Diamond M 1990 aka Cool Mom

But look at how well the Boz has done since then. Star of a critically acclaimed documentary. Sheriff of Fansville. And utterer of one of my favorite lines. "You gotta eat your grub if you wanna be a stud."

Elizabeth. Hillary. Kamala. Sometimes it hurts to think what we could have had.

But the last straw gave me the ability to be honest about what I believe and wha I don't. To myself and my kids. And to go back to church just for the community is a dishonest. So I try to find community in other ways. Y'all are part of that. Thank you for coming to my too long ted talk. 21/21

And I know there are other churches that do social justice better & don't shy away from taking public positions on issues that should concern true followers of Jesus. And I respect them and glad they are at least trying to practice what they preach. 20/21

And I never went back. I don't think they really miss me & my small (relatively speaking) checkbook. I know the UMC has since repealed the anti-homosexuality language. And I miss liturgy, and communal singing of hymns. A big community for me and my kids with lots of activities. 19/21

To my surprise, I immediately broke into tears giving my little prayer/speech about my gldisappointment with my church & its leadership (not the specific clergy leading my service). How we had squandered the church's potential to lead on this and other issues. I couldn't be part of it anymore. 18/21

Just put your head down, so that people who might be offended or feel uncomfortable keep writing checks. And that was it. The next week, I raised my hand to speak during congregational prayer time in my Kerygma teaching service (like a course in church/biblical history & comparative religion). 17/21

So did clergy and theologians from my alma mater. I looked for the influential head of my church to use his position to be unequivocal in support of LGBT clergy and congregants. What I got was the same milquetoast prayers for unity and discernment. Nothing in sermons about what was going on. 16/21

Then, in 2019, American conservatives in the United Methodist Church aligned with conservatives in the African conference to strengthen anti-LGBT policies rather than eliminate them. The largest UMC congregation in America, in my hometown, issued an unequivocal rebuke. 15/21

His response was that he agreed with me, but made clear that he adhere to the Methodist "middle way." In other words, he essentially didn't want to be explicit in his condemnation because he know that many parishioners, often the ones donating to build fancy new buildings, were Trump voters. 14/21

But the last straws were two events before and during Trump's 1st term. I wrote an email to the head minister of my church to ask him to use his leadership position and influence to clearly denounce the anti-immigrant, anti-Muslim rhetoric and policies as unchristian and just wrong. 13/21

I especially became uncomfortable teaching my girls about the magical Santa god who loves you and knows you and will answer your prayers. I loved the ritual of gathering & singing & serving together I recognized the potential for positive power of the church body to do good in the world. 12/21

Virgin birth? Raised from the dead? Power of prayer? Holy Spirit. Nah. As someone whose whole personality is about facts, evidence, and logic, I was becoming increasingly uncomfortable with my own hypocrisy of going to church and Bible study when I didn't really believe its central tenets. 11/21

I settled into my own personal ideology of being religious but not spiritual, that is believing in the historical Jesus, his teaching of love thy neighbor, his challenge of religious and secular power structures. But I was believing less and less in the God part of it. 10/21

Given all the terrible things in the world. God cannot be all knowing, all powerful, AND all good. If God is omniscient and omnipotent, God can't be a benevolent loving God. If God is loving then isn't all knowing or all powerful. 9/21

My lessons were often about social justice issues & misinterpretation & misapplication of Bible verses. I drew a lot from books by theology professor Bart Ehrman, especially Misquoting Jesus. Eventually Ehrman became an atheist himself because he was unable to answer the following paradox. 8/21

Fast forward to me as an adult, and then a parent attending a Methodist church on the campus of my alma mater. I was teaching my couples Sunday school class, attending ladies Bible study, & teaching my kids Sunday school & helping with the church youth musical. Of course, with liberal bent. 7/21

He gave me a small book about the problematic social teachings of Paul, how to read and understand them in their original language and context. How to try to make sense of contradiction. It helped. I still have it on my shelf. But I do think it was the beginning of the end. 6/21

At the same time, you had the AIDS crisis, and the OG Christian right cultural wars raging. I reached out to my friend, the Methodist Chaplain about how to respond to this guy. I said that if hatefulness was true Christian teaching, I didn't want to be Christian or go to heaven with assholes. 5/21

Jr year of college, there was a big debate over whether the Student Senate should fund the GLBSO. I supported it & while campaigning for a friend to become student body president, got into an argument with a Bible thumping weirdo who for weeks afterward would send me print outs of Bible verses. 4/21

Also in college, I went on 2 spring break trips organized by the chaplain's office. One typical service project to Appalachia & a trip to the new Holocaust Museum in DC with the Methodist minister that eventually officiated my wedding & wonderful woman rabbi in the chaplain's office. 3/21

We crossed the picket line to go as a church group to see Last Temptation of Christ. I attended other religion's places of worship as part of confirmation. I loved it. I did all the things. Youth rep to constituting convention of the ELCA. VBS Counselor. In college, I chaperoned mission trips. 2/21

Long story. I grew up in a Lutheran church in Kansas in the 80s. I know what you're thinking, but it was a liberal church engaged in social justice. We had a woman pastor. Sunday School speakers about current & historic topics. We had Free Namibia campaigns. We hosted refugees.1/21

I'm really sorry. Big hugs.

Maybe our superior legal skills will win him over.

Update: Today, when horrible opposing counsel complained about document production, arbitrator said, referring to named partner & lead counsel, "What do you want me to do? She's too big to put over my knee and spank." Then later asked a WNBA player he finds attractive & showed video. Gross.

He literally said, "America is not a Christian nation. It is a nation where you are free to be a Christian, Muslim, Jew, Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, agnostic, or atheist.” I voted for Crockett, am agnostic & will be supporting him. If talking about actual teachings of Jesus works for others, then great!

Just upgraded my iPhone 13 mini to iPhone 17 for (mostly) free. Please clap.

Lest anyone think that kind of misogyny in the legal field is over in 2026. Reminds me of the trial in federal bankruptcy court in 2023, with another all female trial team including 2 female in house clients, where opposing counsel walked in and said "Oh, the whole coven is here."

In a hearing last week our old-as-dirt arbitrator commented in surprise when he saw our client's male in house counsel because he had looked up our firm & thought we "hated men." We are women-owned, & the trial team is all women. Then at the end he told opposing counsel "go get 'em buddy."