Beginning August 5th in Rio, the world will be introduced to a new group of superheroes. At the 2016 Olympics, there will be 10,500 athletes competing, but the world will be watching 10 in particular. For the first time ever, the International Olympic Committee has chosen a refugee team to compete. Read more
I've been reading the Gospels the past two weeks. I haven't read straight through in quite a while. And this time, I studied closely, every single thing Jesus said about homosexuality. What I found was astounding. Read more
Conventional wisdom isn't always real wisdom. Here's my take on five quotes I've heard all my life. Read more
When I was seasick as a teenager, we would immediately start looking for the sandbar. But feeling better was a process. It might take ten minutes with my feet on the ground, before the nausea would begin to subside, and I felt like I could keep going. Instead of considering running home and curling up in a ball on the couch, after a few minutes on land, I actually wanted to get back in the boat and fish some more. These days, I’m not so different from that teenager in the boat. Read more
I don’t like being a Christian today. Actually, I should say, I don’t like most Christians today. Wait. What I really mean is, I don’t want to fight with Christians anymore. Read more
We often read things about the blessed peacemakers. But when it came to broken people being exploited by the Church, the compassion of Jesus often presented as outrage. Jesus could be volatile in the face of injustice. He constantly reacted out of great compassion toward those in need of messy grace and radical hope. Read more
It's been nearly four years since my suicide attempt. I thank God my life did not end on that terrible night. But I also realize how lucky I was. I simply chose the right (or wrong) method of dying. If I had bought a gun instead of pills, I would be dead. Thank God I had time, after trying to die, for someone to intervene. Read more
I'm not Jesus. And for good reason. What would your #25 be? Read more
Lindsey stepped into the circle with me. She recognized my shame and fear. She knew my painful secrets. In the face of shame, my wife became the voice of grace. She dared anyone holding stones to first look in the mirror before they threw the first at me. When others pushed me out, she pulled me closer. Grace has a way of doing just that: when judgment divides, grace draws near. Read more
When I was fifteen, we took our annual trip to the beach. There I was, in stupid teenager Heaven, taking in the sights, when I walked up on a dead catfish. In all the years we spent camping at the beach, I’d caught my fair share of sea cats. The little devils are basically worthless, but they put up a heck of a fight from the piers at Panama City and Gulf Shores. I stood over the carcass of this dead fish, as it swelled in the sun. I was barefoot and bored, so I did the next logical thing for a stupid teenager. Read more
Grace is Messy
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