“Love your neighbor as yourself.” It’s simple, right? It’s the second greatest commandment that resembles the first – Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. We want these commandments to be easy just because they are simple statements. Neither of these is easy to … Read More
Ultimately, God is Love beyond our capacity to understand. The purpose of Love is liberation for all people. It’s funny that we spend so much time creating rules to decide who belongs to God when all God wants is to set us free. God’s desire for us is to be free from all that keeps … Read More
One in four people will be diagnosed with a mental health condition during their lifetime. If it isn’t you, it’s someone you know and love. No one will be unaffected by mental health challenges to one extent or another. Moreover, suicide rates are climbing and we still can’t talk about mental illness or suicidality in … Read More
When it comes to reading scripture, many Christians are like those who can’t see the proverbial forest because they are so focused on individual trees. Biblical literalism seems to be our default setting even when we don’t claim that scripture is the “inerrant word of God.” We cause unnecessary pain when we don’t step back … Read More
It is human nature to reject that which we fear or do not understand. We want to protect ourselves and those we love from pain, illness, suffering, and, really, all forms of distress. We desire life to be clear and easy, preferably with assurances of getting to heaven. While these desires are understandable, they can … Read More
Sometimes when I read scripture, I lose all hope for humanity in general and the church in particular. It’s easy to let myself believe that life now is so much better, easier, more enlightened than it was in biblical times. Humanity has come so far in the last two thousand years, haven’t we? We have … Read More
Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Creator, is this: to care for the vulnerable among us in their distress, and to keep oneself apart from the fears of the world. (James 1:27, paraphrased) Suicide is headline news once again. This fact alone increases suicidality and the risk of suicide for many people. How … Read More
When I was very young I thought God was the “man in the moon.” I had heard people talking about the moon having a face and referring to it as the “man in the moon.” I don’t think I’ve ever been able to make out the face that is supposedly visible in profile on the … Read More
Many years ago while I was in my first call, I had the privilege of teaching the Sunday School children what communion meant. About 100 children from the age three or four through age fifteen or so gathered in the social hall while the adults worshiped in the sanctuary. I went through each part of … Read More
“Live a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called,” writes the author of Ephesians. I can’t help but wonder if we have all forgotten that we are supposed to be living a life worthy of the love and grace we have been given. I don’t see much evidence of people striving … Read More
Interested in spiritual direction or learning more about it to decide whether it's for you? Curious whether you can afford it? Wondering if Rachael Keefe is available to speak to your group or present at your conference on mental health and faith or suicide prevention and the church?
© 2012-2024 Rachael Keefe - All Rights Reserved
Website managed by Erika Sanborne Media
