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My Life in a Nutshell
I grew up at the younger end of a large family in a rural
part of West Jutland, Denmark, near the town of Herning.
My father was a schoolteacher; my mother an organist and
housewife. Both parents were committed Christians and
active in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Denmark.
My childhood hobbies included studying maps of the world, reading, raising pigeons, and roaming the countryside. Music has always been important. I enjoy singing and playing two instruments: guitar and piano. My favourite music genres are baroque, folk, classical jazz, and African-American gospel.
At university I studied Spanish language and literature. In addition, I have taken courses in modern languages, classical languages, Danish literature, adult education, philosophy, sociology, Middle American anthropology, translation and interpreting, Quaker studies, and biblical interpretation.
As an adult I have travelled extensively. I have worked or studied in several European countries including Spain, the United Kingdom, Belgium, France, Germany, Sweden, and Norway. In the Americas I have lived in Costa Rica, Cuba, Mexico, Canada, and the United States.
My teen years were very lonely. Because of social taboos surrounding homosexuality, I took refuge in the spiritual prison known as "the closet", in which lesbian and gay
people do not reveal their erotic feelings. Depression was
a constant companion. No one came to my rescue. At 18 I
was ready to implode and tried to find a way out of my emotional turmoil. The physician I consulted referred me onto a psychiatrist. The "help" I got consisted in being told
to wait patiently for a few years until I felt attracted to girls.
At age 22 I joined the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers). At 24, during my first year of Spanish studies at university, it struck me that the six long years of imposed waiting had been
in vain: I continued to feel strongly attracted to male beauty. Fortunately I became acquainted with an excellent
psychologist who helped me to come out. At last I was able
to accept myself as a sexual human being created by God.
The second major spiritual challenge of my life happened
when I was 43 years old. Soon after Christmas I began to slide helplessly into a deep existential crisis, in which I faced an abyss of anguish. For several months I felt more and more
lost. One morning I woke up utterly terrified. I got down on
my knees and asked God to take me by the hand and show
me the way out of the dark tunnel in which I was trapped.
On the third day, a Saturday in late winter, the answer came.
It arrived in three parts. Through different channels
three well-known Bible passages greeted me, each one
shedding new, unexpected light on my life: Matt. 25:14–30; Nums 6:24–26; Luke 5:18–26. In the early evening I attended a moving church service, which held a special blessing of peace. A few minutes after leaving, I heard the voice of Jesus speaking
words of healing to me, taking my breath away. The effect was extraordinary: that same evening all my agony lifted. It was nothing but a miracle. Over the following days I began to understand the meaning of divine grace. Hallelujah.
My vision of Christianity is broadly ecumenical. My
research on the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) has taught
me that this ancient work of art is unique. Its brilliance is enduring. For me, working with the Bible is a labour of love.
I never get tired of sharing the treasures I am finding.
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