Category: hodgepodge

Over the weekend, I packed up the LEGO bricks from Lego Club Carolina Beach. 😭😭😭 It was a ministry I absolutely loved and did for more than 11 years. Packing up all those bricks, and all those memories, was extremely bittersweet. As Jenn and I were packing, I noticed the LEGO Club rules were still written on the chalkboard, even though we haven’t met in that room since the spring of 2025. One particularly caugh my attention given recent events: Ask permission before taking a LEGO from someone else. And if they say no, accept the no. And suddenly, that rule felt much bigger than LEGOs. We were teaching consent! Those kids learned that they were allowed to say no. Even when the person asking The rest of the story

I’ve had a couple of discussions lately about what we call God. So this morning, I decided to put pen to paper, more accurately fingers to keyboard,  and offer some thoughts on why I Avoid Masculine Pronouns for God and Rarely Call God “Father” I’m deeply rooted in the Christian tradition. I fully  recognize that Scripture contains many references to God as Father. Yet I intentionally avoid using masculine pronouns for God and rarely address God as “Father.” This choice is not a rejection of Christianity, nor is it an attempt to erase biblical language. Rather, it arises from a conviction that God transcends human gender and that no single image or metaphor should be mistaken for the fullness of the divine mystery. I grew The rest of the story

I love history, but for some history can feel like a dusty shelf—distant, sepia-toned, cordoned off from our lives by textbooks and grainy black-and-white photos. But every so often, a story, a date, or a person cracks open time and reminds us just how close history truly is. For me, it’s this: My grandfather, Ferdinand Green McKenzie, was born on May 14, 1873 (yes, 152 years ago today). That’s just eight years and one month after President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated. Let that sit with you for a minute. Lincoln was shot on April 14, 1865, and died the next morning. The Civil War had ended less than a week earlier. America was torn and traumatized. And in less time than it takes to complete The rest of the story

I have been thinking a great deal about DEI or Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. I served for several years on the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion team for New Hanover County Schools. It was enlightening and challenging work that was also incredibly rewarding! However, in today’s world, conversations about diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) can be polarizing. Some, like me, embrace these principles as fundamental to justice and community, while others view them with skepticism, seeing them as politically charged buzzwords. Yet, long before DEI became part of corporate or social frameworks, they were already embedded in the character of God and the mission of the Church. The biblical narrative reveals a God who creates diversity, commands justice, and invites all people into divine love and The rest of the story