27. John Pavlovitz on death & grief & love

In the past two years, John Pavlovitz’s blog, Stuff That Needs To Be Said, has reached a diverse audience of millions of people across the world with his outspoken distaste for a number of President Trump’s policies and confrontation of the larger national vitriol about immigrants, guns, and many other hot button issues. His popularity is not surprising, given that his core message is one that so many of us are yearning to hear: that hope is still possible, and that kindness, inclusion, and compassion are the way forward. A former megachurch pastor, Pavlovitz now preaches a much less-traditional Christian message dedicated to radical hospitality, mutual respect, and diversity of doctrine that has earned him the nicknames “The Pastor of the Resistance” and “The Atheists’ Favorite Pastor.” He wants to help those of us who feel hopeless recognize ways in which we can change things for the better. “Hope isn’t found in a celebrity, religious leader, or politician,” says Pavlovitz. “It’s found in the mirror.” Pavlovitz fervently believes that people can change things with a little guidance. “We all have a small world that we can save,” Pavlovitz explains “Compassion, or giving a damn, is one of the most powerful weapons we have in difficult times.” In a rousing and inspiring interview, Pavlovitz, author of the new book, Hope and Other SuperPowers:A Life-Affirming, Love-Defending, Butt-Kicking, World-Saving Manifesto (Simon and Schuster, November 2018), can discuss: • How to find hope in the face of the discord and anger we see on social media news feeds every day • Recognizing that personal pain can mobilize us to activism • Specific places to start and steps to take in the face of the vast and overwhelming problems in the world • How to balance fighting injustice in the world with caring for oneself • One thing each one of us can do right now to be the kind of person the world needs • And much more! John Pavlovitz is a writer, pastor, and activist. In the past five years his blog Stuff That Needs To Be Said has reached a diverse worldwide audience of millions of people, and he is widely regarded as a leading voice in progressive faith in America. A 22-year veteran in the trenches of local church ministry, John is committed to equality, diversity, and justice—both inside and outside faith communities. In 2017 he released his first book, A Bigger Table. His second book, Hope and Other Superpowers, arrived in November of 2018. For more information visit www.johnpavlovitz.com. Or you can find John on Twitter @johnpavlovitz, Facebook @johnpavlovitzofficial, and instagram @johnpavlovitz. Hope and Other Superpowers is available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Indiebound, and wherever books are sold