The Shepherd’s Voice

The Shepherd is calling. Are we listening?

Many voices call out to us in our noisy world. Some are telling us to be afraid, very afraid. Others invite us to follow their programs, buy their products or support their candidates. Other voices give us strength and peace, even in the middle of dangerous situations.

Whose voice are you hearing?

Joan Trumpauer Mulholland was a Freedom Rider in the early 1960s. She was part of a group of Blacks and whites who rode on interstate buses in the South, challenging local segregated seating laws. Freedom Riders faced intense racial violence, including the fire-bombing of a bus. At one point, Mulholland was convicted of “breach of peace,” and she served two months in the Mississippi State Penitentiary.

Was this young woman afraid? No. “You should not waste any time on fear,” she says, looking back on the experience. “Fear paralyzes your brain and keeps you from thinking what you need to be doing in a situation.”

According to Duke Magazine, Mulholland...