A Small, Beautiful Thing…Why We Marched

April 10, 2017.Reading time 5 minutes.

On the day after #MegaMarch2017 let me tell you another small, beautiful story about what it means to be “Church.” We had great worship, yesterday morning at church. And that was beautiful. Palm Sunday, and all. And then, almost 30 of us marched at the MegaMarch downtown. That was powerful. Big thrill of the day […]

Ivanka Trump is a Full Grown Woman

February 9, 2017.Reading time 8 minutes.

Dear President Trump, Your daughter, Ivanka Trump, is a full grown woman. That is a statement of the obvious, but given your statements of the past day, and the defense of your press secretary of your daughter, I feel it important to state this plainly. Your daughter is also a member of your inner circle, […]

Your Full Height (New Song)

February 6, 2017.Reading time 3 minutes.

Here’s a new song from me. Stayed up till 3 am Saturday finishing it. I like how it came out. A song for our time, for the past few weeks, and for what may well be our “new normal” for a while… It’s been a crazy few weeks, yes? Inauguration. A President with disapproval ratings […]

An Open Letter to Rep. Kyle Biedermann

February 2, 2017.Reading time 10 minutes.

February 2, 2017 Representative Biedermann, I regret not meeting you in person on Tuesday, as I spent the day in Austin as an ally to my Muslim brothers and sisters. However, I heard from several of them that they had fruitful face-to-face conversations with you during that day. Having heard some of their stories that […]

“This is what Dallas Looks Like”

January 30, 2017.Reading time 6 minutes.

Muslims are under attack by executive order of our President, and by terrorists in Quebec. Make no mistake, one is related to the other. Laws such as Trump’s Muslim ban give “moral license” to bigots and crazy people. No, it is not direct causality. But these laws, and the embrace of them by preachers such […]

Heart Into Art. Heartbreak Into Passion.

January 9, 2017.Reading time 6 minutes.

What if we took the gem of what Meryl Streep said last night —about having empathy toward others, and turning heartbreak into art— and just focused on that? And what I mean by this is: focus on those positive, life-giving invitations she made, and not on what Trump said afterwards? Because you knew what he […]

We Did Not Ask For This Room

December 31, 2016.Reading time 17 minutes.

“We did not ask for this room or this music. We were invited in. Therefore, because the dark surrounds us, let us turn our faces to the light. Let us endure hardship to be grateful for plenty. We have been given pain to be astounded by joy. We have been given life to deny death. […]

I Am A Christmas Christian

December 24, 2016.Reading time 22 minutes.

(Warning: This post contains adult language) I am a Christmas Christian. I’ve known this for decades now. But only now do I feel brave enough to say it boldly. Because, in many Christian circles, it’s almost like heresy to not say “I’m an Easter Christian.” I’m one of those too. I love Easter. I come […]

The Story at the Door

December 23, 2016.Reading time 10 minutes.

Sometimes the whole story of our faith, our culture, and this great political divide between us all is made manifest in small moments that speak to you…small moments that tell big stories. That happened to me as I stood at the door after worship on Sunday. One of the very first couples of shake my […]

Here Is What I Know Today

November 9, 2016.Reading time 8 minutes.

I cannot put together a coherent blog today. Last night and today have been exhausting and draining in ways I certainly did not expect. But I can offer you a list of things I know today… I know last night the majority of the American people, albeit a slim one, voted for an America that […]