Learning the art, and practicing the discipline of compassion, begins by paying attention. It is not possible to be compassionate until we actually take notice of our surrounds, until we see the people before us as, well, real people. Sharon Salzberg, Compassionate Practitioner, voices this animation.
Read MoreChristmas is full of the celebratory sounds of music that echo the joyous fifty days of Christmastide. This music is particularly well suited to choirs and orchestral arrangements in western culture. Here is a small selection to draw you into the richness of the season.
Read MoreRev. Teresa 'Terri' Hord Owens, general minister and president of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), offers a sermon on becoming the church that Jesus has called us to be - fully committed to anti-racism. The Diciples of Christ are in full communion with The United Church of Canada.
Read MoreThe black church is a musical bootcamp. Beyonce, Aretha Franklin, Anderson Paak all found their start singing in the church. Sound Field (PBS) travels to Chicago, the birthplace of gospel music, chatting with gospel artist, Donald Lawrence and then to Orlando to meet singer Tye Tribbett at his church.
Read MoreThe world with all its delights, and sorrows, pushes and pulls us in many different directions. We tend to think that we are having to choose always, between good and bad. But this is not so. We are simply called to choose one way or another way, and often the choices are between two equally good things. How then will we know which path is the one to follow?
Read MoreBoth hope and the risk get summed up on Epiphany. The word means “manifestation,” or “appearance” or “revelatory moment.” Theologically speaking, epiphanies signal something new, but—at least for a lot of folk—something uncomfortable as well.
Read MoreWhen we look into the face of the other, truly look, we see them in all their vulnerability, in their unique beauty, in their richness of thought, their complexity. We see how easy it is to kill them in the many, many ways we can do this, and we see that they are asking that we do not.
Read MoreUnderstanding the concepts in the Emerging church is important for any churches in the 21st century who desires to provide a spiritual place of rest, reflection and intelligent theology for their local neighbourhood. Here Peter Rollins, Irish writher, Christian theologian and philosopher, talks about the Emergent Church in an interview.
Read MoreHonour your father and your mother, so that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you. The fifth commandment, on face value, seems simple enough. But you will know that nothing, when it come to matters divine and matters human, is simple. Rich. Deep. Mysterious. Complicated. Yes.
Read MoreWars tear families apart, diseases rage, storms whip water into sheets of terror, and still, and yet, here is wondrous paradox: the great mystery we dare to name, holds us in tenderest caress, and like the sunʼs gentle warmth coaxing unripe fruit into the fullness of being, rocks us with divine dreams and whispers our true essence, pressing its heart upon us,
Read MoreAndrew Peterson is a musician, writer, and performer who has offered the world a wide range of music reflecting on the mysteries of the Christian faith. A devoted man, he seeks conversations with the divine through his music, offering up thought provoking lyrics that catch at the hearts.
Read MoreThe Shalva Band is comprised of 8 talented musicians with disabilities and performs to the highest musical standards by invitation at cultural venues and dignitary events throughout the year. Inspiring crowds with its musical repertoire and charm, the band is one of Shalva’s most celebrated inclusion programs. Shalva, is the Israel Association for Care and Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities
Read MoreEclipse 6 is a six person group from Utah who create all their music a cappella. No instruments are used but the human voice, which is quite remarkable. Here are three samples of their work, two traditional hymns and a modern country tune that should be one as well.
Read MoreThe Kingdom Choir, a collective from London, England sings performs and records songs that inspire and unify people. In December 2020, The Kingdom Choir held a very special performance at The Treehouse Hotel, dedicated to all NHS staff who have worked above and beyond this year in caring for those suffering from COVID19.
Read MoreFormed of individual singers and performers from in and around London, England, The Kingdom Choir is a group of like-minded artists dedicated to creating a sound that demonstrates the community they share. The Kingdom Choir has been performing up and down the country and all around the world for over 20 years. They are perhaps best known for performing at the British royal wedding, May, 2018, ‘Stand by Me.’
Read MoreYes, there were terrible things in the news this week and every week, but, Louis Armstrong, who knew some trouble in his time, offers us this ode to beauty and hopefulness that always seems to lighten the spirit. It is perhaps the musical version of ‘Rejoice in the day and be glad.’
Read MoreHere are two short videos from the wonderful spiritual writer and teacher Richard Rohr. Rohr, a Franciscan Friar, created and leads the Centre for Action and Contemplation in Albuquerque. Father Rohr founded the Center in 1987 because he saw a deep need for the integration of both action and contemplation. His centre is a rich resource for those on the contemplative path.
Read MoreThe idea that songs can bring redemption has echoed down the centuries. The wretch that was saved in “Amazing Grace” was rescued from Hell by a song – “how sweet the sound.” The appalling crime he’d committed was the same crime that afflicted Bob Marley in his “Redemption Song”: the writer of “Amazing Grace” was a slaver; Bob Marley was a descendant of slaves.
Read More"Dear Virus, Thank you for shaking us and showing us that we are dependent on something much bigger than we think. Thank you for the humbleness that comes with this realization..." So, begins Riya Soko's extraordinary letter of gratitude to the virus that has turned the world upside down. Here it along with Jennifer Henry’s KAIROS Easter message from 2020 and still powerful today.
Read MoreIn his beloved book 99 Blessings: An Invitation to Life, Br. David Steindl-Rast writes, “Blessing, rightly understood, is the invisible bloodstream pulsating through the universe — alive and life-giving.” Each and every moment, we can cultivate deeper awareness of the blessing of simply being alive, greater appreciation for all that works and is sufficient in our lives, and wonder and awe for the miracles that are within and around us at all times.
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