We live in a world that runs entirely on receipts. From the moment we wake up to the moment we sleep, we are tracking balances, measuring returns, and calculating worth. If you work hard, you get a promotion. If you pay the premium, you get the insurance. Everything has a price tag, and every interaction is a contract. It is an exhausting way to live, but it is the only language our culture truly knows. So, it makes perfect sense that we try to bring that exact same ledger t

There is a distinct exhaustion that comes with trying to manage the universe. ​For many progressive Christians, the spiritual journey isn't a quest to manage the behavior of our neighbors, but an ongoing, intentional effort to build bigger tables. We find ourselves spending our time, energy, and resources figuring out how to include everyone - stretching our understanding of fellowship, tearing down historical barriers, and pursuing harmony in a deeply fractured world. ​Yet,

Looking back at the archive of this blog is, in many ways, like looking at an old skin I have outgrown—not because the person who wrote those early posts was wrong, but because he was still in the process of being "emptied out." When I first started documenting my thoughts here, I was a man who had survived the crucible of religious trauma. I had found safety in the loving arms of a United Church of Christ congregation in Phoenix, and my early theology reflected that need for

The feast of Pentecost is the Church’s primordial celebration of polyglossia - the divine shattering of a monolithic, "imperial" language in favor of a Spirit-led diversity that speaks directly to the "heart-languages" of the marginalized. On May 24, 2026, Cathedral in Dallas offered a profound contemporary enactment of this ancient narrative. Through three distinct worship movements, Cathedral demonstrated how a singular, progressive theology of radical inclusion can be tran

The transition from the world of academia - where my worth was measured by the complexity of my theological arguments and the depth of my intellectualizing - to the clinical world of Sankofa CPE has been a process of profound "emptying out." In the classroom, I was taught to fill the space with knowledge. In the hospital room and at the community breakfast table, I am learning that the most transformative thing I can offer is a space that is intentionally, vulnerably empty of

Worship leadership and sermon at First Church Phoenix UCC on April 26, 2026. Scripture Base: Jeremiah 31:31-34 and 1 Corinthians 12:12-27 Sermon starts at 35:45 Introduction: The Invisible Thread Friends, seekers, and members of this beautiful First Church family - today we are talking about the very thing that holds the walls of this sanctuary up. I don’t mean the literal stone, the desert-baked wood, or the mortar that Omah, Max and the team here so faithfully maintain. I a

The United Church of Christ's (UCC) Committees on Ministry (COMs) currently lack specific guidance on addressing individuals in ethically non-monogamous (ENM) relationships in authorization and adjudication. Grounded in the UCC's core principles of covenant, extravagant welcome, and justice, these guidelines assert that the ethical practice of relationships, rather than their structure, is paramount. By applying existing frameworks like the Manual on Ministry , the Marks of F

Date: March 8, 2026 (Fourth Sunday in Lent) Location: First Church Phoenix UCC Scripture: Matthew 19:13 - 15; Proverbs 31:8 Sermon starts at 42:45 I. The Coffee Shop Covenant: An Instinctive Love As we gather on this Fourth Sunday in Lent, we find ourselves at a crossroads of the heart. Our Lenten journey can often feel like an internal, somber trek toward the crucifixion. But this Fourth Sunday is traditionally called Laetare Sunday - coming from the Latin word for "rejoi

This service, "Living Legacies," from October 19, 2025, at First Church UCC in downtown Phoenix, explores remembering ancestors and fanning the flame of God's gift within us. Led by Christopher Schouten, Member in Discernment, the service includes sacred stories, songs of praise and worship, and a prayer of transformation. Dr. Johnathan Robinson shares an ancestor story, and Christopher Schouten delivers a message on "Living Legacies," emphasizing forgiveness, nurturing heali

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