by Rebekah Simon-Peter | Oct 5, 2020
People are on edge with each other, hypervigilant, buffeted in a sea of negativity. Clergy colleagues report that otherwise stable church folks are having meltdowns and launching into attack mode. My husband, a cordial golfer, returned from the links last night...
by Rebekah Simon-Peter | Jul 22, 2020
Law, custom, and even religion are intertwined with racism. It’s so pervasive that it’s not always easy to identify, let alone dismantle. We must approach Constructive conversations about racism with emotional intelligence. I have written about arriving at...
by Rebekah Simon-Peter | Jul 14, 2020
Emotional intelligence is a soft skill often prized in the world of interpersonal relationships. Can it be used as a tool to dismantle something as hard and ingrained as systemic racism? My answer is a resounding yes. In fact, I don’t think that the structures,...
by Rebekah Simon-Peter | Nov 26, 2018
Science now confirms what scripture points to: there is a peace that passes all understanding. This peace, researchers have found, emanates from deep within the human heart. It is both measurable and reproducible. I suppose that’s not too surprising. The Biblical...
by Rebekah Simon-Peter | Nov 19, 2018
Some years back, I had a particularly difficult parishioner. Let’s call him Jack. Jack was gruff, opinionated, and sometimes caustic. I was often afraid around him, and defensive. It didn’t take long to realize that he reminded me of another gruff, opinionated and...
by Rebekah Simon-Peter | Nov 12, 2018
What words come to mind when you think of conflict? I recently asked a group of a dozen church leaders. Answers ranged from anxiety, avoidance, and scared, to trying to keep the peace. We are facing conflict in many ways in our world right now—national, political,...
