{"id":8452,"date":"2021-03-30T07:58:23","date_gmt":"2021-03-30T12:58:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/?p=8452"},"modified":"2021-03-23T14:47:01","modified_gmt":"2021-03-23T19:47:01","slug":"april-4-2021","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/april-4-2021\/","title":{"rendered":"April 4, 2021–Living Your Passion"},"content":{"rendered":"

Steve Peterson, Moorhead, MN<\/b><\/p>\n

Warm-up Question<\/b><\/p>\n

Have you ever been so fired up about something you were doing that you lost all track of time. \u00a0You lost any sense of being self-conscious about how you were being seen by others, just getting lost in doing something you believed in, found joy in doing?\u00a0 <\/span>Can you describe what you were doing and what that experience was like for you?<\/p>\n

Living Your Passion<\/b><\/p>\n

Who do we think of as influential people, people who make a difference in the world, communities, or among family and friends? What qualities do we think of when we think of influential people?\u00a0<\/span> TIME\u00a0<\/span><\/i> magazine in early March of this year published a double issue featuring brief articles about those chosen as the 100 next most influential people.\u00a0 <\/span>Many of the articles were written by previous Time<\/i> 100 alumni.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

For example, Greta Thunberg, TIME<\/i>\u2019s 2019 Person of the Year, writes about Vanessa Nakate, a 24-year-old climate justice champion from Uganda.\u00a0 <\/span>Her African country is one the regions of the world most exposed\u00a0 <\/span>to the adverse effects of the climate crisis. Nakate is making a difference through her Rise Up movement.\u00a0 <\/span>She started the Green Schools Project to transition schools in Uganda to solar energy and champions education and empowerment for girls and youth women. She is a powerful example of what one young woman with passion for something she believes in can do.<\/p>\n

The rest of the TIME\u2019s<\/i> 100 Next list includes, \u201cdoctors and scientists fighting COVID-19, advocates pushing for equality and justice, journalists standing up for truth, and artists sharing their visions of present and future.\u201d \u00a0 <\/span>Altogether, TIME<\/i> describes these Next 100 Influential people as being characterized by, in the words of composer, lyricist and actor Manuel Mirander, \u201cclear-eyed hope.\u201d<\/p>\n

Discussion Questions<\/b><\/p>\n