Five of us from the Transform Network leadership team were at the Sojourners Summit when we heard about the killing of 9 people at Emmanuel AME Church in Charleston, SC. I happened to run into two people that next Wednesday morning in the lobby of the Summit that I had only met online and via phone, Lindsay Andreolli-Comstock from the Beatitudes Society and Jacqui Lewis from Middle Collegiate Church. We said our hellos and as they headed off to what... Read more
When tragedies occur something within us cries out to respond. We want to say something to our fellow human beings — something meaningful, something we hope can temper the feelings of grief and despair one feels in the wake of great loss. But following last Wednesday’s massacre, I am once again painfully reminded of the poverty of language. Like many of you, I felt compelled to share a thought or prayer via social media. This desire was compounded by the... Read more
Part 3 of 3 In this series, we’ve been exploring the possibility that Jesus’ “coming on the clouds” was a symbolic way of speaking about the spiritual meaning of the one of the most significant events in the First Century CE: The Jerusalem civil war, and subsequent Roman attack, culminating in the destruction of the Hebrew Temple. But is this the only time Scripture describes God “coming on the clouds”? If there are other examples, do we see these “cloud comings” of... Read more
Recently, a friend of mine in their wheelchair had a walking person push past them in order to use the accessible stall. My friend showed patience and civility, but still ended up having to wait for the person to finish because that was the only stall they could use. The person who pushed past was probably not a bad person. They probably recycle and give to charity. They can probably recite the contents of Luke 6:31 without skipping a beat.... Read more
I am blessed to live in a place where we can easily go up to mountains. Daily we can look on them and be reminded of how small we are and how mighty they are. Daily I can gaze at their beauty, take pictures of them in different light, see how they change in snow and cloud. Mountains are amazing. They make you remember the Creator and remind you to be amazed to see all that he has made. But... Read more
There are millions of new combinations of words created every day, combinations that are put here, on the web, for anyone to view. And there’s one thing that nobody seems to notice, or care about, or even comment on, one important thing about all those words. A lot of them are hurtful. Some intentionally so. Read more
Last night we had a live streamed conversation on YouTube about “How White People Need to Talk to White People About Race.” Over 400 people RSVP’d on the Facebook event, which is a much larger audience than we have ever reached in our monthly Open Conversations. During the video we had over 250 views, social media engagement was really strong and it has been shared and viewed widely. This makes me think that white people are really struggling to talk... Read more
Now and then, I find myself knocked down in the dirt in confusion and only music can touch my soul. Here is a lamentation from the least expected source, it showed up in my life (thanks Spotify) and for the past few years it was given words to a wide range of thoughts and emotions. I Used To Know How To Walk On Water is probably the most beautiful spiritual song I have heard in many, many years – maybe in all... Read more
I have had, over the years, some interesting and deeply thoughtful conversations with leaders, primarily in the church, on the subject of leadership. Prior to my engagement with church leadership, I had experienced leadership roles in community nonprofit organizations, professional associations, and my career as a commercial banker. I believe that many leadership skills can be taught and enhanced through education and training, especially in workshop and seminar settings with other leaders seeking similar personal growth and enlightenment. However, it... Read more
She was a friend of GOD I’m just getting in from my friend of 33 years mother’s funeral. She’s being buried on her 91st birthday!! What a glorious and full life!! I wouldn’t have missed the service for anything. Rita Law was a woman I always gravitated toward at family/friend gatherings. Her light was so bright, I was like a moth to her vibrant flame. Her last few years were marred by worsening dementia and yet one could always sense... Read more
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