There's This UFO...

Up the street from me, a group of people have constructed a life-size UFO in front of this house. It's part of a "Halloween walk" in the neighborhood, but politically-inspired as well. As you can tell from the photo, the UFO sits in faux graveyard where some of the epitaphs are worth mentioning below. What you can't see from the photos are the aliens that are peeking out of the windows of the surrounding houses. And, the people in these houses have replaced all their lights with green bulbs, so the houses give off this eery glow at night. If you have a chance to stroll through Clinton Hill (right off the Clinton-Washington stop on the G line), you should check it out.

• Here Lies Congestion Pricing: the dolts in Albany do not care about the quality of our air

• I [heart] NRA: Rest in Pieces

• Gonsalez, Scooter, Rove & Rummy: here do turn to waste; worms and bugs don't find them yummy. Oh, creatures of such taste!

• Luciano Pavorotti: he has gone to that great all you can sing buffet in the sky. Buon Giorno!

• Here Lies myspace.com--abducted by Facebook

• Marcel Marceau: 1923-2007; Now he really is trapped in a box

Ya se casaron!

Mexico was awesome! It's a sanctuary, it's downtime, it's family, it's laughing together, it's home-cooked meals, and all those other wonderful things you love about going back home.

The wedding went off without a hitch. Both ceremonies were great. FYI, in Mexico, there are two parts to getting married: the first ceremony, called the "civil ceremony", happens the day before the religious ceremony. It takes place before a judge. The families are present including two selected "witnesses" for each of the bride and groom, who must sign the wedding certificate. The second ceremony is the traditional church ceremony that we are accustomed to here in the US (barring a few cultural differences). The civil ceremony was on Friday. I was honored to be one of Fer's witnesses. The church wedding was Saturday evening at La Iglesia de Cristo en Sierra Ventana, followed by all-out party at a reception hall.

Check out the pictures I posted.

La boda del siglo

I'm headed to Monterrey on Thursday this week and cannot wait! It's been over a year since I've been back. I can't wait to see the house, sleep in my bed, eat tacos, and laugh with my brothers. It's been too long since we've seen each other.

My older brother, Fer, is getting married on Saturday. I'm honored to be in the wedding and to share in this day with him and the rest of the Santos family. Please keep Fer and Vero and their marriage in your prayers. Look for pictures here when I get back in town.

Update on Ellen

Ellen had her surgery last Friday morning. My co-workers and I went to go see her this morning after we got off work. She was awake and able to talk to us and we were grateful for that. According to her, the surgery was a success and went very well. That is very good news.

She was more than a little frustrated with the nursing care she is receiving at the hospital where she had the surgery (won't mention the name, but it's a world-renowned, private hospital). Evidently, their care is not up to par with the nurses at Bellevue (woop! woop!). Guess it's true, that all that glitters is not gold. Bellevue is more like coal, but we try to glitter in our own way.

Thank you all for thoughts and prayers on her behalf. More updates to come.

some thoughts on the Holy Spirit

Over the past month, I have had some difficult, albeit necessary, conversations with my family regarding homosexuality and, in particular, my life as a gay Christian. We don't agree, as a whole family, on the issue of homosexuality and its place in the life of a Christian. The fact that we don't agree has caused me some stress, some worry, and some requests for prayer, because I have felt like eventual unanimity was very important.

In my Bible reading last week, I came to a new understanding of my decision and my family's decisions, which I will attempt to share here. It involves the Holy Spirit and its role in allowing, in fact demanding, us each to live out wholly the intricacies of our individual salvations. Let me explain.

We (Christians, my family) all believe in the same resurrection. However, our respective Christianities are going to look different beyond that. It wasn't for no good reason that I felt called to leave home and move to New York a few years ago. It was no accident that I came to a crisis point in my life which demanded me to make a decision on how to live out my sexuality as a man of God. My membership in CCfB was also not incidental. Quite the contrary. These events I attribute to the work of the Spirit. It has been the lived experiences of Nate Jones that have allowed me to arrive at my decision. This decision was crucial for my salvation. This issue, more than any other, consumed my life and necessitated a decision that has, in part, shaped my salvation and how I will proceed with my Christianity.

The Spirit didn't call my brothers or my parents to come to New York. It has called them other places, to wrestle with other things that are crucial to their respective salvations. It only now makes sense to me that everyone's salvation will look different because God has created each one of us as individuals, not clones. So, if someone's belief in homosexuality (or any other issue, for that matter) differs from mine, that's okay. If they are decidedly against it or are ambiguous about it, that's okay. For I know what I've decided for myself that is vital to my walk, that allows me to now be outwardly focused, that which is significant to my salvation. For others, they will have their own issues and struggles which are paramount in their salvations, which will be worked out in the course of their lifetimes.

In Philippians chapter 2, Paul writes, "...work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose." It is not on our own merit but by God, who gives us the ability, to decide what is good and right and then to act on it, according to our principles (paraphrased, Matthew Henry Commentary).

Let me add this: this line of thought can be a slippery slope. Critics may argue that suddenly anything can become permissible because it is "crucial to someone's salvation." Obviously, salvation is not something to be discussed nonchalantly or worked out cavalierly. We have to trust each other, as Christian brothers and sisters, that anything placed under the umbrella of salvation has been worked through in true pain. It is something that requires perseverent and painstaking care.

My new understanding does not completely absolve me or the church of its responsibility to continue difficult conversations. It does, though, allow for a degree of grace and permission to individualize the process of working out one's salvation.