My painting, “Coming Out at the Last Supper,” to be part of exhibition at L’Antiquaille in Lyon, France

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My painting, “”Coming Out at the Last Supper,” will be part of an exhibition happening in July at L’Antiquaille, a museum of Christianity in Lyon, France, as part of a larger exhibition put on by the Archdiocese of Lyon on depictions of the Last Supper in Art. My painting is in the final section of the exhibition labeled “Blasphemy? Maybe not.” This part of the exhibition asks viewers to think about how queer artists are exploring aspects of inclusion in the ministry of Christ.

I am SO honored to be part of this exhibition. My painting was found online by the person curating the exhibition and I was asked in 2025 if I wanted to be a part of it.

Many artists have depicted the Last Supper. It’s a popular tableau. It’s also been a part of marketing–since it is so famous. Anytime you have everyone on one side of a table, you have the chance of making the tableau. Try it at home!

It’s easy to do, even accidentally. In the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, there was a controversial staging of a part of the Opening Ceremonies, where drag performers, enjoying a Dionysian feast on stage, were criticized for (possibly) forming/ staging the famous tableau from Da Vinci’s Last Supper. This time, perhaps because it was queer people performing, it was seen as mocking Christianity. The performers said they were trying to talk about the wide inclusion celebrated in France and Paris specifically, that Paris invites everyone to enjoy the feast. So there was a question over how you can depict the Last Supper. I don’t know that there’s a direct correlation to this exhibition. But it is food for thought.

I painted “Coming Out at the Last Supper” in early 2024 as part of a Lenten and Eastertide group of paintings depicting Christian events in the life of Christ before and after Easter through a queer lens. Queer being a WIDE lens meaning rethinking all sorts of things—

I painted Jesus hugging Mary when SO many people believe Christ wouldn’t allow her to hug him.

I painted Jesus appearing to the disciples to show them his hand but I have the light coming through the hole in his hand.

I painted the Road to Emmaus in the style of Mary Engelbright.

I had fun.

Coming Out at the Last Supper

I had heard so many stories of queer people who come out to their families at dinners, often BIG dinners, like Easter dinner, Christmas, Thanksgiving dinners. It makes sense to do that, in some ways. All of your family is together in one place–something rare as you get older. You have something you want to share with them that is very personal and important. It is a beautiful thing you want to share. No one “comes out” to shock their families and friends–and they certainly don’t WANT negative reactions. They come out to share who they are. To reveal, to become closer.

We share all sorts of personal announcements at dinners, don’t we? “We’re having a baby!” or “We’re getting married!” or “I just had something published in the New York Times!” We may have grown up with lots of great moments at the dinner table telling our parents how school is going, what kind of discoveries we made today around the neighborhood. So it’s natural to share at the dinner table.

Jesus also shared at the dinner table. The Last Supper was full of revelation for him—“someone will betray me” and oh, Judas, it’s you. Earlier he came out as the Son of God. He teaches them here how to make dinner into a way to honor their relationship with him.

Judas abruptly leaves Jesus’ last supper, called out by Jesus as a betrayer, and then Jesus is arrested later.

Some people come out to their families and are deeply supported by them. However, this is a recent development over the last thirty years.

Many queer people who came out at the dinner table in earlier decades were truly shocked to find out how upset their families were. Often it was a “Last Supper” for them too.

I thought there was some interesting parallels to Jesus coming out as the Son of God— a blasphemy that he was crucified for– and queer people coming out as queer. Both are about identity. Who are you? Can those who are closest to you understand who you really are?

Details of the exhibition are still forthcoming so I will tell you more when I know!

Anyway, I’m excited about the exhibition. If you are in France in July or afterwards (I’m not sure how long the exhibition will be up), and you get to see this exhibition, would you snap a picture of yourself with the painting? I would love that.

Would you like a tarot reader on retainer?

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Have you ever wished you had a Tarot Reader on retainer?

In addition to writing, teaching, and making art, I’m a tarot reader. You can read my tarot blog over at bigbeartarot.com. It’s what I do. I’m six years in and I enjoy helping people.

I created a Patreon for those who want to get a tarot card of the day, and a little insight into that card with some clarifiers, as well as other perks—and two of them are the BEAR GUIDE or BEAR ADVISER levels.

You can have me–your own personal tarot reader– on retainer for only $50 a month you can have one reading a month (value $70) or a live 1 hr Celtic Cross reading with oracle cards and advice for $90 a month (value $150). You can also offer your monthly reading to another person—a friend, family member, the Pope. It doesn’t matter. As long as I know it’s YOUR monthly reading they are using, I can do it. (You can definitely have MORE than one reading a month, but those would be at regular price.)

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Where is the Line?

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“Where is the line?” by Jerome Stueart, (11 x 15), watercolor, mixed media on paper, 1/27/2026.

This illustration comes after the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis by ICE agents, and after countless acts of violence and illegal arrest of citizens and non-citizens alike across the US. As an artist I don’t know how to respond to the violence happening now, but I appeal to those still supporting ICE.

Is there a line for you?

Asking for a country.

Revolution Begins at Home

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“Revolution Begins at Home,” Jerome Stueart, (11 x 15), watercolor, mixed media on paper. October 18, 2025.

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Today, many (2 million?) of us are going to be protesting for #NoKings and maybe you’ve attended one of these protests across the country. They are exciting and powerful and you can see hundreds and maybe thousands in your city standing up for change. These protests are powerful things. I’ve seen the ones in New York City and Chicago (on TV) and they give me hope.

But maybe you’ve been part of something else, something smaller. Have you been to a house meeting where you meet your neighbors and strategize over soup how to be effective in strategic campaigns or actions that can help stop some of the negative consequences of Trump policies. Maybe your group is part of the Indivisible or No Kings movement. hey may not look like a movement–if you were looking for thousands of bodies to affirm your stance–but I can argue that they are the places–these living rooms–that will begin change in the country. Movements are born AND SUSTAINED in living rooms and dining rooms of your neighbor’s house.

These small house meetings are where you can find others who feel the way you do, where people can come together and think of ways to change the system. This isn’t about organizing the vote, it’s about voting to organize. All these small home meetings are where revolution happens–and I hope you find a good meeting near you, or start one in your home. This is what Democracy, what Revolution, looks like right now. These meetings of concerned citizens who want to create change.

And the big protests are an outlet for those people too–where we can all come together, peacefully, for change. Here’s where you hatch ideas that 20 people can carry out, and that can spread to other groups meeting in other homes. Our group talked about Cash for Change, the idea of using only cash to pay for things so that corporations don’t keep getting their share of your dollar every time you swipe a card. The store doesn’t get that money. The banks and larger credit institutions receive that percentage off of every sale. Cash for change–if a large number of people did it–would hurt the revenue they are collecting. And that’s kinda what these groups are for. How do concerned citizens get the attention of billionaires? How can we, small but mighty, make a difference against powerful people? We have power–but we have to cooperate to do it. These small groups can help foster new ideas. They still need the mass protests though–and large numbers of people. And until those numbers HURT the established order of things, until there is a general strike, people standing around for 2 hours may not make a huge difference to the oligarchs. But when people begin to stand around for days and shut things down–that may get their attention.

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I hope your #NoKings stays peaceful. But the more powerful we become, the more there will be resistance against us too. Please be safe. 2 million people protesting will keep growing and growing, no matter what happens today. Maybe you will have some frogs or TRexes in your group too!

Keep meeting. Keep planning. Keep that spark alive. Change will happen–we will bring more people together because we have so much common ground between us, and so much to do before us. We need everyone!

Sacred Objects: Giving Life and Meaning to Everyday Things– a Writing Workshop, October 18

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These Sacred Objects:

Giving Life and Meaning to Everyday Things

A writing workshop exploring the meaning and importance we give things, and how consecrating those objects change, heal, and empower us. Bring your Sacred Objects to class (if you can, or photos).

October 18: 10:30-1:30

$40

Join a 1-day writing workshop exploring how we make everyday things sacred. Saturday, October 18, 10:30am-1:30pm at the Sacred Owl and Salt Room in Knoxville, TN!

As humans, we can’t help but collect objects as we go through life.  Perhaps we are given something from a family member or friend. Maybe we find something at a turning point in our lives. Perhaps it is a stone, a feather, a scarf, a ring, a painting, a photo. The significance and power of an object grows over time, and can say a lot about our spiritual lives, our relationships, and what is important to us.  The sacredness that we impart to objects in our lives — this consecrating of objects–is part of the map of our spiritual journey.  This workshop will explore your spiritual journey through sacred objects.

Participants will bring 3-7 objects that have spiritual significance or deep resonance for them and will use them to write about their lives.  This can be a deeply satisfying workshop for those who want to explore themselves, and others, through sacred objects and through writing. You will learn more about your spiritual journey through sacred objects, and the journeys of others.

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In His Mighty Arms He Bears Them

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In His Mighty Arms He Bears Them

What a difference the right church makes, eh? For queer and trans people, the right church can be a matter of life and death.

I grew up believing that you look for churches within the denomination you were raised in, and pretty much, if you stayed within those safe theological walls, you’d have a good experience, one that you were used to. Familiar. Like Church Branding. Stick with the Brand Name and you’d have the quality and taste you were looking for. If you grow up in “the church,” that concept is so ingrained in you. More than the brand of jeans you buy, your favorite burger place, the make of your car, even the teams you root for. None of those choices would affect the next ten thousand years of your happy eternal life. You will stick to your brand pretty strongly.

An “off-brand” church is an unknown path. I was raised to believe that Baptists (somehow) hold the Truth about Everything Spiritual and that Presbyterians were slightly off–like 10 degrees off to port. I know this is ludicrous, but follow the bouncing logic here…

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Open My Mouth and Let Me Bear

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“Open my mouth, and let me bear
gladly the warm truth ev’rywhere;
Open my heart, and let me prepare
love with Thy children thus to share.
Silently now I wait for Thee,
ready, my God, Thy will to see;
open my mouth, illumine me,
Spirit divine!”

— Clara Scott (1895)
“Open My Eyes that I May See”

What is it that we need to say today?

The loudest Christians, the ones interviewed, the ones that are commentators on roundtables and talk shows and discussions are conservative evangelicals. They are considered the “other side” of the argument when it comes to the value and worth of the lives of trans and queer people. I don’t like the premise. We should not be up for debate on whether we should have marriages, teach your kids, serve in the military, go to a public bathroom, or in some conversations, whether we deserve to live.

On the bright side, there are thousands of churches and many denominations of religion and faith that accept and affirm LGBTQ people as worthy of love and equal status and the right to choose their expression. I have been privileged to attend several churches like that in my life, but I know of many many more. The problem is that we just don’t hear those churches very often on the screens we are watching. Reverend Budde of the Episcopal Church made such a strong statement for the worth and care of every individual on the Inauguration of DT. She had a platform and she used it.

We don’t always get those platforms. Perhaps we are not naturally loud people. But we are going to have to speak up louder because a) people seem to think that Christianity and being LGBTQ are incompatible (they are not–and there are great books and websites which will explain the details to you if you are fuzzy on them or unsure), b) Queer people have been so hurt by evangelical churches that they can’t see the churches that will celebrate their true selves. There are whole denominations of Episcopalian Churches, Presbyterian Churches, United Church of Canada churches, United Methodist Churches, American Baptist Churches, just to name a few, that have fought for queer and trans inclusion so hard as to have endured a split in their denomination to do it.

I heard a sermon Sunday about one such divisive vote in the United Methodist Church.

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My Burden Gladly Bearing

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How do we protect those we love from those who question their very worth, their humanity, their right to exist? How do we protect ourselves from that constant batt-le?

Bears are pretty powerful all by themselves, but sometimes armor is called for. Bears have claws and poundage and teeth and jaws. But these are bears I found inside music–and they work differently. In the Bible, Paul talks about putting on the armor of God–and describes breastplates of righteousness, helmets of salvation, sword of the spirit, etc. Far be it from me to edit SAINT Paul– known for his perfect wisdom about what to do with women in the church, about singleness, about sexuality– but I’m going to anyway.

The bears I had didn’t defend me by attacking others; they defended me by empowering me and equipping me with better armor, better defensive structures.

They gave me a Helmet of Empathy– a way to see others struggling to see me, a way of understanding where they were coming from so that I could see them as worthy of love too; frankly, a helmet of Salvation further divides us into “saved” and “unsaved,” worthy and unworthy. Empathy makes us all worthy of being saved, protected, understood.

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Bear Me Safely Over

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Bear Me Safely Over

In my new job, as a tarot reader (spiritual life coach), I meet a lot of people who have barely survived evangelical churches. A lot. Many of them are queer like me. Others may not be queer, but they too got judged, hurt, ostracized, and/or punished for years by a church.

Our shop, The Sacred Owl and Salt Room is a sanctuary and a destination for people in East Tennessee who want to still connect to their spirituality and their faith but they don’t know if a church and steeple should come with that faith. And that’s completely understandable. Who goes back to the places that hurt you? Or even the ones that look like those places? However, something is still calling to them, and they don’t know what it is, but they want to hold on to part of the faith they were brought up in, but leave behind the exclusion, the judgement.

They want a God who is strong enough to hold them, but loving enough not to hurt them.

They want this for themselves and they want this for their kids.

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All Our Griefs to Bear

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“All Our Griefs to Bear,” Jerome Stueart, (11 x 17), watercolor, mixed media on paper. Part of the Bears in the Baptist Hymnal series.

Bears were symbols for the protection I felt through music–through singing the word, “bear,” every Sunday, as if God were speaking to me and sending me strength. It helped guard me against the criticisms I received or the feelings of doubt. I wish all our LGBTQ folks still in conservative, evangelical churches, in communities and towns and cities full of evangelical church goers, this kind of protection–whether they, like me, need to mentally imagine a bear protecting them, or whether they need us to be that protection. Be the shield. Be the Bear. Be the physical, verbal, soulful protection they need to survive the horde of negative onslaught in their daily lives, in the news, in legislative and judicial places. They need us to stand with them, shield them. They too are holy. They too are divine. They need to be protected. Be the shield, be the bear, be the protection that bears their grief, bears with them the barbs and arrows aimed at them, strengthens them with presence and love so they can find safety at this time.