The Human Agenda

Celestial Mechanics by William Least Heat-Moon

Celestial Mechanics By William Least Heat-Moon Quotes and Questions selected by David Nelson For Vital Conversations November 14, 2018

Releasing Conversation: Share your name. Do you prefer reading fiction or non-fiction? Give one reason for your answer.

“Much of what follows is factual, and some has been actual.” What is the difference between factual and actual? “Those lacking imagination take refuge in reality.” – Jean-Luc Godard, Goodbye to Language, 2015. Is your imagination staying active?

“Silas, while an editor, came to refer to himself as an Othertarian, a disciple of otherosophy and the study of the otherhood of humankind.” (p.30) What does that mean to you? Explain.

“Writing about Dr. Isabella Longworth…Silas cited her book Ten Sutric Questions, each beginning, CAN WE:
• Eradicate our simpleton within so that we can be remade wiser?
• Embrace religious instruction without indoctrination or inoculating?
• Practice a faith that does not tether the mind?
• Avoid curling up cozy with self-deceit?
• Recognize that consensus is not necessarily truth?
• Beware a faith requiring denials?
• Leave no gaps between belief and conscience?
• Help one who argues ‘God is dead’ toward a great definition of the divine?
• Avoid seeing our neighbor’s holy man as an infidel?
• Remember the finest practical gift of intelligent religion is tolerance?” (p. 36)
Why did these thoughts upset the readers of the Star-Observer? Which ones challenge your faith/thinking?

“A Cosmoterian doesn’t worship. Or pray. He chooses to respect and honor, and that required understanding and empathy --- endeavors considerably more challenging than worship or prayer…How could God be anything less than everything and still be God? A word carelessly used – say pantheist or atheist – can disrupt thinking and corrupt terms into hostile labels.” (p.96) “Cosmoterians are members of the Oft Reformed, Frequently Reorganized, Happily Unorthodox Church of Probability where questions superseded opinions.” (p. 172) “In Norse mythology the original human is named Ask.” (p. 110) Share some thoughts about your understanding of worship, prayer, respect, and honor. Can we avoid hostile labels?

Why did Silas decide to risk a hot air balloon ride?

Notation on a page torn free and placed inside the leather cover: “To whom it may concern: My existence is a sinkhole I cannot climb out of. I have a play I no longer believe in. I have excelled at a single thing this year – deceiving myself. If only unrequited ardor would generate abated ardor. The icehouse calls. I bequeath all I leave behind to Celeste Heppermann who did what she could, and for that I am grateful.” “It was signed and – incorrectly dated. Was it a suicide note-cum-will? (p. 270) Was it a suicide note, or could it be something else?

“Fundamentalism succeeds by making true believers thrive on intolerance. And let’s keep in mind why it’s called fundamentalism…Because it’s expelled from a horse’s fundament…I’d prefer cosmological talk to the scatological…beheading can be done with a blade or with more subtlety. Threats, repression, mockery, indoctrination, excommunication, book burning. And especially, especially, lazy thinking.” (p.323) Why is fundamentalism still such a popular religious position in our world?

“George Washington Carver said the wonderful secrets he discovered lay within each plant, but to elicit them he first had to love the plant. As gardeners, we should ask what we want of our garden. The best gardens begin in the heart, and the best gardeners are those happy to swap a few ripe strawberries today for bird song tomorrow? (p.358) What does that suggest to you?

“To fairest Celeste who has engineered a man’s return. To my celestial mechanic? (p.369)
What is a “celestial mechanic” and why did Silas and perhaps all of us need one?

“Pioneering psychologist William James called religion a ‘feeling of being at home in the universe.’…Our tendency has been to pretend that the Universe is how we wish our home would be, rather than to revise our notion of what’s homey so it embraces the Universe.
--Carl Sagan, Pale Blue Dot, 1994” (p.387) What is the difference?

How has this read challenged, adjusted, reinforced, altered your place in the universe?
What questions do you bring to our Vital Conversation that can add value to others and to yourself?

December 12, 2018 Convictions: How I Learned What Matters Most by Marcus J. Borg
Do Christian beliefs still matter? Do they really change us or the world? Bestselling author Marcus J. Borg reflects on the convictions that he has developed over the course of his life and why they provide a part of hope for those seeking to be faithful Christs in the twenty-first century. He was among the most widely known and influential voices in progressive Christianity. As a fellow of the Jesus Seminar, Borg was a major figure in historical Jesus scholarship.

January 9, 2019 – Size Matters: Why We Love To Hate Big Food by Charlie Arnot
Despite food being safer, more affordable and more available than at any time in human history, consumers are increasingly skeptical and critical of today’s food system. Charlie Arnot provides thought provoking insight into how the food system lost consumer trust, what can be done to restore it, and the remarkable changes taking place on farms and in food companies. Charlie will be a part of our Vital Conversation.

David Nelson – humanagenda@gmail.com – 816.453.3835

Thanksgiving 2018

LEADER: God, there are days we do not feel grateful.
ALL: When we are anxious or angry.
When we are alone.
When we do not understand what is happening in the world, or with our neighbors. We struggle to feel thankful.

LEADER: But this is Thanksgiving, we choose gratitude.
WOMEN: We choose to accept life as a gift from you, from the unfolding work of all creation. We choose to be grateful for the earth from which our food comes; for the water that gives life; and for the air we all breath.

LEADER: We make the choice to see our ancestors, those who came before us, and their stories, as a continuing gift of wisdom for us today.
MEN: We choose to see our families and friends with new eyes, appreciating them for who they are, and be thankful for our homes whether humble or grand.
We will be grateful for our neighbors, no matter how they voted or how much we feel hurt by them.
We choose to see the whole planet as our shared commons, the public stage of the future of humankind and creation.

ALL: God, this Thanksgiving, we do not give thanks. We choose it.

LEADER: And we will make thanks, with strong hands and courageous hearts.
WOMEN: When we see your sacred generosity,
We become aware that we live in an infinite circle of gratitude.
That we all are guests at a hospitable table around which gifts are passed and received.
We will not let anything opposed to love take over this table.

MEN: Instead, we choose to see grace, free and unmerited love, the giftedness of life everywhere, as the tender web of all creation.
In this choosing, and in the making, we will pass gratitude onto the world.

LEADER: Thus, with you, and with all those gathered here, we pledge to make thanks.
ALL: And we ask you to strengthen us in this resolve.
Here, now, and into the future.
Around this table.
Around the table of our nation.
Around the table of the earth.
Amen.

Bethany College 2018 Alumni Award of Merit for Distinguished Service

Bethany College Alumni Dinner
October 13, 2018
David E. Nelson – Alumni Award

When I got the call about this award my first thought was “of course, they have made a mistake.” I know about my four years at Bethany. I have lived my 50 plus years since. This must be a mistake. Then I thought about it and decided to go with the flow and make plans to be here, in case you change your mind.

In the late 1930s Bethany College President Emory Lindquist drove to Canton, Kansas to visit and attempt to recruit a young woman who had a state-wide reputation for speech and debate. In order to make it possible he agreed to hire her as his personal secretary at the college. That young woman was Barbara Lacquement. She did not have a date for the Ottawa football game and there was a train to and from the game. Eugene Nelson, a leader on the debate squad, made a generous offer to invite her as his date. On the train, on the way back to Lindsborg, she fell asleep on his shoulder. Both my Mom and Dad like to say, “She continued in that position for the rest of her life.”

Thanks Mom and Dad for telling me stories of Bethany College. Dad used to tell me, “Bethany is named after the town in the Bible ‘where Jesus liked to hang out with his friends.’”

As a sophomore at Bethany I was part of a Blue Key assembly that reintroduced “The Terrible Swede” as the mascot. L. Dale Lund, the president at the time, called me into his office the next day and told me that was a mistake. It would be bad for the school to raise image of “terrible” Swede. That was not my only mistake at Bethany. I remained the “Terrible Swede” mascot for my entire time at Bethany. Several years ago, a new statue was added on campus of The Terrible Swede. Today a new outfit was used. A bit different from the buffalo skin, huaraches sandals and shabby shorts. While I was a senior, Dr. Lund visited from the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago. He made an appointment with me and said he strongly felt “David, you belong at seminary.”

Thanks Dr. Lund for reminding me that I make mistakes, but I am not a mistake.

From the first day on campus to graduation day I dated and began to define my life in relationship with Ann Sandberg. She knows me better than anyone and knows better than anyone that I make mistakes. She also chooses to believe in me and forgives me and reminds me I am not a mistake. Thanks Ann for being the most precious partner anyone could ever have. Thanks for our partnership in home-making and parenting to three wonderful children. One of them is memorialized in the Molly Amanda Nelson Pre-School Library just down the hall in this building, and two that have also become alumni of Bethany. Thanks Lars, Lucia and Molly for your reminders that loving someone is never a mistake, even when it hurts.

During the 50 plus years since I graduated from Bethany College I have been granted amazing opportunities to learn, serve, mentor, speak, coach, provide spiritual direction, and befriend many. I have had the honor of serving three wonderful congregations of the LCA and the ELCA. Along with my sisters and brothers of various world religions I was privileged to help establish the Greater Kansas City Interfaith Council and serve as convener in the early years. I worked with people in Head Start, Migrant Education, and Health and Human Services, in Prehospital Care and 911 Communication Centers. I partnered with men in the United States Penitentiary in Leavenworth, Kansas, who were transiting their lives. Thanks for all those wonderful people. Each one has been a gift to me.

One of the strongest guiding values was what I learned at Bethany College. Thanks Bethany College and the Bethany Family, I accept this incredible honor, whether it is a mistake or not. I make mistakes, but I am not a mistake. James Joyce said it years ago and I embrace it today, “Mistakes are the portals of discovery.”

God: A Human History

GOD: A Human History by Reza Aslan
Vital Conversations September 12, 2018
Quotes and questions selected by David Nelson.

Releasing Conversation: Share your name. Who or what is God? You can prepare for the conversation by journaling about your own history of God.
1. “It turns out that this compulsion to humanize the divine is hardwired in our brains…what the vast majority of us think about when we think about God is a divine version of ourselves; a human being but with superhuman powers.” (p. xiii) Do you agree?

2. “This belief is called ‘animism’ – the attribution of a spiritual essence, or ‘soul,’ to all objects, human or not – and it is very likely humanity’s earliest expression of anything that could be termed religion.” (p. 7) What do you think is the earliest expression of religion?

3. “We are Homo religious, not in our desire for creeds or institutions, nor in our commitments to specific god and theologies, but in our existential striving toward transcendence; toward that which lies beyond the manifest world…it must be a product of human evolution.” (p. 25) Have you had a “wow” moment? Have you experienced transcendence in some way?

4. “Freud considered religion to be a neurosis: a mental disorder that fosters belief in invisible, impossible things and leads to compulsive actions and obsessive conduct.” (p. 31) “Religion is first and foremost a neurological phenomenon…Every impulse, every impulse without exception – is generated by complex electrochemical reactions in the brain.” (p. 39) Do you agree, or do you think and feel God is more than “electrochemical reactions” in your brain? Prepare to make the case for your opinion.

5. “To get to know the gods better, we will construct entire spiritual systems based on the only thing we can truly know: ourselves…the gods need food…the gods need shelter…the gods need names… the gods need personalities…the gods need mythic histories.” (p. 57) Does this make sense to you? Why or why not?

6. “Monotheism – that is, belief in a sole, singular God – has existed for barely three thousand of those years. (p. 98) Does it surprise you that belief in just one God is so recent and almost unknow throughout most of human history?

7. “And if Israel no longer existed, then neither did its god, Yahweh.” (p. 111) Much of the historical part of The Hebrew scriptures is about the battle between various gods. “At least four different written sources that make up the bulk of the early books in the Bible…Yahwist, or J…Elohist, or E, Priestly, or P…Deuteronomist, or D.” (p. 117)

8. “This is the birth of Judaism as we know it: not in the covenant with Abraham, nor in the Exodus from Egypt, but in the smoldering ashes of a razed temple and the refusal of a defeated people to accept the possibility of a defeated god.” (p. 127) How important are the stories of The Hebrew Scriptures to your faith?

9. “The truth is that the early Church’s desire to maintain fealty to the Jewish belief in on God may have been as much for political reasons as it was for theological ones.” (p. 140) Do Jews, Christians, and Muslims worship the same God?

10. “The Quran expressly rejects the belief that God created human beings in his image. God has no image…Yet the Quran is replete with anthropomorphic descriptions of God.” (p. 156) Why is it so difficult to talk about god without using anthropomorphic ideas?

11. “The only way to make sense of the unity of the Creator is to accept the unity of creation. In other words, if God is one, then God must be all…God is everything that exists.” (p. 163-164) “As a believer and a pantheist, I worship God not through fear and trembling but through awe and wonder at the workings of the universe --- for the universe is God. I pray to God not to ask for things but to become one with God. I recognize that the knowledge of good and evil that the God of Genesis so feared humans might attain begins with the knowledge that good and evil are not metaphysical things but moral choices. I root my moral choices neither in fear of eternal punishment nor in hope of eternal reward. I recognize the divinity of the world and every being in it and respond to everyone and everything as though they were God --- because they are.” (p. 169) How important is the fear of eternal punishment or eternal reward in your personal faith? Can you embrace the idea that everything is God?

12. Has this book assisted in your faith development or challenged it? What issues do you want to discuss with others in our “vital conversation”?

The Hate U Give

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas Vital Conversations July 11, 2018

Possible releasing conversation: Share your name and tell of a time you witnessed something very disturbing. What did you do about it?
• MANY OF THE BOOKS WE HAVE DISCUSSED AND AUTHORS WE HAVE HEARD FROM STRESS THROUGH OUT THAT “SKIN TONES EVEN AT A YOUNG AGE IS A PRIMARY IF NOT MOST IMPORANT FACTOR THAT AFFECTS PEOPLE’S RELATIONSHIPS”. YOU’RE THOUGHTS? CHAPTER 1 & 3.
• THE IMPACT ON PEOPLE WHEN A HOSPITAL FIRED A GRANDMOTHER “WHO WAS SICK AND HAD CHALLENGES DOING THE WORK? YOU’RE THOUGHTS? CHAPTER 1
• STARR’S DISCRIPTION OF NATASHA’S DEATH AND THE IMPACT ON CHILDREN AS THEY LEARN TO LIVE IN FEAR AND BEGIN TO DEVELOP HATE AS A REACTION TO “TRYING TO HAVE FUN ON AN HOT SUMMER DAY”. CHAPTER 3
• STARR’S DISCRIPITON OF HER NIGHTMARE WHEN NATASHA BECKON’S STAR TO PLAY AT THE FIRE HYDRANT AND CALEO ASKES HER TO GO FOR A RIDE WITH HIM. WOULD YOU SAY THAT SHE IS BEGINNING TO FIGHT AGAINST THOUGHTS OF COMMITTING SUCICIDE AND JOINING THOSE SHE LOVES WHO HAVE DIED WHILE SHE COULD DO NOTHING? CHAPTER 4
• STARR’S DISCRIPTION OF HER THOUGHTS ABOUT: FUNERALS AND WHO THEY ARE FOR; HOW PEOPLE DRESS AT FUNERALS AND THE COMPARISION OF CHURCHES; THE POLITICS THAT IS STARTING TO DEVELOP AROUND THE DEATH OF HER FRIEND AND AGAIN HER INABILITY TO STOP IT; GANGS AND THER INFLUENCES ON THE WHOLE COMMUNITY; JESUS VS. BLACK JESUS;
YOU’RE THOUGHTS OF HOW A CHILD COULD PROCESS ALL THIS AND FACE LIFE…AND NOT HATE? CHAPTER 8
• STARR AND FAMILY PREPARE FOR PROTEST VOILENCE. MOTHER SAY:” TAKE YOUR DINNER TO THE DEN CAUSE BULLETS DON’T KNOW WHERE THEY ARE SUPPOSE TO GO.” DADDY PROTECTS THE STORE AS MOM TIES TO KEEP THE FAMILY PROTECTED WHILE SHE CHECKS ON AN ELDERLY NEIGHBOR. STARR’S LITTLE BROTHER ASKS: “ARE THEY MAD BECAUSE KHALIL DIED? STAR STATES: THEY ARE REALLY MAD BECAUSE KHALIL WAS UNARMED AND HE STILL DIED.
HOW DO YOU EXPERIENCE THIS AND NOT HATE? CHAPER 9
• STAR SAYS: THE PROBLEM IS WE LET PEOPLE SAY STUFF AND THEY SAY IT SO OFTEN IT BECOMES OK FOR THEM AND NORMAL TO US. WE BEGIN TO BELIEVE IT. WE LAUGH INSTEAD OF USING OUR VOICE TO SPEAK UP AND TELL THEM WHAT WE THINK?
• HOW OFTEN HAVE YOU LAUGHTED AT SOMETHING YOU DID NOT LIKE INSTEAD OF SPEAKING UP? CHAPTER 14
• STARR’S PERSONAL LIFE AND HER ATTEMPT TO DEVELOP NORMAL RELATIONSHIPS WITH FRIENDS, BOY FRIEND AND YET DEAL WITH HER FAMILIES DISFUNCTIONAL RELATIONS SHIPS PAINTS A PICTURE OF A CULTURE THAT AT TIME SEEMS UNREAL. DO YOU FEEL THE PICTURE GIVEN TO US BY THE AUTHER IS ACCURATE FROM BOTH THE “BLACK” AND “WHITE” CHARACTORS IN THIS STORY? CHAPTER 22
• STARR AND HER FAMILY STRIVE TO RECOVER FROM THE RIOT AND HER ROLE IN HER COMMUNITY AS A PICTURE IS PAINTED OF HOW THE COMMUNITY COMES TOGETHER TO RECOVER AND WORK TOGETHER TO REBUILD.
• HOW MANY OF THOSE HERE TODAY WERE LIVING IN THE METRO AREA DURING THE RIOTS IN THE 60’S?
HOW DID YOU/YOUR FAMILIES AND FRIENDS FEEL AFTER THE RIOTS? DID THE KC COMMUNITY COME TO GATHER?
1. How might this book be different if the title was The Hate I Give?
2. Is the designated category as Young Adult appropriate for this book? Why or why not?
3. Is it important that Starr’s uncle is a police officer? Does that impact Starr’s perception of police?
4. With which characters would you be interested in having coffee?
5. What are the strengths of the book? Weaknesses? Are you interested in viewing the upcoming movie?
6. Which main character changed the most during the unfolding of the book? Are there 2 or 3 descriptive words that could be assigned to the book?

Thanks to Dale and Cindy for their recommendation and questions for our Vital Conversation.

Our Fathers: Making Black Men by Lewis Diuguid

June 13, 2018
Our Fathers: Making Black Men, Lewis Diuguid.

Many people don't understand why black lives must matter and why the racial divide seems to be taking the country back 50 years. Like the mythical Sankofa bird, the answer to what's missing now lies in what existed before. This book focuses on one block of St. Louis in the mid-20th century, where African American businessmen living the American Dream also created a sense of community for boys in that neighborhood. Lewis will be with us to participate in our conversation.

Quotes and possible discussion questions
1. Releasing Conversation: “Doc made them (the boys who worked for him) start to believe in themselves.” (19) Share your name and briefly tell about someone who helped you believe in your inherent goodness.
2. “He (Doc) and other young black men and women were driven to expose white privilege for the lie that it historically has been. They didn’t do it by marching in the streets or staging sit-ins at lunch counters. They did it through their everyday acts showing they were competent, capable and just as good and better than those whom white privilege favored. They were the quiet activists, but they were just as angry and demanding.” (44) Is there a better understanding of white privilege today than 30 years ago? Why or why not?
3. “Racism is stupid. But it worked in black businesses’ favor initially, maintaining a stable clientele for them. When integration occurred, the chain on the gate that held blacks in the segregated community came off.” (74) “The new, post-segregation ‘freedoms’ also stripped away people who had frequented black businesses. Abandoned were the grocery stores, drugstores, filling stations, barbershops, beauty salons and other companies that carried Doc’s products.” (165-166) Name some Black business that thrive today. Why aren’t there more?
4. “Racism and discrimination worked like a fungus consuming black neighborhoods throughout St. Louis and many cities…People’s unfortunate tendency is to turn on each other instead of to each other in times of great strife…It causes black people who are choking for oxygen to also wrap their hands around their own and others’ necks.” (84) Why do people often divide instead of unite during difficult times? How can we address that today?
5. “Achieving that level of success was the dream of the black businessmen in the 1200 block of South Jefferson Avenue. However, each man knew that building a fortress around his operation and not tending to the needs and desires of others in the community – particularly the children – would put his business and the community in jeopardy.” Do we have a sense of interdependence in our neighborhoods, communities, and cities today? If not, how can we work to restore it?
6. “He (Doc) let the boys who worked for him, some of his best students and others he could trust know that they as African Americans, always had to work more than twice as hard to be considered half as qualified as white people, and they needed to expect to be tested and challenged constantly in everything they attempted to prove and reprove and prove again that they, indeed, were that good. It is one of the greatest costs of being black in America…Racism is like the wind. You can’t see it; but you can feel it.” (185) Can white people also feel it? Can we talk about it together?
7. As an elder in your community, who are you mentoring these days?
8. What are three words you would use to describe your father.

David Nelson, Appreciative Inquiry Coach
(816) 453-3835

The Promise and the Dream by David Margolick

Ann and I were living on the South Side of Chicago during 1968. Two men who inspired me to dream of a better world and to do what I could to help create and maintain that world were Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy. I have read several books about these giants on whose shoulders all of us who long for a better world now stand. The grief I experience then and shared with so many others have been a part of what has shaped our world and certainly has shaped my heart and my head. I never really thought about their connection that much until I read this book. I again grieved. I again hope. I again claim the promise that the human family can work together to build a more beloved community.

“Each time a man stands up for an ideal or acts to improve the lot of others or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring, those ripples build a current that can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.” RFK in South Africa. These words reappear at Robert Kennedy’s grave.

Kennedy quoting Aeschylus following King’s death, “Even in our sleep, pain which cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart until, in our own despair, against our will, comes wisdom through the awful grace of God.”

“By any historical measure, King will always be the more significant of the two men, though by the time of his death, Kennedy was just coming into his own; ultimately, their accomplishments might have been more nearly equal. But to borrow a phrase from King, it doesn’t really matter to us now. Thanks to their common goals and trajectories and calendars, how they came to belong to the ages in tandem, they are linked as no other black man and white man in the history of civil rights have ever been. In the popular mind, whatever kept them apart has evaporated. They have become a team. It isn’t only in the afterlife that they are together. So, too, are they in the here and now –inspiring us still.” (page 390)

Vital Conversations 2018

2018 Vital Conversations
A Program of the Greater Kansas City Interfaith Council, CRES,
And Mid Continent Public Library - The Antioch Branch
6060 N. Chestnut. Gladstone, MO 64119
The Second Wednesday of each month from 1 to 2:30 p.m.

VC Coffee - the Fourth Wednesday at 8 a.m. at Panera Bread, 311 NE Englewood Rd.

January 10, 2018 The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien
This classic work of American literature has not stopped changing minds and lives since it burst onto the literary scene. It is "The Big Read" for the greater Kansas City area. It is about the Vietnam War but so much more. It gives the reader an opportunity to think about war, memory, imagination, and the redemptive power of storytelling.

February 14th, 2018 The New Jim Crow
Once in a great while a book comes along that changes the way we see the world and helps to fuel a nationwide social movement. The New Jim Crow is such a book. Praised by Harvard Law professor Lani Guinier as "brave and bold," this book directly challenges the notion that the election of Barack Obama signals a new era of colorblindness.

March 14, 2018 Boxes by Temp Sparkman
We are what we remember. We all have our own boxes, downloaded from our hard drives. They appear early in life. Some of them are like others' boxes. Still, what's in them are uniquely ours. Temp will be with us to assist in discussing his book and our unique individual boxes. He will share some ideas for preparing for the discussing the book several weeks in advance.

April 11, 2018 God Against the Gods: The History of the War Between Monotheism and Polytheism by Jonathan Kirsch.
The last stand of paganism against monotheism is one of the great "what-if's in history. How would the modern world look today if the worship of many gods had been tolerated instead of persecuted? Breaking a long-lived taboo, this book reveals the dark side of monotheism and the bright side of polytheism.

May 9, 2018 Radical Dharma: Talking Race, Love, and Liberation, Rev. angel Kyodo Williams, Lama Rod Owens with Jasmine Syedullah.
Igniting a long-overdue dialogue about how the legacy of racial injustice and white supremacy plays out in society at large and Buddhist communities this urgent call to action outlines a new dharma that considers the ways that racism ad privilege prevents our collective awakening.

June 13, 2018 Our Fathers: Making Black Men, Lewis Diuguid.
Many people don't understand why black lives must matter and why the racial divide seems to be taking the country back 50 years. Like the mythical Sankofa bird, the answer to what's missing now lies in what existed before. This book focuses on one block of St. Louis in the mid-20th century, where African American businessmen living the American Dream also created a sense of community for boys in that neighborhood. Lewis will be with us to participate in our conversation.

July 11, 2018 The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
This searing debut about an ordinary girl in extraordinary circumstances addresses issues of racism and police violence with intelligence, heart, and unflinching honesty. "As w continues to fight the battle against police brutality and systemic racism in America, The Hate U Give serves as a much-needed literary ramrod."

August 8, 2018 The Evolution of Africans in North America: The Three Phases of Permanent Perpetual Slavery by Archie Williams
This book uses elements of science by observing patterns of events shaping socioenvironmental conditions impacting on a targeted group. Hopefully this crude analysis will bring some understanding of the present day functioning of the identified group. African Americans, and will assist with predicting what path for treatment would most impact the greatest healing.

September 12, 2018 God: A Human History by Reza Aslan
In Zealot this author gave us a new and refreshing look at Jesus. In layered prose and with thoughtful, accessible scholarship, he narrates the history of religion as one long and remarkably cohesive attempt to understand the divine by giving human traits and emotions. This has its benefits and problems which he points out clearly.

October 10, 2018 Sinners in the Hands of A Loving God by Brian Jahnd
Brian Zahnd founded Word of Life Church in St. Joseph, Missouri, more than thirty-five years ago. In this book, he asks important questions like: Is seeing God primarily as wrathful toward sinners true or biblical? He offers a more faithful and life-giving alternative to those who read the Bible and practice Christianity.

November 14, 2018 Celestial Mechanics by William Least Heat-Moon
The author, who is known for his non-fiction travel adventures, embarks on an exploration into the value of knowledge and rational thinking, the essence of being harmoniously alive, and the very nature of the Cosmos. This fiction novel of haunted love explores the nature of reality, dreams, and leads the reader on a journey toward something vastly different.

December 12, 2018 Convictions: How I Learned What Matters Most by Marcus J. Borg
Do Christian beliefs still matter? Do they really change us or the world? Bestselling author Marcus J. Borg reflects on the convictions that he has developed over the course of his life and why they provide a part of hope for those seeking to be faithful Christs in the twenty-first century. He was among the most widely known and influential voices in progressive Christianity. As a fellow of the Jesus Seminar, Borg was a major figure in historical Jesus scholarship.

Selections are subject to change. If you would like to be reminded and have additional information, contact David Nelson at humanagenda@gmail.com or call (816) 453-3835

David E. Nelson
816.453.3835
humanagenda@gmail.com
www.humanagenda.typepad.com

Miles Megaciph lyrics - shared at Vital Conversations 2/14/18

Migration of the Souled Kind
by Miles Megaciph www.megaciph.com

Verse
1-2-3-4-5-6-7
Resurrect slave ship ghosts to break unleavened
8-9-10-11-12-13
Brand a whole generation with crack and morphine
Burn the image into their heads for more fiends
Get 14 year old kids selling to old men
With 15 shots in the clips they holding
It's an honor to be 16 and already gone in
17-18-19-20
Sex in a prison cell its way too many
21 year olds with the monster in the hood
And we die of an epidemic like only we could
But weak hoods don't exist, only hoods that do
So much for what they tell ya only so much is true
So each one should reach one see what that could do
And maybe more will make it past the age of 22
Hook
You gave me 9 millimeters and 45 Cals
44 mags and techs to spray crowds
Lime green heaters and tools that go blao!
But I'm black and I'm proud how you like me now?! 2X
Chorus
(Sierra's lyrics)
Exposure blinding the lies
It's over I open my eyes
To the power I hold inside
From seeds trees start to rise
Migration of the Soul'd Kind
Freedom from your own mind
Rising up its due time
Liberation feeling free
Verse
For 500 plus now we need our time back
It's an overdue issue where ya human rights at?
I'm a hold the line with you see I'm one of the pack
I'm some Native American some White and some Black
And I'm proud to be from where I'm at that's why I'm here
I'm an earth representer and my state of mind's clear
Cause I hail from New York where the state of mind's dear
And at this rate in our state today we're so near
Bridge
To the quality, quality in the sound
The culture that will change you // Touch the ground
The soldier that will save you when bad shits around
I'm for freedom that will free you fuck being bound!
I'm for beings that uplift you fuck being down
And equality the quality in their sound
Yeah this culture was amazing but it's crumbling now
Just another one blazing, who wants it now?
Verse
This world is afflicted so many thoughts
So much need to change and it force feed the cups
The sane or insane it's all out of sorts
These people playing games like livelihood's a sport
Blood sport baby I'm a natural born killer
In Monopoly the dealer and I'd do it for real
Modern day Nat Turner freeing cubicle sitters
Freedom is truth hurts and their cures make you kneel
Pot licker tinctures got me cocksure
Homeopathic mixtures cannabinoid allure
Spot flipper scriptures my signature
Waving a 44/kick in the door
Rest in peace BIG I'm a even out the score
Rest in peace PAC I'm a take em all to war
The raw best west to east release the flame
Only beast to burn ya state of mind down from shame
Bridge
To the quality, quality in the sound
The culture that will change you // Touch the ground
The soldier that will save you when bad shits around
I'm for freedom that will free you fuck being bound!
I'm for beings that uplift you fuck being down
And equality the quality in their sound
Yeah this culture was amazing but it's crumbling now
Just another one blazing, who wants it now?
Chorus
(Sierra's lyrics)
Exposure blinding the lies
It's over I open my eyes
To the power I hold inside
From seeds trees start to rise
Migration of the Soul'd Kind
Freedom from your own mind
Rising up its due time
Liberation feeling free

Holiday Greeting 2017

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.”

― Martin Luther King Jr.

Greetings to you and your family as people around the globe light candles, bonfires, and various other ways of keeping the light shining no matter what else is happening.

In a world often torn by conflict and a nation divided and struggling to keep core values, we celebrate the many lights of hope that appear.

Ann and David celebrated their 50 years of marriage in a special way in July with all 11 of our family together for a week. Our children and their families bring much light and laughter to our hearts. Hard to believe we will have a grandchild in college next fall. We celebrated our Bethany College 50th reunion last fall.

We love our Kansas City community and the comfortable engagements of our Church home, exercise classes, Assistance League, Stitch Group, Vital Conversations, Eggs and Enlightenment, Retired Clergy, Interfaith Family, Old Codgers, and various small groups and dear friends. We continue to make our current residence the right place for us well into the future. We both celebrate good health and active lives.

We continue to spend several weeks each year in Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park as well as visits with family in Bozeman, Montana and Kingman, Kansas.

Books we enjoyed this past year: To The Stars Through Difficulties by Romalyn Tilgman, Islam and The Future of Tolerance by Sam Harris and Maajid Nawaz, When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi, and One Hope: Re-Membering the Body of Christ. Kansas City area libraries all participated in a “Big Read” of the book The Things They Carried to help us remember The Vietnam War.

Our reading, theater attendance, movies and TV shows remind us that light and dark are both part of human life. Love and hate, however, are different than light and dark. We choose each day which candles to light and with which to pay attention.

We trust that you are also identifying, celebrating, and nurturing the love and the good that surrounds you. The world is a wonderful home. Sharing it with you is part of our joy.

Ann & David Nelson

anncnelsonkc@gmail.com

humanagenda@gmail.com

816.453.3835