First Person
The strange, humbling ritual of foot washing
It makes me uncomfortable. That’s by design.
Four years after my mother died, we still haven’t scattered her ashes
They’re in a plastic bag in my closet.
Faith formation in my world religions classroom
Each year a Hindu priest asks my students to “worship our own, but respect all.” They find the second part easier.
Our problem isn’t just loneliness—it’s species loneliness
How human isolation from the rest of the world keeps us from thriving.
Kindness, kinship, and the boundaries of justice
The virtue of kindness depends on who we see as kin.
A congregation’s commitment to live out “We do”
We say these words a lot. Lately I’ve noticed what it looks like when we follow through.
When a father and husband walked out, grace called him home
I preached a word of judgment. The stranger in the back row heard grace.
The SAT is unfair. My son is studying for it anyway.
It’s hard to quit the college admissions game.
New life in old space at St. Stephen’s, Philadelphia
I knew Sunday worship wasn’t viable. But what about weekdays?
Standing in the remains of the death camps in Poland
I was outraged. I wanted to burn it all down. I wanted to pray.
A playground bully, her victim, and their God
An incident in Germany reminded me who we all belong to.
Saying good-bye to my congregation
I had to make room for conversations of thanks, forgiveness, love, and good-bye.
When the opioid crisis shows up at our church’s doorstep
Dealing with our community’s real issues
How I learned to love the doctrine of total depravity
When unremitting human sin is something I expect, I can face evil without despair.
Visiting a tent city in Mexico created by Trump’s Migrant Protection Protocol
The children here are gaunt and listless. They are running out of time.
Tasting salvation during a fellowship meal at a maximum security prison
None of us wants it to end, because we know we'll never see each other again.
Seeing the crucified Christ in my wife’s C-section
I see love incarnate in suffering flesh, a body bearing a body in pain for love.
We’re all going to die. Why is it so hard to talk about it?
Most of us don’t fear death so much as the process leading up to it.