Candy Crush & A Blunt

Today, I hosted the first Spirit Uncensored monthly event in a bar. When our original board visioned on the concept of this spiritual playground back in 2018, we thought a bar would be the perfect place to host it. But in Los Angeles, we never found a space within our budget. We ended up in the now-shuttered SpiritWorks Center for Spiritual Living (CSL) in Burbank, then the Ahiah CSL in Pasadena.

Like everyone else, we shifted our services to virtual in 2020. Being shuttered in my home for a full year created the space for a fuckton of spiritual growth…leading me on a faith journey that brought me to Oklahoma City. I gave myself plenty of time to heal before launching a live service at the United Life CSL. 

I hired a burlesque performer and invited Krystal Campbell McDaniel, the co-owner of Alibi’s, to serve as the guest speaker. During her talk, she said that we should have something like this at her bar. Spirit nudged me. United Life was the right place for the Spirit Uncensored office, but our services would be at home in Alibi’s. 

United Life’s senior minister, Rev. Lin, attended today’s service. We meet on the last Sunday of the month from 2pm-4pm, right when Alibi’s opens. I chose this time to begin before the bar gets too crowded, while making space for connection, questions and ordering drinks. During that first hour, I asked my roommate (who is also the office administrator at United Life) to roll a blunt for me. 

Afterwards, while smoking a blunt and playing Candy Crush, it hit me. It’s AMAZING that we could roll a blunt in front of our employer during a spiritual service where I served as host. No one thought twice about it. In Oklahoma City, I hosted an open, affirming and safe space to ask the question, “What is God?” in the middle of a queer bar. This is the vision of Spirit Uncensored, brought to life.