For about three years now, Jessi and I have been lighting candles in an Advent wreath at home. We began doing this during the COVID pandemic; it was a way … Continue reading The Messy Stained Christ Candle
Advent 2022: Love
When you are able to love your enemy, he or she is no longer your enemy. The idea of “enemy” vanishes and is replaced by the notion of someone who … Continue reading Advent 2022: Love
Advent 2022: Joy
Our faith must be alive. It cannot be just a set of rigid beliefs and notions. Our faith must evolve every day and bring us joy, peace, freedom, and love. … Continue reading Advent 2022: Joy
Advent 2022: Peace
Our capacity to make peace with another person and with the world depends very much on our capacity to make peace with ourselves. -Thich Nhat Hanh One of Jesus’s many … Continue reading Advent 2022: Peace
Grief for Celebrities
A “parasocial relationship” occurs when one party develops significant emotional responses to another without the other party’s awareness, and modern media has played a major role in enabling this phenomenon. … Continue reading Grief for Celebrities
Advent 2022: Hope
If we cling to our idea of hope in the future, we might not notice the peace and joy that are available in the present moment. The best way to … Continue reading Advent 2022: Hope
Three Arguments for Pop Culture Chaplaincy
In my chaplaincy work over the years, I’ve found myself leaning more and more into movies and television and other popular media. This “Pop Culture Chaplaincy” seems to resonate strongly … Continue reading Three Arguments for Pop Culture Chaplaincy
The Encanto Spiritual Assessment Tool
Just a heads up: this may be the most chaplainy thing I’ve posted on this blog. There’s a lot of terminology here meant for spiritual care professionals, but for those … Continue reading The Encanto Spiritual Assessment Tool
Reflections on a Mass Shooting Four Years Later
We call them “mass casualty incidents.”An alert goes out through pagers and cell phones.We seldom get the details of the situation up front—just the nature of injuries and the number … Continue reading Reflections on a Mass Shooting Four Years Later
Jeremiah 29:11 Reads Different in Context
In this series, we’re taking a look at some of the most popular verses which appear often in Christian popular media. These verses pop up all over the place, but … Continue reading Jeremiah 29:11 Reads Different in Context