I am Earth. We are Earth. We are One. We are Many. As our brother Bayo Akomolafe shared: we are more bacteria than we are human. We have more bacterial cells than human cells. We are emergent and interconnected. Science is suggesting what Indigenous peoples, witches and medicine men and women have known for centuries-… Continue reading I am Earth. We are Earth. We are One. We are Many.
Entitled. I was given a very entitled relationship with creation. I was taught that God made creation so that we could enjoy it, and therefore it is my privilege to do the things I like to do without concern about the affect. This is how I was raised. Two memories that come to mind include… Continue reading WwALL-E.
During my undergrad education, I studied abroad in Israel-Palestine. A couple years later, I returned to live and work there for a year. I was working with an organization in Jerusalem which created space for Israelis and Palestinians to learn about reconciliation and form friendships with the person from the “other side.” While there were… Continue reading “who is your reconciliation work really for?”
I’ve always been dissatisfied with the church, as far as inclusion goes. I’ve lived with a disability all my life, spent most of my childhood in a long-stay children’s hospital. In-between times I attended a school for physically and mentally handicapped children (1950’s terminology). I picked up a few unwanted labels on the way and needed to… Continue reading My Two Halves of Life
I am from Northern Ireland. I was born into a ‘side’. My side was Protestant, and from an early age, I heard ‘you can’t trust a Catholic’, a phrase many Protestant children would have had subliminally engrained in their beliefs. We went to our protestant schools and Catholic’s to theirs. We didn’t do Irish dancing,… Continue reading A Story of two sides
For the past 30 years or so, our church community has met in a school in SW London. It’s a large space – freezing cold in winter & boiling hot in summer – probably best known by most as the location of the closing scenes from the film ‘Love Actually’. But for good or for… Continue reading love actually
The person who has most shaped my understanding of reconciliation is a gentleman by the name of Jerry Elster, an exceptional human being, trusted friend, colleague, and mentor. I first met Jerry in 2015 when I attended a Victim/Offender Education Group (VOEG) training with the Insight Prison Project. The curriculum was designed by licensed mental health… Continue reading Hurt People, Hurt People
Describe who or what has most shaped your understanding of reconciliation. White. Male. Christian. If I’m totally honest about this question, I have to start here. As I think about reconciliation and what has shaped and formed what I know in my mind and somewhat in my body, the largest and loudest voice(s) are those of… Continue reading Homogenous might work for milk but not for faith
I think the evangelical church has most shaped the concept of reconciliation for me. I’m sure that as a life-long church attender I’ve heard this term many times. As I reflect on the concept, I feel that the word ‘forgiveness’ took a primary place for any interpersonal disagreement. Memories surface of phrases like, “Forgive others… Continue reading Changed Behavior
In September 2012, I was a junior in college and just beginning to ask myself some hard questions about my identity and place in society. Words like “deconstructing” and “decolonizing” come to mind, but if I’m being real, I wasn’t even at that level yet. I was, however, intrigued enough to sign up for an… Continue reading Uncle Sam Goddamn
