faith | A Peace of My Mind

Trudy B. Grant

January 2, 2021 by johnnoltner

Trudy Grant is the Manager of Religious Affairs and External Relations for the National Action Network. I interviewed her at Charity Mission Baptist Church in North Charleston, where she serves as the assistant choir director. She is a gospel singer, a civil rights activist, a mother and a grandmother. “I don’t think your sermon comes from what you say, your sermon comes from what you do.” -Trudy B. Grant “I have two kids. And I have one grandson. His name is […]

Categories: Podcast • Tags: action, american history, Black History, Charleston, civil rights, faith, national action network, oral history, storytelling, Trudy B. Grant

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Fear not

August 24, 2018 by johnnoltner

“It feels as if every corner of America is running on a steady diet of fear. We’re afraid of guns, of our guns being taken; we’re afraid of our enemies; of our cousins who cancelled out our votes; of brown bodies, black bodies, Muslim bodies; of police, of Democrats, of Republicans, of Christians, of non-Christians; of the fact that our Christian churches are dwindling; we are afraid of men, of women who will tell on men; we are afraid of […]

Categories: Blog • Tags: courage, faith, fear, fear not, holden village, peace, stories, storytelling, studio, washington

Memphis Theological Seminary

March 4, 2018 by johnnoltner

Just wrapping up a busy month in Memphis, with American Stories at Memphis Theological Seminary and American Stories at First Congregational Church. I’ve been to Memphis a few times now, and I’m always drawn in by the combination of history, music, food, and good people. I had the chance tp speak at the seminary, and I also set up a studio to ask, “How does your faith impact your view of social justice?” Some of the replies are below, and […]

Categories: Blog • Tags: a peace of my mind, faith, healing, justice, memphis, race, reconciliation, seminary, service, social justice

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My New Year’s Wish

December 29, 2017 by johnnoltner

We stood in utter darkness. I was 12 years old, 100 feet underground, in the long, winding passages of Mammoth Cave. The park service guide gathered us in one of the large rooms. He spoke of geology and history. He told us about preservation and heritage. Then he introduced me to the idea of light pollution. He explained that because of stray light in our increasingly urbanized world, most of us had likely never experienced total darkness. Then he turned […]

Categories: Blog • Tags: courage, darkness, faith, holden village, hope, interfaith, light, peace, social justice

Holden Village 2.0

September 4, 2017 by johnnoltner

It’s easy to reach out to those you feel comfortable around. Compassion comes easy in those circles. But we tend to place ourselves in a bubble. We surround ourselves with those who look like us, live like us, and voted like us in the last election cycle. If we hope to bridge any of the divides that exist in our country (or even the divides that we perceive to exist) it is important that we reach out to those who […]

Categories: Blog • Tags: art, Blog, conversation, dialog, faith, Holden, humanity, learning, photography, privilege, religion, travel, washington

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Kathy Webb

June 13, 2017 by johnnoltner

Kathy Webb served six years as a state representative in the Arkansas legislature and now is executive director of the Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance. An activist all her life, Kathy noticed a shift from working with like-minded activists to the process of compromise she encountered as a legislator. “We are all a whole package, with the pluses and the minuses.” I have always believed that you can make a difference. My mom had this little plaque on her bathroom wall and it […]

Categories: Podcast • Tags: activism, arkansas, compromise, diversity, faith, gender, identity, legislator, little rock, politics

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Jarell Wilson

March 22, 2017 by johnnoltner

Jarell Wilson describes himself as black, gay, and Christian. He lives in the South and, at times, he struggles to balance these three identities in a society that he says doesn’t embrace two thirds of them. He believes that people often try to put identities into boxes, and that results in stereotypes that lead to stress and conflict. Yet, at the end of the day, Jarell finds beauty and peace all around him. He finds joy in each of these identities. “Peace comes from […]

Categories: Podcast • Tags: beauty, faith, forgiveness, gender, identity, joy, race, religion, round rock, sacred, texas

Carl Kenney

January 13, 2017 by johnnoltner

Carl Kenney is a minister, author, advocate, teacher, and in his own words, a “prophet of the people.” He believes that we spend too much time and energy fighting one another because of our differences—with devastating and wide-reaching results. “I don’t have to tear you down for the sake of making me better.” My theology is rooted in the compassion of Christ. I’m a person who has experienced the love of God after having made my share of mistakes. I’ve […]

Categories: Podcast • Tags: advocate, compassion, durham, faith, love, minister, North Carolina, religion

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Tony Thomas

January 10, 2017 by johnnoltner

Tony Thomas was born and raised in the Cumberland Mountains of eastern Tennessee. He worked in the coal mines and never finished high school. Tony records folk musicians in rural areas in an effort to preserve the local culture. He is also a singer and a songwriter himself. Tony says he has written more than 200 songs and when he dies, they are all going to be popular. “When something touches my life some way or has an impact, I usually write […]

Categories: Podcast • Tags: appalachia, charity, clinton, community, cumberland, faith, folk, music, singer, tennessee, traditional

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A Leap of Faith

December 20, 2016 by johnnoltner

My wife just quit her job. Last Friday was her final day working with kindergarten students, a job she started once our own kids were both in school. My schedule as a freelance photographer has always been unpredictable and it worked well for us, knowing she was on the same schedule as our kids. Now both our children are grown and off to college. A Peace of My Mind has grown, too, and the exhibit and speaking schedule has me […]

Categories: Blog, Project Updates • Tags: adventure, art, connect, faith, leap of faith, peace, photography, trust

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A Peace of My Mind

Building community and bridging divides through portraits and personal stories.

Tag: faith

Trudy B. Grant

Fear not

Holden Village 2.0

Kathy Webb

Jarell Wilson

Carl Kenney

Tony Thomas

A Leap of Faith