Spirit in Action

Sami Rasouli came to the USA in 1976, returning to Iraq after the US invasion, where he was founder of the Muslim Peacemaker Teams. Sami shares a very different perspective of the cause and effect of the US invasion of Iraq, due to his vantage point on the ground in the country, and has put his life at the service of peace and healing for his country of birth.

Billie Holiday still looms larger than life even close to 60 years after her death. At the nexus of complicated subjects like race, drugs, sexuality, & music, she acts as a compelling subject for those seeking to understand our society's trajectory, especially when religion is added as a layer to the experience.

In 2017 David Bucura became overall coordinator for AGLI (African Great Lakes Initiative) of Friends Peace Teams, working on peace and reconciliation in the nations of that region: Rwanda, Burundi, Congo (DRC), Kenya, Uganda, & Tanzania.

The impact of addiction can shape our lives in unexpected ways. Spencer T. and his guests on The Recovery Show podcast carry the message of healing for those affected by addiction and alcoholism. We explore the 12-steps of Al-Anon and see how working the steps can offer solutions to personal challenges we all face.

Past/current religious/spiritual influences:
12 Step Spirituality

One of the most informative & persuasive writers ever, Gordon Lafer is author of The One Percent Solution: How Corporations are Remaking America One State At A Time. Both empowering & maddening, the piercing exposé of the destruction of labor & the middle class by moneyed interests is essential to mounting an effective reply. Gordon Lafer is a political economist and Associate Professor at the Labor Education and Research Center of the University of Oregon in Eugene.

Bias & prejudice are hard-wired in us, we've got the studies to prove it, so what can we do about bias, hate, & division? In Our Search For Belonging: How Our Need to Connect Is Tearing Us Apart by Howard J. Ross we explore the mind, our behavior, & our possibility of acting better than we're programmed for.

Past/current religious/spiritual influences:
Eastern, Jewish, Non-affiliated

Guest host Peterson Toscano of Citizen's Climate Radio looks at psychological effects of climate change with Dr. Lise Van Susteren, discusses environmental health with Dr. Natasha DeJarnett, and we see the Artic Circle through the eyes of artist Fritz Horstman.

Thousands of groups sprang up across the USA very shortly after the election of Donald Trump, all as part of the Indivisible movement of resistance to the assault on our nation's well-being. A local branch sprouted here in the Chippewa Valley. An early participant and communications activist with the group is Rachel Hart-Brinson, and the newly-selected leader is Ann Francis.

North Carolina in 2017 is surely not the most welcoming place for a trans guy, yet it's where Liam Hooper is doing the work he's called to do. As Minister of Welcome & Beyond at Parkway UCC, Winston Salem, NC, Liam delivers a message of inclusion and strength to government, institutions, and individuals all around the state, rabble-rousing, preaching, and lecturing to make a difference.

Part 2 of visits with participants of the March For Our Lives witness in St Paul, MN, Eau Claire, WI, and Washington, DC, with special focus on the voices & work of youth. Bonni Knight taught HS French & public speaking skills for many years & writes for VolumeOne, ZariaWhitacre has been active with a number of clubs & organizations, among them Amnesty International, and Thomas Finegar's passion is theater at Atholtan HS in Columbia, MD.