RECENT POSTS

A Black Lady Talks to a White Cop
“A black lady talks to a white cop.” That was the title of the essay Patricia Raybon wrote as a guest author on my blog

S3 E3 | Our Different Stories Divide Us with Patricia Raybon
How do white parents talk with their children about race and racism? Why do white evangelical and Black Christians seem so socially and politically divided?

Five Next Steps Toward Racial Healing
I resisted offering “action items” for white people (like me) who wanted to DO something about injustice and inequity in our nation for a long

S3 E2 | Living into the Really Real with Micha Boyett
How can we talk about race and disability without conflating the two? How can white, able-bodied, neurotypical people enter into this conversation? What is the

The Difference Between White Fragility and Vulnerability
Robin DiAngelo’s book White Fragility has soared to the top of the non-fiction bestseller list. If you haven’t heard of it before, here’s a podcast

Penny Heads to High School
This week we celebrated the end of Penny’s years in middle school with a car parade through campus, a dinner out—for the first time in

I Didn’t Know About Juneteenth…
I started hearing and learning about Juneteenth a few years ago as a holiday where African Americans celebrated emancipation from slavery. I was a white

Privilege, Monuments, and Healing
Twenty-one years ago, I moved to Monument Avenue, in Richmond, Virginia. The monuments that line the center of this thoroughfare that connects downtown Richmond to

S3 E1 | Waking Up to Privilege with David Bailey
Race, class, and the kingdom of God all come up in this conversation between Amy Julia and David Bailey, Director of Arrabon, a ministry to

Using My Head, My Heart, and My Hands to Consider Defunding the Police
Defunding the police? Support and thank the police? Criticize the police? Commend the police? There’s a long list of names of Black men and women

Season 3 Trailer: White Picket Fences
Are you looking for a safe place to talk about race, class, and social divisions? Do you want to learn more about these topics? Do

Recommended Books, Podcasts, and Films about Race and Privilege
Post contains affiliate links. As I’ve written before, one part of a meaningful, transformational, humble, and holistic response to the history and current reality of

Christianity Today: Enough to Share in the Land of Plenty
I write about love, peace, hope, and possibilities a lot. In the midst of a global conversation about disease, death, and despair, I worry about

Some Stories of Hope in a Week of Hardship
Hope and racism. Ta-Nehisi Coates is feeling hopeful. I didn’t think I would ever type those words. Coates is famous for his 2015 memoir, Between

Injustice: Reflect, Relate, Respond
My various news feeds are swirling with people responding to injustice. Peaceful protests all across the nation. Violence and looting. Police brutality. Police support. Theological

A Week of Protests: Learn, Listen, Lament, and Love
As everyone paying any attention to the news knows, social unrest and protests have broken out across our nation. A black man named George Floyd

Chapter 4: Prayer
When I was deciding what chapters to record for this Reading Small Talk podcast, I skimmed through the whole book. But when I got to

Five First Steps toward Participating in Racial Healing
How can white people respond to racial tensions and violence in a meaningful way? How can white people contribute to a collective work of racial