Don’t Look Away

June 3, 2020.Reading time 4 minutes.

White Siblings, Don’t look away. Don’t avert your eyes. Yes, there is a danger even in reposting these because of the moral license they may give other racists who see them. But you….dear White sibling… You who are still more concerned about property damage and protesting “the right way”… You who every time there is […]

Jesus Is Lord, Caesar Is Not (Part II)

June 2, 2020.Reading time 16 minutes.

“I don’t know about that…” Do you even remember when Donald Trump said this? I know. It’s a big ask to recall one line. He says so many things, and one day’s horror is “trumped” by the next. But it’s important to remember this specific line this morning, as we try to process Donald Trump’s […]

White Privilege

May 28, 2020.Reading time 13 minutes.

My struggle to adequately describe the murder of George Floyd ended when I saw this picture late last night. Take a hard look at this picture, because if you let it sink in deeply it will help you see much of what is wrong with America today. One frame: Armed protestors, effectively taking over the […]

Forgiveness and Justice: Hearing Both of the Jean’s

October 2, 2019.Reading time 4 minutes.

Botham Jean’s brother, Brandt, offered a remarkable moment of forgiveness toward Amber Guyger today in the courtroom. But his Mother said deeply important things too. We must hear them both. Brandt offered forgiveness and an embrace to Amber Guyger. As DA John Creuzot said, almost nobody in the judicial system sees moments like that, ever. […]

“The Greater Empathy” Thoughts on Guyger Trial, Week One

September 27, 2019.Reading time 11 minutes.

What if our opinions on the Amber Guyger trial comes down to a question of “who do you feel empathy toward?” It may not come down to this. This may be a foolish question to ask. But the question keeps popping up in my head this week, as I’ve listened to the testimony…and especially as […]

The Guyger Trial: First Day Thoughts

September 24, 2019.Reading time 12 minutes.

The murder trial of Amber Guyger is underway here in Dallas. For those of you outside the city, or not paying attention, sufficed to say our city is tense and anxious about the trial and upcoming verdict. Last Monday, I was at a meeting of about 40 clergy with Faith Forward Dallas. There was extended […]

Jesse Jackson Had It Right

August 7, 2019.Reading time 57 minutes.

I voted for Ronald Reagan twice to be president.The next time I could vote, I voted for Jesse Jackson. If I was to write the story of my spiritual, social, and political transformation in two short sentences, those two would be it. Those two sentences are the metaphor for a social transformation that continues inside […]

White Men and Yearbooks

February 11, 2019.Reading time 11 minutes.

The following is a list of pictures of me in my High School and College yearbooks from the 1980s, excluding the standard yearly posed picture… — Picture of me at a Young Life meeting… — Picture of me at Key Club formal, with the other officers, in a dapper all-white tux… — Picture of me […]

Masterclass In White Male Privilege

September 28, 2018.Reading time 8 minutes.

I want to speak to my fellow Straight White Men this morning. I want to show you a videoclip. It’s just :55 seconds of Judge Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearing yesterday. I want to show it to you because it uncovers the ugly heart of White Male privilege like almost nothing else I’ve seen recently. This clip […]

Justice for Botham Jean

September 20, 2018.Reading time less than 1 minute.

Yesterday, United Methodist clergy from all over North Texas gathered to call for justice for Botham Jean. I share some of my own thoughts on the case here.