but breathing

forty people, a few of them straight, all of us christian, filled this living room with an intensity of well-articulated disappointment, observations and mystifications where lately had been sleighbells ring, the holly and the ivy, silent night and a 10' tree

some spoke with historical perspective, some religious, some political--all were relieved to be together to talk and listen with others of like mind and soul on what obama meant by choosing ''pastor'' warren...but mostly, it was just good to be in the same room...comforting even, with the common issues of frustration spilled out all over the floor...it took the better part of the evening to mop that up with the episcopal lexicon of uncommon understanding, if not actual forgiveness...

my take-away was that i don't need to focus on mr obama any more on this issue...i believe in hope, and i believe that, given enough time, he will get there as a leader....

instead, my task is to educate mr warren, perhaps first by loving him--always the hardest part of any communication, even with those who are like me...and sometimes especially with those who are like me

so i'm going to write an old fashioned letter to the pastor of saddleback church -- the presupposed altar ego of brokeback mountain -- to start a conversation...and to do so in such a way that i cannot be mistaken for anyone other than a member of the body of Christ, perhaps asking him to celebrate L0VE-is-the-purpose-driven-Eucharist at my table, where we are all God-made humans in the presence of the Holy Spirit...

because when i look for it, and i see the Love in you, rick warren,
then i feel it, and i know that i have that Love in me too

and the rest is up to you,
with Her help