Whenever I’m angry or frustrated, I tend to say a very nasty, very ugly word. Naturally, I say it often. It starts with an ‘s’ and ends in a ‘t.’ I never really thought much of it, to be honest. It has always seemed harmless, even as an ordained minister. I mean, it’s just a word after all. Then, in a fit of his own frustration, my son said it. The moment I heard it, I was mortified. I knew... Read more
A few weeks ago, Ben Howard of On Pop Theology interviewed me on his podcast. During it, he asked me about my style of preaching and about how I compose my homilies. In it, I admitted to him that occasionally, I will change my sermons after I post them to my blog. The message largely remains the same, but I smooth out the transitions, add paragraphs, and often take a few away. Sometimes it’s a simple matter of the response... Read more
Proper 21C Luke 16:19-31 We all love a good role-reversal story. It explains the popularity of reality television shows like Undercover Boss where the wealthy owner of some national retail brand goes to work with the everyday minimum wage employees. Our movies and television shows are filled with this kind of story, from Trading Spaces with Dan Aykroyd and Eddie Murphy to The Hunger Games. It’s a beloved trope, one of the seven basic plots in our stories. It should... Read more
The facts really don’t matter. When it comes to divisive political and religious issues — whether its gun control, climate change, or biblical inerrancy, no one really cares about the facts, the solid statistics, and the historical narrative. We don’t see the facts in those situations, according to a study by Yale law school professor Dan Kahan. Instead we see what we want to see. In fact, when presented with concrete information that disproves our beliefs, we tend to cling... Read more
Perhaps you’ve noticed it. Maybe even on this site in the advertisements. Makena can’t read the Christmas story. End Bible Poverty. If you want to end Bible Poverty, since that’s a thing now, with its own hashtag and everything, be my guest. But maybe, before we do that, maybe we could think about, oh, I don’t know, doing something about actual poverty first? Before we fret over the 1 billion people who don’t have a Bible in their own language... Read more
I’ve got a new post up at The God Article today, a reflection on the nationwide targeting of people who are homeless. The impetus, of course, is the recent Love Wins incident, but that incident speaks more broadly to a disturbing trend in our cities nationwide. The Love Wins incident was not an anomaly. It is the norm. Here’s an excerpt, but read the rest here: “It’s ironic, really. Conservatives love to tell folks that the best way to end... Read more
When I had my wisdom teeth removed several years ago, I felt as if I was going to choke to death. Awake, but sedated, I kept gagging on something. It was something unnatural and awful. I was convinced a piece of my tooth had broken off and gotten caught in my throat. I became frantic, gagging and choking. I couldn’t get enough oxygen. I gasped for air, but found none. “I can’t breathe!” I croaked to my dentist. “I’m choking... Read more
As part of the Patheos Passing on the Faith conversation, I decided to invite my friend Stephen Ingram to share his thoughts. Stephen is a seasoned youth minister, an author, and a really thoughtful person. I was lucky enough to attend college with him and am honored to offer his thoughts on how we pass on our faith to the next generations. Pick up his book, Hollow Faith, or visit his Web site, Organic Student Ministry. Like today. **** We... Read more
Commonly, liturgical churches will do a back-to-school Blessing of the Backpacks. Usually, it is a simple, short blessing used in a Sunday Eucharist. But, for the purposes of junior and senior high students, I’ve always found them to be lacking something — honest engagement with how difficult and turbulent school can be for teenagers. So, I created a liturgy that doesn’t gloss over the anxiety, frustration, hope and fears that come with new beginnings and with returning to school. The... Read more
Proper 15C — Luke 12:49-56 As a parent of two little boys who in one breath dearly love each other and, in the next, dearly love to pester each other, I can’t say I was thrilled when I read the Gospel text for today, much less to have to preach on it. This text mocked me all week long. Like when, one morning, all before breakfast, I found myself refereeing the third spat between my boys. Or when my spouse... Read more
Edges of Faith
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