Rev. Nate (he/him)

Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul and Mary Bridged Folk-Pop Eras (Gift Article) With Peter, Paul and Mary, the musician, who died on Tuesday at 86, eased folk songs into the Top 10.

I grew up loving the sweet sound of Peter, Paul, and Mary. Rest in peace, Peter Yarrow.

“The Peter, Paul and Mary sound was never raw or unplanned. It was intricate and decorous, usually with just three voices, two guitars and the discreetly jazzy underpinning of a bass fiddle.”

(Gift article ⬇️)

"Thomas Merton Daily Dose" in maroon text, overlaid on a painted image of evergreen trees in the background.

Today, Dear Creator,
this bluesky lauds you.

I too, Abba, praise you,
with all these my siblings.

We are all one silence,
and a diversity of voices.

You have made us together
you have made us one and many
you have placed me here

in the midst…
as witness
as awareness
and as joy.

Here I am.

Jimmy Carter, a lifelong Baptist, left a legacy of faithfulness, compassion and justice Baptist leaders are remembering President Jimmy Carter as a Christian example of faithfulness, compassion and justice — and as a staunch advocate of a traditional view of religious liberty. Carter, th...

So many reason to love the legacy of President Carter, but his commitment to proper religious freedom is perhaps my favorite.

“The United States’ most religious president in recent memory was also the most committed to the separation of church and state.” -Amanda Tyler, Baptist Joint Committee

Black and white image of Howard Thurman with candle in foreground. Text over image says: The Mood of Christmas by Howard Thurman 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 people, To make music in the heart.

Thank you for letting me know! I will try to get that edited out as soon as I get to my computer.

Pete Buttigieg on Airlines, Passenger Protections and Travel Advice (Gift Article) The outgoing transportation secretary talks about his record of holding airlines accountable, what might come next and whether to check a bag. (No.)

Occurs to me every time I fly:

“I also think it’s important to really take just a second to contemplate the magic of the fact that we get to where we’re going by being propelled through the air, and that we get to see the clouds from the other side.” -Pete Buttigieg

(Gift article ⬇️)

"Thomas Merton Daily Dose" in maroon text, overlaid on a painted image of evergreen trees in the background.

Let us hope
that what we will see
in the next few years
will surprise us by being
less bad
than we fear

that God may show
Her face and His truth
in our history
in spite of the pride of humankind

that we may reach a period of
peaceful development
if it be possible

~ from The Courage for Truth

Two deer in silhouette under trees with purple and green up lights.

Two deer in silhouette under trees with purple up lights.

Our neighbors are enjoying the new Christmas lights!

"Thomas Merton Daily Dose" in maroon text, overlaid on a painted image of evergreen trees in the background.

This is what it means
to seek God perfectly:

To have a will
that is always ready…

to fold back
within itself

and draw all the
powers of the soul
down from its
deepest center

to rest in
silent expectancy
for the coming of God.

Orange Abyssinian cat standing in snow.

Cat paw print in the snow.

George finally made it outside!

That California cat seems to be adjusting well.

Yes. Pretty sure it’s in the contract of sale.

An orange-colored Abyssinian cat standing on a moving box, stretched tall to look out a window at a snowy winter scene. He looks intently interested.

The wonder of seeing snow for the first time ever 🙀😻

This turned out to be a *surprisingly* good feed! If you want to sample the firehose of denominational mentions on the Skyline, this is more than interesting. (Maybe especially because today is a Sunday).

I thought it was brilliant…really cuts down on unwanted interactions 😉

Indeed!! The wide net search can be interesting to dip into and helps to find folks, and the curated feeds give you who you really want to hear from.

Here’s another feed I created… this one pulls in all mentions of Lutheran and ELCA. Hope it helps!

bsky.app/profile/did:...

Here’s a feed I made for Lutherans. Hope this helps!

bsky.app/profile/did:...

An Abyssinian cat lounging in a maroon chair in front of an ottoman and a fireplace.

“Oh human, the fire needs tending…”

"Thomas Merton Daily Dose" in maroon text, overlaid on a painted image of evergreen trees in the background.

In the center of our being
is a point of

nothingness

which is untouched
by sin and by illusion

A point of pure truth
a point or spark
which belongs
entirely to God

This little point of nothingness and of absolute poverty is the pure glory of God in us.

~ from Conjectures of a Guilty Bystander

An orange-colored Abyssinian sleeping on a grey ottoman, in front of a brown brick fireplace with a low fire crackling behind the glass of a black metal fireplace insert. Firewood is in the background on the right.

Current mood: cozy.

Loved this book! Made me want to dig a cave/cabin under a giant tree like he did. I tried—but didn’t get very far.

Thank you, by the way, for such a thoughtful question. Loving the interactions here on Bluesky.

I think the outward reflection he speaks of is how we desire to be seen… as in the self-serving ways we might try to be performatively good. (Like on social media-haha).

"Thomas Merton Daily Dose" in maroon text, overlaid on a painted image of evergreen trees in the background.

We are warmed by fire,
not by the smoke of the fire.

We are carried over the sea by a ship,
not by the wake of a ship.

So too,
what we are
is to be sought
in the invisible depths
of our own being,

not in our outward reflection
in our own acts.

~ from No Man Is an Island,
Thomas Merton

baptists: “the bible says homosexuality is a sin”

also baptists: “jesus meant grape juice”

Welcome to the Good Place! I have a feed that pulls up any mentions of “anabaptist”. It works fairly well because there are not many overlapping uses of the term. Hope you can use it to find some other Anabaptists 😊

bsky.app/profile/did:...

Show me your pet and what they're named after 💖

George - So huggable and pettable and squeezable!

The other thing I really appreciate about this article: it's a quick study in contrasts of top-down vs. bottom-up church governance. There are pros and cons of either approach to church polity and the author captures them well. I find myself torn at times between these traditions. Anyone else?