brian shivers

In that moment when you can only hear the message that you have failed, are a failure, will never be enough, could never measure up . . . pause . . . breathe deeply; feel your pulse; listen again. The truth is deeper. You are the beloved. You are a gift of the universe to the universe. You are . . . you, and that is exactly who you need to be. -bshivers

words speak  worlds into existence - galaxies, super novas, and planets; a universe of particles, atoms, molecules, quirks and quarks; the beautiful and unusual, the exotic and familiar, the seen and unseen, the you and the me; the breath of life in the form of speech molds and shapes that which can only be held by the creative imagination; handle these words,  your words, all words with care for they can also destroy in an instant that which took an eternity to build -bshivers

It is up to me to change, to demand change, to work for change. I am committed to this work.  Having said all of this, I confess that my indoctrination started early and continued through my childhood, adolescence, and young adulthood. History lessons focused on Western Europe, the colonies, and the United States of America - the “City on a Hill”. All of this was taught from a White colonialist point of view.   Art history focused on artists and art forms from Western Europe and the United States. Music focused on . . . yep, you guessed it, Western European and US musicians. The only literature classes offered in my high school were British Literature, American Literature, and the Bible as Literature.   Church life was focused on colonial ideals of mission and a White-centered worldview. The theologians studied and referenced were all White Western male theologians. The hymns we sang were written by White Western composers.   The unholy trinitarian alliance of Christianity, democracy,