by Rebekah Simon-Peter | Jul 22, 2020
Racism is deeply intertwined with law, custom, and even religion. It’s so pervasive that it’s not always easy to identify, let alone dismantle. So constructive conversations about racism must be approached with emotional intelligence. Elsewhere I have written about...
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,...
by Rebekah Simon-Peter | Oct 22, 2018
Thomasina stood up among a group of fellow pastors to tell us her vision for herself. “I am committed to self-regulation and to be the pastor my people need me to be.” As we dived deeper into her vision, it became clear that she had a bad case of imposter syndrome....
