I have heard much talk of peace over the past few months. As someone who seeks peace, any talk of peace should be comforting and encouraging that the world is moving in a positive direction. Rather than comforting and encouraging, I have found recent talk of peace to be downright scary. I have found many people’s ideas of peace to be nothing more than disguises for violence. Over the past few months, there was a real push for military... Read more
This morning we sit firmly between the juxtaposition of safety and risk. Since we opened the doors of this church, we have consistently dealt with such juxtaposition. Last week, I had a few guys scream “fuck you faggot” at me and later put glass underneath my tires. This week we had a religious man roll up on a motorcycle and become rather confrontational with some of our folk who were standing outside smoking. Although we work hard to... Read more
Like every Sunday morning, I arrived early at Mable Peabody’s Beauty Parlor and Chainsaw Repair Shop to set up for church. The musicians were inside and I was outside unloading my car. I had my back to the parking lot when all of a sudden from behind me I heard repetitively, “Fuck You Faggot!” I turned to see three young men pointing and snarling at me from their car. I stared long and hard enough to give the young men... Read more
I met a young Jewish woman tonight. We were drawn into a conversation about energy, love, and the universe. Though our language was different, the more we talked the more I found my spirit deeply connected to her spirit. I found her to be an inspired child of God…even the incarnation of Jesus for me in that moment. While I am sure she would describe it differently, it does not change the fact that we both seemed to find hope,... Read more
Jesus was a man under attack. Jesus lovingly healed a blind man and the Pharisees simply didn’t like it. Jesus responded to them by extolling the virtues of both God and love. Jesus declared all loves without sacrifice to be partial loves. Jesus declares that love will never die. Jesus states that all are children of God. Jesus encourages them to believe in what they see happening all around them…love, miracles, and hope. The Pharisees were... Read more
This afternoon we pastors, educators, students, and social workers gather to express our concern about a lack of funding for public education in Texas. The voices and paths represented here are varied but our conclusions are the same…public education is at the forefront of issues of social justice. The local public school system remains one of the great forces in our society able to awaken the social conscientious of students and create a better world. I know because I experienced... Read more
Jesus was walking down the street and saw a man who was blind. The story that follows reveals much about human nature and the world that we live in. Jesus places mud pies on the eyes of the man and tells him to go wash them out in order to enact the healing. Jesus healed him but he had to take the next step of acting out that healing. I encounter so many people who have the means... Read more
In John 8, Jesus saves the life of an adulterous woman by getting down in the dirt between her and the patriarchal Pharisees. Not long after, people are skeptical of who gives him the authority to do such a thing. Jesus responds in John 8:12, “I am the light of the world.” The scriptures consistently point us toward becoming more like Jesus…so what does it mean for us to be able to say in this life, “I am the... Read more
eight-year-old commits suicide those were the words in the newspaper i read how can someone so young now be dead the motivation was to leave the bullying behind how does evil manifest in children so young they are supposed to be outside playing and having fun god i am pissed at you again how could you have let some shit like this go down and you expect me to wake up and preach about you in this town... Read more
In the beginning of the eighth chapter of John we find Jesus in the middle of a scuffle. There is a woman thrown at the feet of Jesus. The Pharisees in all of their patriarchal glory have aggressively brought this woman in and said that they found her in the very act of adultery. The law says that the woman should be stoned to death and the Pharisees have the rocks at ready. Jesus is asked a pertinent question,... Read more
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