Facebook Update

Dear Followers In Christ:

Over on the The Christian Empath Facebook community page, I received a request for a closed group.  A closed group on Facebook requires a moderator to approve requests to join the page.  The benefit is that only members of the group can see posts; they are not shared on your friends' news feeds.

There is an expressed need for a safe space to connect with other followers who have an interest in this gift.  Some are uncertain and lonely while others are confident in their "walk." Some of us are trying to "muddle through in the Spirit...even if feeling clumsy or ill-equipped" (to paraphrase from today's sermon at my church!)

I am looking for a volunteer interested in starting and moderating a closed group on Facebook for those interested in the Christian gift of empathy.  Please let me know either via the Facebook page or my Contact form here on the blog.

Blessings,
The Christian Empath

Words for Love: Empathy in the bible

I occasionally come across online discussions that raise the fact that the word "empathy" does not appear in the bible.  I've seen discussions parsing words over what kinds of spiritual gifts are given.  That having the abilities that empaths claim is not possible and one instead may be compassionate, sympathetic, or have a mental illness.

Crying at a Birthday Party?!?

There's no crying in baseball, and who would expect to be teary-eyed at a birthday party?  Well, that was me.  The lights went out, the candles were lit, the group began to sing, and I suddenly realized for the young child's birthday there was no father in attendance.

Play on Words: Empathic vs. Empathetic

I found this article from The Grammarist to be very interesting:

"Empathic is a variant of empathetic, which means characterized by empathy. Some American dictionaries list empathic as the standard word and empathetic as the variant, and the shorter word is older than the longer one. But empathetic has prevailed—probably due to analogy with sympathetic—and is now about five times as common as empathic in news publications from throughout the English-speaking world."