Chris and I came back off holiday last Monday to a whirlwind week. Over the last 7 days it’s often seemed as though everything was going to hell in a handbasket. Nothing but bad news; stories of loss and grief, bigotry and hate, blame and recriminations, horrible.
So instead of a pastor’s message this week stating the obvious, (that we need more love, peace, and hope in the world), I want to share with you some of the amazing and positive stuff that’s been going on too. The very last one, (even though I cheated because it’s a piece from two weeks ago) is my favorite. So, here goes…………….
Miss Missouri Erin O’Flaherty ‘Excited’ to Be First Openly Gay Miss America ContestantHERE
Buddhist monks serve iftar (a local delicacy) for Muslims in Bangladesh HERE
New York City to give all women in public schools, prisons and homeless shelters access to feminine hygiene products – free of charge. HERE
Colorblind Brothers Burst Into Tears as They See Color for the First Time: ‘It’s So Bright’HERE
How 2 rival companies teamed up to evacuate nearly 200 horses amid fast-moving wildfires HERE
Israel and Turkey agree to normalize ties HERE
Cities forge world’s largest alliance to curb climate change HERE
Dutch prototype clean-up boom brings Pacific plastics pollution solution a step closerHERE
New York City shows support for gay pride with new rainbow cop cars HERE
Parents in tears as boys here in the UK let classmate with Down syndrome win school sports day race HERE
Ukraine Shields Gay Rights Parade From Repeat of Violence HERE
‘Angels’ protect Orlando funeral from anti-gay Westboro protesters HERE
Christians donate money to fix windows at gay bar after vandalism – Des Moines, IA. HERE
Tampa Bay Rays’ Baseball Team Pride Night raises more than $300K for Pulse Victims Fund HERE
West Africa marks the end of the deadly Ebola outbreak HERE
And finally, this last one came out two weeks ago so I’m cheating a little, but it’s such a beautiful piece I wanted to share it with you:
Momondo’s new video ‘The DNA Journey’ has a beautiful message about diversity HERE
A lot happened around the world last week, and much of it was good. I believe that where we choose to focus our attention is down to us.
Be blessed.
Rev. Michael