We went trusting we would meet Jesus where he promised we could always find him, among the strangers we have chosen to prevent from crossing the Rio Grande.

I will never be able to unsee what I saw.
I will never be able to unhear what I heard.

I am changed.

Our pilgrimage to our southern border was a journey to a sacred place to seek deeper understanding. We chose to travel to hear the stories of real migrants rather than trusting the narratives fed to us by our news channels.

The hateful rhetoric fueled by the Great Replacement Theory about a “Hispanic invasion” has inspired great violence, including the deadliest attack on Latinos in modern American History at the Walmart in El Paso.

None of us remains unaffected by the dehumanizing, hate-filled lies that have been concocted and spread about immigrants, refugees, and asylum-seekers.

Silence or complicity with injustice is not what this moment calls for. Instead, loving our neighbor looks like justice, which is love in action.

As Rev. Freddie Haynes III reminded us today, in Dr. King’s “Letter From a Birmingham Jail,” he called on the church to once again become a thermostat that transformed the mores of society rather a mere thermometer that recorded the ideas and principles of popular opinion.

As Faith Leaders, it is vital that we enter the public square with all of the moral courage we can muster to call this exactly what it is: political extortion.

These commitments were hard won thanks to the committed work of Councilmembers Casey Thomas & Janie Schultz (amongst other supporters), the moral imagination and pressure of Dallas Black Clergy and other faith leaders present again today in the Flag Room of City Hall.

I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to get away with Dr. Jerry Taylor and other friends over the past 48 hours for a season of retreat, silence, listening, and discernment.

I come away more centered, resolute, and committed to the work ahead of us!

The effects of racism and White Supremacy are ever present. But in the work of addressing these evils in the world, I must be vigilant to also see where evil takes up residence in my own life. I need others who will help me attend to the shadows in my own inner life.

Because words mean little.

Pour over the budget and you'll find out.

I also encourage you to listen to Jeremy Jernigan's latest podcast episode. I found his take on Matthew 25 related to these questions very helpful!

Since I was a child, I was told that America is a Christian nation.

What makes a nation Christian?

You won't find your answer by reading the words printed on our money, listening to prayers offered at our national ceremonies, or reading the pseudo myths written by David Barton.