Your Blues Ain’t Like Mine is one of my favorite novels, authored by the late Bebe Moore Campbell. While you may be aware that July is National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month, you may be less familiar with the fact that she was one of the Black women behind this observance. Bebe Moore Campbell was …
Mother’s Day was established in 1914 in the U.S. as a day for showing appreciation for the contributions of mothers, and rightly so, because motherhood can be one of the toughest jobs you’ll ever love. We celebrate motherhood because it is a life-long commitment that requires planning and leadership. Motherhood is an investment in children, …
One of my interns at The Armstrong Center for Hope recently shared an interesting statistic: The most common lie is, “I’m fine.” Sometimes, we utter these words in the rhythm of polite conversation. A co-worker quickly passes in the hallway, asking the perfunctory, “How are you?” While the co-worker barely listens for the response, I …
No, your eyes are not playing tricks on you. On this first day of May, during the first hours of Mental Health Month, I actually have placed “celebrate” and “mental health” in the same sentence. I know this has not been the predominant message of our culture. Words more typically associated with “mental health” have …
Today is the highest holiday (“holy day”) of the Christian year. We have waited patiently during the 40 days of Lent, perhaps traveling through out our own wilderness experiences of giving up chocolate, sweets, meals, social media, or other sacrifices. The Lenten season is intended to remind us of Jesus’ 40-day excursion in the wilderness, …
“In like a lion, out like a lamb.” At least that’s what it seems like during this early March period. Back on Groundhog Day, Punxsutawney Phil announced that there would be six more weeks of winter. Meanwhile, down south in the Piedmont region of North Carolina, Sir Walter Wally asserted that spring was on the …
“Inspiring Beauty:” Eunice Johnson’s Beauty Started Within Read More »
This February, we have the curious collision of Ash Wednesday and Valentine’s Day, which I believe carries a special spiritual significance. Valentine’s Day is usually thought of as a celebration of love, especially eros, or romantic love. Ash Wednesday, on the other hand, is the first day of Lent in the Christian calendar, the 40 …
In follow up to Union Baptist Church’s Leadership Conference two weekends ago and its inspiring theme, “Going to the Next Level,” our Ministry of Congregational Care and Counseling ( a.k.a. “MC3”) had our annual retreat last weekend. Our focus for the half-day retreat was “Taking MC3 to the Next Level.” Our Stephen Ministers, Stephen Leaders, …
It’s a brand new year, that time when nearly everyone is giving at least a passing thought to how to create positive changes in the upcoming year. Many people, however, have soured on the concept of making New Year’s Resolutions. After all, some research shows that most of us don’t make it past January in …