The Wisdom of Howard Thurman

• “Religious experience is dynamic, it’s fluid, it’s effervescent, it’s yeasty… all these words. But the mind can’t handle that, so it has to imprison the religious experience in some way, get it bottled up. Then, when it gets quiet enough – it meaning the religious experience – then the mind draws a bead on it and extracts out of this ferment concepts, notions, dogmas, so that the religious experience will make sense to the mind. But meanwhile, the religious experience goes on experiencing! Therefore, whatever creed there is, whatever theology there is, it is always a little out of date. This is why I feel, once a religion is stated in terms of dogma, or interlocutions, perhaps, then it can become the source of propaganda… But as long as the experience is vital, the only way that it can spread is by contagion, not by instruction, not by addressing the mind, but as something you catch, as you catch the measles… This is the nature of religious experience, whatever kind it is.”

• "When the song of the angels is stilled, When the star in the sky is gone, When the kings and princes are home, When the shepherds are back with their flock, The work of Christmas begins: To find the lost, To heal the broken, To feed the hungry, To release the prisoner, To rebuild the nations, To bring peace among others, To make music in the heart."

• “Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”

• “There is something in every one of you that waits and listens for the sound of the genuine in yourself. It is the only true guide you will ever have. And if you cannot hear it, you will all of your life spend your days on the ends of strings that somebody else pulls.”

• “Commitment means that it is possible for a man to yield the nerve centre of his consent to a purpose or cause, a movement or an ideal, which may be more important to him than whether he lives or dies.”

• “During times of war, hatred becomes quite respectable, even though it has to masquerade often under the guise of patriotism.”

• “A dream is the bearer of a new possibility, the enlarged horizon, the great hope.”

• "Follow the grain in
 your own wood."


• "To keep a lamp burning,
 we have to keep putting
 oil in it."

• “Community cannot for long feed on itself; it can only flourish with the coming of others from beyond, their unknown and undiscovered brothers.”

James Orange, "Gentle Giant" of the Civil Rights Movement, Passes

We lost another legend of the civil rights movement recently when James Orange passed at the too young age of 65. Though he carried a large physique, Orange was fiercely committed to non-violence; many called him a "gentle giant" of the Movement. Born in Birmingham, Orange participated in the historic civil rights campaign there in 1963. According to Pulitzer Prize-winning author Taylor Branch, “The children’s demonstrations in Birmingham had transformed James Orange from hulking high school drifter to precocious minister of nonviolence.” Orange also served as an organizer for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and helped organize gang members in Chicago to non-violence. He was also well-known for his deep baritone voice and for his preaching. Orange was jailed and beaten on many occasions. During the 1965 Selma voting rights campaign, it was Orange's arrest - and fears he had been lynched - that spurred a protest march that resulted in the murder of Jimmy Lee Jackson by police. Jackson's death and Orange's incarceration prompted the Selma-to-Montgomery march, which was the catalyst for the 1965 Voting Rights Act. Later in life, Orange worked for the AFL-CIO where he helped organize more than 300 labor campaigns. He was also an ardent supporter of the rights of "illegal" immigrants. All tolled, Orange was arrested for non-violent civil disobedience more than 100 times in his life!

Here is the Washington Post obituary. Here is the Guardian UK obit and the New York Times memorial.

March for Peace, pt. V

Our time with Ashley, Mike and now Tom - "March for Peace" - came to a close yesterday (Saturday) with a music festival and peace rally in Carter Lake Park just outside Omaha, on the Iowa-Nebraska border. Two nights previous to that, I drove out to Ashland to meet Ashley, Mike and Drea after their 20+ mile walk that day. Drea had a new appreciation for what it really means to WALK 1,600 miles! The amazing Miller sisters - Lana and Carol - put the marchers up for the night and prepared a HUGE cook-out for all of us. They live on a gorgeous farm compound with two cows, two pigs and some chickens! We had a great time hanging out, talking, jumping on the trampoline, checking out the farm animals and laughing a lot. One of the great things about this experience has been the way it has connected more of us here in Nebraska! At the Saturday rally, there were booths from progressive groups, a number of bands, a slam poet, speakers on a variety of issues - anti-war, immigration, health care, etc. - and a lot of signs. Here are some pics. Again, I hope you will follow the progress of Mike, Ashley and Tom as they continue their journey to D.C.

Click here: March for Peace

Thanks guys! You made a big impression on all of us here in Nebraska and we won't soon forget your example, your courage or your inspiration! Keep on truckin' for peace...

March for Peace, pt. II

Ashley and Mike - a.k.a. "March for Peace" - came through Lincoln yesterday and stayed at my house last night. These are really amazing people! We had a nice, energetic peace vigil at the federal building in Lincoln, with about 100 people in attendance. Far more honks for peace and two finger salutes than one finger salutes. This morning, we drove Mike and Ashley back to their bikes so they could finish the last 12-15 miles into Lincoln before going back to walking from Lincoln eastward. Here are some photos from the experience...

March for Peace

On May 21, two college students - Ashley Casale (age 19) and Michael Israel (age 18) - set off by foot on a 3,000 mile trek from San Francisco to Washington, D.C., in what can only be called an amazing act of conscience. The goal of the march is to bring awareness to non-violent solutions to domestic and global conflicts.

In the "Values" section of their website, it states:

"Students from around the country are interested in engaging our generation in discussion of peaceful solutions to some of the world's greatest problems, and in taking action.... Marching for Peace means marching for:

- Nonviolent resistance to war efforts
- End of genocide in Darfur and all crimes against humanity
- Civil disobedience to social injustices and orders of war
- End of nuclear weapon holding and proliferation
- Principles of sustainability and global citizenship"

Ashley and Michael's "March for Peace" will be arriving in Lincoln this evening to participate in the weekly peace vigil held outside the federal building. Tomorrow, they will head off to Omaha where there will be a large music festival and peace rally on Saturday (7/14) from 1-7pm in their honor at Levi Carter Park.

For more information, to track the progress of, or to support these courageous students, check out the following website:

March for Peace