Monthly Archives: February 2019

For the Bride: You Are Loved!

Posted on February 28, 2019 by Steve Harper

​If I were asked to name the #1 struggle that LGBTQ+ people have, I would say it is their struggle to believe God loves them.  If I were asked to name why they have this struggle, I would say because … Continue reading →

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Here and Now: Choices

Posted on February 27, 2019 by Steve Harper

​We have explored the basic contours of here-and-now living to recognize that each moment comes as a choice.  The present moment leaves it up to us as to how will live it.  An old saying captures this reality, “God votes … Continue reading →

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Spiritual Life: The Vision Dynamic

Posted on February 25, 2019 by Steve Harper

​Spiritual formation is the lifelong process of living increasingly into the new creation, responding to grace in ways that cause the old to pass away and the new to come (2 Corinthians 5:17).  Paul’s use of the word ‘creation’ (along … Continue reading →

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For the Bride: Holy Sexuality

Posted on February 23, 2019 by Steve Harper

I begin new posts for this occasional series with “Holy Sexuality” because it is a broad topic in our society, and it is a particular topic under consideration at The General Conference of The United Methodist Church that begins today … Continue reading →

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Spiritual Life: The Vision Doorway

Posted on February 22, 2019 by Steve Harper

​Our exploration of spiritual formation is not haphazard, nor is our experience of it.  I am grateful to Richard Foster for creating the threefold paradigm that we will follow in this series: vision, intention, and means. [1] We begin with … Continue reading →

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For the Bride: My Journey

Posted on February 21, 2019 by Steve Harper

Here is a synopsis of my journey since 2014 of to being an ally with the LGBTQ+ community… I met some of you last evening at First UMC Orlando for the first time, and you asked about my journey to … Continue reading →

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For the Bride: Video & Outline

Posted on February 21, 2019 by Steve Harper

Here is the link to my presentation last evening at First UMC in Orlando, Florida on.the subject, “All Means All: The Bible’s Affirmation of LGBTQ+ Persons”… https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=CyHF3CCRvPs Here is the handout/outline given to those who were present… “All Means All: … Continue reading →

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For the Bride: Resuming Posts

Posted on February 21, 2019 by Steve Harper

Following last night’s event at First United Methodist Church in Orlando, I am resuming posts in this “For the Bride” category. Previous posts were essentially expansions on things I wrote about in my book, ‘For the Sake of the Bride’ … Continue reading →

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Here and Now: Sabbath

Posted on February 20, 2019 by Steve Harper

​Sabbath-keeping is a sign we are living a here-and-now life.  But to see this, we must not view the Sabbath as one day in seven separated and isolated from the other six. Jesus pointed to the right view of sabbath … Continue reading →

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Spiritual Life: The Essence

Posted on February 18, 2019 by Steve Harper

​When I finished the previous post on the spiritual life as a dance, I saw in my mind’s eye the healed man outside the Temple walking, leaping and praising God (Acts 3:8).  I watched St. Francis dance down the road … Continue reading →

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Spiritual Life: The Dance

Posted on February 14, 2019 by Steve Harper

​We have seen the appeal of the spiritual life through the metaphors of longing, homecoming, and living faith. There is another one–an ancient metaphor–which carries the tone of our formation even more clearly: a dance.  [1] The idea of a … Continue reading →

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Here and Now: Covenant

Posted on February 13, 2019 by Steve Harper

The Covenant is the all-encompassing word to describe how our relationship with God is processed in the daily round of ordinary living.  The Law is meticulously detailed, to say nothing of the midrash which expounded upon it in even greater … Continue reading →

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Spiritual Life: Living Faith

Posted on February 11, 2019 by Steve Harper

​The words of a contemporary song by Adele express our longing for home as the longing for life, “I want to live, and not just survive.” [1]  The words of the song describe the hunger of our hearts.  The God … Continue reading →

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Spiritual Life: Longing for Home

Posted on February 8, 2019 by Steve Harper

​The spiritual life arises out of a deep longing. Long ago, David described his longing in these words, “my God, you are the One I seek. My soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you” (Psalm 63:1).  Made by … Continue reading →

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Here and Now: I AM

Posted on February 6, 2019 by Steve Harper

​In Moses’ encounter with God at the burning bush, we get the greatest revelation into the here-and -now life.  It is the name of God given to Moses: I AM (Exodus 3:14).  While likely referring to the aspect of God’s … Continue reading →

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Spiritual Life: Introduction

Posted on February 4, 2019 by Steve Harper

​When creation began 13.8 billion years ago, it instantly expanded at an astonishing rate, and it continues to do so. The galaxies outside of our own are moving away from us, and the ones that are farthest away are moving … Continue reading →

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