Over the past few months, I’ve been following the story of the sale of the Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove, California, and the ensuing downfall of Robert Schuller, the pastor who founded the church. The building, designed by Philip Johnson, an architect known for his love of glass construction, is a...
LL Cool J, you had me at “pray.”
Opening the Grammy awards on Sunday, host LL Cool J began with the obvious and noted passing of Whitney Houston the day before, saying, “There’s been a death in the family.” Then he invited the audience to pray for Houston and her family,...
It’s 6:15 a.m., and I wander out to the kitchen. I fill the tea kettle with water. Put it on the stove. Turn on the heat. Take out the coffee pot and a filter. Put some beans in the grinder and whirr. The filter goes into the Melitta top, then the ground coffee. Wait as the water boils. Stretch up one...
Here it is, December 19th. You might be thinking “Yikes! Only five more days until Christmas!” Then again, maybe you’re thinking what I’m thinking: “Rats! Only five more days left in Advent.”
I love this season, much as I love the season of Lent. Both of these times are...
In the canon of Negro spirituals, one of the most powerful is called Changed My Name; here’s the first verse: “I told Jesus it would be all right if he changed my name./ I told Jesus it would be all right if he changed my name./ I told Jesus it would be all right; I told Jesus it would be all...
