James Ross Kelly lives in Northern California next to the Sacramento River. Mr. Kelly was a long-time resident of Southern Oregon where he grew up. This poem will be published in his new book of poems Black Ice and Fire by Uncollected Press in 2020. Additionally, And the Fires We Talked About published by Uncollected Press in 2020 is Mr. Kelly’s first book of fiction. View all posts by James Ross Kelly Published May 22, 2020
God is bread when you’re hungry, water when you’re thirsty, a harbor from the storm. God’s father to the fatherless, a mother to the motherless. God’s my sister, my brother, my leader, my guide, my teacher, my comforter, my friend. God’s the way-maker and burden-bearer, a heart-fixer and a mind-regulator. God’s my doctor who never lost a patient, my lawyer who never lost a case, my captain who never lost a battle. God’s my all in all, my everything.God’s my rock, my sword, my shield, my lily of the valley, my pearl of great price. God’s a god of peace and a god of war. Counselor, Emmanuel, Redeemer, Savior, Prince of Peace, Son of God, Mary’s little baby, wonderful Word of God.
Thea Bowman (1937–1990) was a Franciscan Sister of Perpetual Adoration born in Mississippi.
In my ongoing conversation with my fellow Christians on the dangers of mixing faith and politics, people will often point to an obscure reference in the […]
The man born blind was not blind as the result of any sin, and yet people tried to find excuses to justify their indifference to him. We must not follow […]
Source: Christians Must Not Excuse Themselves From Helping Others | Henry Karlson
In the late modern world something like socialism is the only possible way of embodying Christian love in concrete political practices.
They were called little Christ’s for following the teachings of Jesus. They were following The Way. This would be a good time to acknowledge that they were not political. They followed the teaching of Jesus. Jesus was not about politics. He was about caring for the sick. Caring for the widow, caring for the other. This list goes on and on. His agenda was not political. It was anti-politics, anti othering, and anti-hate.
When an unarmed black man or woman is shot and killed on camera, they instantly make excuses on behalf of authorities. That can look like trotting out an old mugshot to prove that person’s terrible character, or simply pointing out that they got themselves killed by not being obedient enough. But when asked to stay home, patriots have no problem grabbing their guns and defying orders. The mixture of Christianity and Americanism is a troubling tincture, enabling people to cite Romans 13 to get others to obey authority while they stock up weapons to fight off a potentially tyrannical government. Any religion that demands that others take up their cross while we take up our sword is not Christianity.
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| Jayson D. Bradley
St. John One: One 