Jim Hall:  

Life I currently live in the "Miracle Mile" area of Los Angeles, with West Hollywood just a few blocks to the north and Beverly Hills a few blocks to the west. After living in Chicago for almost 20 years, I moved to L.A. on a job transfer (December 2000). This is the area of L.A. which most resembles Chicago with a lot of restaurants, boutiques, coffee shops, theaters, and the like ... all within walking distance. It took about a year to get accustom to Los Angeles ... which is now like home. I've got a bunch of friends all over the country and Europe. I must say that I could make a living being social, if there was such a job! LOL! Since college, and my two graduate degrees, I've made many connections throughout the world. However, I've also a very few intimiate and close friends ... in Chicago and Los Angeles ... who will be life long friends. We've been through so much together that we can never imagine being apart for long! I travel to Chicago twice a year (approximately) and to Goshen once or twice a year). I have fond memories of growing up in Goshen ... but must say I'm most definitely a "big city" type. I love having a lot of options around which the city provides. When I'm stressed out and want to run away ... though ... it's always to return to someplace that is quieter and more peaceful ... like Goshen! I became a Christian back on August 18, 1977. However, it took many years of deep emotional and spiritual struggle to reconcile my Christianity with my core being as a gay man. There were many times when I wondered why God allowed me to go through such agony; yet, it made me a much stronger person. For those who believe you cannot possibly be a gay man in a relationship, and a Christian, I think to one of the people, an older heterosexual man, who I was very blessed to have as my college professor. He always supported students who were different, such as myself. He and his family had hidden Jews in their home during World War II. They were caught and thrown into a concentration camp. Although he could never speak of his experiences in the camp, saying it was too horrific to describe, he also said we should never, ever try to put God in a box. In saying that, he meant that so many have very black and white, good and evil, images of the world. There is much more grey than people, especially in the United States, want to accept, much less acknowledge. He asked me once, "Which is the greatest evil? To have told the Nazi's who were threatening our lives 'Yes, we have Jews in our home and we are protecting them.' Or to have continued to lie and say 'No, there are no Jews here. Someone is lying to you?'" Is it telling the truth and condemning innocent people to death, or is it lying in order to protect others? Which is the greatest sin? Likewise, with me, is it better to lie about who I really am and lose the capacity to love, and to be loved, by another man, because the church cannot handle the truth? Or is it to live in the light, the truth, and accept Christ's love for myself and my lover, despite the persecution, hatred, and ignorance the church prefers at times. I will not live a lie. School Goshen High was so long, long ago, it's hard for me to remember very much. It was also very hard for me to be open to others because I felt I had to hide who I was. Hence, I never really had close friends in High School. However, as time marches on, and I've become much more comfortable being myself, heaven only knows what antics my classmates will tell me I did ... if any! College College was great fun! I remember my roommates and suite mates: John, Mac, Cal, Bruce, and Dave. I remember John who liked to have fun and didn't care so much for studying ... especially for subjects he really had no interest. Dave was always studying chemistry and calculus and, when John and I acted up, he'd pound on the wall to get us to shut up! Mac who first thought he'd become an accountant only to change and decide to go to seminary, heading the direction of being a pastor. Cal and Bruce were the "good ole boy" types who studied but enjoyed playing pranks as well. I remember Cal and Bruce for their antics ... like putting a dead mouse in the pay phone on the girl's dorms, then calling and pretending they were operators asking the girl's to check the coin return to see if it was working appropriately. I remember the girls could have killed them! Mac scolded them, but couldn't help but laugh as well. I remember us all hanging out watching television until the wee hours of the night at times. Then after going to bed for a few hours, I'd get up to go to the bathroom only to have Mac scare me half to death as he was praying/meditating in closet at 5:00 am without any lights on! I was very, very fortunate to have the guys above room/suitemates. For all the antics and fun, I like to think we were also there for one another. We'd get upset at one other on occasion ... but it was all part of learning to live together. I still have a deep, abiding respect for those guys! I remember studying business but knowing my heart lie elsewhere. I was a historian/philosopher by nature but realized that other than getting a PhD in those subjects, I needed a basic degree to pursue what I really loved. I remember a lot of friend...Expand for more