Shawndra Lucas
My Family History is Now a Brand at Target
The enslaved women of Gee’s Bend pieced together scraps of fabric to make quilts in abstract patterns. The patterns and piecing styles were passed down over generations, surviving slavery, reconstruction, and Jim Crow. Now they’re in Target stores.
What To Do With A God Who Makes You Breakfast
What seems so ordinary about this moment is exactly what makes it extraordinary. Jesus is teaching his disciples a profound lesson: a resurrected life is a life that serves.
Your worth, your calling.
In the decision-making process, the only thing more important than knowing if a choice is worth making is knowing the worth of the one making the choice.
Why I'm Writing Things on the Internet
I sat in my dorm room one evening when I was a freshman at the University of Colorado at Boulder. I was clicking around on my Gateway desktop computer, probably violating all kinds of piracy laws. It was just after midnight, when I realized that yesterday was my mom’s
Seeking God in the Sorrow
When it comes to being a Christian, I’ve done all the things. I’m a credentialed minister. I’ve worked in full-time vocational ministry for the past 15 years. My faith has taken me around the world to serve communities, preach the gospel, conduct research, and reach the lost.
On God's Glory & My Miscarriage
I had a miscarriage last November, and it crippled me creatively.
Don’t pity me, these are just the facts.
I haven’t been creating things because I lost the most precious of created things. And it rendered me incapable of expressing myself in the way that has always been
ancestor. (a poem)
the magnificence
of you
is manifested in
momma’s hands
as she braids rows of corn
into my head
they know necessity, know
unity, know
pain
i writhe, and
resent the screw-tight
plaits
she says, “be still” she says,
“sit back”
i melt into the mauvish carpet and cringe
“how
Untangling the Myth of the Single-Issue Vote
I wrote this essay before the 2020 election, but decided not to publish it until afterward for three reasons. (1) I did not want my intentions to be misconstrued as trying to influence anyone’s vote (2) my perspective on this topic is less about the vote and more about
Overcoming the Withdrawal Symptoms of a Narcotic Election Season
Consider this a PSA. The election season is ending, and it’s not going to be a smooth transition. I’m not talking about a potential transfer of power, I’m talking about the spiritual detoxification that will be necessary if we are to faithfully move on from an election