“What will happen?” This question kept popping into my head as I sat in the van, winding through the rugged mountains of Kula, somewhere between Montenegro and Kosovo. Together with the artists from the acting troupe Magic Theatre (Magični Teatar), we were on our way to perform a play with women living in Kosovo. The project aimed to bring together women of Albanian and Serbian ethnicity, using theatre and artistic expression to empower those from areas affected by conflict. The twist? The actresses weren’t professionals—they were going to be local women who had never acted before but were willing to give it a shot.

On March 25, 2025, video footage went viral showing a Tufts University student, Rumeysa Ozturk, being arrested by ICE agents while walking to class. Her quiet, stunned compliance—the way she whispered "I'm a student at Tufts..." as agents pulled her away—echoed through social media like a lament. Though she was later released, the imagery haunts: an unarmed woman of color, quietly disappeared in broad daylight, on a college campus.

This is not an isolated moment. It’s part of a broader climate of fear and dehumanization toward immigrants in our country—especially those whose presence challenges dominant narratives of whiteness, power, or security. In the face of all this, a friend recently asked me, “What would Jesus do?” That question hits hard. And it’s worth flipping: What did Jesus do? Because we actually have a pretty solid record.

“Deconstruction” has become a bit of a buzzword in Christian circles, but it is in fact not an exclusively “Christian” phenomenon. Deconstruction is a very normal and natural process of unlearning and relearning, which all people all over the world experience at one time or another to various degrees throughout their lives. It is a natural part of human development. As peacebuilders and as Christians, we should embrace this process as an opportunity to mature.

We in Boise have seen the effects of recent Executive Orders concerning refugees first-hand and are responding by mobilizing churches to “stand in the gap” to help families who have recently arrived in the US but whose funding has been suspended. Read more to find out how.

If I could boil down my desire for our churches and communities into one word, I think it would be solidarity. Sometimes God teaches us how to build solidarity with one another by following his call for solidarity with the “other” - the wounded, oppressed, marginalized, widow, orphan, and even enemy. In the end, as we embark on a spiritual journey of solidarity with our neighbor, we will also find deeper solidarity with God, because we’re joining him in the work he’s already about and agreeing to meet him where he calls us.

Peace Catalyst’s Steve Schallert and Peter Digitale Anderson talk about about how Christians—especially those of us enjoying lives of safety and stability— can shift from a posture of service to one of solidarity with oppressed communities. Drawing on Steve’s years of experience practicing and teaching solidarity in South Africa and organizing pilgrimages in solidarity with Palestinians, we explore how others’ struggle for justice and liberation is also our own, and we also explore the theology and skills that can help us truly stand for peace.

Most therapy is talking. And that’s fine - but using a hammer can be very good as well. Ah, what a sound ceramic makes when it breaks! I would definitely be an artist in another life, another dimension. But in this life, I chose the path of a therapist, and art therapy and using our bodies in the therapeutic process are just as important as talking for holistic healing, especially for people affected by trauma. That’s why I especially love the art of Kintsugi.

What if we reimagine peacebuilding as a spiritual practice that we implement in our ordinary lives? If we see it as a Christian discipline to be lived out, as a natural response to our love for God, a direct action stemming from our love of neighbor?

In this work, I’ve seen how a shared meal can become a foretaste of the Great Feast Jesus spoke of. A table becomes a space where walls come down and the Kingdom comes near. In a broken world, breaking bread together becomes a revolutionary act. It’s a way of bearing witness to God’s love, awakening to the possibilities of reconciliation, and empowering others to join in the work of peace.