*Christian Parks is accompanying me again this summer. Throughout our time together, we will post brief snippets of our conversations. C: In a break from visiting with the guys on death row, we had an amazing opportunity to witness the last glimpse of the Strawberry Moon over the ocean in Galveston. What did God say? J: The pull of the ocean is always strong. There is something about the movement of those waves. The moon leads the dancing.... Read more
With the defeat of multiple gun control measures this evening, the US Senate has made it clear that they believe that guns matter more than human lives. The blood that flowed out of Mother Emanuel AME Church doesn’t matter. The blood that flowed out of Pulse Nightclub doesn’t matter. The blood that flowed out of Sandy Hook Elementary doesn’t matter. The blood that flows down our streets day in and day out doesn’t matter. ... Read more
Where are we going? How did we get here? What does tomorrow hold? God is making all things new. Don’t believe it? Walk next door. I get turned around on the journey. I get confused. I lose my sense of direction. I get afraid. I feel like I should give up. I need Jesus. I need next door. Marty Troyer’s The Gospel Next Door is a helpful and timely reminder that next... Read more
The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship responded swiftly to the recent crises in Orlando. From pastoral care to providing care packages to a variety of other services, churches and individuals affiliated with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship really stepped up. These actions should be commended. Unfortunately, the care and services provided are not the entirety of the story. For every LGBTQ person the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship touched this last week, we know there is at least one thing they didn’t hear,... Read more
Jesus called me into ministry. The institutional church has put me through hell. The keepers of the normative have always tried to stand in my way. Having spent years in discernment, I will never forget the first question. “Do you believe in a literal hell?” After an afternoon of similar questions, I passed my ordination council. When the service started, I sat in the front. Dozens of men placed their hands on my head. At the... Read more
Almost a year ago, I released this statement to numerous outlets after learning of the shooting at Mother Emanuel AME Church: “Tragedy amplifies our desperate desire to hear a word from God. In the midst of suffocating times, sojourners gathered last night and placed their ears to the sky. As a testament to their love, the group welcomed a stranger. When the shots rang out, the nine souls of Mother Emanuel AME Church heard the beautiful comforting of... Read more
*Christian Parks is accompanying me again this summer. Throughout our time together, we will post brief snippets of our conversations. J: How do you move forward? C: I pass through lament and anger. I look injustice and hatred in the eye and declare there is another way. I look into myself and look into our world and proclaim there is a higher calling — a greater calling. I walk forward never forgetting what darkness can do, so... Read more
Move Your Ass Get Out of Your Seat We Have Got to Pray for These Streets Don’t Delay We Haven’t the Time To Sit Around and Wait for the Next Crime Move Your Ass Get Out of Your Seats We Have Got to Pray for These Streets Keep Walking Mind Every Crack We Haven’t the Time To Sit Around and Wait for the Next Attack Move Your Ass Get Out of Your Seats We Have Got to Pray for... Read more
Nearly four years ago, I was working as a chaplain at JPS Hospital in Fort Worth. The downtown level one trauma center was often a wild place to be. On a relatively sleepy Sunday afternoon, we got word that an airplane crash victim from Roanoke was being flown in. I’ll never forget what he looked liked when he arrived. I was terrified. I’d never seen a human body look like that before. It was as if someone had crushed... Read more
*Christian Parks is accompanying me again this summer. Throughout our time together, we will post brief snippets of our conversations. C: How should Christians engage conflict? J: Brother Christian, we are called to create moral conflict. We are called to trouble the waters. We are called to cause a disturbance. I’m not interested in all of these calls for peace when there is no peace. I’m tired of stagnated and decaying Christians telling me to tone it... Read more
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