Posts
Dear Tamir Rice, Your Life Really DID Matter.
Dear Tamir, You were just 18 months older than my son, Noah. He has the same brilliant light in his eyes that I see in yours; the kind with all the promise
White, American, Christian Terrorists Are Still Terrorists… Aren't They?
Self-delusion is not an American ideal—or at least it shouldn’t be. Someone really needs to inform the men hunkered down in a Oregon wildlife preserve that because it seems they
It’s Okay to Be Sad. It Really is.
I hope more of your posts are positive. Is “stuff that needs to be said,” always negative or sad? Life is not a veil of tears and then you die.
A New Year of Unpretending
Hello, friend. If your eyes are falling upon these words you’ve arrived at the threshold of another year. Now you may have done so in a swift, blissful sprint across the dateline,
If You’re Not Welcome Home This Christmas
People are fragile things. They are so very breakable. I imagine you understand this all too well. I imagine you know what it means to be so broken, perhaps at this time
Am I Losing My Faith or Just Losing My Mind?
People often come to me when they are in the throes of spiritual crisis; when the doubts and the questions and the conflicting voices have finally overwhelmed them. I know
Forget Steve Harvey's Gaffe. Can I Ask Why We're Still Holding Beauty Pageants?
This week the Internet broke after Miss Universe host Steve Harvey’s immediately legendary gaffe on live TV; announcing a winner and then having to redact seconds later, taking the crown from an understandably devastated Miss
Make The Yuletide Gay (A Message To The LGBTQ Community and Those Who Love Them)
As much as what we believe matters, sometimes saying what we believe often matters as much. I believe that a person’s gender identity and sexual orientation have no bearing on their character or
Blue Christmas (What To Do When The Holidays Hurt)
‘Tis the season… For many people these are days of magic and wonder, a time when hope rises and peace falls and where miracles begin to feel commonplace. They are moments of joyous
When Rebuilding The Church Looks Like Destroying It
Every builder knows that before you can build onto something, most of the time you have to tear down something else. Our church is preparing to move into a shared space with an
The Day I Learned To Love (And Tell) “The Santa Lie”
“Dad, are you and mom Santa?” The words surprised even myself when they came flying out of my fourth grade mouth there in the storeroom of my father’s small town shoe
Dear Muslim Friends (A Letter From A Peace Loving Christian)
Dear Muslim Friends, I’m an American Christian and I’m sorry. I’m sorry that the loudest voices representing my faith tradition right now seem to be the most hateful ones, the ones
Just a Trite, Silly, Reminder About Love
I’m not sure this matters. I don’t know if it will make any difference. I don’t know if it will do anything to penetrate the thick and heavy sadness out there—but
Why Donald Trump Is the Greatest Friend the Islamic State Has Ever Had
At this point the Islamic State is probably ordering a big ol’ fruit basket for Donald Trump. If not they should be, because he’s doing their job for them far
Jerry Falwell Jr, Liberty University, and A Hateful Christianity Off the Rails
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. – Jesus On Friday, Jerry Falwell Jr, the President of Liberty University (our nation’s largest and influential such institution),
I'm Waiting On A Personal Christmas
Oh, we need a little Christmas, right this very minute…. Have you ever felt like something was off, something you couldn’t quite place but you were sure of just the same;
Letter To An American Gun Lover
If you’re an American gun lover, I’m not going to argue with you today. I’m not going to exchange news articles and opinion pieces and stat graphics. I’m not going
My Emancipation From American Christianity
I used to think that it was just me, that it was my problem, my deficiency, my moral defect. It had to be. All those times when I felt like an
Why Are We All So #@%^&$! Angry?
If your eyes are open you can’t miss it: We are an angry people. There is a thick and tangible bitterness marking our daily exchanges; the freeway middle fingers, the vile comment section
Holidays and Empty Chairs
The holidays are a time for recognizing our profound fullness, of purposefully dwelling on the abundant overflow we find ourselves in and being grateful for it. Our houses and our bellies bulge
Why Do I Still Have To Explain #BlackLivesMatter To Other White People?
After all this time, I don’t know why we still need to do this, but sadly we do. #BlackLivesMatter It’s okay to say it, white people. You should say it. You
The Place Called Enough (Cultivating A Life of Gratitude)
There’s a place I like to visit from time to time: a place called Enough. It is that place where my endlessly racing heart finally slows, where the ever-clenched muscles in my
But What If It Is Not Well With My Soul?
When peace, like a river, attendeth my way, when sorrows like sea billows roll; Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say, It is well, it is well with my soul.
Freeing Christians From Americhristianity
Dear World, I’m a Christian who feels something needs to be said about my faith tradition. Despite the ways we who practice it might declare otherwise, it is intended to beautiful and
Dear Tamir Rice, Your Life Really DID Matter.
Dear Tamir, You were just 18 months older than my son, Noah. He has the same brilliant light in his eyes that I see in yours; the kind with all the promise
White, American, Christian Terrorists Are Still Terrorists… Aren't They?
Self-delusion is not an American ideal—or at least it shouldn’t be. Someone really needs to inform the men hunkered down in a Oregon wildlife preserve that because it seems they
It’s Okay to Be Sad. It Really is.
I hope more of your posts are positive. Is “stuff that needs to be said,” always negative or sad? Life is not a veil of tears and then you die.
A New Year of Unpretending
Hello, friend. If your eyes are falling upon these words you’ve arrived at the threshold of another year. Now you may have done so in a swift, blissful sprint across the dateline,
If You’re Not Welcome Home This Christmas
People are fragile things. They are so very breakable. I imagine you understand this all too well. I imagine you know what it means to be so broken, perhaps at this time
Am I Losing My Faith or Just Losing My Mind?
People often come to me when they are in the throes of spiritual crisis; when the doubts and the questions and the conflicting voices have finally overwhelmed them. I know
Forget Steve Harvey's Gaffe. Can I Ask Why We're Still Holding Beauty Pageants?
This week the Internet broke after Miss Universe host Steve Harvey’s immediately legendary gaffe on live TV; announcing a winner and then having to redact seconds later, taking the crown from an understandably devastated Miss
Make The Yuletide Gay (A Message To The LGBTQ Community and Those Who Love Them)
As much as what we believe matters, sometimes saying what we believe often matters as much. I believe that a person’s gender identity and sexual orientation have no bearing on their character or
Blue Christmas (What To Do When The Holidays Hurt)
‘Tis the season… For many people these are days of magic and wonder, a time when hope rises and peace falls and where miracles begin to feel commonplace. They are moments of joyous
When Rebuilding The Church Looks Like Destroying It
Every builder knows that before you can build onto something, most of the time you have to tear down something else. Our church is preparing to move into a shared space with an
The Day I Learned To Love (And Tell) “The Santa Lie”
“Dad, are you and mom Santa?” The words surprised even myself when they came flying out of my fourth grade mouth there in the storeroom of my father’s small town shoe
Dear Muslim Friends (A Letter From A Peace Loving Christian)
Dear Muslim Friends, I’m an American Christian and I’m sorry. I’m sorry that the loudest voices representing my faith tradition right now seem to be the most hateful ones, the ones
Just a Trite, Silly, Reminder About Love
I’m not sure this matters. I don’t know if it will make any difference. I don’t know if it will do anything to penetrate the thick and heavy sadness out there—but
Why Donald Trump Is the Greatest Friend the Islamic State Has Ever Had
At this point the Islamic State is probably ordering a big ol’ fruit basket for Donald Trump. If not they should be, because he’s doing their job for them far
Jerry Falwell Jr, Liberty University, and A Hateful Christianity Off the Rails
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. – Jesus On Friday, Jerry Falwell Jr, the President of Liberty University (our nation’s largest and influential such institution),
I'm Waiting On A Personal Christmas
Oh, we need a little Christmas, right this very minute…. Have you ever felt like something was off, something you couldn’t quite place but you were sure of just the same;
Letter To An American Gun Lover
If you’re an American gun lover, I’m not going to argue with you today. I’m not going to exchange news articles and opinion pieces and stat graphics. I’m not going
My Emancipation From American Christianity
I used to think that it was just me, that it was my problem, my deficiency, my moral defect. It had to be. All those times when I felt like an
Why Are We All So #@%^&$! Angry?
If your eyes are open you can’t miss it: We are an angry people. There is a thick and tangible bitterness marking our daily exchanges; the freeway middle fingers, the vile comment section
Holidays and Empty Chairs
The holidays are a time for recognizing our profound fullness, of purposefully dwelling on the abundant overflow we find ourselves in and being grateful for it. Our houses and our bellies bulge
Why Do I Still Have To Explain #BlackLivesMatter To Other White People?
After all this time, I don’t know why we still need to do this, but sadly we do. #BlackLivesMatter It’s okay to say it, white people. You should say it. You
The Place Called Enough (Cultivating A Life of Gratitude)
There’s a place I like to visit from time to time: a place called Enough. It is that place where my endlessly racing heart finally slows, where the ever-clenched muscles in my
But What If It Is Not Well With My Soul?
When peace, like a river, attendeth my way, when sorrows like sea billows roll; Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say, It is well, it is well with my soul.
Freeing Christians From Americhristianity
Dear World, I’m a Christian who feels something needs to be said about my faith tradition. Despite the ways we who practice it might declare otherwise, it is intended to beautiful and