*Interaction from the Hope for Peace and Justice “Imagination: Immigration 2” Panel I served on today (9/26). Q: Where should our efforts to solve the immigration crises begin? A: We must stop treating people like shit. We must learn to love our neighbors. The problem is that we don’t even know who our neighbors are. I bet most folks wouldn’t even be able to identify Mexico on a map. The level of ignorance and lack of concern exhibited... Read more
The darkness was. The darkness is. The darkness will be. The darkness is God. The voice of all voices calls to us. Staring past the stars. The heavens speak and we hear. The abyss reminds us. The deeper we go. The closer we are drawn. In the darkness is infinity. Eternity is your home. What was? Darkness. What is? Darkness. What will be? Darkness. God is. Embrace the magic. Embrace the mystery. Become…darkness. Amen. Read more
*This is a copy of the civil rights complaint I constructed and filed jointly with the Hutcheson Family against the Dallas County Sheriff’s Department on September 22, 2015. Due to technical limitations, I had to leave out the still pictures contained in the incident section of the original complaint (that section should be read while following along with the video). COMPLAINT An encounter with the Dallas County Sheriff’s Department on August 1, 2015 at the Lew Sterrett... Read more
“It’s not for them.” The words fester in my ears. When I asked about the consistent exclusion of people of color and transgender persons in the Dallas Pride parade and festival, a prominent gay citizen made it plain for me. While I was very aware that the entire event is marketed to wealthy white people and their allies, I couldn’t believe that two of the most oppressed groups of people in our city were dismissed with four simple words.... Read more
-Preached at Christ Church Cathedral (Episcopal) in St. Louis, MO on Sept. 7, 2015 Spaces of intersectionality are spaces of divinity. Such spaces draw us nearer to the God that exists at the intersection of us all. Such thoughts conjure up important questions… Who is God? Who are we? These questions can only be answered fully at a place of intersection…in the beginning. We always fail when we try to describe God. We are always pointing to... Read more
“He’s not in heaven…and you won’t be either if you kill yourself.” I will never forget the cruelness of the language. The suicide rocked our Southern Baptist church. We descended deeper into judgment…the only fuel of fundamentalism. Secretly, I think most people thought shame was the antidote for suicide. I was ten. Even then, I knew better. “Do you believe that Jesus died on the cross for your sins?” Throughout my life, I have heard that question over... Read more
With a population of less than 24,000 people, Rowan County, Kentucky is an unlikely place to capture the attention of our nation. However, a titanic moral and legal battle erupted when two residents of the county seat of Morehead refused to be denied a marriage license. Now, James Yates and William Smith, Jr. are married and county clerk Kim Davis served time in jail for her refusal to issue licenses to same-sex couples. While I have a deep abiding... Read more
Truth was until it was not. The mutation of truth was the greatest deception of all. The truth we all thought we were following became the exact opposite. The advocates of truth became protectors of the lie. When people started to realize what happened, it was too late. The lie made us nothing more than the categories we created. Death came quickly. Amen. Read more
*This article first appeared in The Yoke Quarterly I couldn’t believe how green the grass was. With each step, I felt like I was touching air. The water spoke. The closer I got, the more I realized that I could see aquatic life for miles. The clearness was unimaginable. I swam. With each stroke, I knew that I was beloved. I reached the rocks and climbed. When I got to the top, I was overwhelmed with the beauty... Read more
For the last month, I have fought for the Sheriff of Dallas County to release the video of the death of Joseph Hutcheson in the lobby of the Dallas County Jail. I have watched it over and over again. Without question, this is an instance of police brutality. The deputies took Hutcheson to the ground, placed their knees on his back and throat and killed him. If Hutcheson had been given proper medical attention when he entered the... Read more
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