Chely appeared on Oprah last week, discussing her story. She speaks of how she has felt trapped her whole life, knowing she way gay, but knowing she could not come out. Chely, who is Christian, was taught from a young age, that homosexuality is a sin, associated with drunkard, thief, and adulterer. One of the most amazing parts on the Oprah episode are the words of her father.

Check out the Oprah interview:

Chely on Oprah Part 2
Chely on Oprah Part 3

Chely has released a new album, and her autobiography titled “Like Me”.

Chely is standing for an important message to all… “people are being told they are damaged goods, but they are not!”. Chely wants to help others to stop living a lie.

Thank you Chely Wright for standing up, and speaking out.

The rest of Africa has remained silent… most disturbing about this is South Africa, the only African country with legalised gay marriage. But then, I am not all that surprised, and I pray that fears of JZ changing the legislation never transpire into reality. Pray for African Human Rights!

Jennifer Knapp

So, this is old news already, but I wanted to have my say. Christian musician Jennifer Knapp is back on the music scene, and has come out as a lesbian. This naturally caused a major media flurry, as the once Grammy nominated, Dove Award winning Christian artist, bravely re-enters the music scene after +-8 years, horrifying many of her previous fan base by her announcement! See the 4 part Larry King Live interview on youtube.

I used to listen to Jennifer Knapp in the late 90’s, early 2000’s. I always enjoyed her music, and the vibe or attitude her music had. I personally am ecstatic about her being back on the music scene, as well as being brave in coming out. What is MOST impressive about this though, is that she stands firm on her beliefs. She is not attempting to avoid her Christian fans. She boldly states that she IS a person of faith, and I know that this is a very real part of her.

Her new music is not specifically marketed to Christian markets, but it is sad that people would actually stop listening to her music because she is gay. Many Christians are saying how sad they are that she has chosen a path of sin, many are throwing the clobber passages at her, many are rude, harsh, and showing no signs of Christ in them as they throw stones at Jen. Thankfully, there are many of us who are behind her 100%. Standing up and asking those who judge to move on.

Her newest album “Letting Go” was released earlier this month, and seems to be doing well on the charts so far. I’ve been listening to it online… but definitely going to get myself a copy! It’s AWESOME!

Go Jen! Stand firm, you are a beautiful child of God!

Life has had many more interesting happenings too, and all I can say is that, though there will be ups and downs, I am feeling so excited and so positive about this year! I have a very strong feeling that it will be a good year for many of us. I encourage you to choose to be positive and excited for 2010, as this will rub off on others, and actually make it a reality!

I do feel quite disconnected… not just from you my loyal readers, but from many of my friends… it truly has been a silly season for me, but I do expect life to settle nicely into a new routine in the coming weeks. Part of that routine will be maintaining regular updates on this blog again. If you have any special requests you’d like to suggest to me, please contact me and let me know. I will do my best to write or comment about it.

Lastly, not sure if I will make it, but hoping to be at LUSH this Saturday evening, Butterfly Bar in Bree Street! See you there… and remember… Les Be Real!

Since then, I have also been focusing heavily on getting my CV to the world, and setting up interviews, so my head has been focused rather strongly on that kind of thing.

Don’t worry though, I am not going away. I still have many plans for this blog, and I am determined to continue to post regularly.

Thank you to all my readers so far, and those that contact me personally… it is really appreciated!

Standby for more posts soon!

Please do send me feedback. I would love to hear from any of you who have been following my blog so far! Make comments on blog posts, send me a message, add me as a Facebook friend, become a fan of Les Be Real, follow me on Twitter… the options are endless!

This message is not about whether it is wrong or right to live in a loving, committed, long term, monogamous, Christian same-sex relationship, but rather how the Church (Christian people) should treat homosexual people. Thank you to Pastor Rob Buckingham for sharing this message.

Please listen to this message, and pass it along to people you think may be encouraged or challenged.

I have been writing and editing and reviewing and tweaking various drafts of “My Story” for a while now, and then had to take a break from it to focus on my final exam which has thankfully now come and gone! So, apologies for the wait, but I do now have more time to focus on more regular updates and postings on this blog. Part 3 and 4 of “My Story” are basically done, but I am not ready to publish them just yet. It won’t be long though, I promise!

Happy reading, and please, if you have any comments or just want to get in touch, please feel free to contact me!