We’re two days into the Festival of Faith and Writing, one day still to go. There’s plenty to be anxious and sorrowful about these days, a theme I’m hearing often among these good people at the festival—readers and writers who tend to feel things deeply. These are folks acutely sensitive to abuses of language toward deceit and violence. But they also know that language can console and encourage, make us brave and make us laugh, clarify and challenge. We’re cherishing that power together during these three intense days.
Already I’ve gathered more treasures than I can sort or ponder. So I will simply toss a few of the more portable ones into a basket today and invite you to enjoy a sampling. Take one to savor.
on persistence
Kwame Alexander, summing up his experience with rejections: “Once you get the yes, the no’s don’t matter.”
on the “not yet” before chaos gives way to light
Macy Halford, quoting Oswald Chambers: “Expect God to come, don’t expect him to come in the way you expect.”
on having faith in people
Carrie Newcomer, between songs both melancholy and hopeful: “I’m a traveling folksinger: I believe in the power of kindness.”
on where to go for help
Parker Palmer, quoting Wendell Berry: “What we need is here,” within us and between us.
on balm for daily life
The woman sitting next to me in a session, sharing how she and her husband have started making fires in the fireplace in the morning before work. “We call them ‘breakfast fires.’”
on the need for good writing
Jonathan Merritt, motivating us to keep writing: “The internet is a hungry monster and we have to feed it.”
on the publishing world
Jonathan Merritt, urging us to accept new digital realities: “Hemingway is dead, literally and figuratively.”
on gendered narratives in the media
Abigail Disney, with a wry smile, about herself: “If you want to see what a Disney princess looks like, here it is.”
on women in the film/TV industry
Abigail Disney and Dorothy Fortenberry, describing the need to find new ways to build stories: “Where do we get the playdoh to make the new Legos?”
on #metoo
Abigail Disney, holding out both compassion and fierce accountability for men in media who have lost their careers: “The road to redemption must be paved with bricks of apology.”
on religion journalism
Sarah Pulliam Bailey, describing changes in the religion beat since the election: “It’s been hard to break through Trump noise.”
on public curiosity
Sarah Pulliam Bailey, assuring us that people still want to read in-depth journalism: “There’s a deep interest now for context and history to inform the moment.”
on peacemaking
Padraig O’Tuama, reflecting on his experience in reconciliation work in Northern Ireland: “The work of peace is fierce,” and, at the same time, “Through the gentle arts of human encounter, you can get to know someone who’s not you and still stay you.”
on using your words
Padraig O’Tuama, relating the words commonly used by a 14-year-old girl who had a wily way of getting the mean kids to stop bullying: “Settle down and be happy.”
on longing
Kate Bowler, sharing her empathy with Christians who adhere to a prosperity gospel: “We want less pain, and if we can’t have it, we want answers.”
on life after certainty
Kate Bowler, offering gentle words to those sitting with her in that dark place after a terminal diagnosis: “You must discover what is possible now that the Terrible Thing has happened.”
This is just a tiny sampling, and I’m only one person. I’m scribbling in my notebook as fast as I can, and I’m not even telling you all the clever jokes and tender stories and dear human connections I am witnessing in this extraordinary space. It will take months, maybe years to spin out and consider the implications of everything that happens this weekend. I’ll just say: Right now we need courage and beauty and tenderness and wisdom and brilliance and perseverance, and what we need is here.
Postcards from Festival 2018 (So Far)
We’re two days into the Festival of Faith and Writing, one day still to go. There’s plenty to be anxious and sorrowful about these days, a theme I’m hearing often among these good people at the festival—readers and writers who tend to feel things deeply. These are folks acutely sensitive to abuses of language toward deceit and violence. But they also know that language can console and encourage, make us brave and make us laugh, clarify and challenge. We’re cherishing that power together during these three intense days.
Already I’ve gathered more treasures than I can sort or ponder. So I will simply toss a few of the more portable ones into a basket today and invite you to enjoy a sampling. Take one to savor.
on persistence
Kwame Alexander, summing up his experience with rejections: “Once you get the yes, the no’s don’t matter.”
on the “not yet” before chaos gives way to light
Macy Halford, quoting Oswald Chambers: “Expect God to come, don’t expect him to come in the way you expect.”
on having faith in people
Carrie Newcomer, between songs both melancholy and hopeful: “I’m a traveling folksinger: I believe in the power of kindness.”
on where to go for help
Parker Palmer, quoting Wendell Berry: “What we need is here,” within us and between us.
on balm for daily life
The woman sitting next to me in a session, sharing how she and her husband have started making fires in the fireplace in the morning before work. “We call them ‘breakfast fires.’”
on the need for good writing
Jonathan Merritt, motivating us to keep writing: “The internet is a hungry monster and we have to feed it.”
on the publishing world
Jonathan Merritt, urging us to accept new digital realities: “Hemingway is dead, literally and figuratively.”
on gendered narratives in the media
Abigail Disney, with a wry smile, about herself: “If you want to see what a Disney princess looks like, here it is.”
on women in the film/TV industry
Abigail Disney and Dorothy Fortenberry, describing the need to find new ways to build stories: “Where do we get the playdoh to make the new Legos?”
on #metoo
Abigail Disney, holding out both compassion and fierce accountability for men in media who have lost their careers: “The road to redemption must be paved with bricks of apology.”
on religion journalism
Sarah Pulliam Bailey, describing changes in the religion beat since the election: “It’s been hard to break through Trump noise.”
on public curiosity
Sarah Pulliam Bailey, assuring us that people still want to read in-depth journalism: “There’s a deep interest now for context and history to inform the moment.”
on peacemaking
Padraig O’Tuama, reflecting on his experience in reconciliation work in Northern Ireland: “The work of peace is fierce,” and, at the same time, “Through the gentle arts of human encounter, you can get to know someone who’s not you and still stay you.”
on using your words
Padraig O’Tuama, relating the words commonly used by a 14-year-old girl who had a wily way of getting the mean kids to stop bullying: “Settle down and be happy.”
on longing
Kate Bowler, sharing her empathy with Christians who adhere to a prosperity gospel: “We want less pain, and if we can’t have it, we want answers.”
on life after certainty
Kate Bowler, offering gentle words to those sitting with her in that dark place after a terminal diagnosis: “You must discover what is possible now that the Terrible Thing has happened.”
This is just a tiny sampling, and I’m only one person. I’m scribbling in my notebook as fast as I can, and I’m not even telling you all the clever jokes and tender stories and dear human connections I am witnessing in this extraordinary space. It will take months, maybe years to spin out and consider the implications of everything that happens this weekend. I’ll just say: Right now we need courage and beauty and tenderness and wisdom and brilliance and perseverance, and what we need is here.
Refugia Podcast Episode 40 Kipuka to Kipuka: Islands of Life, Faith, and Restoration
Our final episode of Season 4! This week, we travel to Hawaii with a whole troop of good people to visit some remarkable refugia spaces near Kaneohe Bay on Oahu. This episode, produced by Colin Hoogerwerf and Jim Stump, first aired on the Language of God podcast in April of 2025.
Refugia Podcast 39 Seeds of Peace and Hope: Christina Bagaglio Slentz and the Diocese of San Diego
Today, I’m talking with Dr. Christina Bagaglio Slentz, Associate Director for Creation Care at the Catholic Diocese of San Diego. Christina has a background in sociology, with a PhD in international studies and global affairs. She’s also a Navy veteran. Today, she serves a diocese of 97 parishes, helping to guide and empower people in their creation care work. The Diocese of San Diego is a microcosm of diverse biomes and diverse people, and it’s a fascinating example of refugia, because as a diocese, they are doing all the things. Christina and I talk about Laudato si’, solar energy, economics, eco spirituality, environmental justice advocacy, the centrality of the Eucharist, and the mutuality between caring for neighbor and caring for the Earth.
Refugia Podcast Episode 38 So Much Joy: Linda Racine and Traverse City Presbyterian Church
In 2022, there were multiple policies or overtures passed focused on creation care, and it really put out an alarm, saying “It’s serious, folks, the Earth is really in trouble. So we need to take strong action.” And they were encouraging all churches to reduce their carbon emissions by at least 25% in the next four years and get it down to net zero or net positive by 2030. A group of interested folks at church looked at that and said, “Let’s do it. Let’s go for it.”
Refugia Podcast Episode 37 Land as Primary Text for Healing Community: Elaine Heath and Spring Forest
Elaine Heath is the abbess of Spring Forest, a new monastic community in Hillsborough, North Carolina. Spring Forest centers around communal prayer and meals, a vibrant farm, refugee support, and other ministries you can read about here. You can learn more about Elaine’s work as an author and speaker on her website, or in articles like this one from the Center for Action and Contemplation.