Borders are real. They make tremendous impact on our lives. Juarez, Mexico is only 2 miles farther away from me than El Paso, Texas, USA. And yet El Paso calls my concern and responsibility. I feel real powerlessness toward the crippling violence of Juarez. Note: As I was editing this post, the news poured in of the mass shooting at a Wal-Mart in El Paso. … Continue reading The Paradox of the Border
Remember the internet sensation of the 1990’s Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon? This was a silly game connecting Kevin Bacon to any other actor. It’s based on the notion that all of us are connected to each other by no more than six degrees of separation. Creation is a whole and we are merely parts of it. So I started playing the game as I … Continue reading Six Degrees at the Border
I packed my clergy shirt. I did NOT pack my clergy collar. If anything, I’m good at bringing the human to the divine. So I stuck a folded-up piece of paper in the place where the collar goes. It was great watching people react to that. One dude gloriously joked me straight to my face. I wish I had gotten his name. (He also fanboyed … Continue reading One Dumb Thing at the Border
I was happy to join Rev. Dr William J Barber II and the Repairers of the Breach at the border today. Perhaps happy is not the right term. I’m quite tired and a little sunburnt and ready to be home. But I think this day will be one to remember for a long time. What’s more important is that the objectives of the day be … Continue reading Today at the Border
I’m in El Paso because there is a crisis of humanity here. I am here to pay witness to the clashing of human values-both divine and evil. I’m here because I have longed to come here since seeing and reading about and hearing about children in squalid conditions in our detention centers. Then the invitation came to Rev. Dr. William Barber. And he shared the … Continue reading Why I’m in El Paso
Identity Religion Now after they had left, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, ‘Get up, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.’–Matthew 2:13 You’ve probably heard of ‘identity politics’. And you may have heard it in … Continue reading Because Jesus was a Refugee
In thinking about how to live in Trump’s America, I am thinking through moral foundations that will guide subsequent actions and stances. What are the spiritual nonnegotiable bases for how to live. The 3 foundations I have identified, based on my spiritual and religious upbringing, are love, truth and grace (coming January 16). The Foundation of Truth Burnt Fingers and Too Many M&Ms Truth is … Continue reading Moral Foundations for Living in Trump’s America (Part 2 of 3)
With the impending inauguration of Donald Trump as President of the United States of America, I feel the urgency of my faith like never before. By ‘the urgency of my faith’ I mean its usefulness in guiding who I will be and how I will act now that Mr. Trump will rule the land. I think I would still be alarmed by Mr. Trump without … Continue reading Moral Foundations for Living in Trump’s America (Part 1 of 3)
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