In 2018, what words come to mind when the average non-Christian in America hears the term Christianity? Bigotry, hate, homophobia, hypocrisy, misogyny… abuse, power, politics…excusing or ignoring or dismissing unChristian behaviors? We’re familiar with the research, not to mention many headline-making high-profile cases, that demonstrate this, right? (Some of the studies are discussed here.) I confess…
I awoke to my phone ringing early Sunday morning. “He’s on life support, and they’re about to pull the plug,” my brother said. Although he had been healthy and strong for a man in his 90’s, my grandfather Lewis G. Hale declined significantly in the last few months as his body slowly began shutting down….
If you could go back in time and change one decision you made, would you do it? In my early 20’s, my answer would have been YES. I made a lot of unhealthy choices in the name of having fun, easing emotional pain, or striving for some ideal body size. Now however, my answer is…
Because I love my family, and because I don’t want to knowingly feed them the ingredients for diabetes, cancer, or various autoimmune diseases, I’m in perpetual learning-and-adjusting mode regarding what we should eat and how we should live. My family, of course, isn’t always exceedingly grateful and happy about this. But, I refuse to let…
And joy. And spoiler alert: they’re related. I spent the first part of the morning at a volunteer training in order to teach art literacy to my 3rd grader’s class next week. We made clay pinch pots and although I spent most of my life saying I wasn’t “artsy,” I’ve learned to lean into and…
