Upcoming trip to Washington

So, we will soon be on our way to Washington to visit family and take part in opening the dialogue about Christianity and sexuality at the Hoquiam United Methodist Church. I am so thrilled as May 10th seems to be taking on a life of it's own. Kim Clark one of the film makers will join with me, and Dotti Berry and Robi Sapp from Soul Force. What a joy that these all come to pass on the same weekend! I believe with all my heart that God not only wants to heal people but to make a safe place for his children to worship. I've made a new friend in Pastor Gregg Sealey from Hoquiam. I'll do a follow up soon.

The book is available

This has been an exciting month. The book is available and is doing well in it's first month. I'm preparing to take a trip to Washington this month and see my family, as well as have opportunities to promote both books.
In July, we will be participating at the Evangelicals Concerned Conference in Tacoma, and then in October will be part of the God and Gays Conference in Nashville. It's a busy year, and it's only April.

I just read an article in my hometown newspaper about churches splitting a vacation Bible school over one church being open to Gay and Lesbian persons! (Good for them.) I can't believe that the issure of inclusiveness and reconcillation has come to my little home town! But it's sure a long time in coming. Fourty Five years ago I thought I was the only gay person on Gray's Harbor. What a delight to be able to support the UMC now there and say, hey, we've been here all along and we are Christians too! I'm excited about the weeks ahead.
Stay tuned!
Yours for action~~~~Darlene

Our New Book

A Miracle Woman-the Naomi Harvey Story is now at the publishers. We have met with some opposition from one of the persons in the book who spent 18 years in ministry with Naomi. She doesn't want to be included, although she is part of the story. This has reinforced my feeling about spiritual and religious oppression I'm sure there are things I don't know about this bitterness that is clothed in Christian Love! Why does the events of 40 years ago still have an impact on emotions today? And what can make one person try to justify actions of verbal abuse? I want to stand up and scream "hypocrite" but who would listen?

Lord, this is your book, your story of grace in a woman of clay feet. she isn't perfect, but she has remained constant in her love for you. Please help me to remember your message...Grace and unconditional love.

2008-January

So much of life is lived in reflection. I wanted to be more current at keeping this active. I've been writing a new book to be a voice for another woman in the gay community. Look for it later this year. The Miracle Woman-my journey of restoration. The Naomi Harvey Story as told to Darlene Bogle. This picture was taken from the press conference at Beyond Ex-Gay last summer. I like to be reninded, that I am busy! Peace.

After the Survivors Conference

Here I am again making notes for no one to read! I was part of the apology made nationally, to all those who had been hurt by our comments while we were part of Exodus. What a pandora's box. We have been praised, condemned, misunderstood, thanked and in all, created comments around the world. Why is it so unusual to say "I'm sorry?" Alan chambers seems to feel it was insincere and a ploy to detract from Exodus conference. He missed the point.

I'm glad to be a daughter of Most High God. I'm proud to be a representative of the Lord Jesus Christ and to know, that my life is hid with God, in Christs love. I'm proud to stand up, and speak out, and to those who might someday ask if God loves them exaactly as they are...I'm proud to stand tall and say YES.

I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

DArlene

Healing from religious bigotry

I've done a lot of thinking about why it is that people embrace hatred rather than love. Jerry Falwell died this week, and lots of hatred found it's way into the online comments. I didn't agree with his stance on homosexuality, but he has to answer for his attitude. I think what he said was hurtful not only to the GLBT community, but to blacks, women and any one that wasn't of his belief systen. The hatred I see from our community is just as concerning as the hatred and rejection that came from Falwell's pulpit.

Next month is the Beyond ex-gay converence in Irvine. I hope that we can create a place for healing to happen for those people wounded by the religious bigotry that comes from people who say they speak for God. I don't think healing is possible without the grace of God and His love filling our hearts. I pray that I am an adaquate spokesperson and example of that love.

A Christian Lesbian Journey

Well, that's the name of my newly released book. It tells the story of my leaving ex-gay ministry and finding love with a beautiful Christian woman. We should have ridden off n a white horse and lived happily ever after. But we didn't. We struggled to be ourselves, to find a church family who would love and accept us as a couple...and then, Des Got breast cancer. Our lives were changed, but we grew stronger in our faith, and battled the disease together. On Valentines Day 2005, she lost the battle and went to heaven to wait for me. (And see a few other people too.)
The story doesn't end. She told me to write our story, speak out for the gay community..and be true to who I am. So, I told our story in the documentary, www.godandgaysthemovie.com and started writing a book. I have begun the process of mending the broken truths protrayed by Exodus ministries, and those within Christian churches and want us to change our sexual orientation to make them comfortable, and us acceptable!

Just one of the reasons I won't do that is the following story.
My sister, Arlene, works in an office. She shared my book with her supervisor. They had worked together for years, and Arlene never knew her boss had a gay sister. Now they can talk about more than the weather. Her boss wanted to email me and since she had seen a quilt in the book that my current partner, Becky, had made for Des on her 50th Birthday...she asked if we could make just a quilt piece with a heart on it, for her sister. She wanted to send my book, and the quilt piece to her as a reminder that she was special. Becky had a quilt wall hanging that she had started over two years ago, in just the right colors, of a heart for rememberance for Des. She never finished it before the memorial service, and just put it away. When Arlene's boss asked us to do one, we pulled it out and I finished it, and sent it along to a lesbian sister in Colorado who needs to know that her journey is now connected to ours through my sister that stood up and said, "I have a gay sister, and here is her story". Des's heart of love still lives, and our story will go out and touch lives that we don't even know, and some we do.

So...this is another page on my journey.
Darlene