Loneliness is as Harmful as Smoking: Why Connection Matters

By Rev. Beth Long-Higgins, VP of Engagement and director of the Center for Abundant Aging  •  November 25, 2025

Years before the COVID-19 pandemic, I attended a conference hosted by the American Society on Aging. One session featured Dr. Julianne Holt-Lunstad, whose research left a lasting impression. She shared a striking statistic: the health risks of loneliness and isolation in older adults are comparable to smoking 15 cigarettes a day. I don’t usually remember numbers well, but that one stuck. And when I’ve shared it with others, the reaction is often disbelief—Really? That can’t be!

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You Have Permission…To be Angry in the Moment

By Reverend Jessica Tinkham  •  June 22, 2023

I must admit that I didn’t know how to start writing for today. Learning to give myself permission to be angry is part of my daily practice of giving myself permission..

Jesus Christ Superstar

By Lisa B. Thomas  •  June 15, 2023

I was so excited. During the winter of 2007, John, the kids and I were going to downtown Cleveland’s Playhouse Square to see a production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s rock..

You Have Permission To...Ask For Help

By Kim Moeller  •  June 08, 2023

Today we kick off a new series on the theme, You Have Permission To…

The Gift of Unexpected Clarity

By Reverend Jessica Tinkham  •  June 01, 2023

I could make a mile-long list of reasons that I love practicing ministry as a healthcare chaplain in an environment where most of the older adults I minister to are..

A Parable of the Lost Daughter

By Lisa B. Thomas  •  May 25, 2023

The Kingdom of Heaven is like a family in search of a quick meal on a school night.

You Have the Gift. NOW USE IT!

By Rev. Dr. Bobbie McKay  •  May 18, 2023

I was sitting in the office of my advisor at Garrett Theological Seminary. It was my last appointment on the last day of my final week in seminary. And it was a time of..

Unexpected Clarity

By Rev. Beth Long-Higgins, VP of Engagement and director of the Center for Abundant Aging  •  May 11, 2023

Clarity is something that I didn’t know I needed, until it was pointed out to me that my world was actually very blurry. I was in the fifth grade and it was the very..

Unexpected Clarity…Maybe!

By Rev. Ruth D. Fitzgerald  •  May 04, 2023

My mother was a professor of clothing and textiles at Wayne State University. She earned a bachelor’s degree at that school and then went on to earn a master’s degree at..

Unexpected Clarity

By Rev. John Gantt  •  April 27, 2023

From God’s gift of Holy Spirit comes unexpected clarity.