The wisdom of those who respect the Creation.

Posted on July 17, 2023July 17, 2023 by Gib Pellet

Something I'm sharing with the Friendly Philosophers this week / July 17th, 2023 "My people are not threatened by silence. They are completely at home in it. They have lived for thousands of years with Nature’s quietness. My people today recognise and experience in this quietness the great Life-Giving Spirit, the Father of us all. It is easy for me to experience God’s presence. When I am out hunting, when I am in the bush, among the trees, on a hill or by a billabong; these are the times w...

Monthly News from Gib / July 1st, 2023

Posted on July 15, 2023 by Gib Pellet

Common Ground Outreach and the Friendly Philosophers ~ July 1st, 2023 The world’s burning. According to Jessie Thompson and my wife Mi there are over 500 wildfires burning (half are out of control) in Canada. The air is hard to breathe. Looking around the neighborhood of South Minneapolis the trees and houses a block away are shrouded like the Twilight Zone. How much should we focus on this stuff? Is strength to endure really born from understanding… eyes wide open? Yeah… if w...

Monthly news from Gib / June, 2023

Posted on June 24, 2023June 24, 2023 by Gib Pellet

Common Ground Outreach and the Friendly Philosophers / June 1st, 2023 A friend in life and on Facebook today posted this image and this caption… “What if our religion was each other? If our practice was our life? What if the temple was the Earth? If forests were our church? If holy water - the rivers, lakes, and oceans? What if meditation was our relationships? If the Teacher was life? If wisdom was knowledge? If love was the center of our being?” Injustice, violence, environmental and so...

We all shine on

Posted on October 5, 2022October 5, 2022 by Gib Pellet

Everyone experiences dark times at some point in their life. This is something we, as sentient beings,have in common. As human beings, no matter what our political affiliation or what our ideology may be,suffering is as much a part of our lives as breathing is necessary for continued survival. But no matter how bad things may appear to be, there is always a ray of light carrying with it the promise of a better day that often accompanies hope. Michael was the epitome of hope. No matter how bad...

A letter to prison

Posted on November 13, 2017May 7, 2019 by Gib Pellet

Tonight I’m working on a letter to a guy who’s spent 21 years of his life in solitary confinement. The guy was locked up at the age of 14 with some other “delinquents” in the county jail in Florida a subjected to various forms of torture by the local police before finally being sentenced. The experience created a monster and when our friend was released he rampaged against the people who’d victimized him. Being a foster child had set the man on an early path to feelings of abandonment and his...

Children gather Moonbeams while Grown-ups stay inside.

Posted on September 12, 2016May 7, 2019 by Gib Pellet

9/11/16 Children gather Moonbeams while Grown-Ups Hide Inside. Gib Pellet + + + In preparing for today I was visited many times by thoughts of children … something about children and God was rattling around up there …. Finally, this morning, as I was rereading some things I might use, it came together. Let me share a paragraph from Luke. Luke 11:37-41 37 As Jesus was speaking, one of the Pharisees invited him home for a meal. So he went in and took his place at the tabl...

Thoughts from the “Friendly Philosophers”

Posted on May 6, 2016May 17, 2016 by Gib Pellet

May 6th, 2016 Last night we welcomed more new members and the conversations were great. One member courageously shared his journey in remaking himself philosophically and got great feedback and engagement from the other folks, all who were pretty awed by the effectiveness of our group in bringing the questions of existence and meaning to the table. It feels like a great honor to think this humble idea of gathering to talk and to allow great minds and hearts to connect, can result in a sharing...

Is God in the Rain?

Posted on February 29, 2016May 7, 2019 by Gib Pellet

The following message was given by my friend Frank Bacon at the Quaker Meeting today in South Minneapolis. I think we could call it: Is God in the rain? Frank’s talk 2016.02.28 I was raised an atheist. I realized I was a pacifist when I was 12 while watching a TV documentary series about WWII called Victory at Sea. I thought to myself, “These people are crazy.” At 15 I found out that I wasn’t the only pacifist in the world, and started attending the Evanston, Illinois Friends Meeting,...

Letter from the Director

Posted on February 23, 2016September 26, 2022 by Gib Pellet

February 21st, 2016 Today I ran into an old friend at the Y after 3 miles of agony on the track… Father Bill Teska, an Episcopal Priest of my vintage who is somewhat of a legend in the Twin Cities. Bill’s been involved in so many projects he’s lost count (his middle name is outreach). We talked for a minute about a brilliant friend who worked with us on a project to reclaim an historic church in downtown Minneapolis and convert it into a home for community projects. Turns out the guy has kind...

CGO Update / February 21st

Posted on February 22, 2016September 26, 2022 by Gib Pellet

CGO Update / February 21st, 2016 Today I ran into an old friend at the Y after 3 miles of agony on the track… Father Bill Teska, an Episcopal Priest of my vintage who is somewhat of a legend in the Twin Cities. Bill’s been involved in so many projects he’s lost count (his middle name is outreach). We talked for a minute about a brilliant friend who worked with us on a project to reclaim an historic church in downtown Minneapolis and convert it into a home for community projects. Turns out the...