Suicide. Survivor’s guilt. Trauma. PTSD. Our nation has been — and should be — engaged in conversation on these difficult topics this week after the apparent suicides of three people intimately tied to mass school shootings in Parkland, Fla. and Newtown, Conn. Their deaths echo the pain, grief and insensible trauma that continue to shock … Continue reading Suicide risk demands an open, compassionate response
Month: March 2019
This side of conversion therapy: Survivor, pastors, mom give diverging views on faith and LGBTQ sexuality
Katrina Kalb describes herself as being on a journey back into her Christian faith — a journey she almost didn’t live to take. Today, Kalb, in her early 40s, is interim president of Free Mom Hugs, a nonprofit that advocates for unconditional love of and equality for LGBTQ people. But, in her 20s, Kalb was … Continue reading This side of conversion therapy: Survivor, pastors, mom give diverging views on faith and LGBTQ sexuality
Sweatin’ in the desert of temptation
As we continue our internal journey in Lent -- our journey of penitence, of turning toward God -- it is essential we wrestle with the question of sin, of the devil's persistence in pursuing us and how we're taught to overcome temptation. I write this as a sinner, constantly tempted and often failing in the … Continue reading Sweatin’ in the desert of temptation
Caligula vs. conservatism: The ‘values’ of the president’s budget
If you want to know a nation’s values, just look at its budget. There really is no better measure of our values than how we spend our money. And the president’s proposed FY20 budget tells quite a tale of his values. It’s nothing new for Republicans and Democrats to have different fiscal views. But, … Continue reading Caligula vs. conservatism: The ‘values’ of the president’s budget
The yoke that still hangs heavy
This lay sermon was delivered for Noonday Prayers at St. Matthew's Episcopal Church, Enid, Oklahoma, Wednesday, March 13, 2019, the feast day of The Right Reverend James Theodore Holly. Today we remember Bishop and Missionary James Theodore Holly. The first black bishop in The Episcopal Church, Anglican missionary to Haiti and first bishop of the … Continue reading The yoke that still hangs heavy
Lent: Not an end unto itself, but a call to greater action
Most of us start Lent asking ourselves, or being asked, “What will you give up?” This act of giving something up – a favorite food, a frivolous pastime or common distraction – is all many people know of Lent. At the heart of Lent is the effort to identify those aspects of our lives that … Continue reading Lent: Not an end unto itself, but a call to greater action
International Women’s Day — a day to recognize how far we haven’t come
“The story of women’s struggle for equality belongs to no single feminist nor to any one organization but to the collective efforts of all who care about human rights.” Those words from acclaimed journalist and women’s rights activist Gloria Steinem call us today, on the 109th International Women’s Day, to collective reflection and action toward … Continue reading International Women’s Day — a day to recognize how far we haven’t come
Lent, and the dustiness of our being
Our entry into this period of self-examination and penitence traditionally begins with the visible mark of ashes on our forehead. If you’re lucky, the mark resembles a cross – the sign of our faith. But, whether you receive the perfect ashen Roman cross or something resembling a smeared Rorschach inkblot, the meaning is the same: … Continue reading Lent, and the dustiness of our being
The Methodist question: passion, pain and the need for grace
This originally was published by CNHI News in the opinion column "Reflections with Purpose." In the difficult and often rocky path of a Christian life, there is perhaps no task more fraught with pitfalls than striking a balance between passion and grace. And grace, my friends, is sorely needed right now as members of the … Continue reading The Methodist question: passion, pain and the need for grace
James R. Neal 