Just in case it seems impossible to give thanks today....

Something to think about today: "But above all you should understand that there can never be peace between nations until there is known that true peace, which, as I have often said, is within the souls of men." - Black Elk

Well, I must have gotten "Left Behind".

From our friends at SOJO: "Having dominion over the Earth is about responsibility and service to the planet and its people, because God is not a God of waste and exploitation."
- Vanessa Nakate

I'm afraid this is more widespread than we in the Church would like to admit: "A deference for human leadership has gotten in the way of the Christian commitment to God." v- Courtney Hall Lee, “When Did Christians Become Comfortable with the Loss of Truth?” (via SOJO)

Like God’s love for us, the love we show our neighbors shouldn’t be contingent on merit, safety, efficiency, time, money, energy, or even legality. This love of Jesus surpasses all knowledge, and will seem illogical by most standards.
- Stephen Mattson, “The Illogical Love of Jesus” via SOJOURNERS

I believe this is the new litmus test for churches and church leaders:
"When the church fails to respond to the literal thirst of our neighbors, it is not just a moral lapse — it is a spiritual crisis." - Mae Elise Cannon and Ben Norquist, “Lord, When Did We See You Thirsty in Gaza?” via SOJO

From my reading this morning (Sojourners)- for friends "The basic claim made by the Bible for the word of God is not so much that it is to be blindly accepted because of God’s authority, but that it is recognized by its transforming and liberating power." - Thomas Merton, “Opening the Bible” (1970)

When morality comes up against profit, it is seldom that profit loses.
- Shirley Chisholm

I’m not using my energy for useless fights. I’m using my energy to find peace. Let there be peace on earth.
- Bishop Yvette Flunder, “Black Lesbian Bishop Yvette Flunder Is ‘Using My Energy to Find Peace’” via SOJO

Justice is not something we form or fashion. It is woven by God into the very fabric of creation. It has been from the very dawn of time. Justice just is.
- Curtis Ramsey-Lucas, “Moving From Accessibility to Belonging” via SOJO

"True belonging doesn’t require you to change who you are; it requires you to be who you are." - Brené Brown

The God of peace is never glorified by human violence.
- Thomas Merton

Honor the hands that harvest your crops.
- Dolores Huerta

A very thoughtful and timely message by Peter W. Marty.

"May today be a day of radical love that you show to others and that is shown to you." via SOJO. - Olivia Whitener, “St. Valentine: A Reminder of Radical Christian Love