Would also love to see you collaborate or dialogue with some other colleagues and contributors here on Substack. Cross promotion snd engagement. Your voice is so important and strong and there are many others doing the work without the reach, let’s work together.
Thanks David. Would love to do that more, but with my schedule it becomes challenging on a scheduling/organizational level to coordinate the many moving parts. I'll see if I can make that happen more often!
totally get it. I have the same issue. I loved our dialogue together in Portland OR, I deeply respect your work and I want to see us all reach more people and have more impact. thanks for all you do!
I voted, but actually all the topics are important to me. I’ll be happy whichever gets the most votes. This is a safe space. That had been the most importantly thing for me. It’s been a lifesaver. Whatever we talk about, I’ll be here.
I would be interested in exploring tools. We have for real political action, things that really work and get people to take us seriously and vote that way in Congress and in elections.
I heartily endorse the idea of a dialogue with colleagues/peers, and as a subject would like you all to explore the hypocrisy of the pseudo-christians on the right---republicans et al. with participants providing real evidence that they are violating true Christian teachings and beliefs as well as citing some Christian leader examples who do NOT agree with the anti-christian, ungenerous, cruel, unjust, xenophobic, demeaning, and even violent treatment of the oppressed and poor. i would also like to see an exploration of why those in the Mormon faith have, to a great extent, held to their beliefs that align with Christian values and do not follow a MAGA bible.
I think talking points to people in the middle and those who were originally in favor of the current administration and are now feeling unsure. We need to build our community by continuing to appeal to morals and empathy. How?
Thank you! If you could work in maintaining creative drive with so much bad news occupying our hearts and minds that would be great. I’m having a hard time creating my artwork. ❤️
1. How to remain positive at 75, when Trump represents everything I despise, and I don't feel Democrats are doing enough to oppose him.
2. How to deal with anger and rage. I fluctuate between feeling that I must do everything in my power to stop Trump, and then feeling like I am wasting whatever time I have left, dealing with the daily crises, and repugnant and traitorous policies he unleashes.
3. How to deal with aging and medical issues that have been exacerbated by the 10 years of stress, cruelty, and anti-American behavior that Trump has wrought.
4. Grief. I still am grieving my late husband of 40 years, whom I dearly loved, and who died in 2020 of a "constellation of medical problems." I still am angry that I couldn't be in the hospital with him due to COVID restrictions, which were necessary because Trump supporters wouldn't mask and had weaponized their bodies. (This was before vaccines.) I still am angry that his doctor of 35 years wouldn't talk to me about death and dying when my husband's body was shutting down, and I had to fight to bring him home to die.
5. Religion. I strongly believe in the Separation of Church and State, and I am Jewish. I came here because I wondered how you are dealing with the diabolical behavior of Christian Nationalists, evangelicals, and ultra conservative Catholics. In my opinion, these right wing religious groups have done more to destroy our country than anyone else, and no one seems to be stopping them. I am neither anti-Christian nor anti-Catholic (my husband was born Catholic), and we shared the same beliefs and moral values. I believe Netanyanu and Trump are equally evil, and do not support the genocide in Gaza.
I cannot agree more with what you said in your response, and I thank you! I have all those thoughts running through my head daily and to the point where it cripples me on some days. The only satisfaction and relief I get anymore is immersing myself in my bible studies with a few seminary online courses. It helps a lot, but still I come back to that same spot whenever I hear Trump's name mentioned because I know every word he speaks is of the Anti-Christ and evil to come! Each day, I see no answers to ending this come from either side, and a huge disappointment from the Democrats that seem to sit there on their hands and deal with things about his craziness and never follow through. I know one day God will end this all, but at what cost to the innocent people who are being hurt and ruined because of his actions?
John, yours is an important voice, especially as one learned in caring for the inner, spiritual lives of individuals and the collective. As such, I really look forward to your new series focusing on that…many can address tactics and such, but you can guide us in the simple but crucial act of rowing upstream, against the current of despair and inability to act at all.
Thanks for the wonderful and life giving work you do!
I love your writing and I certainly support your activism regarding the fascists we need to boot from power, but am missing the rest of your thinking that you used to spend more time on. As an agnostic who thoroughly appreciates Christ's teaching (and that of many of the world's religions) I found your thoughts on navigating the world as a Christian but also as a simple searching human to provide invaluable incites. I'd love to see you return to those sorts of pieces with greater frequency. The bad stuff is important, but I need less (there are many, many sources - not as true of the writing I'm missing provided from your eyes and experiences).
Thanks for your continued strength and visibility. It's important and we need it.
Would also love to see you collaborate or dialogue with some other colleagues and contributors here on Substack. Cross promotion snd engagement. Your voice is so important and strong and there are many others doing the work without the reach, let’s work together.
Thanks David. Would love to do that more, but with my schedule it becomes challenging on a scheduling/organizational level to coordinate the many moving parts. I'll see if I can make that happen more often!
totally get it. I have the same issue. I loved our dialogue together in Portland OR, I deeply respect your work and I want to see us all reach more people and have more impact. thanks for all you do!
Thanks for your honesty, sharing your personal anguish, and informing this community. Oh, and I wanted to check all of these.
Everyone I talk to has the same question:
“But what can we do?”
I voted, but actually all the topics are important to me. I’ll be happy whichever gets the most votes. This is a safe space. That had been the most importantly thing for me. It’s been a lifesaver. Whatever we talk about, I’ll be here.
Haha…all of them? They are all so relevant and important.
I would be interested in exploring tools. We have for real political action, things that really work and get people to take us seriously and vote that way in Congress and in elections.
I think we all could use a little bit of each topic, John. Thank you, as always, for caring and sharing.
I heartily endorse the idea of a dialogue with colleagues/peers, and as a subject would like you all to explore the hypocrisy of the pseudo-christians on the right---republicans et al. with participants providing real evidence that they are violating true Christian teachings and beliefs as well as citing some Christian leader examples who do NOT agree with the anti-christian, ungenerous, cruel, unjust, xenophobic, demeaning, and even violent treatment of the oppressed and poor. i would also like to see an exploration of why those in the Mormon faith have, to a great extent, held to their beliefs that align with Christian values and do not follow a MAGA bible.
I think talking points to people in the middle and those who were originally in favor of the current administration and are now feeling unsure. We need to build our community by continuing to appeal to morals and empathy. How?
John, you always write from my heart. You are a voice in the desert calling!
thank you, and God bless you.
Thank you! If you could work in maintaining creative drive with so much bad news occupying our hearts and minds that would be great. I’m having a hard time creating my artwork. ❤️
How to be positive at 70 when everything around you is being taken away or threatened to be taken away.
1. How to remain positive at 75, when Trump represents everything I despise, and I don't feel Democrats are doing enough to oppose him.
2. How to deal with anger and rage. I fluctuate between feeling that I must do everything in my power to stop Trump, and then feeling like I am wasting whatever time I have left, dealing with the daily crises, and repugnant and traitorous policies he unleashes.
3. How to deal with aging and medical issues that have been exacerbated by the 10 years of stress, cruelty, and anti-American behavior that Trump has wrought.
4. Grief. I still am grieving my late husband of 40 years, whom I dearly loved, and who died in 2020 of a "constellation of medical problems." I still am angry that I couldn't be in the hospital with him due to COVID restrictions, which were necessary because Trump supporters wouldn't mask and had weaponized their bodies. (This was before vaccines.) I still am angry that his doctor of 35 years wouldn't talk to me about death and dying when my husband's body was shutting down, and I had to fight to bring him home to die.
5. Religion. I strongly believe in the Separation of Church and State, and I am Jewish. I came here because I wondered how you are dealing with the diabolical behavior of Christian Nationalists, evangelicals, and ultra conservative Catholics. In my opinion, these right wing religious groups have done more to destroy our country than anyone else, and no one seems to be stopping them. I am neither anti-Christian nor anti-Catholic (my husband was born Catholic), and we shared the same beliefs and moral values. I believe Netanyanu and Trump are equally evil, and do not support the genocide in Gaza.
I cannot agree more with what you said in your response, and I thank you! I have all those thoughts running through my head daily and to the point where it cripples me on some days. The only satisfaction and relief I get anymore is immersing myself in my bible studies with a few seminary online courses. It helps a lot, but still I come back to that same spot whenever I hear Trump's name mentioned because I know every word he speaks is of the Anti-Christ and evil to come! Each day, I see no answers to ending this come from either side, and a huge disappointment from the Democrats that seem to sit there on their hands and deal with things about his craziness and never follow through. I know one day God will end this all, but at what cost to the innocent people who are being hurt and ruined because of his actions?
John, yours is an important voice, especially as one learned in caring for the inner, spiritual lives of individuals and the collective. As such, I really look forward to your new series focusing on that…many can address tactics and such, but you can guide us in the simple but crucial act of rowing upstream, against the current of despair and inability to act at all.
Thanks for the wonderful and life giving work you do!
I love your writing and I certainly support your activism regarding the fascists we need to boot from power, but am missing the rest of your thinking that you used to spend more time on. As an agnostic who thoroughly appreciates Christ's teaching (and that of many of the world's religions) I found your thoughts on navigating the world as a Christian but also as a simple searching human to provide invaluable incites. I'd love to see you return to those sorts of pieces with greater frequency. The bad stuff is important, but I need less (there are many, many sources - not as true of the writing I'm missing provided from your eyes and experiences).
Thanks John. We need your voice more than ever.