Be Still And Go

God of many names, one being: you slung stars to infinite galaxies in a universe whose outer limits are beyond our reach. You made this earth, so finely balanced, brilliant in beauty, breath-taking in wonder. You set our feet upon the ground and gave us eyes to see the sky, beating hearts and curious minds, busy hands to feel joy and work the planet for the good of all. Our failures are not your doing. Our triumphs tell of your glory. You are our true home.Young people all over the world march to make a future possible on a planet with enough resources to nurture and sustain life from birth to old age for ages to come. We grieve the lateness of the hour and gird our strength for the challenges we face and must overcome. We pray not to dream but in waking to do what must be done. Their signs pierce our consciences: “Think or swim;” “Dead Planet Soon, Act Now;” “You had a future and so should we.”We pray to thank you for the birds that still sing, pollinate, and spread the seeds of future life in every nation o

What do we do when the very thing we need might end up killing us?//The heavens are telling the glory of God; and the firmament proclaims God's handiwork. (Psalm 19:1)The sky is falling. The air is killing us. Nearly 80% of lung illnesses are due to the air pollutants caused by automobiles and other fossil fuel burning machines.They will roar over it on that day, like the roaring of the sea. And if one look to the land— only darkness and distress; and the light grows dark with clouds. (Isaiah 5:30)Around the world, air pollution is the fourth largest killer, causing 6.5 million deaths annually, behind high blood pressure, dietary risks and smoking.Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, for the day is coming, it is near— a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness! (Joel 2:1-2)More than nine out of 10 of the world’s population – 92% – lives in places where air pollution exceeds safe limitsThe land that you are entering to possess is a land unclean with the pollutions of the people. Th

“There are no unsecured places but only sacred places and desecrated places.” -Wendell BerryWhere have you found God in creation?//Psalm 18:2My God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.//This episode was written and recorded by Frances Connell. It was produced by Rev. Jim Keat. Background tracks include Trundle and Sepia by Podington Bear, Rivers and Mountains by Josh Spacek, and The Tide and Seeking Clarity by Alex Fitch.Visit www.trcnyc.org/BeStillAndGo to listen to more episodes from all four seasons of Be Still and Go.Visit https://www.trcnyc.org/ministries/belovedearth/ to learn more about the Beloved Earth Community.

"See to it that you do not spoil and destroy my world for if you do there will be no one else to repair it.”//If we do not wake up our children and grand children will have a future of a diminishing food supply and withered trees.What are you doing to care for the future of our planet?//Leviticus 26:3-4If you follow my statutes and keep my commandments and observe them faithfully, I will give you your rains in their season, and the land shall yield its produce, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit.//This episode was written and recorded by Rabbi Jill Zimmerman. It was produced by Rev. Jim Keat. Background tracks include Trundle by Podington Bear, B Roll, and Galoshes by Podington Bear.Visit www.trcnyc.org/BeStillAndGo to listen to more episodes from all four seasons of Be Still and Go.

Hound dogs on my trailSchool children sitting in jailBlack cat cross my pathI think every day’s gonna be my last-Nina SimoneWhat does it mean to “give a damn” about our world today?//Genesis 8:13–14In the six hundred first year, in the first month, on the first day of the month, the waters were dried up from the earth; and Noah removed the covering of the ark, and looked, and saw that the face of the ground was drying. In the second month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, the earth was dry. //This episode was written and recorded by Alisha Gordon. It was produced by Rev. Jim Keat. Background tracks include Trundle by Podington Bear, Misissippi Goddam by Nina Simone, Woods by Corina Repp, and Walking Stars by Kai Engel.Visit www.trcnyc.org/BeStillAndGo to listen to more episodes from all four seasons of Be Still and Go.

"The people who are suffering the consequences of climate change the most didn’t even cause climate change."Where have you seen the impact of climate change in the world around you?//Genesis 1:1In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.//This episode was written and recorded by abby mohaupt. It was produced by Rev. Jim Keat. Background tracks include Trundle by Podington Bear and In the Dark You're More Colorful and Live For the Dead by Corina Repp.Visit www.trcnyc.org/BeStillAndGo to listen to more episodes from all four seasons of Be Still and Go.

"Here’s what I believe: we are a part of an evolutionary force, co-creating with God."What does it look like for you to co-create with God?//This episode was written and recorded by Beth Ackerman. It was produced by Rev. Jim Keat. Background tracks include Trundle by Podington Bear, The Great Burn by Dave Depper, and Lightning by Kelly Pratt.Visit www.trcnyc.org/BeStillAndGo to listen to more episodes from all four seasons of Be Still and Go.

"In our present age of massive climate disruption, we are seeing signs that should move us to healthy fear, to name our corporate sin and turn with renewed attention to the ways of the Creator God, who, as the psalmist sees, models careful, daily tending of the earth on which all life depends."What corporate sins does our culture need to name and repent from in order to tend the earth on which all life depends?//Psalm 65:3, 8, 12-13Misdeeds – they are stronger than I am; our transgressions –it is You [God] who atone for them.Those who inhabit the ends of the earthfeel fear at Your signs;the reaches of morning and evening You make ring with joy.The pastures of the wilderness are dripping,and the hills are girdled with joy.The meadows are clothed with the flocks,and the valleys robed in grain.They shout out; they even sing.//This episode was written and recorded by Dr. Ellen Davis. It was produced by Rev. Jim Keat. Background tracks include Trundle, Daisy, Ink, and Song Sparrow by Podington Bear.Visit www.trcny

What can you do to conserve and care for water in our world?//The earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters. (Genesis 1:2)71% of the earth is covered in water.So God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, of every kind, with which the waters swarm, And God saw that it was good. (Genesis 1:21)Every year, more people die from unsafe water than from all forms of violence, including war.Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to my neck. (Psalm 69:1)Approximately 40% of the lakes in America are too polluted for fishing, aquatic life, or swimming.”When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you (Isaiah 43:2)About 10% of America’s beaches fail to meet the federal benchmark for what constitutes safe swimming water.But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream. (Amos 5:24)//This episode was written,

“Another world is possible and God has given us all we need to live into it."What are you doing to support the global climate strike?//Mark 1:15The time is fulfilled, the Kingdom of God has come near; repent and believe in the Good News.//This episode was written by The Riverside Youth Group — Santiago, Lucia. Athena, LaToya, Isabella, Mara. Chloe, Stephen, Charlotte, and Julian. It was recorded live on Sunday, October 15 at The Riverside Church. It was produced by Rev. Jim Keat. Background tracks include Trundle by Podington Bear and Overcoming Stage Fright and Beyond the Finish Line by Dexter Britain.Visit www.trcnyc.org/BeStillAndGo to listen to more episodes from all four seasons of Be Still and Go.

Creation praises because it exists, because it was created. Creation praises in the ways it can, because it can.What songs and sounds of praise do you hear in creation? //Psalm 148Praise the Lord.Praise the Lord from the heavens; praise him in the heights above.Praise him, all his angels; praise him, all his heavenly hosts.Praise him, sun and moon; praise him, all you shining stars.Praise him, you highest heavens and you waters above the skies.Let them praise the name of the Lord, for at his command they were created,and he established them for ever and ever— he issued a decree that will never pass away.Praise the Lord from the earth, you great sea creatures and all ocean depths,lightning and hail, snow and clouds, stormy winds that do his bidding,you mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars,wild animals and all cattle, small creatures and flying birds,kings of the earth and all nations, you princes and all rulers on earth,young men and women, old men and childre

"Imagination enables us to find potentiality and to picture a new vision.”How might imagination change the way you approach environmental justice and all of its intersections?//There is no scarcity. There is no shortage. No lack of love, of compassion, of joy in the world. There is enough. There is more than enough.Only fear and greed make us think otherwise.No one need starve. There is enough land and enough food. No one need die of thirst. There is enough water. No one need live without mercy. There is no end to grace. We are all instruments of grace. The more we give it, the more we share it, the more we use it, the more God makes. There is no scarcity of love. There is plenty. And always more.-Remnants: A Memoir of Spirit, Activism, and Mothering by Rosemarie Freeney Harding & Rachel Elizabeth Harding//This episode was written and recorded by Dr. Elyse Ambrose. It was produced by Rev. Jim Keat. Background tracks include Trundle by Podington Bear, Lemuel by Blue Dot Sessions, and The Whole World Loves

Tortoises preach to me, in their own wordless way, of how life should be and can be, if we don’t let ourselves be defined by human social constructions and instead re-situate ourselves in the original evolutionary construction or unfolding that we call creation.What does it mean for you to live ecologically?//This episode was written and recorded by Brian McLaren. It was produced by Rev. Jim Keat. Background tracks include Trundle by Podington Bear and Mountain by Stephen Keech.Visit www.trcnyc.org/BeStillAndGo to listen to more episodes from all four seasons of Be Still and Go.

Dirt matters. Shit matters. When we bring an eternal perspective to our temporal home, we can see that resurrection is a reality, even on earth.What does the end of the world look like?//1 Corinthians 15:55“Where, O death, is your victory?Where, O death, is your sting?”//This episode was written and recorded by Amanda Meisenheimer. It was produced by Rev. Jim Keat. Background tracks include Trundle by Podington Bear and Ghost Suite by YEYEY.Visit www.trcnyc.org/BeStillAndGo to listen to more episodes from all four seasons of Be Still and Go.

Don’t ever believe that the fire inside you is something you should grow out of.What kind of adult did you need when you were seven and seventeen?//Isaiah 11:6The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid,the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them//This episode was written and recorded by David Black. It was produced by Rev. Jim Keat. Background tracks include Trundle by Podington Bear, Calico and Desert Hiatus by Young Bay, and Cold Feet by Will Bangs.Visit www.trcnyc.org/BeStillAndGo to listen to more episodes from all four seasons of Be Still and Go.

"What if we recognized that climate change is not just an environmental justice issue but also a spiritual issue? The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it. The way we treat the planet impacts our soul. For God so loved the world - the whole world, the entire cosmos - and so what if we did too?"In your opinion, what is the connection between climate change and spirituality?//Romans 8:21-22[We wait] in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and will obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning.//This episode was written, recorded, and produced by Rev. Jim Keat. Background tracks include Trundle by Podington Bear and Drifters by Kelly Pratt.Visit www.trcnyc.org/BeStillAndGo to listen to more episodes from all four seasons of Be Still and Go.

“Easter is about starting again when all we can see around us is devastation. It’s about changing laws that allow violence to proliferate. It’s about welcoming the marginalized into the mainstream. It’s about apologizing for wrongs long unaccounted for. It’s about owning up to the possibility that systems from which we benefit are crushing the souls of our neighbors. It’s about making amends that move us towards new realities."What does it look like to live into the hope of Easter in your life and in our world?//Christ is risen. Christ is risen indeed!//This episode was written and recorded by Pastor Amy Butler. It was produced by Rev. Jim Keat. Background tracks include Button Mushrooms by Podington Bear and Circle Veroni by Blue Dot Sessions.Visit www.trcnyc.org/BeStillAndGo to listen to more episodes from all three seasons of Be Still and Go.

“God is still speaking in the chaos. God is still speaking in spite of us. And God is still speaking in the created world around us."Where do you hear God in the world around you?//This episode was written, recorded, and produced by Rev. Jim Keat. Background tracks include Button Mushrooms by Podington Bear. Soundscape locations include East Harlem, Union Square, Times Square, and Central Park.Visit www.trcnyc.org/BeStillAndGo to listen to more episodes from all three seasons of Be Still and Go.

“At what point in our suffering do we question the presence of God? And at what point in our suffering do we acknowledge that our questioning of God is a natural response to such agony. Perhaps we need to question God more."When was a time you questioned the presence of God?//Matthew 27:46And about three o’clock Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”//This episode was written and recorded by Lawrence Richardson. It was produced by Rev. Jim Keat. Background tracks include Button Mushrooms by Podington Bear, I’ll Miss You by Will Bangs.Visit www.trcnyc.org/BeStillAndGo to listen to more episodes from all three seasons of Be Still and Go.

“Suffering and death do not have the last word. Jesus has and is the last word and these are words of faith, agency, courage, and resistance."What does it mean to that God has the last word?//Luke 23:46Then Jesus, crying with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.” Having said this, he breathed his last.//This episode was written and recorded by Alex Da Silva Souto. It was produced by Rev. Jim Keat. Samples include Love and Hate by Michael Kiwanuka. Background tracks include Button Mushrooms by Podington Bear, and Newborn by Willow.Visit www.trcnyc.org/BeStillAndGo to listen to more episodes from all three seasons of Be Still and Go.