Overcoming my demon: fear

There isn’t much I’ve been unwilling to lay bare about myself in the hopes of helping others who may be experiencing similar situations or issues. One such issue I’ve written a good deal about is my lifelong struggle with panic and depression. It’s not a topic I enjoy writing or talking about because of how […]

What the American Church needs to hear

As I sometimes do when I feel despair and confused, I headed to St. Simons Island today. I go there to commune with God and connect with one of my long-dead spiritual mentors, John Wesley. St. Simons is, along with Savannah, the only place in America where the Wesley brothers stepped foot. John convinced his […]

Hello, despair, my old friend…

So far, 2017 hasn’t been very kind to my health. I caught the flu for the first time in at least two decades over the weekend, and unlike yours truly, it doesn’t seem to be something that gets better with age. I sent my daughter to stay with her mom a few days early so […]

The story of who I am

My grandfathers As I’ve sought to understand myself and heal from the particular broken places within me, I’ve learned that the journey to knowing myself doesn’t stop with me. Family accounts for far more than our genetic mixture. It also of course establishes the way we perceive ourselves and the world via the environment in […]

When work and sleep

Soundless rain now falling through Seattle, Mississippi blues Heart not calloused nor compliant Weary from reaching and compounding Intensities with melancholy Seeing frequencies of wilted wonder Reverb discordant melodies Wakeful slumber of remembering Who you were through senility While worshiping idol fantasies Thoughtless rituals routinely Burden habit I call living Love elusive and yet growing […]

There is no “us vs. them”

What if we had no enemies? What if that’s exactly what Christianity teaches but few of us accept? I’ve been holed up at my home for the last two days recovering from being sick, and in between fitful bouts of sleeping and waking my heart and head have been struck by two teachings of Jesus […]

The Christian’s relationship with politics

Christianity is both intensely political and apolitical. The Gospels and early Christians loudly proclaimed the very political opinion that “Jesus is Lord,” a direct contradiction and parody of the Roman slogan “Caesar is Lord.” Yet when several people tried to corner Jesus into making an overtly political statement regarding paying taxes to Caesar, Jesus demurred […]