When my wife was a medical resident, life was very intense.  She worked 100 hours a week, and was chronically sleep-deprived.  She was a new surgeon, feeling the impact of her decisions, actions and possible mistakes on the lives of others. There were 20 serious patient crises happening at any given moment – doctors and […]

I grew up in Oklahoma City, and was 16 years old when the federal building there was bombed. At the critical moment, I happened to be in a second-story classroom, daydreaming out a window that faced downtown, and saw the explosion.   The tragedy was instantly a defining experience for everyone in the community, both […]

Dr. Robert Moore was the first person I met in seminary who told me to pray.   That fact may sound strange, depending on your perspective on ministers. Chicago Theological Seminary is the school where I was trained to be a pastor, and every day I spent there was filled with conversation and learning about […]

    The word respect comes from the same root as spectator or spectacle.  To respect a person, or a community, or an issue, literally means to see again, or to see anew. This is bad news.  Respect is often described as a baseline, a starting point, something we expect people to take for granted, […]

We turn the lights off during Lent.  As in, we don’t turn on the lights in our house for a month and a half. Five years ago, my wife and I were talking about Lenten promises and this idea came up, so we decided to go for it.  Why not?  Sounds weird, let’s do it. […]

  I’m very happy to announce the release of my new album, Sacred Days! Sacred Days is a collection of songs written for specific occasions. Each speaks to a milestone moment in the life of faith: Welcome (Baptism) All In (Confirmation or New Decision for Christ) Never Far (Weddings) Love is the Cord (Advocacy in […]

When people defend the outrageous statements of Donald Trump, they often say, “He’s just saying what everybody’s thinking.” So no apologies, he must be legit.   Okay, so obviously this is not true. Trump is not saying what everybody is thinking. I am a bona fide member of “everybody”, and I don’t think just about […]