Oh God, Where Are You Now?
If you’re on any kind of a spiritual journey, there inevitably comes a day when all the usual “lights” go out.
Love is the Most Important Command
Maybe we fear that love is a zero-sum game, that if we give of ourselves there might not be anything left for us. But love is not about self-abnegation.
Hope in Hard Times: An Element of Our Prophetic Vocation
I continue to be challenged by the ongoing need for reconstruction, for the building of a society not based on the evils of systemic racism and environmental degradation; it’s big, overdue work. I feel helpless and lost, I am not sure how to help. It’s a lot, and I am discouraged and overwhelmed. Yet, I am singing.
Liturgy in the Time of COVID
These days, my emotions are not a reliable source. They are up and down and back and forth and all over the place, telling me stories and lies and leading me down all sorts of rabbit holes. I don’t need emotional authenticity—I need something solid. I need a touchstone to ground me. I don’t need high-energy, emotional worship; I need liturgy.
When Hope is Poisoned by Despair
The killing of black men by police is a relentless beating against the souls and the spirits of people who believe in justice and who operate in hope. But with each assault, those same spirits become more and more wounded.
Inclusive Hymn Rewrite Challenge
There is nothing gratuitous about the arts right now. They are not added, they are essential—like spirituals in the hell of cotton fields, anti-war songs of the 60s, AIDS blankets and inner city murals and poetry that says what everybody’s tired souls are feeling.
Voting for the Common Good
Encouraging people of faith to bring about a change on election day by making the common good their voting criteria.
In the Company of Difference: An Excerpt from I Am Not Your Enemy
In fact, it’s in the presence of difference that hospitality is often most needed.
I’m Not Okay
I’m not sleeping well, friends.
All this past week I’ve been receiving thoughtful messages asking how I’m doing. And honestly? I feel like I’m losing, embarrassed of how afraid I am, how anxious I feel. There ...
The Defiant Hope of ‘Just Mercy’
"Just Mercy" is not a film about a man.