It is Easter season in the Christian community and, like many gospel preachers around the world, I have taken as my Sunday texts the stories of the Risen Lord: How he appeared to his friends and followers, and how they…
Preaching from both sides now
In the 1960s, I was in my late 40s. The popular song “From Both Sides Now,” written by Canadian Joni Mitchell, found me through the singer Judy Collins. The song takes us on a journey from “I’ve looked at clouds…
The Black Church teaches us not to rush past Good Friday
On Good Friday, many of the white churches move quickly. They acknowledge the Cross, they sometimes name the injustice, and — almost instinctively — begin inching toward Easter, toward hope, toward resurrection, toward resolution. They quickly leave Friday and rush…
Nothing’s fine: The truth your pastor won’t tell you
How long does it take to tell a lie? The same amount of time it takes to tell the truth. Is there really a difference if you tell it right? If you smile, wave or nod with assurance? If you…
When ‘it takes two to tango’ is bad marriage advice
It’s a great visual image often used in sermons and pastoral counseling: If you want to dance the tango, you need two able dancers working together. This is true when applied to spouses working together in love, but there is…
Confessions of an exhausted preacher
As I write this, I am a preacher on sabbatical after two years of weekly preaching. I am a “young” preacher in that this is my first preaching job, although not young in age. I have done exhausting jobs before,…
What your pastor says this Sunday matters very much
I’m not usually one to say, “If your pastor doesn’t say X about Y this Sunday, then you should leave your church.” I usually encourage talking with your pastor, helping your pastor and fellow layfolks see the perspective you’re bringing…
This book tells the honest story of preachers and preaching
On Sunday afternoons, after preaching, I often feel wrung out — so spent that all I can manage is to sink into the couch with a novel or binge-watch mindless television. Early in my ministry career, I wondered if other…
Get in the water
I dream of one day gliding through the clear waters of a pool, with its abundantly chlorinated surface reflecting light like a beacon of sanctification. Against all odds, I envision myself as Michael Phelps’ significantly shorter, less talented, but far…
ICE, Gaza and the threat of stupid Jesus
“They killed the boy.” That was the explanation a Bible professor once gave me for why Jesus wasn’t a good model of leadership. The Christian scholar had been describing how, many years before, a subordinate had proposed holding a pastor’s…
An invitation to speak prophetically but not endorse candidates
On July 7, the IRS announced it no longer will enforce restrictions on places of worship endorsing political candidates provided those endorsements occur in the regular communication of the congregation to its members. This is a suspension of enforcement of…
What can preachers say about the attack on Iran?
The news of Israel’s unprecedented attack on Iran’s nuclear and military sites that killed some of Iran’s most powerful men — military and nuclear leaders — arrived late Thursday (June 12) in the U.S. I realized, as I tried to…