I had been combatting the habits of white supremacy for years, and I didn’t even know it. When I first started working as regional church denominational staff, I got called by churches to help them figure out what they needed to do to attract young people. I’d take a...
Antiracism
Pause and Breathe: Combatting Racist Defensiveness
Like this post if you (white people) have thought in the past several months, “I’m not THAT kind of white person.” (i.e. a bigot, white supremacist, racist) Yup. So have I. Underneath this instinct to push away the racism that may apply to us is a desire not to...
The Discomfort of Open Conflict
When I started doing yoga, I mostly did a physical practice. Yoga teachers love to give beginners a chair pose. It’s simple – sit your hips back like you’re about to sit in a chair and then raise your arms over your head. I wasn’t particularly athletic when I began,...
Trapped in a “One-Right-Way” Mindset
After the murder of George Floyd, I felt like I was caught in a trap that pinioned me back into thinking that there is only one right way to do antiracism work. This notion itself is a racist trap, causing me to believe that I should have one brilliant “right way” to...
Becoming the Messy Miracle
One of my first ministry jobs was as a chaplain at a residential treatment facility for young people with mental illness and behavioral disorders. I worked each week with groups of these young people to prepare and lead our chapel service. Those young people, full of...