Posts
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
If You’re Gonna Condemn Terrorism—Please Condemn All Of It
I despise bullies. I always have. As a young boy, when I scanned the hallways at school my eyes instinctively sought out the underdog and the marginalized. I pushed back against those who brokered in
In Moments Such As These (While Paris Is Bleeding)
Paris is bleeding. We know little more than this with any certainty, and yet this is the only thing we really need to know right now. It is more than
Parenting Through The Pain: Moms, Dads, Vomit, and Breakdowns
My kids are selfish, narcissistic jerks. There I said it. Case in point: It was 7AM. My wife had only forty-five minutes earlier headed out of town on business, but not before
Leaving Behind Red Cup Christianity
Christians, I think we’ve been exposed this week. I think the world has seen us clearly and we’ve seen ourselves—and it isn’t very pretty. We’ve all witnessed that our faith tradition has
Welcome To The Ground: A Message To All Would-Be Superheroes
Gravity really sucks… Every superhero falls from the sky from time to time. No matter how great their daily feats of strength, how amazing their public displays of courage, how astonishing the
The "War on Christmas" Cries Overshadow The Daily War On Christ—By Christians
‘Tis the season to claim persecution… Our yearly Christian obsession with the supposed “War on Christmas” began early this season, with the viral video of the Starbucks red cup rant by
Starbucks Cups, Video Rants, And Christians Who've Lost The Plot
And they’ll know we are Christians by our breathless, intolerant rants. You may have seen this video by perpetually bearded, squinting, close-yelling, backward hat-wearing, Christian video guy Joshua Feuersetin or others from him. He’s now
Why The Church Should Save Time And Apologize To The LGBTQ Community Now
Sooner or later it’s going to happen. It always does. History teaches us that eventually justice comes where injustice has reigned for so long, and with it too so do the oppressors’ apologies
That Self-Righteous, Combative, S**t Stirring Troll on Social Media—May Be You
I’m a people watcher. I particularly enjoy finding out what makes them tick under pressure; how they respond to adversity, how they navigate conflict, how they manage dissension. Social media provides a perpetual smorgasbord
The Day I’ll Finally Stop Grieving
“How long has it been? When is he going to get over that grief and move on already?” I get it. I know you might be thinking that about me or about someone
A Time When I Blew It
Yesterday I became the problem. I wrote this blog post, in an effort to call out a large number of white people claiming that the black student thrown to the
Ben Fields and Many Adults Need A Refresher Course in Being Adults
This is really quite simple. I’ve heard all sorts of creative justifications (many from white adults) for the classroom body slamming of a 16-year old black girl by Deputy Ben
Why Christians Shouldn't Try To Scare The Hell Out of People
Now this was a nightmare… I was a year or so into my career as a student pastor, carelessly bounding through the twisting cornstalk caverns on a crisp Fall evening in
The Church Needs To Be Rebuilt Backwards
The modern Church is badly broken. It’s not broken simply because it is filled with flawed, failing human beings. That is certainly true but this has always been the case, and yet the Church
What About Protecting Our Young Men When They Date, Too?
The cliché is familiar to most of us: a steel jawed, gun wielding, bicep exposing father, sending the intimidating message to all young male suitors hoping to date his precious princess—that this
Don’t End Your Song Too Early (For Those Contemplating Leaving)
Pain in the present can blind you. It can obscure the future so fully that you’re no longer able to believe anything beautiful is still possible, that joy is ever going to be
You May Not Be Losing Your Mind—You May Just Have Children
This past weekend I did quite a few notable things: I went without misplacing anything. I drove using a GPS and didn’t miss a single turn. I carried several thoughts
Fundamentalists (and Progressives) Are People Too
“That’s the thing with all you Liberals…” Now there’s an ignorant, wasteful sentence starter if there ever was one; a lazy, dismissive, broadly painted insult disguised as objective insight, designed to malign
Christian, It’s Okay to Change Your Mind
Fear can make you freeze. Worse than that, it can make you silent. The first time I questioned my theology (I mean really questioned it), I was flat-out terrified. Not terrified of God, per
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
If You’re Gonna Condemn Terrorism—Please Condemn All Of It
I despise bullies. I always have. As a young boy, when I scanned the hallways at school my eyes instinctively sought out the underdog and the marginalized. I pushed back against those who brokered in
In Moments Such As These (While Paris Is Bleeding)
Paris is bleeding. We know little more than this with any certainty, and yet this is the only thing we really need to know right now. It is more than
Parenting Through The Pain: Moms, Dads, Vomit, and Breakdowns
My kids are selfish, narcissistic jerks. There I said it. Case in point: It was 7AM. My wife had only forty-five minutes earlier headed out of town on business, but not before
Leaving Behind Red Cup Christianity
Christians, I think we’ve been exposed this week. I think the world has seen us clearly and we’ve seen ourselves—and it isn’t very pretty. We’ve all witnessed that our faith tradition has
Welcome To The Ground: A Message To All Would-Be Superheroes
Gravity really sucks… Every superhero falls from the sky from time to time. No matter how great their daily feats of strength, how amazing their public displays of courage, how astonishing the
The "War on Christmas" Cries Overshadow The Daily War On Christ—By Christians
‘Tis the season to claim persecution… Our yearly Christian obsession with the supposed “War on Christmas” began early this season, with the viral video of the Starbucks red cup rant by
Starbucks Cups, Video Rants, And Christians Who've Lost The Plot
And they’ll know we are Christians by our breathless, intolerant rants. You may have seen this video by perpetually bearded, squinting, close-yelling, backward hat-wearing, Christian video guy Joshua Feuersetin or others from him. He’s now
Why The Church Should Save Time And Apologize To The LGBTQ Community Now
Sooner or later it’s going to happen. It always does. History teaches us that eventually justice comes where injustice has reigned for so long, and with it too so do the oppressors’ apologies
That Self-Righteous, Combative, S**t Stirring Troll on Social Media—May Be You
I’m a people watcher. I particularly enjoy finding out what makes them tick under pressure; how they respond to adversity, how they navigate conflict, how they manage dissension. Social media provides a perpetual smorgasbord
The Day I’ll Finally Stop Grieving
“How long has it been? When is he going to get over that grief and move on already?” I get it. I know you might be thinking that about me or about someone
A Time When I Blew It
Yesterday I became the problem. I wrote this blog post, in an effort to call out a large number of white people claiming that the black student thrown to the
Ben Fields and Many Adults Need A Refresher Course in Being Adults
This is really quite simple. I’ve heard all sorts of creative justifications (many from white adults) for the classroom body slamming of a 16-year old black girl by Deputy Ben
Why Christians Shouldn't Try To Scare The Hell Out of People
Now this was a nightmare… I was a year or so into my career as a student pastor, carelessly bounding through the twisting cornstalk caverns on a crisp Fall evening in
The Church Needs To Be Rebuilt Backwards
The modern Church is badly broken. It’s not broken simply because it is filled with flawed, failing human beings. That is certainly true but this has always been the case, and yet the Church
What About Protecting Our Young Men When They Date, Too?
The cliché is familiar to most of us: a steel jawed, gun wielding, bicep exposing father, sending the intimidating message to all young male suitors hoping to date his precious princess—that this
Don’t End Your Song Too Early (For Those Contemplating Leaving)
Pain in the present can blind you. It can obscure the future so fully that you’re no longer able to believe anything beautiful is still possible, that joy is ever going to be
You May Not Be Losing Your Mind—You May Just Have Children
This past weekend I did quite a few notable things: I went without misplacing anything. I drove using a GPS and didn’t miss a single turn. I carried several thoughts
Fundamentalists (and Progressives) Are People Too
“That’s the thing with all you Liberals…” Now there’s an ignorant, wasteful sentence starter if there ever was one; a lazy, dismissive, broadly painted insult disguised as objective insight, designed to malign
Christian, It’s Okay to Change Your Mind
Fear can make you freeze. Worse than that, it can make you silent. The first time I questioned my theology (I mean really questioned it), I was flat-out terrified. Not terrified of God, per