brian shivers

Rest Your spirit; Your mind; Your body; Your soul. Breathe Deliberately; Slowly; Deeply; Completely. Dwell In acceptance; In peace; In grace; In love. Be Present; Here; Now; You.

Stay focused. Pay attention. Listen deeply. Stand up. Speak out. Seek truth. Be vigilant. Be hope. Be grace. Be light. Be love. Be you. Tomorrow, vow to do the same.   — bshivers

no need to pretend you are enough as you are you are beloved   — bshivers 

stop . . . breathe. feel that? that is the eternity of you, and you are beyond beautiful. stop . . . breathe. feel that.   — bshivers

I was born  between the strength  of her thighs through water and blood, the agony and ecstasy, using muscles I do not own experiencing contraction pain  I will never feel. Soaked in pools of sweat  and cries of determination  demonstrating a resolve  I could never imagine.  She is fierce.  She is wisdom.  She is Mother Earth.  Eve is her name.  She is called Hagar, Rahab, Elizabeth, Mary, Fatimah, Akshara, Sofia, Li Na. Her pain is her resistance.  We are her progeny; evidence of her strength.   Our lives are called to echo  the audacity of her hope  for we are her children.  We call her  mother.   — bshivers 

“Hey, are you awake yet?” I hear this question from my childhood ringing in my ears. I remember anxiously whispering this question into my mom’s ear while standing beside my parents’ bed on Saturday mornings and excitedly shouting it from the top of the stairs in the early hours of Christmas Day. There was so much to do. And I knew that without an affirmative response to the question, not much of it was going to happen. Didn’t they know? Now was no time to still be sleeping. “Hey, are you awake yet?” Today, I hear this question echoing in the depths of my being. And I need to answer. There is so much work that needs to be done. My part in that work begins with an affirmative response to the question. “Hey, are you awake yet?” I’m waking up. I know that I am not fully woke, yet. But every day I am wiping more sleep from my eyes and see more clearly where I can join in the amazing work that is already being done. I know that now is no time to still be sleeping. When you see me, ple...

On this weekend when we celebrate the birth, the life, and the legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. may it be more than just a time to relax and enjoy time off from school and work. May this day be more than a moment to reflect fondly on a life of a historical figure who impacted our culture greatly. May this be a day when we reflect on where we were, where we are, and where it is that we need to go. May this be a time when we hear the message of Dr. King and consider how it is that we might embody it. May this be a moment when we honor his life not with nostalgic thoughts but with sacrificial action.  There has been progress made in civil rights since the time of Dr. King. Laws have been passed, policies have been enacted, and hearts have been transformed through the hard work and deep devotion of those who have committed their lives to the fight for equality for all. However, today one does not have to look far to see the painful evidence that there is so much work l...

Do not insult the land. Out of that dirt people are formed. Back to the dust they shall return. The ground one calls excrement is sacred. Upon it divine image bearers trod clothed  in beautiful hues, a heavenly art. Children are nourished from the fruit of its soil. Love blossoms on its streets. Eternity dances within each heart. No matter how vile, words spoken from hateful temporal lips can never change the truth of the land’s enduring presence and her people’s everlasting abundance.   — bshivers 

Words matter. We must all remember to listen to the words. Words matter. Words say more than definitions and meanings. Words say more than mere sentiment. Words matter. Words reveal us to ourselves; to one another. Words show us that which we attempt to hide; that which we most deeply believe. Words matter. Words . . .  “it is out of the abundance of the heart that the mouth speaks.” Luke 6:45   — bshivers #words

As this year begins take time to see one another, listen to the experiences of others, believe the people who share them, seek justice, create beauty, make space for others, be a friend those who are different, forgive, fail with the best intentions, say, “I’m sorry,” mean it, ask for forgiveness, hear the voices of the marginalized, do something frightening, live our own stories courageously, offer grace to ourselves and others. May we speak these truths to ourselves everyday; you are necessary, your story is beautiful, your life is magnificent, you are worthy of love and acceptance. Thank you for being.

there are only five at least that’s what we are taught five ways to sense life

kiss passionately taste beauty ev’ry moment savor this one life   — bshivers

scents contain power to unlock the memories hidden deep inside

gentle is the touch of the hands that understand we need each other

receiving all sound ears are always wide open listening takes time

take the risk to look directly into their eyes behold the divine

These scars tiny lines major fissures irreversible marks traced and remembered as evidence of mistakes failure defeat hidden in secret under the cover of shame These scars not a sign of weakness or a flaw of character even broken places are beautiful they are fault lines where the light of the universe breaks in and the effulgence of a magnificent life shines out the world forever transformed by the radiance of you — bshivers