So, the Middle East is getting spicy again, huh? World War 3 anyone? I mean seriously, can we please knock it off with the unprecedented times? I'd be willing to bet we're all some level of anxious about the Israel/Iran/US/Whoever-decides-to-start-lobbing-bombs war that's happening right now. For some of us who grew up in evangelical Christianity…
Drag Queens, Unicorn Snot, and Holy Moments
One of the oldest members of our congregation, a wise and wonderful woman in her 90s, pulled me aside after our worship service this past Sunday. Her eyes were bright. “I've always believed the saying that the arc of the moral universe is long, but it ultimately bends towards justice,” she said, her voice steady.…
The Glorious Art of Napping in a Dumpster Fire
Right? Just… right? If you’ve recently found yourself staring blankly at your phone, possibly wondering if you accidentally subscribed to a 'Daily Dose of Global Despair' newsletter you don’t remember signing up for, feeling like you’ve run an emotional marathon sponsored by existential dread… hello, kindred spirit. Welcome. We have stale virtual coffee and collectively…
Asleep at the Wheel
Road trips. They sound romantic, adventurous, maybe even a little nostalgic, right? Visions of open highways, curated playlists, questionable gas station snacks... pure Americana. It is a truly Hollywood-tinted, romanticized, and slightly nostalgic view of road trips we have, as Americans. Reality, as it often does, tends to slap a slightly damp, vaguely sticky handprint…
A Crash Helmet for Our Souls
There’s a video going around on tiktok right now asking “what are you going to do when it happens?” and the IT they’re referring to is when the current president is….. no longer alive. And while the petty, dramatic part of me wants to answer with “I’m going to dance in the streets and blast “No One Mourns the Wicked” as loud as I can………..there’s another part of me that is deeply uncomfortable with the idea of wishing death on someone - anyone.
Melt the Fuckers Down
34. Thirty four mass shooting incidents since January 1 of this year. For fucks sake, there’ve only been 53 days in the year so far. And 34 of those days, there’s been a shooting that’s killed or injured 4 or more people. What. The. FUCK. Seriously. What the fuck is wrong with America? When did…
A Beatitude for Today
Blessed are the brown people The shithole countries The refugees and the homeless Blessed are the immigrants For they remind us of the ‘dream’ Blessed are the Muslims And the disabled And the working poor And blessed are those who march Who call out injustice Who fight in the trenches Who write, and tweet, and…
Who Matters?
Does my life matter? I try really hard to keep this blog as politics-free as I can. The internet is awash in political overload all the time these days, and I don’t want to just be another voice in the crowd. Today though, I’m feeling it. People with pre-existing conditions woke up this week to…
Of Fear and Apologies
Fear is a powerful emotion. It literally causes changes in body and brain chemistry, prompts visceral, physical reactions, and can provoke us to react in ways that are less than, well, rational and kind. Sigh. Sadly, I know this firsthand. After the election, I was terrified. Not just by the direction the country had chosen,…
Hope is a Verb – For Cincinnati and Beyond
Hope is a verb. It is an action. A project. A protest. A defiance. A MARCH. It is love. It is created in the minds and hearts, through the signs and shouts of the masses Ringing through a park and neighborhood that, itself, is a testimony to what hope can do. It is renewal. Hope.…
VoyagersHeart 