On Sept. 30, American Baha’is received a letter from our National Assembly, the elected body which oversees the affairs of the Baha’i Faith in this country. The letter addresses current conditions in our country and, indeed, the whole world. Much of the letter addresses what is expected of the American Baha’i Community at this time, […]
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You shall rejoice in your festival
The Jewish lunar month of Tishri, which falls in September and October on the civil calendar, is the busiest time of the Jewish year, filled with holidays and observances both solemn and joyous. Within the past two weeks we have celebrated Rosh Hashanah (the New Year) and Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement), the start […]
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An anchor of hope?
Confession: I’m scrambling to get this column to IT and make a deadline for a presentation I’m to give at the Communicators for Women Religious Conference in Chicago next week, so I’m double-dipping. The conference theme is “Navigating the Winds of Change.” Months ago, I had to give the organizers a title. Hastily, without much […]
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Unfolding lives
“When Jesus laid his hands on her, immediately she stood up straight and began praising God.” – Luke 13:13 The prophet Hosea (11:4) describes God as one who “bends down … to feed, to lift up and to hold.” Strength and flexibility are both necessary in the act of bending. We have a God who […]
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Praying for godly leadership in our nation
No doubt in the next few weeks appeals for prayer will increase across this nation and throughout this world for the local, state and national elections in November. And rightly so! The extent of insults, dehumanizing, disrespectful, erroneous and vitriolic expressions and accusations being made by various candidates against their opponents are indicative of ungodly […]
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Whistling in church: Finding the joy in religion
As I (slowly) make progress in writing a memoir, I find that one of the perks is that little nuggets of writer’s gold sometimes bob to the surface as I sift through the stream of memory. Recently, I found one that speaks to joy: I was raised in the Protestant Christian tradition and, as in […]
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Sound the ram’s horn on our feast day
On the religious calendar used in the Jewish community to determine when holidays are to be celebrated or observed, we are currently in the month of Elul, the last month of the calendar year. Rosh Hashanah, the New Year holiday, will be observed this year on Wednesday evening, Oct. 2, and Thursday and Friday, Oct. […]
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Being “doers of the word”
Years ago, a brother Dominican claimed Aristotle was supposed to have said, “Laughter is the mind’s ascent to truth.” I take his word for it, because I’ve never been able to find proof. But it accords with my experience. When a laugh reverberates through me without warning, something has rung the bell of truth. This […]
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Community is in our name
Lincoln Land Community College is known for its transfer degrees and its workforce and health care training, but do you know about all the other classes, workshops and learning opportunities designed for ages ranging from 5 to 105? As our name suggests, the LLCC Community Education Department is here to serve the community. These classes […]
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Solving homelessness requires person-specific, real-time data
If you talk to 10 different people about the state of homelessness in Springfield, you are likely to get 10 different answers. There are many reasons for this. Homelessness is complex and can be difficult to clearly define. Cultural assumptions around homelessness often lead to broad generalizations about people and their housing status and publicly […]
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Dealing with the forbidden fruit
There is a proclivity in the mind of man to “taste the forbidden fruit!” Garden of Eden or not, there is something that lures, challenges, even dares some people to seek, desire and even cling to that which is forbidden. I submit that this proclivity has its roots in the essence of the Garden of […]
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Law enforcement and policymakers must build relationships with community
This summer, the Springfield Immigrant Advocacy Network presented three anti-racism workshops funded by the IDHS Healing Illinois. These workshops taught participants how to recognize the manifestations of racism and white supremacy in their work and in organizations, along with ways to mitigate harm and deliberately provide equitable services. My training partner, Dr. Kelly Hurst, a […]
