A good read from the Wall Street Journal: Even when the world returns to ‘normal,’ the legacy of Covid-19 will transform everything from wages and health care to political attitudes and global supply chains.
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“I happen to like my family,” says Mort Zwick of Las Vegas. “But I’m not insane enough to risk death.”
In a short interview with Mort and Marla Zwick, The NY Times continues to ask how families are doing in the pandemic in a series called "Family Interrupted.”
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Although many winners may quickly be evident on election night, the increase in mail voting because of the pandemic is expected to push back the release of full results in many key states.
The New York Times asked officials in every state and the District of Columbia about their reporting processes There is a fair amount of uncertainty surrounding results in any election, but say that many states will not have complete results on election night.
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Listen to devotional music available through Augsburg Fortress: “Filled with His Voice;” “Many and Great O God;” “What a Friend We Have in Jesus.”
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How does cave diver Jill Heinerth focus during near-death moments while underground, in the dark, and in fast moving water? Take a really deep breath and focus on small, pragmatic steps. Listen to a Fresh Air interview as she discusses her memoir, Into the Planet.
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This excellent article from the StarTribune follows six lives through the pandemic: a 51-year-old Eden Prairie man, a Wayzata funeral home director, a new mother in South Minneapolis, a young nurse in St. Paul, a Chinese restauranteur, and Minnesota’s health commissioner, who would set aside her grief from a deeply personal loss, and get to work. Read here.
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Over the next decade, the number of elderly homeless Americans is projected to triple — and that was before Covid-19 hit. In Phoenix, the crisis has already arrived.
In this New York Times Magazine feature article (also available to listen via Audm), we follow seniors through an Arizona summer. It’s good to see Phoenix’s Justa Center highlighted as well, the only daytime resource center in the state set up exclusively for older homeless adults. Read and listen here.
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Listen to devotional music available through Augsburg Fortress: “Filled with His Voice;” “Many and Great O God;” “What a Friend We Have in Jesus.”
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Harvard’s Project Implicit helps us understand how our “blind spots” influences the ways we treat people and see the world.
Take a quick assessment to learn more about your “hidden” views on the world, and also prepare for our next open conversation about race, Tuesday, 10/13/2020, 6:30–7:45pm.
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Nevada Public Radio brings us this broadcast looking at race and racism in Nevada. We’re listening to these as part of our open conversations about race. Next talk, Tuesday, 10/13/2020, 6:30–7:45pm. Please register here: bit.ly/gcs-1013.
The death of George Floyd was followed by dozens of protests in the streets of Las Vegas. What is happening in Las Vegas, one of the most culturally diverse cities in America?
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The Office of the Bishop staff just completed reading and discussing Joan Chittister’s book, The Time is Now. We were challenged in new ways, and highly recommend it.
Pairing scriptural insights with stirring narratives of the truth-tellers that came before us, Joan Chittister offers a compelling vision for readers to combat complacency and to propel ourselves toward creating a world of justice, freedom, peace, and empowerment.
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With unprecedented access to ICE operations, as well as humanizing portraits of officers and immigrants, this docuseries takes a deep look at the state of U.S. immigration. Watch Immigration Nation on Netflix.
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From ANKOSfilms, two videos asking the important and relevant question: Do Black Churches Matter in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America?
We invite you to watch these videos as part of our next open conversation about race, 9/8/2020, 6:30 pm. Learn more at gcsynod.org/open-talks.
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With over a million views and counting, this parody of Hamilton’s “You’ll Be Back” from Rev. Lonnie Lacy of St. Anne’s Episcopal in Tifton, Georgia, gives us a laugh while we continue to worship while physical distancing.
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12 News has started a conversation with the African American community on the lived experiences and perspectives on race relations in the Valley.
We invite you to watch this film as part of our next open conversation about race, 9/8/2020, 6:30 pm. Learn more at gcsynod.org/open-talks.
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A Time for Burning is a 1966 American documentary film which explores the attempts of the minister of Augustana Lutheran Church in Omaha, Nebraska, to persuade his all-white congregation to reach out to "negro" Lutherans in the city's north side.
We invite you to watch this film as part of our next open conversation about race, 9/8/2020, 6:30 pm. Learn more at gcsynod.org/open-talks.
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A beautifully written feature by Helen McDonald declares and asks, “Swifts spend all their time in the sky. What can their journeys tell us about the future?” A few beautiful lines:
Swifts have, of late, become my fable of community, teaching us about how to make right decisions in the face of oncoming bad weather.
I have always thought ‘vesper flights’ the most beautiful phrase, an ever-falling blue.
In all its glory, the opening to the TV series, Davey and Goliath, first aired in 1961, complete with horns playing A Mighty Fortress is our God in front of the Luther rose. Episodes are free with Amazon Prime and available on DVD through Amazon.
The show was produced first by the United Lutheran Church in America and later by the Lutheran Church in America. Art Clokey, Ruth Clokey, and Dick Sutcliffe created the series. Fun fact: Art Clokey also created Gumby!
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In a Harper’s article, A Litany for Survival, Naomi Jackson begins with: “When I was a girl, my Bajan grandmother insisted that I recite Psalm 23 every night before bed. I didn’t yet know what death was, but I knew that there was something sinister and brave about repeating the words.
My parents emigrated to the United States from Barbados and Antigua in the late 1970s. They were determined to cloak their children in an armor of education, etiquette, and religion—to protect us from a world that, in the words of Audre Lorde, ‘we were never meant to survive.’ “
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From The Atlantic, Long-Haulers Are Redefining COVID-19 explores the months-long problems that plague some sick with COVID-19. “Without understanding the lingering illness that some patients experience, we can’t understand the pandemic.”
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