What we Know

Calling Lakes Centre 10 (2013, 6.11), a photo by rchoephoto on Flickr.


     We hear the expected far better than the
     unexpected and recall things in light of what 
     we already think. 

        Gish Jen, Tiger Writing: Art, Culture, and the Interdependent Self

To live

Community 2, a photo by rchoephoto on Flickr.


To live in this world

you must be able
to do three things:
to love what is mortal;
to hold it

against your bones knowing
your own life depends on it;
and, when the times comes to let it go,
to let it go.

Mary Oliver, In Blackwater Woods

Political Theology

DSC_8765, a photo by rchoephoto on Flickr.


Political Theology.
This does not mean reducing theology to politics;
it does mean making theology more conscious of
and intentional about its political function,
bringing out the political meaning and implications of every aspect of faith.

Harold Wells, A Future for Socialism?

Storytelling

RIC_4237, a photo by rchoephoto on Flickr.


     If we want to live at peace ourselves, we need to
     tell our stories.

       Richard Wagamese, Indian Horse

History

RIC_1726-1, a photo by rchoephoto on Flickr.

     History is that certainty produced at the point where the

     imperfections of memory meet the inadequacies of

     documentation.  ...  It's more the memories of the

     survivors, most of whom are neither victorious nor

     defeated. 

       Julian Barnes, The Sense of an Ending

by what we love

RCC_5950, a photo by rchoephoto on Flickr.

We are shaped and fashioned by what we love.

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

.

Prayers

RIC_1045, a photo by rchoephoto on Flickr.


That is what the world needs above all else: not people who “say prayers” with greater or less regularity, but people who are prayers.


Kalistos Ware, The Power of the Name

Contribution

RIC_4919-1, a photo by rchoephoto on Flickr.

The idea of contribution is especially instructive because it lies in the area that unites the “I” and the “we.” We contribute because we are part of something larger than our own lives and efforts, but the form of our contribution is based on our uniqueness and our individuality. 

Carol Ochs, Women and Spirituality

Life

RIC_8164-1, a photo by rchoephoto on Flickr.

Life is a journey back to God,
and our relationships are the road we travel.

Susan L. Taylor, Women of Color Pray

We

RIC_7247-1, a photo by rchoephoto on Flickr.

I am the words and you are the melody,
I am the melody and you are the words. 

Hindu Mantra

Dialogue

RCC_3644, a photo by rchoephoto on Flickr.

It is when we are in dialogue that we are most human. 

Hannah Arendt

A single moment

DSC_0688, a photo by rchoephoto on Flickr.

Any life, no matter how long and complex it may be, is made up of a single moment — the moment in which a person finds out, once and for all, who they are. 

Jorge Luis Borges

Love

DSC_3639a, a photo by rchoephoto on Flickr.

We find the truest expression of ourselves in the people we love. 

Richard Wagamese, One Story, One Song

Meaning of our lives

RC1_8047, a photo by rchoephoto on Flickr.

The relationships that matter the most to us are characteristically to particular people to whom we love – husband or wife, parents, children, dearest friend – and sometimes to particular places – a home or personal territory that we invest with the same loving qualities. These specific relationships, which we experience as unique and irreplaceable, seem to embody most crucially the meaning of our lives.

Peter Marris

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Quiz

RCC_7922, a photo by rchoephoto on Flickr.

What gets you through the day?
Your best friend, being there.

…

What must you give to find the way?
The rest of your life.

Dennis Lee, Quiz, So Cool

Way to freedom

_DSC5471, a photo by rchoephoto on Flickr.

The fastest way to freedom is to feel your feelings.

Gita Bellin

International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination

DSC_0309 a photo by rchoephoto on Flickr.

"Let us honour the memory of those who died in Sharpeville and other racist incidents by redoubling our efforts to eradicate all forms of racism and racial discrimination. Let us translate good intentions into legal standards and the will to uphold them. Above all, let us cherish the rich diversity of humankind and respect the inherent dignity and equality of every human being."

The UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon,

Message for the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination 2010

Moving on

RIC_6824 a photo by rchoephoto on Flickr.

I can’t do anything about the past.
I am going to get better from here,
stop trying to reinvent myself,
trust my stuff and move on.

Tim Lincecum, Pitcher, San Francisco Giants

Being human

RIC_3480
Originally uploaded by rchoephoto

Everyone has relevant observations to make about the nature of God and ultimate things – that the raw material of our lives is stuff of which we construct our sensibility of meaning and purpose in this life, or how the divine intersects or interacts with our lives, of what it means to be human.

Krista Tippett, Speaking of Faith: Why Religion Matters and How to Talk About It

Questions

RCC_8071
Originally uploaded by rchoephoto

Will we have the courage to see each other?

Will we have the courage to see the world?

Christina Baldwin, Calling the Circle