Robert A. Rees
MONDAY | DECEMBER 14, 2020 | 7:30-9:00 pm
Few people I know have exemplified the healing power of Christ in word and deed as well as Bob Rees. Hear a devotional message by Bob and then explore as a group how Jesus has helped us and can help us heal the animosity among us.
GATHERING AT:
Your home or hang out of choice via Zoom.
Thanks to Jana Spangler hosting us via Zoom. Below is some helpful info for being part of a Zoom convo. I will note below the Zoom address so that you can connect. If you are not on my email list then either join at the bottom of this site’s home page or text or call me at 801-695-5036.
THE CONVERSATION:
We will begin with a devotional message by Bob around the given theme and then open it up to the group to ask questions and briefly share experiences where you feel the teachings of Jesus have helped you heal and heal others. About half the country is divided in political animus. Many are suffering from unemployment, racial and socio-economic tensions, and the effects of social distancing, fear, and hopelessness. What does Jesus offer you in the way of hope for the here and now?
Besides exploring the resources below, please take some time to reflect on and record those experiences where the life and words of Jesus have helped you be a peacemaker, a healer, and a helper in hard times. How has Christ healed and lifted your broken and fearful heart? How has Christ given you the curiosity and capacity to seek out, interact with, and love people who are different than you?
As always, there is no pressure to participate, but if you do, please be brief and remember to share air time. You can find guidelines for productive conversations here).
ABOUT DR. ROBERT A. REES
Bob Rees is Visiting Professor and Director of Mormon Studies at Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley. He was an early former editor of Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought and continues to make significant contributions to Mormon scholarship in such journals and presses as Dialogue, Sunstone , The Journal of Book of Mormon Studies, Brigham Young University Press, Signature Books, BCC Press, and other venues.
Bob is the author or co-author of a number of publications relating to LGBT issues, most notably: Supportive Families, Healthy Children: Helping Latter-day Saint Families with Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Children, (co-authored with Dr. Caitlin Ryan of the Family Acceptance Project at San Francisco State University.
He is the author most recently of A New Witness to the World (on the Book of Mormon) and the second volume of Why I Stay: The Challenges of Discipleship for Contemporary Mormons, forthcoming from Signature Books. Currently he is finishing a book on Discipleship and co-editing with his wife Gloria a collection of essays by contemporary Latter-day Saints titled “Pillars of My Faith.”
A man of many good causes, Bob is the cofounder and vice president of the Bountiful Children’s Foundation, a non-profit whose mission is to nurture the potential of infants and toddlers to lead healthy, productive, and self-reliant lives by eliminating undernutrition.
EXPLORE BEFORE WE MEET:
FROM BOB:
On Being with Krista Tippett, Jean Vanier, The Wisdom of Tenderness
WATCH THE RECORDING OF THIS CONVERSATION
TIPS FOR BETTER ZOOMING
Before you begin the Zoom Conversation:
- Prior to when we meet, get your camera and mic ready and troubleshoot any problems. It would be wise to do a dry run with the camera and microphone on your device before we converse. Best to have the camera at eye level so that it is as if we would talk to each other in person. You can use a smartphone, tablet, laptop, or desktop.
- If you are having difficulty with the technology, don’t hold up the meeting by distracting other participants for solutions. Try Googling your problem. I do that with most of my life’s problems.
- Find a quiet place to get comfortable and that you can hang out in for a couple of hours.
- Be aware that the rest of the group can see you and what is behind you. Avoid as best you can having bright lights, distracting images, or people or pets wandering around behind you. No Bigfoot bombing in the background please.
- Please don’t wander around doing other things or eating. Or if you do, make sure your sound and video are muted.
- Mute your microphone when you are not speaking so noises are not heard by everyone else
- Resist the urge to multitask—be with us, people. Knitting is still allowed though.
- Please share air time and follow the guidelines under “Intentions” on this website.
To enter the Zoom conversation:
- Click on the Zoom link above.
- The link Zoom should open, and you should be able to see and hear other participants. Or wait until the host opens the meeting. Check that you muted and that your video is on if you choose to have it on. (Love to see and hear you live, but we’ll take curious lurkers also.)
- If you can’t hear the host, me, or others, find your settings and make sure you have a working microphone and speaker selected. Also, make sure you have your volume up.
