My father has Alzheimer’s Disease for probably more than five years now. We are not quite sure when it all started. The track of these last five years has so inextricably changed the dynamics of our family, as it does in all those who bear the burden of this disease. In some ways, we are grappling how Alzheimer’s has taken hostage our relationship with our father and husband of my mother, how the way we loved each other, held... Read more
Caption: Photograph of author and wife on Valentine’s Day outing (Image courtesy of Gleb Tsipursky) ___________________________________________________________________ On this upcoming Valentine’s Day, my wife and I decided to avoid traditional gifts such as fancy candy for her or a bottle of nice liquor for me in favor of making gifts that help preserve our democracy. Both of us have been intensely worried by the claims Donald Trump made immediately after the election, and continuing to date,... Read more
I enjoy sex. I enjoy it a lot. I have a very healthy view and expression of it in my 40’s. I used to feel a lot of guilt over it, but so much of that was a conditioned response to the broken sexual ethic of Christians. Being raised in a Catholic family with some Baptists, a young charismatic who would become an evangelical youth pastor and then a progressive minister, I have seen a taste of it all. In... Read more
A few hours ago I watched with slim hope and then great sadness as I saw Betsy DeVos become the Education Secretary. I then had to acknowledge that my former role as a minister helped create not only her, but the entire current administration. It is a hard pill to swallow, but it is something I have to own and apologize for. I had a part in creating the monsters, and I am sorry. As a young conservative evangelical youth... Read more
Caption: Image of CNN with quote from Kellyanne Conway saying “Spice gave alternative facts on crowd size (NBC/This Morning)Written by Dr. Gleb Tsipursky, Intentional Insights Co-Founder and President ___________________________________________________________________ I shuddered, horrified to the depths of my soul when Donald Trump’s senior adviser Kellyanne Conway presented the Trump administration’s false claims as “alternative facts” in a January 22nd interview on NBC’s “Meet The Press.” She was defending the lies told by Sean Spicer, the White House Press Secretary, about Trump’s... Read more
This has nothing to do with President Trump. I just needed to use the word. This week, it seems to be the only way to get noticed online and I want this to be read. The title does, however, reflect the truth of this story. It is about how trust was betrayed when I left the faith. One night when I was still an active minister, my cell phone rang after 11 pm on a Sunday night. I looked at... Read more
Source: wikimedia commons/ Mahatma Ghandi close up potrait Written by Charles Cassidy MPhys, Director of Evidence-based Wisdom It was 3:30 AM, and my wife and I were crumpled in stunned silence in the back of a taxi, racing through the deserted streets of South London. Our all-night US election party on November 8, 2016 had taken an unexpected turn from a celebration to a tragedy. Black comedy was fast becoming a dark reality. In defiance of all expectations, post-truth politics... Read more
Caption: Truth and lies (Open Clipart-Vectors, Pixabay) ________________________________________________________________ It is an undeniable fact that Donald Trump is the 45th President of the United States. Yet a part of me refuses to accept that reality. On the one hand, I love this country for its freedom and democracy, and as part of my love greatly respect the office of the Presidency. On the other, it seems to me that Trump is doing great damage to the core values and institutions that... Read more
I remember walking through the mall with my son about six months ago. I tensed up as I saw a former congregant of my church walking down the other way in the food court. I held my breath as we got closer. Then came the moment of truth as we passed each other. She had no idea who I was. None. I could tell there was no recognition whatsoever. My posture is different, I lost about 30 pounds, the hair... Read more
“You doing okay, Pat?” The question was asked by Buzz, one of my regular passengers when I was a taxi driver (the job I took after I left the ministry because it was all I could find). Buzz was a scientist. He designed pacemakers and artificial heart valves. I would pick him up at his house and take him to the train station in the pre-dawn mornings. He was usually my last run after a full night of driving. “Yeah,”... Read more
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