Sunday Thoughts - The Things We Believe Carry A Charge
Spotify Playlists, Musician Shout Outs, One Inch Photos
Recently I read a Rick Rubin quote that struck me: “The things we believe carry a charge.” It dog eared the page and the phrase has kept coming back to me.
The 'news of the world” would have us believe we are small and without power in a time of climate crisis, economic and racial injustice, daily mass shootings and the politics of fear. But the “news of the heart” reminds us that hope emerges from daily action for good. I choose to believe that how we live our daily lives matters. This belief creates a charge in my own life and in the world I inhabit. If you ask most people if they personally know anyone who has braved great difficulties for what they love, nearly all of them will respond that they know many such people, and that they are also such a person. This is at the heart of A Great Wild Mercy. There is an ever present goodness threading through the natural world, evident in every act of kindness and love made visible.
Mercy is an old-fashioned word, but it is full of grace and goodness. A Great Wild Mercy is untamable and cannot be placed in the small containers we often use when talking about what is Sacred. A Great Wild Mercy keeps showing up, like the creek that rambles through a valley, shining in the sun and moving quietly over the rocks. There is something good we can tap into, the true nature of love is sturdy enough to lean my back against when storms brew around me.
A couple of weeks ago I facilitated a day retreat. The topic of the retreat was “Sustainable Hope.” It was an exploration and conversation about navigating these troubled times and what it means to live into active and daily hope.
I’ve had many conversations with people who are wrestling with a certain level anxiety all the time, worried and grieving climate change and its effects, concerned about growing economic, racial and gender injustice and fear fueled political divisions. If you recognize these feelings you are not alone. And I think that is an important point. There is a great collective longing for a world that is better and kinder. As I see it, there is more than enough of us who are living thoughtful and caring lives to make a difference. There is enough of us who are faithfully doing what we each can do for positive change to shift the balance toward something better and truer. It is encouraging to me because there is a power already happening in the joining of our collective hearts as we each keep turning toward goodness.
Please know, I’m not candy coating what feels bad or just putting a positive spin on something that is very difficult. Feeling bad…well, feels bad. I don’t like to feel bad and like most human beings, I’ll avoid putting my hand on a hot stove if I can help it. And that means I very intentionally give myself a breaks and turn down the volume of “the news of the world” when it is getting me stuck or overwhelmed. But my friends, I do see evidence of that ever present goodness still alive and present in the world. A Great Wild Mercy is not just coming, it is already here.
I am part of it, you are part of it too.
So I’ll keep leaning into that ever present goodness...and that will carry a charge, within me and moving out into the world I encounter.
Question
What is a belief that holds a charge in your life? Was there a belief or story you had to lay down because you did not want to embody what it resonated in your own life or in the world? What spirit and charge do you most want to resonate in your life and in the world as you move through it?
Great Wild Mercy Shout Out
Much admiration and gratitude to all the amazing musicians who helped create the recording of A Great Wild Mercy - released to all streaming services this week.
Each and every musician on this collaboration is truly amazing, talented, with their own musical works out there in the world! Oh, and are also amazing human beings! What a joy to release this first single. You can click on their individual names to listen to some of their own projects!
Jim Brock - drums, percussion Brittany Haas – violin Paul Kowert – bass Jordan Tice - guitar & harmony vocal Gary Walters - piano Siri Undlin – harmony vocal
Streaming - Join The Great Wild Mercy Team
I've mentioned, the full album won't be released until October 13th, but you'll be able to hear a few songs beforehand on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, or on whatever platform you use to listen to music.
Streaming music on platforms like these really helps artists. The more you all listen to it, the more the platform shares it with the rest of the world! Yup, the more you play it and share it, the more the streaming service will play it and share it!
Here are a few ways you can support me by streaming the song:
Listen to it on Spotify, Apple Music, or wherever you stream your music.
Follow me on these platforms so you will be notified whenever I release music!
If you're a Spotify user, you can listen to my Great Wild Mercy Playlist, a compilation of songs I was listening to while writing the album. There are lots of wonderful musicians and songs on this playlist. I hope you’ll check it out.
If you like A Great Wild Mercy, you can add it to a playlist of you own!
A Great Wild Mercy Playlist
If you haven’t listened yet on Spotify, here is a playlist I created that contains some of the songs I’ve been listening to in the past year while writing and recording A Great Wild Mercy. I hope you’ll check it out and maybe add A Great Wild Mercy to a playlist of your own Link to Playlist
Video - In Case You Missed It This Week
Many Thanks Elle Hodge and Kayla Behforouz (who are both really amazing musicians, artists and human beings).
TOURING
For more info on my upcoming shows visit my website tour page…
Ring Lake Ranch Workshop
Next week I’ll be heading to Ring Lake Ranch to facilitate a workshop with my buddy John McCutcheon. Think theological dude ranch…which I kind of love saying. ..in the Wind River area of Wyoming.
The Ranch would like for me to be sure to let folks know that unfortunately the week has been sold out for quite some time and there will be no public concert. They’ve been getting a lot of calls. Do watch the Ring Lake Ranch scheduling for other workshops in this singularly beautiful place.
One Inch Photos
Thank you. In retirement from Ministry I have learned people are more than the news identifies them as. A neighbor has a very ugly flag in his yard that supported Trump and used the F word regarding Biden. I was very concerned about the presence of such thought in my new neighbor hood.
One day he was out walking and I had a chance to get to know him. As he told me his life story I came to know this man as more than the news had identified him. He had cancer and in his fight we became friends. I attended his funeral as was saddened I would not learn more from this man.
We are more than the identity the world assigned to us. I am still learning this in retirement and am blessed everyone a door is opened to me.
Carrie, I am grateful for your putting these thoughts out into the world, because they do make a difference to at least this one weary soul. I will add A Great Wild Mercy to my thought toolbox, or first aid kit, I’m not sure which. I live too much in a space I call The Sacred Ache, where I see the world as it is (or as I perceive it to be) and how beautiful it could be, and feel the ache of the in between area, trying to pull them together. I know there are lessons to be learned here, like acceptance of what is, and being more aware of examples goodness. Thank you for your offering to the world and this community.