“Hi Michelle, blessings. I wanted to tell you that – thank God – I received my social security card and I have an appointment (provisional job offer) at Amazon tomorrow.” This good news came suddenly, and it pulled my friend back from the brink of a potential financial crisis. The spiritual implications were hard to miss,Continue reading “A Better Kind of Miracle”
Category Archives: Race & Ethnicity
Immigration: Whose Crisis?
Last week I had a brief, surprising moment of agreement with President Trump. He described the situation of Central American asylum seekers at the US/México border as a humanitarian crisis – “a crisis of the heart and a crisis of the soul.” I recognized that as a profound truth. Unfortunately, we do not share theContinue reading “Immigration: Whose Crisis?”
A Warning from Anne Frank
Last weekend in Amsterdam I queued up for two hours in cold weather to gain admission to the Anne Frank House museum. There was no guarantee that there would be space for me, or that my endurance would last long enough to find out. But I made it inside! It was a profound experience. I don’tContinue reading “A Warning from Anne Frank”
The Other Thing Happening in Paris – Climate Change
My chiropractor recently told me ‘There’s no guarantee that you won’t have more than one problem at a time.’ He was speaking the truth about the health of my spine. And his words are equally true when applied to the state of our world. Most people who know me assume that I am preoccupied withContinue reading “The Other Thing Happening in Paris – Climate Change”
Ferguson: No silence, no acceptance
I usually resist the urge to write about every heartbreaking event that comes along. I’m a slow blogger, and by the time I finally write something the moment has often passed. But here’s the thing: silence sometimes looks like acceptance. So let’s talk right now about Ferguson, Missouri. This looks like complex situation in whichContinue reading “Ferguson: No silence, no acceptance”
A Conversation on Genocide and Whiteness
Jean-Baptiste, a survivor of the 1994 Rwandan genocide, wants his story told and remembered. I had the privilege to sit in his home and listen. Listen. It started with house burnings. Then cattle thefts. Then machete hacks and seven days in a pit, praying, surrounded by the dying and the dead. Ten siblings among theContinue reading “A Conversation on Genocide and Whiteness”
2013: Signs of Hope in Seattle
I see broken inter-group relationships everywhere I go. This is part of my DNA as a peacebuilder, but it can become heavy. I must remind myself to celebrate the positive. There were signs of hope around Seattle in 2013. Representative Jim McDermott introduced the Duwamish Tribal Recognition Act. There’s a history here of broken promises. TheContinue reading “2013: Signs of Hope in Seattle”
What does God think of Thanksgiving?
The turkey leftovers are gone, but I’m still thinking. Most of us know that the ‘Pilgrims and Indians’ story taught in school has been – ahem – sanitized. But the day is about being thankful, so it’s all good, right? Well, sort of. I do like Thanksgiving. It’s not about the food; it’s about beingContinue reading “What does God think of Thanksgiving?”
I Can’t Not Look
I can’t not look at ‘unpeace’ in the USA. I’ve never been able to look away. Wherever in the world I’ve wandered, some stubborn part of my heart has never stopped monitoring the pain unfolding in my home country. I learned the term unpeace from colleagues in Mindanao, Philippines many years ago. Unpeace simply meansContinue reading “I Can’t Not Look”
I’ll Stand by You. Won’t I?
I used to live in Washington DC, but that was a decade ago, so I didn’t see the new Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial until last Saturday. I was in DC briefly for a conference, and I didn’t want to leave without visiting that site. I am not a big fan of statues in general,Continue reading “I’ll Stand by You. Won’t I?”
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