ArcaMax

While I was watching the ongoing news reports on the assassination attempt of former President Donald J. Trump last weekend, I was simultaneously scrolling through social media posts on X. The repulsive vitriol was and continues to be ever present, and although President Joe Biden had the best intentions in his plea for unity during his address ...Read more

The film "Sound of Hope: The Story of Possum Trot" begins with a beautiful truth about childhood innocence. As the cameras pan over the woods of rural southeastern Shelby County, Texas, the narrator mentions that when you are a child you don't have much to worry about because the world just seems simpler. At least this is the way it should be ...Read more

In May, the Pew Research Center published results from January and April surveys on African American voters' opinions on the upcoming November election and domestic and foreign policy, along with their thoughts regarding President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump. The January sample size consisted of 759 Black adults out of 5,140 ...Read more

The kid in me really enjoyed Disney and Pixar's "Inside Out 2," the sequel to the beloved 2015 film that introduced us to Riley, an only child who is somewhat shy but has a big heart of kindness.

I actually think the first film was funnier as it tackled Riley's growing emotions of Joy, Fear, Sadness, Disgust and Anger from a young girl to the...Read more

Within the past week, I have been reading some interesting Chronicle of Higher Education articles that my campus dean sent regarding concern about students' lack of zeal for intellectual engagement in the classroom. We spent some time discussing this in my annual review, particularly how many professors now feel they are at a crossroads in ...Read more

In concluding with Part 2 from last week's column, "Addressing Mental Health in the Church," I want to share some final essential and helpful points that I received from this Bible study series taught by my pastor, Overseer S.D. Carter.

The first one is that mental illness is not the result of sin or punishment for it. Unfortunately, a damaging...Read more

Toward the end of May my pastor, Overseer S.D. Carter, began a mental health series for our church, Vision of Breath with Life Ministries in Columbus, Ohio. The series has extended into June and has a similar theme to last month's National Alliance on Mental Illness' "Take the Moment" campaign, which focused on support for family caregivers and ...Read more

I cannot imagine the immense depth of grief and pain the families of Davy and Natalie Lloyd are bearing right now as the remains of this young missionary couple were recently flown back to the U.S. from Haiti. Davy, 23, and Natalie, 21, had their entire lives ahead of them, and soon after getting married in 2022, they began working for the ...Read more

Longtime Houston civil rights activist Rev. William "Bill" Lawson passed away this month at the age of 95. He was a close colleague of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and worked with him in establishing Houston's office of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. As a stalwart in the generation of civil rights leaders with King, Lawson fought to...Read more

When the 2024 spring semester ended earlier this month, I found myself thinking more about how technology is changing college classrooms. The traditional lecture that my generation was subject to during our formative college years in the late 1980s and early '90s is now considered an outdated mode of teaching for today's Gen Z students. My ...Read more

Mother's Day this year is extra special because for the first time in over two decades, I am spending it with my mom in person. In May, I have usually continued to work on summer projects after the end of spring semester, and since my mom's birthday is in June, I would just fly home to Athens, Georgia, for an extended Mother's Day celebration.

...Read more

For thou art my lamp, O LORD: and the LORD will lighten my darkness. For by thee I have run through a troop: by my God have I leaped over a wall. As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the LORD is tried: he is a buckler to all them that trust in him. -- 2 Samuel 22:29-31

May 2 was the National Day of Prayer, and these verses ...Read more