Les Misérables director John Caird says, "As a bunch of liberal humanists, we had tried to avoid every mention of religion, [but] sewing God into the show was what animated the characters." We have the same opportunity: to let God sew himself into the fabric of our lives so that he animates our character and gives life to everything we do.

Evangelical and Catholic Christians all over the world, except for some in the United States, know that climate change is real and are working to reverse the damage to our planet and address the ways it disrupts and devastates so many lives. At a conference, Pope Leo said: God will ask us if we cultivated and cared for the world and took care of our brothers and sisters. In the Bible, God commands us to do both. Do we?

People who oppose immigration accuse Christians of being “political.”  Their argument is with God, not with us.  Jesus told us to “welcome the stranger.”  We are just following his teachings. National Migration Week is a good time to recall that Catholics have celebrated World Day for Migrants and Refugees for 111 years and Christians have supported migrants from the earliest days of the faith. It's not new, and it's not political.

What difference can a bell make? The atomic bomb that killed 74,000 people in Nagasaki permanently silenced one of the two bells of the city’s Urakami Cathedral. Thanks to James Nolan, exactly 80 years later a replacement bell rang out for the first time, a gift from Christians as a tangible act of peacemaking and solidarity. How can you or I be a peacemaker?

In the Beatitudes, Jesus said, “Blessed are the merciful.” Mercy is compassion in action. How can we show mercy to others? How can our government treat people with mercy, and in what ways is it failing?

In the Beatitudes, Jesus challenges us to hunger for righteousness – to have a deep desire to do what is right.  But how do we know we have the right goals and are pursuing them in the right ways?

In the Scriptures, the apostle Paul uses the terms "faith, hope, and love" as action words, not as abstract concepts. He talks about the “work of faith,” the “labor of love,” and our “endurance in hope.” How do we put these virtues into action?

These 3 churches have different missions, ranging from transformation and renewal to sanctuary. St. Paul's Cathedral finds a way to be true to its mission amid the bustle of tourists, encouraging people to encounter the transforming presence of Jesus. Christ Church London uses worship music to support its focus on mission. The Catholic Church of St. James sees itself as a haven from modernity. Although the Body of Christ is not united, God is at work.

In Proverbs 31:8-9, God calls us to speak out for those who have no voice. Who needs our voice? To whom shall we speak? What shall we say? How can we put this Bible passage about justice into action?

This is the hardest article I have ever had to write. The second conclusion from my Civil Rights trip is that the treatment of Black people in American history was much uglier than most people know. From slavery to Jim Crow and beyond, the textbooks mostly downplay our ugly truths with language that misses the suffering behind the words.  We cannot hide from the past any more than Adam and Eve could hide from God in the Garden. What was done must be acknowledged.

Pope Francis is rightfully praised for how he focused the attention of the Catholic Church and the whole world on people who are marginalized and left out. He was also a practical teacher with simple wisdom about how to live our everyday lives. He taught that continued discernment is needed after you make a decision, to evaluate whether it was a good decision or not. Is there gratitude to God, renewed energy, and freedom to let it go?

Everywhere you turn in American history, African American history is embedded in the story. Black History Month is not enough; we need to learn how Black history is intertwined with all of American history.

How to nurture a deep relationship and continual conversation with God while serving others, as you talk with God throughout your day.

Literacy champion Frank Laubach showed how working to help others and praying constantly in a personal relationship with God go together.

Our society sees through the eyes of billionaires and influencers. God sees from the perspective of the people at the bottom. A comparison.

Betty Boynton was a 15-year-old "foot soldier" for voting rights in Selma. Every movement for justice needs foot soldiers. Are you one?

This Black businessman was a quiet leader in the Civil Rights era. His philosophy – find a need and fill it – is useful in difficult times.

In 1 Thessalonians, Paul calls for gentleness, affection, purpose, and the care of a mother or father for their children.

Jimmy Carter never lost his empathy for people in small towns. He showed us how to practice solidarity, which is the call of all Christians.

He never said "thank you." It’s a little thing, but it can have a big impact. Routinely giving thanks can change your whole outlook on life.