It can be hard to recognize the difference between being useful and being used. It’s hard to love well when the missteps that often come naturally with relationships can be held against you and sometimes threaten your job. It’s hard to be transparent and vulnerable when you know some folks will read it as weakness … Read More
Just about every morning, i snap these cuffs onto my wrist. The brown one reads “Born of a broken man but not a broken man.” Lyrics Zach de la Rocha wrote about his father and the way bad religion had twisted him. I wear it as a way to remember (and by grace, transcend) the … Read More
I first met Christena Cleveland across the street from a conference where, later that day, she would speak on issues of race and the long road towards unity among Christians. Her presentation was 3 minutes long. What I left that conference with was’t just what I heard Dr. Cleveland present in her few minutes.. but … Read More
That songwriting is an art is widely understood. What can be messy or confusing is what becomes of any art, and particularly songwriting, when it becomes a job, a business or an industry. And then, what becomes of the people who identified as professional artists when the season changes and the industry evolves? Part of … Read More
This Friday, June 16, the Tupac Shakur Biopic “All Eyez on Me” hits theaters. The film is named after the rapper’s remarkable 1996 release “All Eyes On Me.” Since his death in September of that same year, conversation around and engagement with Tupac and his work has never really gone away. He’s one of those artists … Read More
That’s me on the far right doing my best impression of KISS bassist Gene Simmons. I was a huge fan of the band KISS, due in large part to the older kids in my neighborhood, two of which are pictured here with me. We invited our parents and other neighbors to gather in Chris’ backyard, … Read More
My guest on this episode is Mark Labberton. Mark is the author of three deeply insightful books and is most likely better known as the President of Fuller Theological Seminary. Mark’s work and friendship have often been, for me, a lifeline to hope when it comes to the communal, institutional practice of faith. When it … Read More
Sometimes, if there is any good, it is a good I create out of what I’m given. On this day (May 6) in1998, I lost my father to depression and suicide. Decades of having a false gospel heaped upon his shoulders, one in which the “bottom line” mattered more than his soul, had finally broken … Read More
Sure, CNN, MSNBC and FOX have their agendas. But to simply say “I don’t believe a word of it” is just lazy. Every bit of information I’ll ever receive is coming at me from an angle. This is why Nietzsche wrote “there is no truth, only interpretation.” I think that’s largely true (see what I did … Read More
I’ve been enjoying “The Wilderness,” the newest Explosions In The Sky project. I’ve liked a lot of what they’ve done in the past but, to be honest, always found bands like This Will Destroy You or Hammock more interesting. Until now, that is. If you’re a fan of ambient music at all, “Wilderness” is definitely worth … Read More
