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Equal partnership: what’s in it for men?
Hi friends, A few weeks ago, I facilitated a book discussion with the college alumni group I’m a part of, on a book called Equal Partners: Improving Gender Equality at Home. We talked about all sorts of things that the book covers, like the idea of cognitive labor, parenting and mothering as an equal partner,…
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Can I get a witness? …Or, perhaps, a community of solidarity?
Hi friends, I don’t know that white folks’ voices should be front and center in the affirmative action conversation, but I will just say briefly that the SCOTUS decision harms us all. Black and brown kids deserve to be able to go to college. And colleges are better learning environments when they have a diverse…
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No really, you don’t have to stay
Hi friends, This week I’d like to direct your attention to a recent blog post by Dr. Chanequa Walker-Barnes. I read this a few days ago, and it has stuck with me. Dr. Chanequa compares the logic of those who try to tell people they should keep going to church with the logic of those…
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Mental health in a bonkers world
Hi friends, This week, I’d like to offer you a reflection from musician, author, and activist Andre Henry: Why Therapy Isn’t Enough, I Need a Revolution. I’d encourage you to read it, and I’d love to hear what you think. I often find myself thinking some similar thoughts. I think about how many of my…
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Doubting in Community (a sermon on John 20:19-31, part 2)
Hi friends, Last week I posted the first half of a sermon on “Doubting Thomas.” This is the second half! ___ I noticed something else, too, when reflecting on this passage—something I hadn’t really thought much about before. I noticed that there’s a whole week in between when Jesus appears to the first group of…
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Permission to Doubt (a sermon on John 20:19-31, part 1)
Hi friends, I was thankful to be able to guest preach a couple weeks ago at Normandy Park United Church of Christ. I thought I’d share a written version of the sermon here, too. Because I feel like I benefited from having to think a lot about Thomas, and faith, and doubt, and “believing without…
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Peace to be fearless
Hi friends, This Easter week has me thinking about what most of Jesus’ disciples did, as recorded in John’s gospel, right after Jesus’ resurrection. Just that morning, Mary Magdalene found the tomb empty and then saw the risen Jesus (looking a lot like a gardener; John 20:11-18). And now the disciples have gone and locked…
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Spiritual conversations and the Samaritan woman (reflections on John 4:1-26)
Hi friends, A couple weeks back, my church’s sermon and small group discussions centered on the (sadly unnamed) Samaritan woman at the well, and her conversation with Jesus as told in John 4:1-26. At our small group meeting, I happened to pick up a version of the Bible that has Jesus’ words in red letters.…
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Our insecurities and Jesus’ temptations
Hi friends, Prompted by church and church small group in the last week or so, I’ve been thinking about the temptations of Jesus, as recorded in Matthew 4:1-11. I explored one angle on these temptations last year, over at Feminism and Religion, in a piece called The Gendered Temptation of Jesus (based on Luke’s version…
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Epiphany prayer
I wrote a prayer based on what I’ve heard six different elders share at church these last couple Sundays. Thought I’d share it here too. The prompt was something like this: What epiphany have you had recently (that is, what do you feel like God has revealed to you), and what are you doing with…