Alison (Ali) Kirkpatrick is a writer, speaker and educator and you might say professional inspirer of goodness. You can find her blog #SignsOfLove at alisonkirkpatrick.com.

Mark Longhurst is a pastor and a curator of the collaborative contemplative website ordinarymystic.net. If you ever get the chance to dance in the same room as Mark...do it.

In this episode, Ali and Mark each share a reflection on a book that has made a deep impact on their personal contemplative journey, and offer a little insight on how each book might improve my own.

Barbara Holmes served as president of United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities, as well as professor of ethics and African American religious studies. She was ordained in the Latter Rain Apostolic Holiness Church in Dallas, Texas, and has privilege of call in the United Church of Christ and recognition of ministerial standing in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). In addition to her work with law firms, Holmes has worked with homeless missions, HIV/AIDS ministries, and international ministries in Kenya (the Presbyterian Church of East Africa) and Japan. The author of five books and numerous articles, her most recent publications include: Dreaming (Fortress Press, 2012), Liberation and the Cosmos: Conversations with the Elders (Fortress Press, 2008), and Joy Unspeakable: Contemplative Practices of the Black Church (Augsburg Fortress, 2004). Holmes earned an MS from Southern Connecticut University, an MDiv from Columbia Theological Seminary, a PhD from Vanderbilt University, and a JD from Walter F. George School of Law at Mercer University. (adapted from The Association of Theological Schools' website)

In this episode, Barbara shares about her own contemplative lineage, reflections on the contemplative aspects of the Black Lives Matter movement, the contemplative and social impact of Kendrick Lamar and Beyonce,  and her sense of hope in the next generation.