A name appears on the teaching schedule. The person is not a stranger. They have sung in worship, served on committees, brought food to grieving families, asked good questions in Bible study and stayed after to stack chairs. People like…
3 ways churches may respond to the violence of conversion therapy
On Tuesday, the Supreme Court struck down a Colorado law that banned conversion therapy for minors in the state. The court ruled the Colorado law a violation of therapists’ free speech. Only one justice (Ketanji Jackson) dissented, meaning the ruling…
Her name is not ‘immigrant’
Fourteen years ago, I was getting ready to walk into a church where I was the guest speaker on a Wednesday night. I never had been there before and was not sure where to go. A man was walking through…
Are you offering a ‘kids’ table’ for single adults at your church?
My best friend here in Dallas got dressed up and went to a church dinner this weekend in someone’s home. He paid $300 for his seat at the 10-course meal as part of a church fundraiser. You need to know…
Welcoming refugees is an opportunity for churches to practice the ministry of hospitality
As heated debates about immigration continue on the national stage, it is more important than ever for Christians to practice compassion to the vulnerable and the stranger — to shape the conversation around immigration toward greater hospitality instead of being…
What not to do if there are queer folks in your church (and there are)
There are queer folks in my church. I worship with them every Sunday. There are queer folks in your church too, whether you know it or not. That’s just how statistics work. More often than not, however, these beloved siblings…
No room in the inn: The story revisited
In July 2021, when we adopted our daughters, I left my pastorate to focus on their transition into our family. I took a job that following August as a night auditor at the local Hilton property. This has been a…
What I learned when I invited a friend to church who processes the world differently than me
I love my church. Inviting my friend to join me for Pentecost Sunday and lunch afterward was an easy, uncomplicated act. The service that day was jubilant; our people warmly inviting. There was much shaking of hands and a few…
Rising from the ashes: God’s empowering message for displaced women
For the past few weeks, the same headline has echoed throughout the United States: “Title 42 Ends.” Title 42 is a regulation implemented to halt immigration during a national health crisis. While not expressly intended for this, the law inadvertently…
The Bible is a tool, not a weapon
A few weeks ago in one of our Wednesday evening worship gatherings, I told the story of an episode I watched of the TV show “Criminal Minds.” It opened with a car pulled off onto the shoulder of a road…
Do you see what I see? Lots of missing church members on Christmas Eve
Have I told you the story of the funeral I officiated for a 93-year-old woman who had been a faithful member of a Baptist church all her life but had no relation to a church or a minister to lead…
In Central Texas, the Naomi House makes me proud to be a Baptist again
I never imagined I would utter, much less think, these words: “I am proud to be a Baptist.” But it happened. I don’t need to recount the long laundry list of problems with our denomination or with the church in…