I’ve never asked for money on this blog before, but as you’re making your final 2016 donations, I’d like to make a request. The church I serve, Southminster Presbyterian, generously supports my writing, both theological and civic. It is because of them that I have the privilege of time for blog writing. If that weren’t…
I read an article in yesterday’s New York Times about a study that showed that women who had abortions did not experience the pain and trauma that is often spoken of as a reason to make abortion illegal. “Researchers followed nearly 1,000 women who sought abortions nationwide for five years and found that those who…
A sermon preached at Southminster Presbyterian Church in Boise. Idaho. Isaiah 61 You may be more familiar with this text because of who quotes it, rather than from its own context in Isaiah. This is the scroll from which Jesus reads when he preaches in his home church in Nazareth. He announces it has been…
A sermon preached at Southminster Presbyterian Church December 4, 2016 Advent 2 Joel 2:12-13, 28-29 The Book of Joel is best read in one sitting. I invite you to look through it this week. It’s a lovely story of destruction, fit for people recovering from Thanksgiving holidays with family. Locusts invade and destroy the land.…
I had the privilege of being one of the speakers at a post-election unity rally today at the statehouse. Here are my remarks: We live embodied lives. Which may seem obvious to you. But it means we are more than just thoughts, feelings, or souls. We live our lives in particular bodies. These bodies are…
A sermon preached at Southminster Presbyterian Church in Boise, Idaho. November 12, 2016 Isaiah 6:1-8 If you’e been around Presbyterian worship services for a while, this text might seem familiar to you. It’s commonly read on Trinity Sunday. It’s also the framework for how a Presbyterian worship service is structured. We begin with a call…
The problem with everyone telling me I need to see that my candidate was “deeply flawed”, is that when I look at Hillary, I see myself. I see a strong woman, willing to stand up to bullies in her work for the disadvantaged. I see a capable woman, who has succeeded at the highest levels.…
Late night blogging is probably to be discouraged, but the election returns are freaking out many of my loved ones. If I’m honest, they are disappointing me. No matter who wins the White House, I’m disappointed that so many people across the nation would be willing to vote for a man with such a dangerous…
Tuesday. It’s almost here. Nobody knows the outcome yet, no matter how compulsively we check 538. I know it has been a stressful, bizarre and seemingly endless election season. It has revealed our sins (particularly racism, bigotry, and sexism) in ways that feel new but we know they’ve been there all along. We must attend to those wounds,…
A sermon preached at Southminster Presbyterian Church in Boise, Idaho November 6, 2016 Jonah 1:1-17; 3:1-10; 4:1-11 We humans often have a bad habit of “othering” people. By that, I mean we look at someone’s life that seems very different than our own, and we place them in some category at a remove from our…
Glass Overflowing 