Persistence "firm or obstinate continuance in a course of action in spite of difficulty or opposition." Persistence is her name. She stands when it would be more convenient to sit. She sits when others wish she would move. She moves when action is demanded. She speaks because her voice shall not be silenced nor stolen yet again. Persistence is her name. She has birthed nations. She has ended wars. She has toppled empires. She has nursed change. Persistence is her name. Mercy is found in the milk of her breast. Empathy is seen in the tears on her cheek. Justice is felt in the sweat of her brow. Righteousness is coursing in the blood in her veins. Persistence is her name. Difficulty will not stop her. Obstacles will not stand. Opposition will not cause delay. Trouble will not linger. Persistence is her name. Nevertheless, she persisted; for Persistence IS her name. — bshivers
In a staff meeting last week one of my colleagues said, "It's not always easy to practice." He was talking about our amazing Sanctuary Choir's commitment to practicing their craft even when they do not much feel like doing so. Their practice shows in the manner in which they offer their gifts and talents each week as a part of the worship life of the congregation. It takes a tremendous amount of discipline to live into this kind of commitment. Even though my colleague's words were geared toward those who are practicing crescendos and dissonant chords, they are also meaningful for faith practices. It is indeed not always easy to practice the faith. This is especially true when you do not feel much like doing so. Getting up and going to worship is a difficult thing when you are in college. Early classes throughout the week and late nights on the weekends make it incredibly tough. And you lose even more of your motivation when you do go and feel as though you
Land acknowledgement: I live on the ancestral lands of the Kickapoo and the Miami. They were forcibly removed from their ancestral lands. This Thanksgiving, I have found myself thinking about what it means for thanksgiving to be an active exercise instead of something akin to a passive counting of blessings. What if my thanksgiving were not just a self serving activity? What if my giving thanks actually led me to something more than keeping a tally of the ways in which I have been #blessed throughout the year? What if it was more than a naming of the results of my privilege and advantage? What if it was more than a list of the same old things that I know I should be thankful for but often take for granted because I can? What would happen if my thanksgiving actually spurred me to action? What would that look like? Perhaps an active thanksgiving would result in a process of discovery of who/what is on my list, of who/what isn't on my list, of who/what is ignored, of who/what I hav
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