Cody McMahan

January 30, 2023.Reading time 7 minutes.

Cody McMahan died Saturday. I had the privilege of knowing Cody for perhaps 15-20 years….I believe I’ve lost count. I believe I first met him when Cody was still a member of Greenland Hills UMC. He later joined Northaven, and still later started dating and eventually married Mike House. One of the high honors of […]

I am going down with the ship.

June 25, 2022.Reading time 9 minutes.

“I am going down with the ship.” I can’t speak for everyone. I can only speak for me. I can’t fault any other choice anyone else might make.All I am saying is: If Texas goes down, I’m going down with it.To the bitter end. I’m here to stay and I’m ready to fight. Ever since […]

Stop. Wait. Think About This.

February 26, 2020.Reading time 19 minutes.

Sometime this morning, maybe even as I write this, the “Leaning Tower of Dallas” will finally come down. (UPDATE: Obviously, the timeline is much longer now…again, reinforcing the point of this essay…EF) I’ve been captivated by our fascination with this wreck of a wreck ever since it happened a week ago. I always love metaphor, […]

“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 […]

Kessler Park Welcome Video

July 30, 2019.Reading time less than 1 minute.

An Open Letter to Reverend Robert Jeffress:

May 13, 2019.Reading time 7 minutes.

An Open Letter to Reverend Robert Jeffress: This morning, again I preached from one of the many passages where religious leaders try to trick Jesus with his words. (John 10: 22-30…It was the suggested “Lectionary” text for this Sunday, in my Methodist tradition…) Time and time again, as you are undoubtedly aware, this theme recurs […]

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.

My Set at Uncle Calvin’s

August 25, 2018.Reading time less than 1 minute.

Here’s video of my set at Uncle Calvin’s last night. There are a few problems. The lighting is weird….I look ghostly. And my pickup went dead, so we had to switch to a mic, which threw me off a bit. But, overall, it gives you a sense of the night. So great to open for […]

My Speech at the Anti-White Supremacy Rally

August 26, 2017.Reading time less than 1 minute.

Many thanks to our good friends at First Unitarian, for posting this video of my speech at the “Anti-White Supremacy” rally in Dallas. What a great night it was. As I say in the speech, standing around and below me were almost twenty United Methodist clergy colleagues who stood in solidarity with us that night. […]

Why We Should Take Down Dallas’ Confederate Monuments

July 27, 2017.Reading time 12 minutes.

I should say that we have Confederate soldiers in my own family tree. I certainly do not feel pride in this, but neither do I feel shame. I feel neutral about it, frankly. It was what it was. They were who they were. And, thank God, our morality is not wed to our DNA. The […]