As you know, the wave of interviews for my son, the Lemonade Kid, have been many. Though I have been grateful to God for the chance to share Joshua’s story of how the power of prayer led him to the idea to raise money for the City of Detroit, the round of media interviews has been tiring. But I was reenergized by the potential of one: a guest appearance on Ellen. Find out in my latest EEW article, which begins below, why I was excited and how I believe we can use my moment to talk to our children about homosexuality.
When a reporter for a national black magazine asked Joshua what he thought about people around the world knowing about his popcorn and lemonade fundraiser for the City of Detroit, he matter-of-factly said, “I’m international.” For Josh, it wasn’t arrogance. He was just telling the reporter his current reality. He’s had pretty much the same nonchalant attitude when news outlets in Canada contacted us and even when he appeared on the biggies, like CNN and ABC World News Tonight and in Time Magazine. I was in awe of God’s move with these, but the one that really made me excited was when a producer from Ellen, as in Ellen DeGeneres, called. Though I don’t watch her show often, I LOVE Ellen.
After talking with us three times the producers decided not to go forward with having us on the show. (Maybe there was too much Jesus talk in the interviews. That would be my fault.) While we awaited their final decision I was excited about the possibility of going to meet Ellen, an incredibly generous, kind and hilarious woman, and to share with her the love of Jesus. Some of my friends thought we would turn down the invitation to appear on Ellen because she is a lesbian. Ellen’s character traits and her being a lesbian were the reasons I wanted to meet her. I may not be going on Ellen, but I think a kid-friendly version of what I planned to say is what we could use to help our children respond to the national and calculated move to normalize homosexuality. Read the rest here.
My One Thousand Gifts List
#721-730
The boys showered and in bed before 9:30
A warm shower with lavender soap and vanilla body wash
Clean pillowcases
The boys being dressed and fed before 11 a.m.
A call from Sharon for her and her kids to hang out with me and my boys
Taking the kids to the library
Boys on bean bags
Justus on the computer
Finishing my blog post a day early
The edited cooking video
Hello Rhonda
The more I read of what you write the more I am convinced that you will one day regret what you have espoused for all these years. It is just hateful. And I am deeply sadden that a person I have so much love and respect is in such a bubble where she sees her hurtful comments as helpful to a national discourse.
Let me site specific examples:
You wrote
For children a monologue like this may be a little harder. They still want to fit in and they have the extra burden of having to make sure they are not guilty of hate speech or appearing to be a bully. And if you have children like Joshua, they may get stuck on a person’s good deeds and not on the grimy heart.
Well first Rhonda, children should not be the only people concerned with being a bully or using hate speech. Adults need to beware of this also. Adult bullies devastate lives as heads of corporations, government and institutions. In fact, nations who have adults leading them and who act as bullies cause havoc in inhumane ways daily, even hourly.
You wrote
One day, before the Ellen producer called, Joshua saw Ellen giving away something to a guest on her show and said “She seems like a nice lady.” “Yes, she is. She has a big heart and a girlfriend,” I added. “A girlfriend?”
Do you point out the sins of other “big hearted” people? Or simply those who are homosexual? Can a homosexual be grimy hearted and big hearted at the same time? How is that possible? Why so much talk about people hearts? Do you claim to know Ellen’s heart or anyone else’s for that matter besides your own?
This is simply hateful and full of judgment. But because your judgment is sanctioned by “Biblical principles”, it gets a pass. What was the ‘Biblical principle” at work when you twitted on Twitter something about human varmints? “Eww, just saw a rat in broad daylight. Shouldn’t surprise me: even the human varmints are active during the day.” Or was this simply hateful? judgmental? and bullying?
Hi Marla,
I think the bulk of our dialogue needs to take place one on one because you have real problems with my beliefs and take the time to not only take exception to my positions but attack me here(i.e., I live in a “bubble”). I will respond to a couple of your points.
I do point out the sins of people my son may admire to use them as teaching opportunities for him. This is standard for me. Case in point: when preparing Joshua to go on the Tom Joyner Show I warned him that they engage in coarse jesting. The distinction between people doing good (having a good human heart) and people not being saved, often exhibited through their habitual acts of sin (a grimy heart), is something I believe we must do because God makes the distinction and it doesn’t allow us to think we don’t have to minister the saving message of Christ to someone just because they do good deeds. Jeremiah 17:9: “The heart [is] deceitful above all [things], and desperately wicked: who can know it?”
Isaiah 64:6: “But we are all as an unclean [thing], and all our righteousnesses [are] as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.”
Ezekiel 36:26: A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.”
This stony heart sums up the grimy heart to which I speak. Stony means perverse and perverse is any way opposite to the ways of God. We all act perverse at some point, but those who haven’t received a new heart, a heart of flesh, haven’t had God’s Spirit transform them from having a sin nature. My words were not meant to be hateful and though I talked about homosexuality, I mentioned a host of other sins in my article too. It just seems you particularly respond and take exception to what I say about homosexuality. It seems that is the bubble you have placed me in.
As for the human varmints tweet, girl I was talking about folks who jump elderly people, break into houses, carjack, etc. in the broad daylight. If calling folks varmints who used to at least do their dirt in the dark as being judgmental, you are probably right because I do see them as despicable.
I know God changes our heartss when we choose to accept him as our Lord and Savior. But I did not know that when we become saved that we can accurately judge other people’s heart. I think evaluating people’s actions is a better route to go. It does not require that you know someone’s heart or intent. You simply know their deeds. And then you determine if those deeds are ones that you can be associated with or not. I think it is dangerous territory to wade into want we think we know about people’s heart. God knows our hearts but man I am not so sure.
Now let me be clear about where I am on the issue of homosexuality. It makes me uncomfortable and I truly don’t understand it. And I think that many people participate in the behavior for various reasons including fear, loneliness, and despair. But I also think that is a subgroup of all those who participate in homosexual behavior that was actually born gay. And it is that group that for which my heart softens. And for those who fall into this category, your views and writings sends a sphere through their hearts and the tone is not one of love but one of hate. Not one of teaching but one of judging. And I think one day you will regret that you took this tone.
You are entiled to your beleifs but the way in which you express them does not make a non beleiver want to take up the banner of Jesus Christ. Quite the opposite, it makes our Lord seem obsessed with a particular sin above all others and it make redemption seem impossible.
As for varmint, I think a lot of people do is despicable. But I think calling people rats is a place that we don’t need to go.
You’re right. Name calling is not necessary.
Marla,
I totally agree with your first paragraph because it’s exactly what I’m saying. When I speak of heart I’m not speaking about someone’s intent but their actions (big heart) and spiritual condition (grimy heart). Man can judge actions, though I do recall where one of the apostles told someone about his heart, meaning his intentions; surely God revealed that to him (Acts 8:21).
I appreciate your challenge, Marla, and believe some homosexuals may not be able to hear what I have to say because of the way I say it, but I can’t believe that is every nonbeliever, as you have suggested.