Grace under fire: The tragedy of Botham Jean’s shooting by Amber Guyger
The willingness to forgive says more about 18-year-old Brandt Jean than anything about Amber Guyger, the protestors or the jubilant court observers.
spirituality
How prayer defuses violence
‘If you think out from original goodness instead of original sin, you get God out of the box and discover what the image and likeness of God really looks like.’
The most important thing we can teach our kids
‘In an era in which so many people slip off the rails during adolescence, we don’t have the luxury of ignoring a resource that could see them through.’
What should be the top health question in every state?
What if we asked ourselves not how long a particular physical condition might last but, instead, whether we are, at our core, material or spiritual in nature?
Is there a cure for racism?
Chances are that we do more to protect ourselves from the common cold than the temptation to see people of another race as a threat to our well-being.
The one thing that will keep mind-body medicine out of the mud
‘Is there a time we will discover that healing responses and mind-body medicine really moves more toward the mind side than the body side?’
Lessons learned (or not) from the ‘Summer of Love’
The question is not whether drugs and sex are bad, but whether such potentially self-indulgent avenues to acquiring spiritual wisdom should be considered genuine.
The (spiritual) limits to technology
As technology improves, so too will our ability to understand the spiritual intelligence that leads to improved physical bodies and divinely inspired lives.
A survey of one: Spiritual practice key to religion’s survival
‘Any religion that encourages and supports a deeper appreciation of God and an unconditional love for humanity will continue to progress and to thrive.’
Expanding our definition of ‘spiritual competence’
‘Mom had this remarkable ability to see past whatever scrape I’d gotten myself into and detect something of my true substance, and in so doing, to alleviate my fear.’
‘The Misfit Miracle Girl’: How Kate Mahoney became a miracle
"The Pope released his grip and swayed to the side. Harnessing laser-like focus, I went in for the kneel. I did not look up. I had a job to do! Then it happened. CRACK. I headbutted the Pope."
A letter to my goddaughter on the occasion of her First Communion
St. John said, "We love because He first loved us." This means our capacity to love comes directly from God, that it can’t be taken away, that it will never end.
Where does wisdom come from?
‘I think it would behoove us to get titillated by the possibilities for our capacity, not merely to become knowledgeable, but to become wise.’
How to know if you’re being lied to
We should all be willing to improve upon our God-given ability to distinguish between truth and error, and in so doing, to enjoy the benefits.
Easter through the eyes of a woman
While we tend to think of Easter as the commemoration of Jesus’ resurrection, there’s someone else whose participation in that event deserves recognition.
Honest politicians begin with honest voters
Tempting as it may be to grouse about the dishonesty of others, the demand is to focus first on being honest ourselves.
Explaining my religion to my nonreligious friends
Although I have no scientific evidence to back me up, I’d say a good number of religious people, as engaged and compassionate as they may be, live in a bubble.
How to heal hate
Immunity from the ‘politics of hate’ begins with a healthy dose of unconditional love, both for ourselves and others.
How to win the World Series (and a whole lot more)
Thanks to the Chicago Cubs, I have a much better idea of what it takes for ordinary Joes like me to overcome whatever obstacles seem to be standing in our way.
How to defend yourself against (mental) despotism
As important as it is to confront tyranny whenever and wherever it appears, the repression that appears in our own thinking remains an even more insidious enemy.