Next Monday, November 16th, at 6:30 p.m. Central, I will be giving an online lecture at Rice University on “Varieties of Populism in the United States.”
Varieties of Populism in the United States
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Kamala Harris isn’t the first person color to be nominated for Vice President
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Kamala Harris’s selection as the Democratic Party’s Vice Presidential candidate is historic. She is the first woman of color to be nominated for the position. In today’s New York Times, the columnist Frank Bruni captured much of the excitement about Harris claiming, “She represents an America that’s evolving, fitfully, toward equal opportunity and equal justice.” In the same column, Bruni also...
An Important Announcement Regarding the First Unitarian Universalist Church of Houston and COVID-19
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Dear Members and Friends of First Church: It is with sadness that I announce that we will not be holding in-person services at neither our Museum District nor Thoreau campuses. The Unitarian Universalist Association has asked that all congregations suspend gatherings of more than 25 people — including worship and religious education — effective immediately. The rapid spread of the...
Ten Most Popular Blog Posts in 2019
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I am a bit late in posting this but here are the ten most popular blog posts from my blog in 2019: 1. “Letter to Demetrias” and “On the Possibility of Not Sinning,” Pelagius2. Some Thoughts on Ministerial Tenure3. In the Interim, May 20194. Statement from the University of Rojava5. Minns Lecture Announcement6. Black Humanism7. Disrupting White Supremacy8. Easter 20199. Collective Memory (Tree of...
Senior Minister’s Column, February 2020
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Imagination is the theme for worship in February. February is Black History Month and the month we kick off First Houston’s annual stewardship drive. Imagination is central to both. First Houston’s initial founding minister was the Universalist circuit rider Quillen Hamilton Shinn. He inspired the people who started First Houston to create a congregation that preached that God loved everyone...
In the Interim, January 2020
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Happy New Year! As I write this month’s column, I am in Michigan visiting my parents for the winter holidays. It is snowing outside – a soft blanket covers the ground and the roads alike. Winter weather brings a sense of peace and respite. There is a fire in the fireplace and I have spent the last few days enjoying my family and relaxing. Wherever you are spending the first days of the New Year...
Op-ed in today’s Houston Chronicle Supporting the Climate Strike
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I have an op-ed in the September 20, 2019 Houston Chronicle. I wrote it in support of the global climate strike. Many members of the congregation I serve, the First Unitarian Universalist Church of Houston, will be participating.
In the Interim, September 2019
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I am really excited to be with you for another year of interim ministry. I am very much looking forward to what we have coming up! Most of our work together in the next months will revolve around three overlapping tasks. First, we will be preparing for the developmental ministry that will follow my interim ministry. This ministry will last between five and seven years. It will be designed with...
Reflecting on Europe 2019
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This year during my vacation in England and France I published almost daily blog posts. My writing was experiment to see if I could maintain a regular posting schedule. I also wanted to create a record of the trip. I went with my parents and son. I am not sure how many more long trips we will be able to take together and I thought it would be nice to have a travel log. Over the month, I wrote...
I Got The Knowledge (Leaving London)
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Our trip home was relatively simple compared with our trip to London from Sers. It only involved two modes of transit: airplanes and automobiles. We decided not to take the Heathrow Express. The cost of buying four tickets was roughly the same as the cost of hiring a black car to Heathrow. So, we took a black car, complete with London cabbie, from the flat to the airport and then caught our...