I swear I didn’t lose it on purpose. Here’s how it happened. When my daughter was a baby, my friend Rachel bought her an Elf on the Shelf. I didn’t actually get it out of the box until she was about 3, and my son was 1. My daughter promptly named the elf “Rachel,” and here’s the CREEPIEST thing–she had not seen aunt Rachel, the PERSON, since she was a baby. Had no idea this elf came from aunt Rachel,... Read more
Normally, I’m a purist. Nothing green or sparkly goes up at my house until the first Sunday of Advent. Not a strain of Christmas music creeps over my airways until December 1. No shopping until I really HAVE to. And even then, my version of ‘shopping’ is pretty modest. But this year? Somebody call the liturgical police—because I am like Buddy the Elf up in here. I finished most of my shopping online weeks ago. The minute I finished my... Read more
We don’t know much, in these early hours after the shooting at a Planned Parenthood in Colorado. But here’s what we know for sure. The terrorist was white. And American. And most likely, Christian. Not a faceless boogeyman in a turban. Not a young black man with droopy pants. This guy was your neighbor. You pass him on the street as you walk your kids to school. You wave on the way to the mailbox. You might even sit by... Read more
Repeat after me: Not all Muslims are extremists; the U.S. Government ALREADY does rigorous screening on all immigrants to our shores; and you are more likely to be crushed by a piece of furniture in your own damn house than to be killed by a terrorist. But. If you are reading my stuff, you probably already know this. And you are probably sick and tired of trying to convince other people. But listen. Step away from the ‘unfriend,’ ‘block’ and ‘unfollow’... Read more
I had no idea… I had no idea that so many people were total experts on the Middle East and U.S. Foreign Policy. I had no idea that so many people have such a profound grasp on the complexities of MILLENNIA of religious strife, extreme poverty, harsh climate and tyrannical, extremist politics. But a quick scan of the newsfeed–not to mention the comments section of any given article on the internet–assures me that, in fact, PLENTY of people know. all. about... Read more
We rail against gun culture, the gross injustice of capitalism, and the disintegrating lines between church and state. Some may say, for these reasons and others, that we hate America. But I’ve got a secret for you: I’m going to whisper it so I don’t have to turn in my lefty hippie commie card… Liberals are patriotic. For real though. In fact, most of us would argue that we hold the values above BECAUSE we love our country. We love... Read more
Lots of good things start with imaginary Christian persecution. For instance: My first viral blog post– the one that made me think maybe this could be a thing and I should keep writing–was about the so-called “war on Christmas.” ACPC (Affluent Christian Persecution Complex) has also resulted in a completely free marketing campaign for Starbucks! Christmas has sure come early for them this year. Because they chose to go with a minimalist holiday design this year, featuring a solid red cup... Read more
It’s been a big week in Kansas City. Following the Royals’ World Series win, we pretty much shut down the city for a few days. Standing in a sea of half a million people (which later counts put closer to a million) with zero visibility, limited access to food and restroom facilities–all after waiting in hours of traffic just to get there –DOES NOT SOUND LIKE MY IDEA OF A FUN TIME. However, the people who did venture out for the victory... Read more
The Royals won the World Series last night for the first time in 30 years, and this city is losing its mind. Fireworks and cannons were going off at all hours–in the SUBURBS even–school has been cancelled for tomorrow’s parade, and there are rumors of a metro-wide coffee shortage as a sleep-deprived population struggles to function in the actual world today. It seems like a good time to re-run this post I wrote last year in the post-season. Because it’s... Read more
Guest post: Rev. Dr. Michael Kinnamon Think back to the images from last year in Murrieta, California, where buses of unaccompanied minors and women with children, all fleeing violence in Central America, were blocked by angry, screaming adults. In his column about this incident, the Christian evangelical, Jim Wallis, told of a talk he had recently given on immigration to his son’s fifth-grade class in Washington, DC–a class that was racially, ethnically, and religiously diverse. He talked about families separated or deported because they were undocumented,... Read more
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