sandhyarjha

The Narcissism Diet—my resolution not to internalize others’ resolutions. Kinda.

You know that feeling you have, that feeling you might be too embarrassed to admit, that other people’s facebook lives are just there to taunt you? You don’t? OK. Maybe it’s just me. But I don’t believe you. 🙂

On colds and neighbors and unsheltered people in Oakland

I woke up with a hacking cough at about 3AM this morning. I focused solely on my own misery until I heard an accompanying cough through the wall; my neighbor in the next apartment in my fancy Jack London Square building must have the same cold. So we coughed away in solidarity until we bothContinue reading “On colds and neighbors and unsheltered people in Oakland”

Sibling rivalry–hiccups in my ordination process and being a pain-in-the-butt sister

The great thing about hanging out with people who think just like you is that you don’t have to think about the people who don’t think just like you. The problem with hanging out with people who think just like you is that you forget that other people don’t think just like you. The intersectionContinue reading “Sibling rivalry–hiccups in my ordination process and being a pain-in-the-butt sister”

“Many men have loved Ella.” The silence-shame binary; can clergy move past it?

This new year I got to hang out with one of my best friends. He’s known to be a wee bit judgmental (said the pot of the kettle). I mentioned a friend of mine/acquaintance of his in passing, a friend who is active in the church and not particularly quiet about her active sexual history.Continue reading ““Many men have loved Ella.” The silence-shame binary; can clergy move past it?”

The liberal church and the front lines–where are we?

Duck Dynasty, the Nation of Islam and the failure of liberal Christianity A good evangelical friend of mine predicted that I would fail at growing First Christian Church of Oakland not long after I started pastoring there. I told her about what kind people were there, and about their racial diversity and their openness toContinue reading “The liberal church and the front lines–where are we?”

Dancing in my panties—a girl pastor’s commitment to helping the next generation see themselves better than she did

I danced around the kitchen in my underwear the other day. The blinds were up and I bet the cars driving by my apartment on the 980 had a fabulous view of me in my underwear as the music blared over the sound of my dishwasher (I wasn’t inviting voyeurism; it was a long overdueContinue reading “Dancing in my panties—a girl pastor’s commitment to helping the next generation see themselves better than she did”

The original tracks of “Happy Brown Girl Vol. 2” (plus a bonus video BY ME!)

By now, everyone who asked for a copy of my CD should have received it. (If you want one, email me your mailing address; this is a labor of love I look forward to doing all year and if you’ll enjoy it, I would LOVE to share it!) Last year, when I released “Happy BrownContinue reading “The original tracks of “Happy Brown Girl Vol. 2” (plus a bonus video BY ME!)”

A pastor, a reluctant prophet, and someone who doesn’t want to be a trope walk down the street. (On letting go of pastoral identity for the health of the community and how the community may not love you for it)

I was walking down the street a week ago, when I passed a woman on the sidewalk. In retrospect, I’m impressed the ground did not crack beneath me; people a mile away who were having a perfectly pleasant day in that moment thought, “Woah! Why do I feel so totally bummed all of a sudden?”Continue reading “A pastor, a reluctant prophet, and someone who doesn’t want to be a trope walk down the street. (On letting go of pastoral identity for the health of the community and how the community may not love you for it)”

Systemic Fat Bias—is that a thing? (The complicated layers of race and gender that make it MAYBE a thing but also not)

(editorial addition: I forgot–part of what inspired this post was a spoken word that in four very blunt minutes captures what this blog fumblingly approaches addressing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vxgpCfPqQpk) I remember the first online dating profile I ever posted, in 2004, while I was in seminary. It was on Nerve (don’t judge—it was “for the thinking hedonist,” ifContinue reading “Systemic Fat Bias—is that a thing? (The complicated layers of race and gender that make it MAYBE a thing but also not)”

Code switching, hipster racism and inter-POC cultural misappropriation. (or, Aren’t you glad I didn’t get braids with extensions when I was 19?)

When I was 19 or so, I thought about getting braids. Braids with extensions. Braids with beads on the ends. “African Braids.” “You’d look like a poser,” my mother said, and that was the end of that. (Admittedly, if that HADN’T been the end of that, further research into the cost of getting braids putContinue reading “Code switching, hipster racism and inter-POC cultural misappropriation. (or, Aren’t you glad I didn’t get braids with extensions when I was 19?)”