]]>On Thursday, March 21st, under the cover of night, twelve armed men broke into Bishop Patrick and Rev. Francoise Villier's home; tied them up, hands and feet; took away their computers and cell phones; and kidnapped their youngest son, Demetress. His body was later found by police in a remote area of town (Patrick and Francoise are the leaders of the National Spiritual Council of Churches of Haiti. CONASPEH, in partnership with Global Ministries, is a national council of churches comprised of more than 8,000 small, mostly rural congregations who live, work, and breath God’s gospel of liberation and Jesus' preferential treatment for the poor).
“Death comes,” said Bishop Villier, “but our God still reigns: life will not cease and love will never sleep. My son I thought to be lost, will be found. For, we know that with Christ, death is only a transition from one life to another. Demetress still lives: I see him almost every night, playing football, smiling and happy!”
Patrick and Francoise went on to thank God’s church around the world for their support: “This is to thank all those who have sent their messages of solidarity, their love, their sadness, their pain, their faith and prayers – all are important in this thorny and shadowy moment. Because of all your prayers, we know that we are not abandoned and we are once again full of strength and courage by seeing your unwavering faith. We are proud of you, brothers and sisters from across the faith, we are also proud to be in this wonderful family without borders.”
Over here at SALT, we are praying without ceasing for the Villier family and we ask that you hold them in your prayers as well. We would like to dedicate our latest short film entitled, “Proverbs,” to Demetress Villier and donate 100% of it’s sales to CONASPEH (the organization that taught our very own Liz Myer how to be a Christian!).
"Proverbs" is available over at the SALT Store. It is ready and waiting to be shown in worship or on retreat, so that we all might remember, in prayer and in action, our brothers and sister in Haiti and around the world!
With love and solidarity,
The SALT Team
]]>I cannot sit idly by in Atlanta and not be concerned about what happens in Birmingham. Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. + Letter from Birmingham Jail
Fifty years ago, on April 12, 1963, one of the most important letters in American history was penned by Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. from a jail cell in Birmingham.
As our nation remembers this letter and prepares to observe the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington, SALT has teamed up with Christian Theological Seminary and WFYI to create a provocative new short film to help inspire communities across the country to ask the question: how far have we come on the journey to social justice and what must be done to achieve the dream King so eloquently articulated in 1963?
To be sure: Dr. King’s vision and passion captured a generation’s imagination but we cannot do justice to his memory unless we recommit ourselves anew to that world he envisioned. It is our hope that this August, every congregation in the country (we like to dream big!) will watch this short film, remember this preacher from the south who changed the world, and be challenged anew to see that “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”
As always, let us know what you think! And, know this: Christian Theological Seminary has made this film available for communities across the country to download for free (and SALT has made it availabe in the SALT Store for $0.50).
]]>We've been busy as bees over at SALT making lots of media for the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)! The video above is a spot we created for Hope Partnership for Missional Transformation to support the recruitment, assessment, training and coaching of new church pastors, spouses and core team members (as you may know, Matt and Liz started a new church in Boston, MA (back in the day!) which makes this project especially sweet!).
When Dick Hamm, former general minister and president of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), introduced the 2020 Vision in 2001, he challenged the Christian Church to look like the face of America. He also set forth a challenge to start 1,000 new Disciples congregations by 2020.
Today, Disciples have started 800 new communities of faith and counting! More than 50,000 people have been introduce to the good news of the gospel, and 18 languages are spoken in their churches.
On May 12 and May 19, 2013, Disciples churches will collect the Pentecost Offering to fund the new church movement and they need your support (even though SALT's not a congregation, we'll all be opening our billfolds next month and pitching in for this important work!).
Anyway, let us know what you think about the short film above - we'd love to hear from you...
]]>The prophet Isaiah commands the heavens and the earth to sing for joy, to break forth into song. But what if we don't want to sing? What if we can't sing? Built on Isaiah 49:13-16, this short, meditative, worship film explores both the challenges and the comforts of faith leaving the viewer with this promise: you are mine!
As always, let us know what you think! And, please know this: Tattooed is available for download at the SALT Store.
]]>It's true: sometimes we get discouraged over here at SALT because it seems as if God's church is in decline. When that happens, we take some time to listen to Israel Houghton's, "Trading My Sorrows" and it makes us feel so much better!
Tell us, where do you find your inspiration?
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God is breathing gently,
God never hurries,
Is never anxious or pressing,
God just waits,
Breathing gently upon us
With great tenderness
Until we look to God -
And, knowingly,
Nod.
+ Edwina Gateley
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Thanks to Edwina Gateley - poet, theologian, artist, writer, lay minister, modern-day mystic, prophet, and single mom - for her soft and beautiful words. Also, thanks to Kent Clark for capturing these gentle and tender boys in the countryside of Zimbabwe.
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Thanks be to God, God's sweet Spirit is being poured out on clergy and religious leaders across the country in this time of trial to "help us in our weakness: for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words." + Romans 8:26
And a special SALT thank you to Rev. Richard L. Spleth, Regional Minister for the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Indiana, for this beautiful prayer.
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Eternal God, we turn to you in pain and anguish in the death of so many of your children in Connecticut this week. Hear our prayer of sorrow for the loss of innocent lives and the loss of innocence for so many others who witnessed this horrific event. We pray for the families of these victims and all the families of the Newtown community as they attempt to care and comfort one another.
Even as we make our way through Advent preparing for the birth of the Christ child we remember that story also includes a tragic episode. Another deranged individual, a king with power, avenges Christ's birth by ordering the deaths of young children. The pain of that loss echoes through the centuries in the words of the scripture:
"A voice was heard in Ramah, wailing and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be consoled because they are no more."
New voices have been heard to that wail this week, and we add our own lamentation, not only for the lives lost in Connecticut but for all the ways in which your children, your beloved and holy creation, are hurt and injured.
So help us protect one another O God so that all live with a sense of safety. Help us care for one another in a time of loss. Help us find ways to assist those whose lives are filled with despair so that they are not of danger to themselves or others. Help us live with hope again when dreams are dashed and the future seems insecure. In those times in particular, O God, we need you ever near. Let your Spirit bring healing salve for broken hearts this day. Sustain us with your power, we pray in Jesus' name. Amen.
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Thanks also to Hamed Masoumi for this gorgeous photo that can be found in his collection entitled, "Feelings of a Stoned Face."
]]>If you're looking for a multi-media way to walk your congregation through the stories of old until the birth of God wrapped up in flesh - look no further!
This beautiful worship short is available over at Worship House Media but, if it were up to us over here at SALT, we might play this film silently and pipe in Mumford and Sons, "I Will Wait" (just for a little, banjo-picking fun!).
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Thanks to The Skit Guys Studio for creating such beauty!
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The mysterious season of Advent is almost here. It is a season of waiting, longing, and calling out for God to be more present in this broken yet beautiful world. At SALT, we want to make the most of the four weeks leading up to Christmas by lighting candles, reading scripture, praying, and meditating - wanna join us?
All you have to do is visit us often throughout the next few weeks for ideas, practices, poetry, photography, and fun ideas to get ready for Christmas.
So, without further adieu, here’s a little service you can do alone, with your spouse, or with your family this Sunday to start the season off right!
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Read:
Psalm 25:1-10
Light:
One Candle
Speak Out Loud:
“O my God, in you I trust; do not let me be put to shame…do not let those who wait for you be put to shame…”
Meditation:
Advent is a time of waiting, watching, and praying for God to be made more present in the world. As Christians, we believe that love is stronger than hate, peace more enduring than war, and that God’s hope will extinguish forever the shadows of shame cast by war, sickness, violence, and absence of tenderness.
God buries hope in the tiniest moments – a smile offered to a stranger, a plate of cookies for a lonely neighbor, a prayer lifted up for the people of Rwanda – and the world is never the same!
Pray:
Loving God, during this season of dark, blue shadows, illuminate every heart so that the shadows of shame might take flight, and the light of your hope might take root in our lives. Amen.
Practice Hope:
Word AIDS Day, Saturday, December 1 – pray without ceasing that the stigma and shame of HIV/AIDS might be lifted and that medicine might be available for everyone.
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Thanks to Anders Ruff Custom Designs for these sweeter than sweet Advent Calendar Printable Mittens. We heart them!
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