Welcome To BCCurt's World

Allow me to introduce myself! I am BCCurt. A transplanted Southerner who now proudly lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, BCCurt is one complex dude. Here are some basics about BCCurt.

* I was brought up independent Baptist (NOT - I repeat NOT - part of the heretical Southern Baptist Convention). Raised in Hickory, North Carolina, we at this independent Baptist church were "in this world, but not of it". This Scriptural passage was used to not only keep us away from movies, pop music, and "mixed bathing" (only you hardcore fundamentalists will know what that means), but also to strongly discourage us from eating yogurt because of the unstable nature of the cultures in the yogurt. Unstable yogurt cultures could lead to unstable and loose living in this world. OK - I made that part up. But the yogurt ban could have easily fit in our world. After high school graduation......

* I attended Bob Jones University in Greenville, SC for a year and a half. To describe those 18 months would take another entire blog. Email me if you want the sordid details. After escaping BJU......

* I attended and graduated from Appalachian State University in Boone, NC. Now THAT was a great school. I had several firsts there, such as realizing you could be a Democrat and a committed Christian. My university days were the best. Graduated with a BMus in Piano Performance. Felt a call to do church music, so.....

* I went to seminary at Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, OK. Again - another great experience for me that was also full of "firsts", such as my first sexual experience with another dude (more of that to come later). Graduated with an MA in Church Music. So what's a good evangelical boy to do after seminary?

* Get married, settle down, and follow the path of normal. This went well for a few years but then got upset when I.....

* Came out of the closet and waved goodbye to normal. Truly the most unstable time in my life (come to think of it, I was eating lots of yogurt then). Even went to the Exodus International Ex-Gay ministries (again - email me for the details) to try to get "straightened out". Didn't work. But hung in there and in 1995.....

* Became a United Methodist! Now for most of you, to list the act of becoming a United Methodist as an important event suggests that someone has a very sad existence. But these United Methodists taught me that I don't have to park my brains at the church door, but that I really can question, disagree, struggle, cry, laugh, argue, rest, and become. God bless the United Methodists!! And then in 1995 (that was a very good year for me), I.....

* Met my partner David. There is only one David and he is the only one I want to be with. He is charming, smart, VERY good looking, spiritual, caring, loving, and is the only one I know who can put up with my bullshit. As we were building our life together, we got a bit bored with the USA and decided to.....

* Move to Vancouver, British Columbia. Talk about hearing the call - Vancouver was screaming out our names to move here. The beauty, the magic of the city, the ocean and mountains, mild climate, open and progressive attitudes, the energy, the vibe, the skiing, the Olympics - it's all right here! David and I can't imagine living anywhere else. We became Canadian citizens in 2003. We legally married in 2004. Canada rocks!! It's like Disneyland for adults. And of course being the church geek that I am, in 2000, I also.....

* Became a member of the United Church of Canada. The United Church makes the United Methodists look like a bunch of right wing frothing-at-the-mouth red state conservatives. Liberal, flakey, loving, mushy, and FULL of Gospel, the United Church is my spiritual home. For me, this church comes the closest to living out the gospel and challenging me to live in faithful discipleship to Jesus Christ.

So there you go! That's my background and journey thus far. It helps to give you a little insight into BCCurt. Refer to this often in a lame attempt to understand BCCurt's world. It's one complex place. It doesn't always make sense. BCCurt's world holds together the traditionally contradictory. BCCurt's world doesn't fit any molds. It's a wonderfully bizarre arena that mixes together faith, foul language, fitness, sex, bad movies, off-colour humour, loving acts of kindness, open-mindedness, love, adventure, laziness, charm, crassness, honesty, and bullshit. I love this world!