The peace that we share when we turn and shake hands
Is simply the peace that our Savior commands.

That is precisely when we recognize our common humanity

Fast from fear and feast on love.

Fast from violence, feast on peace.

This part of American history “is not taught in schools,” said Jolynne Locust Woodcock of the Oglala Lakota, Cherokee, and Northern Cheyenne Nations and another member of the Four Winds community. Nor do people discuss “what happened, who died, [or] at whose expense this country exists. It’s not acknowledged that we’re still alive, that we are a living, breathing, heartfelt bunch of people.”

Let’s take care of one another. Let’s share our resources whether that is money or toilet paper. Let’s inject humor into our conversation and encourage one another. This crisis will be over one day, and when it is, let’s have carried on in a way that we can be proud of.

    It was almost five years ago now, and I can still see her smile. It was a beautiful smile; a smile which I often return to in my mind’s-eye. I have long-since forgotten her name. …

The world will now be faced with a time of moral testing as Covid 19 spreads from pole to pole. The early response of hoarding toilet paper and hand sanitizer is not an encouraging sign predicting whether our better angels will be revealed or our fearful, selfish demons.

O Christ, we remember the things that you did,
The lessons you taught us, the way that you lived.

Yazzie Min performing “Taste” at Sofar London on November 15th 2018.

It is extremely unfortunate that the coronavirus is negatively impacting so many (especially those who are elderly or living in poverty) and disrupting our day-to-day lives, however, one valuable insight that may result from this disastrous virus is congregational awareness about the necessity of technology.

In the desperate final days of Bonhoeffer’s life, he wrote from prison about the futility of trying to talk to stupid people about facts, as many of his neighbors and fellow church folk simply rolled along with the Nazi movement. M. Scott Peck defined evil as a kind of “militant ignorance,” a refusal to deal with the known facts of reality.

One of the lessons I remember from my study of U.S. history in high school is that the United States is protected by two oceans on our east and west coasts. Europe’s problems could not negatively impact our nation because we were separated by 3,000 miles of ocean. Our northern and southern borders are secure because we have friendly neighbors.

Bishop Yvette Flunder preaches at The City of Refuge, 8400 Enterprise Way, Oakland, CA.

It’s no secret that women all over the world play an important role in food systems—in cultivating gardens for school canteens in Cote d’Ivoire, producing more than half of the food supply for rural areas in South America, establishing seed banks in India, and developing agricultural technologies in Silicon Valley.

Let’s face it—the bad news just keeps on coming.  An impeachment trial as divided as the country; wars and rumors of wars; rising nationalism around the world; an ever-growing gap between rich and poor; and our species headed for extinction as we destroy the planet. 

Changing the world vs/and changing ourselves. Today we consider the remarkable life of Eleanor Roosevelt who was first lady during the New Deal, WWII, and was our first ambassador to the United Nations.

In Mystical Activism, we each hold the power to change the world right where we are. To call these “end times” is not hyperbole.

Singer/songwriter Christian McIvor serves as the Minister of Music & Worship at College Park Baptist Church in Greensboro, NC.  He writes progressive Christian songs centered around themes of love, justice, compassion, and community that are intended for both solo/small group and congregational use in worship.