On November 8, 2019 we celebrated the life of Commander Bess Bryant Sheldon, most everybody’s Aunt Bess. These were my remarks at the service: So let me start by acknowledging that you don’t get to be a pastor to your own family. People know you too well. You might get called upon to do the […]
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In Memoriam: Walking Liberty for Pete Joyner
On December 14, 2019, a memorial service was held for my father, Ulysses Percy “Pete” Joyner, Jr., at Trinity United Methodist Church in Orange, Virginia. I shared this witness to his remarkable life. The last time my father remembered seeing his father was on an evening in May 1940. The family was reeling from the […]
Hooligans and Lunatics on Streetlight
My little meditation on the moon is up on the blog of the great Streetlight magazine today. Many thanks to Trudy Hale and the gang for offering the space for such musings.
Because You Are More Powerful Than We Imagine – A Final Prayer Before General Conference 2019
Because you are more powerful than we imagine in our Pelagian fantasies, Because you are always more ready to dance than we are to follow your lead, Because you choose contingency over certainty and the added gifts of incarnation, intimacy, and the open door, Because you will still be watching when we turn our heads […]
Race, Virginia, and Jesus’ Circle of Favor
It has been a disturbing week in Virginia government. Once again, we are struggling with how we address questions of race and racism. This time Virginia Governor Ralph Northam and Attorney General Mark Herring are both confronted with incidents from their past involving appearances in blackface, a remnant of minstrel shows where the entertainment came […]
Why Don’t Country People Just Get Out? – Episode 3
It’s happened again. Writers in The New York Times are once again wondering aloud if country people shouldn’t just give up and move to the city to deal with problems of economic insecurity. Which means, it’s time for another episode of “Why Don’t Country People Just Get Out?” In an article titled “The Hard Truth […]
Christmas Music and the Incarnation
Originally posted on Tell it Slant:
photo by Steve Halama on Unsplash The essay from my FaithLink for Dec. 23rd–“Christmas Music and the Incarnation”—has been posted on the Ministry Matters website: https://www.ministrymatters.com/all/entry/9420/christmas-music-and-the-incarnation Here are links to the songs mentioned in the essay: John McCutcheon’s “Christmas in the Trenches”: https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#inbox?projector=1 Noel Paul Stookey’s “Christmas Dinner” with…
Bitter is Better: The New Bitter Southerner Podcast
A few months back I had the privilege of interviewing Chuck Reece, one of the masterminds behind the great Bitter Southerner site. Now Chuck is hosting a new podcast which you can subscribe to at your favorite podcast watering hole. It’s all the things you’d expect from such a thing: wry, rye, and an ongoing celebration of […]
Check out Heartlands’ New Look
Heartlands got a make-over today. Come check out the site and review our Top 10 Best Reads of 2018!
Old King Coal – on Ministry Matters
What happens to the coal patch when the coal industry leaves? https://www.ministrymatters.com/all/entry/9358/the-decline-of-coal
