Six New Things – Week of February 16, 2026

Slow down. Breathe. With eyes freshly opened, we make room for awe. We move past shame to embrace transformation – and rewrite the future with hope.

ONE

We may have space for a breather. But as everyone is pointing out, the work of transforming the future lies ahead.

Sacred Curiosity: Wondering Our Way Toward Wholeness (Broadleaf) encourage curiosity, which ‘slows us down, tunes us in for transformation, pushes past shame, activates awe, and rewrites with hope.’

Midweek Retreat – our weekly, half-hour, online somatic and contemplative practice for all faith leaders – creates room for rest, renewal and resilience.

Register for the link here.

TWO

We rest, but we do not sleep.

As agents (hopefully) withdraw from Minnesota, it is becoming very clear we’ve been a ‘testing ground’.

• Terry Gross: ‘Do you think what’s happening in Minnesota with ICE is, in part, a way to scare people away from voting?’ Robert Kagan (The Atlantic): ‘YES’. Read more here. (Fresh Air/MPR; 02.06.26)
• Steve Bannon: ‘Your damn right, we’re going to have ICE surround the polls come November’.
  • Heather Cox Richardson offers historical context and a bit of hope.
  • Even without their direct interference, the threat of ICE will weigh heavily on voter turn-out.
• House Passes GOP Elections Overhaul; (Meredith Lee Hill; 02.11.26 / Politico)
• Future polling isn’t the only concern:
  • MN Republicans [Stauber, Fischback, Finstad, and Emmer] Introduce Bill to Compel State to Turn Over Voter Data (KAXE/KBXE).
  • Other states are already complying while lawsuits are pending in at least 20 other states to protect voter privacy and election integrity.
• ‘Where Do Minnesota Republicans Stand on Immigration and the Good and Pretti Killings?‘ Sahan Journal asked, ‘All 112 Republicans in the Legislature, Gubernatorial Race, and Congress’.
• MN State Democratic lawmakers (WDIO/YouTube):
  • Rep. Kozlowski (08B): Indigenous students are afraid to drive across MN for fear of deportation.
  • Rep. Johnson (08A): ‘lies are being used to enable this cruelty’; ‘Metro Surge’ glosses over ICE’s presence across the state; MN was intended to be ‘an example, for bullying us into giving over our voter and medicaid roles’.

Please see our Choose to See Great Idea for other under-the-radar motives/outcomes behind ICE’s presence in Minnesota.

THREE

Minnesotans, recognizing what’s at stake on all the levels, have responded with incredible strength, courage, and resilience – a far more compelling witness.

• A bunch of us have done some phenomenal singing.
• Nearly 30,000 Minnesotans Trained as Constitutional Observers
• Suburban ICE Observers Remain Resolved – folx are showing up in different ways in different places, but they keep showing up!
• ELCA Clergy encourage us all to know There Is Another Way.

Amidst the Dissonance and Departure in Minnesota (Angela Denker; Substack), I hope and pray we don’t lose these awe-inspiring forms of neighbor-love.

[Oh, and Minneapolis has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.]

FOUR

How is your congregation sharing compassion, leading, witnessing, and advocating?

• Train caring adults in Supporting Children During Immigration Enforcement Operations (MN Association for Children’s Mental Health), a collection of strategies ‘adults can use to support children during periods of uncertainty and fear, [d]rawn from the field of developmental resilience science and informed by clinical practice.’
• Support youth, who are daily getting a crash course in caring for others, with Empathy: How Can I Help My Friend When… They Need an Empathetic Friend? Peer Ministry acknowledges that ‘Empathy doesn’t come naturally – it’s a skill we learn and practice.’
• See this week’s Choose to See Great Idea for a compendium of inspiration.

FIVE

Encourage one another through Singing Resistance. This incredible group of song leaders have shared a songbook, filled with music that ‘carries both grief and resolve’ and are providing song leader trainings.

SIX

Beauty is essential sustenance for our souls. Here’s a little bit:

• Light for the Way: Seeking Simplicity, Connection, and Repair in a Broken World (Broadleaf) ‘explores the work of beloved Sojourner writers on spiritual thriving, living simply, and engaging with our communities’.
• And please take a listen to the oft-repeated Kid Logic story from Jack Hitt (MPR; This American Life) about teaching his four-year-old daughter about Jesus, whose phrase, ‘Do unto others as you would have them do unto you’, resonated powerfully with her – and which she immediately equated with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr’s, teachings about equality and justice. Her questions are heart-stopping.
• The Lost Words Blessing (Spell Songs), is loveliness in song.