The Divine Spark - News from the Sunnyside

This is it!After this episode, there will be two weeks left until our friend Pastor Neil heads into retirement.Enjoy the gems. It's been one hell of a ride. 

As Pastor Neil heads into retirement in June,Kenny and Pastor Neil will examine his journey that brought him to the present and his gems of optimism for the road ahead. 

As Pastor Neil heads into retirement in June,Kenny and Pastor Neil will examine his journey that brought him to the present and his gems of optimism for the road ahead. Questions of the week:-What is a "built in forgetter?"-What are consistent strategies you used to solve problems?-What is the advice you'd give to upcoming leaders from the experience you've had?-How do you differentiate a person from being a leader and a person that just wants to be part of the action?-When does a leader get to take it easy?-What would you want to see as a leader of a political movement?Gems of the week:- "A 'built in forgetter' is a critical survival mechanism. If we carried the burden of all our troubles & sorrows all the time, it would break us, so we've been given this miraculous gift of getting up every morning anew."-"[Strategies to solve problems are] go with a goal or formulate a goal if there isn't one,simplify the situation, listen to everybody before making any decision..." -"[The advice I'd give upcoming leaders are] 1st - set aside grandiosity,  the best leaders are servants; 2nd - you have to have some kind of goal or vision, you have to know where you want to end up;  3rd - do it because you know HOW to do it; be honest with yourself; 4th - be prepared to have a target on your back;5th - get training;6th - practice.-"...part of it involves knowing how to cut your losses,; not trying to be a leader for everything;be the leader with the people who are sympatico with you."-"I learned it's ok to let people mess up, because its not about being a perfectionist. If there is a way to say beforehand - 'hey do you feel supported & if you don't can you vocalize that and communicate what's on your mind, and how we can provide better support.'That has been effective..."-"I learned  why people accept the leadership of others, most people don't want to be leaders. They just don't want to expend the energy, be that vulnerable, put themselves out that much, don't want to be responsible when things go wrong. Even some that say they do, they just want to get close the action but that's not the same thing."-"The leader is the only person in the room who is actually willing to take responsibility when things go wrong. Period. That's it. You will find that such persons are few and far betweenand most people are no where to be found. When things go left, the leader is the one who not only accepts responsibility but has the ideas, the courage, the willingness to step up front and deal with the problem and make a good outcome. The person who can do that again and again and again...that's somebody who is leading."-"Practice spending time alone where there is no body around to make demands on youbecause people will once they realize once they can. Once they realize that you are effective as a leader, they will make more and more demands. They just know you can do it. It's really that simple."-"To know that in my life I had to lead and feeling at times I had no one to talk to, or no one could relate, or whatever story I told myself or whatever reality was there...now with therapyat least I can tell myself, I know that I have someone that provides an outlet where I can just let go."-"[For a leader in a political movement] I'd  want to see someone that has real ideas that are achievable; the ability to express those ideas clearly and forcefully; express themselves in a way that is appealing to a lot of people; I'd be convinced that this person is doing this because he/she is called to do it, they feel compelled or called to lead."-"[We tend to think about] how we can have these projections SHOULD happen, when things COULD'VE happen in the past or future. Sometimes things happen at the time they're supposed to happen. It's that sense of divine timing."

As Pastor Neil heads into retirement in June,Kenny and Pastor Neil will examine his journey that brought him to the present and his gems of optimism for the road ahead. Questions of the week:-"You speak about stepping away from the noise and the chance to speak... truth as it comes to you, how do you keep yourself open to that?"-"[What about ] those times when there has been that blockage that has not allowed you to be present, what are techniques you've used?-"What is it to live the life of the spirit? What does that entail?"-"Are there techniques that you used to tap into the spirit within you?"-"How do you keep yourself in tune with the spirit now that you are going to retire?"Gems of the week:-"When I had turned 40, I had not achieved any of my goals, I wasn't a rock and roll star or top tier academic or any of those things. I basically felt like my life was over, all achievement side of my life was over. It has been a transcendent gift to have had this opportunity in my 60s to lead...it's just been a redemption for me."-"...my father and grandfather are paying attention saying "look man whatever you did or didn't accomplish in Sunnyside, you had the chance to... say what you feel, what you believe, and express that spirit you have been given."-"All it's really about is showing up. It's such a huge part of life. Go on and confront it, show up.  At least you stepped in the ring."-"First thing is conscience. Your conscience is the... spirit inside. We all hear that voice. We get adept at ignoring it. The goal is to live by conscience alone. That is an act of faith. I would also say that you will find as you begin to focus more on...how you interact the world, you're not going to be kind all the time. The goal is to be morally consistent. All those things are about opening us up..." -"God enters the broken heart. Only the broken heart can open wide enough to let God in. We have to become willing to allow ourselves to be broken-hearted."-"God resides in our subconscious. The subconscious, at some certain point, touches the divine. What we want to do go a little past that so that we are be in touch with what William James calls the further shore...on the further shore, there is something more. Being in touch with that something more is the work of a lifetime."-"Doing that is changing the way that we experience the world in our selves so we're not letting things getting filtered through our preconceptions & biases & all the things we do or don't know."-"We forget how easy it is to connect with the... spirit. We assume it's going to be hard but God is there all the time, reaching out and trying to connect with us. Everybody has it in them. You know when they're doing right and doing wrong. Every time we do it right, our heart opens up a little wider."-"What I envision [when I retire] ...is another new life. It's kind of poetic that it starts at the beginning of a decade. I intend to do the other side of the spiritual- spend some time by myself...Doing stuff without any pressure of deadline or production..."-"The other side of the spiritual life is being in the community and being of servicein a truly caring way and understanding all the implications of that. The other side is self-development."-"[Karl] Marx envisioned a society where everybody would have the opportunity to develop their gifts freely. What a vision."-"Moral consistency is when you apply the same standard of ethics to yourself and to others."Honorable Mentions:- Desmond Margetson!Above is a NY Times piece about Desmond Margetson, Pastor Neil's pops.

"I firmly believe that we can achieve almost whatever we want to achieve. First, we have to decide to do it.A lot of us fail in that first step. We don't really want to commit. We want to spin a wheel - should I pick this career? Or that goal? Or this, this, no let me do some of this and some of that!They don't want to commit!"Be clear with your intentions. Create the discipline to manifest them. Go.  

"I've had it good.I've had a great life.I didn't get as far as I wanted to. Ya know.""It's not done.""I did everything I wanted to do.""Of course, that's what life should be.""Yeah and you know somebody said, somebody I really respect... said 'the important thing is to collect experience[s]. Collecting money and objects is pointless. It's collecting experiences, that's life." "100%. That's it right there because you can be anywhere and have these thoughts about your experiences - travel experiences, love experiences. You have a story. That to me is life. That's the abundance of life when you're able to hit a point where you've done everything.""Even if I failed, I failed up. That's what I have in my head now. I just fail up. I'm not scared to fail because I know this path that I've been in, I just been failing up." "Every time I thought it was rock bottom - 'welp, i cant get lower than this!' [I told myself] all I can do is go up.""That's how i view failures. I do want to succeed in my tasks. I'm also conscious that failing might be just the lesson as well.  It just doesn't define me." 

Rest in Power DMX.Rest in Power George Floyd. "As a Minnesota resident who's grandparents who were also raised here you would think that I'd be celebrating but instead I am going to rest and restore. See we have to fix the root of the problem in which ever lane best suits us. Mine is mental health and healing justice. I affirm you that its ok to be excited but still know a lot of work needs to be done. It's also ok to be sad for all the others who have yet to receive justice.Rest and recharge liberators. You deserve that."-@thebrettina"Stay positive.It's really about pushing the ball a bit further up the hill.Onward and upward.Spring is here.It's a gorgeous day outside.Get outside, appreciate nature."-Pastor Neil

As the country waits on the verdict in Minneapolis, this mini-episode clip comes to mind.  No matter what happens, we ask  - what does a redeemed world look like to you?“What's important to me is leaving behind the message of what change can look like. Not just fighting for it, what does the redeemed world look like? If we win, what world are we going to make?"“The truest revolution is within you." 

First of all, Rest in Power Daunte Wright. "The society and the culture is bankrupt.We need to find a new way. "

As Pastor Neil heads into retirement in June,Kenny and Pastor Neil will examine his journey that brought him to the present and his gems of optimism for the road ahead. Questions of the week:-What's the music that spoke to you during your teen years?-What do you think about the theory "culture of poverty"?-What is a productive way to do the work in communities being from the outside?-Who were those historical figures when you were a child that you looked up to?-Where there any historical figures that you read about that made you question [things]?Gems of the week:-"On a spiritual level, [it's] about breaking through the barrier of the self."-"Communication in the deepest sense is a breaching of the wall that holds each of us hostage behind our own eyes."-"[The professor was a white guy.]  [I told him] "this is not something like you understand." He said "I've worked in Latin America and worked with poor people." I said "Look I don't think you can say - you have been personally damaged by the system,you are a person who benefits from the system. I'm a person who has to confront the system in a different way and has in fact been assaulted in various ways - personal and political. I don't think you're qualified to argue with me about this." -"[It] never works with those folks that come into any community with pre-conceptions to  "what is going to be helpful."  Even their efforts to solicit suggestions from others, from the people they want to help, doesn't work either because ultimately they are being condescending. Because in their hearts they do feel superior. They may deny to your face, they may deny it to their own mirror's reflection. The fact of the matter isthat they believe themselves in being superior. That will never allow them to actually give somebody else the opportunity to do something for themselves."-"We spoke about it - so many things would be done effectively if there was no credit to give. You just do it."-"More so than that what I loved about Malcolm [X] is that he wrote aboutself-empowerment. There was that theme there. You don't need to beg. The point is to be empowered and have a sustainable living."-"He's part of a national organizing group - Industrial Areas Foundation - they go to a community...they get people in the community & organize around leaders. The [leaders] pick specific issues that are significant to that community. Strategy involves giving people a taste of victory. You go over something small such as a speed bump near a school. If you get that, it's something you can celebrate. You try to cultivate leaders."-"The organizer really really tries to stay in the backburner. His or her name is never used in any publicity releases. You really have to self effacing to do the work. There is something pretty spiritual about that. That takes a special type of person to make that his/her career."-"It was something I believed in because I knew it was right not because I felt indoctrinated. I never rebelled against progressive ideas because I know they're right."-"The struggle ends when the gratitude begins."Honorable Mentions:Tom RushJimi Hendrix - Freedom Bob Dylan - Blonde on Blonde2pac - ChangesAutobiography of Malcolm XWalter Isaacson Woody Guthrie

As the Pastor heads into retirement in June,we will examine his journey that brought him to the present and his gems of optimism for the road ahead. Questions of the week:-What are 3 ways you face fear in a positive way?-What fears did you have at the start of the pandemic, what fears do you have now?-How do you look at the year ahead?-How does your brain work in terms of planning?-Do you feel more like you're the one directing the actions of your life or are you being directed?Gems of the week:-"Be super careful but not fearful." -"It's not a healthcare system, it's an illness system;it's not based on preventative care, it's based on crisis care."-"God woke up. God achieved consciousness and the Universe came into beingto accommodate God."-"There's no question that abortion is a tragedy but also at times a necessity." -"If you are anti-abortion, and you are anti-social services, then you're a big hypocrite."-"We live on the edge of a cliff that is forming in front of us as were walking.-"I feel at times I'm the director of this movie of life; and there are times it feels as if I'm being directed; and at times it feels like its both simultaneously which is like magic."-"On some profound level,  God is a feeling as well as a burning light."-"The goal of spirituality is aligning our free will with God's divine will. I think we owe it to ourselves to try to achieve that. That's a lifetime's work."-"I have a poster in big letters that say GRATEFUL. Each day my intention is to write 3 things I'm grateful for. When facing fear and tough moments, revisiting that is super helpful."-"I have good intentions and to do as much good as I can in the world and I know for that to happen, I cant' feel like I NEED to do this to happen. No, I have all the needs here. It's just being super focused, calm, and trusting the path.""Everything is spiritual; and all that means is believing that life has meaning and purpose."

As the Pastor heads into retirement in June, we will examine his journey that brought him to the present and his gems of optimism for the road ahead.  In this episode, the Pastor speaks on his vast experience consoling families dealing with death and we speak about his own brush with death.Questions of the week:-What are those 3-5 things/experiences that stand out in your life?-What words would you give someone who recently lost a parent?-What are the positive affirmations you'd want people to say about you?-What is your gem of the week?Gems of the week:-"I have no weight anymore to judge my own performance.I hope that people have benefited and if they have, then thats enough."-"One thing is to try, another thing is to do.-"You are one of the most fortunate people I have ever known."-"There  is a magic of doing everything [you] want to do in life, whether it works out or not, [you] have to go for it."-"What words would you give someone who recently lost a parent? Say as little as possible. People some times just need to talk and want you to listen. Don't talk someone out of their grief, you just want to acknowledge it.Let people know the challenge is to keep on living, there is positive dignity in that -  to make the person [that passed away] proud.-"During [the grief of dealing with] death, the positive calm presence [you can provide] when people are feeling the most disconnected is special"

The day finally was here - the Inauguration. We spoke about:- the protests in Portland that happened right after. It was a call to double up on many of the demands such as abolishment of ICE and defunding the police.-Biden's first executive orders.  -how "progressives are not a homogeneous group"- will "uncivil unrest" continue or not@25:50 - the question of "what would Pastor Neil of the 60s and 70s, the young activist, think of these times?" leads into a deep conversation about leadership, including the legend of Saul Alinksy and Fred Hampton.We end with the questions - What are the three leadership lessons you'd want to leave to people?What are the three leadership miscalculations leaders can steer clear of?

Inauguration Day is finally upon us. Pastor Neil and Kenny kick off with their thoughts on Trump essentially being banned from social media and the effects of that. At the 18 minute mark, Pastor Neil breaks down his first 100 days into retirement. He will retire on the day of his birthday. What a way to go out!

What a start to the first week of 2021.The police officer that shot and paralyzed Jacob Blake's wasn't indicted. Georgia made history in the Senate.White supremacists broke into the Capitol. Five people died. And with all that said, Congress officially and finally confirmed Biden's electoral win.The Inauguration Day is next up.Pastor Neil and Kenny kick off with their thoughts on the chaotic week. Cheers to a new year. 

What was the gem(s) you got from your friendships/relationships this past year?What were the three main gems you got this past year?Simple questions to ask yourself as we enter the new year of 2021. We at the Divine Spark send you the most positive vibes for the year ahead. May you continue to be blessed with abundance. We'd also like to ask if you can consider supporting our good friend, Roque Rodriguez. He is recovering from the serious injuries he suffered being the community leader and activist that he is. Any donation goes a long way. Thank you and have a great happy new year!https://www.gofundme.com/f/roque-rodriguez-emergency-funds

The electoral process didn't end on Election Day. Each week we will take stock where we are at in the electoral process leading up to Inauguration Day. As we wait for the current president to concede the election, Pastor Neil and Kenny kick off the week with conversations about:-Michigan certifying their electoral votes despite one cornball going off course -the electoral college (what exactly is it?)-redistricting -is trumpism a philosophy based on principles or just an embrace of a cultish personality?-spiritual losses and wins during these times-the book that sparked Pastor Neil's road into environmental activism-what is the real lesson of Wampanoag Tribe and "thanksgiving" -and more

The electoral process didn't end on Election Day. Each week we will take stock where we are at in the electoral process leading up to Inauguration Day. As we wait for the current president to concede the election, Pastor Neil and Kenny kick off the week with conversations about:-expectations of a president elect-acknowledgment of what voters/non-voters want from their elected officials-3 climate change issues Pastor Neil wants the president elect to address -what does criminal justice look like in a new presidency-and moreWe close out with the famous annual community dinner that Pastor Neil implemented at Sunnyside Reformed Church. Kenny talks about how he transformed what was once a negative holiday into something special. 

Pastor Neil voted for Joseph Biden over Donald Trump.Kenny didn't vote for either.This conversation explores: -the jubilation people felt once Joseph Biden was announced the winner days later after the election-people voting out of fear of another Donald Trump presidency rather than excitement for Joseph Biden-a parliamentary system in the U.S.-the narrative revolved around being a "centrist"-the Latine voteand more.The electoral process didn't end on Election Day. The second phase was just getting started. Each week we will take stock where we are at in the electoral process leading up to Inauguration Day. 

“To live in the present, hoping for a better future, while making peace with the past so it can enable you to make moves in the present.”“We have been chosen to be here now during this moment of human history. It's quite a moment. It's impossible to overstate the importance of where we are.”“This is the time for heroes.”

PN= “Anytime someone loves you, it's a responsibility. KM=Why is it a responsibility?PN=Because people that love us want the best for us and want us to be the best people we can be.”

“If you are a person who has gifts of leadership and you want to be a leader, you need to think about what that means because being a leader is all about responsibility.”

For those who saw these past four years and this current pandemic as a wake up call, we must continue to dig deep inside ourselves and commit to being the leaders that we are. “Learning how to control your emotions and perform in front of an audience as you would in your own living room. That is a whole quantum leap.”“That's what life is made of - those moments of excellence- those moments when you overcome your fears.” 

After the election on November 3rd, how can we transform our thinking from one of surviving to one of thriving? A mentality focused on thriving will be necessary to transform our society. It starts with our mind. “It's a mentality of surviving and thriving. We've been in survival mode for so long.”“It's tough. That's an everyday thing to transition to. [Have to ask yourself]- am I in survival mode or thrive mode?”“In thrive mode, you're expanding...you have that footing that allows you to see that things are possible and [then you can] go for it.”

As we head to Election Day in the U.S., let us keep ourselves grounded on positive values. It will take several days, perhaps weeks, when a victor is declared. Nonetheless, no matter who wins, we must re-envision how our society. Visionaries are needed as we move forward. Let us move with positive values as our foundation. “We don't have to be anxious all the time, worried about who is coming behind us, we can ground our society in positive values - in cooperation and goal oriented achievement.”

“What are 3 positive takeaways...?The first one is to always keep learning.The second is always respect your teachers and try to know who they are.Hold them close and honor them because they are the people that help make you who you are. The third is one to try hard to be open to change. I think it is probably the thing that most of us hate the most.Obviously it's constantly going on all the time so it sets up a big dissonance in our lives.We generally like things to stay the same but they never do.” “Change is the only constant in life.”

“How do you find peace in regret?I have to continuously remind myself that no matter how hard I think about it, it is never going to change.”“I used to have this subconscious feeling - If I just envisioned that moment perfectly that somehow the outcome will be different - but it's never going to be different because it's in the past!”“The future is an imaginary place; the only thing we have really control over or interest in is the present moment, the now."

"Have teachers, whether it's through the education system, or mentors, or teachers outside of the education system.""In self education, you need to continuously have a teacher.You need to have someone that has more knowledge than you.You need to let go of your ego and say “ok, this person might know more than I know.”"I grew up as an only child.I grew up [thinking] I can't trust anyone. I gotta just do me, be independent. As I got older, I got mentors and that has allowed me to see different perspectives and allowed me to grow."-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------"I used to have a saying - 'It's amazing what you can get done if you're not worried about getting credit for it.'" "Who are your teachers now?I have a therapist and she teaches me all the time. I try to learn from everybody that I interact with seriously."

"I look at things [that teach us] what it is to be a critical thinker. It's not just books. It's not just about what school didn't teach us. No, [it also requires self-knowledge]... we must teach ourselves." 

“It's a mentality of surviving and thriving. We've been in survival mode for so long.”“It's tough. That's an everyday thing to transition to. [Have to ask yourself]- am I in survival mode or thrive mode?”“In thrive mode, you're expanding...you have that footing that allows you to see that things are possible and [then you can] go for it.”

“The goal for me is...about the immediacy of the moment.In that sacred space, trying to create a moment when people are genuinely touched, when they are opened spiritually and emotionally because I'm putting something out there that is true.”“At it's best, it's coming from your deepest place.”“The goal is that when everybody leaves, there will have been a moment when they were genuinely and deeply touched. If I can do that, then I've done something worth doing because that's where God lives. In our deepest, truest self.And we so rarely put those out there, especially in a public setting,”“I'm putting myself all out here - everything is on the table - alcoholism, any questions, or doubts that I might have are all going to be fair topics for consideration because that's what it ultimately takes to really touch somebody - you have to really be putting yourself out there.”

"You can make a lot of progress spiritually on your own but you can make better and faster progress with a teacher or one or more than one teacher.”"For me becoming a minister was all about sharing my call, my spirituality with others.Basically showing them that what I was experiencing was real.Living just in your head is dangerous. We have to be willing to expose ourselves to examination and discernment.Not in an artificial way but in a deeper way.It takes a lot of courage and it also takes a tremendous amount of stamina to do it again and again.""There is a certain piece which is that is if you claim to be spiritually advanced it's something you have almost a responsibility to share.But you want to be sure that what you're sharing is good.It's not just something you made up in your head because you were stoned on weed.The inner journey exploring our past, from my perspective, is done most profoundly with a therapist, which is also a kind of teacher.""[The person you learn from] can be an informal teacher.I think the best of what we do almost always involves a teacher somewhere along the lines." 

“God is pure Consciousness in an infinite mind.”“Perhaps God was the first conscious being ever and woke up in nothingness. And if you think about it for a minute, how do you wake up for the first time?I think we know how hard it is to wake up from a dream that we know is a nightmare or dream and you can't wake up.Conceptualize that.God was an unfocused dreaming mind and at some moment became conscious of being.”“God cannot exist in nothingness so God had to create a place in which to BE conscious [in] and that's the universe, right?And it's a lonely thing right?Because God is the only conscious being in the Universe.So you create company. And who can [provide] company for you?It has to be somebody who is also conscious, even it's a tiny speck.[If] it's [not] conscious, we'll have nothing to exchange.Which for me is why we are conscious on some level.”“That's how we are in God's image.We have consciousness and self awareness. It doesn't matter how primitive we are, as long as we have that spark of self awareness, consciousness, and freedom.”

"I focused on American Indians because my grandmother had studied and written about American Indians. Her doctoral thesis work was with the Pawnee in Oklahoma.(The Lost Universe by Gene Weltfish)"What I vibed to when I was in college was Native American spirituality.I read a book called “Black Elk Speaks”It's the autobiography of one of the men who was at Little Bighorn.He tells his life story and it leads up to the day of the battle against Custard and what happened from his point of view. He knew Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull and [others].His spiritual journey is what really grabs you as you read it.He talks about universal love and peace.And his experience of the holy spirit is just so pure, it feels like there is no dogma between him and God, it's just an open channel."(Black Elk Speaks by John G. Neihardt)“The Teachings of Don Juan” were written by an anthropologist Carlos Castaneda. He met this Indian shaman who introduced him to peyote, mushrooms, and other practices.And he wrote about it all. It became very popular because it spoke to what a lot of people were experiencing with LSD." (The Teachings of Don Juan: A Yaqui Way of Knowledge by Carlos Castaneda)"Native people didn't habitually lie. Why would you lie?Why would you try to trick me?They did't rock that." "As you become more immersed in thinking about what that way of life must've been like you suddenly realize... [what a relief].What a relief to be among people who were trying to live the best life they could at any given moment and not obsessed with accumulating wealth." 

“Most people know that the country was stolen from the Indians.They just don't know the details.That general notion is something that we all have.Some of us push it away.It's sort of common knowledge, if you will. There were once a lot of Indians and white men came and pushed them away.One of the things that should happen...the richness of the cultures has to ultimately be revealed and taught.There were so many different groups here and a lot of them were different.The Iroquois had a structure of government.They were here in the NY area.[The structure of] the League of the Iroquois became the foundation of the constitution of our government structure. Marx read this book by Lewis Henry Morgan called the League of the Iroquois, and it impressed himself so much that he rethought a lot of his stuff about history."

“In times of stress, we essentially find out who we really can become. It's something terrible but it's also, in a weird way, an opportunity to become bigger than we ever thought we could be.”

What if people that honestly cared about people were in power? And then those people negotiated with people from other countries who felt the same way. What does that world look like?

“My grandma was a firebrand. She was blacklisted during the Red Scare, during the McCarthy era. She was a radical feminist.”“We have transcripts of speeches she gave before the war and the FBI sent out informers to the rally to take down what she said. One of the women who was doing that and went to her [supervisor] and said she wanted to stop covering her because she felt herself being convinced by the arguments.”

“It's about how real life always ends up surprising us. You really never know what's going to happen.” “Abraham had two sons - one was Isaac...he also had another son, Ismael by a slave named Hagar. The wife was jealous and made him drive Hagar and this boy out of the camp. They wandered through the desert until they ran out of water. She put the kid down because she doesn't want to watch [the boy] die. And God comes and speaks with her and says 'Hagar, I'm going to take care of you. And this kid, I heard him crying, you will save him and he will be a father of a great nation.' And she turns to look at the kid and there is a well right there and they are saved. Ismael goes on to become this great historical figure."“Life is like that sometimes - you think it's all going to come crashing down around you and then you...just...say...ok let me try ONE more thing. Let me try to get the wheels turning again and then, it picks up.”

"[There is the Black Lives Matter movement] AND we still...have a virus.“It's funny the way I think about [the virus]. Really for me if I get it, it's a fair to middle chance that ill get real sick. It's kind of like playing Russian Roulette with a giant gun that has 100,000 rounds in it and every thousandth round is a live round. Your odds are really good!” 

“People often say everything happens for a reason, I think we all have said it one way or another. To me, that's not really true. Things happen randomly all the time but we can make meaning out of the things that happen to us. And that is more important than to say everything happens for a reason.”“We can extract meaning out of the things that happen to us.That is how we grow spiritually.By not being overwhelmed by the things that happen, but by trying to make something meaningful. Either artistically, spiritually, professionally, or personally.That's how we progress.”Question:What is one event that was tough in your life that you have found meaning in?

"Isn't God in You?""There is a Divine Spark in every human being and also becoming consciously in touch with that [inner] self is [of the utmost importance]."

“Evil looks like it's rising but it's making a lot of mistakes because it's stupid. It's vulnerable and it knows it's vulnerable. It's fighting tooth and claw just to stay in power. Yeah, evil is always going to be there. Winning the election is not going to vanquish evil. It will at least give us a chance to keep fighting.” 

Find the best local candidate you can find and work for her, work for him. If Biden is a drag, find a local candidate who is exciting. That's where the power base for progressives will be. It's going to be local."

"One of the things I loved about the Black Panthers is that they had breakfast programs. They had after-school tutoring program. They didn't just have rhetoric, they put it into the work. A real caring about people. No revolution will not succeed if it doesn't truly care about the people.”"Yes, there's fear. Love is the way. As simple as that may sound, love is the way."

"It made me think of this driver, she was 59 years old, white woman. She mentioned the looters and what's going on. She doesn't understand it. I said "We're all humans right. If there are a group of humans that say I do not feel human.  We as humans should say - ok, why, how can we be supportive? Instead of saying no - you should feel like a human!" Black people have said this continuously for centuries "We do not feel like humans. We have been oppressed. Listen to me.”She said “I never thought of it like that”

“I don't know how long I have left. It could be I'll live until 90 or cancer comes back next week.“What's important to me is leaving behind the message of what change can look like. Not just fighting for it, what does the redeemed world look like? If we win, what world are we going to make?"“The truest revolution is within you." 

"What's different in 2020 than1968 is that the anti-war movement took a long time to make a tangible difference. We went on years of marches. All the way through the late 60s until '71, '72. It was really only at the end of that time that you can see that it was going our way. Up until then there was this tremendous pushback from people who knew servicemen or the "America Love it Leave it" crowd. And finally when Nixon ended the war and draft at the same time, it was this tremendous triumph and it also took the wind out of the movement. We didn't have a fall back position. We won the point! The war ended. The draft ended. For a lot of guys, that was tremendous freedom." 

"The talk around mental health is a bit more active, more spoken about. That can be a missing piece that can elevate this movement. To be conscious of our mental health, to not be overworked, to have that time for ourselves.""Instead of being stuck in circles and bottling up our emotions, [taking care of our mental health] allow us to be more focused. Organizers need to be organized. First step is to have that mental clarity and then you can make sound decisions."

This episode was recorded after Kenny went to Minneapolis after George Floyd got murdered."This is who I am. I'm owning up to it. This is who I've always been. I've always been about social justice. Whether it was COVID or [not], I knew I needed to go." "It took a global pandemic and a man - a black man - to be filmed on camera getting killed by an officer for all of this to strike a chord.”

“Just as Abraham is raising the sacrificial knife, it says God stays his hand. God says you don't have to sacrifice your son, I believe you are faithful.”“The text doesn't say anything about what Isaac felt. Isaac was not a baby, he was a boy. When they were going, he kept asking his father "Where is the sacrifice? Where is the lamb for the sacrifice?"His father said "Don't worry, God will provide the sacrifice." They get up top and Abraham binds his son and lays him out on an altar.If you were a 8, 9, 10 year old kid and your father did that to you, how would you ever get over that? How could you ever trust your father again?”