ABOUT THIS EPISODE
When John Pavlovitz's new book Worth Fighting For: Finding Courage & Compassion When Cruelty is Trending, landed on my desk I was intrigued by the title. Given that trolling on socials, nastiness on the news, and day-to-day unkindness to one another seem to be the norm, there isn't any way to argue that cruelty is not the currency of the day. So a book on reconnecting to compassion felt like a gift to my soul.
John and I spoke about what we, as a society, need to do and our concerns about the repercussions of not healing the divides that we currently face. John gives us simple actions that we can take to bridge those divides and expand our own capacity for kindness and compassion.
In a time when there is heartbreaking news every day it is deeply inspiring and nourishing to reconnect with the compassion that is our greatest human strength.
For a written transcript of this conversation click here.
About John:
John Pavlovitz is a writer, pastor activist and storyteller from Wake Forest, North Carolina. Over the past decade, his thought provoking blog Stuff That Needs To Be Said, has reached a diverse worldwide audience with over 100 million views. A 25-year veteran in the trenches of local church ministry, Pavlovitz is committed to equality, diversity and justice, both inside and outside faith communities. John's books include A Bigger Table, and If God is Love, Don't Be a Jerk. His new book, Worth Fighting For: Finding Courage and Compassion When Cruelty is Trending arrived on April 2. He currently directs Empathetic People Network, a vibrant online community that connects people from all over the world who want to create a more compassionate planet.
John's Action Steps:
1) Identify and lean into the burden.
2) Find a partner or collaborator
3) Take one measurable step with them, then another and keep going.
Connect with John:
Substack
Website
Instagram
Threads
Facebook
Credits:
Harmonica music courtesy of a friend
