“All the white folks on my team!” The game was kickball. Before we could begin, we had to pick the teams. Will demanded that we divide by race. Even at the age of six, I knew this was wrong. Though Will was much bigger and stronger than me, I knew I had to tell the teacher. Immediately, Will was sent to the principal’s office. Being the first black teacher at our school, Ms. Ellington was well positioned to teach... Read more
Our laws allow for our police to shoot first and ask questions later. The murder of Tamir Rice is the consequence of our actions and inactions. We are an evil people. Our hands are covered in blood. I don’t see how anyone can follow Jesus and see this situation differently. Who’s going to be our next victim? Amen. Read more
When you stop to consider the absence of information that we’ve got about the childhood of Jesus, these passages about a young Jesus in the temple are incredibly profound. After a young Jesus leaves the temple, there is another huge gap (18 years to be exact) in the narrative. There is a reason that these passages stand out. They are the only information we have about the adolescence of Jesus. These are strange passages for strange people. Over... Read more
The grass is wet. My toes feel all of nature. Each touch is mysterious. The rocks grow harder. My feet remember the origin. Each step draws me out. The dock is old. My being remembers the waves. Each plank grows the fear. The edge pulls closer. My brain tells me to turn. Each moment ends the last. The bend is the spring. My heart pulls the trigger. Each second I fly. The spash rocks the soul. My nerves let... Read more
When the frantic calls started to flood his phone, Bobby Daniels knew his son Bias was in deep trouble. In the midst of an emotional breakdown, Bias had a gun and had just held a hostage for 45 minutes. Desperate to save his son, Bobby rushed to the scene. Talking his son down, Bobby got his son to put the gun on the hood of a car. Having served in the Navy and as a security guard at CNN... Read more
When the frantic calls started to flood his phone, Bobby Daniels knew his son Bias was in deep trouble. In the midst of an emotional breakdown, Bias had a gun and had just held a hostage for 45 minutes. Desperate to save his son, Bobby rushed to the scene. Talking his son down, Bobby got his son to put the gun on the hood of a car. Having served in the Navy and as a security guard at... Read more
Many years ago, I worked as a chaplain at a large public hospital. Late one night, I received a message to get to the lobby immediately. Christmas was only a week away and I ran past a nativity scene stuck to the glass. Jumping down the steps, I felt like I just didn’t believe in all that bullshit anymore. Armed with multiple degrees, I felt like I was so far beyond the idea of miracles. My job was to... Read more
*sermon delivered on 12/20/15 at The Beloved Community in Asheville, North Carolina The incarnation of God is a shitty story. This speaks not of the quality of the story…but rather where the story takes places. Jesus was born in a stable full of shit. The Christmas story is a strange tale. Don’t let the commercialization fool you. Jesus was not white. Jesus was not born in a department store. Jesus was not Santa’s baby. Jesus was born... Read more
Desperate for help back on August 1, 2015, Joseph Hutcheson parked his truck on the curb of the Lew Sterrett Justice Center in Dallas, Texas and ran inside. Not long after entering around 10:24am, Hutcheson screamed, “Don’t hurt me, I just need some help.” The deputies tackled him and wrestled him to the ground. As Hutcheson pleaded that he couldn’t breathe, a witness described one deputy restraining Hutcheson with “a knee on his back” and another deputy restraining him... Read more
Throughout the last few years, I’ve worked with families seeking justice in the midst of police brutality. Over and over again, I’ve watched law enforcement make decisions to kill people when they didn’t have to. The killing of Ryan McMillan is just another example. Only a few seconds after Cpl. Stephen Bean of the University of North Texas Police Department encountered a hatchet toting and obviously disturbed McMillan, lethal shots rang out. After repeatedly watching video of the incident,... Read more
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