Eric J Rubio

On Freedom by Timothy Snyder - Timothy Snyder Acclaimed Rale historian and author Timothy Snyder's on Freedom is a brilliant exploration of freedom--what it is, how it’s been misunderstood, and why it’s our only chance for survival.

"Art is what shakes up the everyday and exposes the present moment for us, enabling us to make the unexpected connections from the past to the future."

@timothysnyder.bsky.social

timothysnyder.org/on-freedom

Whoever curates the selection at 誠品書店 eslite bookstore in Taipei is almost unbelievably good. This title was just released last week; I thought I’d need to wait until summer for it.

This Awful Week in Our Nation’s Capital — Eric J. Rubio If you are reading this and live in another part of the country or in another country, I don’t necessarily fault you if you don’t grasp the enormity of it. Those who know me well know that I’m not nor...

My raw, in-the-moment thoughts at the end of this awful week in this nation's capital.

www.ericjrubio.com/the-rubio-ro...

When did a pastor calling for those in power to be merciful and compassionate to the powerless become “progressive?”

When did calls to mercy and love become “liberal?”

When did loving our neighbor and carrying one another’s burdens become partisan?

If you’re upset by a woman prophetically speaking truth to power, allow me to introduce you to Jesus’ mom:

“God has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. God has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty.” -Luke 1:52-53

If your Christianity causes you to be offended by someone asking the most powerful person in the country to be merciful towards the powerless, then you have profoundly misunderstood the teachings of Jesus Christ.

Co-sign this. Just back inside from brushing off and shoveling around the car (condo parking lot). Did a bit of the sidewalk along the route to my parking spot as well.

Thank you, President Joe Biden
Thank you, Vice President Kamala Harris.

I'm glad I voted for you in 2020.
Your leadership and approach to public service has inspired me.

NLRB Issues Inclusive Writing Guide In furtherance of the National Labor Relations Board’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility program, the Agency has issued an Inclusive Writing Guide for Agency employees to follow in inter...

#ICYMI: This week, @nlrbgov.bsky.social released an "Inclusive Writing Guide," which after a quick skim I can tell is a really helpful reference for anyone who does any type of non-narrative writing in their professional contexts. (Download PDF within next 9 days!) www.nlrb.gov/news-outreac...

YouTube video by R. Christopher Teichler The First Noel - R. Christopher Teichler

No better piece of music for #Epiphany than @composerchris.bsky.social's gorgeous setting for wind band and symphonic chorus of "The First Noel." Enjoy! youtu.be/QWTBl_8mJAQ?...

Looking forward to continue to follow your really excellent content on email, on LinkedIn, and now here on Bluesky in 2025!

It also makes it harder for them to ban books.

A Prayer for Christmas Morning: joining all of creation in praise of the Christ Child. A happy Christmas, friends!

(Painting: "The Nativity: Who were the First to cry Nowell? Animals: all as it befell," by Eric Gill, c. 1914.)

Eric's 12 Days of Christmas 2024 Playlist · Eric Rubio · 12 items

Merry Christmas! Here's my annual 12 Days of Christmas Music playlist. Enjoy!

open.spotify.com/playlist/6VH...

When Eternity Played by the Calendar - Christianity Today A Christmas prayer

"If all this is true, if a love like this is the blood that courses through all reality, behold, all things are new."

www.christianitytoday.com/2014/12/when...

"In a world weary of religious speech, #Christmas is the celebration of an act. That act is the display of divine vulnerability taking on the complete helplessness of a child. God wraps himself not in strength and power, but in weakness."

Advent wreath with all five candles lit, including the Christ candle.

"For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven, was incarnate from the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, and was made man." (The Nicene Creed)

"The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it." (John 1:5)

#MerryChristmas!

The crisis is not that Christians now feel politically homeless, but that we ever thought we could make our home in politics in the first place.

In Iceland, on Christmas Eve, people give each other books so they can spend the evening drinking cocoa & reading. It’s called, Jolabokaflod, the Christmas book flood. I’ve never been more in love with Iceland than I am right now ♥️♥️

An Advent wreath with the first two purple candles lit

#Advent II
Peace

In Advent we remember that the Spirit of God arrives, not in the nick of time, but in the fullness of time.

We go to the center of time wherein the Incarnate God enters fully into the chaos of time.

And we anticipate how Christ in his resurrection heals time:

www.wdavidotaylor.com/blog/advent-...

#Advent I
Hope

There is a certain comfort in hopelessness. It allows us to guard our hearts from being wounded again. The gospel calls us to the dangerous work of believing that God might indeed be active in our world that in the midst of so much darkness there is still space for light.

Just learned about this tragedy yesterday morning in Oak Park, my original hometown in Chicago suburbs. This happened in the heart of downtown, just steps away from the church where I grew up/served on staff for many years. Grieving with the community there today. Rest in peace, Detective Reddins.

#Advent begins tomorrow! I'll be using Biola University's Advent Project as part of my daily devotional time & would highly recommend it to you as well. From now through to Epiphany in January, receive a daily dose of art, music, poetry, & a short reflection.

ccca.biola.edu/advent/2024

Amen and amen:

"Theology is the never-finished discipline of learning to speak with, to and about God. Prayer, accordingly, is our most determinative speech.

Any theology, therefore, that is finally not about helping us to pray cannot be Christian."

--Stanley Hauerwas, "Prayers Plainly Spoken"

So excited the Advent season is drawing near.

The good news of Advent is not that we are faithful in our waiting (we often aren't) but that God is faithful in his coming.

To have faith in Christ is not only to know Him, but to also know all things through him. He is the lens that bends our eyes, the light that dispels the shadows, the energetic pulse of our beating heart.

Seeking help or expressing your emotions isn't a sign of weakness. It's a testament to your strength and self-awareness. Acknowledging your feelings and taking steps to address them is a powerful act of courage, and it's essential for building and maintaining your mental well-being.

"It is hard precisely because it challenges me to face the painful moments – experiences of rejection and abandonment, feelings of loss and failure – and gradually to discover in them the pruning hands of God purifying my heart for deeper love, stronger hope, and broader faith." (2/2)

Henri Nouwen