
I am a member of the Redbud Writer’s Guild, and the Collegeville Institute has hosted me for a writing residency. I write on the intersection of faith, poetry, social justice, and prayer. I have written for Sojourners, Red Letter Christians, Geez, The Redbud Post, RevGalBlogPals, Awake Our Hearts, Englewood Review of Books, Reformed Worship, and Velvet Ashes. Check out some of those reflections here.
COMMENTARY
The Benefit of Sharing Our Poetic Words (2021): reflects on the value of poetry feedback groups, and concludes with a blessing for the hands of a poet
How to Journey in a Pandemic (2020): what silence and labyrinths can teach us when most other journey options are off limits
Leaning Against Trees (2019): a contemplative prayer reflection on the life and teachings of civil rights leader Howard Thurman
Social Media, Lent and Literary Citizenship (2019): social media can be a problem, but it can also be a blessing, as I learned during one Lent a few years ago
Crafting a Better World (2018): how Amy Poehler and Nick Offerman’s TV show Making It offers us a new vision not only of crafting, but also of community
What’s in a Name? (2011): God cares about names in Scriptures, as well as our names today. What do our names reveal about our identities, justice, and sense of belonging?
SERMONS
Beyond Words, Walls, and Temples (2019): what Ezekiel 1 can teach us when everything falls apart
The Judges God Sends Us (2018): God’s vision for leadership in Judges 4

Join the Poetry & Prayer Conversation!
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- a personal reflection about where I’ve found poetry lately
- a “poetry around town” section of broader news, updates, and events
- “why poetry?” observations from a kaleidoscope of poets
- an invitation to conversation
MEMOIR
Products of Personal Care (2020): meeting needs creatively when it becomes difficult to find everyday toiletries
In the Beginning (2019): reflecting on an unforgettable small group leader God brought my way when I was a pastor at an immigrant church in Shanghai
What’s Missing from Immigration Conversations (2018): what American and German friends taught me about the weight of my US passport
Looking at My Nadir (2017): exploring sabbath and hitting a low point when I was serving as a pastor in Shanghai
How I Learned to Talk About Race (2011): my story of embracing the need for race-related conversations and justice, especially in relation to the church and Scripture
BOOK REVIEWS
In Search of the Ineffable: A Review of the Trees Witness Everything (2023): Victoria Chang’s poems beautifully ring with paradox and mystery.
Art + Faith: A Theology of Making (2021): this book by Makoto Fujimura is good news not only for artists, poets, and contemplatives, but also for the cultures who need their leadership.
30 Poems to Memorize (Before It’s Too Late) (2021): why memorize a poem? How do race, #ChurchToo, and embodiment relate to poetry? I explore these questions in this review.
Healing Racial Trauma (2020): as author Sheila Wise Rowe explains, how we heal racial trauma may depend on our race. Yet the results will be good news for all of us.
Invited (2019): as author Leslie Troutman Verner makes clear, hospitality involves keeping it real.
The Art of the Essay (2019): Charity Singleton Craig offers many pearls of wisdom for an art form that’s all about trying.