Opioids come from the opium poppy.
Why You Need Church
And church needs you, too. Pandemics are isolating. Four years ago, so much was unknown about COVID-19, but one thing was certain: It spread from person to person. Hence the need to keep people separate. This meant avoiding group gatherings, which was painful, because we are social creatures. For Christians, the gathering we missed the most was church. I know …
How Long is Grief?
How long is grief? I guess what I’m really asking is, “Does grief ever end?” Last week I had a five-hour drive ahead of me, so I looked at my list of downloaded audiobooks borrowed from the library. Seasons of Sorrow by Tim Challies was one of them. The subtitle was “The Pain of Loss and the Comfort of God.” That was …
The 100th Birthday Party
Permit me to humbly suggest the following: If you are ever invited to a 100th birthday party, consider attending. And if the centenarian is one of your dearly departed mother’s most treasured friends, do whatever you can to attend. And if she was also someone you yourself loved since you were a child because she stayed involved during sleepover weekends …
Validation
There’s a short film I’ve watched over and over. It’s brilliant and profound. It speaks to something we all long for, and yet receive precious little of: Validation. That’s also its title. The film opens with a sad, bedraggled man bringing his parking ticket to the attendant for validation. “Ah,” I thought the first time I saw it, “this movie …
Not Progressive, Not Conservative, But Christian
Whenever I hear the word “polarization,” I can’t help but think of cell division. Specifically? Anaphase, which perhaps you remember from high school biology. All the organelles have been doubled and are bunched at the edges—in moments it will split down the middle and become two cells. Anaphase is polarized. All those organelles are squinching themselves on one side of the …
Vulnerable Brains
Marijuana, Adolescents, and Schizophrenia Marijuana, Adolescents, and Schizophrenia By the time this drops, I will be one week out from age 65. Yet, I’m not grieving—I welcome growing older. Age has its advantages: Fewer emotional roller coasters, for one. For another, I’m better able to articulate my thoughts. And my body hasn’t betrayed me (yet). However, parts of my brain …
Attachment Theory and Grief
Attachment Theory helps to explain grief. Grief is what happens when we humans experience loss. That is, when we lose something or someone, we need to go through a period of adjustment. That adjustment takes time, and it’s called “grief”. Why do some people sail through that period of adjustment, and others have a hard time? Many, many factors impact …
Saltworks Podcast Interview
In May, 2023, Hallie Dye interviewed me for her excellent podcast, “Saltworks.” Being counter-cultural means following Christ no matter what direction the culture is moving. Listen to Podcast. From Hallie: “Dr. Amy Givler is on the podcast this morning and it is SO good. What a way to wind down the very first season of the Saltworks. Amy shares with …
It Isn’t Hate to Speak the Truth
It isn’t hate to speak the truth. I am one of those parents who didn’t let her daughter (though she begged and begged) read the Harry Potter book series when she was 10…and 11…and 12. Even though her friends were reading them. Even though the whole world seemed crazy about them, and she was an avid reader. Why not, you …