First Person
How I learned to love church coffee
“The coffee is much better now that we attend a Lutheran church,” I told my husband, wailing.
How I came to love embodied prayer
I tried it—and I began to experience God in places other than my head.
Seven things I learned by teaching a Me Too Bible class
Scripture is filled with sexual violence. So, we learned, are our own lives.
Where my faith and my work as a scientist meet
It’s difficult to study the phylogenetic tree and still feel lonely.
How faith-based organizing helped end money bail in Illinois
The Bible provided some healthy agitation as we built coalitions to literally set the captives free.
What is a beautiful church building for?
What my bad sermons made bland, our sanctuary made sweet.
Looking back at my ministry from hospice care
My feet hurt. To distract myself, I'm recalling my professional failures.
What being vaccinated has taught me about spiritual restlessness
I have the freedom to say yes to things again. And I still have the freedom to say no.
My husband and I moved to be near friends
Why does this sound strange to people?
Jellyfish at prayer
Is V. velella a colony or an individual? When does sharedness dissolve into oneness?
Because of Paul Crow, I’m still a pastor
The ecumenical leader who talked me out of burning my ordination certificate
I want to talk to Thomas Merton about race
Merton has been my spiritual companion, but as a Black woman, I have questions for him.
A meditation on Jazz during Lent
We are flakes of snow; we are notes vanishing in the air.
The undergrads in my Bible class taught me a few lessons
Teaching online made me realize my goal is to teach them to think, not to teach them to think like me.
Naming my African American ancestors to keep them alive
Their presence brings strength to those still fighting and grieving.
Walking a labyrinth as I prepared for more chemo
I held ten stones. My friend held two more.
In search of sanctuary
When my church opened its doors to an immigrant family, we had to reimagine the meaning of sacred space.
Saying goodbye to my mother during the pandemic
She died in her nurse’s arms.