Ever experienced something great and then told nobody anything about it? Of course not, right? Whether it’s our new piece of technology, a great restaurant, a fantastic sale, a new friend, we tend to share good news. The same goes with experiencing God’s grace — we can’t help but share it! This sometimes means speaking some good news into spaces that are not willing to receive it. Like standing up against racism, sexism, ageism, and other acts of societal stupidity… Kris shares Acts 19:1-7 and a letter from our United Methodist Bishops.

Here’s a link to the episode on spiritual types: Episode 41: #FOMO

Here’s more information about the ballistic missile scare in Hawaii, and increasingly anxious times in our international relationships: The Hawaii alert was an accident. The dread it inspired was not. — Washington Post Perspective

Here’s a trailer for the most recent Dave Chappelle comedy specials on Netflix.

Here is more information about Scapegoat Theology, a brief summary. Rene Girard is one of the prominent theologians associated with the theory, and an easy Google search away.

Here is the tweet that made us all laugh:

James Breakwell @XplodingUnicorns:

I played Dungeons and Dragons with my daughters.

They were supposed to fight the wolves surrounding a town.

Instead, the fed the wolves and turned them into their friendly wolf army.

Girls, man. They’ll take over the world.

1/7/18, 5:49pm

During the episode, Kris read the letter from the United Methodist Council of Bishops in response to President Trump’s racist comments about people from Haiti and Africa.

Under it, for patriotic effect, she added the music of  Jaime Jorge playing his interpretation of the Finlandia tune on his violin. Here’s a link to that performance. Finlandia is a familiar tune to hymn lovers, providing the melody for such classics as “Be Still My Soul.” Kris included it because it is also the tune of the hymn “This Is My Song,” a hymn about the worth and dignity of every nation, the lyrics of which are below.

This is my song, O God of all the nations,
a song of peace for lands afar and mine.
This is my home, the country where my heart is;
here are my hopes, my dreams, my holy shrine;
but other hearts in other lands are beating 
with hopes and dreams as true and high as mine.

My country’s skies are bluer than the ocean,
and sunlight beams on cloverleaf and pine;
but other lands have sunlight too, and clover,
and skies are everywhere as blue as mine.
O hear my song, thou God of all the nations,
a song of peace for their land and for mine.

This is my prayer, O Lord of all earth’s kingdoms:
Thy kingdom come, on earth thy will be done.
Let Christ be lifted up till all shall serve him,
and hearts united learn to live as one.
O hear my prayer, thou God of all the nations;
myself I give thee; let thy will be done.

Words: Stanzas 1 and 2, Lloyd Stone, 1934, (c) 1934, 1962 Lorenz Publishing Co.; Stanza 3, Georgia Harkness, ca. 1939, (c) 1964 Lorenz Publishing Co.
Music: “Finlandia,” Jean Sibelius, 1899.