Hospital For Sinners

The worst words of wisdom I ever received came from my father:
“Most people live lives of quiet desperation.”
He has said this countless times throughout my life.

As his son, I believed him.
So I set "quiet desperation" as my default setting.

I learned to “suck it up,” to act tough, to bury my pain. But here’s the problem—when you believe you’re supposed to suffer in silence, you eventually start drowning in it.

September is Su***de Prevention Month. And I don’t say that like a public service announcement or even from a pastoral perspective. I say that as someone who has been there. Someone who has felt that hopelessness.

I say this as someone who seriously contemplated su***de during two separate Septembers in my life - both exactly twenty years apart to the day. And because of my "quiet desperation" upbringing, I still cringe at revealing this so publicly.

But twice, by the grace of God, I was led to therapy, counseling, friends, and people - even strangers, who sat with me in my pain.

Without them, I don’t think I’d be here.
I know I wouldn't be here.

But even after accepting that help and healing, I still felt weak.
Like less of a man. Less "tough."
Like I’d failed my father’s definition of strength.
Like I should have kept my desperation quiet.

And maybe you’ve been told the same lie—that asking for help means you’re weak - that you're "less than". That therapy is weakness. That faith alone should fix it.

Friend, please hear me: asking for help is not weakness—it’s courage.

Seeking help doesn’t mean you don’t trust God.
It means you’re using the tools God provides to heal.

If you’re living in quiet desperation and thinking it's noble, stop.
Don’t “suck it up.”
Call a friend. Reach out for help.

Because you are made in the image of God.
Your life matters.
You matter.
And the world is better with you in it.
Even if it's difficult to see right now.

If you’re struggling to the point of suicidal thoughts, call or text 988 today.

Your story isn’t over yet; the Author is still writing.

***dePrevention ***de ***dePreventionMonth

To those tagged here. You've let the GOP drive and manipulate Christians for decades. WHY aren't you leveraging voices like Pastor Brandon, Ben Cremer, etc?

Democrats are aligned more with Christianity than Republicans, but only a few of you (shout out to Cory Booker) have the intestinal fortitude to call them out.

The Christian vote is why Trump is in office.
If you direct Christians back to Jesus - you win.

GOP has hijacked American Christianity.
So, to quote our hero Todd Beamer - "Let's Roll!"

Start leveraging faith-based voices like these!

It doesn't mean you don't believe in Separation of Church & State, because most "housetrained" Christians do too!

I know many of you are deeply faithful. Now's the time to speak up for the real Jesus (not MAGA Jesus). Make your faith actionable.

Senator Chuck Schumer
Senator Dick Durbin
Senator Tammy Duckworth
Tammy Duckworth
Patty Murray
Bernie Sanders
U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders
Senator Jon Ossoff
Jon Ossoff
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
Pod Save America
Ezra Klein
Sally Kohn
Senator Mark Kelly
Senator Ruben Gallego
Democrats
Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock
Senator Van Hollen
Senator Catherine Cortez Masto
Occupy Democrats

Some won’t call it a cult.
And despite almost a decade of evidence,
I've not publicly called it a cult.
Until today.
Until I've watched the MAGA pivot on Epstein.

So, yes, I'll say it.
It's a cult.

I know those are "fightin' words."
That's a trigger word.
Because members of a cult will never see it until they're out.

But if it checks all the boxes…
there's not much to argue about.

Here’s what actual cult experts say are the traits of a cult. Read them slowly:

AUTHORITARIAN LEADERSHIP: One unquestioned, central figure who demands loyalty, even above truth.

US-VS.-THEM MENTALITY: Outsiders are enemies. Critics are traitors. Doubt is disloyalty.

SUPPRESSION OF CRITICAL THINKING: You're told what to think, not how. Discouraging questions is the norm.

REWRITING REALITY: Facts are twisted. History is revised. Only the leader’s version is trusted.

FEAR & SHAME AS CONTROL TOOLS: You're motivated by fear of outsiders, punishment, or rejection.

CHARISMATIC FIGUREHEAD: A magnetic personality with "divine" insight, seen as above reproach.

MILITANT COMMITMENT TO THE CAUSE: Blind allegiance. Everything is justified for the “mission.”

ISOLATION FROM DISSENTING VOICES: Media is “fake,” experts are “corrupt,” and only insider sources are “true.”

MORAL DOUBLE STANDARDS: What’s “evil” for others is excused in-house. Hypocrisy is normalized - *even if it's criminal.*

APOCALYPTIC URGENCY: A constant sense of threat or crisis to maintain control and loyalty.

WEARING A SYMBOL: Adopting distinctive clothing, headwear, colors, or symbols as a way of signaling in-group status and loyalty to the leader or ideology.

If you’re thinking, “Wait... that sounds familiar,”
it's because the biggest organized cult in our history exists today.

And it's time to start calling it what it is.
—
Sources: Adapted from my readings from Dr. Janja Lalich (cult researcher & author), the "BITE Model" by Steven Hassan (Harvard - Cult Studies), and International Cultic Studies Association (ICSA).

Wow.

“What’s past is prologue.” - William Shakespeare