Imagine the entire population of a city the size of Peoria, Ill., suddenly vanished. What if half the residents of Richmond, Va.; Huntsville, Ala.; or Tacoma, Wash., turned to the person next to them and that person was gone? As…
Addiction and silent judgment: Cassie’s story
The thing about judgment is that it is often silent. But the person being judged knows exactly what is happening when it is happening. It’s that smirk, frown, snarky comment or (from my personal experience as a Baptist missionary kid)…
How churches can combat the opioid crisis in 2018
In 2017, we heard more than ever about the opioid crisis in the United States. There seems to be bipartisan agreement that a serious problem exists, and perhaps even a bipartisan agreement on meaningful solutions. Last year, I became deeply…
Nation’s opioid epidemic reaches critical proportions as churches ask: ‘What can we do?’
Many experts — including national health officials, ministers and domestic missionaries, health care chaplains and law enforcement officers — describe the epidemic as among the worst on record.
Chronic pain sufferers feel forgotten in anti-opioid efforts
The focus on limiting medications prescribed for acute pain — such as that experienced after dental or medical procedures — is bleeding over into the way many doctors are treating chronic pain, too.