Follower of the Way of Jesus / Founder, So What Faith / CEO, White Rock Center of Hope / Interim Pastor, First Christian Church FW / Dallas - Arlington - Fort Worthhttps://bsky.app/profile/sowhatfaith.bsky.socialhttps://bsky.app/profile/sowhatfaith.bsky.social/post/3mx4vrgekzc2nWe don’t have to choose between focusing on ourselves and focusing on the world. It’s a false binary that both religious and political leaders depend on to keep us focused on ourselves. –Damon Garcia (You Don’t Need a Calling, 2026)05 Oct 2026 12:22 +0000at://did:plc:f6xd4oiac25xeazz5cefbhah/app.bsky.feed.post/3mx4vrgekzc2nhttps://bsky.app/profile/sowhatfaith.bsky.social/post/3mx3jsg2eoc2qThe more honest we are about our lack of control over the rest of the world, the better. –Julia B. Seymour (Nice is Not a Fruit of the Spirit, 2026)04 Oct 2026 23:15 +0000at://did:plc:f6xd4oiac25xeazz5cefbhah/app.bsky.feed.post/3mx3jsg2eoc2qhttps://bsky.app/profile/sowhatfaith.bsky.social/post/3mx3e6dksk22pCelebrating World Communion Sunday at First Christian in downtown Fort Worth04 Oct 2026 21:34 +0000at://did:plc:f6xd4oiac25xeazz5cefbhah/app.bsky.feed.post/3mx3e6dksk22phttps://bsky.app/profile/sowhatfaith.bsky.social/post/3mwza4shegs25Rain didn’t stop our volunteers at White Rock Center of Hope today! Together, we provided groceries to more than 1,600 of our East Dallas neighbors experiencing food insecurity. Neighbors serving neighbors. That’s Hope in action.04 Oct 2026 01:16 +0000at://did:plc:f6xd4oiac25xeazz5cefbhah/app.bsky.feed.post/3mwza4shegs25https://bsky.app/profile/sowhatfaith.bsky.social/post/3mwvmnbzgls22Diagnosis, ideas, leadership, and strategies for social change count. Without right relation, must justice initiatives limp along and peter out. –William Blaine-Wallace (Mending the Space Between, 2026)02 Oct 2026 14:50 +0000at://did:plc:f6xd4oiac25xeazz5cefbhah/app.bsky.feed.post/3mwvmnbzgls22https://bsky.app/profile/sowhatfaith.bsky.social/post/3mwtdrdplgk2pCheck out October's Recommended Reads on So What Faith, including volumes by Byron R. Johnson, Thomas S. Kidd, Emilee Hackney, Martin Seligman and Kali Cawthon-Freels - https://sowhatfaith.com/2026/10/01/great-new-books-for-october-2026/ #bookrecommendations01 Oct 2026 17:06 +0000at://did:plc:f6xd4oiac25xeazz5cefbhah/app.bsky.feed.post/3mwtdrdplgk2phttps://bsky.app/profile/sowhatfaith.bsky.social/post/3mwqpn6pwy22eOne of the most damaging distortions of Church culture is the belief that faithfulness requires control - over beliefs, outcomes, or other people’s journeys. God does not cultivate faith through coercion. –Jeff Strong (Torn, 2026)30 Sep 2026 16:00 +0000at://did:plc:f6xd4oiac25xeazz5cefbhah/app.bsky.feed.post/3mwqpn6pwy22ehttps://bsky.app/profile/sowhatfaith.bsky.social/post/3mwp5orrgns2gFor Jesus, the wilderness birthed contemplative wisdom and the courage to share it in the public square. The public square birthed the necessity to retreat, replenish, evaluation, restructure and reimagine what was next. –William Blaine-Wallace (Mending the Space Between, 2026)30 Sep 2026 01:06 +0000at://did:plc:f6xd4oiac25xeazz5cefbhah/app.bsky.feed.post/3mwp5orrgns2ghttps://bsky.app/profile/sowhatfaith.bsky.social/post/3mwoggu7yq22kConventional wisdom on religion touts several myths or narratives that are not supported by the data. One of the most common misconceptions is that religion is in steep decline not only in the West, but around the world. –Byron R Johnson & Thomas S Kidd (The Death of Religion, 2026)29 Sep 2026 18:10 +0000at://did:plc:f6xd4oiac25xeazz5cefbhah/app.bsky.feed.post/3mwoggu7yq22khttps://bsky.app/profile/sowhatfaith.bsky.social/post/3mwlrn353f22mThe challenge for the Religious Left’s environmental advocacy going forward is keeping faith claims relevant. –Robert Wuthnow (The Religious Left, 2026)28 Sep 2026 16:53 +0000at://did:plc:f6xd4oiac25xeazz5cefbhah/app.bsky.feed.post/3mwlrn353f22mhttps://bsky.app/profile/sowhatfaith.bsky.social/post/3mwhe4azpzs2lToday the United States is enduring another resurgence of state-endorsed vigilantism, which is no longer conducted only by means of violence but also through financial and legal threats. –Julia Angwin & Ami Fields-Meyer (On Courage, 2026)26 Sep 2026 22:40 +0000at://did:plc:f6xd4oiac25xeazz5cefbhah/app.bsky.feed.post/3mwhe4azpzs2lhttps://bsky.app/profile/sowhatfaith.bsky.social/post/3mwgw75qe722l🐾 Saturday morning at First Christian Church! 🐶 Today we welcomed a few dozen dogs and their people to our front steps in the heart of downtown Fort Worth for our first-ever Blessing of the Animals. There were lots of wagging tails, happy humans, and plenty of blessings to go around.26 Sep 2026 18:31 +0000at://did:plc:f6xd4oiac25xeazz5cefbhah/app.bsky.feed.post/3mwgw75qe722lhttps://bsky.app/profile/sowhatfaith.bsky.social/post/3mweaekk3ac2dChristian Americans report significantly higher flourishing scores than nonreligious Americans do. –Byron R Johnson & Thomas S Kidd (The Death of Religion, 2026)25 Sep 2026 16:55 +0000at://did:plc:f6xd4oiac25xeazz5cefbhah/app.bsky.feed.post/3mweaekk3ac2dhttps://bsky.app/profile/sowhatfaith.bsky.social/post/3mwdt65tay224Fifty years ago, nearly half of Americans spent time with neighbors a few times a month. Today, barely one in four do. –Julia Angwin & Ami Fields-Meyer (On Courage, 2026)25 Sep 2026 12:59 +0000at://did:plc:f6xd4oiac25xeazz5cefbhah/app.bsky.feed.post/3mwdt65tay224https://bsky.app/profile/sowhatfaith.bsky.social/post/3mwbdl3mgoc2lThe Religious Left’s support for immigration rights has been unwavering over the past half century, even as national policies toward immigrants have failed to achieve lasting reforms. –Robert Wuthnow (The Religious Left, 2026)24 Sep 2026 13:14 +0000at://did:plc:f6xd4oiac25xeazz5cefbhah/app.bsky.feed.post/3mwbdl3mgoc2lhttps://bsky.app/profile/sowhatfaith.bsky.social/post/3mw7efhwkik2wStronger Together: When Churches Partner to Serve Their Communities - https://sowhatfaith.com/2026/09/23/stronger-together-when-churches-partner-to-serve-their-communities/23 Sep 2026 18:24 +0000at://did:plc:f6xd4oiac25xeazz5cefbhah/app.bsky.feed.post/3mw7efhwkik2whttps://bsky.app/profile/sowhatfaith.bsky.social/post/3mw77bhsu6k2wDowntown Fort Worth friends with pets: Stop by on Saturday morning between 10am and noon for First Christian Church's first ever blessing of the animals.23 Sep 2026 16:52 +0000at://did:plc:f6xd4oiac25xeazz5cefbhah/app.bsky.feed.post/3mw77bhsu6k2whttps://bsky.app/profile/sowhatfaith.bsky.social/post/3mw5jsmrsbc2wWe like a God who shares our opinions, condemns the same things we dislike, and exhibits the power we wish we had. But God is so much bigger than our own thoughts and understanding - so much bigger, even, than the 66 books of the Bible. –Tiffany Yecke Brooks (To Rebehold the Stars, 2026)23 Sep 2026 00:55 +0000at://did:plc:f6xd4oiac25xeazz5cefbhah/app.bsky.feed.post/3mw5jsmrsbc2whttps://bsky.app/profile/sowhatfaith.bsky.social/post/3mw4dordig22cFlourishing is communal. We flourish better if we are in close relationships with family or friends. –Byron R Johnson & Thomas S Kidd (The Death of Religion, 2026)22 Sep 2026 13:33 +0000at://did:plc:f6xd4oiac25xeazz5cefbhah/app.bsky.feed.post/3mw4dordig22chttps://bsky.app/profile/sowhatfaith.bsky.social/post/3mw2b33sqxc2eElderly Christians are often invisible to us. We often only see them when they slow us down. –Matthew D. Kim (Becoming a Friendlier Church, 2026)21 Sep 2026 17:41 +0000at://did:plc:f6xd4oiac25xeazz5cefbhah/app.bsky.feed.post/3mw2b33sqxc2ehttps://bsky.app/profile/sowhatfaith.bsky.social/post/3mvzlbcblnc2eThe Church will not be defeated by the things from our past or the outside. Its greatest threat is becoming hollow, performative, less nourishing, and less alive to those who hunger for God and need it most. –Jeff Strong (Torn, 2026)21 Sep 2026 11:11 +0000at://did:plc:f6xd4oiac25xeazz5cefbhah/app.bsky.feed.post/3mvzlbcblnc2ehttps://bsky.app/profile/sowhatfaith.bsky.social/post/3mvydajlt5c2eContemplative silence is a stillness that moves. –William Blaine-Wallace (Mending the Space Between, 2026)20 Sep 2026 23:14 +0000at://did:plc:f6xd4oiac25xeazz5cefbhah/app.bsky.feed.post/3mvydajlt5c2ehttps://bsky.app/profile/sowhatfaith.bsky.social/post/3mvxfodf3h22cEven Jesus himself wouldn’t pass the first round of resume inspections for many standard senior pastor jobs. –Matthew D. Kim (Becoming a Friendlier Church, 2026)20 Sep 2026 14:25 +0000at://did:plc:f6xd4oiac25xeazz5cefbhah/app.bsky.feed.post/3mvxfodf3h22chttps://bsky.app/profile/sowhatfaith.bsky.social/post/3mvvkdideb22xThanks to the 75+ volunteers who made possible today's drive through food distribution, feeding 1,500+ people. Together we are feeding, clothing, and empowering our East Dallas community.19 Sep 2026 20:43 +0000at://did:plc:f6xd4oiac25xeazz5cefbhah/app.bsky.feed.post/3mvvkdideb22xhttps://bsky.app/profile/sowhatfaith.bsky.social/post/3mvtdc3xfcc2tA litmus test for the Christian tradition of silent contemplation is whether our practices connect us to neighbors. –William Blaine-Wallace (Mending the Space Between, 2026)18 Sep 2026 23:32 +0000at://did:plc:f6xd4oiac25xeazz5cefbhah/app.bsky.feed.post/3mvtdc3xfcc2thttps://bsky.app/profile/sowhatfaith.bsky.social/post/3mvs7qiypg22wEvery single person who enters the building is valuable, God’s image-bearer, and a human worth befriending and keeping. –Matthew D. Kim (Becoming a Friendlier Church, 2026)18 Sep 2026 12:56 +0000at://did:plc:f6xd4oiac25xeazz5cefbhah/app.bsky.feed.post/3mvs7qiypg22whttps://bsky.app/profile/sowhatfaith.bsky.social/post/3mvq7yiacgs22The data indicates that religion in America is much healthier than the forecasts of demise would suggest. –Byron R Johnson & Thomas S Kidd (The Death of Religion, 2026)17 Sep 2026 17:55 +0000at://did:plc:f6xd4oiac25xeazz5cefbhah/app.bsky.feed.post/3mvq7yiacgs22https://bsky.app/profile/sowhatfaith.bsky.social/post/3mvpousxfoc22The life of faith is a community garden project, not a solo floral window box. –Julia B. Seymour (Nice is Not a Fruit of the Spirit, 2026)17 Sep 2026 12:49 +0000at://did:plc:f6xd4oiac25xeazz5cefbhah/app.bsky.feed.post/3mvpousxfoc22https://bsky.app/profile/sowhatfaith.bsky.social/post/3mvnvsrhick2jJesus is Queer - "Jesus is queer. I don’t mean queer as in . . ." - https://sowhatfaith.com/2026/09/16/jesus-is-queer/16 Sep 2026 19:47 +0000at://did:plc:f6xd4oiac25xeazz5cefbhah/app.bsky.feed.post/3mvnvsrhick2jhttps://bsky.app/profile/sowhatfaith.bsky.social/post/3mvnqznulnc22Jesus’s ministry was created and sustained in prayer. Prayer short on words. And a three-year pattern: Up to the mountain to pray. Down to the valley to engage. Strategic silence as foundation for justice-making. –William Blaine-Wallace (Mending the Space Between, 2026)16 Sep 2026 18:22 +0000at://did:plc:f6xd4oiac25xeazz5cefbhah/app.bsky.feed.post/3mvnqznulnc22