I’m not a fan of Christian festivals, music or otherwise. Unfortunate things can happen when large numbers of Christians gather in one place and get amped up. Take the Crusades, for example. If a disaster like the latter doesn’t break out, then we face the possibility that a Christian festival will devolve into a scene… [read more]

I am sitting in the Nashville Airport en route to Chicago to catch a connection to London. My friends Joy Carroll Wallis and Karla Yaconelli are going to pick me up at Heathrow, and then we are heading to the Greenbelt Festival in Cheltenham. I want to strongly encourage you to check out the Greenbelt… [read more]

In 2006, I went on a pilgrimage to Assisi, Italy to immerse myself in the life and teachings of St Francis of Assisi. It was a magical three weeks. Every morning during my stay, a mist enshrouded the city, and I felt like each well-worn stone yearned to speak of the sacred events it had… [read more]

I am speaking at a gathering called Big Tent Christianity: Becoming and Being the Church, September 8-9 in Raleigh, North Carolina. This promises to be a wonderful and provocative event (Doug Pagitt and Tony Jones are the emcees. Need I say more?) Other people presenting are: Philip Clayton, Brian McLaren, Shane Claibourne, Phyllis Tickle, Wesley… [read more]

A little over a week ago, I posted a blog asking folks to help me put together a playlist for the 924 mile drive from our former home in Connecticut to our new home in Franklin, TN. I asked, “Tell me the song you couldn’t live without on a two-day car trip.” I didn’t expect… [read more]