tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2703298219148864437.post6783348205994474337..comments2023-05-15T08:45:11.289-05:00Comments on Jack Scott's Discussions on Male Sexuality: Loving LivingJack Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08273576581155029176noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2703298219148864437.post-25413418520391547662012-06-11T17:47:05.514-05:002012-06-11T17:47:05.514-05:00Nice essay. I, too, have a thing for azaleas, as ...Nice essay. I, too, have a thing for azaleas, as in over a hundred of them; some quite large. I am blessed with somewhat sandy dirt, which I have ameliorated for 25 years by assiduous composting. The back yard has a large almost flat grassy area backdropped by a 35 foot rise into the forest (most of the azaleas being on that shady slope). DCBiGuy is correct that most commonly-grown azaleas are tame cultivars that seldom reproduce on their own except by layering. However, I have a "mother" r. canescens about 8 feet tall and a number of her seedlings roundabout. Still, in this area (northern Virginia) azaleas are very easy to grow. <br /><br />I am baffled as to why the azaleas under your crape myrtle did not bloom this year. Were they possibly trimmed too late last year (i.e., after the 2012 bloom had set)? New growth that comes on after late summer pruning seldom sets a new set of buds. <br /><br />The husband of a friend of my wife once accused me of being gay based on my fondness for flowering plants and music. His comment was meant as a friendly jab, I suppose, but I was not amused. His yard was uninspired; even unattractive by my standards, but in fairness as a renter he was less than fully motivated. They moved away a few months later and I never saw him again. I have since wondered if his mind ventured into the subject of my alleged gayness because he had some feelings for other men himself, however repressed. <br /><br />If the only men who could enjoy natural beauty were gay, the rest of us would be missing out on a great deal.Stevenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2703298219148864437.post-33405627513620956572012-06-06T14:15:21.485-05:002012-06-06T14:15:21.485-05:00What a beautiful and profound thought, "peopl...What a beautiful and profound thought, "people shape the land and then the land shapes people." I love that thought.<br /><br />My father taught me that privilege is best not bestowed but earned. I didn't much care for that life lesson as a young kid, but I came to treasure it as an adult for its truth. Life is not easy for a boy who marries at 18 years. Hard work is a must to avoid utter failure.<br /><br />But the years of hard work paid off when we were able to build our home. At first I just studied the vacant lot imagining what I wanted our home to look like. We had the lot for a couple of years before we started building so there was time for a lot of imagining.<br /><br />After the house was built, I would sit on the back porch imagining what I wanted to do with the vacant back yard. Over the years what I imagined was made reality through more hard work. But as you suggest I shaped the land and the land has helped to change and shape me. My garden is my refuge. It is a place I can retreat to and be calm and happy, something that has not always been easy for me.<br /><br />In answer to your question, the blog piece took three days to write and edit and re edit and then to decide if I should trash it or post it. For some reason I was hesitant to post it. I felt it might be misunderstood and unappreciated. I was wrong, it has brought comments public and private that have been wonderful.<br /><br />Time is always a problem, but as a wise man once said, "we make time for the things that are important to us." My wife loves her work. She plans never to retire. So she works 3 days a week. Those days are mine to do as I please and the blog is a result of some of that free time. It is time I don't have to account for. My wife knows I have contact with guys around the country and the world, but she does not know about the blog. I think she would find the blog interesting, but I have just chosen to keep it mine.<br /><br />Thanks for your kind words and your thoughts.<br /><br />Jack ScottJack Scotthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08273576581155029176noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2703298219148864437.post-56629607682842140722012-06-06T13:44:14.657-05:002012-06-06T13:44:14.657-05:00Vinmor, actually I have written my story. It took ...Vinmor, actually I have written my story. It took me about 3 years. That was about a dozen years ago. It sits in a file on my computer. A couple of my closest friends have read it.<br /><br />I have no idea how to get something published so it has never been published. I have toyed with the idea of using modern computer methods to self publish it; but just never have snapped to do it.<br /><br />Writing my story was a good exercise for me. Putting something into words gives it great power. My story is the story of my search for understanding myself and my sexuality and understanding how and what God thought of me as a bisexual man.<br /><br />The awesome 6 line prayer you shared sums up well what I have learned. God gives. God takes. God leaves some things in place. But in the end, all things work together for the glory of God and for the betterment of those who trust him.<br /><br />God left my bisexuality in place. He gave me an understanding of His purpose and His Grace. He made me see that my bisexuality was just one of the many blessings He has bestowed upon me. Your prayer was acted out in my life.<br /><br />Thanks so much for sharing it.<br /><br />Jack ScottJack Scotthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08273576581155029176noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2703298219148864437.post-86117375709051789102012-06-06T13:34:20.463-05:002012-06-06T13:34:20.463-05:00Thanks Westernstock. Coming to recognize that I mu...Thanks Westernstock. Coming to recognize that I must accept what cannot be changed was indeed a liberating factor in my life.<br /><br />It can work for every man. One only has to embrace the concept.<br /><br />Jack ScottJack Scotthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08273576581155029176noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2703298219148864437.post-21239222479007612452012-06-06T13:32:13.357-05:002012-06-06T13:32:13.357-05:00Jason, thanks for your kind description of me.
I ...Jason, thanks for your kind description of me.<br /><br />I find it so unfortunate that as human beings just about the time we figure it all out, our lives are nearing the end.<br /><br />What we cannot change is best accepted with as much grace as we can muster. It took me a lifetime to learn that lesson. It is serving me well.<br /><br />I debated about whether or not to write this particular blog piece. I felt it might not be appropriate, but I have received public and private comments that have blown me away describing how it has touched individuals.<br /><br />My goal, at this point in my life, is to help other men to understand that rather than dwell on the negatives of life, we are sometimes best served by making sure we are not making something positive into a negative. For many years I thought of my bisexuality as a huge negative. I came to see I was wrong. It was a huge positive in my life.<br /><br />I have been fortunate to find other men who have learned the same thing in their lives. I hope to keep the list of such men growing.<br /><br />Jack ScottJack Scotthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08273576581155029176noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2703298219148864437.post-70289649462063863932012-06-06T13:24:09.809-05:002012-06-06T13:24:09.809-05:00Mark, I couldn't agree with you more. God inde...Mark, I couldn't agree with you more. God indeed is on an never ending quest to reconcile all things and all people to himself. My fundamental Christian brothers would be astounded and doubtful that I first came to recognize that fact because of my bisexuality opened up an opportunity for me to step into the life of a homosexual man who was about to commit suicide because he could not reconcile his male/male urges with his view of God.<br /><br />As I have chronicled elsewhere in this blog that quest, to save his life, took three years of constant work with him. It was nip and tuck for some time, but in the end God did reconcile Mike to himself, not by ridding him of his homosexuality but by showing him that it was a gift he should embrace.<br /><br />How appropriate that you should say, "God loves us and has a wonderful plan for our lives!" When Mike found himself reconciled to God in spite of his homosexuality his favorite verse of the Bible became Jeremiah 29:11, " For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." <br /><br />Mike is happy now, prosperous, reconciled to God and hopeful for the future he shares with his partner.<br /><br />Mike found that his mistaken perception that he was subject to the law of Moses had filled him with unnecessary pain and guilt, for he and all of us are not subject to the law. We are redeemed by the Grace of God. As you point out; for Christians, this means our example is Christ who taught that God loves us no matter what. Unfortunately, fundamental Christians in their ignorance of the real gospel insist on adding qualifications to that love. Christ didn't qualify it in any way.<br /><br />Thanks for a great comment.<br /><br />Jack ScottJack Scotthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08273576581155029176noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2703298219148864437.post-61779822440967166152012-06-05T21:58:09.613-05:002012-06-05T21:58:09.613-05:00Dear Jack,
Modern azaleas cultivars are far remov...Dear Jack,<br /><br />Modern azaleas cultivars are far removed from nature. As such, they are dependent on us humans. You are quite right that they are a pain in the ass. And yet, for all they take, they give back so much. I like to say that people shape the land -- and then the land shapes people. The joys of gardening are so intense when we open ourselves to the graciousness of all that goes in and all that comes back to us. If we let ourselves, we can be shaped by the landscape around us. <br /><br />I am a life-long gardener, and a professional horticulturist who has been working on subjects relating to food and sustainable livelihoods for all of my professional life. But the ultimate joy for me are my flowers, especially the demanding azaleas. I have never seen anything as well written as your description of a what it takes to have a fine crop of azaleas. You should try to get something printed in Fine Gardening or another high quality magazine. <br /><br />On Memorial Day weekend, I had the same set of circumstances. I was on my belly scratching mulch and Holly Tone fertilizer into the shallow root zone of the azaleas. And then it rained. It was an incredible miracle. At 62, I find rain, and the gifts of the ecosystem, to be as invigorating as they were when I was a kid.<br /><br />I must admit that I cried when I got to your bad news. Jack, my prayers are with you. Your bravery and ongoing joi d'vivre are an inspiration to all of us who love life and struggle with our competing needs and desires. <br /><br />Your article is overwhelming in its comprehensiveness. <br /><br />And now I have a question for you: It must have taken hours to write this article. Is your wife aware of the blog? How do you account for all the time you spend writing?dcBiGuynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2703298219148864437.post-70865808508677536152012-06-05T08:53:24.432-05:002012-06-05T08:53:24.432-05:00Dear Jack:
Although I have never met you I feel I ...Dear Jack:<br />Although I have never met you I feel I know you just from reading your postings. You are a true inspiration. <br /><br />I am homosexual, a Catholic priest, 75yo. Your story needs to be published. I will pray that the great healer touches your totally being and gives you total health.<br /><br />I would like to share a pray I use.....<br /><br /> Thank you God<br /> For all you have given me.<br /><br /> Thank you God<br /> For all you have taken from me.<br /><br /> Thank you God<br /> For all you have left me.vinmorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01596929580361385582noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2703298219148864437.post-37682588931142474652012-06-04T18:29:43.156-05:002012-06-04T18:29:43.156-05:00A gloriously inspiring and liberating piece of wri...A gloriously inspiring and liberating piece of writing.Westernstockhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11251271999023783222noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2703298219148864437.post-74839292877750606452012-06-04T11:42:46.829-05:002012-06-04T11:42:46.829-05:00Jack
This long post that begins with the joy of ga...Jack<br />This long post that begins with the joy of gardening and ends with the joy you still radiate at the flowering of your own true sexuality in clear light is uplifting. You are such a positive man, and if one can use the word nurturing for a manly type of guy in all respects, that applies to you too. I wish you well in dealing with this health setback. You clearly do not dwell on the negatives that have come into your life, and your resilience extends to your marriage and family as well. You are a fortunate man in many regards, and I hope good fortune continues in this current stage of life.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2703298219148864437.post-43558362002444229532012-06-04T10:56:03.448-05:002012-06-04T10:56:03.448-05:00Jack...
Your two most recent blogs have touched a...Jack...<br /><br />Your two most recent blogs have touched a nerve with me. I hope I can explain as eloquently as you express yourself.<br /><br />The "nerve" is the topic of "sin". If someone takes a step back regarding the Bible, so that instead of seeing the minutiae of what is written, you can see the over-all point, you would see that God is doing ALL THINGS to RECONCILE us to himself. <br /><br />If that is the case, then any proper reading of Scripture needs to have it's roots in that concept. Are there warnings of dangerous thoughts or actions? Of course! But they are not there as weapons to condemn us but rather to help us.<br /><br />I have found that most of the teaching of the religious right prefers to start with a phrase or sentence somewhere in the middle rather than starting with the global perspective that "God loves us & has a wonderful plan for our lives"!<br /><br />"Sin" then is not a collection of acts but rather a "nature" that is seperate from God & in need of "reconciliation". For the Christian, this is achieved by the person & work of Christ & then guidance of the Holy Spirit rather than a series of Laws.Mark H.noreply@blogger.com