Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. Her ... Continue Reading→
Latest Posts
Sorrow and Joy
I stood in a place of sorrow and joy. My spouse and I were in Columbia, South Carolina, standing in the cemetery of Trinity Episcopal Cathedral on a Saturday morning. We were visiting our son, ... Continue Reading→
The Costs of White Supremacy
White supremacy culture is the idea (ideology) that white people and the ideas, thoughts, beliefs, and actions of white people are superior to People of Color and their ideas, thoughts, beliefs and ... Continue Reading→
Does Everyone Count?
Today, I woke up to this headline, “26 killed after gunman opens fire inside church.” My friends, here we are speechless again in the wake of another horrific act of violence. Once again, we add ... Continue Reading→
What Does It Mean?
I have been searching for resources to guide conversations about race. My search reminded me of the "Vital Conversations" videos published by the General Commission on Religion and Race of the United ... Continue Reading→
Understanding Implicit Bias
Can we really be 100% objective? Those who study implicit bias argue that we cannot. For example, a recent study suggests that hurricanes with female names are deadlier than hurricanes with male ... Continue Reading→
One Part of One Story of Race
The work of conflict transformation depends upon the authentic telling and hearing of one another's stories. As a first response to the events in Charlottesville, I would like to tell you one part of ... Continue Reading→
A Garden Story
Today, in the early August morning, I pulled weeds in a garden. You might notice that I said “a” garden, not “the” garden. To be most accurate, I should say that I pulled weeds in “OUR” garden. To ... Continue Reading→
Gathered In
Over the last month, I have spent a good bit of time in gatherings of people. I joined women and men from all over the world to attend Duke Divinity School's Summer Institute for Reconciliation in ... Continue Reading→
The Rains Came
From March 24-26, the Outreach Ministry and the Conflict Transformation Ministries of the North Carolina Conference invited Chaplain David Smith of the Soul Care Initiative to lead a retreat at Camp ... Continue Reading→
