IMPACTING LIVES

There is no one right or wrong way to behave to avoid rape. But there are some things a woman can do that may make her less likely to suffer some kinds of rape. What a woman does depends on how well she knows the man, how afraid she is, and how much danger she thinks she is in. Remember, if a woman is raped, it is not because she failed to avoid the rape, but because  someone stronger forced himself on her. These ideas may help any woman avoid rape Protect yourselves. Work with others. Do your work with other women. You will be safer and stronger if you work together in groups Do not let anyone who makes you feel nervous into your home. Do not let him know if you are there alone. Try not to walk alone, especially at night. If you must go alone, hold your head up and act as though you feel confident. Most rapists will look for a woman who looks easy to attack. If you think you are being followed, try walking in another direction, or go up to another person, a house, or a s...

Take care of yourself. If you are well-cared for, you will be a better partner, parent, sibling, caregiver, roommate, etc Turn off the media. While keeping informed can be helpful, too much media consumption can create emotional distance in relationships. Communicate ways you’d like to receive safe, nurturing touch. If you live alone, consider bubble baths, fuzzy blankets, or using a muscle roller massage stick or back scratcher for sensation on your skin. Take turns deciding which game to play, movie to watch, route to take on your walk, what to bake, etc. Share love in as many ways as you can. Tell the people you love that you do. Loving increases love in the world! Find ways to have alone time. Some people need more than others. Institute a daily spiritual practice or quiet time for reflection and rest. Use online meeting platforms such as Zoom, Skype, or Google Hangouts to connect with loved ones on a regular basis. Take time for honest check-ins about how you are feeling.  Foc...

Ministry transition is always a difficult and complicated time for both authorized ministers and ministry settings. Such times always present needs for getting to know one another or for saying goodbye in the most faithful ways. But in this current season of COVID-19, many of the usual in-person events of welcome or farewell that one may hope for or expect are not possible or advised against. Ministers and ministry settings may naturally wonder how they can most effectively navigate these moments in such unusual circumstances.   Ministry transitions will still happen during this season. A minister may still discern that it is time to follow a new call, and a ministry setting may still need to address transitional needs. The potential feelings of anxiety and grief surrounding a ministry transition may be heightened under our present conditions. Addressing and honoring such feelings will be an important component of how both partners in the ministry relationship shape what they choo...

Goal : Gather and give pastoral care digitally. Provide resources from those of us deeply familiar with digital platforms and uses. Provide thoughts for collective & individual greif.  Some Digital Platforms : Zoom-   -This is a way to gather digitally, and one of the primary tools out there right now. You can set up on a computer, where video is possible, on smartphones, where video is also possible, as well as give people a call-in number. Pro accounts are recommended for congregations to be able to host everything. TechSoup offers this at a discount. -As a zoom “host,” it works best if you have a meeting leader, usually the pastor, and another person who is also “host” who can help with some of the digital engagement. Oftentimes, especially for people who are not familiar with zoom, someone will have to manually “mute” people so that there is not background noise. (there are a whole bunch of options when you make a meeting, including “Mute people upon entry” and “automa...

It takes 8 minutes and 20 seconds for sunlight to reach the Earth. In that time, under its warm touch, the world saw George Floyd go cold under the bended knee of injustice and inhumanity. We stopped, still granted the gift to breathe, trying not to stare, but unable to look away. Then the tears flowed and the temperature rose. The glistening streets became thoroughfares of protest until buildings burned under the recklessness of justifiable outrage and hopelessness. Nothing had changed. We had once again ignored the disinfecting power of the sun. We had silenced the voices of a people because their peaceful pleas were not made at the right time, at the right place, in the right way. We were told once again to wait. Even when Martin Luther King Jr. implored us in his  Letter from A Birmingham Jail  that “this ‘wait’ has almost always meant ‘never.’ ” And the face of smug indifference cast its shadow with self-serving and willful ignorance, defiantly staring into the heart of ...