry and warm on this rainy October morning. I trust you will experience God's goodness and grace today and always. Here is my weekly meditation:

Our Heritage of Faith

He has brought me to his banquet hall, And his banner over me is love.
Song of Songs 2:4

Nearly two weeks ago we celebrated National Heritage Week and this culminated in the celebration of National Heroes Day. As a nation, we called to remembrance the many sons and daughters of this fair isle who have laboured in multiple ways in the pursuit of the well-being and welfare of this nation. In the process these men and women have displayed elements of heroism.
We should never forget from whence we are coming. There are foundational concepts and elements that have served us well. One of these which is important in this nation is our sunny faith in God and the belief in the eventual triumph of good over evil in the final analysis. We have this tremendous legacy of reaching upward and outward as we seek after the Holy Spirit recognizing that we can be energized, equipped and empowered by God and thus accomplish much more with our lives in the pursuit of human betterment, wholeness and well-being.

As we call to remembrance the faith that has nurtured us, let us not romanticize, patronize, commercialize or demonize this faith. Let us allow our faith in God to inspire us to reach further and do more. Sure, our faith might have been tested and tried and we might no longer believe in the Sunday school concept of God.

But deep within we have experienced the reality of the Spirit. We have been touched by the loving embrace of God and despite the fact that we have multiple questions, sometimes even elements of uncertainty cloud our minds, one thing we can be assured of is that God’s banner over us is love.

So let us love the Lord and the things of God and let us seek to be ambassadors of this God whose banner over us is love. Yes our heritage is one of faith in God and the things of God. We can be faithful to this glorious heritage in new and different ways. May God give you the Grace and the enabling to continue serving and brightening the corner where you are.

Blessings,

Rev

Frightening Abductions cause for concern

With the spike in abductions of children and teens there is growing cause for concern, the cartoonist is right on about that.

Sowing and Reaping

Sowing and Reaping
“…One will reap only what one sows.” [St. Paul, Galatians 6.7]
Every gardener knows that what you plant and nurture is what will reproduce for you. It works in consciousness, too, doesn’t it? To focus on what is good, hopeful, loving, or healing means that we will experience more of that Good in our lives. The more aware of and grateful for the Good in our lives we become, the more joyous we will tend to be.

When we plant and nurture seeds of joy, joy is what will reproduce in our experience. We can’t sow negativity, gossip, untruths, or insults and expect to get anything back other than what we’ve been spreading. However, if the seeds we spread are hope, goodwill, praise, and friendship, we’ll be sure to reap a bumper crop of blessings.
Today I sow seeds of joy and goodwill and I know that wonderful blessings are on their way to me.

Today’s devotional prepared by Durrell Watkins

"Surely I come quickly, AMEN."

(Revelation 22:21)
How sweetly solemn is the addition of that "AMEN." There is no mistake about it. The response from the heart of the Church comes at once, "Even so, come, Lord Jesus." Meanwhile, be the time short or long, circumstances easy or difficult - and surely they will be difficult - "The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. AMEN" (verse 21) is sufficient for each fainting heart.
Surely the coming of the Lord draws very nigh. An earnest spirit of expectation is upon the hearts of His people. Events in the world, happening with bewildering rapidity, proclaim the fact that the events narrated in The Revelation from chapter 4, are soon to begin. How happy it is that before that time arrives Christ will come for His Church. "A little while, and He that shall come will come and will not tarry" (Hebrews 10:37). How sweet and happy is our prospect. (A.J. Pollock - Things Which Must Shortly Come to Pass - 1918)

"EVEN SO, COME, LORD JESUS."

Glad to be alive and recovering well after attack

One of the brothers recovering after he was released from hospital

A 27 year old lesbian and her two brothers were the victims of an open gunfire assault on their persons earlier this year (August 29th) in South Central Jamaica. A day after the passage of hurricane Gustav the victim and her siblings were in the drizzling rain in search of a bunch of car keys that had gone missing. She noticed two men seated by a fence post near a walkway adjacent to their home.

The rain started and the woman and her brothers sought shelter on the car porch, her 7 year old daughter was inside the house and the other family members were away. Upon approaching the porch sounds of gunshots began to ring out and she soon realised she was hit in the right side of her abdomen, it penetrated her kidney and exited her body, she proceeded to run into the house and was struck twice, on the left buttocks and leg, she fell and played dead, where she called the police from her cell phone while in that lying position.

The gunmen were overheard saying "yes we get di lesbian, but the battyman dem get weh" they were intent on finishing the job and were in search of the two males. Her brothers were not known to be gay but guilt by association was the motive as presented to us in the victim's account of the incident.As for the brothers, one was shot five times and the other three. They made their way with the help of friends to the hospital for treatment. Our lesbian victim by now had managed to drag herself into the house after calling for help from onlookers & hiding her daughter under clothing and sheets with a breath-hole and instructed her to remain there until the police arrived.

The neighbours and onlookers were unsympathetic and were even expressing no remorse for the act being done to the victims. They accused her of being a lesbian and that the family was condoning it, so all of them should have been killed. One of her brothers was even taunted at work by his coworkers about the incident that his lesbian sister should have died.The police were helpful in this matter, they took the victim to the hospital and visited her afterwards there where she underwent an operation to remove a kidney and a damaged section of her liver. She was unable to walk at the time but is Glad to be alive and recovering well.

She has done follow up treatment and tests as her doctor has ordered. She has relocated to family and friends who are very supportive. The brothers have also received medical attention and had the bullets removed and are recuperating. One of the gunmen was captured after the police picked up on intelligence that he was boasting about the incident, he has previous charges pending of other shootings in and around the area. (not of LGBT people) the other is still in the run.

The case is to be mentioned again soon in court.Naturally she is scared to go to court as she is in fear of her life and knowing the holes in the witness protection program she is not willing to pursue the issue presently until she is physical able to she says. Her performance on her job has been affected so her income has depleted but she is cheerful non-the-less. She is thinking about what is her next step.

Since then all is going well with her and her brothers as they rebuild their lives.

Peace.

(photos now loaded with permission)

"Now is the accepted time behold, now is the day of salvation."

"It's unsinkable!" That was the proud boast made by the builders of the Titanic, the magnificent ocean liner that on April 14, 1912, went down during its maiden voyage. Most of the 2,100 passengers were sent to their deaths. In an article for the Danish magazine Evangelisten, Ingvald Andersen told about one of the passengers, John Harper, who was a fervent witness for Christ. According to a survivor, on the evening of the disaster John had led a young Englishman to faith in the Saviour.

Soon afterward, John went for a walk on the deck with his daughter and a niece. As they were admiring the spectacular sunset, Harper said, "It is going to be beautiful in the morning." For him and any other Christian who died that night, the next morning was beautiful.

Theirs was sunrise on their first day in heaven. Andersen, as he related all of this, urged his readers to be certain of their own relationship to Jesus. No matter how safe and serene your life may be, it can end in shipwreck at any moment. So if you have never done so, you need to do as that young Englishman did - accept Christ as your Saviour NOW.

Then regardless of when or how you die, yours will be sunrise in heaven. (VCG)

When life is over and daylight is past,
In heaven's harbour my anchor is cast,
When I see Jesus my Saviour at last,
Oh, that will be sunrise for me!(Poole)
Salvation deferred too long
Becomes the tragedy of too late.

Too Busy to Keep a Solemn Charge?

"Thy servant went out into the midst of the battle; and, behold, a man turned aside, and brought a man unto me, and said, keep this man . . . And as thy servant was busy HERE AND THERE, he was gone . . ." (1 Kings 20:39,40)

What a sobering moral principle quoted above. A man was charged with the keeping of another. Other responsibilities, however, intruded taking his valuable time from guarding his charge - "Thy servant was busy here and there." It was then, in the midst of the busy 'heres and theres' that the one to be kept was found to be gone. The ruinous press of other activities allowed that most important service to go unheeded. With each child God gives parents He also gives a most solemn charge to keep that child. ". . . Take this child away, and nurse him for me. . . ."
(Exodus 2:7).

Be careful dear parents that your lives do not become so busy with all those "heres and theres" that you morally lose your children in the press of the constant demands made for your time. If you lose your children because of the care of other matters and they are as it were, gone, then gone too are the priceless opportunities to mold them in faith and love for your Lord Jesus.
(The Christian Shepherd - June 2008)

Well said.......Oh, no, not the clergy too! (Letter to the Observer's editor)

Dear Editor,
Many of our churches have not yet abandoned the shackles of colonialism, which created a type of violence from which some church leaders have not yet been liberated from a theology that was oppressive. It is not surprising to hear that a clergyman offered his services to be involved in hanging people.

An Anglican priest, the Rev Michael Lapsley, SSM from South Africa, delivered a succint and cogent argument against capital punishment. Fr Lapsley was the victim of a mail bomb during the apartheid era, which left him without hands, blind in one eye and with his hearing impaired.
My brother Anglican priest had audience with Oliver Tambo who reiterated that they were forced into the armed struggle, and Tambo admitted that "necklacing" was unacceptable. Fr Lapsey concluded that it was not a time for killing, but for healing.

It is not a time for war, it is a time for peace. It is not a time to keep silence, it is time to speak. We must love our neighbours as ourselves, but what happens if we do not love ourselves? What hope is there of loving the other if our experience of life has made us feel worthless? The same way apartheid damaged many

South Africans spiritually, colonialism had the same effect on the Jamaican psyche. The churches in Jamaica cannot create a neighbourly society if they continue to rest in prophetic retirement. The clergy cannot be agents of transformation if they participate in the culture of state violence.

Revd Canon Ernle Gordon
St Mary's Rectory
Kingtson 20
gordfm@yahoo.com

hhhmmm interesting

Interesting the church leaders' cry for blood.

A new command I give you

"LOVE" John 13:34
A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. Love is one of the greatest tools God has given us this day! To that man or women whom is trying to find a way to resolve the hurt and confusion in your relationships on your job in your home and in your daily lives: Just Love one another!

Cancel out doubt and fear, hug make up and move on in Jesus name! Keep it simple, just LOVE. Speak life when you talk about and to your family, friends, neighbors and strangers! If you don't have a good word to express, submit your tongue to the Holy Ghost and allow Love to flow from your heart! God is healing broken hearts and mind sets in the wonderful name of Jesus! God is faithful lets try to be faithful to His Word! Love you all.
Amen

Threat of economic penalties from AIDS

Originally published: Monday October 20, 2008

Gareth Thomas, the British state minister for trade and development, was, happily, not told to butt out of Jamaica's business. And no one has claimed that there is a quid pro quo attached to the £46-million aid package for the Caribbean that Mr Thomas announced in Kingston last week to help the region enhance its capacity to trade with Europe under their new free trade pact, the Economic Partnership Agreement.
All of which is good, given Prime Minister Golding's blustering attempt earlier this year at establishing his hard-core Jamaican credentials with his 'not-in-my-Cabinet' response to a British television journalist's question about the ability of homosexuals to serve in Government. We argued then, and still hold, that the prime minister's remark, whatever his intent, served to reinforce and legitimise a hardened public attitude against a set of people based on their lifestyle, which could well be in breach of their fundamental rights to freedom of expression and freedom of association.

Not a disease of gay men
But there are also far more immediate and practical issues which Mr Thomas, like brave Jamaican campaigners have been doing, underlined in his speech in Kingston last week. He warned that discrimination against homosexuals weakened the fight against HIV and AIDS, with potentially detrimental impact for Jamaica and its Caribbean partners.
In the early days of the AIDS pandemic, it was widely held to be a disease of gay men. Whatever the historical truth of that assertion, it is certainly not true today. HIV/AIDS is, in the Caribbean, as in most regions of the world, having its fastest growth among heterosexuals. Unfortunately, while information about the disease is widely available and knowledge has grown exponentially, deep cultural biases in Jamaica still weaken the ability to deliver the most effective response to the problem, and public policy or, more correctly, the failure of Government to act courageously, has not helped.

Obvious dangers
Attitudes may not be as hardened as in the past, but it is not easy being openly gay, especially at the lower socio-economic level in Jamaica. Homosexuals suffer open discrimination and sometimes violence in their communities and, at times, even from state institutions - an attitude reinforced by the maintenance of the law against buggery, giving an official seal to such attitudes. In the face of such discrimination, gays, particularly male homosexuals, are driven underground and are less likely than other groups to access social services, including health care - particularly if such care involves treatment for HIV/AIDS. The dangers are obvious.
Jamaica has cause to worry. For instance, in the recent Global Competitive Report, Jamaica ranked 118 of 134 countries in which domestic businesses believe that HIV/AIDS will have an impact on enterprises over the next five years. On a scale of one to seven, where seven is none and one is very high, Jamaica's score was 3.6. An estimated 1.6 per cent of Jamaica's adult population between 15 and 49 is infected with HIV/AIDS. Moreover, 250,000 people across the region have HIV/AIDS, and the Caribbean, on a per capita basis, has among the highest rates of infection in the world. We could face a serious economic and development penalty from HIV/AIDS.
Sensible governments should want to mitigate against such consequence rather than encourage peeps by state officials into people's bedrooms - or wherever.


To respond to a Gleaner editorial, email us: editor@gleanerjm.com or fax: 922-6223. Responses should be no longer than 400 words. Not all responses will be published.

Rev Says

I trust all of you have experienced God's graciousnes and loving-kindness in new and different ways this week. May God bless your witness and work always.

Here is the weekly "Keeping in Touch":

What is your life?

Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. (James 4:14)

I do not want to get to the end of my life and find that I just lived the length of it. I want to have lived the width of it as well.” [Diane Ackerman, Newsweek, September 22, 1986]

The above verse from the epistle of James calls us to ponder about the meaning of our lives. It seems to me that the metaphor of vapour calls us to think about the brevity of human life. Then we can think about the uncertainty of life because so often there are complexities or complications that beset us. Too often a good man or woman is cut off or dies. In the midst of life there is death, sickness and suffering.
Sometimes when illness strikes a loved one, we are bewildered by the turn of events. With these kinds of earthy experiences, there is a sense that we need to live our life recognizing this brevity and so live with urgency. This might be a decision or determination to touch the life of another for good. Yes, we do not have to live just to the end of our lives; we can live the width of our days. Living the width of our days/lives offers greater meaning as we interface with others and impact others for good.

One way to live our lives and ensure that it is not a meaningless journey is to engage in a holy partnership with God or if you prefer with Spirit, seeking after the spiritual rather than after the material values of life. This might be expressed in tangible ways in our daily engagements by seeking to celebrate the good in each other or offering encouragement to each other as we navigate the turbulent world we are called to live in and live well.

Let us look into the eyes of our brothers and sisters and see the inner core, the soul of the person and seek to speak kindly, tenderly and inspirationally to another to support his or her quest to make sense of life. Life is too short for us to pass this way without doing good.

Let us do all the good we can, to all the people we can, just as long as we can… and we can, even as we are empowered by God’s Spirit and we seek to be different because we seek after the spiritual rather than the material values of life.

Peace,

Rev

"I call to remembrance my song in the night." (Psalm 77:6)

I have read somewhere of a little bird that will never sing the melody his master wishes while his cage is full of light. He learns a snatch of this, a bar of that, but never an entire song of its own until the cage is covered and the morning beams shut out.

A good many people never learn to sing until the darkening shadows fall. The fabled nightingale carols with his breast against a thorn. It was in the night that the voice of the angels was heard. It was at midnight that they cry came, "Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet Him." Indeed it is extremely doubtful if a soul can really know the love of God in its richness and in its comforting, satisfying completeness until the skies are black and lowering.

Light comes out of darkness, morning out of the womb of the night. James Creelmam, in one of his letters, describes his trip through the Balkan States in search of Natalie, the exiled Queen of Serbia. "In that memorable journey," he says,"I learned for the first time that the world's supply of attar (fragrant oils) of roses comes from the Balkan Mountains.

And the thing that interested me most, "he goes on, "is that the roses must be gathered in the darkest hours. The pickers start out at one o'clock and finish picking them at two. "At first it seemed to me a relic of superstition; but I investigated the picturesque mystery, and learned that actual scientific tests had proven that fully forty percent of the fragrance of roses disappeared in the light of day."

And in human life and human culture that is not a playful fanciful conceit; it is a real veritable fact. (Malcolm J. McLeod - Streams in the Desert)

Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures

"Jesus answered and said unto them (Sadducees), Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God." (Matthew 22:29)

Do you know what the Scripture says about Jesus Christ, you and eternity? Jesus told the "religious" of His day, "Ye do err, not knowing the Scriptures." Hundreds of years before Jesus was born, the Scriptures - the prophets - spoke of His coming. The world should have known and welcomed Him, but their ignorance and blindness concerning the teaching of Scripture led them to fail to recognize who He was. The world was and is without excuse. Look what the Scriptures revealed about Christ long before He came: -

He would be of the tribe of Judah. (Genesis 49:9,10)-
He would be born in Bethlehem. (Micah 5:2) -
He would be born of a virgin. (Isaiah 7:14)-
He would be called out of Egypt. (Hosea 11:1)-
He would come as a prophet. (Deuteronomy 18:18,19)-
His own people would reject Him. (Isaiah 53:3)-
He would make a triumphal entry into Jerusalem. (Zechariah 9:9)-
He would be sold for 30 pieces of silver. (Zechariah 11:12,13)-
He would be put to death by crucifixion. (Psalm 22)-
His hands and His feet would be pierced. (Psalm 22:16)-
Soldiers would cast lots for His clothing. (Psalm 22:18)-
He would be raised from the dead. (Psalm 16:9)-
He would ascend into heaven. (Psalm 68:18)(TCS - January 1993)

More Reflection by Rev. Durrell Watkins

“Test everything! Keep what is good.” St. Paul, 1 Thessalonians 5.21
Last week I saw Bill Maher’s new documentary film, “Religilous.” It wasactually a very well done film that intelligently challenges religious people’s inherited assumptions and preconceived ideas. Maher especially shows how dogmatic certainty and intolerance can lead to violence and suffering in our world.
It may seem odd that I, someone who is PROFESSIONALLY religious, would enjoy this of all movies! But my religion isn’t threatened by science, humor, critical thinking, or questions. Maher may be doing religion a very good service by showing us how we have too often allowed religion to become irrelevant or even toxic.

Where Bill Maher and I disagree is that I believe religion has great potential. I love the myth and poetry of religion. I love the people who are in my life because religion brought us together. I love the sacred texts that remind me that our ancestors struggled with many of the same questions that I have. They sometimes came to different conclusions than I might, but they stand with me (in my imagination) as I attempt to face the questions as courageously as they did.
Religion, at its best, reminds me that I have enormous potential and that at the center of my being I may be infinitely better than I’ve ever realized. Religion reminds me that I am part of the Web of Existence, an integral part of the vast Universe, an expression of infinite Life. Philosophy, art, transpersonal psychology, or quantum physics might offer me a very similar message, but religion is the discipline that communicated the message to me first. I tend to dance with the one who brought me!

So, yes, I may be “religilous,” but I think that’s good. Someone needs to offer religion in a way that allows (and even expects) progressive attitudes, new learning, critical thinking, and expanded understanding. I don’t believe the world was created in a week a few thousand years ago! I don’t believe that my religion is God’s favorite and all others are at best wrong and at worst evil. I don’t believe religion should be used as an excuse to justify homophobia. I don’t claim to know anything about the afterlife, and I know that our scriptures are full of human opinion, imagination, prejudice, error, and norms from cultures different from my own. Religion is not, in my mind, the enemy of science, and for me, myths, parables, idioms and symbols can be philosophically or psychologically true without being historically factual or accurate.
I’m not religious to keep me out of afterlife prison, nor am I religious to get wishes granted or to feel superior to the non-religious. I’m religious because I’ve experienced religion as a liberating, encouraging, comforting source of optimism and I want to share that with others who may need it. I especially want to offer a generous, liberating, joyous alternative to those who have been excluded or harmed by the misuse of religion.

As a religious person, I consider myself an ally of people like Bill Maher who use their voices to challenge religion when it becomes superstitious, narrow-minded, or oppressive. So, as a religious person, I encourage people to go see “Religilous.” Laugh when it’s funny. Feel free to disagree with whatever you don’t find persuasive. And allow it to show you where religion needs improvement. As religious people, we may discover that we are the ones to offer the healing religion needs.

Weekly Reflection by Pastor Durrell Watkins

"Breathing in, I calm my body. Breathing out, I smile. Dwelling in the present moment, I know this is a wonderful moment.” Thich Nhat Hanh, Present Moment, Wonderful Moment
When times are uncertain or when difficulties are present, people will often complain to me that their prayers feel hollow or that they aren't sure their prayers are being "heard" or that they don't know what to "say" in prayer. In these moments, I usually offer a form of prayer that is very new to many people in our culture (though it is an ancient practice in many religions, including Christianity).

We are so unaccustomed to silence in our lives. We eat with the television on. We drive with the radio on. We never turn our cell phones off. Noise and distraction fill every minute of the day. When do we take the Psalmist's advice to "be still and know that I am God"?
Our lives probably have enough talking, enough noise, enough frenzy without making our prayers be more of the same. Rather than figuring out what to say in prayer, or trying to discern if what we say is "heard", we may benefit from a practice of simply getting quiet, turning off the interior chatter (or at least turning it down), and becoming fully present to a given moment, becoming aware that we are actually breathing, and learning to notice a moment without making judgment or commentary. We may need to simply "be still and know…"

There will be plenty of opportunities for our affirmations (every declarative statement is in fact an affirmation). There will be time for reciting the poetic prayers from a treasured book. We can always turn to incense or candles or anything that helps us connect with our Higher Power. But in addition to these "doings," let's learn to add simply "being." Call it Centering Prayer. Call it Meditation. Don't bother to call it anything. But in a day full of doing, spend a few moments of being…being quiet, being aware, being connected to All-That-Is.
On a park bench, on the sand at the beach, in a comfortable chair, or on a cushion on the floor, simply sit and notice your breath. In. Out. In. Out. There's a thought…don't engage it. Just notice it, and back to the breath. In. Out. In. Out. Another thought…don't judge it; don't follow it. Just notice it and return to the breath. In. Out. In. Out.

If your mind is too busy, jumping around, refusing to settle, don't get discouraged. Focus on a word or phrase. Shalom. Relax. Jesus. All is well. I am in the universe/The universe is in me. I am here now.
Any word. Any phrase. Breathe in: "I am." Breathe out: "here now." Breathe in: "Peace." Breathe out: "Relax." Breathe in: "All is well." Breathe out: "All is well."
Use any simple word or phrase and connect it to your breathing. See how the discursive thinking calms down? See how rich the serene moment is? Suddenly, there is no anxiety about being heard, or saying the right thing. Suddenly, there is only now, and right now, there is this Breath of Life, this calm experience, this perfect moment. Indeed, all is well!

We make enough noise. What we may need is a few moments of intentional Silence. In the midst of all the doing, let's become aware of simply being. Breathe in. Breathe out. You are in the presence of All That Is, unified with It. There is no doubt that such centering prayer is accomplishing exactly what it should.
Amen.

LGBT History Month - Steve L Harvey Remembered

Steve Lenford Harvey

Promoted to glory

30th November 2005

On the evening of November 30, 2005, at approximately 1:00am, Harvey and his roommates were robbed at gunpoint in their home, his roommates were bound, and Harvey was abducted. A gunman reportedly yelled "We hear that you are gay" to the trio. Harvey's body was found two hours later, early the next morning, a few miles in the hills overlooking Kingston, with gunshot wounds in his head and back.

Steve Harvey's killing has resulted in a far-reaching public outcry against the government of Jamaica, which has been accused of ignoring violence against homosexuals.

Several organizations, including the United Nations have demanded a thorough investigation of the homicide.

In March 2006, four people were charged with the killing.

It was in that same year he was selected as LACCASO's (Latin America and Caribbean Council of AIDS Service Organizations) project coordinator for Jamaica and was about to launch into bigger an better things.

A Life cut short.

His work with the MSM population was EXEMPLARY (yet to be duplicated)

The pic depicting a happier moment of him, "BIG NOSE" as some would tease him, he never liked it lol.

He lived for politics and current affairs, always debating with someone about his favourite political party and if he never agreed with you his face made it very clear lol. 

We Miss You Boi!!!

October 14, 2011 Update As for the political saga that ensued he would have lived for it and also the upcoming elections constitutionally due in 2012 he would have sided with his favourite party the Peoples National Party PNP who are now in opposition and who also still enjoy most of the LGBT support despite siding with government on the invented gay marriage debate as a side bar to the Charter of Rights Debate in 2008/9

Another one of our strong voices taken out unjustly.

Peace and tolerance

H

Remember This?

The dark days with A.J. Nicholson as Attorney General, ugh, unattentive, insensitive and uncaring politician.

January 2007

Gay is ok by Jesus, listen to what He said...what do you think?

LGBT History Month - Brian Williamson Remembered

Thomas Glave, Contributor, originally published Sunday June 20, 2004

"THE PIECE IS STILL POIGNANT TODAY!!!"-Admin

THIS MUCH is true: the brave, loving gay man who was murdered in Kingston last week will not be forgotten. His name was Brian R.B. Williamson. None of us who are gay, lesbian or bisexual will forget him, and neither will many others.He was a founding member of J-FLAG. I remember him from that time. That was where I first met him ­ where I first had the privilege of getting to know him. We all were meeting in great trust, scarcely knowing at that time, in the latter months of 1998, how daunting and ultimately vital our mission would be. But in 2004, six years later, J-FLAG still exists ­ proof of the importance and utter correctness of our work. Jamaica's viciousness and hatred, no matter how brutal, could not destroy us then, and will not destroy us now.I remember Brian as a laughing man: a man with 'a head of silver coins'," as I described his head of curly silver-gray hair. He loved laughing and laughter. Though it is often said of the dead even when untrue, he truly did love life, and exemplified that love in his formidable bravery where sexuality matters were concerned. He was not afraid to open, and operate from the late 1990s until only a few years ago, the gay and lesbian dance club Entourage, right in his home at .

SAFE PLACE
Entourage, a place where so many of us gays, lesbians, and bisexuals could go and dance, laugh, flirt, party, and hang out with friends and loved ones ­ a place where we could breathe freely and openly, delivered for a few hours from Jamaica's otherwise repressive, hateful anti-gay environment. At Entourage and in other places, Brian was not afraid to challenge the police, fiercely, when they attempted to harass him. He was not afraid to represent J-FLAG on the radio, using his own name, and to appear on television, representing the organisation, showing his face. He did it all with great humour and generosity, and lived, until a few weeks ago, to tell about it. In that regard, he was truly an example to all of us who are gay, lesbian, or bisexual ­ an example of just what bravery and risk can accomplish.It remains to be seen whether Brian was murdered specifically because he was gay, although given the extremely violent nature of the crime and his being so widely known as an outspoken gay man, one would be a bit naive not to wonder. These are hard times for all Jamaicans living on the island, but they're especially hard for gay men, and for men who have sexual/romantic involvements with other men, and with women, and don't call themselves 'gay'.

SHROUD OF FEAR
Many men who desire other men in Jamaica continue to live with an enormous amount of anxiety, shame and fear. Such is also the case for women who love other women. Those of us who are men, particularly after an incident such as which took Brian's life, return to that gnawing fear: will someone strike us down anytime soon because we are 'b-men'? How will it happen? With fire, machetes, pickaxes, hammers, guns, knives or simple strangling? Or will it be 'just' a beating? Or a good old-fashioned stoning? Will our father do it to us, or a neighbour? A boyfriend of ours, or a co-worker?Will everyone in our community turn on us? Will it happen in the cool, quieter hours of the night, or beneath the sun's blazing afternoon? Will people laugh after our death, as they did after Brian's or will some cry for us, as many did for Brian? Will people tell each other after our murder that we 'deserved' it, or were 'asking for' it? Will people in our families be so ashamed of us, and so embarrassed, that they'll refuse to speak about us to anyone, especially when it comes to the men we loved? Will self-hating gay men say vicious things about us - that we were nothing more than a 'sketel', nothing more than a 'butu', so what could we expect?We all have faced discrimination and bigotry from friends, family members, church members, and others; yet many of us somehow have managed to survive that bigotry, and even triumph. In that regard, we, male and female homosexuals, are truly testaments to survival and the human spirit. Jamaica would be much poorer without our talent, hard work, skills, and intelligence, and Jamaica knows it. Jamaica will be much poorer without the light of Brian Williamson, but the gay/lesbian community, and J-FLAG, will continue, and prevail, as Brian himself would have wanted us to.

EQUAL TO NAZI TYRANNY
Make no mistake ­ years from now, the world will look at Jamaica the way we do at Nazis today. Jamaica's hatred of homosexuals is the equal of Nazis' hatred of Jews. It is the equal of racist whites' hatred of blacks, is the equal of all hatred everywhere ­ just as ugly, just as destructive and self-destructive, just as ignorant and narrow. Just as evil.We are Nazis toward lesbians and gay men, but Hitler's fury didn't wipe out all the Jews, and Jamaica's rage won't kill all of us - it won't even kill those of us who hate ourselves so much because Jamaica has taught us to hate ourselves and other gay people.In our private spaces we still love and make love to each other, we still tell jokes and drink, play cards and watch T.V, nyam our curry goat and brown stew chicken, go on bad and tek bad tings mek laugh. We still dream of love, like everyone else, and, when necessary, we take care of each other. If anything, Brian's death should teach us all to do all these things even better.But it should teach us something else, even more important: it should teach us that we, and no one else, will have to make the kind of world we want our children to live in. If one of our children turns out to be gay ­ and I mean the children of any Jamaican, any person, heterosexual or homosexual, since we, too, produce children ­ are we prepared to send them out into a world that might chop them up, burn them, dash acid on them, or burn down their house? Or stone them? Or cause them to flee Jamaica in fear? Or cause them to grow up lying about themselves, lying to their parents, to spouses, children, friends, family ­ to everyone?What are we all doing right now, nearly one week after a brave man's death, to protect our children from that world? From this world?
Brian featured on the bottom of his outgoing e-mails a quote from Gandhi: "We must become the change we wish to see in the world." It's useful, but to achieve what it says requires a tremendous amount of human bravery: brave heart, brave mind, brave soul, and the courage to expand the mind beyond the prejudices that make us happy and comfortable. Are we prepared to try and live this way, if only to keep other people from being killed as Brian was killed, and to save ourselves from such a death as well?
Light a candle, then, for this man who was loved. Light many candles, and remember his name. Remember his laughter.Remember how much he loved other men, and how very much he wanted them to love him in return. Remember how much he loved his cat Jonathan and his dog Tessa - poor Tessa, who was there, at home, on the morning of his death.Remember how Brian loved his garden, especially the trailing yellow allamanda flowers on his front lawn's overhead trellis. Say a prayer for him, and say another for those terrible lost people who killed him.Remember how much power, love, and life he brought us in Jamaica. Remember, how much braver he made so many of us. Remember how he expanded our entire country. Remember, and know that he will not be forgotten.

20 Questions for “Ex-gay” Ministry Leaders

check out this interesting post from http://alifeofunlearning.blogspot.com/ here is an excerpt from it, to view the rest click any one of the images or the post title.

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1. Do you know of anyone who was completely gay (not a bisexual) who has become completely heterosexual?

2. Considering that scientific research demonstrates that homosexuality is not caused by sexual abuse or by poor parenting what do you think made you gay?

3. Would you honestly say that you are a ‘normal’ heterosexual person at every level of your being?

4. Can you guarantee me that if I go through your program that I will be completely heterosexual? Would I be completely heterosexual without being married or would I have to become married to prove it?

5. What accountability mechanisms do you have in place to ensure that you don’t ‘fall’. If you were truly healed, would this be necessary?

Metropolitan Community Church celebrates 40 years of ministry

On October 6, 2008, Metropolitan Community Churches (MCC) will celebrate 40 years of continuous ministry! On October 6, 1968, a de-frocked, gay, Pentecostal minister named Troy D. Perry held the first MCC worship service in his home.

Twelve people attended that first service; 40 years later, MCC has a presence all over the world, and Sunshine Cathedral is one of MCC’s most dynamic churches. Your support of Sunshine Cathedral contributes to the work of justice and inclusion that is saving and improving lives all over the world. You can be proud of MCC’s 40-year history.

This week say a prayer of blessing for Sunshine Cathedral and for Metropolitan Community Churches all over the world!

Priest has been ordered to remove comments about gay people from his blog

Tattoo gay men, clergyman writes

"It's the kind of remark you might expect from a drunk on a Saturday night, not someone in a supposedly responsible position"
David Allison, Outrage

A Church of England priest has been ordered to remove comments about gay people from his blog, remarks described by his diocese as "highly offensive".
The Rev Peter Mullen, who ministers in the City of London, said he had gay friends and the words were "satirical".
He suggested in his internet blog that homosexuals should have their backsides tattooed with the slogan: "Sodomy can seriously damage your health".
The gay rights group Outrage described the comments as "Neanderthal".
A Diocese of London spokeswoman said the remarks did not reflect its views.
Mr Mullen said: "I certainly have nothing against homosexuals. Many of my dear friends have been and are of that persuasion.

"What I have got against them is the militant preaching of homosexuality."
In the same blog, Mr Mullen called for all gay pride parades, which he branded "obscene", to be outlawed.
He also criticised the blessing of two gay priests at a "wedding" performed earlier this year in a City of London church.
The Diocese of London spokeswoman said officials had met Mr Mullen and it had been agreed that the comments should be removed.
She said: "While clergy are entitled to their own personal views, we fully recognise that the content of this text is highly offensive and it is in no way reflective of the views of the Diocese of London."
Outrage spokesman David Allison said "It's the kind of remark you might expect from a drunk on a Saturday night, not someone in a supposedly responsible position."

Looked up steadfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God

"But he (Stephen) . . . looked up steadfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God . . . and they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep." (Acts 7:55,59,60)

Looking at past failure, you will constantly find that it arose from settling things according to circumstances. I cannot settle anything myself; if I am in His presence, I get my guidance from the Lord in His circumstances - from the Son of God up there. It is a blessed fact that there is a Man in heaven, in the highest possible glory on the throne of God, and that Man has a heart to enter into everything, where His people would not be able to move for themselves. Is His heart less occupied, His eye less fixed on me than it was on Stephen? No; the curtain was drawn back for him, and I never expect that, but it is equally true to faith. (Gleanings From the Teaching of G.V Wigram)

Weekly Reflection by Rev. Durrell Watkins

“Christ said, ‘The kingdom of God is within you.’ Truly I say to you: ‘within you’ means your true nature, the real [you]. Since your nature is [divine], the kingdom of God is only ‘within you.’ [The one] who seeks the kingdom of God without pursues a dream [and] will never find the kingdom of God…Only when you have awakened to the realm of eternal happiness within can the realm of eternal happiness be manifest without as a reflection.” – Nectarean Shower of Holy Doctrines, Holy Sutras (Seicho-No-Ie)

I’m very focused on the idea of “awakening” lately. It seems like waking up is exactly what so many of us need. Jesus reportedly said (though only the writer of the fourth gospel attributes these words to Jesus), “I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Divine except by me.” The author of the Fourth Gospel wanted his audience to identify with his Jesus character. The “I” of Jesus was the example for the “I” of you and me to follow. Jesus was the example, not the exception; he demonstrated the Christ in him so that we could demonstrate the Christ in us.

What that late first century author was doing by putting those powerful words into the mouth of Jesus was saying that the way to awaken to our own Christ Nature, our own divine potential, the truth of our own sacred value is to follow Jesus’ example. Jesus communed with the divine presence without intermediaries. Jesus was iconoclastic, putting no image, tradition, symbol, or hierarchy above his own experience of Reality. Jesus trusted the spirit of Wisdom and Compassion more than he trusted inherited interpretations of ancient texts. Jesus trusted his own Christ Potential, the divine energy flowing through him, and that trust empowered him to live an awakened (or “anointed”) life.

To experience the Mystery of Life (“God”) as richly and as deeply as Jesus did, we must do what he did…trust our innate goodness and not transfer our own holiness onto things outside of ourselves. That’s what I believe “I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Divine except by me” means.

As we face a troubled economy, justice issues, violence in the world, disease, global warming, and all the other disturbing circumstances in life, we may be tempted to put our trust in things, or people, or stories, or institutions. My guess is that such trust will leave us disappointed. The way to peace, the truth about peace, the life of peace comes from trusting the divine qualities within us, not from hoping something beyond us will swoop down and magically fix everything.
It’s time to wake up to our sacred value and to become less attached to the illusions “out there,” and learn to trust the goodness within us. Once we contact that Inward Light, that Christ Nature that is already our true Self, then we can share that divine Light with the world. Isn’t that exactly what our world needs right now?

(Republished with permission)

The Formula For Miracles by Pastor Durrell Watkins

“You are what your deep, driving desire is. As your desire is, so is your will. As your will is, so is your deed. As your deed is, so is your destiny.” [Brihadaranyada Upanishad IV.4.5]

We have lots of wishes – those “wouldn’t it be nice” thoughts and day dreams. But some of those wishes solidify into real desires. What we honestly, deeply desire, we make a commitment to and we find ourselves working toward. Imagination fueled by emotion and accompanied by action is the blue print for accomplishment.

In 1829, New York Governor (& future president) Martin Van Buren wrote to the sitting President of the U.S., Andrew Jackson. In his letter, Gov. Van Buren said, “Mr. President, ‘railroad’ carriages are pulled at the enormous speed of 15 miles per hour by ‘engines’ which, in addition to endangering life and limb of passengers, roar and snort their way through the countryside…The Almighty certainly never intended that people should travel at such breakneck speed.” I wonder what Mr. Van Buren would think of our world where we fly across the country and even from continent to continent in only a few hours!

In 1948, Claude Bristol wrote in his book, The Magic of Believing, “…the American Rocket Society has made application to the United States Government for land on the moon. Perhaps the application was made in a spirit of facetiousness, but who knows when some ‘Buck Rogers’ will pilot a rocket plane to the moon? I, for one, wouldn’t say it couldn’t be done some day, for I don’t know and neither do those who say it is impossible.” That was written when my mother was 5 years old! Since then, “rockets” and space shuttles and satellites have made many trips into Space.

The point is, an idea may seem foolish or impossible. But if we can imagine it, then at some point in some measure we can probably accomplish it. When the idea becomes a desire, and the desire grows into a “driving desire,” then eventually we actually make up our minds to do the thing (or at least to honestly attempt it). Once we’ve made up our minds, action follows and our actions create our destiny.

We may be too sophisticated to believe in magic or miracles, but then in 1829, traveling at 15 miles per hour seemed like the stuff of science fiction. A seventy-mile per hour speed limit would seem like a fantasy (or a nightmare) to Martin Van Buren. But someone dreamed the dream of locomotion into reality, and here we are. When my mother was a child, Buck Rogers was a fantasy hero. Now, space flight seems almost common.

Once we allow our “wouldn’t it be nice” thoughts to evolve into desire, and then we allow our desire to evolve into commitment and action, we will find that magic and miracles still take place. Imagination fueled by emotion and accompanied by action remains the blue print for accomplishment…even miraculous accomplishment!

www.sunshinecathedral.org
Durrell Watkins, M.A., M.Div. – Senior Pastor

Vatican blocks appointment of gay diplomat

The Church is opposed to gay rights

Evening, and morning, and at noon

"Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and He shall hear my voice." (Psalm 55:17)

TIME TO PRAY

I got up early one morning

And rushed right into the day;

I had so much to accomplish,

That I didn't take time to pray.

Problems just tumbled about me

And heavier came each task;

Why doesn't God help me I wondered?

He answered, "YOU DIDN'T ASK."

I wanted to see joy and beauty,

But the day toiled on gray and bleak;

I wondered why God didn't show me.

He said, "BUT YOU DIDN'T SEEK".

I woke up early this morning,

and paused before entering the day;

I had so much to accomplish.

That I had to take time to pray.

(Submitted by a reader (T.R.)of the "Gems.")

All scripture is given by inspiration of God

"All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works." (2 Timothy 3:16)

If the Bible had been written by one individual, or even two, the argument we are about to adduce would not be so powerful, but when we reflect that the Bible is not one consecutive Book, but is composed of sixty-six books, and that in spite of that fact it is indeed one Book, each contribution fitting like stones shaped and polished into a symmetrical whole, each contribution complementary of the rest, we are obliged to believe that there is a Master mind behind it, in short that the Bible is God-breathed, inspired, that God Himself is its Author. Bind together sixty-six medical works, or political works, or even theological works, and you would find one writer affirming what another denies; one writer praising what another blames; one writer stating what he believes to be exalted truth, another denouncing it as utter folly. (Why I Believe the Bible - A.J Pollock)

Trust in the Lord with all thine heart;

"Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths." (Proverbs 3:5,6) -

It is one thing to rest in God's blessings, and another thing to rest in Himself.- It is one thing to trust God, when I have before my eyes the channel through which the blessing is to flow; and quite another thing to trust Him when that channel is entirely stopped up.- God looks for reality, and honours it where He sees it.- Without trial we can be but theorists, and God would not have us such; He would have us entering into the living depths that are in Himself.- Faith can do without every one and everything but God.(Food for the Desert)