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[tam121]

Prophet of joy, prophesy now.

In a recent interview with Ta-Nehisi Coates, Krista Tippett connected her conversation with Walter Brueggeman (I assume; she doesn’t say) to her perception of Coates as a writer: Ms. Tippett: I love the way you write about that, or — I don’t know if I saw an interview you gave, where you — I once talked to a scholar of the Hebrew prophets, and he said the prophets are also, always, poets, because…

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[tam121]

#these3things 110 1. The light after the storm is a promise kept. 2. Waiting gracefully is an art, skill, and its own reward when infused with joy. 3. I love this quote from Enrique Martínez Celaya, artist/physicist, philosopher: "I think that one of the most important ways in which [my scientist self is] alive is the treatment I have towards my studio. I approach it not as a factory, which has become very much the way of artists looking at the studios in the last 40 or 50 years, but rather as a laboratory, as a cross between laboratories and a monastery, that kind of hybrid place. Also, the process of inquiry that I use for my work owes a lot to my training as a scientist. When I take on a new project, rather than building upon the successes of the past or what I have done before, I go back to the holes of my process, the things that I didn’t understand well. And I go into those. And I find that that’s a very typical thing of scientists to do. I also try to be rigorous and unfriendly towards my own biases and assumptions. And I think I also owe that to physics. My interest in philosophy, I think, comes from physics. And finally, and this is maybe the most important of all the reasons, I think the arts have become extremely apologetic to the sciences, partly because science has been so successful over the last 200 years. So I think in many — many of my experiences with academic art and art theory has been the tendency to want to be scientific — or pseudoscientific. And when I came to art, I came to art without apologies. And that gave me a great deal of freedom." What did you learn today? #these3things #inspiremyinstagram #theartofslowliving #seekthesimplicity #dailyjournal #simplejoys #hope #faith #love #joy #marriedlife #light #ordinaryjoy #natureonthepage #todaysgoodthings #gratitude #artist #studio #quoteaday

[tam121]

#these3things 79 1. Roots are growing deeper. 2. Interim time ... it's like standing on a high-wire, balancing all the things and waiting to sneeze. 3. Tonight's dinner and a show involved a stove, lightning, thunder, rain, headlamp for when the power went out, generator for when the power stayed off, and eventually a nice dinner for our understanding guest! It's never dull ... What did you learn today? #these3things #inspiremyinstagram #theartofslowliving #seekthesimplicity #dailyjournal #simplejoys #hope #faith #joy #living #roots #interim #liminal #inbetween #roots #rooted #storms #lightning #poweroutage

[zo-s-treasures]

While the boy isn’t calling back, I learn carpentry. Build a desk. Write a book at the desk.

Olivia Gatwood (via pressedorange)

From Olivia’s bestselling book, New American Best Friend. Get your copy now!

(via buttonpoetry)

[action]

What is something the average American, with no legal or social clout, can do to help with campaigning against mass incarceration rates, and campaigning for prisoner rights?

Although it’s easy to feel like individually we might not have much clout or that one person’s opinion won’t make much difference, when ordinary people unite around a particular issue, it becomes the most powerful force in the world.  The key is to organize – when you organize people and organize resources, you get power.  It’s what has propelled major policy changes like banning the criminal history question on job and college applications, limiting the use of solitary confinement, and recent commitments to close Rikers Island.  If you are someone with no direct experience with the criminal justice system, the best thing you can do is identify groups and campaigns near you that are led by or centering people who have been locked up themselves (and their families).  Those closest to the problem are usually closest to the solution, but furthest from resources and power.  Follow their lead and join them in marching, advocating, and meeting with public officials.  Invest in them financially if you are able – while social movements often appear organic and spontaneous, it costs money to organize them.  Finally, don’t underestimate the power of social media.  While action in the streets and the offices of public officials is still the most effective way to generate change, there are plenty of ways to support those activities from a distance by participating in social media campaigns.

[staff]

Just one particularly striking response from today’s Issue Time on violence and mass incarceration. 

The (highly recommended) rest is right over here at Action (@action).

[tam121]

#these3things 42 1. I donated to @ignitekindred SONG's National Black Mamas Bail Out Day in honor of the one who made me a mama, Harper (aka @gothmom_) 2. “People say I’m brave. Well, it’s like mutual brave, like we are all in this together,” [Dave Chapelle] adds. “It’s a messy intersection of what you think about things, what you feel about things, and I think people find solace in informative art, because it reminds them that they’re now — oh! — thinking and feeling this way.” -- Dave Chapelle, nytimes.com interview 3. Working for justice takes facts and feelings and the ability to hold them in productive tension. So does most every worthwhile endeavor. What did you learn today? #seekthesimplicity #authenticliving #theartofslowliving #joy #love #goodness #gratitude #resistwhitesupremacy #inspiremyinstagram #dailyquotes #livethelittlethings #SONG

[tam121]

Easter

[tam121]

Holy Saturday: A season in Sheol

Holy Saturday: A season in Sheol

I can hardly imagine the shock God felt, squeezing infinite love and creativity into the vulnerability of a human infancy. I am equally at a loss trying to imagine what happened in God when Jesus died. If you take seriously the Trinitarian understanding of the reality of God, it’s a little hard to imagine. Jesus felt forsaken; he said as much. But maybe he was not being forsaken; maybe he was…

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[tam121]

Good Friday: Suffering With, on the Worst Day Ever

Good Friday: Suffering With, on the Worst Day Ever

One of the most poignant and useless and common questions I hear people ask when they face into their Worst Day Ever is “Why?” Why did I get this cancer, why am I dying, or – worst of all – why my child? I so rarely have an answer. There so rarely is one. Theologians tidy up the struggle under the heading theodicy, attempting to organize theories about why bad things happen to good people. (As if…

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[tam121]

Venus was shining like a slow meteor, rising in the east this morning, climbing into the Pegasus constellation. I'm no astrologer, but I think it means Love is flying toward us ... hold on! Might be quite a ride!

[beingblog]

How is is possible that a man who can’t remember the names of his children with whom he’s on stage, can play a guitar solo with blistering speed and musicianship? Even if you’ve never heard of Glen Campbell or aren’t a fan of country music, which I’ll admit, I’m not, you really can’t afford to miss the 2014 documentary about his life and final tour called I’ll Be Me. Battling Alzheimer’s disease in the only way he knows how, by sharing music with his family, Glen Campbell puts himself out front of audiences one last time for the world to see. He is confident, flawed, unashamed, and awe inspiring. The talent alone is virtuosic, but the real show is the courage it must have taken to go out there night after night.

The most remarkable thing is that his musical brain is so well developed, that making music actually greatly improves his cognition and ability to interact. In off-stage scenes, he can’t tell you what year it is, or even identify his younger self in archive footage. But in front of an audience, he is able to draw on his deep well of long-honed ability, and play as if by magic. It is at once heartbreaking and heartwarming, and a testament to the power of family and the human spirit.

While in his dressing room at the 2012 Grammys, he’s reminded that he’s there to accept the Lifetime Achievement award. His response? “I ain’t done yet… tell them that.” Indeed.

[tam121]

Miyazaki sky.

[tam121]

Between the calling and the blessing

Between the calling and the blessing

If ever there was a week to hold the newsfeed in one hand and the Bible in the other, with your mind in your heart and your heart in God, this was it. Let’s see what the word of God has to say to us today. We’ll start with Micah, because I love Micah, the prophet himself and the words, especially Micah 6:8, which feels like a little 8 word gospel. Micah was a small town guy, if not a farmer then…

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[postitforward]

✨ Mental Health Starter Pack for Times of Change ✨

Change can be scary. It can be difficult, overwhelming, and affect our mental, physical, and emotional health in all sorts of ways. Whatever you’re feeling right now, you definitely don’t have to feel it alone. Below is a list of resources and self-care tips to help make life a little bit easier. And if you don’t need them right now, pass ‘em along to a friend who might.

Got more tips? Reblog and add your favorites to the bottom, or make your own post and tag it #postitforward so we all know where to look.

Resources

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: Available 24/7 at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).

Crisis Text Line: Free, 24/7 support for anyone in crisis. Text START to 741741.

IMALIVE: Chat confidentially with a volunteer trained in crisis intervention.

7 Cups of Tea: Speak anonymously with a trained active listener.

NAMI: Dedicated to improving the lives of anyone living with mental illness. Free to chat at 1-800-950-6264.

Trans Lifeline: Dedicated to the well being of transgender people. USA: 1-877-565-8860. Canada: 1-877-330-6366.

The Trevor Project (@thetrevorproject): Confidential suicide hotline for LGBTQ young people. Available 24/7 at 1-866-488-7386.

The GLBT National Help Center: Provides LGBTQ people with free and confidential peer support at 1-888-843-4564. Youth Talkline: 1-800-246-7743.

It Gets Better Project (@itgetsbetterproject): Communicating to LGBTQ youth around the world that it gets better.

To Write Love On Her Arms (@twloha): Dedicated to helping people struggling with depression, addiction, self-injury, and suicide.

American Psychological Association: A resource for finding mental health care in your area.

NEDA: Help and support for people struggling with eating disorders. You can call 1-800-931-2237 or chat with them online.

Self-Care Tips

Don’t be afraid to ask for help if you need it.

Remember to be kind to others and yourself.

Drink plenty of water and don’t forget to eat.

Get enough sleep.

Have a movie or TV marathon.

Read a good book. Start a new series.

Read the #positivity and #postitforward tags on Tumblr.

Draw something or color in a picture.

Take a bath or long shower.

Write your thoughts down in a journal.

Turn your feelings into art. Make crafts.

Bake or cook something you like.

Go for a walk. Have a dance.

Watch a funny video.

Light your favorite candle(s).

Listen to your favorite music.

Take deep breaths. Try meditation.

Talk to a friend, a loved one, or someone you trust.

Make a list of things that bring you happiness. (This really works!)

Do some of those things! See those people!

[staff]

12 days into the new year, 353 to go

Maybe you made a New Year’s resolution, maybe you didn’t. Either way, you probably deserve to feel happy and encouraged in this new year. Consider adding a hearty dose of encouraging, kind animals to your dashboard.

Badly Drawn Everything (@badlydrawneverything) 

Reportedly features badly drawn things, yet this bee is not bad at all. This bee’s message is both positive and realistic. Cool.

Toria (@toriascribblingalonewithcomics)

This Tumblr has a whole tag dedicated to motivational animals. Listen to this sloth. Don’t you dare hurt their feelings.

The Latest Kate (@thelatestkate​)

Even more positive Animalia. Maybe it’s an otter. It’s at least a cousin of the otter. Maybe it’s a polecat? Could be a ferret. Let’s not get caught up on the details, let’s just enjoy this long mammal. 

[tam121]

Thanks.

[tam121]

As a chaplain who joins people on what can be the worst. day. ever. I am thankful for the work of @emilymcdowell_ and all the good thoughts and feels she brings to light! Diving in ... #empathycards #empathyforlife #reallife

[tam121]

Pray always. Don't lose heart.

Pray always. Don’t lose heart.

The story we heard from Genesis  a little bit ago is probably my favorite Jacob story, although that’s not saying much. Jacob is such a trickster, he’s just not my favorite guy in the bible. He does have some cool dreams; the angels on the ladder thing was pretty great. And this story … well. I am glad to know I am not the only one who only seems to catch sight of God in the rear view mirror ……

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