A photo of ants creating a bridge to traverse the space between one fern frond and another. Around the photo, it says: I'm sorry – it's true: we will not make it across alone. It's a very good thing, then, that we are not alone. - Homeland Security lifts Biden-era ban on surveilling LGBTQ+ people and advocacy groups - U.S. military to identify transgender service members and terminate their careers - Multiple U.S. states introduce legislation to challenge legal same-sex marriage - Iowa legislature votes to strip trans people’s civil rights protections

Hey friends, is it feeling heavy out here today?

Hold hands – even with the neighbor whose rooster awakens you, even with the awkward newcomer at church, even with the friend who does that thing that drives you up a wall. 🧵

Tell us your [Walmart, Sam's Club, Target, Amazon, Goodreads, Whole Foods, Alexa, Amazon Web Services, Ring] alternatives for a local & global economy that is more: robust, resilient, sustainable, equitable, diverse, creative, un-surveilled, just, participatory, courageous

Many of us are participating in tomorrow's Feb. 28 Economic Blackout as a form of protest. Could tomorrow be the start of our re(new)ed commitment to generative businesses instead?

#faithfullylgbtq #lgbtq #umc #unitedmethodistchurch #dei #blackout #economicblackout #feb28blackout

The purpose of negative emotions is not to cause misery. It’s to prevent mistakes.

Outrage is a signal to speak up. Anxiety is a prompt to prepare. Guilt is a reminder to repair. Disappointment is a cue to persist.

Pain reveals principles. Where we hurt is a clue to what we value.

Yes! (finally) Lead on, Sir.

Y'all, call your reps and senators. PLEASE! Also.. gonna start a club for people who regularly reheat their cold cup of coffee 3 or more times. smh.

Video Conferencing, Web Conferencing, Webinars, Screen Sharing Zoom is the leader in modern enterprise video communications, with an easy, reliable cloud platform for video and audio conferencing, chat, and webinars across mobile, desktop, and room systems. Zoom ...

#UMC partners present: “Solidarity with the Sojourner: Understanding U.S. Immigration and Our Call to Respond." 7pm ET | 4pm PT on Monday, Feb. 10. Registration required: zoom.us/webinar/regi...

This is a reminder that no one can convince Trump voters to no longer support Trump, better than Trump can.

You can say, “gravity isn’t real,” but if you step off the cliff, you’re still going down.

And if you convince other people it’s not real, you are responsible for what happens if they make decisions based on the information you withheld.

See moment reverend pleads with Trump to have mercy on immigrants YouTube video by CNN

This week's MVP, Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde, speaking truth to power. *This* is how you shoot your shot. I'm so grateful. This clip shows most of her sermon.

youtu.be/31ylIPemGlE?...

From Fear to Belonging: A Prayer Vigil for Justice and Hope As we honor the legacy of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., join us for a powerful prayer vigil to stand together in faith, justice, and hope.

GBCS, the UMC's General Board of Church & Society, invites you to a Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day vigil online. Monday, January 20th at 5-6pm ET | 2-3pm PT.

www.umcjustice.org/latest/from-...?

#faithfullylgbtq #lgbtq #umc #unitedmethodistchurch

What a force, and what a gift she was.

I'm tired and this is hard, but our collective heart and continued engagement is important. We have amazing examples to follow. I'm grateful for #MLK.

So, the Biden Admin said they would not enforce the ban—the enforcement mechanism is a massive fine. TikTok did not have to shut off its services.

It appears they voluntarily went dark to maximize the drama of Trump’s incoming 90-day extension EO. It’s a political gift to him.

I didn't see this coming, but I woke up this morning under the weight of those feelings that overwhelmed me in the weeks immediately following the election. It's certainly not as heavy or intense as it was in November, but it's not nothing. How's everyone doing?

and then there's this. smh

bsky.app/profile/npr....

Dear Carrie Underwood, (From a Former Pastor and Father, Regarding The Inauguration of Donald Trump) Dear Carrie Underwood,

I'm wrestling with similar questions.

woe are we if we hold hostage the tragedies of others for political gain. woe are we if we descend upon disasters in hopes of turning a profit. woe we are if we paper over the suffering of others with pithy phrases. woe are we if we reduce to metaphors the true and real lives of our neighbors. help us, o god, to be uncommonly present, unfathomably kind, in these days that will require it of us.

Sometimes, floods are real floods and fires are real fires – not metaphors or sermon fodder. May we pause long enough on the road to meaning-making to let some suffering make no sense.

#faithfullylgbtq #lgbtq #umc #unitedmethodistchurch #palisades #eaton

Ready.

Thanksgiving: Enneagram Edition | Jen Hatmaker Navigate Thanksgiving with your Enneagram in mind! Discover relatable tips for every type to survive the chaos and keep the holiday spirit alive.

Hehe

Deaconesses are still here – let’s invest in them too! | UMNews.org A distinctly separate order from deacons, deaconesses and home missioners serve in a wide variety of full-time lay ministries for the church.

Grateful to Dr. Katelin Hansen for this helpful article about the critically important but *often* misunderstood Order of Deaconess and Home Missioner. #UMC #DHM

Oof. Wrestling with the onslaught of Black Friday sale ads.

Texas-sized trouble.

On Friday, the Texas State Board of Education approved a state-authored curriculum under intense scrutiny in recent months for its heavy inclusion of biblical teachings.

Here’s what you need to know about the new lessons and how an Abbott-appointee became the deciding vote. 🧵

Matt Gaetz withdraws as Trump's AG nominee "There is no time to waste on a needlessly protracted Washington scuffle," Gaetz wrote on X.

BREAKING: Matt Gaetz said he is withdrawing his name from consideration for attorney general in President-elect Trump's second term.