A Peace of My Mind

Ken Craft

July 21, 2021 by johnnoltner

Ken Craft is the founder and CEO at Hope of the Valley rescue mission. I interviewed him at the Alexandria Park Tiny Home site, the largest tiny home community in the state of California. At that site, there are 103 tiny homes, 200 beds, toilets, sinks, laundry facilities and services. As Ken says, “Anything and everything that somebody would need to overcome the barriers that are preventing them from being housed are offered right here.” “Imagine if there was an […]

Categories: Uncategorized • Tags: a peace of my mind, California, homelessness, houseless, housing, housing crisis, los angeles, pallet shelter, social issues, storytelling, tiny homes

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How’s the weather?

July 16, 2021 by johnnoltner

We camped along a wild and rugged stretch of the Oregon coast last week. Cape Blanco is the westernmost tip of the state and if you head directly west from there, the next land you hit will be somewhere near the northern islands of Japan. The wind comes in hard and fast with nothing to slow it down for 5,000 miles. There’s a meteorological phenomenon called the marine layer that happens at the coast. When the cool ocean air meets […]

Categories: Uncategorized • Tags: fog, oregon, social issues, stories, weather

Andy Bales

July 14, 2021 by johnnoltner

Rev. Andy Bales is the president and CEO at Union Rescue Mission on Skid Row in Los Angeles, California. “It should be very apparent to us how we’re failing, but I’m not sure what falsehood or lie we’re caught up with that we think this is okay.” “I worked my whole life to end up on skid row and finally made it about 16 years ago. My life was changed. I should have naturally done this kind of work because […]

Categories: Uncategorized • Tags: addiction, homelessness, housing crisis, los angeles, mental health, recovery, skid row, union rescue mission

Book Release!

July 10, 2021 by johnnoltner

So it’s never really done. There’s always something more that you can do. But that’s sort of the story of life, isn’t it?

Categories: Uncategorized • Tags: activism, art, book release, books, justice, new book, peace, society, solutions, storytelling, travel, writing

Vincent Turner

July 6, 2021 by johnnoltner

Vincent Turner once lived on the streets of Los Angeles, in a liquor store parking lot. He tried to build barriers to keep others out because he was disappointed with himself. He knew he was hurting himself and he didn’t like hurting others. When he was ready for change, he used the one bus token in his pocket to go to the Union Rescue Mission on Skid Row. They took him in, he worked through their program, and now that […]

Categories: Uncategorized • Tags: a peace of my mind, addiction, APoMM, homeless, homelessness, housing, housing crisis, listen first, los angeles, mental illness, recovery, skid row, social issues, storytelling, weaving community

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Skid Row

July 2, 2021 by johnnoltner

It’s not often that I go out without my camera, but that’s what I did on Skid Row in Los Angeles the other day. “Be careful,” my contact at the shelter told me. “Watch out for yourself,” said the security guard in the garage as I handed him my keys and walked up the ramp toward the bright light of the street. They had good reason to show concern. Skid Row consistently ranks in the top three most violent neighborhoods […]

Categories: Uncategorized • Tags: addiction, crisis, homeless, housing, los angeles, mental health, skid row, solutions, storytelling

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Neal Moore

June 28, 2021 by johnnoltner

Neal Moore is a journalist, an adventurer and an expatriate. He is in the midst of a two-year journey, paddling 7,500 miles across the United States. I met him in a coffee shop—by chance—in Columbus, Mississippi and we found time the next day to do an interview. You can follow Neal’s journey at https://22rivers.com/. “There’s this strange phenomenon that takes place, when you realize that you’re in a situation that can absolutely end your life. That’s when you feel like […]

Categories: Uncategorized • Tags: a peace of my mind, adventure, divides, paddling, peace, storytelling, travel, wilderness

Water

June 24, 2021 by johnnoltner

I’ve been around a lot of water lately. We traveled to the mouth of the Mississippi River, where sometimes there’s too much water and humans have tried to tame its power and flow. Just two months later, I was more than 1,000 miles to the north, near the headwaters of that same river, where Indigenous voices are trying to stop an oil pipeline from passing underneath. And then to Bayfield, WI, on the edge of the greatest freshwater lake on […]

Categories: Uncategorized • Tags: apostle islands, bayfield, great lakes, lake superior, storytelling, water, wilderness

Erica Hernandez

June 8, 2021 by johnnoltner

In honor of Pride Month, we are sharing this conversation with Erica Hernandez from Yuma, Arizona. We talked about her work as a youth minister in the church, her journey as an ally for her trans child and her volunteer leadership for PFLAG, an advocacy group offering support to LGBTQ+ people and their parents, family and allies. If you or a loved one are struggling with orientation or identity, or would like to learn more as an ally, resources and support […]

Categories: Uncategorized • Tags: ally, lgbtq, PFLAG, pride, support

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What centers you?

June 4, 2021 by johnnoltner

In the midst of life’s storms, what brings you comfort? In the noise of daily life, what delivers calm? When you are feeling uncertain, what returns you to the values that you know are at the core of who you are? For many of us, the past 16 months or so have been unsettling. Uncertain. As we are pushed and pulled by the news of the world and personal circumstances, it becomes more important than ever to return to your […]

Categories: Uncategorized • Tags: centering, nature, renewal, respite, retreat, rural, rv

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A Peace of My Mind

Building community and bridging divides through portraits and personal stories.

what does peace mean to you?

Andy Bales

Book Release!

Skid Row

Neal Moore

Water

Erica Hernandez

What centers you?