photo credit I’ve been speaking and giving testimonies surrounding just about every aspect of the abuse I went through, the court system, etc. I’ve spoke about everything from my crazy dysfunctions to the long and arduous healing process. The one thing I haven’t done is written about it…well, not publicly. I’ve been working on getting this story out in the memoir I’m writing, but haven’t brought much of that content to my online world. I decided to do that for... Read more
I can’t believe I had never heard of Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF before I became a member of the Global Team of 200 earlier this month. The more I learned about this program the more I wish I had known about it. As a kid, I would have loved to do something like this. And not to brag, but I would have done it like a boss. I digress. Here’s the gist: In 62 years UNICEF has raised over $167 million to... Read more
I’m willing to bet you $5.50 you did not know that livestock produces some of the most dangerous greenhouse gases—methane and nitrous oxide—through their digestive systems and their manure. And did you also know that these gases are far more powerful than the more commonly talked-about carbon dioxide? And did you also know that livestock is responsible for 18 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions? One more…livestock farming also uses huge amounts of water—nearly 8 percent of global human water... Read more
Ever wondered how your spiritual gifts play out in your parenting style? It’s pretty easy to assume the way you parent is due to your wonderful planning combined with the 55 gajillion parenting books you’ve ingested. Ever considered that the healthiest aspects of your parenting style are all bound up with your spiritual gifts? Well, duh. I hadn’t. Like most areas of my life I hadn’t realized I was “leading” my children out of my spiritual gifts because a) I... Read more
I’m a little more than half way through This Ordinary Adventure: Settling Down Without Settling by Adam & Christine Jeske. An excerpt from the book: “We want to be fully original and also fit squarely within a narrowly defined cool. We want our children to be brilliant and also never to care whether they are brilliant. We want to look like we don’t need anything and also never lack anything. We want to be able to apply for any job... Read more
I’m a little more than half way through This Ordinary Adventure: Settling Down Without Settling by Adam & Christine Jeske. An excerpt from the book: “We want to be fully original and also fit squarely within a narrowly defined cool. We want our children to be brilliant and also never to care whether they are brilliant. We want to look like we don’t need anything and also never lack anything. We want to be able to apply for any job... Read more
Recently, I was asked to write a blog post about a Minister I have learned from who has made a positive impact in my life. Can we celebrate the people who have directly poured into us, instead of the random celebrities who sometimes entertain us? Given the ways my previous supervisor has recently cared for me, this was an easy task to do. Meet Fred. He’s nothing like me, you know. In fact, we may be almost complete opposites on... Read more
Seems to me when we flip our lives right side up we move in fear and when we flip our lives upside down we move in foolishness. In the last little while I’ve flipped in fear and foolishness. Allow me please, to tell you how I’ve flipped life right side up in fear… Many of my old readers know this, but for the sake of my new ones and the beauty of forthrightness I thought I’d finally blog about why... Read more
About a week ago, I fired up the old laptop and mentally prepared for a quickie. A quick 20-minute blog post, that is. Only my blog wasn’t there. Not even the freaking admin page was there. So. I hyperventilated, naturally. After a little googling and I’d found that my web server, GoDaddy had been hacked by an anonymous jerk-face who wanted to teach GoDaddy a lesson. A million worries began flooding my head… When is it coming back? Will it come... Read more
When I started in campus ministry several years ago, I was 18, unmotivated, and a confused biracial kid with baggage up the wazoo and not a mite of confidence except in the only things I’d managed to perfect: fashion and hair. I started tagging along with the InterVarsity kids not because of Jesus or even to chase after the random hot dudes I frequently pursued. I went because the InterVarsity staff worker at Wayne State was black. Up to that... Read more
Everyday Black Matters
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