Limited Freedom...Welcome to the USA

This movie, Last Ounce of Courage, was written by a local couple and recently opened all over the our great country.  This movie showcases our Nation's greatest asset...FREEDOM. I think it's crazy cool that this couple has stood up and created a film about the American spirit. I'm so proud to know them, they are amazing people, Christians, in every sense of the word. I haven't seen the movie yet, but I'm sure that God will be glorified in this film! How wonderful it is to live in a Country where you can stand up for what you believe in!


free·dom /ˈfrēdəm/
The power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint. 

synonyms...liberty; independence 

Freedom, it's the heartbeat of the United States. Countless lives have been offered up selflessly by our Nations heroes to protect our liberty, our independence, our FREEDOM. Freedom to worship God, to speak freely about our beliefs, to vote for the leader of our choice. Freedom to speak our minds, freedom to raise our families, freedom to live our lives as we see fit!!! 

Freedom to marry whom we choose????---YES, unfortunately, that is a question mark.....

Why, America, is this even a question? This IS the United States of America! My soldiers have given their lives for my freedom!! FREEDOM, the right to live MY life and LOVE whom I choose... Why can't I marry the woman that I love? How is it, that in the USA, my rights are taken away?! 

I know that many will read this and immediately get angry...but FREEDOM is FREEDOM there are no exceptions or exemptions! You don't have to agree with me to know that what I say is right.... My freedom should not hang on your opinions! Freedom is NOT nor will it ever be a matter of OPINION it is a state of being....it's the spirit of America...the heartbeat that is the USA

I'm proud to be an American, the land of the free? I'm so saddened by the limitations that hang on my freedom. I can only be as free as you allow me to be? I can marry whom you say I can marry? I can love only the one that you approve? I'm sorry but I DO NOT UNDERSTAND this reasoning....It's sanctimonious, at best!

FREEDOM, EQUALITY, and JUSTICE for all,  this is what our COUNTRY, the United States of America, is all about! THIS is what makes our Country magnificent! I LOVE my Country all I'm asking is that I am given the same FREEDOMS as everyone else. 

I am excited about this movie...Last Ounce of Courage! Now I ask you one favor, as you watch it remember that this standard of freedom applies to EVERYONE, not just heterosexuals, not just Christians (BTW I am one), not just______________ you fill in the blank! 

Just Bb

....If you believe in FREEDOM for ALL share this bLOG!!! TAKE a STAND 
www.brandiilyne.blogspot.com 

MOVE ON--The End

To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven-Ecc 3:1

“I think it happens to everyone as they grow up. You find out who you are and what you want, and then you realize that people you've known forever don't see things the way you do. And so you keep the wonderful memories, but find yourself moving on.” ― Nicholas Sparks

As I read this quote it rang true as I felt a kindred spark in my heart. I believe that this is just where I am in my life right now and this quote triggered a flood of memories, I became somewhat nostalgic...I started thinking about the day I got saved and all the people that were there. I remembered all the times we all prayed together and laughed together, and cried together. I went through some of the toughest times, and had some of the happiest moments of my life with these people and I love them just as much today as I did then. 

My life has taken a new direction, and most of these people no longer agree with it, and I have come to a place where that's ok. I'm so grateful to my Pastors for all the time and prayer that they invested in me; I could never repay them for all the wisdom I gained while under their tutelage and care. My life will never be the same because of them, I am a MUCH better person because of them. They will always have my utmost respect and unconditional love. My only regret is that we have allowed our differences to separate us. But, nevertheless, they remain in my heart and I will NEVER forget what they did in my life. 

I am moving forward with my life and I cherish the memories that I have, not only of my Pastors but of  everyone; you were and will always remain family to me. I love you all but I am going forward... I hope that you can and will do the same. Just because I have walked away does not mean that I no longer love, respect, or appreciate you and the things that you have done in my life...it simply means that my life is taking a new direction and that season in my life is over. My feelings and memories toward you remain the same...I cherish each one! 

I also want to ask you to forgive my foolishness as I have acted out in emotion...We have all found ourselves casting stones back and forth and you have my word that it will not happen again....so please forgive my humanity. I admire everything that you do for this community and God's Kingdom and I wish you the best in your life and your pursuit to reach the lost. I, too, have a vision to reach the lost and I will move forward with that vision and I will continue to pray for your ministry... I hope that you will return the favor!

Again, thank you and I love you--The End

In Christ, 

Just Bb

Make Your Mark Ministries....COMING SOON

“The first of all the commandments is..... you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”
--MARK 12:29-31


Since leaving the church, I have been asked many times, "When are you going to start a ministry?" My answer was always the same..."Soon, I just need time to heal, but soon." So.... "soon" has arrived... IT'S TIME

When I left the church and came out I experienced excruciating rejection from the people that I thought loved me and a community that I struggled to improve. I had NEVER experienced such ridicule and disrespect in my life...and this from my Church "family". These wounds went deep down into my heart, but it's these very wounds that have inspired me....GOD NEVER WASTES A HURT 

This heartbreak has birthed a new passion in me...it has sparked a fire in my very soul! Through this experience I have learned what REAL LOVE is...authentic LOVE and I also learned what it is NOT! 

Love is what Make Your MARK Ministries will be founded upon...(MARK 12:29-31)...Agape Love  

I have been reluctant to step back into ministry for many reasons...but the call of God is strong and relentless....I have felt called to start an all inclusive ministry for a couple of years but I was not in a place where I could; the church I was in was only partly accepting....You could come to church if you were gay...but, in the words of the Pastors, you had to be willing to change.

I want to start a ministry that is RADICALLY INCLUSIVE, and that is what Make Your MARK Ministries will be. 

I know that this ALL INCLUSIVE ministry will be met with much adversity but I also know that this is what I'm called to do. I'm willing to step out of the boat in order to answer that call and create a place where families, regardless of the dynamics, can be accepted, worship together, and experience healthy Christian fellowship.  


I will begin with a Bible Study in my home....We will see what God does with it


Make Your MARK Ministries....coming soon

God Bless You, 
Just Bb 
............Let me know your thoughts

How DARE YOU!!!

The other day I walked into a restaurant and right in front of me were "church people" These weren't just any "church people" this couple had been extremely close to me. As I walked in they immediately put their heads down and began to stuff their mouths with chips and salsa, pretending they didn't see me.  They acted as if I were a leper, or the invisible man...insignificant...non-existant...or just plain un-important. I suppose they have forgotten all the times I was there when their lives were falling apart...their marriage was in shambles...they were on the verge of going back to prison etc. etc. etc. Or they just forgot that I have a heart....

Just to give a little history, these two were closer to me than anyone.  I gave them my very best and  loved them with everything I had....I still do. I saved one of them from prison and met the other while ministering in the County Jail (she was an inmate awaiting house arrest). I saw the good...despite the obvious... and I poured my life into them. I mentored them and built them up in ministry, placing each of them in leadership. Doing everything possible to help them transform their lives.

 I had spent the better part of 8 years of my life in the proverbial  ditch becoming a Samaritan of sorts; loving and helping those (which included this couple) that no one else would even give the time of day. I spent countless hours interceding and intervening for junkies and drug dealers! Climbing into the mess that they called life and giving them the tools to build new successful lives.

I worked tirelessly raising money to build a successful recovery ministry which includes a recovery center that houses 10 women, in a City that had no place for them. I did all this for the amazingly low price of $101.53 a week...yes that was my salary! I obviously didn't do this because the money was good--I did this because I LOVE...plain and simple. My payday came each time I saw a drug addict build a beautiful life from what was once rubble.

I took care of people...but there was no one to take care of me--My husband was completely inattentive; we were married for 8 years, but were nothing more than roommates for the past 6. Ministry was KILLING ME so I LEFT--I left the church...yes...I fell in love with a woman...yes...these are things that I'm not ashamed of!

This apparently was the unpardonable sin--THE BIG ONE!!!

Who knows...All I know is that I am happy, and I LOVE the one I'm with...which is more than I can say for some.

I will never understand how you can just STOP loving someone, because...well because of anything. Love is LOVE and it has never been temporary, or until you make a mistake, or until I no longer agree with you, or because you pissed me off with your status on Facebook....NO LOVE IS FOREVER and LOVE is UNCONDITIONAL.

I'm sorry if you don't agree with my life--I don't agree with religion, but I LOVE YOU ANYWAY!

How dare you treat me like I'm less than you...let's not forget where you were when I reached down to pick you up!!!

Just Bb

Dancing Naked

Recently I have discovered that life's storms aren't as detrimental as I had originally believed. As a matter of fact I have found just the opposite to be true. The past few months have consisted of one storm after another, each one tougher and seemingly stronger than it's predecessor.  Some storms so strong they seemed to strip me of all my strength and identity, leaving me standing exposed, virtually naked. Throughout these squall lines, despite the darkness and fear, I learned a priceless lesson. I learned... how to dance.

I have the perfect partner so when the typhoons began to  gust we just held one another tightly and allowed the wind to take the lead. The trees would dance along with us as the sound of rain became an orchestra. The lightning strikes conducted them all, while the rolling thunder kept time.

Don't get me wrong, I love the sunny days, the one's where everything is going right, but I have observed that I float mindlessly through those times. I take those I love for granted...I forget to hold them tight...I forget to appreciate each moment....I forget... how to dance.

It's in the sunshine that we often lose sight of what's important--sometimes it takes a storm to open our eyes to what's really important, and drive us into the arms of those we love!

These past few months have taught me many things:

•  I have learned to stand firm... unwavering!
• To hold tightly to the important things and loose everything else! 
•  To love like there's no tomorrow! 
• Most of all--I learned to dance! 

I'm grateful for the sunny days...and thankful for the rain!!

So when the winds begin to blow....find your partner.... and put on your dancin' shoes because a storm's-a-comin'

Just Bb  

You ARE a MORON!!!

Over the years the phrase "fall from grace" has applied to many people, for example, Richard Nixon, Bill Clinton, Tiger Woods, Lindsey Lohan, Michael Vick, Britney Spears, Chris Brown...the list goes on and on. Each were publicly exposed as the evidence of their scandalous behavior came to light. To make things worse the media repeatedly told the story, making the scandal even more scandalous, the humiliation more humiliating, and their "fall" the talk of the town...EVERY town.

The sad thing is that each of these people had accomplished some great things in their lives and in the blink of an eye it is all forgotten and overshadowed as they, in a single moment,  fell from grace...



                                                                                     Oxymoron---\ˌäk-sē-ˈmȯr-ˌän\

An oxymoron is a statement or phrase that completely contradicts itself, for example, the living dead, larger half, or pretty ugly.....I have always been intrigued by oxymorons, yes I know...that's strange, but I love to catch them...it's like they try to disguise themselves so that they go undetected....it's like a sick joke that they try to play on the english language and unsuspecting people.  

Most oxymorons are easy to recognize, because they are...well oxymorons!! But every once in a while one will come along that is cleverly concealed; this is the oxymoron that I am anxious to catch! 

The other day, as I heard about someone's "fall from grace" it struck me... YOU are a MORON...an OXYMORON that is. I immediately EXPOSED the culprit and called it out, "it is impossible to fall from grace", I said. "How dare you try to trick me!!"

I went on to explain to this....this...this MORON that grace is unmerited favor... it's something that you can't earn or buy. Jesus Christ died so that we could have grace. GRACE is a free gift, given to us by our loving Savior...no one can take it...you can't lose it...nor can you fall from it! 

Mankind might think that because you make a bad choice, do something wrong, or just flat out make a STUPID mistake, that you "fall from grace"...maybe their grace, which is NOT authentic grace anyway because mankind's grace  ALWAYS has a price tag. 

The term "fall from grace" is not a phrase that you will hear Christ say, first off all because, as oxymorons go, it contradicts everything He says, but also because this is an idiom that come's from man. It refers to a loss of status or prestige--which are things that we DO NOT have with Christ anyway. (Acts 10:34) 

I believe that people enjoy watching others "fall from grace" because somehow they think it moves them up on the grace-o-meter which, in turn, gives them even more grace and more status. In simple terms, it makes them feel better about themselves.  Just remember this....every time you use the term "fall from grace"  you will be the one falling..... falling victim to great oxyMORON villain. 

If we could only see through the eyes of Christ--we would see the good in people--because GRACE covers the rest.

[All] are justified and made upright and in right standing with God, freely and gratuitously by His grace (His unmerited favor and mercy), through the redemption which is [provided] in Christ Jesus....Romans 3: 24

Don't be a MORON, be a CHRISTIAN...instead of talking about their fall, HELP them UP!!

Just Bb

Force-Feeding Faith

The other day, as I sat in my car, I watched a woman who was diligently handing out religious tracts in front of the grocery store. With a serious look on her face she placed the unwanted tract into the hands of the defenseless passersby; she began to feel more empowered by this feat so she quickly changed locations and stood at the door of the liquor store. This, being a Saturday night, the place was abundant with even more victims of Satan that needed to be saved by her impersonal attempt at evangelism.

I watched her shove the tracts into the hands of the unwilling recipients as they graciously nodded their heads while cramming the unwanted paper in their pocket. I could see that she was becoming increasingly excited by her newest mission; her chest begin to stick out and she became even more aggressive. I could practically hear her boasting to her sisters at Sunday morning bible study,"Well honey let me tell you what I did for the Lord on Saturday!! I handed out 100 tracts to the lost souls as they walked into the LIQUOR STORE!! I was BOLD and just walked right up to the front door, no one got past me without the Word of God!! Each time a seed was planted and I know the Word will not return void...mmm--hmm HALLELUJAH!!!" 

I remember being that "zealot" walking the streets forcing my beliefs onto others because I thought that was evangelism. All the while I was rehearsing my success story in my head, anxious to tell everyone what I had done in the Lord's Name. I remember patting myself on the back for "doing the Lord's work" and being so pleased with my actions... As I sat in my car that night, I asked myself, "What were you thinking?"

In Mark 4 Jesus tells the parable of the sower:

“Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow.  And it happened, as he sowed, that some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds of the air came and devoured it. Some fell on stony ground, where it did not have much earth; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of earth.  But when the sun was up it was scorched, and because it had no root it withered away.  And some seed fell among thorns; and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no crop. But other seed fell on good ground and yielded a crop that sprang up, increased and produced: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred.”.v 3-8

...As I watched this scene unfold that night, this parable was going off in my spirit. It was as if I could hear the Lord say, "STOP sowing seed by the wayside, you're  tossing it onto stones!" In this parable Jesus uses sowing and reaping to illustrate the powerful truth that a heart must be ready to receive the Word. It takes time and and preparation before a heart can accept the Word.  Jesus was clearly showing us that, in order to be a sower of seed, we had to first become a caretaker of the land. A good sower knows when the land is ready for the seed because they have spent countless hours caring and preparing it with lots of TLC.

I watched each person, as they crammed the unwanted tract into their pockets, get frustrated with the invasive sower. I remember thinking, "They think she's crazy and this is NOT inspiring them to come to Jesus."  I'm certain that the woman's intentions were sincere, and she felt as if she was bringing about change, and doing God's work, but this was completely ineffective and counterproductive.

We live in a microwave society where we expect things to happen instantaneously. Everything is fast and convenient ..everything except evangelism. If we expect to be effective as sowers, we have to make sure the heart is ready... Evangelism is not putting a tract in someone's hand, never seeing them again. Evangelism is a commitment to love that person as Christ does...it is that love that makes the heart receptive and pliable...Evangelism is relationship


When we try to force-feed the Word into people they immediately spit it out and it leaves a bad taste in the mouths. (I don't know about you, but once something has made me sick, I NEVER want to eat it again)



Over the years, I have found, that people will let you know when they're ready to hear the Word. #permissionevangelism

Just Bb