Lee Hull Moses

On Monday evening, my daughter and I joined several hundred others outside the Capitol in Raleigh, North Carolina. We were there for the latest in a series of Moral Monday rallies organized to oppose the legislature’s policies toward (among other things) social programs, education, environmental legislation, and voting rights. The statehouse is a solid 90-minute drive from our house, so it makes for a long evening on a school night.

Part church, part support network for families, Salvage Garden strives to create a space where all are welcome.

Eugene Peterson notes that when we read scripture, "we find that we are not being led to see God in our stories but to see our stories in God's. God is the larger context and plot.” This fall, I'm using the the Narrative Lectionary, put together in 2010 by the good folks at Luther Seminary and Working Preacher.

I sometimes envy my colleagues whose denominations have already fought this issue out, voted and moved on. We Disciples don't work that way.

On Tuesday, the general assembly of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) approved a resolution calling on the church in all its expressions to affirm the faith, baptism, and spiritual gifts of everyone, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. This was timely, given the Defense of Marriage Act decision, though the resolution doesn’t specifically mention same-sex marriage. Nor does it mention ordination—the other hot-button issue around sexuality in the church—though it does affirm that neither sexual orientation nor gender identity is “grounds for exclusion from fellowship or service within the church.” 

My family celebrates Christmas with a mix of Jesus and Santa Claus. But there is one story we don't tell.

I knew I had to talk to him. This longtime church elder would soon see my newsletter article, and he wasn't going to like it.

As I grow older, I'm increasingly scared of heights. But there I was with my four-year-old in front of a three-story water slide.

North Carolina voters go to the polls today, and the race that will make all the headlines doesn’t have a candidate. On the ballot is a constitutional amendment defining marriage between one man and one woman as the only legal domestic union recognized by the state. I’m against the amendment--a popular view here in Greensboro. The city council passed a resolution opposing it. Light blue “Vote Against” yard signs dot the neighborhood around our church. Across the state, opinions are more varied.

I'm not indispensable. I knew the church would be fine for the weeks I was away. It's just that I missed them.

Our steeple came down a few weeks ago. After 50-plus years, it had worn out beyond repair. During the construction, I spent a lot of time standing in the parking lot, staring skyward.