Content Warning: This blog contains references to child abuse.Peace for cities is when everything works for everybody all the time, and no one is left out. Peace is God’s goal for our cities.H.P. SpeesOver ten years ago, I started the journey of becoming an ordained pastor. I read Pastor: The [...]Read More
Lāhainā Nine Months Later
It’s been nine months since wildfires devastated western Maui. Nine months. The same time it takes for a term birth. The same time it takes for students to complete a school year. It seems that nine months is a duration where so much growth and development can happen. It was nine months ago that our [...]Read More
I Don’t Know What To Call This
Asian AmericanASIAN AmericanAsian AMERICANI am an immigrant’s childBorn and raised in your countryI didn’t migrate myselfNo accentNo credibilityOthers see my parentsOthers hear my parentsLanguage, accents, or no EnglishThey see what I eat at homeSmell fried fish on my clothesThey see my flat noseThe [...]Read More
Communal Mental Health and Healing: What We Can Learn From Spiderwebs
When I think of communal mental health, I think of how our individual mental health impacts and is impacted by the mental health of others. I see it almost like a spiderweb, with spider silk that interconnects each of us to each other. It is sticky and strong, attracting and catching not only other [...]Read More
Redefining the Role of Faith Communities through Social Entrepreneurship
In the realm of community development, the intersection of faith, business acumen, and social justice forms a potent triad. This is particularly true for faith communities that adhere to the Christian Community Development (CCD) principles. Social entrepreneurship, an innovative approach that blends [...]Read More
What’s up With the Scars on Jesus’ Resurrected Body?
Jesus does a good job at turning our perspectives upside down, doesn’t He? In the Beatitudes, found in Matthew 5, Jesus says we are blessed if we do things like be poor in spirit, mourn, be merciful, and the like. Throughout the telling of the Good News, Jesus continued to shake up conventional [...]Read More
Holy Week Devotionals
This year, Lent has felt especially heavy. Violent conflict is tearing at the seams of our global family. Ideological difference and dehumanizing rhetoric exacerbated by an election season again threatens our relationships. A very natural response is to reach for power in order to protect ourselves, [...]Read More
Faith in the Face of Separation: The Resilience of Mothers Apart
In the tapestry of human experiences, few threads are as poignant and complex as those of women who find themselves separated from their children. Whether due to the ravages of war and persecution, the shadows of mental health struggles, the bars of incarceration, or other heart-breaking [...]Read More