A brief PSA this morning: I agree with the #NashvilleStatement, issued yesterday from the Council of Biblical Manhood and Womanhood. No, seriously. I agree with them. I agree that there is no room to “agree to disagree” about the full humanity and worth of all God’s people. I agree there is no room for discussion or debate about who is welcome at the table, and who gets to be part of the kingdom. There is no discussion. No debate. Because the gospel,... Read more
The last few days have been grim and heartbreaking. At the same time, we have witnessed once again the incredible power of compassion, generosity, and love of one another. Read more
Guest post: by Shawn McGuffey When I was in elementary school I loved the Dukes of Hazzard. The funny shenanigans of Sheriff Roscoe P. Coltrane kept me laughing, while the co-stars Bo and Luke Duke’s “forget the rules” attitude appealed to my mildly rebellious spirit. And the show’s elaborate car chasing sequences kept my young heart racing. I was in awe over Uncle Jesse’s truck, Daisy’s jeep, and Boss Hogg’s impressive white, convertible Cadillac Coupe de Ville. Bo and Luke’s... Read more
Guest post: Rev. Megan Severns Huston This week I learned how to pray through a megaphone. I wasn’t planning on it. It just sort of… happened. On Saturday, someone from my church mentioned the events in Charlottesville. But we don’t have cable or even high speed internet in the holler where my family lives (yes, we are that country- it isn’t available!). So I was blissfully unaware of the conflict happening in our country until Saturday night at 7pm, when... Read more
I never (ever. ever) thought I would say this–but the president taught us an important lesson today. First he bemoaned the white supremacist activity as “violence from many sides, many sides.” Then he reappeared the next day with a bland and scripted statement condemning white supremacy– sounding for all the world like a child who’s being made to apologize to his little sister, even though he doesn’t understand (or care) what he’s done. This bland, measured, completely unemotional statement… from a... Read more
They tried to stop it, you know. Local business owners. City officials. The University. Thinking people. Compassionate people. Decent humans and citizens. They all tried to stop, or at least re-locate, the grotesque display of hatred and racism from marching through the middle of their beloved town. But ultimately, a judge ruled that the group was within its First Amendment rights in staging this “Unite the Right” gathering wherever they wanted to. I have mixed feelings about that. For my money,... Read more
Guest Post: Rev. Brandon Gilvin I have a love-hate relationship with journalism that covers religion. On the one hand, I love a good feature story about a monastery in the middle of rural America, or a story about religious traditions working together in innovative ways, or an insightful profile about someone who has examined her own faith enough to speak about it without resorting to platitudes. But then, there are the stories that just make me cringe. Tonight, when I... Read more
Guest Post: Keli Douglass I met Grace shortly after my husband and I moved to Seattle. Our son was an infant, and I was a newly minted “stay at home mom.” It was lonely. Achingly lonely. Having spent all my life with countless family members just a short drive away, I was lost. There were a lot of tears. Grace was new to town as well. Her husband and my husband had been friends for years and worked for the... Read more
A sad truth for today: I have maybe the best, most timely and important post of my blogging tenure… and I can’t publish it. It’s not my story to tell. It’s a word from a good friend of mine, a (well-decorated) military chaplain recently returned from a deployment in the Middle East. I asked this friend today to share some perspective on the POTUS Tweet (never a legit, checks and balances legislation, but always a damn middle school moment in... Read more
This morning, the internet was imploding with reactions to Trump’s address to the annual Boy Scout Jamboree. Horrified but not at all surprised, I mined my connections for folks who are active with the BSA–whether as former scouts, parents or leaders. I figured they could respond far better than I. Clearly, folks have much to say about this, because I got 3 great contributions. I thought about running them as 3 separate posts over the next few days. You know,... Read more
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