by Monica A. Coleman | Nov 29, 2012 | Blog, Monica's Blog, The Beautiful Mind Blog
I’m writing a four-part Advent Series for the religion website Patheos.com. The first article is out today. The church year begins with a pregnant woman. Christian traditions have called her theotokos. Bearer of God. Mother of God. Most images of...
by Monica A. Coleman | Nov 26, 2012 | Blog, Monica's Blog, The Beautiful Mind Blog
On November 18, 2012, I spoke at All Saints Episcopal Church in Pasadena, CA in the Rector’s Forum on “Wrestling with God and Depression.” I referenced the story in the gospel of Mark where Jesus meets the man named Legion and casts out the and...
by Monica A. Coleman | Nov 16, 2012 | Blog, Monica's Blog, The Beautiful Mind Blog
I dashed into the small coffee shop to get out of the rain. The sound of the rain echoed around me as I discovered that I had encountered more than a shelter from the weather and more than a place for a latte or espresso. Just behind the coffee beans, pastries, and...
by Monica A. Coleman | Oct 30, 2012 | Blog, Monica's Blog, The Beautiful Mind Blog
“Can your church help out with that? Isn’t this what churches do?” I heard that question on two separate occasions as I planned for the arrival of my firstborn child. Could church members bring me meals for the first week home after surgery? Do any church members have...
by Monica A. Coleman | Oct 14, 2012 | Blog, Monica's Blog, The Beautiful Mind Blog
“Somewhere between my unanswered prayers and the realization that I could not worship myself into happiness, my faith died. I stopped believing that God only loved me if I was happy and peaceful.” Mental Illness Awareness Week is the first full week in...
by Monica A. Coleman | Oct 13, 2012 | Media
Many people describe depression as a kind of intense grief. It is a deep sadness. It’s like heartbreak, agony and despair all at once. I think depression is worse than grief. Grief usually has an identifiable cause. There are stages. People understand why you are sad....
by Monica A. Coleman | Oct 11, 2012 | Media
What does “motherhood” mean in the 21st Century? Images of June Cleaver do not represent the typical mother today. Instead women are balancing motherhood with career, activism, and a host of other activities. In addition, mothers are dealing with critical issues...
by Monica A. Coleman | Sep 21, 2012 | Blog, Monica's Blog, The Beautiful Mind Blog
I don’t sleep at night anymore. I have a newborn baby, with twenty-four hour needs that come in one hour intervals. My child does not know the difference between day and night and has already learned that I’ll be there whenever. So I don’t really sleep at night...
by Monica A. Coleman | Sep 8, 2012 | Monica's Blog, The Beautiful Mind Blog
I was recently one of the guests on Huffington Post Live on a segment called “Nothing to Be Ashamed Of” on Black Mental Health. Marc Lamont Hill is the host. Other guests included: Atrice Williams, Mychal Denzel Smith, Stacia Brown, Traci Campbell and...
by Monica A. Coleman | Aug 28, 2012 | Media, Monica's Blog, The Beautiful Mind Blog
In the 30th chapter of Deuteronomy, Moses speaks in the voice of God and offers the Hebrew community a choice: “I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life” (verse 19). This is a wonderfully dramatic passage — on which I’ve heard...
