Another drawback to selective gratitude is what we miss with people. In the same confusing manner that Jesus taught us about meekness, persecution, and mourning, he also taught that we are to love our enemies. We are not to love our enemies because it’s the nice thing to do. We love our enemies, because in […]
What we miss with selective gratitude
One of the most difficult, yet gratifying things I did as a university psychologist was to lead a grief group for students each semester. Groups were made up of 6 to 8 students who had experienced the death of a family member or close friend within the previous year. Every one of those brave students […]
Typical gratitude starts with a judgment
Gratitude is not an easy topic for me. The longer I live, the more of a curmudgeon I become. I am disheartened by the state of the world, I’m alarmed at what’s happening in our country, and I’m perpetually annoyed by the way people drive. I hate to stand in line, and I meet people […]
Gratitude 1: the leftovers
We have just celebrated Thanksgiving, the time of year we intentionally reflect on the people, events, and things that bring us joy. Like many others, I celebrated it by gathering with some of my family and eating far too much. It’s easy to feel grateful in that situation, sitting at a table with people I […]
The uses and misuses of power: the story of Zacchaeus
Recently I talked with a young man nearing the completion of his law degree. I asked him about his process of choosing law as a career. He talked about his experiences of being bullied as a young boy. He was small for his age, studious, and not particularly interested in sports. He was the youngest […]
Peeling away the layers
Today is my birthday. My first awareness of the day came at 3:55 a.m. when I awoke from a dream. I was a therapist (something I have not been for 8 years) meeting with a university student client. The client is someone I do not know in my waking life. She is unique to this […]
A loss remembered
Fifty years ago today. I looked at my calendar this morning and recognized the date. It was a pivotal event, one of those events that divided my life calendar into “before” and “after” categories. Pam was my first real girl friend. She was the first girl I kissed. She was the first girl to break […]
Conservative Christian contortionism
Donald Trump is on a campaign to win over conservative Christians. This would be laughable except that Christian conservatives appear to be buying it. Even James Dobson testified that Trump, who recently stated he had nothing to confess to God because he didn’t do many bad things, is now a “baby Christian.” This particular sideshow […]
That ain’t Christian
Well, it happened as we knew it would. Some fundamental wing nut “Christian pastors” opened their mouths from the pulpit in the wake of the Orlando massacre, and hatred spewed out. Their message: those who were killed deserved it because they were homosexual. Because their behavior is condemned in the Bible, their death is not […]
A little understanding, please
Printed in the Abilene Reporter News, Sunday, May 22, 2016 You very likely have shared a public bathroom with a person who identifies as transgender. It probably went like this. You did your business. The other person did theirs. You left. They left. We already share public facilities and nothing happens. I admit that I know […]