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When aspiring Americans take the citizenship test, they are asked, “What is the most important right granted to U.S. citizens?” The correct answer? The right to vote. That is because the right to vote is not just important,...

What an incredibly sad string of events that have rocked our nation in the past several weeks!
Sadly, execution-type killings, the resurgence of white supremacy gang violence, school shootings and attacks and acts of terrorism in places like the Boston Marathon are threatening to become commonplace on American soil.
We ...

As I grow older — and hopefully wiser — I realize that I have fewer and fewer people in my life to blame things on. I am left to face the haunting reality that I have spent way too much time accusing other people of spoiling my success rather than celebrating and assuring my own success. Why give people that much power over...

I am not convinced that there is a single savior who can fix the achievement gap alone. And though I am happy — and nervous — to see what bold steps will be taken in the near future with our new superintendent; I feel that entire community needs to be involved — parents, pastors, mentors, fraternities and sororities, ...

Happy birthday, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.!
I appeared on WIBA 1310 AM Radio this past Monday on Mitch Henck’s “Outside The Box” show to talk about Dr. King’s legacy and what it means to me and the American people. (Mitch and I have co-hosted a segment on WIBA for the past three years called “...

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and ...

(I journaled this when Lexi was just a few months old and still in her incubator)

Dear Lexi,  I heard you cry for the very first time yesterday. . .I laughed for the first time in a very, very long time.  You see, you...

I can hardly believe that it was 20 years ago that I left my job at UW-Madison in order to establish the Nehemiah Community Development Corporation. This has been an incredible journey!
I can clearly remember how the pieces of this vision began to come together...
• In the early ‘90s, I was the Minority...

 As I grow older — and hopefully wiser —I realize that I have fewer and fewer people in my life to blame things on. I am left to face the haunting reality that I have spent way too much time accusing other people of spoiling my success rather than celebrating and assuring my own success.
Why give people that mu...

I wrote this piece to remind my people of faith that faith isn’t merely a matter of our own eternal comfort. True faith should equally concern itself with the discomfort of its adherents as it pertains to the service and care of others. Let’s be careful to not confuse convenience with good living. I am so grateful f...

I officiated another funeral recently. It was an untimely death of a cherished Madison native son.
I realize that my profession, like that of funeral directors, fire fighters, police officers, nurses, doctors, etc., deals with de...

My cousin Sarah called me from the Stoughton Police Department on the afternoon of July 3rd to tell me that her son, JB, was missing. The family rushed out to Stoughton to be with Sarah and to aid in the search for him. Special attention was gi...

Twenty-four years ago this week my life changed. I married a woman whose college roommate, a mutual friend, introduced us at the University of Wisconsin. Today, as 48 year olds, we have now officially been married for half of our lives!

I have no...

 Last Saturday, I co-led a funeral for a very dear friend who lost an ugly battle with cancer. It was a very beautiful and moving memorial service. There were poems, reflections from lifelong friends, scripture readings, favorite hymns, Eucharist, and several memorable photos. I walked away feeling as though we had truly sent off ...

Carpe Diem! It’s a popular Latin phrase that literally means “seize the day!”
It is interesting to reflect on what you value at various stages of life. As an elementary school kid, I valued recess and candy. As a middle schooler, I valued popularity and Clearasil (this was my generation’s version of Proac...

“The only disability is a bad attitude”
—Scott Hamilton, Olympic Figure Skater

Rocky. Rudy. Wilma Rudolph. Helen Keller. Joni Eareckson Tada. Corrie Ten Boom. Harriet Tubman. Madame C.J. Walker.  Frederick Douglass. George Washington Carver. These are all individuals who had to overc...

Our best self is yet to be revealed.
In a time when so much gratification is immediate, it’s hard for many to believe that good comes to those who wait. Far too many of us treat the discipline of delayed gratification as though it were life’s greatest tragedy. The sad thing is that delayed gratification isn’t a...

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