I watched Giovanni's interview on iOne Digital wearing a T-shirt that said, "I write banned books." During the interview, she talked about getting old, finding joy, and, of course, banned books. I LOVED Nikki Giovanni long before I LOVED Toni Morrison. During the Black Arts and Black Panther eras, I grew up  listening and grooving to Giovanni's voice on scratchy vinyl albums as she read her poems.

Thanksgiving is coming, and we better get spiritually prepared for some potentially tough conversations.  Bring along peanut M and M's! 

First, Jesus was a charismatic human being with a great big heart. Second, he practiced what he preached, he lived his teachings. The question posed in this essay is why it was so easy for him to live the love behind his teachings while so many of us struggle today to achieve a similar goal.

We do not have to see malice in the actions of Satan or “the Devil”. Satan is, in fact, a charming character, quite well-intentioned. As you’ll see, the Church tried its hardest to give the guy a bum rap.

Joy doesn’t exist when we are in shame or guilt. Joy exists only when we feel light, forgiven. Open.

Juneteenth is a celebration of the end of slavery, a day to honor the survival and resilience of Black people throughout 400 years of sheer inhumanity: from the profound sadism of slavery, through the Jim Crow laws, lynchings, and segregation, to the racism of today. 

Have you ever spent time watching dog owners in action? They only notice goodness. They ignore or forgive most, if not all, of their dog’s annoying behavior.

When I was young, had anyone suggested that I spend most of my life being “a minister,” I’d have smirked, thought about it, and then laughed right out loud.

The issues I’ve uncovered are not the same. They are more subtle, but the result is the same. These defensive parts of my ego cloud my awareness with self-centered concerns.

Meister Eckhart asks, "How can anyone be compassionate toward her neighbor who is not compassionate toward herself?" This is why Jesus says: ‘Be compassionate!'

So what about loving our enemies? What do we normally feel, what do others who have modeled destructive behavior and attitudes expect us to feel and what can we possibly feel? Why should we choose not to feel what virtually everyone expects us to feel?

Every parent and educator will welcome the blend of multicultural tales, biographies, universal spirituality, and original fun adventures of children who could live on your street. Expansive, respectful, real, and warm with kindness, these stories offer possibilities for life to children and adults who feel in their heart that they belong to a larger reality.

    It has been so hard to watch the events unfolding in Gaza and not fall into the ease of a hardline

I had long silently harboured a deep foundational belief that what the Church taught about forgiveness was wrong. My experiences of it being used by various Christian people, as well as the Church, against me to guilt me, reinforced it.

The one thing that enraged most people about Jesus of Nazareth was that he had the gall to tell people that their sins were forgiven when clearly there were systems of civic and religious power that were set up to make sure people got what they deserved.

When, if ever, is anger appropriate? If we want to be good actors in the world, and become the peace we’d like to see in the world, can we allow anger to exist? How do we know when anger is ok and how much anger is ok?

Don't try so hard. Be ok being a bit disappointing.

With the powerful voice of a woman, pastor, mother, and advocate, Rev. Aurelia Dávila Pratt gives us the compassionate nudge and tools we need to access our inner authority.

Jesus was, however, not the first person to challenge the lex talionis (law of retaliation) – the belief that if you are harmed it is OK to follow your gut and harm the person who harmed you.

Are you searching for a way to connect children with an authentic spiritual experience that is inter-spiritual, creative and multi-layered? A Joyful Path is truly progressive Christian curriculum that is inclusive, joy-full, compassionate, and intelligent.

In A Joyful Path, Year Two, we focus on some of the main tenets of Progressive Christianity and Spirituality, giving our children the foundation they need to walk the path of Jesus in today's world. It has stories and affirmations written to help children clarify their own personal beliefs while staying open to the wisdom of other traditions.

Are you searching for a way to connect children with an authentic spiritual experience that is inter-spiritual, creative and multi-layered?  "A Joyful Path" is truly progressive Christian curriculum that is inclusive, joy-full, compassionate, and intelligent.

This passionate love story is set in the picturesque village of Valle Crucis in the North Carolina mountains. Within the warm embrace of Abby Dunbar and among his many friends in the Valle Crucis community, the Reverend Jeffrey Peterson heals the scars from a failed ministry and psychological trauma.

Love can be a tricky business because it’s not a feeling – not really. We may have desire or longing or other feelings that we equate to love, but I believe love, or loving someone, while certainly is inherent, is largely something we have to learn, like a skill.

Do you also tell yourself that you don’t have the right to be upset when you are upset? What if, instead, we trained ourselves on compassionate self-talk?

Amanda Gorman mesmerized a nation with her inauguration poem "The Hill We Climb." The beauty of her presence and the power of her words captured a country battle-scarred and looking for a lifeline.

The words of Amanda Gorman, Poet Laureate, from her moving poem during the inauguration of Joseph Biden and Kamala Harris as President and Vice-President of the United States of America.

I recite the Lord’s Prayer daily, and often the most challenging phrase for me is the second part of “Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.” Though I’ve received everything I have from a generous and gracious God, it’s hard to let go of grudges and wrongs and the feeling that others owe me something or that somehow I have unfairly missed out.

This expansive, like-hearted community transcends race, orientation, gender, religious tradition, political affiliation, and nation of origin—and finds its affinity in the deeper place of our shared humanity, which is the True North of his writing. This collection lovingly pulls together some of John’s most widely-read and most beloved essays on faith, politics, grief, and the elemental parts of being human.

Larry says that good people never think they are doing enough. Maybe you don’t have to be brilliant today, either.