On Tuesday, we had the pleasure of hearing Anne Lamott offer a reading from her latest book, Stitches. Hearing her speak should be on your bucket list; she is hysterical. She is one of those rare souls who seems right on the edge of sanity/insanity. Living on that edge is the source of her brilliance as a writer. In fact, the woman who introduced her said that Anne’s writing is like “literary wasabi.” Isn’t that perfect … and so true?... Read more
I have just returned from extraordinary trip to Thailand. I went to connect with colleagues from around the globe to talk about the future of the progressive church. I’m not sure what I was expecting. I was daunted by the 30 hours of travel that it was going to take to get to Bangkok and hopeful that the people I encountered along the way would make it all worth while. I was curious to see what progressive Christian leaders from... Read more
Sunday morning, on one of the political talk shows, a conservative politician called President Obama “a liar.” Of course, we all remember the white congressman from South Carolina shouting out, “You lie” during the president’s State of the Union address several years ago. That congressman never risked re-election from his mostly white right-wing gerrymandered district. Lately I’ve been pondering if the white-right culture’s incivility to the president and, in particular, their attempt to dismiss him as a “liar” is racist.... Read more
Your church’s mission statement should be so great that it requires every member to be a minister. Read more
Sometimes a complete overhaul is necessary, and other times, a slight course correction will do. Read more
Build trust. Trust builds relationships, and relationships build community. If we want to grow, we must step outside of ourselves. Read more
In many parts of the country today is Election Day. We are having municipal elections here in Atlanta, and people will come to our church to vote. Today, dozens of people who have never worshiped here will come into our building. While our sanctuary is pristine, the part of the building in which they will vote was built in the 1950s and has been hardly touched since. I worry that they won’t know that we are not the 1950s church... Read more
You are a living epistle. Let your light shine bright as a testament to the joy, hope, peace, and abundance of God. Read more
I’m reading the book Open Source Church: Making Room for the Wisdom of All, and I keep arguing with the precepts it puts forth. After a time, I realized that I was really arguing with myself. The book’s premise is something I believe very strongly. I often have been on the losing side of a congregational decision, and, though I must confess to sulking for a day or two afterwards, I almost always have come to a place where I... Read more
Study the beauty around you. God is in the details, and seeing this beauty could awaken you to your own nature…which is Spirit. Read more
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