Being new in town, I am still discovering the good coffee shops. I have learned over the years that not everyone values the same things I do in a coffee shop, and so you can’t just take anyone’s word for it – you have to investigate for yourself. So when I walked into the shop, I […]
Faith
A letter to my white progressive friends
Dear friends, Being born into, and raised in and by, a White Supremacist culture, while spending my adulthood working for racial equity and committing my life to Dr. King’s idea of Beloved Community, where we are judged not by the color of our skin but by the content of our character has been… interesting. I […]
Don’t Be Afraid
Open Door Mennonite Church July 1, 2018 Mark 4:35-41 (NRSV) On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.” And leaving the crowd behind, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. Other boats were with him. A great windstorm arose, and the waves […]
Books and authors that have influenced me
The other day on Facebook, I was asked for a list of books and authors that shaped my belief system. Narrowing it down is always hard. I read hundreds of books a year and have more than a thousand in my library, but the following list is representative. I am pretty sure that if you […]
Sitting in the dark with a friend. Again.
It was Tuesday morning, and I had just gotten to work when I got the call. It was Nessie, Lena’s daughter. “Momma died this morning, Hugh. Can you come over to the house? We are waiting for the funeral home.” “Of course. I will be right there.” It’s never convenient. It’s never easy. It never […]