Matt Nightingale
@mattnightingale.bsky.social
Alejandro’s husband. Co-pastor of @wearethequest.bsky.social. Founder of @commonsanctuary.bsky.social. Spiritual director. TED talker. All Christian, all gay, all the time. #FaithfullyLGBT #BLM He/him
Tonight’s contemplative spirituality group for LGBTQ+ folks and our allies was really meaningful. We welcomed 16 people from all over the United States and Canada, including one first-timer who heard about us on Threads! As always, we “come as we are, experience the Divine, and see what happens."
You don’t have to worship where you’re not wanted.
I’m grateful for the contemplative community that has formed on Zoom on Monday nights over the last 7 years. There’s something really meaningful about the ways we are able - in community - to listen to each other, to the voice of the Spirit, and to our own thoughts and feelings.
You don’t have to worship where you’re not wanted.
Welcome to the world, Aksel Luther! Grandpa and Abuelo are thrilled to finally meet you. And you have the best parents ever! The whole family is so glad you’re here. ❤️
You don’t have to worship where you’re not wanted.
Tonight’s contemplative spirituality group for LGBTQ+ folks and our allies was rich for me, even though I was exhausted from a long weekend facilitating a retreat.
Hey y’all... I'm really trying to consolidate my socials... I just have way too many places I’m trying to post. I’m finding that I’m spending a lot more time on Threads these days, so I’ll keep this account open for a while, but I won’t be posting much, and I think eventually I'll just shut it down.
You don’t have to worship where you’re not wanted.
Always grateful for my monday night contemplative spirituality community. We “come as we are, experience the Holy, and see what happens.” Tonight we welcomed 11 people from all over the US and Canada, including a new friend from the East Coast.
Queer-only contemplative group tonight. Join us? Registration and info in the thread below. 🙏🏼❤️🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️
Matt Nightingale@mattnightingale.bsky.social · 5mo agoEvery two weeks, on Monday nights from 6:30-8pm PT, I host an LGBTQ+ contemplative spirituality group on Zoom. It's become one of my very favorite things, a deeply-loved community to many of us. We'd love to have you join us. We even had an in-person retreat a few years back!
You don’t have to worship where you’re not wanted.
ICYMI: This summer marks ten years since I came out publicly. I wrote about growing up evangelical, religious trauma, ministry, love, and the ways peace has slowly found me over the past decade.
Ten Years on This Side of the Closet Door
I waited nearly a decade for my “new life” to begin. Now I’m just living it.
commonsanctuary.substack.com
Y'all need to read this. It's not terribly long, but it's a friend of mine communicating something really important.
Matt Nightingale@mattnightingale.bsky.social · last mo.I wrote about growing up evangelical, religious trauma, ministry, love, and the quiet ways peace has slowly found me. I’d love for you to read it. substack.com/home/post/p-...
As always, I find myself grateful for my Monday night contemplative community. Tonight, 13 of us from all over the US and Canada gathered on Zoom to experience the Holy together.
100%. Thank you for speaking out, friend.
Kathryn Brightbill ✒️@kebrightbill.bsky.social · last mo.It's unhinged that so many people are digging out Pete Buttigieg's comment about how he didn't want to be gay as a teenager, but that he's glad now that no magic pill exists to make you straight, and twisting it into something completely divorced from what it was like to be a queer kid in that era.
As Pride Month comes to a close, I’ve been reflecting on the ten years since I came out publicly. Coming out changed everything, but it wasn’t the destination I imagined. It was the beginning of a much longer journey toward healing, wholeness, and peace.
You don’t have to worship where you’re not wanted.
Tonight’s LGBTQ+ contemplative spirituality group was intimate and meaningful. I’m always amazed at how much our little group brings with us as we check in – grief and joy and everything in between – and we are able to hold space for all of it, as we are held in the love of God.
You don’t have to worship where you’re not wanted.
I was really moved by our time tonight in the contemplative spirituality group for LGBTQ+ people and our allies. It was a relatively small group, but the sharing was unusually meaningful (for me, at least).
It’s an allies night. Feel free to join us!
Matt Nightingale@mattnightingale.bsky.social · 5mo agoAnd since many cis/het folks expressed interest in joining us, we added an "allies welcome" version on the opposite Mondays. Please join us! It's been happening for over 5 years now, and it's wonderful too! You can register for either group here:
You don’t have to worship where you’re not wanted.
I just bought my tickets to see Oh, Mary! in San Francisco in October! I feel like this will be the most significant live event of 2026.
Happy Pride, everyone! Tonight’s contemplative spirituality group for LGBTQ+ people was really meaningful. I’m so grateful for the 16 folks who gathered tonight to experience God together.
You don’t have to worship where you’re not wanted.
