Good news for Mental Health Awareness Month: Please meet Dr. Dixon Chibanda and his ‘Friendship Bench’

May 10, 2025 by Leave a Comment

A grassroots response to community mental health comes to us from Zimbabwe

Now, you and friends can read this moving story in Dr. Chibanda’s memoir, ‘The Friendship Bench’

Editor’s note from ReadTheSpirit magazine and New World Library:

With societies all over the globe suffering from epidemics of loneliness, depression, and mental illness, celebrated psychiatrist Dr. Dixon Chibanda’s new book The Friendship Bench: How Fourteen Grandmothers Inspired a Mental Health Revolution, offers a remarkably innovative method for delivering one of the most effective cures available: simple human connection.

As one of only five psychiatrists in all of Zimbabwe, Chibanda recognized, after losing a patient to suicide, that millions in his community were suffering depression, substance abuse, and mental illness with no hope of receiving care. He realized that the only way to narrow this gap was to leverage existing resources in the community, like the loving presence of grandmothers.

Chibanda partnered with fourteen strong-willed grandmothers to pioneer a community-based mental health initiative called The Friendship Bench program. Since 2006, Chibanda and his team have trained over 3,000 grandmothers in evidence-based talk therapy, which they deliver for free in more than 500 communities in Zimbabwe and beyond while sitting on designated Friendship Benches in public spaces like clinics or community centers. The success of the project has inspired a global movement, with Friendship Bench initiatives in Kenya, Vietnam, El Salvador, Washington DC, New Orleans, and beyond, bringing accessible mental healthcare to diverse communities.

We hope you will enjoy this excerpt from the book.

Then, here’s an excerpt from The Friendship Bench, by Dixon Chibanda, MD

Click the cover to visit the book’s Amazon page.

While the grandmothers and I certainly didn’t agree on everything, at least at first, we did come to an agreement that the screening tool I’d offered for common mental disorders, the Shona Symptom Questionnaire (SSQ-14), was a pertinent guide that could help them establish a sense of the severity of symptoms induced by social determinants — in other words, the severity of the clients’ mental health struggle. The SSQ-14 was a set of fourteen questions that inquired how a person had been feeling in the past seven days within such areas of their lives as sleep, mood, suicidal thoughts, hallucinations, motivation, and physical symptoms, among others. At the start of the project, clinic nurses from various facilities administered the questionnaire, which led to countless referrals to the Friendship Bench. Over time, we ended up getting self-referrals via word of mouth, and as the intervention became more popular, the grandmothers themselves offered the SSQ-14 to patients who came to them.

However, the grandmothers strongly felt that whatever issue a client might bring to them did not necessarily have to be attached to a clinical condition. Grandmother Jack was adamant that depression was a Western concept that didn’t resonate with her community. “You can’t use those terms here! They won’t mean anything to people needing emotional support,” she insisted.

One of the common symptoms of depression is “overthinking,” a term commonly referred to as kufungisisa in Shona. While the grandmothers recognized that it often accompanied stressful situations, they didn’t see it as the primary symptom of an illness at all. Rather, it was a natural response to a wide range of social, family, political, and economic challenges that people were facing — something I had also come to think about more deeply in the wake of Murambatsvina, as well as the loss of Erica.

“The problem itself is the thing that causes the kufungisisa,” Grandmother Jack explained. So focusing on the symptoms was meaningless when a person was depressed because they were HIV positive and couldn’t get the support they needed to live well with HIV, or they were in an abusive relationship and the community was just watching from a distance. Collective community response, she said, “is what will help most of the kufungisisa that people are facing. This is where kuvhura pfungwa [opening the mind] becomes important.”

Grandmother Kusi, who was always immaculately dressed no matter what the occasion, chimed in: “Yes! See, the average person coming to the bench does not want treatment for depression. They want treatment for their problems with money and people, and that is why it is better to offer them kuvhura pfungwa. Opening the mind is what leads to seeing clearly and realizing that they can do something about their unhappiness.”

The term kuvhura pfungwa had first been used in our meetings when Grandmother Jack, in her typically candid fashion, pointed out my failure to see the big picture. “We all need to open our minds,” she had said, smiling, “for only by opening our minds can we see the resources that are in each person, family, and community.”

Later on, together with the other grandmothers, she would consistently talk about kuvhura pfungwa to describe the first step of therapy that was necessary to create space for people to share their stories on the Friendship Bench.

“So what drives kuvhura pfungwa?” I asked the grandmothers one morning as we sat in the shed outside the clinic where we were now convening our regular meetings.

“Empathy that’s said out loud, not just felt,” responded Grandmother Jack.

“Making people feel respected and understood, regardless of their money or status or the problems they bring to the bench,” added Grandmother Kusi.

“The most difficult thing to do when talking to a person is noticing how we are judging them inside,” said Grandmother Hwiza. “And then, just being there and sending them empathy without judging them. We all struggle with this as humans, but ultimately, that is the highest level of kuvhura pfungwa. With all our imperfections, this is what we should strive for.”

“You know, Doctor, we all have that quick tendency to judge. I guess it’s our way of being seen to be in the right,” Grandmother Jack went on, “but I think with age, you learn to judge less. We hear about all sorts of dirt happening in the community, and we become that ear that everyone needs.”

I nodded as I took in the grandmothers’ words. “But what is it that makes you become less judgmental with age?”

“Well, when you’re old and ready to move on to the next world, you have seen so much and done so much that very little can shock you!” said Grandmother Jack.

“People worry more about things that haven’t actually happened,” said Grandmother Chizhande, who had a coarse voice but often gentle words to offer. “It’s the fear of the unknown that kills us most of the time.”

“And also, when you are old, everybody thinks you know everything,” Grandmother Jack added, “but the truth is, there is still a lot we don’t know — we’re just more likely not to panic in the face of disaster!”

“That is exactly what a person is looking for when they come to the Friendship Bench.” Grandmother Kusi sounded excited. “Sometimes, even when we have no idea what needs to happen, just listening makes a big difference, especially for people who are lonely.”

I was beginning to understand why the grandmothers felt that healing could begin only when a client was able to share their story. And it was impossible to share an emotional story with someone who didn’t express empathy, who didn’t make the person in need feel, as Grandmother Kusi had said, respected and understood. I began to wonder whether or not I had shared my support with Erica and others to the best of my ability, especially given that I’d always been trained to keep interactions with patients clean and simple — just the facts, ma’am.

“It’s also about the power of the human voice. You need to understand how to use it as a tool,” said Grandmother Jack. “The voice can be medicine.”

As I listened to them talk, I learned that the grandmothers believed the way one spoke to another person had a greater impact than structured therapy — and this included the timbre of the voice, the words used, the body language displayed, and, of course, the eye contact made. These were tools innate to every human being, but a lot of people had lost the ability to use them, often because of trauma and the destruction of supportive communities of people.

“How does the training you received help? And does it help at all?” I inquired. I myself had offered their initial training, along with two clinical psychologists.

“The training and the tools help to give structure,” Grandmother Hwiza replied, “especially that screening tool! Those fourteen questions help me to see how severe a situation is. But you still want to focus on the story and on listening.”

“The other thing I think is important from the training is the idea of the summary,” added Grandmother Kusi, referring to the practice of listening to a client’s story and then summarizing what they said back to them. “That can really help them to feel heard and even give them a new understanding.” She sighed. “People facing challenges have not often had the opportunity to sit and tell their story to a person who is genuinely interested in helping them.”

As I sat in the presence of the grandmothers, I wondered if I had done enough. Grandmother Jack’s gaze at me was piercing but kind, as if she could feel the guilt I still carried about Erica. “If the story is real and true empathy is conveyed,” she said, “that’s where the healing actually starts.”

Dixon Chibanda, MD, is the author of The Friendship Bench: How Fourteen Grandmothers Inspired a Mental Health Revolution.  His “Why I Train Grandmothers to Treat Depression,” TED talk has been viewed more than 3.2 million times and the Friendship Bench project he founded has been featured in major media like CBS Sunday Morning, The PBS News Hour, New York Times, LA Times, BBC World Service, and more. Visit him online at http://www.friendshipbench.org.

Excerpted from The Friendship Bench: How Fourteen Grandmothers Inspired a Mental Health Revolution. Copyright © 2025 by Dixon Chibanda, MD. Reprinted with permission from New World Library. www.newworldlibrary.com

 

Top 10 Books for Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month

May 5, 2025 by Leave a Comment

Even as the White House drops out of the annual observance—we still are inviting Americans to join in this opportunity

It’s a wonderful time to learn about our friends, neighbors and co-workers

By JOE GRIMM
Founder of the MSU School of Journalism Bias Busters series

For decades, U.S. presidents have traditionally recognized May as a time for celebrating the contributions of Asians and Asian Americans. 

This May is different. On Jan. 20, 2025, the first day of President Donald Trump’s second presidency, he broke with tradition. He made it a Day One priority to rescind the order “Advancing Equity, Justice, and Opportunity for Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders.”  That particular executive order contained quite a long laundry list—declaring the end of recognition for many other groups, as well.

The federal Defense Intelligence Agency, contractors and some universities responded by immediately canceling events. Those included planned observances of Lunar New Year, which was Jan. 29. Others have taken a wait-and-see attitude.

Early May was chosen to mark Asian achievements because it holds the anniversaries of the first Japanese immigrants to the United States (1843) and the completion of the transcontinental railroad (1869), which relied on immigrant Chinese laborers. These are U.S. landmarks.

Looking at history through Asian lenses, however, means seeing what 20 countries and about as many faith groups see. Asian, Hawaiian and Pacific Island celebrations occur throughout the year. For some, the dates change. Stephanie Fenton, who curates Read the Spirit’s Religious Holidays and Festivals section, constantly shows us that no single month can contain Asia’s diverse heritages. 

One thing is certain: Each year in May, with or without a White House declaration, Americans are inspired to learn about our neighbors from these regions of the world. For that reason, I’m proud to offer this collaborative recommendation from our publishing house:

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Our Top 10 Books about Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders

Books 1-5: MSU Bias Busters books

Click on these covers to visit the Amazon page displaying all of the Bias Busters books.

For many years, students at Michigan State University’s School of Journalism have produced books that answer questions about our friends and neighbors who represent what might seem like “different” backgrounds, races, cultures and ways of life. The two dozen Bias Busters books cover everything from racial groupings to major world faiths to the lives of veterans and police officers and their families.

Five MSU Bias Busters guides relate to Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month: All of these guides are especially useful for people in community leadership, media, business, schools, places of worship, government, medicine, law enforcement, human resources and journalism—anywhere it is important to know more about our neighbors in our communities, schools and workplaces. These books are designed both for individual reading and for group discussions.

100 Questions and Answers About East Asian Cultures This book has sections on East Asian cultures, languages, religions, social norms, politics, history, families and food.

100 Questions and Answers About Indian Americans This guide to Indians in America has sections on India’s history, population, religion, language, culture, food, gender, family, education, work and politics. It includes information on Hinduism, Sikhism, Buddhism and Jainism.

100 Questions and Answers about Hmong Americans: Secret No More In fewer than 50 years, Hmong Americans are filling seats in college classrooms and state legislatures, serving in health care, owning businesses, teaching, competing on the U.S. Olympic team—and creating art. Citizenship and voting rates are higher than they are for most other immigrants, even though Hmong people come from places where they were discouraged from having any civic involvement.

100 Questions and Answers About Sikh Americans: The Beliefs Behind the Articles of Faith Sikhism is the fifth largest religion in the world. It is a young religion, having been founded in 1469. It has been in the United States for almost 150 years, but is still relatively unknown. Perhaps you have seen someone wearing a turban in public or seen Sikhs mentioned in the news and wondered who they were. Maybe your neighbor, coworker or friend is Sikh, and you want to learn more.

And: 100 Questions and Answers About Immigrants to the U.S. This simple, introductory guide answers 100 of the basic questions people ask about U.S. immigrants and immigration in everyday conversation. It has answers about identity, language, religion, culture, customs, social norms, economics, politics, education, work, families and food.

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Book 6—’Our Muslim Neighbors’

The American Dream is alive and well in Our Muslim Neighbors—the memoir of a Muslim immigrant from India who arrived planning to start a business, working so hard toward his personal goals that he even pumped gas and sold vacuum cleaners door to door. Victor Begg successfully built a thriving, regional chain of furniture stores. Along the way, he discovered that America’s greatest promise lies in building healthy communities with our neighbors.

“In one book, I have come to understand much more about Islam, its followers and its teachings,” Rabbi Bruce Benson writes in the book’s Foreword. “I’ve come to realize that the challenges Muslim immigrants have faced are similar to what Jews and many other immigrant groups have experienced as they tried to settle in America. By the end of this book, I hurt with Victor and I laugh with him, because—as Americans—we share so much. We are him. His journey is our journey. This is our story.”

Ultimately, Victor invites readers to pray with him: “God bless America.” As you follow him along this remarkable journey, as you catch his vision of a vibrant America—you are likely to find your own family and your own values mirrored in his story. You’re also likely to want to share this book with friends and join in building a better world.

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Book 7—’Friendship and Faith’

Friendship & Faith is a book about making friends, which may be the most important thing you can do to make the world a better place, and transform your own life in the process. Making a new friend often is tricky, as you’ll discover in these dozens of real-life stories by women from a wide variety of religious and ethnic backgrounds. But, crossing lines of religion, race and culture is worth the effort, often forming some of life’s deepest friendships, these women have found. In Friendship and Faith, you’ll discover how we really can change the world one friend at a time.

You’ll find yourself drawn into these page-turning true stories as soon as you open the book and begin reading the first one—about two little girls in Iran whose families warn them not to make friends. Instead, they find a clever way to form a lasting bond. Soon, you’ll meet a young Indian Hindu woman who discovered that daring to make diverse friendships really can make the world a much more hopeful place.  You’ll also meet a courageous Japanese migrant who actually traveled between both countries during World War II as a little girl and learned about global peacemaking as a result.

“The stories are so genuine and come from the heart!” writes a reviewer. “You can tell that every woman who shared their stories were passionate about their experiences and self-discoveries. Each story is like a mirror for the reader and allows the reader to self contemplate and self-reflect.”

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Book 8—’We Are the Socks’

We Are the Socks is a collection of true stories about people who are transforming conflict into peace.

This wonderfully engaging memoir of global travels by international peace trainer Daniel Buttry includes stories from Hong Kong, India, Kyrgyzstan, Myanmar (Burma) and the Philippines. The book’s title phrase comes from one of Buttry’s most moving stories about faith and compassionate service. If you read this book—you won’t forget The Socks.

Some days, the idea of peacemaking seems impossible—unless you’re Daniel Buttry. An ordained minister and seasoned peacemaker, he has traveled to some of the most dangerous places in the world to conduct conflict resolution, train clergy and elders, and transform conflict into peace.

Buttry describes himself as a “Peace Warrior.” Raised in a military family he has become a global peace activist. For many years, he worked as the Global Consultant for Peace and Justice with International Ministries of the American Baptist Churches. He works primarily with church groups as his own passion for peacemaking comes from his deep Christian faith. But with so many conflicts having religious lines of division as a part of them Buttry engages in peacemaking across those faith lines.

Buttry’s personal and community life feeds his global work. He and his wife Sharon are both ordained American Baptist clergy, and both committed to urban ministry. They live in Hamtramck, Michigan, an urban municipality surrounded by Detroit. They have been involved in interfaith work as well as local community and school nonviolence work.

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Book 9—’Blessed Are the Peacemakers’

Blessed Are the Peacemakers is Daniel Buttry’s “magnum opus” of men, women and children around the world who have risked their lives as peacemakers.

In the pages of this book, you will meet more than 100 heroes, but most of them are not the kind of heroes our culture celebrates for muscle, beauty and wealth. These heroes are “peacemakers” and they circle the planet. A few are famous like Gandhi and Bono of U2. But most of them you will discover for the first time in these stories. Watch out! Reading about their lives may inspire you to step up into their courageous circle.

From Asia and the Pacific, readers will find some famous names profiled, including Gandhi and the Dalai Lama. But the real value of this unique collection is the discovery of people whose stories most readers have never heard.

Here are just a few examples: Likely for the first time, readers will learn about Teresita “Ging” Quintos-Deles from the Philippines who helped to move grassroots communities in remote areas into the national process of creating safe spaces for vulnerable people. Also, readers will discover the amazing story of Wati Aier, a relentlessly hopeful and pragmatic peacemaker in Thailand. And, from Cambodia, there’s the story of Maha Ghosananda, who risked his life many times to lead peacemaking walks across his native land to inspire combatants to put down their arms.

In this book, Buttry challenges readers to go and do likewise—whatever your age, race, culture, gender or background may be.

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Finally, Book 10 (and more)—True ‘Interfaith Heroes’

Interfaith Heroes, volume 1, is the first book our publishing house produced nearly two decades ago.

This book was designed as one of our first month-long, day-by-day “readers,” showcasing short biographies of men and women throughout history who have crossed traditional boundaries of religious groups to build stronger communities. Once again, Volume 1 includes some famous figures, such as the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and St. Francis. But readers also will travel to Asia to learn about the Sufi poet best known simply as Rumi—as well as Hindu writer Rabindranath Tagore. The book includes questions for daily reflection that are designed to spark creative thinking by people of all faiths. The sketches and daily questions could be used by discussion groups or students in classrooms studying history, global culture or the sociology of religion. Also included is a Study Guide for individuals, groups and classrooms.

Then, if you like the day-by-day format of this book, another inspiring month-long “reader” with significant Asian content is Thirty Days with E. Stanley Jones. In his day, E. Stanley Jones (1884-1973) was described as the “greatest missionary since Saint Paul.” More than an evangelist, he was the author of 27 books that sold millions of copies. He also was a statesman, the founder of Christian ashrams, an interfaith leader as well as a spokesman for peace, racial inclusion and social justice. Twice nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, his ministry in India brought him into close contact with that country’s leaders including Jawaharlal Nehru, Rabindranath Tagore, and Mahatma Gandhi. His writings from India influenced Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s own nonviolent approach to injustice.

Finally, Daniel Buttry followed up on his first volume of “Interfaith Heroes” with Interfaith Heroes 2, which also explores a significant number of Asian peacemakers. The inspiring Asian profiles in this second book in the series include: Abdul Ghaffar Khan (Pakistan/India), known as “Frontier Gandhi,” nonviolent Muslim leader; Chinmayananda Saraswati (India), Hindu spiritual leader and teacher; Fr. Joseph Maier (Thailand) – Catholic priest working in Bangkok slums; Sakena Yacoobi (Afghanistan), Muslim educator, Afghan Institute of Learning; Tissa Balasuriya (Sri Lanka), Catholic priest, liberation theologian; and Toyohiko Kagawa (Japan), Christian social reformer and peacemaker.

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Dave Larsen’s new page-turning historical novel is as gripping as today’s headlines

April 27, 2025 by

‘Green Street in Black and White’ asks the question:

What are our kids learning from us, right now, about the kinds of communities we want to build?

By DAVID CRUMM
Editor of ReadTheSpirit magazine

Click on the cover to visit the book’s Amazon page, where Green Street in Black and White is available in hardcover, paperback and Kindle versions. The novel also is available from Barnes & Noble, Powell’s Books, Bookshop.org, Walmart—and wherever quality books are sold.

Early readers are telling Dave Larsen that they are recognizing themselves and their families in this compelling new novel that asks the question: What are we teaching our kids right now by the decisions we are making in our communities?

Like a lot of great American literature—from Mark Twain to Harper Lee to Carson McCullers to Stephen King—Larsen immerses us in a gripping story in which adults respond to crises—but the whole drama is observed through the eyes of the kids whose lives are forever shaped by the outcome.

That’s why so many readers recognize themselves in this new book.

“First, this novel is my story—and many of the characters and scenes are based on real events from my childhood in the neighborhood where I grew up,” Larsen said in an interview this week.

“Yes, this is Dave’s story—but it’s my story, too, and it’s really the story of millions of Americans who been confronted with changes in our neighborhoods throughout our lives,” said Susan Stitt, the Marketing Director of Front Edge Publishing who was an early advocate of Dave’s manuscript. “I know lots of friends who will find themselves in this book, now that the book is launching.” And, what’s remarkable about Susan’s response is this: Unlike Dave—who grew up as a Protestant boy in a Chicago-area neighborhood—Susan grew up as a Catholic girl in a Detroit-area neighborhood. Susan said, “At first glance, it seems like we’re from different worlds, but I can tell you: I saw myself and my family and my neighborhood all the way through this novel.”

“Green Street has that ring of truth, which makes it a great novel,” said Reformed Journal Books Publisher Jeffrey Munroe—the longtime Holland, Michigan, journalist who worked with Larsen as an editor on his manuscript. Then, Munroe selected Green Street as the first work of fiction among his inaugural wave of Reformed Journal Books. “I could see that lots of readers will see themselves in this novel—and it has the potential to spark nationwide conversations and lots of small-group discussions.”

Munroe is widely respected by his peers in media because he first demonstrated how to launch a best-selling book himself with his 2024 best-seller Telling Stories in the Dark, the first title from Reformed Journal Books.

So, who are these families we’ll meet in Green Street?

This week, we asked Dave Larsen to talk with our readers—via a Zoom interview—about his hopes for Green Street in Black and White as the novel launches nationally on April 29, 2025. Here is some of what Larsen said:

“The first thing I want people to know about Green Street is that I tried to give readers a good story—the kind of story they will want to keep reading. That’s why I’m pleased to hear early readers tell me they’re enjoying it. One reader told me that each chapter almost feels like it could stand on its own as a short story—but they just had to keep reading to learn what happens next to the characters. At the core of this, that’s what I hoped would happen: People will enjoy the ‘read.’

“The story is seen from the point of view of 12-year-old Erik Pedersen and his friends—the Green Street Boys—who are trying to make sense of the confusing adult world around them. The big change in their neighborhood is that the white parents decide to move away—in what readers will recognize as ‘white flight’ in that era. So, yes, it’s a timely book. We’re still wrestling with these issues right now.

“As it says on an opening page in the book: This is ‘based on a true story.’ It’s my story. These kinds of things happened to me and my friends and our family. And yet, over the years since then, I never did sit down with my parents and have a real conversation about their decision-making as they decided to move away. I regret that. When I became a parent myself, I naturally thought back on my parents’ decisions—and I wished that I had asked them more about why they did what they did.

“So, I am going back in Green Street and looking at what happened through the eyes of this boy who is a curious kid with lots of questions. Erik likes to read, loves Sherlock Holmes, and he’s an observer—including from the perch of his treehouse. He and his young friends are closely watching what happens among the adults around them. The choices those adults are making will forever shape their lives.

“One of the things I hope this book may provoke is a discussion with questions like: What are we showing our children today? Are there any signs of hope?

“And, as I talk to groups, I am letting them know that I am hopeful. I see signs particularly of Christian communities—including some Christian schools—that are purposefully trying to bring disparate communities together so that the things that unfold in this novel won’t keep happening today.

“It’s true that some things aren’t different today—but a lot of hearts have been changed since that time I’m writing about. I do feel optimism that more and more people are reflecting on what the kingdom of God really ought to look like. I hope that this new novel may be a part of that journey for readers—and that it’s a good opportunity for people to talk about what kinds of communities we’re building.”

Just how timely is Green Street in Black and White?

The phrase “white flight” typically refers to the major population shifts post World War II through the 1960s as freeways expanded, suburbs exploded and communities migrated—often driven by racism, fears of declining property values, changes in public schooling and other related social tensions.

But the fact is: Americans continue to segregate along racial and ethnic dividing lines.

If you are buying a copy of Larsen’s book—and especially if you are considering this book for group discussions, here are some resources to help shape the conversation today:

Two of the best sets of publicly available data for general readers come from Stanford and UCLA.

First, here’s “70 years after Brown v. Board of Education, new research shows rise in school segregation” from the Stanford Graduate School of Education.

Second, from UCLA, here’s “New report details extensive segregation in suburban schools of largest U.S. metros amid policy vacuum”

Finally, from 2022 via the U.S. Census, here’s “Metropolitan Segregation: No Breakthrough in Sight”

Then, here are two powerful interactive resources to let readers zero in on their own communities nationwide.

Stanford provides The Segregation Explorer—an “interactive map to view school and neighborhood segregation between racial/ethnic and economic groups in states, counties, metropolitan areas, and school districts over the past several decades.”

Then, from the Brown University American Communities Project, here’s the Diversity & Disparities database—”information on specific metropolitan areas and their respective city and suburban portions.”

Care to Read More?

You can learn more about the current—and upcoming—Reformed Journal Books—and you can sign up for free emailed columns from the Reformed Journal online magazine by visiting the RJ website.

For immediate reading from Reformed Journal Books, we recommend:

Click these covers to visit the Amazon pages.

In the darkest corners of our lives, where sorrow, trauma, grief and pain reside, there exists a profound capacity for resilience and hope. Telling Stories in the Dark by Jeffrey Munroe is a uniquely inspiring non-fiction book that illuminates the transformative power of sharing our most profound experiences of suffering.

Travel shapes our identity, from ancient spiritual journeys to the modern movement of people across the globe. In his latest book, Douglas J. Brouwer, a pastor, scholar and lifelong traveler, invites readers to reflect on the profound, transformative power of travel in all its forms. With over 40 years of pastoral ministry in the U.S. and Europe, Doug shares personal stories from his own life, from childhood road trips to leading mission teams, study tours, and pilgrimages.

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Bias Busters’ Joe Grimm on: What are the top things veterans want us to know?

April 13, 2025 by

What are veterans biggest needs?

We’ve got a book of 100 Questions—that veterans helped us to answer!

By JOE GRIMM
Founder of the MSU School of Journalism Bias Busters project

U.S. military veterans are chafing under federal layoffs, health-care reductions and cutbacks in their benefits.

Click the cover to visit Amazon.

Some have another worry: They can be deported.

How do people who have served in the U.S. military get deported?

The armed forces enlist immigrants with the understanding that this can be a path to permanent residency with a “green card” and citizenship. The Immigration and Nationality Act lays out the path. Fight for the country and you can become a citizen.

About 94,000 veterans are immigrants, according to the National Immigration Forum.

All veterans face a labyrinth to obtain health benefits. The process can worsen service-related conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury and mental health challenges.

The federal Commission on Criminal Justice reports that these conditions lead veterans into the criminal justice system. More than a third of veterans report having been arrested. This is a higher arrest rate than for nonveterans, and they receive longer sentences.

A criminal record can lead to deportation. However, we are seeing people get deported for less than that, including lawful protests and traffic tickets.

How many veterans has the U.S. deported? We don’t know. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) does not report on the military status of the people it deports.

But individual cases are showing up in the news.

Jose Barco, a U.S. Army veteran whose father brought him to the United States from Venezuela 35 years ago as a 4-year-old, is stateless. He served in Iraq, where he received the Purple Heart for wounds and traumatic brain injuries.

Barco was convicted of two counts of attempted murder and jailed for 15 years. He was paroled on Jan. 21, the day after Inauguration Day. NPR reports he walked out of prison in Colorado, expecting to reunite in Florida with his American-born wife, 15-year-old daughter and mother. Instead, ICE immediately detained him. He was deported to Venezuela. It did not accept him. Barco waits in a Texas jail cell.

The next morning in Arizona, ICE agents in detained Marlon Parris, a six-year Iraq War veteran. The Arizona Republic reports he was near his home. In 2011, Parris, who is from the Caribbean, pleaded guilty to a nonviolent drug offense. He got out of prison in 2016. He completed his probation in 2021. He said ICE had previously written him a letter saying he would not be deported for his crime.

The path to U.S. citizenship is not a smooth one for any immigrant. But veterans’ applications are rejected at a higher rate than civilian ones, despite the Immigration and Naturalization Act. Some veterans are ruled to be ineligible. Others do not try.

The U.S. Government Accountability Office has reported that “bureaucratic and logistical obstacles” hinder some. Barco’s commanding officer said his citizenship application has been lost somewhere.

Alex Murillo is one veteran who made it back to the Unted States. He writes, “After years of applications, lawyers, and waiting, I was able to return home to Arizona, and I am now receiving treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder.”

Murillo, born in Mexico, was a jet mechanic with the U.S. Navy during the Iraq War. Afterward, he was deported to Mexico for a nonviolent offense. He writes that he struggled “with the challenges many veterans face when transitioning back to civilian life.”

Murillo wrote, “Deporting those who served isn’t just un-American; it’s a stain on our national conscience.”

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Care to read more?

The Michigan State University School of Journalism’s Bias Busters series covers a wide array of cultural, racial, religious and professional groups. On this Amazon page, you can see the many opportunities we provide to learn more about our friends, neighbors and co-workers.

 

 

 

 

Back from the Blaze: Jonathan Grimm returns to helping others navigate the storms around us all

March 15, 2025 by

JONATHAN GRIMM (Photos of Jonathan are by Alex Scott)

Literally rising from the ashes, Jonathan Grimm returns to his mission to help us all avoid becoming ‘The Future Poor’

By DAVID CRUMM
Editor of ReadTheSpirit magazine

For years, Jonathan Grimm has been a leading financial consultant helping clients to prepare for the future—and then, in January 2025, his family’s modest home in California—and their entire neighborhood—went up in smoke in the raging California wildfires. As he and his wife and children raced for their car in the middle of the night to escape the flames—saving only what they could carry to the car—Jonathan was on the verge of launching his inspiring call-to-action book, The Future Poor.

(If you care to know more about the specific fire that Jonathan and his family survived, The Washington Post staff just published a highly detailed report on this horrific fire that hit with little warning, summing up this “cautionary tale” this way: “In an era of climate-fueled firestorms that can overwhelm first responders, delays to evacuation alerts can prove catastrophic.”)

Like so many others—Jonathan, his wife and children had zero warning until suddenly their life went up in smoke.

We’ve delayed the release of his new book a bit—to allow Jonathan breathing room to begin rebuilding his considerable online presence. And now, as we approach spring, Jonathan tells us that he’s still traumatically unsettled, but he’s also more determined than ever to help people navigate the potential financial crises around us.

“I’m coming back! I’ve got to share with other people what I can see so clearly. And, I can tell you: I’m coming back to this work with an urgency I’ve never felt,” Jonathan said this week. “The fire has changed our lives in so many ways that we still are discovering. In my family we have begun talking about pre-fire and post-fire realities. The bulk of my new book—including all of the financial analysis about the deep cracks in our retirement planning—was written by ‘pre-fire Jonathan.’ But now there will be a new, introductory, post-fire section in the book that we just finished this week. And the real news is the post-fire urgency with which I’m going to be reporting on these issues through my ongoing speaking, teaching, columns and podcasts.

“What unites the vision of pre- and post-fire Jonathan is my life-long sense of the value of ‘community.’ Even in the coldly, carefully calculated conclusions of my pre-fire research, I kept returning to a profound sense that we must collectively realize that our financial futures are bound up in our communities. And now? Now, I’m living through what a community can do when it truly comes together in powerful new ways. I’m living through the truth of what I had been recommending to people—and discovering what works and what doesn’t work. I know, now more than ever, that we need the entire community around us to build a better future.”

Step 1 in Jonathan Grimm’s ‘Rising from the Ashes’:
Restarting ‘Grimm News’

BACK IN SEPTEMBER 2024, we published a Front Edge Publishing column headlined: Care about your financial future and that of your loved ones? Start reading The (free) Grimm News!

For several months, we occasionally repeated our recommendation to “go read what Jonathan’s writing! If you follow his Grimm News columns regularly—you’re sure to find news that’s both fascinating and helpful.”

HERE’s THE ADDRESS YOU NEED: https://www.thefuturepoor.com/ Sign up to get his free columns by email and, yes, you can cancel easily at any time. So, don’t worry.

IN MARCH 2025, the newest columns include:

Wildfire Aftermath: A short update from Jonathan about life after the devastating blaze.

The Bill Belichick Model for Retirement: Taking notes from one of my coaching heroes.

And, Full Retirement Age changing: What happens when Full Retirement Age changes?

You can expect at least a couple of new columns each week—keeping you up to date about important news you might otherwise miss in your busy life.

Step 2 (coming soon):
Restarting his ‘What’s up with money?’ podcast

In March 2025, Jonathan and his colleagues are ramping up their popular podcast about navigating the complex challenges of America’s marketplace. If you sign up for Jonathan’s Grimm News newsletter (above), you’ll learn about the podcast’s new episodes as they are launched online.

Step 3 (coming soon):
His book will appear nationally

In the Spring of 2025, you’ll see Jonathan’s new book appear for pre-sale on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Walmart websites—and all other online sellers of quality books. If you sign up for Jonathan’s Grimm News newsletter (above)—you get it, right? You’ll learn about the book’s pre-sale and launch schedules as well.

And, finally we’ve got to crow about this—
What an appropriate book cover, hmmm?

Click on the cover to visit Jonathan’s website.

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Want to come along? Here’s a first glimpse of ‘The Traveler’s Path’ with author Doug Brouwer

March 1, 2025 by

Click on this image of the front cover to visit the book’s Amazon page and pre-order your copy right now. (PLEASE NOTE: Amazon is just beginning to “load up” this book page this week—so there’s more to come. For example, a Kindle version of ‘The Traveler’s Path’ is coming soon.)

This book is ‘a profound voyage of spirit’

“Travel is our origin story.
With this book, I am challenging readers to discover the connections
between our own “travel” within this larger movement of peoples—
and the timeless call of God through our religious traditions—
so we might glimpse the greater depth, breadth, and meaning of our collective movement,
our setting out and going places.”
From Douglas Brouwer’s opening chapter

FIRST, ENJOY DOUG’S 1-MINUTE INVITATION:

WHAT ARE EARLY READERS SAYING?

“This book is an adventure. Invited in by personal stories, this well-crafted book drew me to explore my own thoughts and experiences. That’s because Douglas Brouwer’s honest commentary on his growth allows others to look honestly at their process. I was very impressed by the amount of research into various views of travel, which added significantly to broadening my own understanding and provided a solid base for further discussions. There were two bits of writing that caught my attention. One was Doug’s quote of Thomas Merton’s words spoken close to the end of his life. In essence they were: We are all one but imagine that we are not. The other was a comment made about a self-discovery of his own. He came to understand that one of his gifts was being able to listen. I experienced this quality a few years ago when he listened, over long emails, to my own processing of finding the book I was wanting to write. His ability to hear my personal travel into that book allowed it to happen—a gift from a fellow traveler.”
Judith E. Bowen, author of The Mystical Symphony, A Memoir of Healing, Vision and Wonder

“In a true journey of the soul, Douglas Brouwer paints an exquisite portrait that echoes my own experience of leading pilgrimages to the Holy Land—not as a mere journey across continents, but as a profound voyage of spirit. From the sacred stones of the Holy Land to the remote corners of the world, this book traces the footsteps of pilgrims past and present, each journey woven with faith, purpose, and a desire to seek both within and beyond. Through the lens of mission trips and sacred travels, Brouwer shows us that the act of pilgrimage is not only about the places we visit but the transformation that unfolds along the way. This is a book that will stir the soul, beckoning us to explore the deeper meanings of travel, to walk in the footsteps of the divine, and to serve with open hearts wherever we are called.”
Rick Ricart, Founder and President of Imagine Tours & Travel

ARE YOU IN MICHIGAN? CARE TO JOIN IN THE BOOK’S LAUNCH?

Douglas Brouwer recently issued a public invitation to friends far and wide—old and new:

As you may already be aware, my most recent book—The Traveler’s Path—is about to launch, and I’ve scheduled a book launch party for Saturday, March 29, at the First Presbyterian Church (659 State Street, Holland, Michigan), where I worship most Sundays, when I’m not doing something church-related somewhere in the world.

The event will start at 4:00 p.m. and be finished by 5:30 or so. There will be something to eat and drink—though, sadly, not dinner.

There will be a time for me to thank some people (I’ve got quite a long list!), then there will be a reading from the book (humorous and poignant), and finally there will be a book signing and time for mingling with some really interesting people

And, in Doug’s view—if you read this and care to come along, you’ll instantly become a “new” friend.

IS THERE ANYWHERE ELSE TO ORDER THIS BOOK?

Sure! This book soon will be available online wherever good books are sold, including Barnes & Noble, which has already posted its pre-sale page, and eventually the Walmart website—and other retailers around the world.

Care to Get in Touch with Douglas Brouwer?

Visit him via his Substack site, where you can send him a message and consider joining his more than 650 other subscribers.

TO VISIT HIS SUBSTACK SITE, use the text link above—or click on this snapshot from his opening page. 

Care to see more?

Signs along a hiking trail in Switzerland.

Playing outdoor chess on one of his many adventures.

Stolpersteine are interwoven with paving stones in Germany as a reminder of the many who were killed in the Holocaust. You’ll read about this unique public art project in one chapter of ‘The Traveler’s Path.’

A centuries old doorway along the Camino pilgrimage route in Europe.

What a sign! A rainbow appeared as Douglas Brouwer recently was walking a stretch of the Camino in Europe.

Remembering educator Harold Heie’s art of helping Americans to talk constructively with each other, even in tough times.

November 29, 2024 by

“Harold Heie practices what he preaches—which is civil conversation, from a serious Christian theological perspective, amid a context of brutal division. He doesn’t just theorize about the essential challenge—he creates contexts that model the way forward.”
Christian ethicist David Gushee on Harold Heie’s contribution to American life

Harold Heie (1935-2024)—
A Bridge Builder who Devoted Himself to Teaching Civility

By DAVID CRUMM
Editor of ReadTheSpirit magazine

NOVEMBER 2024—To Dr. Harold Heie, our friend: This is a heart-felt salute to your remarkable life. We’ve lost you just when your gifts are needed so urgently in the deeply divided America that we know you loved so much.

How timely is Dr. Heie’s body of work? This month (November 2024) I’ve learned that Dr. Heie had received a series of requests to appear on podcasts—and to do interviews with journalists—on the central question of his work: How can we bring people together across the political chasm that has deeply divided America?

Unfortunately for all of us who remember him as a gracious scholar and a compassionate guide to “difficult conversations,” Dr. Heie died Monday, November 18, at age 89 in the Sanborn, Iowa, area. He is survived by his wife Pat.

Harold Heie and his twin brother John were born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1935 to a family of recent immigrants from Norway. He had an early conversion experience to follow Jesus at a Lutheran Brethren Church in Brooklyn—but his early interest was mathematics and science. As an undergraduate, he studied mechanical engineering at the Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn; he earned a masters in mechanical engineering at the University of Southern California and a doctorate in aerospace sciences at Princeton University. For a while, he worked at the Hughes Aircraft Company in California.

However, for most of his life, Dr. Heie used his pragmatic intellect and his deep faith in service as a college administrator and innovative program director at several colleges, including Gordon in Wenham, Mass., Northwestern in Orange City, Iowa, and Messiah in Grantham, Pennsylvania. He also was widely in demand as an educational consultant with institutions nationwide.

In our tribute to Dr. Heie’s life, I’m intentionally listing all those colleges (above) because some of his former students may stumble across this column honoring our long-time friend and colleague.

What transformed Dr. Heie’s national reputation mostly occurred, though, after his “retirement” in 2003. That’s when he really focused on his Respectful Conversation Project—a way to research and model along with real-life participants a better way to bring people together to talk about their differences. Much of the Project’s website is now dormant, but this “About” page includes a video of a sermon by Dr. Heie in 2012 in which he spoke about the convictions behind his work.

The Seeds of Dr. Harold Heie’s Wisdom

Dr. Heie’s key insight about bringing people from diverse backgrounds together for conversation is that any such gathering should begin by focusing on what we share. If we start there, our differences won’t seem so daunting.

My last interview with Dr. Heie was in 2019, when he described what he was doing in his Respectful Conversation Project and in his then-brand-new book, Reforming American Politics: A Christian Perspective on Moving Past Conflict to Conversation.

“Every Christian knows that we must love our neighbors,” Dr. Heie told me. “We all know that. There is no way to escape that truth. And, when I use the term ‘Christian,’ I am referring to anyone, whatever their particular denomination or tradition might be, who personally trusts in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ as decisive for salvation and redemptive of the entire created order. Anyone who aspires to be a follower of Jesus must follow the two great love commandments taught by Jesus: love of God and love for neighbor.”

“So what’s the problem?” I asked him.

“We all know we’re supposed to love our neighbors—but we don’t agree about how to express that love,” he answered. “A lot of Christians wind up violating our values about providing a safe and welcoming space for those who disagree with us. This is a real tragedy because, if we’ve lost our focus on love of neighbor, then we’ve really lost our way.”

I told Heie, “As a journalist specializing in covering religion, I’ve been reporting on these conflicts, sometimes called culture wars, that have been convulsing the religious landscape for many decades—certainly since the 1960s. Now, we’re at a point when many so-called ‘Christians’ are angrier than I’ve ever seen them. These are our fellow Americans. How did we get so angry?”

“There are many ways to begin answering that question,” he said. “But I think the main problem today is what I refer to as tribalism. We have segregated ourselves into tribal groups where we tell ourselves: We have the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth about the issue at hand. And, if anyone outside our tribe dares to talk about this issue? We know they clearly don’t have the truth. We don’t need to listen to them.”

“To some extent, we’ve always seen that kind of conflict, haven’t we?” I asked him.

“Yes, to a certain extent, tribalism always has been a part of American history. So, why is tribalism getting so much worse now? I think social media has made a major contribution. Social media is not conducive to real conversation. In fact, social media tends to insulate us and often precludes real conversation. The deeper we go into our tribal social media, the less opportunities we have to learn something from someone who disagrees with us. Adding to that problem of isolation is our obsession with speed in communication today. People don’t have time for the complex conversations we need to explore the most important issues we face today. Working through alternative points of view is a laborious process. Learning from each other takes time. What most people want today is an answer that will fit into a Tweet.”

Yes, There Are Christian Values and Virtues that Promote Conversation

Click the cover to visit the book’s Amazon page.

Throughout this unusual book—Reforming American Poplitics—readers meet Dr. Heie and 23 of his online discussion partners. In this particular phase of Dr. Heie’s overall project, these partners focused on the timeless values and virtues that can move Christians away from the current climate of conflict. Then, in his final chapter, Heie devotes 30 pages to a detailed overview of these values, easily organized with sub-heads so that the material flows logically from one lesson to the next. This section is perfectly laid out to help discussion leaders present these ideas to a group or class in a step-by-step manner.

Dr. Heie begins with Love, Humility, Courage, Respect, Truth, Shalom, Justice, Patience and Hope. Then, he offers suggestions for applying these values in the world today. Among his many recommendations:

  • Develop personal relationships of mutual understanding by listening to and talking with those who disagree with you.
  • Move from understanding to trust.
  • Convene respectful conversations and expect civility.

Tips for Congregations Hoping to Encourage Conversation

In our interview, Dr. Heie stressed that starting his kind of small group requires thoughtful preparation.

“This reflects my hard-earned experience with what has and hasn’t worked for me,” he said. “You can’t hope to have a really good conversation unless you devote the first session to discussing the purpose of the conversation—and the ground rules. In our first sessions, we don’t talk about the main political topic at all. I always start with two leading questions: Why are you interested in being part of this group? And: What do you hope the end result will be from this group? We give people a chance to respond without interruption. The whole point of starting with that kind of session is to get used to listening to each other. We hear personal stories. We begin to understand more about what shapes each person’s way of thinking.

“Then, I lay out my five ground rules for conversation and I say plainly: ‘If you’re not going to abide by these five ground rules, don’t come back.’ That’s why I tried to spell out those ground rules in my new book.”

Readers will find that portion of his book beginning on page 388 with sub-heads over helpful sections that include:

  • Develop personal relationships of mutual understanding
  • Move from understanding to trust
  • Convene respectful conversations and expect civility (a section that includes Heie’s five bullet points)
  • Reach across the aisle, or table, seeking both/and positions

Dr. Heie’s book really is a complete tool kit for teachers, community leaders and moderators of the millions of small discussion groups and classes that meet regularly in congregations coast to coast.

And, I am not alone in saying this.

“Harold Heie practices what he preaches—which is civil conversation, from a serious Christian theological perspective, amid a context of brutal division. He doesn’t just theorize about the essential challenge—he creates contexts that model the way forward. This book is an impressive example of what Heie is about. I strongly recommend it—and the practices it embodies.”

So says the Rev. Dr. David Gushee, author of Changing Our Mind.

Dr. Harold Heie’s work sounds pretty timely doesn’t it?

So, perhaps our readers can understand our sorrow at his lost—just when we could have used his expertise more than ever.

Stay Tuned—

As a man of science, Dr. Heie donated his body to the Sanford School of Medicine at the University of South Carolina. There are no immediate plans for a memorial service.

As the publisher of one of Dr. Heie’s books most important books, we will continue to receive news about him—and we will share with our readers if there is an update on plans to honor his life and legacy.