News & Resources

Prairie Precarity

Jul 18, 2024

In October of 2023, while driving in my hospice territory, I found myself on an unfamiliar stretch of rural North Dakota road. Suddenly, like a strange oasis in the desert, a dilapidated structure appeared to the southeast of me. My eyes fell on the building’s crumbling bell tower, and I knew instantly the structure had been a church. Looking at it, I couldn’t even begin to imagine when a congregation had last gathered there for worship or study; I certainly hoped it had been like an oasis, offering spiritual nourishment for thirsty souls on the often-harsh prairie. That October day, I didn’t have much time for daydreaming or exploration, but I did pull over to snap a picture on my phone.

Considering the Liberating Effects of Contemplative Care

Jul 18, 2024

In a world which is becoming increasingly smaller, spiritual care demands attention to a global population. July is minority mental health month. It is, therefore, a time set aside to emphasize the unique needs of those whose challenges do not fit mainstream paradigms. My twenty- year experience of providing spiritual care to a primarily minority population has motivated me to research and verify the peculiar contexts, concepts and concerns effective for individuals with unemancipated ancestors. The work engaged in these efforts has generated a contemplative approach. This strategy is applied as a means to facilitate internal liberation for individuals restrained by ancestral histories of enslavement.