Redemption | Explorations Media

Thoughts on Getting Through Thanksgiving After Suicide @NJShorePatch @HuffPost

How gratitude, a change of scenery and sharing stories have helped me face the Thanksgiving holiday after my son’s suicide.

Memorial Tree from 2010 New York City Survivor Day event.

My son Gabriel was a Thanksgiving baby. His birthday didn’t fall on the actual holiday until his second birthday, but it does every four years, including the year he died by suicide, 2008. The association between his birthday and our most heartwarming holiday presents both challenges and opportunities for getting through what has become, for me, an emotionally-fraught month.

When the leaves begin to change color and the air begins to bite, I start wrestling with memories of baking Turkey-shaped shortbread cookies for his school celebrations and his favorite apple pie for our family one. The pain of creating new memories that don’t include my son is one I don’t think will ever subside entirely.

But, in my family, Thanksgiving isn’t about football, movies or family fights, though the day may include all of those. It’s about gathering around an over-stuffed table to give thanks to God for his sustenance and his faithfulness, no matter what the circumstances of our lives have been. …

For tips and information about International Survivors of Suicide Day November 19, read the whole thing at Manasquan Patch or at The Huffington Post.

Posted on November 18, 2011 by cascheller

Community, Faith, Family, Gabriel Gifford Scheller, grief, Leadership, Psychiatry, Psychology, Public Square, Redemption, Social Action, The Huffington Post, Travel, Walkin' the Talk

American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, Community, Eric Marcus, Faith, Family, Gabriel Gifford Scheller, grief, International Survivors of Suicide Day, Leadership, NJ Shore Patch, Psychiatry, Psychology, Public Square, Redemption, Social Action, Thanksgiving, The Huffington Post, Travel, Walkin' the Talk

Integrating Faith &Psychiatry: A Summary

Psychiatry and faith offer complimentary insights into the human condition and can help us to lead healthier and more satisfying lives, we learned in our seven-part series with Laity Leadership Institute Senior Fellow, Allan Josephson, M.D. …

To read a summary of those posts, go to The High Calling.

Posted on November 13, 2011 by cascheller

Bioethics, Christianity, Community, Culture, Education, Ethics, Faith, Family, Friendship, Leadership, Medicine, Philosophy, Psychiatry, Psychology, Redemption, Science, Technology, Theology, Vocation, Walkin' the Talk

Allan Josephson, Bioethics, Christianity, Community, Culture, Education, Ethics, Faith, Family, Friendship, Laity Leadership Institute, Leadership, Medicine, Philosophy, Psychiatry, Psychology, Redemption, Science, Spirituality, Technology, The High Calling, TheHighCalling, Theology, Vocation, Walkin' the Talk, Worldview

Integrating Faith and Psychiatry, Part 7: Managing Technology @TheHighCalling

I don’t need the test at the Center for Internet Addiction website to tell me that I spend too much time online. I know I do. But for a web journalist like me, disconnecting for any length of time is unrealistic.

“What are the dangers and what can I do?” I asked Laity Leadership Institute Senior Fellow Allan Josephson, M.D.

Rather than direct me away from the internet, Josephson offered hope for responsibly managing my relationship to it. …

Read the whole thing at The High Calling.

Posted on November 5, 2011 by cascheller

Christianity, Culture, Faith, Family, Leadership, Psychiatry, Psychology, Redemption, Technology, Vocation, Walkin' the Talk

Allan Josephson, Christianity, Culture, Faith, Family, internet, Laity Leadership Institute, Leadership, Psychiatry, Psychology, Redemption, Spirituality, Technology, The High Calling, TheHighCalling, Vocation, Walkin' the Talk

Allan Josephson: Integrating Faith & Psychiatry, Part 5: Narcissism & Relationships @TheHighCalling

Dealing with the narcissists in our lives is never easy, but there is hope for improving these difficult relationships, says Laity Leadership Institute Senior Fellow AllanJosephson, M.D.

Narcissism develops out of early relationships and is sustained by subsequent ones, so it’s important to nip the problem in the bud. How one does that depends on the nature of the relationship. In this article, we’ll deal with three kinds of relationships: parent/child, husband/wife, and employer/employee. …

You can read more about narcissism and relationships at The High Calling.

Posted on October 15, 2011 by cascheller

Christianity, Community, Culture, Faith, Family, Friendship, Leadership, Medicine, Psychiatry, Psychology, Redemption, Science, Theology, Vocation, Walkin' the Talk

Allan Josephson, Christianity, Community, Culture, Faith, Family, Friendship, Laity Leadership Institute, Leadership, Medicine, Psychiatry, Psychology, Redemption, Science, Spirituality, The High Calling, TheHighCalling, Theology, Vocation, Walkin' the Talk, Worldview

Photojournalism by Explorations Media, L.L.C.

I’ve recently created what I think are some compelling photo sets on Flickr. As a journalist, I prefer realism to photo-shopped images, though artistic renderings can sometimes reveal truth better than fact. I recommend viewing these sets as slideshows, as I’ve arranged each one to tell a story.

Seaside Heights Italian Festival & Columbus Day Parade

Laity Lodge 2011 Writers Retreat

Movement Day

New York City Premiere of Machine Gun Preacher

9/11 Tenth Anniversary Memorials

Jesus, Bombs, & Ice Cream by M.W. Scheller

Hurricane Irene

Posted on October 8, 2011 by cascheller

Art, Beauty, Books, Christianity, church life, Community, Culture, Democracy, Education, Ethics, Faith, Family, grief, History, Leadership, Medicine, Politics, Public Square, Redemption, Social Action, Theology, Travel, Vocation, Walkin' the Talk

& Ice Cream, 9/11 Tenth Anniversary, A.R. Bernard, Art, Beauty, Bedrooms, Bombs, Books, Christianity, church life, Collections, Community, Culture, DeForest Soaries, Democracy, Education, Entertainment, Erwin McManus, Ethics, Faith, Family, Gerard Butler, grief, History, Hurricane Irene, Jersey Shore, Jesus, Judaism, Leadership, Machine Gun Preacher, Manasquan, Medicine, Michelle Monaghan, Movement Day, Musical Instruments, Ocean Grove, Politics, Pt. Pleasant Beach, Public Square, Redemption, Religious Artifacts, Sam Childers, Shane Claiborne, Social Action, Spring Lake, Theology, Tim Keller, Travel, Vocation, Walkin' the Talk

Tom Davis: ‘A Legacy of Madness’ @NJShorePatch

Jersey Shore Patch Regional Editor Tom Davis, a Point Pleasant Boro native who is appearing at a Manasquan bookstore, talks about recovering himself and his family from generations of mental illness.

Tom Davis is not only regional editor of Jersey Shore Patch and an adjunct professor of journalism at Rutgers University, he is author of the poignant new memoir, A Legacy of Madness: Recovering My Family from Generations of Mental Illness.

Davis, a Point Boro native, was a recipient of a Rosylnn Carter Fellowship for Mental Health Journalism and received a ringing endorsement for the book from the former First Lady.

“A Legacy of Madness breaks down the barriers of silence that shroud mental illnesses within families for generations,” Carter wrote. “By sharing the story of his family history and his own personal journey, Tom Davis provides hope and inspiration to others.”

Tom Davis will be signing copies of Legacy of Madness at 7 p.m., Friday, October 6 at Booktowne, 171 Main Street in Manasquan, and at 11 a.m., Sunday, October 9 at Barnes & Noble at Brick Plaza in Brick.

I sat down with Davis for a forthright interview about what it was like to grow up with his mother’s undiagnosed mental illness and what he did to change the course of history in his family. The interview has been edited for length and clarity.

To read the interview, go to Manasquan Patch.

Posted on October 8, 2011 by cascheller

Family, Leadership, Medicine, Psychiatry, Psychology, Redemption, Vocation

A Legacy of Madness, Bulimia, Family, Journalism, Leadership, Medicine, mental illness, OCD, Psychiatry, Psychology, Redemption, Rosylnn Carter, Tom Davis, Vocation

Allan Josephson: Integrating Faith & Psychiatry, Part 4: Work & the Self @TheHighCalling

Eric had leadership written all over him. Intelligence, good looks, and interpersonal drive had led to an MBA at a major university. When his first business venture failed, he was on to another that succeeded. Several other business successes followed, as did personal leadership projects undertaken at church and in his community.

He was politically active both locally and nationally. His wife and children were also achievers, but a sense of balance was missing from his life.. He suffered two major depressions in his adult life and another as retirement age approached and he was confronted with financial difficulties and the interpersonal consequences of chronic over-extension. His retirement was forced and he was emotionally adrift.

Disordered Thinking
“The driver for many who lack balance in their lives is disordered thinking about the relationship of work to self and God,” Laity Leadership Institute Senior Fellow Allan Josephson, M.D. says.

Although he recognizes that striving for a balance between personal and professional domains facilitates development in both, Josephson has something else in mind when he considers this kind of disordered thinking. …

Read the whole article at The High Calling.

Posted on October 8, 2011 by cascheller

Christianity, Culture, Ethics, Faith, Family, Friendship, Leadership, Medicine, Psychiatry, Psychology, Redemption, Science, Theology, Vocation, Walkin' the Talk

Allan Josephson, Christianity, Culture, Ethics, Faith, Family, Friendship, Laity Leadership Institute, Leadership, Medicine, Psychiatry, Psychology, Redemption, Science, Spirituality, The High Calling, TheHighCalling, Theology, Vocation, Walkin' the Talk, work

What I Wrote This Week @UrbanFaith: September 19-23

Mari White Presents the Newsboys: Entertainer Mari White hopes her new reality show about the popular Christian rock band The Newsboys is fresh, family-friendly television.
Christians Speak Out on Davis Execution: Death row inmate Troy Davis may be innocent, but he is scheduled to be executed tonight and Christian reactions are mixed.
Black Churches Buck Trends: While American churches overall have declined in attendance, Black churches thrive and encourage entrepreneurship, outreach, and profit-making.
“Machine Gun Preacher” Poses Tough Questions: A major new film presents an unsanitized portrayal of Christian conversion, but it also poses challenging questions about “redemptive violence.”

Posted on September 24, 2011 by cascheller

Art, Beauty, Capitalism, Christianity, church life, Community, Culture, Ethics, Faith, Friendship, grief, Leadership, Politics, Public Square, Race, Redemption, Social Action, Theology, Vocation, Walkin' the Talk

Angels of East Africa, Art, Baylor Religion Survey, Beauty, Black Church, Capital Punishment, Capitalism, Christianity, church life, Community, Culture, Entertainment, Ethics, Faith, Friendship, Gerard Butler, grief, Hartford Institute for Religion Research Decade of Change Study, Josephy Kony, Leadership, Lord's Resistance Army, Machine Gun Preacher, Mari White, Michelle Monaghan, Newsboys, Pacifism, Politics, Public Square, Race, Reality Television, Redemption, Redemptive Violence, Sam Childers, Social Action, Sudan, Theology, Troy Davis Execution, UrbanFaith.com, Vocation, Walkin' the Talk

Integrating Faith & Psychiatry, Part 3: Narcissism @TheHighCalling

It goes without saying that narcissists have an inflated view of themselves, one that frequently masks a hidden sense of emptiness and inferiority. What’s not so obvious, according to Laity Leadership Senior Fellow Allan Josephson, M.D., is that those who are in relationship with a narcissist “by definition become depleted or depressed, because life always has to reflect the grandeur, the beauty, the intelligence of the narcissist.”

The key hallmark of narcissism is a lack of empathy, Josephson said. Empathy is when you put yourself in someone else’s shoes as much as is humanly possible and try to understand what their world is like. Good parents empathize with their children, and spouses in healthy marriages empathize with each other.

“Narcissists can’t do it. It’s like they have a mirror in front of their face. At this extreme, the narcissist’s view is all that matters. ‘It’s all about them,’” he said.

Predictably, relationships for narcissists, both personal and professional, tend to be short lived. …

Read the whole article at The High Calling.

Posted on September 24, 2011 by cascheller

Christianity, Culture, Faith, Family, Leadership, Medicine, Philosophy, Psychiatry, Psychology, Redemption, Science, Theology, Vocation, Walkin' the Talk

Allan Josephson, child development, Christianity, Culture, Faith, Family, Laity Leadership Institute, Leadership, Marriage, Medicine, narcissism, Philosophy, Psychiatry, Psychology, Redemption, Science, Spirituality, The High Calling, TheHighCalling, Theology, Vocation, Walkin' the Talk, Worldview

What I Wrote This Week @UrbanFaith: September 12-16

Truth at a Beauty Pageant: Miss Universe winner Leila Lopes of Angola highlights her nation’s troubles, says she’s happy with the way God made her, and declares racism so last century. Is her win redemptive?
Psalms for Poverty Statistics: The U.S. Census Bureau released its annual report today and the news isn’t good, but the Psalms offer hope to the people of God.

Posted on September 24, 2011 by cascheller

Beauty, Christianity, Community, Culture, Ethics, Faith, History, Leadership, Politics, Public Square, Race, Redemption, Social Action, Theology, Vocation, Walkin' the Talk

Angola, Beauty, Census Bureau Poverty Statistics, Christianity, Community, Culture, Ethics, Faith, History, Leadership, Leila Lopes, Miss Universe, Politics, Psalms, Public Square, Race, Racism, Redemption, Social Action, Theology, UrbanFaith.com, Vocation, Walkin' the Talk

Integrating Faith & Psychiatry, Part 2: Scriptural Principles for Growing Healthy Children @TheHighCalling

Parenting is hard, and not just because we struggle to balance work and family. The stakes are high. We parents all raise our children, hoping they will become spiritually, emotionally, psychologically, and physically healthy adults. We look for answers from pastors, pediatricians, and parenting “experts,” but we should not neglect the wisdom of mental health professionals.

Healthy child development reflects God’s character and purposes, says Laity Leadership Senior Fellow Allan Josephson, M.D., and Scripture provides guidelines that children desperately need.

In his 1994 paper, “A Clinical Theology of the Developmental Process: A Child Psychologist’s Perspective,” Josephson outlines eight areas of child development that not only illustrate his theology, but also offer sound parenting principles.

To learn more about these principles, go to The High Calling.

Posted on September 24, 2011 by cascheller

Bioethics, Christianity, Community, Culture, Education, Ethics, Faith, Family, Leadership, Medicine, Psychiatry, Psychology, Redemption, Science, Technology, Theology, Walkin' the Talk

Allan Josephson, Bioethics, child development, Christianity, Community, Culture, Education, Ethics, Faith, Family, Laity Leadership Institute, Leadership, Medicine, parenting, Psychiatry, Psychology, Redemption, Science, Spirituality, Technology, The High Calling, TheHighCalling, Theology, Walkin' the Talk, Worldview

9/11 Lessons in Civil Religion @NJShorePatch

Inter-faith messages remind Monmouth County residents who they are.

In Jean-Jacque Rousseau’s model of civil religion, the state is unified and strengthened by public displays of faith that refer to deity, point to the afterlife, draw attention to the reward of virtue and the punishment of vice, and that exclude religious intolerance. Two of the three memorial services I attended on 9/11/11 fulfilled Rouseau’s requirements. The opener fell short. …

To find out what he and others had to say, go to Manasquan Patch. To see photos from the day, go to my set on Flickr.

Posted on September 13, 2011 by cascheller

Christianity, church life, Community, Culture, Faith, Family, Friendship, grief, History, Islam, Leadership, Philosophy, Politics, Public Square, Redemption, Walkin' the Talk

9/11 anniversary, Christianity, church life, Civil Religion, Community, Culture, DeForest Soaries, Faith, Family, Friendship, grief, History, Islam, Jean-Jacque Rouseau, Judaism, Leadership, Monmouth County, NJ Shore Patch, Philosophy, Politics, Public Square, Redemption, Walkin' the Talk

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Integrating Faith &Psychiatry: A Summary

Integrating Faith and Psychiatry, Part 7: Managing Technology @TheHighCalling

Allan Josephson: Integrating Faith & Psychiatry, Part 5: Narcissism & Relationships @TheHighCalling

Tom Davis: ‘A Legacy of Madness’ @NJShorePatch

Allan Josephson: Integrating Faith & Psychiatry, Part 4: Work & the Self @TheHighCalling

Integrating Faith & Psychiatry, Part 3: Narcissism @TheHighCalling

Integrating Faith & Psychiatry, Part 2: Scriptural Principles for Growing Healthy Children @TheHighCalling

9/11 Lessons in Civil Religion @NJShorePatch

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