“You can rest in peace only because you are awake.” Back many years ago when I was teaching a comparative religion class at a South Carolina technical college, the final assignment was a much-dreaded group project where students had to invent their own religion. They
Here I sit in quiet stillness. For 30 minutes, there is no scrolling, swiping, messaging, emailing, chores, work, or needs of any form. For 30 minutes, I kneel before a makeshift altar composed of two candles and a vaguely anthropomorphic stone statue. For 30 minutes,
Part of an occasional series celebrating Whosoever’s Silver Jubilee. I believe God is that essence in us that reaches out to another, committed to their well-being, their enlightenment, their moral, emotional, relational, and spiritual growth. (Phillip Gulley, Unlearning God, 2018, pp. 193-194) Much has changed
Part of an occasional series celebrating Whosoever’s Silver Jubilee. I grew up hating my body. I still feel a bit like an alien trying to work out how this human meat suit works. I’ve always been awkward, clumsy, and had the ability to trip on
Why write a Pride hymn? My answer begins with a parable and some commentary. And he spoke to them and said, “What is the Community of God like? It is like a Pride parade filled with a great diversity of people, decked out in rainbows
As we enter Pride Month and leave behind Trinity Sunday, I wanted to explore both as we go into the season of ordinary time — a time that a parishioner once told me, is the time that God often uses to redeem us. LGBTQ Pride
But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect. (1 Peter 3:15 NIV) In preparing us for
One of the features of being in foster care for many, especially in the ’70s and ’80s, was there was no contact with the birth family to be had. Depending on family circumstances, that can be a good or bad thing. But the result is
‘I am soft and luscious… ‘ I watched an amazing YouTube video a few years ago made by an Australian woman named Taryn Brumfitt who went out onto the street to ask other women about what they thought of their bodies. Woman after woman stared
Take all the colors of the rainbow, mix them together, and what do you get? You get a very dark shade of brown you might as well call Black. This is metaphorical as well as literal when it comes to explaining the place of Black