There's lament - “Why are things so broken – again and again – where has all the mercy gone.” But also this gratitude – "again and again"– in the midst of it all, "God’s love remains."
What can the "look for the helpers" advice do for us in these times? I suggest that, while it doesn't diminish the painful realities of our corporate life, it does offer us one path through the valley of cynicism.
There is nothing gratuitous about the arts right now. They are not added, they are essential—like spirituals in the hell of cotton fields, anti-war songs of the 60s, AIDS blankets and inner city murals and poetry that says what everybody’s tired souls are feeling.
One summer during college, a friend of mine hitchhiked his way to visit Wendell Berry at his homestead in Henry County, Kentucky. Inspired by Berry’s writing, my friend had decided it was finally time to meet t...