god Is under the rubble in gaza 💔
Rev. Dr. Jacqui Lewis! Jelly Roll! Darnell Moore! Josh Radnor!
Hey friends,
I wish I could begin this email by sharing that the powers that be have listened to the cries of millions of Palestinians and hundreds of millions of global citizens demanding a ceasefire.
Nope. That hasn't happened. Hundreds and hundreds of innocent children, parents, doctors, and journalists still being slaughtered every single day.
There is one thing for which I am grateful. From Scotland to Spain, Ireland to Iran, Germany to Cuba, Indonesia to Poland, South Korea to Canada, Turkey to Japan, South Africa to the United States…countless people have peacefully taken to the streets demanding a #CeasefireNOW.
Here are a few things I think you should read, watch, listen to, and consider this weekend:
🎧 PODCAST TO LISTEN TO
This week on the Let’s Give A Damn Podcast, I invited my friend and colleague, Rev. Dr. Jacqui Lewis, to join me for a conversation about Gaza, Israel, peace, fierce love, and so much more.
Jacqui joined me for the first time in February of 2022. Y’all loved that episode and it was a joy to invite her back on the show to help us through these hard days.
Listen to our conversation on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.
📚 BOOK TO READ
Last week, I read Darnell Moore’s No Ashes In The Fire. What an incredible memoir. What an emotional journey! Darnell Moore in an author, an activist, and a damn good human.
“My thoughts, however, are not the definitive take on blackness, manhood, and sexual politics. How can it be when my path, choices, struggles, triumphs, failures, questions, and answers are my own? My words are my attempt at joining the chorus of voices who have tried their best to narrate the beautiful and messy complexities of race, gender, class, and sexuality as they collide and are expressed in the contemporary United States. This work, then, both is and isn’t about me.”
How could you not want to read this book after reading that! Also, this book may or may not become part of the Let’s Give A Damn book club beginning next year.
📺 VIDEO TO WATCH
A few days ago, Jelly Roll won New Artist of the Year at the CMT Awards. His speech gets really good around 1:26.
“There’s something very poetic about a 39-year-old man winning New Artist of the Year…”
He, then, goes on to give a brief but very powerful encouraging word for anyone that is fighting like hell for their dream. Keep going, friends!
🎶 SONG(S) TO LISTEN TO
My friend and former podcast guest, Josh Radnor (most widely known as Ted Mosby on HIMYM), just released his new solo project, Eulogy, Vol. 1. I attended the album release show at Cafe Wha? (former hangout spot Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, Allen Ginsberg & others) in Greenwich Village the other night. Guess who was at my table? OK, fine, I won’t make you guess. Louis CK! Obviously, he has had a rough few years. And rightfully so! But it was still fun to chat with him and watch our friend crush it on stage. Anyway, go listen to Josh’s new album! My favorite tracks are 3, 4, and 12. My favorite lyrics from the entire album are found in the last song: “God is not a test, but arms where I can rest.” Phew.
🗞️ ARTICLE TO READ
”The people of Gaza today want life.”
The title for this week’s email comes from this article by Munther Isaac—the pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Christmas Church in Bethlehem (yes, that Bethlehem, just south of Jerusalem in the West Bank. This article is a few weeks old now and it’s very heavy on the Christian speak but I think it’s very worth the read.
🧠 QUOTE TO PONDER
“They have the guns, we have the poets. Therefore, we will win.” ― Howard Zinn
👋🏽 GOODBYE!
That’s it for this week! Thank you for reading. I'm truly grateful. Consider forward this email to a friend? Or send them this link so they can sign up. And you can always email me about anything. I’ll be back next week with good news and steps we can take together to make our world a much better place. We have a lot of work to do. Love y'all.
Peace and love,
Nick Laparra