Read My Writing: Courage

"What makes a King out of a slave? Courage.

What makes the flag on the mast to wave? Courage."

What makes you write posts that speak of things you've longed to say? Courage.

A WOTH Shout-out for those who bravely bared their souls:

• Lisa @ The Task at Hand: How she feels about short-term teams in "Blurb. blurb. blurb. blurb"

• @Sparrow Tracks: The toll ministry/church has taken on her soul in "slow burn"

• Sarah @ Whispers on the Journey: She ponders placing too much power into the hands of one in "Should We Dump the 'Lone Star' Pastor Model?"

• Laura @ Laura in Lisbon: She muses about her mixed-up cross-cultural life in "Confusion..."

Our featured post:

shock, outraged and bitterly disappointed...

by Alida @ Blackpurl's Knitpickings

Not long after Stella played the piano while Ticha sang "I Surrender All," a small church in Kentucky has voted to ban interracial couple from membership.

The statement said all people are welcome to attend the church, but that the congregation would not receive interracial couples as members, "nor will they be used in worship services" and other church functions, according to a copy supplied to the Herald-Leader by a church member.

Seriously?! This is 2011 for goodness sake.

How is it possible for Christians to act this way?

Stella's father had this to say about the decision of the church:

"It sure ain't Christian it ain't nothing but the old devil working"

Tom and I married on December 13, 1981.

We faced this type of opposition back then. Twenty nine years ago we went shopping at a mall in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. A young blonde salesgirl asked Tom if she could help him with a pair of shoes. After getting him settled she asked if she could help me as I wandered around looking for another pair for Tom to try on. When I said "that's okay... we're together" she went into the stockroom and didn't come back out.

We were refused service at a restaurant in Missouri. In Kansas, back in 1985, when our first child was stillborn someone asked our pastor if it was because we were being punished by God for being a biracial couple. We moved to California in 1988 and left all of that behind. There we found more couples like us and our children grew up feeling they were part of a normal typical family.

Spencer and Nathan

When our oldest, on the right, was asked at age 5 by a neighborhood kid why his mom was black he quickly answered "because God made her that way!"

I am shocked by this church's stance. Outraged. Bitterly disappointed. Maybe these people have not read their Bibles. Maybe they don't know that Moses was married to a Cushite (Ethiopian)? Surely their Bibles include the book of Numbers. Maybe they just haven't read chapter twelve?

My prayer is that Stella and Ticha can find a more loving congregation to be a part of. I pray that they know that not all Christians think this way. I pray that they will have a long and loving relationship and that this bigotry does not stand in the way of that. And I pray that when they are counting down the days until their 30th anniversary this will be just a dim memory.

_______________________________________________________

Thanks, Alida, for telling us more about your courageous life in the face of prejudice. Each specific incident, written simply and straightforward, spoke strongly to your readers. You are not alone in your outrage. As a follow-up to the story of the couple in Kentucky, the church reversed their decision...it looks like when we have the courage to speak up, it can actually turn the tide.

And Happy 30th Anniversary, Alida!

Are you all enjoying reading one another's lives per blog posts? I am. Not sure what next week will hold, that depends on what you write...