Adopt a Bench

07/30/2025

Interesting points from the Religions for Peace World Council Meeting held in Istanbul.

06/06/2024

"1,000 faith-based colleges and universities in the U.S. serve approximately 1.8 million students, and their enrollment has gone up between 1980 and 2020 compared to the national average for all colleges. Enrollment at religious institutions rose 82 percent over that time period, compared to 57 percent on average for U.S. colleges and universities, according to data from the National Center for Education Statistics."

A group of leaders of religiously affiliated colleges and universities gathered in Washington, D.C., for a first meeting hosted by the American Council on Education.

04/17/2024

This is a neat example of religions supporting one another.

04/25/2023

Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Yulia Razmetaeva!

New on the blog: Yulia Razmetaeva of reflects on the sacralization of the way we think and speak about AI.
https://talkabout.iclrs.org/2023/04/24/sacralization-of-ai/

04/14/2023

Happy Vaisakhi to all those celebrating around the world today!

This Sikh spring festival honors progress, community, and celebration. 🧡

Here’s another article to learn more: https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/43737417

Many people will be celebrating Vaisakhi on 14 April, the Sikh festival which remembers when Sikhism became a collective faith.

04/12/2023

“I am a Hindu and I pray. I have a temple in my home, I do it as often as I can but at the same time to me I’m truly more spiritual I feel that I’m a believer of the fact that a higher power does exist and I like to have faith in that.” -Priyanka Chopra Jonas

04/05/2023

“That’s all nonviolence is – organized love.” -Joan Baez

There’s no need to fight. Instead of throwing punches, each of us needs to start conversations and make friends with those who have different beliefs than our own.

How cool is this punching bag bench? Looks like there’s room for two on that bench.

05/07/2021

Just some pure cuteness for your feed today…

04/24/2021

“There's nothing like working with your mates - it's the way it should be, as far as I'm concerned.” -Heath Ledger

This bench adoption is at Gas Works park in Seattle where the paintball scene was filmed in ‘10 Things I Hate About You’. So fun! If you look closely you can spot the Space Needle.

04/22/2021

“Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply.” -Stephen R. Covey

At we are each striving to improve our communication skills by listening deeply to gain better understanding of others. What do you do to listen with the intent to understand?

04/21/2021

Love this post. Read it all the way through, it's worth it.

Can you think of an object in your house or room that you see every day? For me, this rolling pin sits on the corner of my desk. You may be asking yourself, “Sister Cordon, a rolling pin? Isn’t that for baking?” Yes, yes it is. Most desks have some stacked papers and maybe a globe, but mine has a rolling pin. I cannot sit down without giving it a little glance.

You see, what’s so special about it is that it was given to me as a gift from a faithful member. He hand-made one for each of the nine General Officers.

If you look closely, you’ll see that all types of woods were used to create it. Some of the wood is a light, simple grain, some of it is dark and rich, some of it is amber red, and some of it is a more familiar brown. But all of the pieces are perfectly assembled to make a beautiful rolling pin. It can only function because all of its pieces fit together. No single piece is more important than another.

It is a daily reminder to me that we all come from different walks of life, with varied cultures and backgrounds and unique perspectives and ideas. Like the rolling pin, we’re all wrapped into one—united for an important purpose. Our unique differences and contributions can beautifully complement each other as we seek to be unified together.

We are not complete without you.

04/17/2021

“Focusing your life solely on making a buck shows a certain poverty of ambition. It asks too little of yourself. Because it's only when you hitch your wagon to something larger than yourself that you realize your true potential.” -Barack Obama