I was very moved by reading and listening to interviews with Yulia Navalnaya, the widow of Alexei Navalny, who described how he continued to write notes for his memoirs even in the most brutal prison conditions in Western Siberia. In 2020, after being poisoned with a nerve agent, he recovered in Germany, and then returned to Russia knowing he would […]
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Making democracy function
I first posted this in 2017. It seems even more relevant for today. In 1908 a socially conscious and ambitious young pastor from Allentown, PA, overcame deep resentment against his colleagues and decided to lay aside his ego by admitting his own wrong. The simple but difficult decision to ask forgiveness and start the change process in his own life […]
The ultimate decider
“Planning falls under the department and jurisdiction of the Holy Spirit.” I read this sentence in Klaus Bockmuehl’s book, Listening to the God who Speaks*, which Susan and I have been using for our morning time of quiet. It stopped me in my tracks! Yes, I believe in looking for God’s guidance in my life in terms of values, purpose and […]
The true spirit of public service
For those of us who are appalled at the widespread support – even among so-called Christians – for a presidential candidate who has been convicted of financial fraud and sexual abuse, a habitual liar without any moral boundaries who encouraged attempts to overturn a national election, I find it encouraging to recall the words of my father-in-law, the pastor and […]
A remarkable couple
May 14. Remembering my parents, Duncan and Lucy, today. May 14 was my Mom’s birthday and they were also married on this day in 1948 in LA California by Frank Buchman, the initiator of MRA, now the Initiatives of Change movement. They were a remarkable and very diverse couple who were together for 50 years and raised three children. Mom […]
Life is an adventure!
Today I turn 75! It’s hard to believe I have reached this milestone, although frequent visits to the physiotherapist reminds me that my body needs more care. “Slow down, you are not Superman!” is a frequent instruction. I share this birthday with my twin sister, Ann, who lives in the UK. We celebrated together last year when she and her husband […]
Finding hope in walking through the worst
“Finding hope in the practice of walking through the worst.” This was the theme of a sermon by our rector, the Rev. Eileen O’Brien, as we celebrated Founders Day at St James’ Episcopal Church in Austin, Texas last December. “There’s no pretense that injustice and torture and murder are anything other than injustice, torture, and murder.” However, “within the same […]
Toward Transformative Reparations
The National Collaborative for Health Equity published Toward Transformative Reparations, a paper that I co-authored with Mike Wenger, at the request of Dr. Gail Christopher, Executive Director of NCHE. It was highlighted along with several other papers on the National Day of Racial Healing on Jan 16. This is part of an effort to get political, business, and community support […]
Qualities of healers and changemakers
A special guest column featuring a talk by Prof. Gerald Pillay, President of Initiatives of Change International (IofC), at a global forum in July on Healing the Wounds of the Past at the IofC conference center in in Caux, Switzerland. Pillay was born in South Africa where he taught ecclesiastical history at the University of South Africa. He also taught […]
Keeping our hand in God’s hand, and our feet on the ground
This month, I joined colleagues for an Initiatives of Change fellowship call when we reflected on the life of Mary McLeod Bethune, the pioneering educator and civil rights activist. The daughter of formerly enslaved parents, she became one of the most important Black educators and civil and women’s rights leaders of the twentieth century. In 1904 she started the Daytona […]