Month: June 2017

Philando Castile and the Things We White People Say

  A police revolver rings out.  Several times.  Another black man in America bleeds out.  Most all agree that these killings are a terrible tragedy.  And we–my white brothers and sisters and I–wanting to be helpful, offer our counsel.  These deaths could be prevented.  The story can end up differently. If only the black man …

The Reason Memaw Entered Heaven…and Others Don’t

  [I dedicate this blog to Memaw—my dear mother-in-law—who died 366 days ago and who would have celebrated her 94th birthday today.]   Memaw entered heaven.  Others won’t.   Why not?  Simple.  They don’t want to.   So why does that idea sound so odd? Because it does not square with a narrative of heaven …

Those Lazy Mexicans

  It was a conversation about a storm…that created a storm.  “Hey, Roger, did you hear about that storm Saturday?”  Well, no.  We were out of town.  “You should have seen it.  There were limbs down everywhere.  There was a big one down the street.  Those lazy Mexicans didn’t even bother to clean it up.” …

Kathy Griffin and the Power of Labels

    Labels.   Liberal left. Far right. Fundamentalists. Feminists. Republicans. Democrats. Environmentalists. Illegals. Conservatives.  Blacks. Whites. Calvinists. Charismatics.  Abortionists. Creationists. Evolutionists. Gays.  Christians. Rappers.  Millennials.  Boomers.  Legalists.  Atheists. Muslims.   Labels.  That’s all they are.  Just identifiers.  Markers.  Definers.  Nothing more.   Jesus was having a dinner party with some friends of a friend.  …