“Reciprocity means we are only a healthy community if we’re taking care of everybody.”  Edgar Villanueva, Decolonizing Wealth Some concepts ought to be intuitive, but when we finally recognize their truth we’re embarrassed at how long it has taken to sink into our hearts, into our brains, into our souls. After my husband and I went to Israel and Palestine in 2005 with a Faith &   [Read More …]

"Each of you should give what you have decided in your hearts to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver." — 2 Corinthians 9:7 (NIV) If you are lucky, sometime during your life you will have an experience as profoundly moving as Jim Marsh Jr. had when he visited his friend Kim Montroll in Haiti some years ago.  An elderly couple they encountered on a walk fed   [Read More …]

When I am feeling overwhelmed, Lord, I will pray . . . Yesterday I started crying for no apparent reason and losing control like that really got to me.  Given how much the virus has disrupted our lives, none of us should be surprised when that happens now and then  Calm me down when I’m feeling anxious, Lord, and Remind me that tears bring physiological relief to hurting hearts and   [Read More …]

When I am feeling overwhelmed, Lord, I will pray  . . . At a Faith and Money workshop years ago I learned the importance of praying the newspaper.  That idea resonated with me, and as I followed that practice over the years I found that it helped me cope with those things beyond my control and calmed my fears. As the virus swirls around us, I am praying . . . This pandemic is   [Read More …]

 “You insult your Maker when you exploit the powerless; when you’re kind to the poor, you honor God.” from The Message, Proverbs 14:31   The July 6 / July 13 issue of TIME magazine included an article titled, “12 Ways Trump Has Deepened Inequality.”   All can be devastating to the people they impact and all are mean spirited, but three in particular hit families   [Read More …]

Don’t be like the people of this world, but let God change the way you think.” Romans 12:2, The Poverty and Justice Bible Whether for good or bad, one thing is certain about pandemic financial decisions: we aren’t spending our money the way we used to.  It isn’t coming in the way it used to be either.  That makes this a perfect time for each of us to take a good, hard look at the role   [Read More …]

 “We will not make an endorsement in the presidential primary election, but will happily endorse almost any general election candidate running against Donald Trump.”       That blunt statement is from a 2019 summary of the Patriotic Millionaires, “a group of high-net worth Americans who share a profound concern about the destabilizing level of inequality in   [Read More …]