The Roofless Church

Category: Authenticity

  • Is Jesus Made Up?

    Is Jesus Made Up?

    Yes. Jesus is made up. Haha made you look. 😂 I’m talking about the name “Jesus” (Jeezuss) In response to a Facebook post I did someone said they wondered why some cultures (aka Latin influenced) feel comfortable naming their sons Jesus and others don’t. Here is my long answer. It is worth reading if you’re…

  • Grief is a Midwife

    Grief is a Midwife

    Grief is a midwife, giving birth to who we’d never be without loss’ seed.Realizing that you’ll never again be who you used to be makes room for who you are becomingSo let yourself weep. Be emptied of who you’ve beenBecause someone wiser, more capable, and more honest is waiting to emergeEverything you held back, waiting…

  • The Time to Shine is Always Now

    The Time to Shine is Always Now

    The time to shine is always now. If people are surprised to see me rapping now, there’s more to the backstory you don’t know. A lot of people don’t know this. But my mom was basically a part of early hip hop. She used to be called JoSi, The Queen of Rhymes and she had…

  • If We Can Laugh Together, Maybe We Can Last Together

    If We Can Laugh Together, Maybe We Can Last Together

    I need a reasonably decent sense of humor to do the work I do, bringing people together across differences and helping people discover their capacities to affect positive transformation in their communities. I have to see the comedy in everything even if not all of it can be turned into a joke. That is because,…

  • I Work For Your Organization. And You Can’t Stop Me.

    I Work For Your Organization. And You Can’t Stop Me.

    In Mandarin there is a phrase that goes, 水木舚鍘 (shuǐzhǎngchuĂĄngāo)–literally water rise boat high–which basically comes down to the often expressed wisdom that we hear in American economics, “a rising tide lifts all boats”. A lot of people attribute the saying to John F. Kennedy. But it turns out he got it from his speechwriter,…

  • Despite Reverence for Variety and Diversity…

    Despite Reverence for Variety and Diversity…

    In reflection, I wonder if what makes so many “well meaning” folks show up so hypocritically (myself included) is the unexamined discriminatory brain function that tells me, “Weeds are magnificent models of creation and I don’t want them in my yard.”

  • Is This the Face of Fear?

    Is This the Face of Fear?

    Someone responded to a poem I wrote by saying I was an ignorant religious person, divisive, and a bad writer. I’m not fishing for compliments. So, don’t worry about filling my bucket. Rather, I’m just wanting to look at this philosophically. What I’m thinking about is the question of how or if one should try…

  • Conversation Catalyst or Conversation Coward?

    Conversation Catalyst or Conversation Coward?

    Usually I write poems or long blogs to express my thoughts. This time I drew a picture. The point of the picture—if it’s not obvious—is that I think we are at a critical moment in the world when we can choose to be #ConversationCatalysts and foster a #CollaborativeCulture or we can be #ConversationCowards and devolve…

  • Gender and Pay Equality is Not a Threat. And yet…

    Gender and Pay Equality is Not a Threat. And yet…

    Whenever I think about gender and pay equality, I think of my highly intelligent mother who was never treated fairly in any workplace that she ever worked in outside of a family business. And even when she decided to determine her own destiny, by creating her own business, JoSi and Sons, I saw people try…

  • Living Loveward Ch. 5 – Love Never Fails

    Living Loveward Ch. 5 – Love Never Fails

    In reflecting on Abraham’s potential sacrifice of Isaac, Søren Kierkegaard said, “To love God without faith is to consider oneself. But, to love God with faith is to consider God.” As I walked and contemplated how I interpreted that statement in light of everything else he said, I felt inspired to talk about how—despite appearances…