Ignoring it Never Makes it Better

Last updated on: February 11, 2021 at 9:38 pm By Karl J. Forehand

All of us potentially have trauma! Religious people are not exempt. In addition, religion often creates even more chances to experience trauma and carry those scars into our experience. Religious traditions can promote spiritual bypassing that avoids facing the trauma while seeking miraculous cures. Eugene Gendlin, the founder of focusing, said something that I think is significant and I would like to dissect his quote throughout this post to help us analyze how we might better handle trauma. “What is... Read more

My New Novel – The Hotel

Last updated on: February 7, 2021 at 6:45 am By Karl J. Forehand

This is the first chapter of my new novel about a Hotel that has some secrets. Uncovering these secrets reveals as much about the former owners and the investigator as it does about the hotel…enjoy! The Hotel Walking through the doorway of the 100-year-old hotel brought back memories of an earlier time in his life when things were a little simpler. The feel and smell of the old building brought back memories of a hardware store in his hometown. Scattered... Read more

Does God Need Worship?

Last updated on: February 7, 2021 at 6:15 am By Karl J. Forehand

Sometimes we praise people in our lives. Usually, we do this because it is helpful in some way. They have low self-esteem, they need encouragement, or they are discouraged. So, when I think about praising or worshipping God, it puts me in a little bit of a dilemma. I have to entertain the thought: Why does God need my worship? If He is holy and perfect and all the things we ascribe to, why does he need or require my... Read more

Why I Overreact

Last updated on: January 31, 2021 at 8:02 am By Karl J. Forehand

We’ve all been there. We were just going through the motions of a normal evening at home and one of us says something the creates a chain reaction of responses and, suddenly, we find ourselves asking the age-old question, “What Happened?” I am going to try to simplify this conversation, not because of anything other than I don’t want to have to write an academic paper this early in the morning. To make a long story short, we REACT because... Read more

Why Q Was Successful

Last updated on: January 31, 2021 at 7:51 am By Karl J. Forehand

Back in 2017, the anonymous Q and Q’Anon started gaining notoriety. Conspiracy theorists and other fringe groups don’t really have to present facts because they write in cryptic messages and deal in vagueness. Followers might admit they don’t believe everything prescribed, but the ambiguity of the whole process makes it easy to mold the messages into whatever cause that other groups are trying to promote. This might be okay for people to have a hobby of chasing wild theories. After... Read more

Willful Ignorance

Last updated on: January 31, 2021 at 8:23 am By Karl J. Forehand

I would never call anyone stupid. I shouldn’t say never because I have done it in the past. Usually, it is out of anger or my own childishness that I throw out that label. But there are so many different kinds of cognitive impairments that this label really doesn’t describe the situation and even if it did, it is probably is not that person’s fault. We are just being mean-spirited when we call someone stupid, and not necessarily accurate. Willful... Read more

Three Days Later – Lily Holmes

Last updated on: January 29, 2021 at 3:08 pm By Karl J. Forehand

A post by my daughter Lily Holmes (who I call LB) The constant impending doom of a pandemic and out-of-control political climate do not lend themselves kindly to healthy coping mechanisms. I am personally a big fan of eating my feelings. However, as more time has passed, I have acquired more positive habits. Institutionalized learning has always come relatively easy to me. I loved reading as a child and had the correct brain chemistry to make me good at tests. I... Read more

Walls Walls Walls

Last updated on: January 26, 2021 at 5:24 am By Karl J. Forehand

I am currently stranded away from my home because of the snow. No big deal, I will get out in half a day or so, but it gave me time to write and work on my novel, The Hotel. As the main character searches for clues and wades through secrets about the hotel, he discovers much more about himself and how things get better. In a way, it’s like a treasure hunt, but also it’s different than we ever imagined.... Read more

Postcards from Babylon – A Review by Rick Pidcock

Last updated on: January 19, 2021 at 6:12 pm By Karl J. Forehand

Postcards from Babylon, the documentary centered around Brian Zahnd’s book of the same name releases this Thursday. I got the chance to review the documentary and loved it, espcially in light of the seige on the Capitol. It’s release is very timely. Instead of writing a review, I offere you a review from my friend, Rick, with links to the film and his original review. Enjoy! by Rick Pidcock The new Postcards From Babylon documentary comes out on January 21. And I... Read more

My Response to the Breach

Last updated on: January 7, 2021 at 8:46 am By Karl J. Forehand

I’m writing a novel. It’s one of the most fun things I have done in a long time. You can totally make up the storyline and characters, but I chose to base a lot of it on real places and people and events. One of the couples in the story is loosely based on Laura and me. Here is a paragraph from The Hotel. “After 30 years of marriage, they sometimes communicated without talking. It was obvious that both... Read more