Sometimes understanding other cultures’ artistic and spiritual perspectives brings greater meaning to our shared humanity. This article is about brokenness in my creative world. As 2022 came to a close, I designed a New Year’s card with one of my…
When my church and I let Jesus down: Jesus in the distressing disguise of the homeless
My wife and I were in the mountains of North Carolina (Bakersville) for a week and a half during the Christmas season staying in what used to be her parents’ home. On a few days it was cold, bone-chilling cold….
What I’m learning as a Maston Scholar: ‘Don’t forget!’
“Don’t forget!” Those were the exact words a professor shared with us at the recent retreat for T.B. Maston Scholars. I was touched in a way that was a call for action for myself and the Christian world. I am…
A world inside a world, spinning around
Poet Marnie Abrahams describes an incident from her childhood in a Southeast Asian country, where she spent some fun days with her family at “The American Club”: Pak Ohm taught us to swim, holding our breath and kicking every Tuesday…
Faith and civil rights went together for Martin Luther King
We remember the life and accomplishments of Martin Luther King Jr., who was born on Jan. 15, 1929, in Atlanta. His birthday became a federal holiday in 1983 and is observed on the third Monday of January. It became a…
My love-hate relationship with football
This photo from 1964 tells you a lot about me. I had just turned 4 years old. You see how my mother has me dressed. We’re visiting my dad’s sister. My boy cousins had gotten football helmets for Christmas, and…
A privileged white Southern dad reflects on racism and the legacy of MLK
“I was born a poor Black child.” So begins Steve Martin’s movie The Jerk — the first R-rated movie I saw. I was 13 and begged my college-professor father to take me. As we were leaving his office, he asked…
Does NAMB have no clue?
I’ve kept quiet amid the several years of very public clamoring for more financial transparency at the Southern Baptist Convention’s North American Mission Board because I no longer have a dog in that hunt. However, the Ritz-Carlton Hotel is a…
What is the cost of the church’s failure in ‘Explaining Jesus’ to its members?
In his 2018 song “Explaining Jesus” Jordy Searcy opens the floor to a solemn and honest discussion about evangelical church life. He begins the song with lyrics that acknowledge some gay believers’ feelings of inadequacy when they consider their relationship…
Maston Foundation immigration retreat opened my eyes
How do you put into words an experience that changed mindsets, transformed hearts and inspired hearts? It is challenging to express, but a recent T.B. Maston Foundation retreat on immigration truly had a profound impact on me. I knew little…
I want to experience God in 2023
Although it was almost 35 years ago, I still remember asking myself what we were going to do about Christmas. My single-parent mom was dealing with the debilitating health issue of Lupus, and she had not been able to work…
Why I have a growing appreciation for preaching
I have been engaged in the preaching task since I was 20 years old. That means I have been at it for 31 years. Preaching is my lifestyle. There is always a biblical text and a developing sermon in my…