I have many reasons for not getting what a somnologist or sleep doctor would describe as a full night’s rest. For one, I have children. This means my ears are attuned to any sound slightly resembling a croup-like cough. In…
Take America backward
The last time this happened, I met with two other ministers in a bottle shop. The owner opened up early for us. We filed in with bags under our eyes, proof we stayed awake too late watching news outlets and…
Bullshit
In 1916, a 26-year-old Darley Hiden Ramsey submitted a motto for the newly commissioned town seal of Asheville, N.C. His choice, levavi oculos meos in montes, “I lift my eyes to the hills” was taken from Psalm 121. Scholars consider…
Me and Mrs. Womble
Her last name was several feet tall. Spelled out in chipped bold letters that had seen more hurricane winds than fresh coats of paint. Colored red as if Jesus had spoken them. WOMBLE the sign read above the hardware store….
Reflections upon agrarian/poet/activist Wendell Berry’s 90th birthday
My mother-in-law loves me. I know I’m in her good graces, and she considers me part of her family. I can testify to such assurance because she lavishes me with her chosen form of affection. Her delivery method? Arguing. She’ll…
Oh, dear, what could the trouble be?
Plopping down in our library, I pour myself a glass of something the unlicensed Baptist preacher Elijah Craig had a hand in making. I sift through a plastic milk crate. A small collection of vinyl is housed in it. I…
I thought I didn’t have any more time in my Holy Week schedule, and then I learned about the Trump-endorsed Bible
Every pastor I know is busy. I haven’t come across one who tells me they have time to kill. The pastors in my circles aren’t on golf courses. They’re not at the gym or the spa. They haven’t signed up…
The greatest Christmas hymn ever written
Sitting on the floor Christmas morning in my bright red Union suit, I brace myself for the forthcoming onslaught of ripped wrapping paper at the hands of two small children. The kids already have found Santa’s presents resting beside the…
Jack Tales: Remembering Jack Causey
Growing up in Southern Appalachia, I was reared on what the mountain and foothill people called Jack Tales. Stories involving a young protagonist who finds himself in a world that sounds familiar but is filled with the unfamiliar. Jack’s adventures…
Why I don’t invite would-be friends to church
Walking along a well-beaten path, my daughter and I make our way through the canopy of trees toward the small lake’s shoreline. Already, I can see the congregating group of other parents with their children, staking claims with chairs and…
Jason Aldean and Tyler Childers and two visions of small-town community
It doesn’t seem like it was just a couple weeks ago Jason Aldean released a music video to expand on the lyrics of his now widely popular and equally controversial hit “Try That in a Small Town.” Nor does it…
‘Try That in A Sundown Town’
A small radio rested in my grandmother’s kitchen — one of those gadgets stained by time and the touch of hands that saw a day’s labor before sunrise. On it played nothing but Country Gold. As pintos simmered on the…