Annie asked me this morning in the LAX terminal if I was looking forward to doing anything once we arrived in Taipei. I froze because I really hadn’t thought about it. The only thing I had thought about was what it would be like to see yie yie (my grandpa on my dad’s side), now […]
Show me what a life lived in grace looks like: unfettered, joyous, rampant. I told someone once that I wanted to have the guts to laugh at myself and loosen up a bit. I think I was born melancholy (and I protested as much when I tested so in a personality test–this much is true […]
I smelled it coming last week, but it didn’t arrive until today. It smelled like autumn, it was warm rain, ticklish; it was musty with diamond dew and faded memories of running through these trees at our old church camp site, redwood trees tickling the clouds and the sweet fragrance of pine cones and the […]
This morning I woke on the wrong side of the bed, knowing full well I couldn’t go back to sleep in this heat. I was annoyed that it was already 7:15 and it was already too late to get to prayer, too early to go to the office, too late to go for a run […]
The Regeneration interns and I are wrapping up our year here at church. What have I learned? This was the year I stopped romanticizing urban ministry. I honestly came in with the idea that I was going to be really warmhearted and be an amazing rescuer and friend of the poor who could really see […]
Channeling Ice Cube: 94610 prayer walk with church community. Gary shared that doing these walks builds hope in us… helps us remember there’s hope for Oakland. Give us eyes and ears and a heart for the city and our neighborhood. And afterwards I bought a brioche knot + a pizza slice at Arizmendi and 2 peaches […]
The more I stay here the more I realize that I am tired, I am selfish, I am resentful. I am being changed–yes–by entering the lives of people in poverty and seeing the grace of being invited into their lives. Yes, I am learning from them a simple faith and a simple life. But it is […]
A few cloudy Sundays ago I was watching Bruce play with Darren on the steps of our church. Screaming fire trucks were storming our street. Bruce ran down the steps, swept a wide-eyed Darren into his arms and ran down to watch the commotion fade down East 15th. Darren’s eyes were bright and mouth was agape. […]
I remember you most for your light-heartedness. I remember I used to play with you Sundays at Campbell and see you laughing, backpedaling from one side to another, sinking (most) your jumpers. The uptempo cut, a light-footed jumper, picking your way through lane traffic, and you’d be cracking another joke at Joe’s expense. In between […]
