brian shivers

Be better. Apparently, this is my phrase for 2020. I’m not exactly sure what it means. I’m not really sure where it came from. But in recent weeks I have noticed that it keeps coming to my mind and spilling from my lips. I find myself saying it under my breath with a deep longing for something different than what we are currently experiencing, “God, we have to be better.” I find myself shouting it when I read about or witness ways that we have let one another down once again, “We HAVE to be better.” I find myself thinking it when I slip into small mindedness or begin thinking that somehow my perspective is superior to that of another, “Come on Brian. Be better.” This phrase isn’t about self improvement or achievement. Rather, I think it is a challenge to be, to exist, to live in this world, better. Be better. May 2020 be a year of self reflection, discovery, and action. May 2020 be a year to be better. -bshivers

Allow me to be abundantly clear, I will stand for human rights for all humans. I will stand against theological perspectives that confuse bigotry and exclusion with religious piety. I will stand for my Jewish and my Muslim and my Hindu and my Sikh and my Jain and my Buddhist and my pagan and my nonreligious friends and family members, and their right to practice or not practice the religion of their choosing. I will stand against religious claims that otherize or demonize people who believe differently or call upon the divine using a different name. I will stand for black lives because black lives matter. I will stand for equality for lgbtqia persons because love is love is love is love. I will because it is what we must do for one another as humans. I will because it is what my understanding of Christianity compels me to do. I will do all of this imperfectly, but I will try. And when I fail, I promise to learn and be better. This is where I stand. Just to be abundantly clea

The most sacred of all texts is the life of the one standing in front of you, sitting beside you, lying next to you, and looking into the mirror and staring back at you. The most sacred of all texts is the life of the one stranded at the border, sleeping on the sidewalk, living in fear of the next bombing, and worshiping quietly in a synagogue or temple or mosque. The most sacred of all texts is the life of neighbor, friend, foe, and stranger. May we honor their beauty and seek the presence of the divine in their presence.