Anthony Ray While I have not taken the time in this essay to go into much detail concerning my musical background nor my sexuality within the context of faith, I have written extensively on both in A Peculiar People: A Journey in Faith and Sexuality, Fifteen Years a Musician and a Trans-Generational Bond, and Tata Andres. * * * We had just finished a rather … Continue reading Discernment: A Call to the Priesthood
by Anthony Ray “Today was a gift from God.” Our eyes were locked when he said this to me as we sat in my car, my hand held securely within his very warm hand. Just a little over a week before, we had met for the first time while I was visiting a friend in Salt Lake City. We had matched on Tinder Saturday (the … Continue reading Brief Encounters: A Spiritual Reflection on Relationships
Continued from Part III De profundis The brick wall that I had built up around my heart to keep others from looking in had taken a significant blow. I’ve always felt very deep emotions, but each brink that I had strategically placed over the years kept me from truly being able to feel. All of the sudden, joy became inexpressible; but depression was as dark … Continue reading A Peculiar People: A Journey in Faith and Sexuality, Part IV
Continued from Part II Self-confidence Having finally admitted my secret to myself and to another person, I started to pray more fervently for God to take away these same-sex attractions from me. I prayed this for years with no change. If anything, the desires only increased. But there was no way I could ever act out on my feelings. There was too much at stake. … Continue reading A Peculiar People: A Journey in Faith and Sexuality, Part III
Continued from Part I Don’t Wink at Sin In the fall of 2009, I was a freshman at West Coast Baptist College. The college, the school, and the church all occupy the same property and are basically one and the same. Despite a more rigid daily schedule, it wasn’t too much of a shock going from the comforts of my homeschooled environment to that of … Continue reading A Peculiar People: A Journey in Faith and Sexuality, Part II
Preface Writing has often been a way for me to cope with various emotions – particularly depression. During the month of December, I hit a very low point in my life. Completely depleted emotionally, I turned to writing as a source of renewal and inspiration. There was only one topic I wanted to write about: my journey in faith and sexuality within the Independent Fundamental … Continue reading A Peculiar People: A Journey in Faith and Sexuality, Part I
Sporadic Wanderlust 