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I don’t sleep at night anymore. I have a newborn baby, with twenty-four hour needs that come in one hour intervals. My child does not know the difference between day and night and has already learned that I’ll be there whenever. So I don’t really sleep at night anymore. Per the advice of other parents…

I really enjoy the use of new media in churches. When I can’t make it out of the house, I watch worship services via livestream on my smartphone. I prefer to tithe via credit card on the church website, and I love that my church sends pictures and announcements via email twice a week. And…

Please be patient with me God is not through with me yet When God gets through with me When God gets through with me I shall come forth, I shall come forth as pure gold I still remember learning that song—among so many others—in Vacation Bible School in my home church. As a young person…

Last week, I opened my front door and found the yellow pages telephone book on the steps. I wasn’t sure why I received one since there is no home telephone line in the household. Imagining no use for it other than boostering a small child in a kitchen chair, I didn’t bring it inside. Instead,…

“How are we saved?” At first glance, this seems like a simple question for Christians. “Through Jesus.” Right? Well, generally…. How are we saved? From what? To what? And exactly how does Jesus do it? There are no universally agreed upon answers to these questions. Each year for the last several years, I have taught…

The story does not end with crucifixion. That’s the message I need to hear this Easter.  In the last weeks, wider America has become more conscious of what African Americans have always known: crucifixion can happen at any moment.  When pulled over by the police, when walking home, when shopping for Skittles and iced tea. …

In my last post, I suggested that contemporary Christians might think of God in metaphors with more direct relevance to our everyday lives than we are offered in the 23rd Psalm. I honestly believe that thinking of God as a shepherd was meaningful and even subversive and revolutionary for the ancient Israelites. Maybe a society influenced by…

I’ve always been unnerved by the biblical story of Mary and Martha. Well, there are two stories. In John 11:1-12:11, they run to tell Jesus about Lazarus’ death. And in Luke 10:38-42, they host Jesus in their home. It’s the second story that drives me crazy. Or maybe it’s how I’ve heard it preached and…

“The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.” I learned Psalm 23 by heart in the King James Version before I could read it in the Bible. Many young people raised in Christian families memorized this psalm for one of the Christian education events of a local church: Easter play, Sunday School, Vacation Bible…