The Faith Hour

More than 47,000 Americans died by suicide in 2017. Along with other so-called ‘deaths of despair’ -alcoholism and drug overdoses- Suicide is slowly growing into a public health crisis . Researchers estimate that a $1 increase in the minimum wage corresponded with a 3,5% decrease in the Suicide rate for those with a high school education or less, with the effect being moat pronounced during times...

As we celebrate the life and work of #MartinLutherKing, the great American Linerator, we are urged by the words of Jesus Christ , Him who gave His life for freedom , in Luke 4:18. He taught us the He had come to set the oppressed free.

After failing to accurately bring down property values in the years following the #GreatRecession, Detroit overtaxed it’s homeowners by at least $600M, according to an investigation by The Detroit News. Many faced tax foreclosures. Of the more than 63,000 #Detroit homes with delinquent debt, more than 90% were over-taxed by an average of at least $3,700 between 2010-and 2016. Although Detroit City...

That finding was among several troubling conclusions in analysis of death certificates published last week by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse And Alcoholism. In fact, the rate of alcohol-related deaths amongst women rose 85% between 1999-2017.

Working class Americans are dying from despair . Job losses due to globalization and automation have caused deaths related to #suicide #alcoholism and #drugs.

A recent report by the #TheMarshallProject revealed that #Mississippi, the poorest state in the nation locks up people for owing debt from 4 months up to 5 years.

Coined in 1903 by African American Scholar, sociologist, writer, and philanthropist, W.E Dubois, the #talentedtenth concept was the idea that 10% of African Americans had the opportunity for upward mobility through higher education. Consequently , this 10% were morally obligated to be the rising tide that lifted Black people out of their intended status as permanent second class citizens.

Is heaven real? Recently we discussed the story of 6 yr old Alex Malarkey, a boy who after narrowly surviving a car accident that left him a quadriplegic, became the center of a media storm when his father Kevin published a bestseller describe Alex’s experiences in ‘visiting heaven’.

Members of Generation X report sleeping fewer hours per night than members of other generations, including Baby Boomers, Millenials, and Generation Z .

Over the last week, Mississippi’s state prisons have exploded with gang warfare, riots, disorder, and killing. Despite the state having the third highest incarceration rates in the country, Mississippi’s state prions still experience extreme staff vacancies, a long record of violence, frequent inmate escapes, inadequate healthcare, and institutions where criminal gangs are tolerated.

A 6 yr old boy who had been involved in a car accident , told his father about a near death experience he had. The story eventually became a book which launched a genre of Christian publishing. The boy now grown up retracted his story by saying he never told his father that-

A geriatrician is a physician who specializes in the care of older adults. These doctors monitor and coordinate treatment for ailments, disabilities, and medications their patients need, but also determine what’s most important for their well-being and quality of life.

United Methodist Church unveiled a plan for anew conservative denomination that would split from the church in an attempt to resolve a decades-long dispute over gay marriage and gay clergy.

As we enter the last Sunday of the decade, we are both looking back and moving forward. We are looking back at the past, both grateful for the blessings, and understanding of the lessons. But we’re also looking to the future, receiving of good fortune, but are prepared for any ill that can befall us. How can we put forth a spirit of earnest gratitude while remaining equally hopeful and optimistic...

Black Californians who are descendants of the #greatmigration experience homelessness. What this reveals is the public policy initiative of #redlining:

One of the single most effective things we can do to deepen our spiritual growth is to reflect on the impact that God and His scriptures have had on our lives. Reflection is more than just thinking about the past: it’s deliberate, thoughtful pondering of the works that God has performed on your life, and how those works transformed your life for the better.

Chrystal Kizer, a Black teenager from Kenosha, Wisconsin was just 16 yrs old when she met Randy Vilar a 33 yr old white man accused of trafficking and sexually abusing Black girls. Volatile sexually abused Chrystal multiple times and filmed each instance. Randy Volar was arrested and released despite evidence against him and remained free until Chrystal shot him.

Millennials, 23-38 are leaving religion and are not coming back. They seem to have a disconnect from organized religion and faith in general. At the same time organized religion is not understanding or trying to reach them, what does the future hold?

In the typical emergency room, demand outpaces the care that workers can provide. Emergency rooms are meant to have open capacity to best handle large scale tragedies such as train wrecks, multiple car crashes, natural disasters, but traffic to a typical emergency room has been growing at twice the pace projected by the United States population growth, despite the Affordable Care Act.

With total outstanding loan balances standing at $1Trillion, politicians are looking for solutions . At a conference for financial aid, administrators of the Department of Education proposed an alternative: Income-share agreements, a private sector financial product that is popular among education start-ups in Silicon Valley.

The online retailer #FashioNNova has perfected fast fashion for the Instagram era , relying on celebrities and Instagram users to post about the brand relentlessly. The company’s founder says it can get it’s clothes made in less than 2 weeks by manufacturers located not far from the company’s Los Angeles headquarters.

Sometimes we are chained to the pain of the past. This prevents us from enjoying the present. Listen how to overcome your personal demons

The community of Columbia, southwest of Baltimore,Maryland has prided itself on inclusion ever since it was founded over half a century ago.: racially integrated with affordable housing, ‘The Next America’ was its optimistic creed. However a recent proposal to balance the number rod low-income children enrolled in schools across Howard County (where Columbia sits) has led to bitter, divisive, resi...

A Black JP Morgan employee and a Black wealthy customer secretly recorded their conversations with bank staff. It uncovered racism and a legacy of racism directed against Black customers despite their wealthy status.

We watched as another #massshooting unfolded. This time in an ultra-orthodox Jewishcommunity across the river from Lower Manhattan. When it ended. A police officer had been killed and 4 others, murdered. The shooting ended at a #kosher market where folks were shopping for groceries, a nearby school was placed on lockdown, and people were at a synagogue praying. It was a modern day gunfight at the...