God, Gender, & Stuff

godgenderstuff

THE LIST GOES ON

There was a beautiful tradition in the Hebrew scriptures of giving God a new name every time a different part of his personality was encountered. When the tribes of Israel were standing on the shores of the Re(e)d Sea, right after they had watched God close the waters on the Egyptian army and drown all of them, someone shouted “The Lord is a Warrior!” God’s people learned on that day that their God was also their protective warrior.

Over the millennia, they learned so much about their God. Their God was a Provider. Their God was a Reedemer. Their God was a Healer. Their God was All Powerful. Their God was so holy that one of his names couldn’t even be spoken.

The list goes on and on and on.

The followers of Jesus carried on this tradition with their understanding of God. They learned that their God was the First and the Last, Beginning and End. Their God was a servant. Their God was a Holy Spirit. Their God was there at the start of everything. Their God was Daddy. Their God was love.

The list goes on and on and on.

I don’t know why we ever stopped this tradition. If there is a God and, if this God interacts with us, don’t we have our own names for God, too?

I know I do.

I’d like to tell you two stories simultaneously. I’d like to tell you the names of my god as I’ve encountered it and understood it more deeply. I’d also like to tell you the lens I view this God through as I came to understand myself more deeply: I’m a transgender former evangelical pastor.

TO EXPLAIN IT TO YOU

This isn’t a PDF or a “real” book, so I guess I need to explain it to you. I’ve added links throughout the chapters. Some of them are silly, some of them are bible verses, and some of them are links to places/websites from my past. Click as much or as little as you want. At the bottom of each Chapter/Blog Post is a link to the next chapter.

I’m not some aloof person, sitting by a small pond in the woods, sipping on a Chemex, and wanting nothing other than to be left alone. I like connecting with people so, if you want to talk to me about something you read, click on the Contact page and shoot me a message. That’s the fun of this being something you read on your phone or tablet… I’m literally one click away!

LET’S GET STARTED, SHALL WE?

Chapter 1: A god named Obligation.