Christmas is a Collision of Worlds
Within a few weeks of throwing my lot in with Jesus, I pledged a sorority. It was a collision of worlds. I was an ignorant freshman, a fledgling Christian and a freshly-minted sorority girl. I look around at my new sorority sisters. Hmm, we all look the same. Young, white, well-dressed women, from good-enough families, […]
The Deafening Sound of Silence
I hesitate to write about the racial issues that are plaguing this country because, as a White woman, I feel like I have little to say. And let’s be honest, I am nervous about saying the wrong thing. But my silence is deafening. At least to my Black friends. I am quick to cry over […]
The Shame Cycle
I’ve spent far too much time asking myself two questions: What is wrong with me? and Why can’t I get it together? These aren’t kind questions. They are condemning. They’re laced with a nasty idea: shame. Up until a few years ago, I wouldn’t have known to call it that. But then a friend gently […]
I Knew You’d Ask
Though it’s late December, I just lived through Groundhog’s Day again. (If you haven’t seen the movie, in Groundhog’s Day, Bill Murray keeps living through the same day until he “gets it right” and breaks the cycle.) In my case, I was talking with a student who’s trapped in a cycle of sexual sin. It’s a conversation I’ve […]
Community: Not a Replacement for God
Let me be very direct. Why is it that with just about everything, God and others are the focus, but when it comes to community, it’s very easy for things to become all about us? Whether it is intimacy or vulnerability, support or whatever, community can become about what we need. And if we don’t […]
Confessions of an Introvert
I recently asked a friend if he’d like to join a Bible study at my church. We’d been friends a while, and he’d attended my church a couple times. I knew he was living alone, not really committed to anything. His response? “No thanks. I’m good. I prefer to be alone anyway.” Say what?? It’s […]
