I love stories.
Maybe that comes from being born in Mississippi, but I’m not sure. I just know I never learned to play guitar because I was too interested in the stories my dad told as he tuned. And I never cared much about video games because I was too busy teaming up with friends to remake our favorite movies in our backyards and basements and convincing teachers to let us make short films instead of writing book reports. All of it was for one purpose: to tell interesting stories.
Over the last decade, though, the stories I’ve shared most often have either been those of organizations doing good work to make the world better or those from my life that I told from the pulpit. I’ve tied ancient stories to our modern context finding connections in unlikely places; the perfect introduction to Abraham sacrificing Isaac is, if you ask me, Green Eggs and Ham.
I’ve shared their stories to philanthropists and public agencies who’ve gone on to support good work with hundreds or thousands or, in one case, over one million dollars.
My reflections on life and religion have found homes in print and online. I’ve also covered small town news, interviewing Jim Henson’s biographer, shared how scattering a death row inmate’s ashes reminded me of the meaning of Christmas, and starting God Knows Where, whose first series (available now wherever you listen to podcasts) was called “I Didn’t Say That,” an exploration of whether Jesus’ story isn’t more interesting when we look at what he didn’t say instead of what he did.
No matter the subject or the venue, I find myself writing and speaking most frequently at the intersections of education, faith, art, and the places we call home. As new stories are published or sermons are offered, I’ll share them HERE.