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Select a Month September 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011

February 2014

February 24, 2014

News Flash: You Are Not Jesus!

Recently, several Christian writers I follow have made the point that we are not Jesus. Probably we...

February 19, 2014

Does the “Fetal Cell” Problem Justify Religious Exemption for Vaccinations?

Rachel Stone posted yet another excellent article about the importance of childhood vaccination for public...

February 04, 2014

God Does Not Make Me Happy (or Three Things I Learned About My Relationship with God)

Last weekend, I went on a one-night retreat with my church's vestry. (In an Episcopal...

January 2014

January 20, 2014

MLK’s “Single Garment of Destiny” & Slavery’s Legacy

My friend Kate was featured on NPR's "Race Card" project last week, talking about her family's history...

January 08, 2014

Painfully Aware of the Abyss: A Review of Holly Burkhalter’s “Good God, Lousy World, & Me”

I once read a novel in which the protagonist divided humankind into two categories: those...

January 07, 2014

Deep in a Place of Exile, Waiting for the Return

I don't much like when people I care about are deep in the "exile" part...

December 2013

December 23, 2013

God with Us, Even When Christmas Stinks

Many things can get in the way of the happy, sparkling Christmas celebrations to which...

December 18, 2013

A Busy Advent Doesn’t Make You a Bad Christian

When she was only two days old, my firstborn was the subject of an Advent...

December 17, 2013

Broken Ribs, Crooked Backs, & Seeing Our Vulnerable Selves Reflected in Another

Having a body that defies cultural norms as mine does (it is crooked, uneven, lumpy,...

December 13, 2013

On Grace, and Its Absence? One Year After Sandy Hook

It has been a year since I gathered with other parents in my children's elementary...

November 2013

November 29, 2013

Stuck in the Middle with Bonhoeffer

So, this arrived on my doorstep about two weeks ago. I agreed to read and...

November 26, 2013

What is Your Deep Gladness?

This past weekend, my church parish hall resonated with the voices of young actors and...

November 12, 2013

God is a Trick of the Light

It was a trick of the light, I knew. But oh, what a trick. Driving...

October 2013

October 21, 2013

Pray Honestly. God Can Take It.

At my Episcopal church's Sunday service a few weeks ago, we read Psalm 137 aloud....

October 18, 2013

[Snapshots from Oak Ridge] Just Look Up

This is a photo of nothing more than the blue sky over my daughter's middle...

September 2013

September 27, 2013

[Snapshots from Oak Ridge] What My Kids and My Garden Have in Common

I struggled to find a good photo subject for today's post. Right now, most of...

September 24, 2013

A Story About the Abundance, and Absence, of Memory and Faith

Walker has written a story about Alzheimer's, yes, and about her mother, and about her....

September 20, 2013

[Snapshots from Oak Ridge] I Wrote a Book. Want One?

I will confess something that will be not at all surprising to most of you,...

September 16, 2013

Did Jesus Get Cranky Too? Thoughts on an Incarnational Faith

I snapped at my daughter the other night over something trivial. As I helped her...

September 13, 2013

Finding God at Rock Bottom

Karen Beattie and her husband went through a difficult few years. She was unexpectedly laid...

September 03, 2013

Grappling for a Christian Response to Syria

Oh, but this is an uncomfortable place to be, this place of uncertainty, where we...

August 2013

August 29, 2013

Passing on the Faith: Community Trumps Theology

In church choir, my children are learning what it means not just to go to...

August 01, 2013

The Redemption of the Mundane: My Post at Convergent Books

There's a new imprint in town! Convergent Books is a division of Penguin Random House...

July 2013

July 14, 2013

A Christian Argument for Stronger Gun Laws

Jesus was crystal clear on the question of whether violence is an acceptable response to...

July 10, 2013

Do I Love the Bible? It’s Complicated.

Christians like me, who lean left on political and social issues, are often accused of...

July 08, 2013

Resurrection Year: Learning to Live, and Thrive, with Life as It Is Given

Our Western cultural attitudes are not well-equipped for failure. We are a culture of optimists...

July 01, 2013

My Church Bells Rang in Celebration of DOMA’s Defeat

Last Thursday morning, the bells of my Episcopal church pealed to celebrate the Supreme Court's...

June 2013

June 24, 2013

Everyday Resurrections (& a New Bench)

This post is very slightly edited from its original version published last August. You'll note...

May 2013

May 28, 2013

How Poverty Affects Vaccination Rates

Last fall I pointed blog readers to my colleague Rachel Stone's post on vaccination as...

May 23, 2013

The Kingdom Comes One Lonely Step at a Time—Until We Are Not Lonely Any More

Significant lifestyle changes (or even small changes) for the good of our earth and its...