If you haven’t taken the time to watch the music video to Childish Gambino’s “This Is America” you need to. It isn’t just another music video dreamed up by a marketing team to sell records. This video is an art piece. As with any good …
Read MoreWhy is There a Black Smudge on My Forehead?
It isn’t a smudge. It is ashes in the shape of a cross. Today is Ash Wednesday. Like many of us who were nurtured in a Southern Baptist and/or charismatic nondenominational context, I didn’t grow up with Ash Wednesday or Lent as a part of …
Read MoreThe Last Jedi: Luke Speaks to the Church
I’m a Star Wars fan. I’m a fan because Star Wars has been with me my entire life. I remember watching The Empire Strikes Back in a drive-in with my parents when I was six years-old. I remember standing in line to get tickets for …
Read MoreWhen Death Is So Near: A Spoken Word Poem
Yesterday I did something impulsively, something I had never done before. Let me back up and offer some context… My friend Ruthie Johnson wrote a poem yesterday. She is a person of color and lives 5 miles from where Philando Castile was shot. She wrote …
Read MoreWendell Berry, “To a Siberian Woodsman”
Today was a day full of activity…meetings, emails, and phone conversations. The work of a pastor is not a weekend gig and neither is it a 9-5, clock-in/clock-out kind of vocation. I love serving the church, but it requires us to wear a lot of …
Read MorePope Francis before Congress [FULL TEXT]
Like many people around the country I watched and listened with eager anticipation to Pope Francis’ address to a joint session of congress yesterday. I have followed some of the reaction to his address in the last 24 hours and as with anything touching on …
Read MoreMy New Book: Through the Eyes of N.T. Wright is Here
I am proud to announce the release of my new book: Through the Eyes of N.T. Wright: A Reader’s Guide to Paul and the Faithfulness of God. It is now available in paperback and on Kindle. Everyone has heroes. When I was growing up, mine …
Read MoreRadical Authenticity, Sexuality, And Spiritual Transformation
(One of the reasons I haven’t blogged here very often is because I have been blogging once a month for Missio Alliance. The following blog was first posted on the Missio Alliance blog on November 14, 2014. I thought it would good to post it again …
Read MoreBuffalo River Trail Hike (Boxley to Kyles Landing): May 22-24, 2015
The Buffalo River Trail (BRT) is a 36.5 mile hiking trail in Northern Arkansas about an hour or so East of Springdale. The Buffalo River is a National River running 135 miles through Arkansas. It is a popular destination for float trips. There are a lot …
Read MoreBerryman Trail Hike: April 9-10, 2015
The Berryman Trail (BT) is a 27-mile trail in between Steelville and Potosi about an hour south of St. Louis, Missouri. The BT is a loop, making it possible to hike the trail over 2 days without needing a shuttle. I hiked the trail with Ben, …
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