I'm asking your prayers for Chicago this evening, as ICE and others are ramping up the violence against protesters at Broadview. ⚓️

This is a gorgeous church

Just a couple more weeks!

Re: today's march in Chicago at 1 pm at 50 W Washington: I have seen some people posting complaints about this march that don't make sense, and I want to respond. First, some people complain that folks should take action in affected communities. They are. It's called rapid response. (Thread.)

Absolutely perfect Chicago day off-- a long neighborhood walk with the dog, a quick trip to the art museum to see the fabulous Elizabeth Catlett exhibit for the first (but def not the last) time, and half-priced live theater in the evening.

October holds our first Sunday in the new church, followed byribbon-cutting with dignitaries, the bishop's visitation, and the start of baptisms and interments that waited while we worshipped in a restaurant. How tense are these joyful days? They're "bake a full pan of brownies" stressful. ⚓️

People often say they don't know how to start and the reality is that you just start. You can figure things out and people will help you to do so if you reach out to them.

Whom does it serve to make a distinction between violence and political violence? I heard a podcast this week where that was discussed (but I don't remember which one). Does it minimize "regular" violence? If so, do we really want to do that?

There is an irresponsible post circulating that (FALSELY) suggests that live rounds may have been fired at protesters at a Chicago-area ICE processing center. I am in communication with people who were on-site. The shots were pepper balls. Still terrible, but not live rounds. Pls don't spread panic.

In my experience, courage is usually the product of love and/or solidarity. When we are deeply invested in each other, we are more likely to take risks that we wouldn't take out of mere principle, or for the sake of people we feel disconnected from. Our alienation mass produces cowardice.

Our city is going through a massive emergency. People are trying to stay informed + locate loved ones if anything goes badly. Spreading misinfo, fake breaking news alerts, & old videos during a crisis causes confusion & forces people to waste resources. This isn't hard to understand.

Sometimes the Midwestern version of friendliness still catches me off-guard. In this restaurant, the servers call me sweetie and are touching almost every shoulder they pass, almost like a casual "hi there!" I guess it's growth that I'm ok with them calling me sweetie....

Sending love to everyone who's doing what they can, where they can, across Chicago right now. I love y'all. ❤

Pray for us in Chicago as we move through these tense hours and days. We do not need or want any federal troops or stepped-up ICE activity. Stats from this summer show violent crime was way down without the current pres's "help." Give us $ for schools, healthcare, housing, people,etc ⚓️

Seeing campaign signs for judges that identify the judge's party always throws me. That wasn't a thing in my CA town, unless I just never noticed it.

A friend snapped this pic and sent it to me yesterday. It's from yesterday's large march in Chicago. Thank to the protester for bringing me along :)

In a book published in the 1940s, Dorothy Day wrote: Whenever I groan within myself and think how hard it is to keep writing about love in these times of tension and strife which may at any moment become for us all a time of terror, I think to myself, "What else is the world interested in?" (1/3)

Why I moved to Chicago-- yet another reason: free good music, less than 2 miles from my house. (Chicago Jazz Fest)

I want a politics that widens the circle to include everyone, not one that shrinks the circle by throwing *undesirables* under the bus. I think this is basic. I am interested in a politics that is rooted at the sources of people's suffering. I am interested in a politics that attends to basic needs.

At Chicago's Federal Building, a diverse group of clergy and other faith leaders gathered to pray, sing, and call on Trump to keep troops away from our city. We don't need them. We need $ for education, healthcare, housing.Thanks to Live Free Chicago for organizing and leading us!⚓️ #Chicago

This young woman does not deserve to be "hotly debated." She deserves to be respected and supported, exactly as she is. The adults spewing ignorance and hatred are ganging up on a child. And the Christians doing it are not following Jesus's example or teaching.

⚓️ it never gets old getting to tell queer couples who grew up RC that not only will I, a priest, bless their marriage with a "churchy liturgy," I would love to offer Eucharist too!

youtu.be/s6S2Q8GbM2c This is the song that gets me every time.

The musician Molly Tuttle grew up in Palo Alto and is just a tad older than my oldest. Many of her songs have reminded me of the special parts of the Bay Area I miss. Her new album, though? It makes me downright wistful and teary. Not just for the landscape, but also the optimism and good intentions

Noisy upstairs neighbors in the early morning hours-- 4:30, most days. I'm afraid the old building is partly to blame. The noises are loud footfalls, drawers opening and closing, things dropped on the floor. I love everything else about my new home-- but what do I do about this? I have told them.

"You do not need the strongest powers of observation to see that crime is a pretext — and not the main reason — for the military occupation of Washington by federal agents and soldiers from the National Guard."

I'm just going to surface this with a brief thread on the "non-partisan politics of Jesus" the author calls for, because I found this piece frustrating. Is there a non-partisan politics of Jesus: absolutely! But it's not going to look like the kind of middle-way commonsense centrism he's seeking ⚓

“We have to define the politics of opposition. Those politics must center our shared humanity and our refusal to sacrifice our neighbors and our fellow human beings.” Church: We have a sacred treasure of spiritual resources to bring to this solidarity and this work, so let’s keep it going. ⚓️

⚓️🏖️☀️It's August 3-- Beach Mass! The Italian restaurant we've been worshiping in has a more lucrative event happening there this morning, so we got displaced.

It has been two years today since we lost Iain Stanford to cancer, surrounding him with love and care in his final days as he made his way into God’s own keeping. A few days before he died, Iain and Cameron recorded a final conversation—words of courage even for these times. ⚓️ vimeo.com/981787068

Giving the world the side-eye

⚓️This past weekend, our parish had our Pride flag stolen. Then, a woman walking by hurled homophobic and transphobic slurs at one of us. Please remember our community in your prayers.

It was a beautiful morning with prayer for the Texas campers, their families, and camp staff. I lost my place in the Eucharistic Prayer in a very inelegant way, so we were all reminded that prayerful presence and holy encounter don't require perfection (thank God!).

For the weekend, we flew both the American flag (as is their tradition) and the Pride flag. We displayed them per the rules of what is acceptable. Still, someone took it between Thursday evening and Friday morning. ⚓️

each year on this day i find company in this poem “No Explosions” by Naomi Shihab Nye To enjoy fireworks you would have to have lived a different kind of life

I remembered to drug the dog before the fireworks started tonight! He's cuddled up next to me with his anxious ears, but he's not even shaking. There are a lot of fireworks in Chicago tonight.

⚓️At our small home Eucharist gathering last night, people in their 20s and those in their 70s, and a few of us in between, talked a while about what it will really look like to help keep threatened people safe. The need is obvious. May our faithfulness be just as evident.

Random men who follow me and when I click through, I see they’ve followed hundreds of women— and only women? Sorry dudes. I’m blocking you.

If we’re going to take this responsibility to resist seriously, then we’ve got to get over our institutional fear of the language and goals of abolition. ⚓️

Mahmoud Khalil giving a presser/rally on steps of St. John the Divine, he said bc even now, columbia would not grant permission to hold it at campus gates

May every single human being on this planet be safe. May every single person be protected from harm. May we bring into being a time in which we are all free from those who do evil— together, speedily and in our days.

Scabby the Rat 🤝 Chicago History Museum Workers We joined Scabby, AFSCME 31, and CHM employees today in calling for an end to retaliatory firings and union-busting tactics. Do better CHM!

This most recent variant is a bear. I have, however, listened to one 15 hour audiobook (while in a feverish sorta sleeping state) and skim-read one short novel.

This, exactly!

I’ve written something for @sojo.net about what’s been happening in LA: sojo.net/articles/opi... We see the logic of domination at work, and we’ve got to reject it and commit to the brave politics of care instead.

I want to be crystal clear: My religion requires access to gender-affirming care and, indeed, *obliges me* to seek and defend that access for others. Any laws that obstruct this are infringing on my religious freedom. As a Christian. ⚓

"Minimizing domestic violence—like in the Combs trial—reflects a broader cultural and political failure to take survivors’ pain, safety and justice seriously."

BREAKING @prri.org poll. My disturbing take: It’s virtually impossible to write a survey question about the treatment of immigrants that is too brutal for Republicans to support. 1) 8 in 10 Republicans support renditions of immigrants to foreign prisons without due process. prri.org/spotlight/ne...

I’ve had two positive Covid tests in my life: June 2022 and today. What an unpleasant illness!

This is so relevant right now. Read the whole book, but you can start with this free chapter. Thanks to the authors for their generosity and wisdom!