At the end of the day, my theology means very little until it touches the ground. I am an Episcopal priest, spiritual director and recovery coach, so my whole ministry rests inside the stories that are shared with me, the…
Having COVID reentry anxiety? You’re not alone
In the last few weeks, I have been living a fully vaccinated, post-pandemic life. I have traveled, gone to the movies, eaten in restaurants without a mask. It feels like I am doing something just slightly rebellious but enjoyable, like…
Q&A with a traumatologist on how to prevent clergy abuse and burnout
Editor’s note: The following article was published by BNG on June 7, 2021, but is being republished today because of its relevance to the new report on sexual abuse in the SBC. The unwillingness or inability to do the…
Remembering Robin Williams and wishing we could talk openly about suicide
This week, Robin Williams was trending on Twitter. He died by suicide in August 2014, five months after my late husband died the same way. Side note: When someone takes their own life, the correct verbiage is to say they…
What I found hidden in my mother’s Bible after her death
On Easter this year, Christianity Today reposted an article written by J.I. Packer from the magazine’s April 10, 1981, issue. Packer was a complementarian and Calvinist, so there’s quite a bit on which we disagree, and this article is no…
VA chaplains have learned that mental health providers and clergy need to talk more and trust each other
As Steve Sullivan and psychologists convened small groups of mental health providers and clergy over the past two years, they learned that lack of trust creates barriers to integrated care. Armed with a grant from Bristol Myers Squibb, VA Mental…
In the first year of grief, walk the perimeter
In the counseling setting, I often tell my clients it takes a year to get a sense of the loss we have experienced. I compare it to a person who has purchased a piece of land and walked out the…
What counseling domestic abuse victims taught me about the election results
One of the difficult and sad responsibilities that falls to counselors such as my wife, Anna, and myself is working with victims of domestic violence. We share that difficult task with law enforcement, with the exception that these cases can…
In an unending pandemic, grief isn’t doubt, it’s true faith
Early in my pastoral career, I once met a woman who had recently lost a child during pregnancy due to a serious car accident. In the midst of her quiet witness to the sudden death of her unborn child, I…