by Rev. M Jade Kaiser Do you remember the first time you met your kid, your younger sibling, your godkid, your nibbling, niece, or nephew, your grandkid, or the newborn kiddo of a close friend? The preparation is long and rarely do they come as a surprise but still, somehow, that first glimpse of the anticipated new life, in its strange, vulnerable, powerful infant stage, can take a breath away: "You're really here." Big eyes. Wiggly toes. Plump belly. Chubby cheeks. That slow blinking while still waking up to the world. (It's a lot to take in!) The most ordinary of miracles, this tiny, new,...

by Talera Jensen Started by Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1968 and continued by Rev. William Barber today, The Poor People’s Campaign is a nonviolent activist struggle for economic justice, racial equality, and the fight against the other ills of American militarism. What makes the Campaign unique in its approach to activism are its core concepts of moral fusion—the cooperation of all systems of faith towards the light of truth and justice—and uplifting the leadership of poor people. The Campaign has been shaped by the leadership of King and Barber, both theologians who see the true meaning of...

By Luke Higgins “Wherever there is a ruin, there is hope for treasure—why do you not seek the treasure of God in the wasted heart?” – Rumi Our culture tends to provide ample opportunities for reflecting on those gifts and talents that distinguish us from other people. Less available are opportunities to reflect on those particular wounds and special vulnerabilities, often with us from an early age, that shape so many of the basic contours of our being. If we do attend to the latter, they are often viewed as obstacles in our path – handicaps we are to mitigate the effects of, or ideally,...

Going forward,
I must be aware of the prayers my elders prayed over me long before I ever christened the earth with an inaugural cry.

by Rev. Anna Blaedel "Here’s one thing you must understand about this blessing: it is not for you alone. It is stubborn about this. Do not even try to lay hold of it if you are by yourself, thinking you can carry it on your own. To bear this blessing, you must first take yourself to a place where everyone does not look like you or think like you, a place where they do not believe precisely as you believe, where their thoughts and ideas and gestures are not exact echoes of your own. Bring your sorrow. Bring your grief. Bring your fear. Bring your weariness, your pain, your disgust as how...