Writing for a safe, sacred space.
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So This Is What It’s Like
Here's a recording from the BraveMaker Film Fest event last Friday night. It's not perfect — We only ran through these songs a few times before we were performing them for an audience! — but I'm still happy with the way it turned out. What a gift to play...
Healthy and Helpful Dialogue
A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to witness a public conversation between Justin Lee, author of "Torn: Rescuing the Gospel from the Gays-vs.-Christians Debate" and founder of Q Christian Fellowship (originally called the Gay Christian Network) and Preston...
Joining the Board of Santa Rosa’s Journey Center
For over a decade, the Journey Center has been welcoming all who seek a spiritual path toward healing and wholeness. Although we are unabashedly Christ-centered, we are open to people of all faiths or no faith at all. When the Journey Center says “All are...
BraveMaker Film Screening and Podcast Recording
Really proud to be on the BraveMaker podcast this week. I was so honored to be a part of their live event last Friday night with filmmakers Nic Jara and Ksenia Firsova, photographer Erin Ashford, and BraveMaker Film Fest hosts...
I Believed Him
I believed him. Because when victims of targeted violence come forward, we should believe them. I believed him. Because the number of anti-LGBT criminal offenses reported to the FBI—and the number of reported hate crimes overall—continues to rise. And because...
Creating a Common Memory: An Evening with Mark Charles
I didn’t know exactly what I was getting into tonight. To be honest, I didn’t know much about Mark Charles or his work. I knew I wanted to support the Journey Center and my friend Mindy Braun, who organized this event. But as I sit in my car in the parking lot, I...
You’re So Beautiful: Praying for Jussie Smollett
Jussie Smollett's "You're So Beautiful (White Party Version)" from the TV show Empire was one of the songs I listened to over and over and over in the months before I came out as gay in the summer of 2016. For me, the words were such a joyful burst of...
You Gotta Give ‘Em Hope
I watched Milk last night, and I can't stop thinking about the history of the LGBTQ+ rights movement. I'm a "new arrival" to this struggle, and for at least part of my life I was actively AGAINST everything this beautiful community stands for. But the more I...
Fear Not
Luke 2:10-11 - "But the angel reassured them. 'Don’t be afraid!' he said. 'I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!'" (NLT) I realized last night that I've...
Still Standing
Throwback to 2005 and my photoshoot for “Still Standing.” Yes, I recorded a full-length album project back in the day. It’s actually still out there, available wherever you stream your music. Some of it is a little bit embarrassing, I suppose. I’m certainly not the...
Liz Budd Ellmann, MDiv, former Executive Director, Spiritual Directors International