I grew up southern. Even more significant, I grew up Virginian. The foothills of the Blue Ridge were my playground, the red clay of the Old Dominion was my sandbox, and the countless historical sites and landmarks were my classroom. I cut my teeth on the stories of the settlers of Jamestown. I can trace … Continue reading
I had to check the calendar several times Saturday. White supremacists marching the streets. A KKK rally complete with pointy hats and rebel flags. People murdering each other over a statue. Were we in the 1960s? Wait, is that a Nazi flag? Is this the 1940s? To say my head was spinning is an understatement. … Continue reading
I first heard about the Orlando shootings on Sunday morning at church. I tend to go into a cocoon starting on Friday nights to focus on my sermon so I was out of the news loop when it happened. Since then I have spent several days trying to wrap my head around it, and our … Continue reading
In 2008 I was asked to teach Art to elementary age students. Up until that time I had taught primarily middle and high school aged youth at a private Christian school in Maryland. The need arose and I accepted the challenge. How hard can it be? It was hard. Very, very hard. The curriculum was … Continue reading
Ever since last Friday’s Supreme Court decision to legalize gay marriage church leaders have been in a reactionary posture. Some of this is to be expected. Our parishioners and congregants are as varied in their views on this issue as they are on any other, and with those variances come a plethora of questions concerning … Continue reading
The National Prayer Breakfast is an annual event that gathers religious leaders from various faiths to talk about perhaps the most controversial subject in existence: religion. It is also the time that Presidents have used to address matters of faith in our country. Typically the prayer breakfast is seen as a positive event. It shows … Continue reading
We thought we were beyond this. We were supposed to be more civilized; more enlightened. Race riots were supposed to be one of history’s artifacts, tucked away in the attic of time right between steam engines and leisure suits. We thought we had buried the past. We were wrong. The events in Ferguson, MO over … Continue reading
“Daddy, I want to change my name.” “Oh really?” I replied, my curiosity piqued by the precocious 9-year-old in my rear view mirror. The sparkle in her blue eyes was hardly diminished by her wire-rimmed glasses. I could tell this was going to be good. “And just what do you want to change your name … Continue reading
Okay, maybe I like confrontation a little too much. Or maybe I am just an equal opportunity type guy, but one thing’s for sure: I am probably going to make both sides of the “gay marriage” debate angry with this post. Oh well, to be honest, I’m pretty fed up with them too. With my … Continue reading
If I have told her once I have told her a thousand times not to take a bath with her e-reader. But she is my daughter, which means she has to learn some things the hard way, and that was the case last night. She (name withheld to protect the not-so-innocent) opened the door last … Continue reading
The Pondering Preacher 