Of all the video playlists I’ve put together over the years, this one is closest to my heart. That’s not only because we live in a divided world — although that’s certainly part of it. It’s also because I frequently struggle to remind myself that it’s more important to listen than to persuade or convince.

Sad to say, this struggle can be just as present when I slightly disagree with people as when I strongly disagree with them! That’s true about our wider society as well, whether the disagreement is about art or language or politics or religion. A comment I found in a recent editorial expresses this conundrum well:

“The people we despise most are those who agree with us 85% of the time.”

Yikes! May music, poetry and art be our faithful companions as we live into that wise observation.

These videos are hosted on Vimeo so you don’t have to watch any ads! If you’d prefer, you can watch this playlist on YouTube

Unless otherwise noted, the videos on this page may be used free of charge for religious, educational and noncommercial purposes. Please take a moment to let me know when you are using these videos for online worship, virtual classrooms or other noncommercial event by submitting this simple Music Video Use Form. For more information about this and lots of other digital things, visit Guide to Digital Use of Elizabeth’s Music.