January 2008
Dear Loving Supporters,
Here are several quotes I wanted you to remember why you are giving so sacrificially to Balm Ministries. For more information, Marsha’s Blog & many more pix, please go to the new website: www.BalmMinistries.net... Congratulations if your reading this online!!
What You Have to Say
“Thanks for your courage in sharing 'Jesus Wept'. That helped me so much because I just couldn't quite come to terms with an omnipotent, loving God who allowed & ignored child abuse, starvation, chronic pain, torture, war, rape & on & on. It makes a great deal more sense to me that Jesus cries with us & for us during these traumatic events. It makes sense to me that when God gave each of us free will God also was saying that s/he would generally not manipulate events caused by evil & human sin.”
“'Dig Your Own Well' inspires me, helps me release anger & reclaim God's love & constant presence in my life. I sing along at the top of my lungs!!”
“… as you began to sing, I started crying, & I knew that a whole lot of healing was in my life. You are a very wonderful lady & I know you are doing a Great Work. Thank you & do not ever stop. Because I know that there are many men & women, like me, that you touch without even realizing it. Thank you so much for your ministry.”
“Just to let you know, we were still talking about your concert on Sunday. In fact, Pastor referenced the stories you & Cindy relayed during the concert, & two other incidents that occurred during the week in her sermon. The title of the sermon was ‘It's time to forgive the sin of the fathers & mothers’. Pastor was carrying some baggage from her childhood that she described & then let go from the pulpit. My partner stood & forgave her Mother as did another woman. A number of others in the congregation shed more than a few tears. It was very moving, very spiritual & very healing. So please know that your message remains long after your mobile home is driving down the road.”
“I have been listening to your new CD (You Called Us Good) over the past couple days 'cause I've been a little down. It picks me up- no small feat to accomplish. It is really beautiful. I feel so fortunate to have seen & heard you both speak on my very first visit to an MCC. I related to Cindy's story & I was touched by Marsha's songs of strength & love. I was brought up Roman Catholic in NY. Marsha reminds me of the catechism teacher I wished for. Cindy reminds me of the friend I never had. Thank you. Thank you for setting an example.”
"I think of that little room in (her church) & you taking the time to pray with me, that my life has been permanently & completely changed & I have a true relationship with Jesus Christ.”
“I just wanted to let you know how much I thoroughly enjoyed your concert Sunday. I bought your CD & have listened to it all week to & from work.”
“Just wanted to let you know how much we enjoyed you two this past weekend. It was indeed a great pleasure for us & a dream come true to have you at the Presbyterian Church. (All of us) couldn't quit talking about the day as we were taking down our booth at Pridefest last night.”
“Saw you two yesterday. Your singing & testimony was beautiful, touching, inspiring . . . I can't even think of enough words to describe how uplifted I felt. Played your CD this morning going to work & felt sooo close to God through your songs. What a gift you're giving the world."
“I heard you sing for the first time… What a gift. You touched my soul & continue to do so as I listen to your music while driving. Thank you for being who you are. Be aware that you touch the lives of more people than you will ever know.”
“You are our lioness for the Lord.”
“It is totally by accident that I found you. I was checking the Singing News Wire this morning & saw Bill Gaither's article about you. I think it was uncalled for. I am writing to wish you the best of luck in everything you pursue. I hope to one day visit you in concert. I would love to hear you in person. You have overcome many obstacles to continue. I thank God that those obstacles & people have not discouraged you & you have remained faithful to His calling. Our family has been involved in Gospel since before my birth, & it is a hard industry…I applaud you for following your calling.”
“Just read about the Gaither situation. Too bad that Bill (can’t ignore the pressures of bigots.) I know that it is hard for us to understand why people want to waste their time being so hurtful, but I also know that God understands it, because once upon a time there were people who said untrue things about His only son. Some of them, (Christ’s dearest friends) even denied knowing Him. You’re in my prayers as always.”
“You go Girl! You’ve got the TRUTH! You’ve stood by it when it sure wasn’t the popular thing to do – well actually, I guess it’s still not the popular thing to do LOL, but you know what I mean. You were out there in the beginning when nobody else was. Hold your head up high. You have not only created BALM ministries & have affected probably millions through it, but you have now spawned other ministries as well, so as a result of your faithfulness, thousands more are finding their way back to God.”
“I just finished reading your comment on the Gaither's website & thought it was SO appropriate & well-written. Thank you for taking the time & interest in addressing the issues being raised directly. By the way, I will forever love your song "For Those Tears I Died."
“Congratulations on the OutMusic award. I don't know how many judges there were for your category, but I know that I was one of them, & I'm so glad you won. I'll never forget the integrity & professionalism you displayed at (our church) when you & Cindy performed for such a small group. When I saw that you were one of the nominees I thought, ‘Oh, I hope this You Called Us Good album is the best!’ And, honestly, it was.”
“I have been praying in regards to Brother Gaither & company. I cannot imagine the hurt you must feel in all of this but please know this:
1. You are a leader in God's army & have blessed straight & gay people all over the world.
2. We all fall short of God's glory & that's why we’re given us each other, to pick us up on the not so nice days.
3. God honors those who honor Him. Continue fighting the good fight of faith. I don't think you can possibly know what positive effects you have had & are having on God's people.
4. Bottom line is our job is to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit. Remember Jesus said, My peace I leave with you. You are special & strong because you will face religious leaders who will say they hate you. I am so blessed to be in a group of people God knows will make a difference in this world. And that my friend, you have & will continue to do. So please do not get discouraged. Re-member in the Wizard of Oz where the Tin Man says it's not how much you love but how much you are loved by others – in that department, you are RICH.”
“I have been doing MUCH research on homosexuality, what the Bible teaches. Somehow I stumbled upon your website & found your CD ‘You Called Us Good. Tears were only a few of the responses it invoked. Oh my. I got it on Friday & promptly got online & ordered another copy to send to my daughter.”
“It’s been about 3 weeks now since your concert & I just have to tell you how my life keeps changing. I don’t know what I was expecting, I think I wanted my mom to change, my best friend told me it would be good for her to see some Christian gay people……but that’s not what happened. I had always called myself a Christian, I mean 12 years of Christian education & with church & youth group twice a week & the choirs I sang in, how could I not be? But then I went to your concert & my whole world came crashing down on me, I just sat there after it ended, completely stunned… I thought what I needed was for my mother to change. But what I didn’t know was that it was me who needed to change. That night (at your concert), I felt God. And now for the first time in my life, I am actually hungry to hear God’s Word, I wait impatiently all week for Sunday so I can go back to church - this coming from a girl who hated going to church all her life… Your music has taken over my mp3 player. The girl who used to listen to marilyn manson when she was upset to block out the rest of the world, now can’t stop listening to Christian music. I want to tell everyone I know! This is not me! I can feel God working in my life now. It took this. It took me being gay, & the spiritual battle that I have been thrust into because of it - me being such an outsider for so long, & then learning it’s ok, for me to come back to God. I’m 21 years old & I thank God everyday for you & your ministry. I just wanted you to know of one more life that has been changed forever because of your ministry.”
“Just remember... it's all perspective. Betrayal does hurt no doubt, but you, Marsha, represent the ministry of God. You are also loved all over the world by fans & friends. Only in time will the ignorance fade & it will fade because of people like you that are on our side. The black community had to wait for their freedom & now we shall wait for ours. There is a certain amount of hurt to be taken by the leaders of our community, but maybe because of it your grandbabies can grow up in a less hateful world. You are loved by many & especially & most importantly loved by God. In the end, that's all that matters.”
“I've just recently returned from a regional conference, & I'm suddenly aware of how wide your influence in so many of our lives truly is…God is doing something mighty, & the walls are beginning to come down. Which is what I suspect you too, have been praying for. I wanted to thank you for the inspiration you give, for the gifts you share & the gifts you nurture, & to let you know that you & UpBeat {& your family, etc.} are constantly in my prayers. With thanksgiving.”
Some of you ask why I answer all my hate mail. I wanted to give you some examples of what happens quite often when I do:
“How can you say that you're a lesbian/Christian when the Bible specifically teaches against same sex relationships? It is an oxymoron & an abomination to the Lord! Nobody's perfect except Jesus, but outright living gay & preaching it to people all over the world is sending a message far different from what the Bible says & it leads other "lesbian Christians" or non-believers astray from the TRUTH! God still loves you, that is true, but I know He doesn't approve of your lifestyle choice.”
(Then I send a loving Biblical reply…you can read samples on my website & guest book links.)
“I apologize for not leaving my name...It's (she leaves her name) & I want to also apologize for the tone of my e-mail to you. This subject is touchy for me & I reacted with a rashness & strong passion. My uncle is gay. My grandfather is a preacher. Even though I do not agree with my uncle's choice of lifestyle, I love him just the same. Which goes for you as well. Our Lord teaches us to love our neighbor as ourselves…(here she goes on to give Scripture on why she disagrees with me, then she writes)
I respect your God given talents & gifts…. I will keep you in my prayers.
I just want to close with this...I hope we both learn from each other. I should not have implied that you weren't a Christian. Only God knows the hearts of men & women & He is the judge of all, not me. I look forward to more discussion with you. Your sister in Christ Jesus,
(Then after my next reply:)
Dear Marsha,
“I appreciate you writing me back. I want you to know that I'm not really that, for lack of a better word, "anal" about the food laws & stuff like that. I was trying to prove the point that the Old Testament is very important & specific. I understand that you know that, I just got a little carried away with details. Thank you again for your opinions. I really do want to better understand you. Like I said, because of my uncle. I don't want to think that he has just dropped Christianity altogether because he's a homosexual. It's a tough thing for me to comprehend. You are in my prayers. May God bless you & keep you!”
See now? Isn’t this just what we want to do – to give an answer, a reason for the hope that is within us?
Here’s another hopeful note:
“As a conservative Christian, a heterosexual & at least a partial homophobe, I have viewed the liberal churches that allow gay clergy as a really bad sign of the times we live in. I have always automatically linked “Gay” & “Lesbian” with “porn” & the darker side of my own struggles as a Christian…. But I am confident that you are a Christian & a servant of the Most High God. And over the years you have reached out one hand to the Lord & with the other you have brought many friends to Christ who are rejected by the conservative church.
Marsha, I cannot say that I agree completely with all your claims but I am taking a closer look on account of you. You can’t separate yourself from whom or what you are & yet you still find yourself in the love & acceptance of Jesus Christ. And you have refused to pretend at a very high cost.
I went to the Maranatha Music site & was surprised to find not a single reference to you or the Children of the Day band. I was reminded of the 1956 movie “The Ten Commandments” where, after Moses refused to renounce his bloodline as a Hebrew slave he was exiled & Pharaoh said “Stricken, Stricken! The name Moses will be stricken from every reference, the name Moses will never be uttered again.” Well if the Moses timeline fits here, you have less than five years before you are sent back to bring your people out.!!”
So, for now, you all keep pray-ing and I’ll keep answering!! Love and thanks, Marsha & Cindy
