Photo: Genevieve Biloski and Chloe Cushman We are a nation obsessed with happiness. Every time we turn on the TV, look online, or turn the pages of popular magazines, we are seduced to spend our money, change our lifestyles, eat foods that we know are not good for us, follow dreams that we know are ... [Continue Reading]
Guns, Violence, Mental Illness, and the Church
Once again we are confronted with a horrific mass shooting on a college campus. Once again, we mourn the loss of promising lives, and out of chaos and confusion, in search of answers, our collective dialogue focuses on guns and mental illness. The gun lobby is too strong to allow any blame to land ... [Continue Reading]
It Could Have Been My Daughter
On Monday March 9th, 2015, Robert Olsen, a white police officer in metro Atlanta, shot and killed Anthony Hill, a twenty-seven-year-old unarmed and completely naked black man. It could have been my daughter. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution[1] reports that Officer Olsen responded to reports of ... [Continue Reading]
Mental Illness and the Demands of Christian Faith
My husband received a call this morning informing us that an old friend (whom I call Carl) had killed himself with a gunshot in his own bed. As you can imagine I was deeply rattled, saddened, and shocked by the news, but I was not surprised. Carl was a man in his early forties, quite attractive, ... [Continue Reading]
God is With You Even When You Feel Completely Crushed: Reflections on Psalm 38
I use my time on the cardio exercise machine to read Psalms and Proverbs. It’s a good time to let those eternal, wise, and healing words to penetrate my soul. This morning I found myself reading and re-reading Psalm 38, a Psalm of David, a “Prayer of a suffering Penitent.” I could not move on! I ... [Continue Reading]