It's My Turn to Listen & Learn

I'm in Washington DC attending the Sojourner's Summit at Catholic University. We start tonight with dinner and a casual reception with all the attendees and Senator Elizabeth Warren. Don't freak, even though we are in DC, it's not a political conference. Not sure I could handle that. Each year Sojourners invites 300 men and women from around the country to attend the Summit. The goal is to have people who fight for justice to meet, connect, listen, and learn from each other. It's one of those times when I secretly think, "Why did they invite me?" I don't ask, I'm just glad to sneak in under the radar. The first night always starts with a person from the House (Senator or Congressman/woman) speaking on a particular justice issue. Right out of the gate my mind is broadened and my eyes opened wider. Sometimes when I attend conferences like this I can start to wonder why Jesus just doesn't put an end to all this evil and destruction. Just come Lord Jesus come. It's hard to listen to the injustices of the world over and over again. And yet, we must otherwise we become numb and complacent. We have to keep going to the well and hear what breaks the heart our Savior. It's here Jesus will join me as I sit, listen and learn - and he will speak to me - personally. About me. About how I live. About how I give. About The Marcella Project. And about his heart. I love these times with Jesus.I thought you might like to see just a few of the classes he and I will be attending.Implicit Bias - where we'll explore the historical, theological, and structural impact of implicit bias in society and in the church.The Implicit Biases of Our Theology - how might we help churches, seminaries and Christian organizations see that the witness of Scripture points away from the logic of empire to an indigenous and communal way?We Will Speak Out - joining together to end the silence around sexual and gender based violence.The Art of Story - We will be discussing how to embody our message of justice, equality and spiritual wholeness within the art of story.A Holy Alliance - Women and men against gender-based violence.The Mask You Live In: A film screening and panel discussion about the messages boys face that encourage them to disconnect from their emotions, devalue authentic friendships, objectify and degrade women and girls and resolve conflicts through violence.https://youtu.be/hc45-ptHMxoI'll keep you posted on how my time with Jesus goes.