I want a future where faith is not an obligation but a beautiful choice, where my children are free to pick the leaders they want, and where we are constantly searching to make this world more reflective of our best selves. I believe it is possible.
Thank you for the prayer - although an outsider as an Australian I understand the fears and worries you have; I have been praying for you all and your country. This prayer is very helpful.
thanks for opening a chat tomorrow evening. I am so stressed and today 446 homes had a four hour power outage for no observable reason in Texas adding to the feels....
another poem: By Steve Garnaas-Holmes
“As for these things that you see,
the days will come
when not one stone will be left upon another;
all will be thrown down.”
—Luke 21.6
On the eve of a precipitous election
I hear these words with renewed attention.
The destruction of the temple. A changed world.
A dangerous world. The loss of what we count on.
“Wars and insurrections...nation against nation..
arrest and persecution...” “This,” Jesus says,
“will give you an opportunity to testify.”
When things get dark and dangerous
we shine with light. We speak the truth.
We embody resurrection. We bear witness.
Not just with slogans, but with our lives.
Lives lived in subversive love,
with traitorous gentleness and radical courage
in countercultural forgiveness and illegal mercy.
The Empires of this world will always oppose
the Empire of God. Always. But our true belonging,
Obviously, it is important to vote. But for democracy to survive (or be restored after tomorrow) requires more than just voting every two years. Democracy as a way of life requires involvement in the affairs of our communities and our nation all the time.
I am going to vote BUT this NYT headline grabbed me and disgusted me:
Live Updates: Midterms Set to Shatter Spending Record With Over $16 Billion Projected. It is un-conscionable that we waste that obscene amount of money when we know it would be far better served for someone else
Raphael Warnock and Jamie Raskin are two of the most passionate describers in Congress today of democracy in these spiritual terms. To the extent that "Judeo-Christian" means anything, I hope it means something similar to the shared values that motivate the two of them.
It is enough to say that one side in this election sees democracy in this expansive way and one side does not, but it is even more than that. Whether or not you value the dignity and well-being of each and every person has so many *policy* ramifications - and we can see the difference in visions so starkly between the two parties right now.
I like thinking of civic duty for the common good as spiritual practice. For many years I also donated blood the same week as voting.
Oh I needed to read this this morning. A few weeks ago I wrote a piece about voting for the future you want: https://sarahstyf.substack.com/p/vote-for-the-future-you-want
I want a future where faith is not an obligation but a beautiful choice, where my children are free to pick the leaders they want, and where we are constantly searching to make this world more reflective of our best selves. I believe it is possible.
I absolutely love those prayers!!!
Thank you for the prayer - although an outsider as an Australian I understand the fears and worries you have; I have been praying for you all and your country. This prayer is very helpful.
I love these prayers from Sister Joan et al.
thanks for opening a chat tomorrow evening. I am so stressed and today 446 homes had a four hour power outage for no observable reason in Texas adding to the feels....
another poem: By Steve Garnaas-Holmes
“As for these things that you see,
the days will come
when not one stone will be left upon another;
all will be thrown down.”
—Luke 21.6
On the eve of a precipitous election
I hear these words with renewed attention.
The destruction of the temple. A changed world.
A dangerous world. The loss of what we count on.
“Wars and insurrections...nation against nation..
arrest and persecution...” “This,” Jesus says,
“will give you an opportunity to testify.”
When things get dark and dangerous
we shine with light. We speak the truth.
We embody resurrection. We bear witness.
Not just with slogans, but with our lives.
Lives lived in subversive love,
with traitorous gentleness and radical courage
in countercultural forgiveness and illegal mercy.
The Empires of this world will always oppose
the Empire of God. Always. But our true belonging,
is in that Realm of Love; and it is eternal.
In the spirit of the Crucified and Risen One,
who is with us always,
we will persist.
Deep Blessings,
Pastor Steve
__________________
Steve Garnaas-Holmes
Obviously, it is important to vote. But for democracy to survive (or be restored after tomorrow) requires more than just voting every two years. Democracy as a way of life requires involvement in the affairs of our communities and our nation all the time.
I am going to vote BUT this NYT headline grabbed me and disgusted me:
Live Updates: Midterms Set to Shatter Spending Record With Over $16 Billion Projected. It is un-conscionable that we waste that obscene amount of money when we know it would be far better served for someone else
I LOVE this. (I wrote something very similar last week: https://avbronstein.substack.com/p/voting-and-torah-and-empathy)
Raphael Warnock and Jamie Raskin are two of the most passionate describers in Congress today of democracy in these spiritual terms. To the extent that "Judeo-Christian" means anything, I hope it means something similar to the shared values that motivate the two of them.
It is enough to say that one side in this election sees democracy in this expansive way and one side does not, but it is even more than that. Whether or not you value the dignity and well-being of each and every person has so many *policy* ramifications - and we can see the difference in visions so starkly between the two parties right now.
Need to edit last sentence of paragraph under picture - take out first “not only” after the dash. ❤️❤️