This blog was originally published on Huffington Post. You can read and share it HERE. The outpouring of generosity and kindness from neighbors near and far during the recent hurricanes in the US is a strong reminder of the inherent goodness and strength in each one of us during challenging circumstances. Often dealing with the aftermath of a storm can be more trying than the storm itself. News reports have indicated that Puerto Rico is entirely without power after the recent hurricane. Continue Reading
Is it possible to find peace in an age of anxiety?
The following blog post is written by guest writer, Kim Shippey. The June 12 edition of ABC TV’s Good Morning America cautiously asked: “Are we living in an age of anxiety?” The program referenced several studies concluding that forty million adults in the United States suffer from anxiety. It also noted that Google searches into anxiety have doubled in the past eight years. “This is not fluff,” warned ABC’s senior medical correspondent, Jennifer Ashton. “It’s a legitimate medical and Continue Reading
Books that Transform Our Lives
The following blog post is written by guest contributor Kim Shippey: Every five years I thumb through the books on my shelves and cull about thirty percent of them, which I donate to our local library. What I notice is that year after year the same well-explored books escape the purge and return to their joyful task of inspiring those who turn their pages. They include: The Greatest Thing in the World (Henry Drummond, 1911): “Is life not full of opportunities for learning Love?” Continue Reading
Wonder Woman Film Busts Stereotypes And Got Me Thinking Spiritually
This blog was originally published on Huff Post. You can read and share it HERE. When I was seven, my mom dressed up as Wonder Woman for a costume party. A photo of her taken that night was taped to our family’s refrigerator for years. There she stood striking her best superhero pose in knee-high boots, hands placed confidently on star-studded shorts with a gold band on her forehead and cuffs around her wrists. This image served as a symbolic reminder to me that, costume or not, I could Continue Reading
Do You Love the Way Jesus Loved?
Today's post is written by guest blogger Kim Shippey: How well I remember the 1990s when friends who were on the brink of Christian commitment latched on to the slogan “What Would Jesus Do?” They stuck the letters WWJD on bracelets, shirts, caps, notebooks, and bumper stickers. Even before they understood Jesus’ contribution to religious history and the role his teachings might play in their lives, those friends felt good when they responded to the call to try to be Christlike (as far as they Continue Reading
From Panic to Peace in a Tokyo Train Station
The following article was originally published by The Christian Science Monitor. You can read and share it HERE: A blur of bustling commuters rushed past me in the middle of the Tokyo train station. Everyone knew where they were going except me. Although my friends had given me detailed directions, I couldn’t remember my train connection in that moment. (This was before Google Maps!) I felt panicked and alone. I had been in Tokyo for the weekend, and the next day I was supposed to fly Continue Reading
Making Perfect Sense of God
Today's guest blog is written by Boston-based writer, Kim Shippey: So, why would someone like me, who has been a firmly committed Christian all of his adult life, choose to spend several hours reading a book by a highly successful New York preacher—Timothy Keller—under the title Making Sense of God? (Viking, 2016) To which the subtitle adds a further touch of mystery: “An Invitation to the Skeptical.” Keller ranges widely (across 327 pages) in his exploration of current and past thinking on Continue Reading
13 Reasons Why: Spiritual Support for Teen Mental Health
This blog was originally published on HuffPost. You can read and share it HERE. The new Netflix original TV series 13 Reasons Why prompted educators and mental health professionals to issue strong warnings to parents and schools. The series, based on the fictional book of the same name, has been trending on social media since its original release at the end of March. It chronicles the life of high school student Hannah Baker and the thirteen reasons she feels led to her suicidal death. The Continue Reading
Turning Enemies into Friends
The following article was originally published by The Christian Science Monitor. You can read and share it HERE. Pastor James Wuye and the Imam Muhammad Ashafa are unlikely friends. At one time both men plotted to kill each other and sowed hatred among their fundamentalist followers, fueling a deadly rivalry. But they have since put their past behind them in the interest of bringing peace to Christians and Muslims in Nigeria, the largest nation in the world that has a population of half Continue Reading
Spiritual Lessons from a Field of Flowers
Today's blog is written by guest-contributor, Kim Shippey: I have never been a farmer, though my sister once played a key role in establishing a dairy farm near Mooi River (beautiful river) in Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Africa, and one of my sons-in-law ran a successful flower farm overlooking the Indian Ocean nearby. I’ll never forget the sight of 45-thousand coral, cream, and crimson anthuriums waving their trumpets in the sub-tropical air before many of them found their way to Continue Reading