Dependence of church members on civil government for material support should be avoided if possible, especially where such dependence would interfere with the Christian’s freedom to testify to the government of Christ.” —Friends of Truth / Glenside Friends Meeting, Christian Conduct Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, […]
The courage to be selectively transparent
Despite a 20-year healthy career in television and film, Taraji P. Henson is still a radically underestimated actor and producer. From the ABC/WB series, Sister Sister, to this year’s Hidden Figures, Henson has shown remarkable persistence with her acting career, something that’s only benefited the characters whose stories she chooses to tell. Not much in that career would have […]
The virtue you don’t want tested
Endurance. Perseverance. Persistence. Inner strength. Each of these virtues draws praise in an era that worships the rugged individual who conquers circumstance with dogged will and fortune (but mostly dogged will). Three months after the US presidential inauguration, the shine of “resistance” has dulled. So has the popular hope that we can abbreviate the next four to […]
The strategy of hope
In October, before the election, I wrote about hope, imagination, and possibility. Read that post again. I’ve felt a little leery of hope lately. Some of my friends and colleagues have been sleeping poorly. I’ve struggled more with maintaining my sense of optimism while keeping up with and responding to a daily catalog of repressive […]
When persistence makes sense
Constant improvement includes abandoning the things that no longer work… When a strategy or an action doesn’t seem to be working, the rule is, ‘If at first you don’t succeed, try once more. then do something else.’ The first time around a new strategy very often doesn’t work. Then one must sit down and ask […]
Turtle Wisdom
I participated in National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) for the first time this year. My intention was to write 1,600-2000 words for six to seven days per week month-long, and I finished November with a total of 44,881 words. My NaNoWriMo total didn’t make me a “winner” by the rules of the 50-000 word challenge, but […]