by Dana Kester-McCabe
It is pretty hard to absorb all the media coverage of politics in an election year without becoming extremely cynical. Sarcasm and sensationalism seem to be the guiding principles behind everything. Even the most respectable journalists seem more bent on covering the contests rather than the issues. Of course candidates and their supporters don’t help much. Their speeches are filled with rhetoric and word play; their advertising barely passes for truth; and supporting pundits scream their points all at the same time. If we are still paying attention by the end of the conventions, by the end of September avoiding the news at any cost seems like a good choice. All this makes it very hard to take a spiritual approach to our responsibility to be actively good citizens. But it is possible. We simply must ask ourselves:
by Dana Kester-McCabe
Over the last several decades reference to the song Kumbaya has become a patronizing slur characterizing someone as unrealistic or naïve. The hymn Kumbaya used to be a camp favorite which was sometimes sung as a round. There is dispute about whether it was a traditional African American folk song or was composed by one Reverend Marvin V. Frey in the 1930’s. Kumbaya Lord means – Come by here Lord. It took on its unfortunate connotation, in part, because the song was easy to teach and therefore was over used. By the 1970’s a lot of people were sick of it. During this election cycle it has been used as an insult numerous times.
by Dana Kester-McCabe
Pop artist, Andy Warhol is oft quoted as saying that someday everyone will have their fifteen minutes of fame. It is very human to believe that we will eventually have some great tragedy or some significant triumph in our lives that is worthy of everyone’s attention – even if it is only for one brief shining moment. This is a false pride that popular culture has always encouraged. Even as far back as when Greek mythology was the religion of the day, stories about encounters with the Gods were very popular. If you had such a meeting your reputation would be great. People aspired to this in hopes of being privileged enough to share such a story over and over again. Telling our story is in fact one of the oldest and most common traditions of all humanity. So being a faithful witness is certainly nothing new. It is a spiritual skill that has always been important to develop.
by Dana Kester-McCabe
Welcome to the revived "Faithful Witness" of the Friends Media Project.This entry is about the spiritual basis for the leading behind the Friends Media Project and was previously posted some time ago. The main idea: Personal faith integrated with corporate worship and discernment should enliven us to a Spirit-led way of life and public ministry.

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