yes. 3.

3 is mean.

thank God we can tell each other this instead of just wondering if our kid is going to grow up to kill everyone.

I love your humor in the midst of all the craziness.

Kristen, thank you for sharing the letters. It's just a really important conversation no matter what a person believes about sin and being gay. I, for one, cannot call it sin. I can't. People will jump on me for that, and on lilysea, too, most likely. But that's okay. I've addressed why we all come to different conclusions about this, and for me, it's not because I want to fit in or not hurt anyone's feelings. It's a belief. It's not even comfortable to be a Christian and have this belief so I'm not trying to impress anyone. What I wrote to Vikki was my truth, one I'll always be putting down, trying to get myself out of the way so I can just allow myself to not think I know everything. I don't have to, thank God. that's certainly not my job. I think Christians get confused about that.

anyway, thank you again, Kristen.

Hi there,

I've heard that, a lot before, about how some Christians err on the side of truth and some on the side of grace. I think so too, to an extent. But it gets muddy for me when I can add that grace IS truth, and truth IS grace. For example, I wrote about that, to Vikki...how love should rule, which is grace. And I went on to say that so much of the time, on so many issues, we can't even agree on what is truth and what is not. Sometimes our understandings of the Bible differ based on many things including our background and our culture and our personality. Therefore, I choose to leave the judgment of lifestyle sin up to God. Of any sin, really. I cannot stand up and say *I* have a full understanding of it, a better understanding of it...I just can't. I'm only human.

I'm responding because I don't love Vikki the way that I do because it's popular or easier or to make anyone feel better. And I'm not attacking you by responding this way. I just want to be clear. I have a life-long deeply rooted faith and here I am, thinking and discerning and coming to a humbled view that there is much to God's bigness, in His word and in the world today, that I won't get to understand while I live. I've known a lot of people who are SURE they know exactly what is sin and what is not and they are willing to preach it, a lot. It seems like we forget that self-righteousness and pride are a problem in all of that.

I'm very tired and thinking out loud along with you. I don't mean to argue at all, I'm just conversating. Thank you for the respectful way you made your points.

Heather

Oh I love how Just Write became a chance to write down this memory to keep. So sweet. Thank you.