The stories remind us there is still and always joy in this world, but it usually comes right alongside the struggle.

This is a "love saves" story.

Make sure, both at Christmastime and in other times, that you ask for that which you really want.

The wilderness alongside every moment, sprawling in each direction, holds more than the silence that theologians imagine of God.

Uncertain as the world feels right now, love will bear whatever lies ahead.

I do not believe the acts of oppressors are my people’s shame.

I was born nine years after four little girls were killed in Birmingham, Alabama, and two other boys later the same day.

We teach girls to be likeable, to be nice, to be false. And we do not teach boys the same. This is dangerous.

The drug that says that whiteness is what matters most about white people is what makes so many of them think that is what must be protected at all costs.

It is now, when we are called to act on our values, not to hide, not to fear, but to be bold and loud.

Arm's length: What was once a defensive or suspicious expression has now become a gesture of care, an indication of love and protection.

I feel disoriented when I’m in a new place or situation and can’t figure out whether the rules are real or imaginary.

It’s important to honor the footprint others leave on our heart.

In these days of so much uncertainty, may we choose honesty over comfort, love over complacency, and truth over convenience.

None of us would be here were it not for those who lived and won a fight that they were not meant to survive.

One day, I’ll have to care for my mother as she once cared for me. I’m not ready to handle the truth that our relationship must change.

This is a prayer for working parents zooming another meeting with a little face joining in; for new parents, waiting for new life without support; for the single parents, doing all this alone.

What once seemed certain is now unpredictable, even dangerous.