I am amazed at how the tiniest habits have followed me throughout my life. A cluster of repetitive acts stacked upon one another like gathering cornerstones. Building my character while leaving me to discover who I am and who I’m…
In Aunt Minnie’s kitchen, I learned about fellowship, food and family
Where the Appalachian region of North Carolina crashes against the central Piedmont’s rolling hills, I came of age. Where the exploitation of workers centered less on what took place in coal mines and instead played out inside the walls and…
Halloween reminds me of that time I was called upon to lead a ‘cleansing’ at a family’s home
It starts in late September with the pricking of my skin and spirit; autumn creeps in. Resembling Tom Fury, the lightning rod salesman from Ray Bradbury’s Something Wicked This Way Comes, bringing with it “a storm like a great beast…
How Don Durham and I became neighbors
In the first chapter of The Glad River, author Will Campbell introduces two main characters, Claudy “Doops” Momber and Kingston Smylie. Flung into the cold military-industrial machine, the men first cross paths during basic training. Be it the impending war,…
What The Bear should teach us about the church and genuine acceptance
It feels like I just left here. This is the first thought stumbling through my mind as I listen to the deadbolt release, allowing me to enter the dark room I vaguely remember departing just a few hours ago. I…
Will Campbell’s legacy: Ministers of disruption and holy agitators
Gazing around the auditorium, I knew I was out of place. A lot of indicators pointed to this fact, but none more so than the observation I was several inches taller than those who filled the seats around me. This…
As a pastor, knowing it’s time to move on comes with joy and sorrow
Scanning the last page of my notes, I throw myself into the benediction with the force of a poorly hung door caught unexpectantly by a summer breeze. I attempt to hold the moment by stitching together a series of detached…
Mass murder and the soundtrack of our lives
Some days my outlook is determined by my outfit. If that sounds shallow to you, you’ve never worn a pair of cut-off leopard print shorts. If you have, you know the possible trajectory of where one’s day can go from…
Sleepless nights, parenting, biscuits and holy Communion
I’m fully awake a few ticks after 6 a.m., but I’ve been semi-conscious for a few hours. To say my oldest daughter hasn’t slept well is putting it nicely. When she hasn’t been exploring the different positions to rest her…