Today is Good Friday, which recounts Jesus’ suffering and death on the cross. I cannot imagine the depths of pain Jesus experienced. Nor can I really comprehend the pain many people throughout the world experience today, including the pain my family and I endure. I have been thinking a lot about pain the past several days in view of Jesus’ passion on Good Friday and my son Christopher’s ongoing suffering resulting from his traumatic brain injury. It has led me... Read more

Longing with lament marks so much of life. Take for example the Christian story. Today is Palm Sunday, which marks Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem as the long-awaited king and deliverer (See Matthew 21). The people welcomed him with shouts of joy. By Friday, he would be dead. They sensed such longing for peace and freedom, but the fulfilment of their hopes was dashed or delayed. It’s a comfort to know the story does not end there. According to the... Read more

It is important to hit the pause button at key times when addressing conflicts. In stressful situations involving tensions with others, we need to pause, collect ourselves, and readjust in the attempt to address the conflict appropriately. Esteemed psychiatrist and concentration camp survivor Viktor Frankl wrote: “Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.” Hitting the pause button is fostering the... Read more

I accompanied my son Christopher and his medical transport to the hospital this past Wednesday for an EEG. What is an EEG? I’m glad you asked. John Hopkins Medicine defines an EEG as follows: An EEG is a test that detects abnormalities in your brain waves, or in the electrical activity of your brain. During the procedure, electrodes consisting of small metal discs with thin wires are pasted onto your scalp. The electrodes detect tiny electrical charges that result from... Read more

I was away for several days this past week due to speaking at a faith and science conference. My paper focused on traumatic brain injuries, neuroplasticity, and human flourishing. The conference was hosted by Pentecostal Theological Seminary in Cleveland, Tennessee as part of a grant initiative the seminary is doing through the American Association for the Advancement of Science’s DoSER program titled “Science for Seminaries.” Theologians and scientists came together to make it an extremely meaningful event. In all my... Read more

I turned another year younger on my birthday this past Wednesday. Like my father before me, I have a unique way of doing mathematical equations and scientific experiments. Call it the ageless theory of relativity. Such ‘creative’ mathematical and scientific explorations with my ‘time machine’ come in handy when life wears you down. All too often, I feel like my son’s traumatic brain injury in January 2021 and its aftermath in the ensuing months have put years on my life.... Read more

People associate us who are theologians with asking irrelevant questions like “How many angels can dance on the head of a pin?” Honestly, I have no idea what the ‘correct’ answer is. In fact, I’ve never asked that irrelevant question, though I may have asked similar ones. That said, there was nothing irrelevant about the question I asked myself in preparing for a neurology visit today. It’s been more than a year since the incident—what happens if the neurologist shares... Read more

The inspiration to live never gets old. There’s no expiration date on  the inspiration to live, no matter how much perspiration. Our son Christopher is battling to recover from his traumatic brain injury that he suffered over a year ago. He’s an inspiration to me. There’s no getting around the fact that Christopher has a very long way to go in pursuit of what he might consider meaningful recovery. But one neurologist told us on two separate occasions that he... Read more

Many years ago, I watched the movie Eat Pray Love. It stars Julia Roberts. I thought about the title this morning, as I was reflecting on our experience with Christopher and his traumatic brain injury. As I recall, the movie and the book from which it hails is about a woman’s journey and quest for meaning and purpose in life following a divorce. Like a divorce, a tragedy involving a child can be devastating to a family’s wellbeing. By the... Read more

Last night, the nurse stopped by Christopher’s room to tell me that Christopher intentionally hit the call light button during the day. The call light went on twice. The nurse was in the hallway the first time it happened. He wondered out loud to the CNA how that could be. After all, Christopher has largely been stationary since his traumatic brain injury in January of last year. Curious to find out what had happened, the nurse went into Christopher’s room... Read more