Agape House UIC

I just recently saw the movie American Beauty, with Kevin Spacey. This movie's reminder has been so important for my life that I felt it is important enough to share it with a wider community as well!

American Beauty reminds us that the beauty of God is all around us and in everything. If we only stop every now and then, as the character Ricky did, and give ourselves time enough to recognize it, we can see God's beauty around every corner we turn.

"Why do we crucify ourselves? Every day, I crucify myself.
Nothing I do is good enough for you...
And my heart is sick of being in chains."
-Tori Amos-

"Unlike the other high priests, he has no need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for those of the people; this he did once and for all when he offered himself."
-Hebrews 7:27-

Dale B. Martin - Theologian of the (Queer) Month

"There is no longer Jew or Greek,
there is no longer slave or free,
there is no longer male and female;
for all of you are one in Christ Jesus"
-Galatians 3:28-

Today I'm going to ask you to look at this text again, in a new way suggested by Dale B. Martin. It is usually understood and used to promote equality between races and genders. It finally frees one from oppression by the other.

Most of us were taught that when you're in church, you should be completely calm and practically docile. This comes from an underlying assumption that when we come to church we come before God, and when we come before God we had BETTER BE DOCILE... or else!