Inauguration Januarys typically raise the stress levels of clergy serving churches in Washington, D.C., local ministers say. But the addition of a pandemic, a brutal election cycle and the Jan. 6 storming of Capitol Hill by Donald Trump supporters sent…
Three steps toward contemplation in social justice action
“He who attempts to act and do things for others or for the world without deepening his own self-understanding, freedom, integrity and capacity to love, will not have anything to give others.” ~ Thomas Merton It’s an understandable declaration: “Praying…
Words matter. What if the source of our words matters as much as the words themselves?
Faced with the overwhelming abundance and appalling emptiness of human speech these days, something inside me wants to follow Job’s lead and “lay my hand over my mouth.”
Baptist churches reach across racial boundaries to denounce white supremacy with the breaking of bread
Two historic Baptist churches in Washington, D.C., – formerly one congregation split by slavery – shared the Lord’s Supper Sunday afternoon in a counter message to right wing, white supremacist and neo-Nazi groups in town for a rally near the White House.
Illuminations: The healing space between ‘good’ and ‘bad’
While scrolling through the pages of the Illumination Project Committee report, my opinion pile began to grow: Good decision; bad decision. I like this; I don’t like that. This is progressive; that is regressive. But as I quieted my own internal committee and let myself become still, I felt the Spirit pressing a cool cloth to my fevered, dualistic mind. “God is at work and more will be revealed” is the word that came.
Psychologists have a name for the emotional impact of a Trump presidency. Pastors offer a cure.
Pastors are seeing a surge in church members, colleagues and friends emotionally battered from months of relentless dread generated by national politics. Psychologists have even coined a term for it: Trump anxiety. Julie Pennington-Russell has seen plenty of it. Recently,…
Blue Christmas service seeks to comfort the grieving
Christmas can be anything but the most wonderful time of the year for those suffering from grief and loss, and a number of churches seek to comfort the afflicted with a Blue Christmas service providing a safe place during the…
Elections and earthquakes: Discovering the unshakable
I have the interesting assignment of writing this column the day before the presidential election that won’t be published until the day after we head to the polls. I don’t mind. Writing offers a welcome break from the hourly task…
Relax your grip and you can go for miles
For most of my vocational life I’ve had to do battle with the overwhelming need to prove myself. This may have something to do with where I land on the Enneagram. As my fellow Threes will testify, “I succeed, therefore…