The Guibord Center - Religion Inside Out

10/01/2026

What does it mean to take heart in challenging times?

Join us in two weeks for our next Take Heart Now conversation featuring Dr. Jessica Spence Moss. In each conversation, we explore where we find courage, connection, and hope—and how we carry them into our everyday lives.

Take Heart Now brings together thoughtful voices and personal stories that remind us that even in difficult moments, we can stay grounded, connected, and engaged.

We hope you’ll join us for this meaningful conversation.

🔗 Learn more and register: https://www.facebook.com/events/959039156698166/

09/30/2026

Today is "Orange Shirt Day - Every Child Matters" - the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation in Canada. It honors the residential school survivors, their families and those who never returned home as part of the horrific forced removal of Native children from their families.

The United States official policy was to "Kill the Indian to save the child." The institutionl cruelty and pervasive grief it unleashed still haunts survivors today eating away at their self-esteem and leaving misplaced shame that has never been fully claimed by those who continue to put it on them and exploit their resources.

Every child's life is saced. Every child.

We have work to do. An orange shirt is a small beginning.

Dr. Lo Sprague, President
The Guibord Center - Religion Inside Out

PS. The shirt is a gift from dear friend, colleague and Methodist Bishop Mary Ann Swenson delivered for this occassion.

09/30/2026

What sustains you when the work is hard?

In this conversation from our Take Heart Now series, Rev. Zach Hoover reflects on what it means to care for himself—especially after a particularly difficult year—and the practices that help him continue showing up for his community and his work.

At a time when so many of us are carrying uncertainty, grief, anger, and exhaustion, his reflections offer an important reminder: caring for ourselves is part of how we find the strength to keep caring for one another.

Take a few minutes to pause, listen, and Take Heart with us.

“We don’t have to convince them of anything. We have to really hear and support that important conversation.” ~ Rev. Zach Hoover

🎥 Watch Take Heart Now with Rev. Zach Hoover: [

In this heartfelt edition of Take Heart Now, Rev. Zach Hoover reflects on the importance of caring for ourselves during seasons of grief, uncertainty, and relentless work. Looking back on a particularly difficult year, he shares the practices that helped him stay grounded, sustain hope, and continue...

09/29/2026

“We all have to be more brave than we’ve ever been before and more compassionate than we’ve ever been before.” — Celina Alvarez

What does it take to meet a difficult moment with both courage and compassion?

In this conversation from our Take Heart Now series, Celina Alvarez reflects on the challenges facing the communities she serves and the importance of refusing to be turned against one another.

She also leaves us with a powerful call to remember where we come from: Pass your stories on. Share them. Archive them. Make sure the generations that follow know the stories.

At a time when division can feel overwhelming, Celina reminds us that courage, compassion, connection, and memory are all ways we can Take Heart.

🎥 Watch Take Heart Now with Celina Alvarez:

Our next Take Heart Now conversation features Celina Alvarez, Executive Director of Housing Works, one of Los Angeles’ most innovative and effective homeless services providers. The Guibord Center is honored to partner with Housing Works to recognize the spiritual dignity of everyone involved in t...

09/28/2026

Where do we find hope when the world around us feels uncertain?

As we revisit conversations from The Guibord Center’s Take Heart Now series, we return to Rabbi Suzanne Singer and her reflections on finding strength, meaning, and hope during challenging times.

Her words invite us to consider where we turn for grounding—and how our spiritual traditions, communities, and relationships can help sustain us when the path ahead feels difficult.

“It is our hearts that are going to get us through. Our hearts and our faith.” ~ Rabbi Suzanne Singer

Take a moment to listen, reflect, and Take Heart.

🎥 Watch Take Heart Now with Rabbi Suzanne Singer:

In this episode of Take Heart Now, Rabbi Suzanne Singer reflects on navigating profound grief and the quiet, sustaining power of hope. Speaking from personal experience, Rabbi Singer shares how hope is not something distant or abstract, but something we actively turn toward—even in our most diffic...

09/27/2026

This week is Banned Books Week, an annual celebration of the freedom to read — and a reminder of what is at stake when stories, histories, and perspectives are removed from our shelves.

Books give us opportunities to encounter lives different from our own, wrestle with difficult ideas, challenge assumptions, and better understand one another. For communities whose stories have historically been ignored, misunderstood, or silenced, the ability to tell and share those stories matters deeply.

At The Guibord Center, we believe meaningful dialogue begins with curiosity — and with the willingness to listen to voices beyond our own experience.

This week, we celebrate the stories that challenge us, teach us, and expand our understanding of one another. 📚

09/26/2026

The Guibord Center is expanding the reach of our Integrating Spirituality in Your Daily Life workshop through a new partnership program.

We’re delighted that our first partner is Humanity Rising, a nonprofit and student-led movement empowering young people to build empathy, confidence, and purpose while taking action on issues that matter to them.

Together, we’re creating opportunities for young people to explore how spirituality can be a source of connection, resilience, meaning, and purpose in their everyday lives.

As one participant shared:
“You can find spirituality in so many things. There are ways to include it in every moment you’re grateful for.”

We’re excited to see where this partnership leads—and to bring these conversations to more young people and communities.

In this testimonial, Aditi reflects on how the workshop expanded her understanding of spirituality—from something she once associated only with religion or a distant stage of life, to a practice she could begin cultivating in the present. Through mindfulness, meditation, and exploring the mind-bod...

09/25/2026

Tonight begins Sukkot, the Jewish Festival of Booths, a joyful weeklong celebration of gratitude, harvest, hospitality, and community.

During Sukkot, many Jewish families and communities build a temporary outdoor structure called a sukkah, where they gather for meals, prayer, conversation, and celebration. Its fragile walls and open roof are also powerful reminders of the vulnerability of human life — and of our dependence on one another, the earth, and the Divine.

At a time when so many people around the world are displaced from their homes or living without safety and security, that reminder carries particular weight.

To all who celebrate, Chag Sameach — may you have a joyful and meaningful Sukkot.

09/24/2026

Did you know? There is no one Latino faith experience.

During Latino Heritage Month, we celebrate not only the many cultures, countries, languages, and histories represented within Latino communities, but also their remarkable religious and spiritual diversity.

Latino communities include Catholics and Protestants, Jews and Muslims, practitioners of Indigenous and Afro-diasporic spiritual traditions, people who draw from more than one tradition, and people who identify with no religion at all.

Faith and identity are deeply personal—and no community can be defined by a single story.

At The Guibord Center, we believe one of the most meaningful ways to honor our neighbors is to remain curious about who they actually are.

There is no one Latino faith experience. And there is always more to learn.

09/23/2026

Different faiths. Different traditions. Different words. A shared call to care for one another.

Versions of the Golden Rule can be found across many of the world’s religious and spiritual traditions—from Christianity, Judaism and Islam to Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism and beyond.

The words may differ, but the invitation is remarkably familiar: consider the needs and dignity of others alongside our own.

At The Guibord Center, we believe learning about one another’s traditions helps us recognize both what we share and what makes each tradition distinct.

So today, we leave you with a question:

What would change if we practiced the Golden Rule as boldly as we profess it?

In her remarks at A Multi-Faith Response to the Current Constitutional Crisis, Dr. Lo Sprague reflects on the enduring wisdom of the Golden Rule and the responsibility we have to care for one another in challenging times. Drawing from her own experiences and spiritual perspective, Dr. Sprague explor...