DEEP WATERS

TODAY is MLK Day. The day we honor and remember a great man in our nation's history. A man who lived, fought and died for the freedom of African Americans and all people. TODAY I celebrate this man, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. And to celebrate Dr. King and his legacy I'd like to share a few more things that have happened TODAY. TODAY I sat on a pew in one of Franklin, Tennessee's historic African American churches and listened to some amazing gospel music and powerful testimonials. TODAY I stood up in that pew and applauded the spoken word shared and raised my hands to some soul-stirring songs like God is  and Every Praise . TODAY I marched with my husband, my children and a large group of people through the streets of Franklin. A mixed group full of black folks, white folks, Latino folks and native American folks. TODAY we dreamed of unity and justice. The same dreams of Dr. King. And I also made a really fun discovery... TODAY I found a school assign...

DACA... Also known as the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. There's been a lot of talk on both sides about DACA recently. The loudest voice has been that of President Trump, who this past week rescinded the DACA program, charging Congress with the task of creating policy to fix the program. I could say so much about this. I could list the many scriptures that encourage us to welcome and care for the alien, stranger or immigrant, depending on your favorite translation of the bible. In fact, according World Relief Global ... "The Bible has a lot to say about immigrants and immigration. In fact, the Hebrew word ger , the closest word to our concept of an immigrant, appears 92 times in the Old Testament alone." I could also quote what pastors, leaders, politicians and entertainers are saying about DACA.  Again, there's so much I could say about this issue. But today, I'll keep it short by sharing a poem I saw hanging on the walls of Th...

My heart broke at the news yesterday... Elie Wiesel, writer, professor and human rights activist, passed away yesterday, at the age of 87. I don't remember when I was first introduced to Elie, but I do remember seeing him interviewed on The Oprah Winfrey Show . I also remember watching footage of his tour of the concentration camp he had endured and survived at the young age of 15. I still remember the pain in his eyes. I also remember reading his book Night for the first time. I wept every night as I turned the pages of Elie's retelling of his young life as a young Jewish boy. His sister and mother were killed upon arrival to Auschwitz concentration camp. After being transferred to the Buchenwald concentration camp alongside his father, Elie watched his captors beat his father mercilessly. He also watched his father die before his eyes, his spirit nearly destroyed by the helplessness and shame he felt. His father died only weeks before Buchenwald was libera...