If there is one thing that Americans can agree on at this moment in our history, it’s that we have an opioid problem. An epidemic that touches every state and county. In fact, we all likely know someone who has become addicted to oxycodone, morphine, fentanyl, or any of the other countless prescription painkillers that […]
What if we woke up tomorrow in a completely different small town? Would we feel at home in Summerville, GA, with 4 colleges just a county over? Or in Hartford, KY, among generations of coal miners? I imagine our neighbors in Greensburg, IN, heading off to the Honda plant every day, would be a little […]
Like I said in my last post, I’ve spent several months staring at county health data. Countyhealthrankings.org has become my de facto homepage. And in that time of poring over numbers and statistics, I fell into a stereotypical mindset that I think is pretty common for Virginians. The picture in my mind was of a […]
As a pastor, death has been a normal part of my professional life. Seminaries prepare us to sit with the dying and the bereaved, to craft a funeral service, and to recognize the place of death in our faith lives. One thing seminary doesn’t prepare us for is difference in shape and scale death takes […]
Let’s imagine you’re striking out from home for the first time. Growing up, you felt like your family never really knew how to handle money. So the day you get your first job, you also go out and hire the services of a personal financial advisor. Not just any financial advisor though: a highly qualified […]
Last October, we had an unexpected visit from my in-laws. They live in Savannah, and as Hurricane Matthew headed up the East Coast, the local government strongly advised residents to evacuate. For us, it was a pleasant surprise. A long weekend with 2 extra adults to help wrangle our son. A break from routine to […]
Like everyone else, I spent the last few days enjoying the beautiful weather we’ve experienced here in Pulaski. Pulling out shorts for long afternoon walks in the sun. Rolling down the windows in the car as I cruise through town. Showing my son the blooming flowers around our yard. And wondering how to harness the […]
It’s been nearly 9 years since I took my first trip as an adult to Appalachia. My now-wife, then girlfriend, had a summer internship at a little church in the region. So one weekend I left the cornfields of Indiana in my Honda, bound southeast. I had plenty of visions in mind of where I […]
I was at the Food City in Pulaski when I saw him. It was back in the summer of 2015, I believe. It was a warm day, for sure, because I thought it was unseasonable for when he’s normally been seen in the area. Anyways, I was out doing our weekly shopping, turning the corner […]
If Congress were responsible They’d say, “This is too much! Seven hundred thousand people? I feel so out of touch!” Your representative would think, “These voices aren’t all heard! My district is too large! Please cut it to a third.” If Congress were responsible No state would be at large. Five Montanans, three Vermonters, Their […]
