Holy Envy: The Key to Appreciating World Religions
"From an early age, Barbara Brown Taylor knew that she wanted to live a spiritual life."It started early in my life," she says, "a hunger for the beyond, for the transcendent, for the light within the light, the glow within the grass, the sparkle within the water."Taylor went on to become an ordained Episcopal priest, working as rector of a church. But she later left her job with the church and be... posted on Oct 07 2019, 4,353 reads

Hannah Shaw: Professional Kitten Rescuer
"Hannah Shaw's job title is "professional kitten rescuer." Known on YouTube and Instagram as the Kitten Lady, Shaw has rescued hundreds of neonatal kittens, often orphaned and unweaned, who are too small and vulnerable to be in an animal shelter. Kittens are a highly euthanized population in shelters because they require a level of care that most shelters cannot provide. That's where Shaw steps in... posted on Oct 06 2019, 4,176 reads

What Is Your Hearth of Hearths?
"Where--or what--is your hearth of hearths? Where is the place you feel most alive or connected? What is the thing that reminds you who you are and to what (or whom) you belong? In all the world, what do you call home? These are some of the questions that Annick Smith and Susan O'Connor pondered as they edited Hearth: A Global Conversation on Identity, Community, and Place. In the preface, they de... posted on Oct 05 2019, 5,016 reads

What Does it Mean to Love Someone?
What does it mean to love someone? In this heartwarming animated short film produced by Cecilia Baeriswyl and directed by Julio Pot, the dynamics of relationships are explored through an ordinary couple as they learn about the power of giving and receiving. Selected in more than 100 international festivals, this film is at once lighthearted and insightful.... posted on Oct 04 2019, 5,387 reads

Why Busyness is Actually Modern Laziness
"Action addiction is an advanced sort of laziness. It keeps us busily occupied with tasks. The busier we keep ourselves, the more we avoid being confronted with questions of life and death. As we keep ourselves occupied with tasks, important or not, we avoid facing life. We keep a safe and comfortable distance to the issues that are sometimes hard to look at. Have we chosen the right career? Are w... posted on Oct 03 2019, 12,164 reads

A Video Game to Cope with Grief
When Amy Green's young son was diagnosed with a rare brain tumor, her undeniable grief was paired with immeasurable hope, resulting in the creation of a video game, "That Dragon, Cancer." In this Ted Talk, Amy shares how through tuning into moments of play and joy throughout her son's journey, she was able to find a way to acknowledge her pain without denying herself the mystery of grace. Click pl... posted on Oct 02 2019, 2,307 reads

The Rise in Giving Across Africa
"Douglas Ng'ang'a stands in the middle of the "slum library" he runs. Only he doesn't take credit for the 3,000 books housed in his childhood home in Nairobi's Mathare Valley. "The books just showed up," he says. Well, not exactly. His neighbors brought them. Ng'ang'a funds the library by working as a driver. He started the collection with 200 of his own books. Members of the community spread the ... posted on Oct 01 2019, 2,248 reads

Creating a World That Works for All
In a world with overwhelming problems, there can be little reason for hope. In this excerpt of the book, Creating A world That Works For All, Sharif Abdullah is unflinching in what we face: self-destruction. Our world does not even truly work for the select few. The solution is simple: inclusivity. Our lives are inextricably linked. "Inclusivity is the basis for a world that works for all." We mus... posted on Sep 30 2019, 2,370 reads

The Zookeeper's Wife
There will always be a need to tell powerful stories from some of humanities darkest times. This rings especially true for stories about the Nazi's and the Holocaust because we have a resurgence of the same sentiment that led to one of the worst regimes in history. Diane Ackerman wrote a story based on real life historic heroes that remind us that we can fight against oppression in a non-violent w... posted on Sep 29 2019, 4,574 reads

I Couldn't Let Them Die Alone
Sister Helen Prejean is best known for her 1993 memoir, Dead Man Walking, about her role as a spiritual adviser to a convicted killer on death row. The story was adapted into an Oscar-winning film starring Susan Sarandon and Sean Penn. Prejean has accompanied six prisoners to their executions and has been at the forefront of activism against the death penalty. "In [their] last moments, I was amaze... posted on Sep 28 2019, 3,222 reads