This week has been an absolute whirlwind of activity in our house. We got back from the GCN conference in Portland and jumped straightaway back into our normal everyday lives. That does presuppose, of course, that our lives could ever be described as normal.

We published our first post on this blog exactly a year ago. We never thought that Vulnerability Opens the Door to Intimacy would create a space for hundreds of people to join us in conversations about being LGBT, being celibate, and being Christians. It was a little weird to go to GCN conference to meet our readers…. Since when did we become a big deal? And really, how could this space at A Queer Calling be worthy of a shoutout in a keynote address? We started the blog because a handful of people approached us after the “Celibacy Involves Family” workshop we presented in Chicago. They wanted to hear our story. Because Lindsey had recently lost a job, we had a lot of time and wanted something to do. So we wrote. And we wrote some more. And we wrote so much that some of you said, “Gah! You’re publishing too much too fast! Please slow down!” Writing this blog has been about saying things we think ought to be said, sharing our lives with our readers such that we’re real people, and finding balance points so as to have a different sort of conversation about LGBT people in the Church.

Along the way, we’ve come to realize it’s important to tell you more about who we are and what life looks like for us away from the cliff face of sexuality and faith. As much as we are celibate LGBT Christians, our vocation calls us to be more. We’re teachers, friends, confidants, and earnest advocates. We strive to be transparent, at least as much as we can. Transparency is hard. It’s not much fun to be vulnerable in an extremely public forum. But we’re so grateful for how all of our readers and commenters have been here for us along the way. It was a sacred gift to meet some of you in Portland.

In Portland, we took another series of first steps: Sarah exhibited and sold art. We were amazed by how people at the GCN conference received Art Coming Out the Ears. And a few of them told us that we should put Sarah’s work up on the internet. We’ve spent the last few nights hard at work to follow up. It’s a distinct pleasure to unveil Art Coming Out the Ears: Artistic Explorations of Faith, Identity, and Life with Ménière’s Disease. We’d encourage you to go have a look, and if you’re so inspired, we’d love to send you print or some greeting cards that features images of Sarah’s original art. If money’s an issue for you, please avail yourself of code AQCFAMILY at the Etsy store to save 10% on all purchases.

Thank you for our first year. We look forward to continuing this journey with you. May God shower you with abundant blessings.

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