In the midst of the contentious presidential election in 2020, I heard conversations on both side of the aisle that claimed the righteousness of their choice for president. I heard justifications and defenses, but I never heard actual debate. Debate listens to the person and the responds to the person’s points with counterpoints without demeaning …
Over and over again as I have researched and read for this Lenten series on hustle and its impact on our culture and ourselves, I have felt betrayed. Our culture is teaching us and moving us towards a life that isn’t fulfilling. We are being hustled. We are being led to believe that having more, …
As we approach the year mark of the pandemic changing our lives and shutting down schools and churches, I’m reminded of the reflection from Bronnie Ware a palliative nurse who shared the regrets and wishes of her patients. There were no mentions of having more or having bigger houses rather her patients’ number one wish …
In the wake of George Floyd’s death and cry, “I can’t breathe!” the Black Lives Movement revealed that just how deeply our society and culture is engrained in racism. The global pandemic that rocked the world revealed that healthcare is not the same for every person as more black lives were lost to COVID. Over …
I grew up in as a evangelical fundamentalist and if there was one thing I was sure of it was that we were right. We had the right beliefs. We had the right priorities. We were on the right path. When I expresses a call to preach and pastor, I found myself on the outside …
Currently in our country 1 in 7 kids are living with food insecurity not sure if or when they will have access to food. Recent reports indicate that this now true for 1 in 7 adults after a year of living in a global pandemic and economic crisis. Even in the midst of this pandemic …
I don’t know how many times I’ve heard the phrase “being negative won’t help” or “just think positively.” There is a thread that runs through our culture ad our society, especially for women, that urges us to “stay positive” and “to smile more.” This is especially prevalent in conservative communities and depicted in the Lego …
The American beauty industry is a 49.2 billion dollar industry and is estimated to be a 438.38 by 2026. Women in the US spend between $3,000 and $4,000/ year on cosmetics. The beauty industry was interrupted during the pandemic as women all over the country stopped wearing makeup. I’m giving up the beauty hustle. As …
Sam and I have started the series The Food that Built America. It tells the stories of companies that are staples of America and how they got started. They are stories of struggle and creativity. As we were halfway through the episode last night, I noted, “There are always two companies competing.” Our capitalistic economy …
During seminary, I remember there were two or three students who were doing a clothing buying fast during the season of Lent. I had never heard of fasting from anything except food during the season of Lent (a kind of convenient time to cut out sugar or sweets before Spring and Summer). I was intrigued …
