from George McGoverrn

"From secrecy and deception in high places; come home, America. From military spending so wasteful that it weakens our nation; come home, America. From the entrenchment of special privileges in tax favoritism; from the waste of idle lands to the joy of useful labor; from the prejudice based on race and sex; from the loneliness of the aging poor and the despair of the neglected sick - come home, America."  

The Deal from Terry Hershey

Groundedness (the sacred present) marries gratitude and spills, becoming generosity and transformation. Why? Because I want to share this gift of wonder. “Did you see that?” “Did not our hearts burn within us?

Two About Seed

Plant seeds.
Don't be stupid.
God's not sending anyone else.
He sent you.
To save yourself.
Be smart.
Plant as many seeds as you can,
for as long as you can.
You never know...
Plant good seeds everywhere.
Plant seeds of love.
Plant seeds of kindness.
Plant seeds of friendship.
Plant seeds of hope.
~José N. Harris, Mi Vida


I must plant the seeds of hope within myself first or I will have no seeds of hope to plant anywhere else. (?) We plant seeds in each  other…We must be alert for the seeds that are being  planted in our souls.
-Brother Ben

(revision 2/26 2020)  I must find the seeds of hope that have been planted in my soul and nurture them until they can no longer be contained in my soul alone.

The Finger and the Moon

The Finger and the Moon Matthew Laney January 21, 2020 “John the Baptist was not the Light, but he came to testify to the light.” - John 1:8 (NRSV) Zen Buddhism has many wonderful sayings such as, “The finger that points to the moon is not the moon.” In Zen, the “finger” is whatever points to the truth of existence. The finger might be the Buddha (the teacher) or the dharma (the teaching), which point beyond themselves to the truth, the “moon.” If you focus on the pointers, you will miss the truth to which they point. The Buddha likened the teacher and the teaching to a raft that carries you across a river. Once you reach the other shore, you leave the raft behind. It would be foolish to take the raft with you as well as unkind to future travelers. This distinction is an important reminder for Christians: The Bible that points to God is not God. The theology that points to God is not God. The church that points to God is not God. The pastor who points to God is not God. It’s easy to confuse and conflate the finger and the moon. Instead of worshipping God, we might erroneously worship the Bible, theology, the church or the pastor which only point to God. The Gospel writer makes it clear from the get-go: although John the Baptist was a bright and fiery figure, he was not the light. He came to point to the light coming into the world. There is one notable exception to the finger-is-not-the-moon rule: Jesus, the true Light, who is both finger and moon. Jesus is the sign and the reality, the teacher and the truth. And Jesus is the Light to whom we, like John the Baptist, are called to point. In the process, we glow brighter too. Prayer Light of lights, although I often feel like the little finger or all thumbs, help me to point others to your eternal brightness. Amen.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Matt Laney is the Senior Pastor of Virginia Highland Church UCC in Atlanta, GA and the author of Pride Wars, a fantasy series published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for Young Readers. The first two books, The Spinner Prince and The Four Guardians are available now.

Life from Three

Put down the pen someone else gave you.  No one ever drafted a life worth living on borrowed ink.
Jack Kerouac

When the power of love overcomes the love of power the world will know peace.
Jimi Hendrix

You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.
Jane Goodall

Let the Spirit Speak

Do not worry if our harp breaks
Thousands more will appear.
We have fallen in the arms of love where all is music.
If all the harps in the world were burned down
still inside the heart
there will be hidden music playing.
Do not worry if all the candles in the world flicker and die
We have the spark that starts the fire.
The songs we sing
Are like foam on the surface of the sea of being
While the precious gems lie deep beneath.
But the tenderness in our songs
Is a reflection of what is hidden in the depths.
Stop the flow of your words,
open the window of your heart and 
Let the spirit speak.
   -Rumi
(translation by Azima Melita Kolin and Maryam Mafi)