Holy connections
Could we experience Holy Spirit moments, when human connections are made where we feel deep transformation occurring? How do we get to those deep Holy Spirit moments?
Pastors, give yourself a gold star
The “priesthood of all believers” is aspirational, but it rarely happens in practice.
This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.
It hurts me to know this text that I weekly thank God for has been misused and continues to be misused to cause pain and trauma in people. In a sad irony, the Bible was written by the outcast and the marginalized and is misused to create outcasts and to marginalize.
When I knew that my time as youth minister was over
While my time as youth minister is over, maybe I’m not done ministering to youth after all. Because they are certainly not done ministering to me.
Fly fishing as spiritual practice
When I try to follow it as long as I can downstream, my schooling in river beauty and river wisdom leads me to this hope and prayer: let us then, like the salmon leaping against the current and over the ledge, leap finally beyond the metaphor and the simile when it comes to our embodied consciousness of nature.
What if God is an imaginary friend?
We must have imagination, and that includes in our spiritual life. Without it, the world lacks magic and wonder. Imagination doesn’t mean that it’s fake – it means that it exceeds reality. Surely that is a decent definition of God as well – the One Who Exceeds Reality.
Love is a religious value, but only if we make it one
Seeing Judaism as rooted in love is a choice. When we inherit a tradition, we make choices about which values to center and which to set aside. When I think about my grandfather, I remember someone for whom Judaism nourished his ability to care for others in a loving, heartfelt way.
Pastoral care, perfectionism, and grace
Part of my struggle with pastoral care is a desire to be perfect. After some time as a pastor and some work on myself, I am learning to trust that there is always grace.
Charisma: Can we be misled? How can we know who to follow?
Perhaps it is human nature to be attracted to charisma, even to the point of not thinking but simply feeling. Jesus once again led us back to a life of the mind when he asked us to discern, to evaluate critically, and to judge – not by the sizzle but by the fruits. You will know them by their fruits.
“Freedom is a Mighty Fine Thing”
As we enjoy July 4, 2024, it should be noted that there are a great many freedoms that most Americans, Black, white, male, and female want that are being denied or withheld.
Frederick Douglass’ 1852 Independence Day speech is still relevant for America today
Douglass’s speech was prophetic. In 2024, as millions in the United States prepare to celebrate Independence Day, Black Americans, Native Americans, religious minorities, immigrants and LGBTQ+ folks are still surviving an unequal, exploitative legal, social and economic system.
Is membership everything or nothing at all?
Ideally, coercion-free membership should be a way to align one’s beliefs, ideas, and causes with a collective body. At its best, becoming a congregant of a local church, one should feel confident in saying, “Yes, I’m on board with the vision and ministries of this church.”
Three ways to make your words change the world
The tenor of our conflict in the public sphere needs to improve dramatically. If we find ourselves in disagreement, conflict, or challenge, here are three things we can learn from how Jesus approaches conflict.
Marching with Pride
Today, as a community of Baptist LGBTQ+ people and allies, may we remember that our work for equality, equity, and justice is not in vain. Because of the patience and faithfulness of others before us, our Pride marches are more than just events.
Who rules the world?
Like many stories in the gospels, the disciples serve as a “stand in” for the reader, asking questions and showing what sort of responses people can have to the gospel’s events. Their challenge is our challenge. Do we believe or do we doubt? What do we believe in more: the way the world tends to be, or the way the world could be, if the gospel is made known?
Graduation speeches are wasted on the young
Graduation speeches are aspirational, but they also help us lift our heads and they provide simple answers that move us forward.
Unity through diversity
What if we took this season of political and social uncertainty to bear witness to Christ while living in a pluralistic society? What would it look like to elevate our Baptist principles, demonstrating what a life with God looks like when held in healthy tension?
What home repairs taught me about Juneteenth
We still have far to go. Juneteenth is a chance to remember our country’s practice trailing its aspirations far too slowly.
The faith and social justice paradox
As people of faith who care about justice, we may be required to embrace both faith, hope, and hard reality at the same time. May we confront the brutal facts of reality, but maintain an unwavering faith and hope that good will prevail.
Sacred seeds of love
Whenever Scripture speaks to my heart in a unique way, I like to read it in various translations. At times, I may find myself deciding to read it in another language I am fluent in. As a global citizen, with lived experiences in several cross-cultural settings, God’s good news beckons me to hear and read Scripture through a cross-cultural lens.
Summer reading: A selection
Whatever people say you should read, this summer I hope you read for pleasure.
Foundation pillar of social justice: Empathy
Can wondering about other people lead me to walk a mile in their shoes, to see with their eyes, to listen with their ears, and to feel with their heart?
Remembering Jürgen Moltmann
We are called to seek justice when there is injustice. We are to build peace when some are seduced by war and violence. We are to be a comfort, an advocate, and a sign of grace.
Pride is an expression of radical humility
Pride isn’t an expression of the arrogance of queer people. It’s an expression of our humility. Being who we are is not a rebellion against God; it’s an end to rebellion, and an expression of who we were made to be.
Artificial intelligence and the Catechism
It’s helpful to think of AI as a mirror. Although human beings are not entirely like AI, AI is modeled on us. So when we observe AI and how it functions, rather than othering AI, it can be fruitful to accept such observations as existential challenges to our own way of being. Observing AI at work offers an opportunity for self-reflection.
Send food, not bombs
Getting arrested isn’t my preferred way to preach the gospel. I’d much rather be preaching from the pulpit or talking to the children on the church steps. But after months of ongoing bombardment, bearing witness to starvation’s effects on Gazan bodies, marching in the streets, and offering prayers, this seemed the next logical step.
What if you have faith in God but not in people?
Civic faith in no way replaces or supplants our faith in God. It surely doesn’t for me. But it is essential for our lives together. After all, if we aim to make a difference in the world, people must be at the center of what we do.
Lessons of faith from “Casablanca”
If we could learn to live our lives with deep empathy for “the other” and truly love our neighbor as we love ourselves, it could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship.
The Spirit goes ahead of the Church
It does not sound like much, to sit and talk with somebody, yet if somebody had not stopped and answered your questions, or been willing to sit down and talk with you about faith, would you be here today?
Justice and the Jesus-verse
Rather than making one little change in the past in the hopes of changing the present, what if we resolve to make a change today so that we might change the future our children inherit?
The Kelpien way: lessons in life and leadership from Star Trek
Watching the “alien” character in Star Trek series often helps viewers connect with the greater principles that the episode writers and series creators aspire to impart. Spock, Saru, and other “aliens” show us that the stranger or outsider in our midst is usually the one who helps us understand how to be better humans along the way.
Pentecost and losing the plot
Acts teaches us that when the people of God lose the plot, God will raise up those who still know the story—people like Stephen and Philip. The other bit of good news is that if you’ve lost the plot, it isn’t too late to get back in the story.
Eastertide emergency
In sharing his scars with others, Jesus convinces the disciples, even Thomas, that the season of Eastertide is one of emergency, but it is ultimately one of hope. Our raw wounds do turn into healed scars. Life does overcome death. Depression does end. Love does conquer all.
Decolonizing Palestine: A review
Mitri Raheb’s latest book forces me to re-appraise my own Christian assumptions from the ground up, not just about Palestine and the most recent escalation of a longstanding practice of settler colonialism, but about my own complicity in settler colonialism here at home, and the ways all of that complicity and blindness is intrinsically related to how I’ve read the Bible and believed as a Christian.
Post-Passover reflection
The world has tried to bring an end to war and establish peace on earth. However, as the evil of war continues in Gaza, each of us at the community Passover Seder I attended, and those gathered in encampments on college campuses across the country, are keenly aware that peace is elusive and evil is persistent.
What I learned from my mother for ministry
I inherited some vulnerabilities from my mother. But I also inherited some strengths. Here are some qualities that I learned from my mother that helped me as a pastor.
Queer folks are used to having to come to terms with workers who come late to the vineyard
I believe we will all celebrate together, one day. We will all see a renewed world where we can feast side by side. I believe we will receive our final wages and be glad for what we are given. But until that day comes, there is still soul work to be done, and wages to be paid on this side of heaven. Because the work of redemption is the work of reparation.
Self-care reclaimed!
We embraced this sacred time to live the Scripture in the gospel of John 4:14 (NIV) “but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
Living with and learning from my Marshallese neighbors
Tens of thousands of Marshallese live in diaspora in the United States. Our own church has discovered that sharing space with our Marshallese neighbors has helped us grow spiritually while providing safe space for a displaced people.
How can we love our neighbor in other people’s spaces?
What matters is if I can be a good neighbor. What matters is if I can love my neighbor. If I go into someone else’s home or someone else’s place of worship, then as a Christian I believe that it is my duty to show Christ through respect and awareness of what others see as holy.
Celebrating National Arab American Heritage Month in 2024
“The Middle Eastern Christians have been always open and diverse, and culturally engaged, both with the West and with the East and with the local people. They can be bridges and communicate things from different perspectives, besides sharing their own perspective.”
Did Jesus ever meet an atheist?
Maybe evangelism doesn’t need to begin at ground zero with proof and evidence, but rather at the point of belief in God that one finds in the other.
Seven Proverbs that advise who not to vote for
In 2024, we are not electing religious leaders but political leaders. And yet, the Proverbs propose age-old wisdom about what is good and what is not. When you enter the polling booth, favor what is good.
A conversion story
Often, the smallest things, like a mustard seed, can cause one to see the bigger picture. For me, that small thing was a tomato. That is why I implore you to consider the tomato for Earth Day this year.
Two Baptists sit down for breakfast
House Speaker Mike Johnson and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries differ widely on many policy issues, but they are both Baptists, the kind that actually go to church. With that common ground, how could they end up so far apart on the issues? I suppose it’s kind of a Baptist thing.
How faith leaders can reclaim their civic role
Amid debates about Christian nationalism, the role of religion in politics, and other religiously charged issues, there is a path forward. A way for faith leaders of all beliefs and doctrines to productively engage in community life beyond their church walls.
Choose political neutrality
As faith leaders today, consider a bold venture in the murkiness of political neutrality. Hide away political beliefs in holistic deference to Jesus Christ. Why? Faith leaders know the truth: ballots are temporary, but Jesus is eternal.
From the editor: Making space for grace
God’s grace is yet moving in our midst, reaching out to us, even though our lives be entangled in the brokenness and injustice of the times in which we live.
There is no Jew or Greek, slave or free, ’cause we’re all coppers: The Discworld Night Watch as a metaphor for church community
Jesus understood the value of a good parable to make a point understandable. In reading the Discworld books, I am certain Terry Pratchett did, too.
One minute is better than no minutes
Good church leaders tend to have high standards for themselves. Paradoxically, that can get in the way of getting started.
When fasting becomes starving: Why Ramadan 2024 is unprecedented for many Muslims around the world
This Ramadan has brought with it vivid coverage of those suffering from famine and starvation due to the critical situation in Gaza. As we witness these circumstances, our hearts sting as we see full platters in front of us, especially when we see uneaten food going to waste.
“You forgive us, we’ll forgive you” – The theology of John Prine
In the myriad streams of music that seem to think God and Country are one word, in the choruses of gospel music that claim God fixes everything for the faithful, in the hymnody of the church that sometimes overpromises the victory and understates the trials, we still need Prine’s commitment to tell the truth about a life of faith.
Affordable housing: YIGBY (“Yes in God’s Backyard”) movement seeks to counter NIMBY movement
As houses of worship close across America, pairing this surplus of faith properties with the national deficit of affordable housing appears to be a match made in heaven. What are the challenges and the opportunities?
A woman after God’s own heart
All my life, I’ve seen my mom set time aside from being a mother, a wife, a teacher, a daughter, a sister, a friend, to spend time with God.
Clergywoman: still a scandalous profession
Female clergy in Poland are subversive by the mere fact of their existence.
Women of the Way: Witnessing the call of all at dinner church
I have so many examples, so many names, of women who have shown me by their presence God can call anyone into the role of pastor. Recently, I’ve added two more to a constantly growing list: Pastor Sarah and Pastor Anna, a pair of priests who coordinate a dinner church in Northampton, Massachusetts.
Cloud of unknowing: meditations in a March mood
It is an actual cloud of unknowing and an actual cloud of forgetting, and the chord it strikes for the day feels fitting for a contemplative, Lenten March mood.
Male clergy should be advocates for women in ministry
In Galatians 3, Paul clearly asserts that the three most impenetrable social boundaries of the Ancient Near East, race, class, and gender, are forever breached when people enter into the fellowship of the church. I am certain that those who resist women serving in the ministry would fight to the death to end discrimination based upon race or class which might touch upon their own lives.
Here I am
Whether we turn to the gospel of Mark, where Jesus asked two ordinary fishermen to “follow me” or turn to the gospel of Luke where Jesus instructed Simon to “let down the nets for a catch,” we come to anticipate an evolution of call, trust, teaching, and journey of faith to happen through these divine directives.
Her voice, her experiences. Why do they matter?
The voices and experiences of women matter. We are half of the human race. God chose to partner with a woman to bring Jesus into the world. If God entrusted that major role to a woman, I doubt that there’s anything this world can come up with to justifiably question our capabilities!
The Bible says
As faithful followers of Jesus, we need to stand up to those who use the Bible to do injustice in the world.
The new reading matter
Inasmuch as Christians are a “people of the book,” we need to ask ourselves how being “people of the Internet” can still be an intellectual and spiritual practice that forms us in productive ways.
What is left in this life?
Inspired by the late poet Mary Oliver’s question “What is it you plan to do with your wild and precious life?” Dr. Mike Graves observes that we frequently focus on the birth, death, and Resurrection of Jesus, while ignoring or downplaying the fullness of the lived life of Jesus.
She had the dream: the freedom faith of Prathia Hall
Hall’s freedom faith — the belief that God wants everyone to be free and equips and sustains those who work for freedom — was the central idea of her womanist vision.
What does it take to serve God in tough times?
The challenges I faced in my own life as a woman in ministry faded to nothing as I learned about the life story of Florence Li Tim-Oi for the first time.
The “unbought and unbossed” stateswoman who was a catalyst of change
Speaking up for the oppressed, like Shirley Chisholm did, is following in the footsteps of Jesus: “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” (Matt 25:40)
Evil is winning
Evil takes a keen interest in each of us—and so does good.
It’s in our bones
If our bones are alive, if they carry in them strength of our ancestors, trauma of humanity’s transgressions, even predispositions for nutrition… if they—like the Scriptures say—have the capacity to be troubled, to ask questions, to experience restoration, to be reanimated as recipients of God’s ruah (breath), then we have to wonder, what is in our bones?
Dare to embrace the future: AI for nonprofits, faith-based organizations, and churches
If we abstain from involvement in the development of AI and future technology, we relinquish our voice, allowing corporations and politicians to dictate the trajectory of technological evolution without the balance of our missions’ moral compass.
Sojourner Truth, a beacon of justice for our times: “The Spirit calls me, and I must go”
Sojourner Truth was a beacon of justice that lights our way to a world in which all God’s children flourish. Her legacy continues to inspire us to move towards a vision of an equitable, just society.
Do we get him?
We may have lost a potential friend forever, because we, for all our talk of love and grace and justice, made a mistake in ignorance that we accuse our enemies of making in malice.
Past the paralysis
Even if I do feel that paralysis, or when my natural tendency is uncomfortable making waves by speaking out or taking action, occasions arise when the opportunity needs to be created or demands my attention.
Faith and passion for food in holy synergy: a review of “The Just Kitchen”
The Just Kitchen isn’t really a cookbook, nor is it a call-to-action collection of essays urging the reader to join the Slow Food Movement or tackle broken food systems head-on (although all these are good ideas to come away with). Instead, the authors ask the reader to plant themselves in a kitchen, suggesting one’s time there is transformative.
Being disciplined
The Lenten season prior to Easter calls for us to practice spiritual disciplines for 40 days to prepare ourselves for hearing the sacrifice Jesus made that granted us eternal life. Whether it’s daily Bible reading or fasting or even “giving up something for Lent,” these are all ways to affirm the significance of having a more disciplined life.
New Year’s resolutions vs. Lenten practices
What are you doing for Lent this year? What might you take a break from, just for 40 days? What might you take on, just for 40 days? It could do more to renew your year than any of your resolutions.
Something keeps pulling on us
If we are to seriously examine the wars raging inside of us, what would the headlines be? What’s the carnage like? What’s being destroyed, day by day?
Encountering the gospel anew through “The Chosen”
Since 2017, “The Chosen” has quietly emerged from streaming services and DVDs to national recognition. What is so unique about this still evolving series on the life of Jesus?
Review of “A Darkly Radiant Vision,” by Gary Dorrien
Historian Gary Dorrien’s work is equally astonishing in scope and dedication as he works to bring theological voices and movements to fuller appreciation for their contributions to what he terms the overall “Black social gospel.”
On celebrating Black History Month
There was, and still is, an urgency to publicly proclaim and celebrate the achievements, challenges and triumphs of Black folk. This month, and beyond, I encourage enthusiastic participation in activities, studies, and ceremonies that will increase awareness of our treasured African American history.
“When all of God’s gifts are being celebrated and used, there is a joy that is abundant”: an interview with Rev. Dr. Gina Jacobs-Strain, new ABCUSA general secretary
I think it’s up to all of us to work together so that all of God’s gifts are being used. When all of God’s gifts are being celebrated and used, there is a joy that is abundant. There’s a generosity of spirit, I think that’s what we want in our denomination.
Jesus and Samaritans 2.0
Jesus embraced the Samaritans—who were despised by his people—and lifted them up as heroes in many of his stories. His message: Let us, people of faith, embrace those who are despised. Let us live like Jesus and the Samaritans 2.0.
New Year’s reframing
Ringing in the New Year offers an opportunity for new perspectives. There is the look back and the look forward, a combination of life review and life planning. How can or should we make use of this inflection point in light of Christian faith?
I never felt more Baptist
Walter B. Shurden gets a fair amount of credit for naming the four Baptist freedoms. Still, if I could make a small addendum to his famous book, I’d tack on the freedom of attire and self-expression. This is why you might find a Baptist minister in a robe on Sunday morning or a pair of overalls, perhaps even an apron.
A new year’s prayer for a world on thin ice
What if we set spiritual goals this year to be in a more emotionally intelligent and attuned conversation with the earth? Might we hear the ice melting as tears—the weeping of creation?
The Barbie and Ken movie: reflections on one of 2023’s most influential, and potentially award-winning, films
We too may jump in the pink convertible with a goal to find ourselves and be free, but one lesson from the movie is to watch carefully what new commitments we make. Like the prodigal’s journey, venturing into the world can end up lonely, chaotic, and, ultimately, a dead end.
Fostering deep community, strong spirituality, and rigorous discipleship
In 2024 let’s commit to fostering deep community, strong spirituality, and rigorous discipleship. Baptists of all people should be communal people. Our theological and praxis foundations are built upon the need for us to read Scripture together, engage in social dialogue together, worship together, and share in mission and ministry together. We are not alone together; we are united together in Christ.
Dreams make us change direction
When we listen to our dreams we are invited to be like Joseph, and the Magi, and walk a different way. We are invited to be like Mahalia and Martin and share our dreams with others. Our dreams have the potential to erode the evils of Empire. We must only find the courage to take them seriously.
Making peace: remarks at the Faith in Democracy Interfaith Vigil at the US Capitol
Three years following the horrific events of January 6, 2021, we are still grappling with the uncertainty of our survivability and sustainability as a democracy. We are also asking: what is the prescription going forward for curing our inflamed divisions and unresolved conflicts?
Epiphany aha: the Divine crumb trail
In January, Christians all over the globe celebrate the season of Epiphany. We commonly use the word “epiphany” to describe a revelation or an “aha” moment. The scriptures and the season of Epiphany explore the ways God surprises us when we open ourselves to new experiences, adventures, and opportunities God places before us. When we, like the magi, decide to follow God into unknown territory, we discover grace, forgiveness, love, compassion, spiritual insight, and even learn new things about ourselves and God.
‘Next of Kin’: a story of travail and hope
Like its biblical inspiration, Next of Kin features strong female protagonists, breaking past obstacles of economic ruin and great hardship to find a way forward. The novel is its own story, not meant to present a story simply parroting the narrative beats of the Book of Ruth. Yet in its new setting, the story that the Book of Ruth tells gets a refreshed lease on life.
Looking back to look ahead
What are you planning for 2024? Wait! Before you jump in, take a few moments to take stock of this year. Then think about next year.
Taking stock of the life I lead
In a season of life where I need reminding that God can move in profound ways, I’m thankful for the highs that a card in the mail can spark. I’m grateful for the people I’ve met who are out there questioning. And I’m thankful for time, a constructed fabrication or not, as it forces me to pause and take stock of the life I get to lead.
Exchanging agendas with God: the beginning of discipleship
At some point, if we are to become disciples of Jesus Christ, we have to make a holy decision to follow him. The precise details of how a disciple accepts the call of Christ and begins the journey of discipleship vary from person to person. But in every case the starting point involves an exchange of agendas between the disciple and Christ.
How still we see Christmas today
Whenever we move from one place to another, whatever the reason, we end up letting go of some traditions and adding new ones from the new place we call home. What are some Christmas traditions you used to practice and what are new ones that have gained new meaning?
Advent and AI
The spiritual invitation of Advent and Christmas strikes me as precisely the opposite of “AI” or “hallucinate,” two words of the year for 2023. This season is all about paying attention, waiting, watching, listening. It is about bringing our fully embodied, fully incarnate sensory selves to be as present and intimate and awake as possible with the ever-astounding mystery and glory of being itself.
Joseph, backup quarterback
In the gospel narrative, Joseph is the backup quarterback. Mary is the star. And that is as it should be. Yet Joseph was faithful, devoted, and played his part well before he faded from the scene not long after the birth of Jesus.
Four ways to prepare for Christmas
From the word Advent also springs the word adventure. Imagine considering that there are adventures of faith for you. What would an adventure of faith look like? How would life be different if you actively chose to pursue an encounter with the Divine? To help prepare for those adventures of faith, consider four ways to prepare spiritually for Christmas.
A tender God
May we remember something that is as true of God during Advent as it is at Christmas, just as it is true on Good Friday and in the Easter narratives of Thomas and the resurrection. That truth is this: we serve a tender God.
With the poor and meek and lowly
In his new book “Jesus the Refugee: Ancient Injustice and Modern Solidarity,” D. Glenn Butner Jr. appeals to Christians to see the ignoble reality of the Holy Family’s flight to Egypt as a story that keeps repeating in human history and in this morning’s news headlines.
This year I am lighting a new Advent candle
This year, I am adding an extra candle to my Advent wreath: Hope, Peace, Joy, Love, and Grief. Advent is most commonly known as a season of waiting, but it is also a season of grief.