By Andy Hale If we are willing to admit it, there are some of us who read quite a few books in the 1990s and early 2000s on relationships, marriage and gender. The theme from most of these books was something along the lines of every man, deep down, is a warrior inside, and every … Continue reading
By Andy Hale What’s your go-to answer when someone asks how you are doing? It’s probably either “good” or “fine.” How many of us are actually “good” or “fine” when we are asked? Most days, I am a wide range of either “hitting on all cylinders…feet don’t fail me now” or “I just don’t have … Continue reading
By Andy Hale If you close your eyes and try to visualize what God is like, what comes to mind? Yes, we might all first resist the urge to anthropomorphize the Almighty. But eventually, something or someone would come to mind. Do you remember what you imagined God to be like when you were a … Continue reading
By Andy Hale We’ve all been there before. We felt passionate about something happening in our world, thumbed a sternly written rant about it, and then hit “Post.” There is a fantastic sense of accomplishment and satisfaction when you have put into words what you felt inside about this thing or that. Except, your thoughts … Continue reading
By Andy Hale In some families, there are just certain things you don’t talk about ever. We all have sat through those Thanksgiving meals, just praying that no one brings up politics or religion in front of the highly contentious uncle. Growing up in the Hale house, much to my mother’s chagrin, there didn’t seem … Continue reading
By Andy Hale “The Bible says” is undoubtedly one of the most powerful openings of a sentence. At the same time, it can also quickly divulge into one of the most toxic, divisive, and loaded statements. “The Bible says” has been used to justify some of the most unconscionable acts in human history, such as … Continue reading
By Andy Hale May 2 is an important day in the history of South Africa. It was on this day in 1994 that Nelson Mandela won the first democratic election in the countries long struggle of racial injustice. Mandela is such a towering figure among world leaders for his ability to overcome oppression, unjust imprisonment, … Continue reading
By Andy Hale The human race is never short of opinions and stances on any given matter. Just check the trending hashtags on Twitter right now, finding that some of these are headscratchers. Take, for example, the Academy of Motion Pictures’ snub of actor Steven Yeun for the Best Actor award. Sir Tony puts on … Continue reading
By Andy Hale We are nearing that time of year again, in which a sea of high school seniors will graduate and move on to the next chapter of their lives. Some will go off to college, others to trade schools, some to the workforce, others to travel abroad, and still some to uncertainty. Thinking … Continue reading
By Andy Hale We have all experienced or are experiencing it: the feeling of grievance, anger, and rightness that injustice cannot stand. For many, those powerful emotions are quickly accompanied by feelings of immobility and frustration because we don’t actually know what to do about it. Racism is a systemic problem in America. For those … Continue reading