I think there was a lot going on under
the surface between my mom and dad that
I didn't necessarily pick up on and so
when they announced that they were
getting divorced when I was 10 I went
through a lot of turmoil in that first
year as most kids do when they find out
that the two people they love the most
in life don't love each other my dad um
you know moved on to other women um my
mom fell in love with one woman and she
and her partner have been together for
almost 30 years since then and been very
very consistent in my life and while I
was living with my mom and um at her
house it was with her and her partner
who I love both of these women are
incredible women both of them have my
heart and um both of them are regular
permanent loving fixtures of my life now
they have come to my wedding they have
been a welcome part of me bringing my
children into this world you my mom
traveled with us when we went to adopt
our son in China and so they are just a
part of the fabric of my life so if all
kids need are stable loving adults then
my mom and her partner would have been
enough for me because they had
commitment they had stability they had
love and affection for each other and
for me but that was not enough I craved
my father's attention I craved his invol
involvement because I was made for it
every child is made to have their father
love adore and connect with them every
child is made to have the nurture and
attention of their mother they give kids
two different things and I certainly
experienced that in my life that while I
was at my mom's house I remember there
would be times where I would just want
to be with my dad it's not like you just
want to be with any adult you want your
father moms and dads give unique and
complimentary gifts to their children
children want and desire both and when
they have both they Thrive a lot of
people will say to me you know what is
your mom think about where you stand on
this and I'll say my mom and I are great
because she knows that two men could
never replace her my husband's a pastor
and in his role in this place in a
culture that is a little farther ahead
than the rest of the country I think in
terms of of pulling away from Biblical
truth we are confronted with this
question regularly of what do we do what
do we do now that culture does not
reflect no longer reflects the biblical
values of truth that that we see uh
within scripture what do we
do and the answer is you become what you
should have been all along you become
someone who is so familiar with the
truth and able to stand on the truth
regardless of what everyone else is
doing around you and you become the
hands and feet feet of Jesus to
everybody that you meet especially those
that disagree with you and you learn to
live in the tension and you learn to
live in the discomfort because actually
that's what Christianity is it is dying
to yourself and dying to what you want
and need and long for so that you can
live the gospel for those in your life
and those around you and that if you are
coming from the place of wanting this
life to be easy then you actually have
the wrong gospel because that is never
how it was supposed to be so yes things
are going to be hard but the truth is
it's going to work some good in you and
in me because as a result we are going
to be the salt and the light that we
should have been to begin with
[Music]