Howard Thurman – The Church of the Palms UCC

What made you come alive in 2023?

Throughout 2023 we asked in one way or another, “What makes you come alive?” That question came from one of Howard Thurman’s most famous quotes: “Ask what makes you come alive and go do it. Because the world needs people who have come alive.” This past year witnessed The Church of the Palms collectively and… Continue reading What made you come alive in 2023?

What makes you come alive?

What makes you come alive? Howard Thurman was a friend and colleague of Martin Luther King, Sr. He was a mentor to MLK Jr., too. Author, philosopher, theologian, mystic, educator, and civil rights leader, he recognized that many people live as though they were already dead. Thus, he challenged one and all: “Ask what makes… Continue reading What makes you come alive?

What the church needs

Howard Thurman was an American author, theologian, and educator. Thurman’s theology of radical nonviolence influenced and shaped a generation of civil rights activists – he was a key mentor to leaders within the civil rights movement, including MLK, Jr. One of Thurman’s poems, The Work of Christmas, was turned into a hymn we sing a lot… Continue reading What the church needs

The Work of Christmas

I will light candles this Christmas,Candles of joy despite all the sadness,Candles of hope where despair keeps watch,Candles of courage for fears ever present,Candles of peace for tempest-tossed days,Candles of grace to ease heavy burdens,Candles of love to inspire all my living,Candles that will burn all year long.—Howard Thurman The Season of Christmas is twelve… Continue reading The Work of Christmas