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Post by ocelot on Dec 7, 2006 23:17:08 GMT -5
All reviews for the Pure Challenge goes here. ;D
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Post by ocelot on Dec 8, 2006 0:01:55 GMT -5
Tout 10/10
One of my favourite of Lara's songs. It seems with this song, Lara brings a beautiful melody and uses her powerful voice to create a masterpiece.
"Speak, speak, say it to me without trembling That you have nothing more to polish Speak, cry and I will understand
You know, you know that I can hear it all Leave remain or even to return to me That the sky above hears me"
The way that the song is arranged creates a beauty all it's own. There is no question to me why this song is a classic.
J'ai Zappe ~ 9/10
A beautiful song with a message of despair, but yet Lara has hope for change. It's a good transition song to the next couple of songs.
"And I hope, what else can I do It's like a card game without jokers Without a doubt, no one is listening On this small planet Without a doubt, no one is listening All the calls lose themselves in the storm This iron voice, says to me "all is awry""
La Difference ~ 10/10
This song became the best selling single in France. I love the way this song is written.
"Without ever speaking Without ever crying They love each other in silence Without ever lying, nor looking back They have confidence If you knew how they are screwed By our insults They prefer love, especially the truth To our murmurs
The difference When one thinks of it But what difference?"
I love how Lara has written the song so that there's no pointing fingers, just a gentle conflict against the judging that goes on. It's a beautiful message set to a beautiful melody.
Humana 10/10
"Sing stronger And walk again One talks about you Humana To satisfy this desire To be at last the king Of stretches so vast That you can't imagine All to hold in your hands But you are already there Humana
Here is the creative genius of Lara coming into it's own. Humana is a word that Lara created for this song. The song itself is a beautiful song about humanity.
Urgent Desir ~ 9/10
Its the yearning for that person who will be all for you. It's the urgent desire for love to find you. Beautiful song.
Les Amoureux de la 2000 ~ 9/10
This song is about the loss of emotion through the internet. Lara doesn't want to lose that feeling in love. She wants to feel the passion. Great message and beautiful song.
Ici ~ 10/10
"But here, here I've seen the anger My sorrow is undone My cravings of the battles Left to the straw dogs Here, at last all resembles life"
After a disaster, after the burning there you find life. It's those that survive that see the true meaning of life. This is a beautiful fragile song. I can imagine this song being written after a natural disaster or some other tragic event.
Alleluia ~ 10/10
This song just makes me want to get up and dance.
"Your name well engraved in The memory of the people Who will offer to you their immense doubts"
This is probably the song that uplifts me the most. It can almost always lighten the load a little bit.
Je T'Aime ~ 10/10
"In this bitter silence I've decided to forgive The errors that one made From loving too much"
The intensity of love can be embraced or make someone run. The fact is that you can love too much, and it hurts when the errors are made from that. This is an absolutely beautiful song one of Lara's classics.
Je T'Appartiens ~ 10/10
The sadness of losing eveything in the errors that you made. This is an achingly beautiful song. I can feel the regret in Lara's voice as she sings this song.
Predere L'Amour ~ 10/10
I absolutely love Lara's voice in this song. Lara brings so much to the song. The emotion, the passion, and the heart that makes this cover song a Lara song.
Top 5
1. Tout 2. Ici 3. Humana 4. La Difference 5. Je T'aime
Overall
What I love about this album is that it flows from one song into another. It feels so smooth, unlike so many albums it feels like a single piece not a collection like so many albums that are out now. There is not a weak song on the album.
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ashja
Full Member
"There's nothing like your smile made of sun..."
Posts: 183
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Post by ashja on Dec 8, 2006 6:16:17 GMT -5
Hej Leona! I like your review Oh, and Lara wrote "Ici" for her best freind - Nathalie (I believe) - who has died in 1994 when she was travelling with convoy to Africa (I think so). She was just 24 years old...
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Post by achebeautiful on Dec 8, 2006 18:11:54 GMT -5
What a great review Leona!
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Post by lapayin on Dec 10, 2006 20:30:50 GMT -5
Wonderful review Leona. I have to get going on mine.
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Post by lapayin on Jan 6, 2007 20:12:39 GMT -5
Finally my review.
Pure is a nice mixture of social subjects, love songs and of course the heart wrenching lost love songs. There are four super hits from it, “Tout”, “Je T’aime”, “La Difference” and “Humana”. Two songs have become legendary. “Je T’aime” always gets voted best song and I believe came in second for the best French love song of all times. I understand “La Difference” has been adopted as the anthem of the gay community of either France or Canada I can’t remember which.
Tout
This is my favorite Lara song to sing along with. The French words are easy enough to repeat and the melody is up tempo. To me it’s a lot of fun. I love Lara’s use of power in this song – perfection.
The lyrics are about a relationship that is absolutely finished – or is it?
“Go out, go out, of my blood, of my body” “All, all this that united us” “Is at PRESENT finished” “But I keep the crazy HOPE that one day one will repeat - We...”
J’ai Zappe
"J’ai Zappe" is one of three songs on the album that Lara did not write. It is the first of five statement or advice songs. I like the music, the way it builds and then lessens toward the end. The guitar is a nice touch.
I am not sure what “Zapping Away” means. The only thing I could come up with was changing the channel, with a remote control, because the news on TV is so bad and repetitive. The world has gone crazy and its people are apathetic.
“History - And nevertheless, nothing is different The war, the people All is mixed-up, before my eyes And I do not understand anymore” “Without a doubt, no one is listening, on this small planet”
La Difference
This is the second of the statement songs. Here I believe Lara is saying love is love. Whether it is same sex or opposite sex there is no difference in love. I adore the lyrics. It’s an amazing song.
“A preference, a state of soul, a circumstance.”
“With the people too often thinking the morals first”
“Of this evil of the blood that runs and kills so freely”
“Their eyes never absent through negligence”
I read somewhere that Lara wrote this song for one of her best friends whom is gay. Her friend was afraid to tell Lara about it for fear that their relationship would change. And there was the controversy pertaining to the law suit against Lara and Rick because Rick supposedly copied the music. (Possibly the straw that broke the camels back that led to them going separate ways.) For a while “La Difference” had to be removed from all CDs/DVDs being sold, but David posted, not too long ago, that the new CDs/DVDs containing “La Difference” are now back on the music store shelves. Things must be settled now.
Humana
“Humana” has a great beat that makes you want to move and sing along to it. It’s a feel good song. It’s the third statement song. The time is now to leave the hum drum of everyday life and go where ever the wind will take you. There’s a whole big world out there to explore.
“To leave this life that everyday is similar. It will destroy your dream”
Urgent Desir
This is my favorite song on “Pure”. It’s on my top ten best Lara songs too. Although Lara didn’t write it, she sings it with such feeling and passion. It was written by Daniel Lavoie, who also wrote another of my favorite songs “Je Suis Mon Coeur” The words and melody are wonderful. It’s very poetic about the search for the right person to love.
“Small rose, very forlorn Looking again for the tender gardener To cultivate kindnesses”
“On an ocean of love Urgent desire To meet you”
“If you have the soul of a poet And you feel well in the head If your heart is happy I will know to say I love you”
“Afraid to die Without being loved Without meeting you”
Les Amoureux De L’an
Here is the fourth statement song. It’s obvious that the message here is that love over the internet lacks the human touch. It’s too sterile and safe. To say it is not a “preferred relationship” is an understatement.
“The lovers of the year two thousand Have nothing more to fear”.
“World without summer, world without winter I prefer to burn in hell Disconnect me Empty my head of this metal Pull out these cables that have done me poorly Revive the animal”
Although I like this song, there are too many bells and whistles for me – the dial up sound (but it makes the point). I do like the way the music portrays a robotic feel.
ICI
“Here” is a safe haven and a place to go when you are feeling down. It’s a place to regain your strength and become at peace with yourself.
“I've received the rain as a deliverance Sometimes touched the silence”
“It is as if a sudden angel kept my hands I've regained at last the light The certainty of being strong and standing as an instant of peace”
“But here, here I've seen the anger my sorrow is undone”
“Here at last my life takes flight the rain is distant”
”Ici” is a very mellow song. It’s my least favorite of the album. I find the music uninspiring.
Alléliua
This is a carpe diem type song. It’s the fifth statement/advice tune. You have one life to live and do it your way. Don’t worry about what the Nay Sayers say.
“It would be necessary for you to learn To ignore their doubts Their lack of confidence Look right at what's in front”
“Do not listen to them... Touch your dreams No one will prevent you”
Alleliua has a very catchy tune. Again it’s not a favorite of mine. I would rather have Lara partnering with Daniel Lavoie or Walter Afanasieff than Daniel Seff.
Je T’aime
“Je T’aime” is another great song that I can sing along with. This has to be Lara’s signature song.
The fans at Nimes surprised Lara, in 2000, with “On T’aime” (we love you) after a very bad year, one with her break up with Patrick Fiori and two with the lack of support from Sony during the promotion of the Lara Fabian English CD. In 2002 on the Star A Domicle show, the French fans sang a different “On T’aime” welcoming her back to France, telling her how much they missed her while she was in Canada (they sang it while presenting her with a birthday cake). And of course in 2003 Serge Lama sang his version of “Je T’aime” letting Lara know how much he cares for her as a friend. Yes there is the “On T’aime” “Je T’aime” duet between Lara and the audience on the “Live” 2002 DVD. But personally I think that was planned by Lara’s people and not a real surprise to Lara.
“All right often the little girl in me often claimed you Almost as a mother You tucked me, protected me I stole this blood from you One should not have parted out of words, of dreams, I go to cry”
“All right, I confided in you all my pleasures, all my secrets Even those, of which only a brother is the unavowed custodian”
This song is a complete package. The lyrics, music and the strength in which Lara sings it all tie together wonderfully. I think my favorite performance of “Je T’aime” is from the World Music Awards in 1999. It blew me away. “Je T’aime” as well as “Tout” sound great sung either with full power or powered down.
Je T'appartiens
This song is another favorite. Lara sings it perfectly- sweet and haunting. You can feel her pain as she sings. It was co-written by Janey Clewer (Bambina). It’s a beautiful song about a doomed relationship.
“In this house of ice I count one by one my wrongs I see these carafes full of the emptiness That pierces my body”
“As the orc and the sea only do once They love only one time Then they run aground as they drown themselves”
Perdere L’amore
This is the third song not written by Lara. But it’s a perfect song for her. It’s another heart wrenching sad song full of regrets. She sings it with such passion. It’s a nice ending to a great album.
“I never asked who you were Why you chose me”
“I risk going crazy, you exploded the heart To lose love and to have desire to die Leave me to scream to renounce the sky”
My favorites are:
1. Urgent Desir 2. Je T’appartiens 3. La Difference 4. Je T’aime 5. Tout
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Post by achebeautiful on Jan 7, 2007 10:43:42 GMT -5
Awesome review, Paula....well worth the wait!
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cppgenius
Full Member
The C++ Genius, Loyal Fan of Lara Fabian[Mo0:0]
Posts: 245
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Post by cppgenius on Jan 13, 2007 2:21:37 GMT -5
Pure Review
To me Lara reached the peak of her European career with Pure. It has been very entertaining for me, as a fan that discovered her music very late in her career, to see how Lara improved with every album, from excellent to superb. Her performance and the quality of music she produced with each album increased so great that it is hard to imagine that Lara improved every time on her previous album, especially if you take into account that each album is a masterpiece in its own essence. But I think that is the only reason why Lara was able to improve on each album. Each album is unique, but at the same time better than the previous. This is the sign of an evolving artist, maturing with each song she writes, with every album she completes. Tailor made by Lara Fabian.
Pure is no exception to this trend of a continuing improvement with each album Lara releases. I wish Lara could have followed this same route with her English career, she started of with a superb album that was almost impossible to improve on. If A Wonderful Life was exposed to a bigger audience, I’m sure it would have been just as great as Lara Fabian (2000). Live performances and concerts do wonders for the promotion of an album and this is proved by the success of Pure (1998), Lara Fabian (2000) Nue (2001) and even 9 (2005), which was criticised by many as a failure. Strange enough this is the one album of which I have very positive as well as negative views. I find La Difference and Allélujah offensive and un-entertaining.
La Difference was not on the version I bought and if I recall right, it was a track plagued by controversy and scandals. Firstly the portrayal of gays and lesbians in this song certainly offend many people and many will have a negative view of this song. Some even claimed that Lara was lesbian and this was why she wrote the song. I guess Lara knew what she let herself in for when she wrote this song in collaboration with Rick Allison. Then there were the rumours of plagiarism involving several lawsuits where a certain part of the melody of La Difference was actually part of another song, which was used without the permission of the other artist. I’m not sure what the exact details were and if this rumour was true. But there must have been a solid reason why they pulled La Difference from this album and replaced it with Si Tu M’aimes.
I must admit, Allélujah is a very energetic and lovely song, technically there is nothing wrong with it. The same is true for La Difference, La Difference has a beautiful melody. But I am a conservative Christian and feel uncomfortable being so charismatic with things related to my faith. This is the main reason why I don’t like this song, it is nothing personal against Lara.
Tout, the Pure pain of lost love. Tout never struck me as an impressive song, but it seems like it is extremely popular under the French-speaking people. It is a beautiful song, lovely sound effects and a wonderful melody, but it lacks that one little thing that makes you play it over and over again. It is a very soothing song and I don’t mind listening to it, but I’m not completely crazy about it.
Si Tu M’aimes, the Pure hope of being loved. Track 2 of my album is Si Tu M’aimes, the one that replaced La Difference. In my opinion, this was an excellent choice for a replacement song. This song has passion, sensuality and depth. It is also one of those songs that Lara sings so passionately and the fact that she made an English version of this song is another reason why I like this song so much.
J’ai Zappé, desire of Pure peace. This is one of those songs that grew on me over time. When I saw Lara’s Pure concert I really grasped the essence of this song. Lara speaks against the futility of all the wars and bloodshed in our world. This is really an amazing song, one of its strong points for me is the backtrack singers supporting this beautiful message Lara wants to bring to her audience. One can sense Lara’s despair of all the wrong in this world and she speaks for the lack of faith we all have that things will change and improve. I chose the word despair because it sounds a lot like the last words of the song “J’espère” and makes me think Lara chose this phrase on purpose because of this similarity. For me as a Christian there is certainly hope and no despair because I know God will make everything new and put an end to this horrible cycle of bloodshed and tears.
Humana, the Pure truth about the journey of life. Humana, is a nice follow-up on J’ai Zappé. Humana speaks of humanity, the journey of life we all walk. Humana is my favourite song on this album, next to Je T’aime. I have listened to this song so much that I can sing certain phrases word for word with Lara (only bad thing is that I still do not understand a word I’m singing. J) The most beautiful part of this song to me is the following:
Et poussé par tous les vents Même si certains retiendrons ta foi Ne regarde que la lumière Et élève la voix Humana
Chante plus fort Et marche encore On parle de toi Humana
Urgent Désir, the urgency of Pure love Urgent Désir is such a smooth and soothing song. The title speaks for itself, such a powerful message and although Lara did not write this one herself, it has Lara Fabian written all over it. That urgent desire of everyone longing to be loved by that special someone. I really loved Lara’s performance of this song during the Pure concert.
Les Amoureux De L’an Deux Mille, Pure futuristic art Les Amoureux De L’an Deux Mille could just as well have been the theme song for the Matrix. It is a song relevant to every one of us living in the 21st century. We loose ourselves in all this technology and end up as a little impersonal digit in the vast digital world. Our communication methods have become more and more impersonal, an e-mail or SMS is not that personal is that long awaited phone call from someone you love, it simply isn’t the same.
The lovers of the year two thousand synthesize themselves In several sterile feelings That electrifies them -informs them A simple (technique) renders you magic Go through a module of plastic
These lyrics sum it up pretty well. Many things have become so synthetic, fabricated and cosmetic that you feel like you want to be ‘disconnected’ (Débranchez) from it all.
Ici, Pure pain Ici is a song full of pain and sorrow. You can’t help to sense the pain through Lara’s fragile voice when she sings this song. After reading the other reviews it makes more sense now, astonished by the fact that this is such a personal song, again Lara opening her heart to her audience. Pure pain, but also Pure honesty.
Je T’aime, Pure love This song is so beautiful, it is hard to explain it with words. It is such an emotional song and is such an emotional point in every concert where Lara performs this song. I get shivers down my spine when she sings this song, it explodes with passion, Lara’s beautiful voice and the lyrical excellence of her song writing abilities. A musical, lyrical and poetic masterpiece.
Je T’appartiens, Pure devotion This song is about a very true thing in life. Your heart belongs only to one special person. When that person disappears out of your life you can never love someone else like that again, you may love again (I Will Love Again) but you will never be able to love like this again (To Love Again). This is a common theme you find in many of Lara’s songs. Such a strong message isn’t it?
Perdere L’amore, Pure destiny This song is very special to Lara, every one can see that. One reason may be because of her Italian roots and love for everything that is Italian. But she sings this song like someone who speaks out of experience. Lara makes this song her own and fits in nicely with the previous two songs of the album. This is a wonderful feat, concluding an album with three beautiful love songs, performed with so much passion, sung so beautifully. Lara leaves you speechless.
This album carries a strong characteristic of Lara speaking her mind, letting it all out. You pick up a sense of aggression and frustration in her writing style and through the choice of songs she did not write herself. She feels frustrated by the facts of life and it is clear that she wanted to take a stand, let her voice be heard. Through this album she wanted to be the voice for everyone experiencing the same things she experienced in life. She shows her true feelings through a wonderful medium - music, the voice of the soul.
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cppgenius
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The C++ Genius, Loyal Fan of Lara Fabian[Mo0:0]
Posts: 245
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Post by cppgenius on Jan 13, 2007 2:30:42 GMT -5
Paula and Leona, great reviews!
Paula, I just love to watch that video over and over again. I have never seen Lara perform a song that passionately and with so much power again after that performance, truly a peak unrepeatable performance. The perfection with which she sang that song was astonishing. Didn't she also win an award on that show? With that performance she could just as well have won an Emmy Award.
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Post by lapayin on Jan 13, 2007 23:00:12 GMT -5
Hey Coenraad,
Great review. It was a "Pure delight".
Lara did win (I believe) the best selling Belgian artist, at the World Music Awards, both in 1999 and 2000. How great it was she got a standing ovation HALF WAY through the song. And you can see Lara's eyes tearing up at the end. It was like she was feeding off of the audience. The more they showed their appreciation, the better Lara's performance became.
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Post by achebeautiful on Jan 14, 2007 20:35:13 GMT -5
Awesome review, Coenraad!
I have not been feeling well all weekend, and so did not take the time I had planned to do my review. Mine will have to be late....sorry!
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ashja
Full Member
"There's nothing like your smile made of sun..."
Posts: 183
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Post by ashja on Jan 15, 2007 7:52:33 GMT -5
Paula, Coenraad do you have this video with "Je t'aime" that you were talking about?? I would love to see it First time I saw Lara singing "Je t'aime" in 1997 - that was that moment I felt in love with her voice... It was magical moment. Kind of salvation for me in that times... Ok, here goes my review: TOUT(10/10) I love this song. Lara express her feeling here with all her might voice. I like very much that piece: "Sors, sors, de mon sang, de mon corps Sors, toi qui me gardes encore Au creux de tes regrets Parles, parles, dis-le moi sans trembler Que t'en a plus rien à cirer Parles, pleures et je comprendrai" When she sings this I can feel her emotions... J'AI ZAPPE(8/10) I like to listen this song when I feel a little bit bad... I think that "zappe" means changing channels in tv. When you see all this bad things happening in the world you just want to change channel to not watch it...and you hope to find something that would help you to forget about what you saw... I think it's like that... LA DIFFERENCE(11/10) This song is just amazing. I love it. I read somewhere that Lara wrote this song after conversation with her friend who is homosexual. I think she did great thing. I am very tolerant person and I don't like when people condemn others for being different than they are. I think people deprecate other people because they don't understand them and that's why they affraid of them. I think Lara wanted to show us they are normal people who have feelings just like we all, they hurt, cry and smile just like heterosexual people. I don't understand why people don't get it This song is beautiful HUMANA(9/10) I remember how I was singing it at concert "Un regard 9", the whole audience sung it with Lara. We had great fun during this song. Humana is optimistic and warm lyrics and melody. I like to listen to this song URGENT DESIR(11/10) Hm, when I first heard this song I felt like Lara was singing about me. I was lonely then and I needed somebody like that "petite rose" and "petit navire" This song helped me get through lonely days. Now I don't feel lonely, I found my half, but I still have sentiment for this song. I like the lyrics very much: "Si tu as l'âme de poète Et tu te sent bien dans la tete Si ton coeur est de bohème Je saurai dire je t'aime" LES AMOUREUX DE L'AN DEUX MILLE(8/10) I think Lara wanted to show us that love through internet is not real, you can't touch, you can't feel, can't hold eachother, there's no passion, no intimacy... I think she's right... ICI(8/10) Well, this song is a little to hard for me to tranlete into Polish, so I don't understand what exactly Lara is singing about, but I know she's wrote this one for her friend, who died. She was 24 then as her friend. I can just imagine it was hard for her. The melody is sad and impressive... ALLELUIA(8/10) It's a joyful, light song.... JE T'AIME(12/10) Marvellous... Full of passion, emotional song... It's a conffesion of lover... This words surprise me "Dans ce silence amer J'ai décidé de pardonner Les erreurs qu'on peut faire à trop s'aimer" It seems you can hurt somebody when you love too much... Great song, amazing voice... JE T'APPARTIENS(7/10) "Je vois ces carafes Remplies du vide "... I felt like that couple times... and I didn't like it... maybe that's why I don't keen on this song... PERDERE L'AMORE(10/10) I agree with Leona, Paula and Coenraad... She gives her heart in this song with passion... I'm lack of words... TOP 5: 1.Je t'aime 2.Urgent desir 3.Tout 4.La difference 5.Perdere l'amore
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Post by ocelot on Jan 15, 2007 14:45:01 GMT -5
Joanna, if you click this link the video should be about halfway down the page: www.laraetmoi.com/rappels/rappels.htmI agree about the performance it's one of the most amazing performances of Lara's I know. It and the performance of "Love By Grace" at the Junos are probably my top 2.
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Post by achebeautiful on Jan 15, 2007 16:11:48 GMT -5
Wow! Joanna, what a great review! Thank you so much for for sharing your very insightful observations with us. What a great contribution to this forum!
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Post by achebeautiful on Jan 15, 2007 17:53:46 GMT -5
Joanna wrote:
Joanna, thank you very much for those words. I absolutely agree with you. As a Christian, I know what the Bible says about homosexuality, and so I can understand how people can be afraid to relate to this issue. I happen to have friends that I have gone to concerts,football games and baseball games with that are homosexual.
Not long ago my father passed away. He was only 59 years old. That's much too young. He was the greatest man I will ever know, and I miss him greatly. I share this with you because also not long ago a friend of mine from where I work had a grandmother pass away. This grandmother practically raised this friend of mine, so the loss was great. I went to a U2 concert in Cleveland with this friend, and we had one of the best times of our lives! This friend of mine is a lesbian. She hurt just as badly over her grandmother dying as I did my father. And we both shared the same excitement of hearing favorite songs played by U2 that night in concert! She's a good person, and I love her like a sister. Her sexual preference is, quite frankly, none of my business. And as a Christian, my only obligation is to love her as Christ loves her!
But I thank you for bringing up a very important issue, Joanna, and wording it so very well!
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