How does singing sustain us? Gena St. David resonates with the power of songs to help us embody hope in challenging times of adversity and nonviolently resist injustice. [Psalms 68:4-9]   Reflection Which song or breath practice might you deepen? Where do you desire to feel more free? How might song or breath help you decide to wait or move? Resources Book: Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain by Oliver Sacks Song: Mississippi Goddam by Nina Simone Song: Hard Times (Come Again No More) by Stephen Foster

When have you engaged with someone radically different from yourself? Christopher Mack hears in Paul’s cross-cultural message regarding the unknown god in Athens, a subversive God who topples the status quo and a Peacemaking Christ who is our moral arc and present assurance. [Acts 17:22-31]   Reflection How might you notice our idols of scapegoating, isolationism, and violence? What might it look like to name the injustices of scapegoating the trans community, our interventions into the politics and economies of Latin America, and lament our dependency on violence, guns, and death? How might you express hope in light of the unknown in the coming weeks? Practices Book: Acts: A Theological Commentary on the Bible by Willie James Jennings Book: Acts of the Apostles: Wisdom Commentary by Linda M. Maloney and Ivoni Richter Reimer

What are some areas that need a deeper look when it comes to how we see Christ, ourselves, and others? Weylin Lee stares afresh at the story of Stephen’s communal execution, and elicits bravery from us to go beyond deconstructing to decolonizing our faith. [Acts 7:55-60]   Reflection How are you invited to decolonize your view of Christ and your faith? How might you offer a unique voice and story in our collective work of advocacy? What does a nonviolent response look like for you in response to someone else’s violence? Resources Podcast: Faith for Normal People, Episode 10, Decolonizing Our Faith by Danyelle Thomas Film: Chinatown Rising a Harry Chuck and Josh Chuck film Book: The End of Memory: Remembering Rightly in a Violent World by Miroslav Volf

On Good Shepherd Sunday, Kimberly Culbertson points to the story of the man born blind in the Gospel of John as a living example of how Jesus companions us, and how we are to embody community for one another. [John 10:1-6]   Reflection Is the person of Jesus shaping your ability to see and be seen? Is the person of Jesus shaping your ability to move toward and guide others to abundance?

What do we do when we’re struggling with addiction in our own life or a loved one’s ? Lilly Ettinger and Joe Arenella bravely share about their own recovery journeys and how they have experienced hope and life, even in the most challenging of circumstances. [Psalm 116:1-6]   Reflection What is your cry to the Divine? Where might you seek reconciliation in your life? How might you take a step toward healing? Resources Book: Breathing Under Water: Spirituality and the Twelve Steps by Richard Rohr Book: Divine Therapy and Addiction: Centering Prayer and the Twelve Steps by Thomas Keating

What does forgiveness mean to you? Gena St. David places lived experience of personal and systemic injustice of the church in conversation with the anxious disciples' first encounter with the risen Christ. [John 20:19-23]   Reflection When have you feared punishment for telling the truth? How might anger become a holy emotion? What injustices do we need to grieve more fully prior to forgiving? Resources Book: The Wild Edge of Sorrow by Francis Weller

What step of hope might we take together? Christopher Mack retraces the steps of Mary Magdalene through trauma and isolation to renewal and belonging. [John 20:1-18]   Reflection What part of your human experience do you need to know God, in Jesus, experiences alongside you? How is what you are willing to see impacting how you live? What does bearing witness to belonging look like for you this week? Resources Book: Learning to Walk in the Dark by Barbara Brown Taylor Book: The Rebirthing of God: Christianity’s Struggle for New Beginnings by John Philip Newell Book: Everything Belongs: The Gift of Contemplative Prayer by Richard Rohr Book: Belonging: 5 Keys to Unlock Your Potential as a Disciple by Karoline M. Lewis

How are we invited to resist the desire for power and living out of our ego? This Palm Sunday, Weylin Lee questions what draws us to certain models of greatness rather than eschewing upward mobility as we follow Jesus on a humble path of solidarity with the vulnerable. [Matthew 21:1-11]   Reflection How are we invited to resist the desire for power and living out of our ego? Who and where are those we need to be in solidary with? What does our identity reveal about our authentic calling? Resources Book: The Selfless Way of Christ: Downward Mobility and the Spiritual Life by Henri Nouwen Podcast: Lead Us Not by Sojourners  Book: This Here Flesh: Spirituality, Liberation, and the Stories that Make Us by Cole Arthur Riley

How might trust grow as we invite God into our dry places? This fifth Sunday of Lent, Kimberly Culbertson companions us into vulnerable places of grief, challenge, and trauma, as she considers what healing looks like in our story here and now. [Ezekiel 37]   Reflection Where in your life are you longing for resurrection? Can you lay that before God? Is there somewhere in your life where you are facing resistance to resurrection? Can you lean into Trust? Where have you already experienced resurrection? Can you make space for joy and gratitude?

What parts of ourselves feel exiled? On this fourth Sunday of Lent, Christopher Mack places the man born blind in conversation with the woman at the well to see how they both bear witness to the power of belonging. [John 4 & 9]   Reflection How might you consider sacred repair and healing for exiled parts of your life? For  people exiled? How might you move toward more belonging for yourself and others? What does a commitment to Beloved Community look and sound like for you in the coming weeks? Resources Book: River Flow: New & Selected Poems by David Whyte Book: Belonging: 5 Keys to Unlock Your Potential as a Disciple by Karoline M. Lewis Book: Atlas of the Heart: Mapping Meaningful Connection and the Language of Human ExperienceTime Away with God by Brené Brown