My Experience Finding a “Tribe” with Tony Campolo & Red Letter Christians

Most Christians in America (and much of the world) are familiar with the life and work of Tony Campolo.  There is his infamous “curse word teaching” that asks his audience whether they are more shocked at the fact that he said sh&% or at the fact that there are thousands of people dying each day …

Stories Behind Our Gifts (Re-Posted)

This is a post I wrote a couple years ago around this time.  It seems quite timely as the consumerist craze of Black Friday (see a story from earlier this morning) casts a shadow on the beauty of Thankfulness that filled our homes yesterday. This is a great season to allow our values to be …

How To (and Not To) Respond to the Current Crisis in the Middle East

My heart is heavy.    Every day for the past week, every social media outlet has told their version of the current uprising stretching across the Middle East (Egypt, Libya, Yemen) .  Whether it’s pictures of Embassy’s burned to the ground, rioting citizens or highly politicized comics, the surge of content has been anything but “feel-good” and …

Why I Went To A Sikh Temple Last Night

I wasn’t sure what to expect as we pulled into the parking lot of a local Sikh Temple (known as a gurudwara) last night, but I assumed it would be culturally enlightening and offer a glimpse into a worldview and religious tradition I have only sparingly engaged.  While yesterday was the National Day of Remembrance …

My Child, the Marlboro Man and Interdependence

I was lying next to my daughter Ruby as she drank her milk and started to fade to sleep.  She often hums her favorite songs through the garble of milk, but this night she set aside the milk so she could nail every note of her newly assembled tune. To the tune of Twinkle Twinkle …