The church I used to serve in Phoenix shared space with a preschool. It was also a polling site in every election. I used to set up a card table in our courtyard area, outside of where people were going in to vote, and I’d have cookies or donuts or something, and also church brochures and swag, for anybody who wanted to stop and chat about the church. It was always a bit of happy chaos in the mornings, when... Read more
On Sunday, Aug. 5, dozens of churches nationwide participated in a Hamilton Preach-In. Each participating preacher had a designated song from the show to highlight in their worship service. There will eventually be a link where you can go watch videos of all the different sermons (and some music). For now, here are my sermon notes on “Dear Theodosia.” Oh, and since we’ve got quite a few Ham-fans among the youth and children of our congregation, I hid a few lyrics... Read more
This story starts with a nest. In the eaves of a front porch, in Nashville, at my brother’s house. Where I was on vacation. Little brother is usually pretty particular about the general order and cleanliness of things. An organized sock drawer when he was 6. Cleaning out my car when he was 12 (and I was 20). A spotless house, categorized bookshelves, and—do not get me started on his cooking prep stations. Which is to say, you’d think that... Read more
(Erin is on vacation this week. Today’s guest post is by teacher and writer Quinn White.) By Quinn White I didn’t think I was fragile anymore. I talk about racism a lot. I write about it. I study it all the time. But I found myself angry, frustrated and beyond defensive recently. I found myself resisting, with white knuckles around my identity as an anti-racist activist. It was an Instagram challenge. “Harmless enough,” I thought. It was called “You and... Read more
I’m on vacation this week and most of next. That doesn’t mean I’m not writing. It does mean I’m writing what I want, and not what the zeitgeist demands. I’m home visiting family, and also on what has become a mini-book tour. Come see me in Bowling Green, Nashville or Lexington, KY this week! You’ll notice that itinerary doesn’t include home home, which is London, Kentucky. I don’t make it there often, mostly because it adds a couple extra hours of driving... Read more
What would, would not. And could, couldn’t go. Or as we say down home, Can’t never could. And also? What you get is what you get. I never could make sense of ain’t got no. But always, ever after, we don’t know what we don’t know. Just a little Appalachian shade for President who knows “all the best words,” but suddenly thinks we’re going to buy that he “misspoke” at a press conference after a ShadyAF secret meeting with one... Read more
Let me tell you a short story about my day that reveals a lot about our healthcare system, and our economy. I went by the pharmacy to pick up some refills. One of my son’s prescriptions had gone from a zero copay to an $85 copay. The pharmacy staff seemed annoyed that I wanted them to be able to tell me why this was. At their suggestion, I finally ended up calling my insurance provider. When I told the rep... Read more
A friend of mine witnessed an incident the other day. Some folks had car trouble and were stranded at a gas station. A man saw that they needed help, proceeded to go and fix their car for them, and then went on his way. Aside from the all-around lovely moment of humanity, what she noticed was this: the family with the car trouble was African American. The man who fixed their car was driving a truck with a Trump bumper... Read more
We start conditioning girls young. The message is, your main goal in life is to be pretty. And be competitive about it. Here's a better way. Read more
In the current political climate, there are many things about which we can ‘agree to disagree.’ It is critical to the future of civilization that we remember how to do that. The plastic straw thing, for instance. Or the confounding popularity of “the floss.” Or whether kids should have screen time limits when it’s 100 damn degrees in the shade. On these things, we can all have our own opinions. The whole American dream/democracy situation was to allow for a... Read more
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