Glory Hallelujah!! May 10, 2012

Glory Hallelujah! That’s my first reaction. Thank you, Mr. President. That’s my second reaction. It’s about time. That’s my third. In 2004, when we began annual witnesses for marriage equality in Richmond, I confess it did not seem likely that our president would endorse the cause. What a difference eight years make! It’s not just a [...]

Taxes and Tithes March 24, 2012

There is an area of public policy where I think Representative Paul Ryan, the conservative Republican who heads the House Ways and Means Committee, and I may agree, or at least where I think he is speaking a truth that comports with my understanding of biblical truth. When he says that we need to widen [...]

Are 216 Guns Enough? February 2, 2012

I know I am supposed to feel safer. The more guns there are, the safer I am, right? Well, I don’t feel safer. I feel more at risk, as Virginia lawmakers repeal a law that was intended for Virginia to stop being a gun center of the South. The law, a prime project of then [...]

Slap My Hand! January 17, 2012

Voting may get more difficult in Virginia, if State Senator Stephen Martin has his way.  What Martin wants to do is to change the law so that voter registration cards may no longer be used as an acceptable form of identification at the polls. He says he is worried about fraud, and wants to make [...]

Virus, Be Gone! June 16, 2011

Call me a dreamer. Call me a cockeyed optimist. Call me irresponsible. But don’t take away my hope. Lately, what I call the virus of negativity–some people call it the Devil–has been eating at me,  telling me things at church are stalled and aren’t getting any better, that our nation is in such deep trouble [...]

What a Privilege to Call them Friends February 17, 2011

Already, tt has been a topsy-turvy week–some real highs and then several lows. But I have noticed that even within low moments in life there often are wondrous moments. Here’s an example. On Tuesday, several MCC Richmond members joined me and about 1oo others at a meeting of a Virginia General Assembly submcommittee. Our purpose: to urge the subcommittee [...]

You Shall Have No Other Gods . . . June 9, 2010

“When Jesus said, ‘Love your enemies,’ he probably meant don’t kill them.” I thought of that bumper sticker when I came across an advertisement recently for  rifles. The ad showed a person wearing a gunbelt, a six-shooter in one holster and a Bible in the other. The tag line read, “There is nothing wrong with [...]

The Luckiest Kid on Earth May 1, 2009

Today, I have bad news: the New Hampshire State Senate unanimously voted not to update anti-discrimination laws to include “gender identity or expression.” The Senate has voted approval for same-gender marriage, but apparently including transgender people was too much. But this is only temporary. If the legislators had read an article from the New York Times on [...]

Bling? March 10, 2009

Bling: a term in hiphop culture referring to flashy or elaborate jewelry and ornamented accessories that are carried, worn, or installed. At a recent gathering of clergy–where I wore long, dangly earrings and a colleague wore his uniform as Chief Fire Department Chaplain–a female colleague  said she was glad we were wearing our “bling.” She especially appreciated [...]

Let It Snow March 2, 2009

God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change . . . . That’s the way I feel about snow. Yes, it is pretty when it first falls.  But, Currier & Ives made lovely prints and I can find photographs any time I miss the snow (can’t remember the last time that happened). [...]