Yom HaShoah 2020

A circle of photos with the words'remember'in hebrew.

A name is a life, a story, a whole world – relationships, thoughts, feelings and dreams, dreams, dreams. On this Holocaust Remembrance Day, Yom HaShoah, the air we breathe is filled with lives and worlds and dreams as Jewish communities all over the world read the names of those who perished in the Holocaust. Six…

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A New Normal

A black and white photo of a bench in a park.

Life goes on. The world will eventually resume its normal practices, but with a new perspective in mind. There have been terrible pandemics in human history, but we continue to survive, adapt and thrive with new know-how and ambition. During this period, we will face new challenges, make adjustments in our regular actions and grow…

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An Easter Roundtable with our Team

A pink magnolia tree in bloom against a blue sky.

Easter 2020 will be unlike any before it. Churches will be empty; congregations and families will gather over video call. Over the course of Holy Week, the Intersections team would normally be together in our office on 28th Street in Manhattan—the heart of New York’s flower district, which would be overflowing with lilies, tulips and…

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A Passover Poem

The sun is shining over a lake in the mountains.

Happy Passover to all our Jewish friends, freedom lovers and liberation seekers! A Passover Poem Moses went down And God wept him awake River water freedom and we all feel it flow Moses stood up And Israelites followed him out What if we all did the same? Gave our River water freedom a chance? Darkness…

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The Loneliness of the Cross: Meditations on the Seven Last Words of Christ in a Time of Pandemic [Audio]

The loneliness of the cross meditations for the seven last words of christ in a time of pandemic.

Music credit: “Aspirato,” “Meekness” and “Daedalus” by Kai Engel, used under Creative Commons Attribution License. Transcript: For LGBT Christians who have been separated from their families and worship communities by fear and prejudice, holidays can always be a time of isolation. But now, in this strange Lenten season overshadowed by a pandemic, it seems that…

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My Isolation Experience: Anna

Radiant sun peeking through cumulus clouds

Rarely have these words by Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., resonated as strongly as in these days of globally experienced fear, trauma and despair: “We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny.” In our individual isolation, we – the Believe Out Loud team – want to…

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Confessions of a Local Pastor

The lead deacon at my church called me several days into our mandated social distancing (I cannot recall which day he spoke to me because all the days blend into one another.) and asked if he could post encouraging words daily on our Facebook page.  He commented that he had not seen many pastors or…

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My Isolation Experience: Ben

Sunlit fluffy clouds over bright blue sky

Being confined to a space for an indefinite amount of time can take its toll on one’s perception and spirit. The days blend together; the mind loses track of time. What day is it? I’m not sure, but the sun has gone down at least 14 times now. pngitem.com Along with quarantine’s blur of time…

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Have Faith

Three crosses are silhouetted against a sunset.

Our outlook may seem dark at times and feelings of sorrow and regret may set in. It may look as if there is no light at the end of the tunnel, but know that the Lord is with you. There are no problems too big for God. Continue to have hope and keep faith. Last…

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