The song “Don’t Be Shy” by Cat Stevens was chosen for this month’s worship theme of courage. The lyrics serve as inspiration toward moving through fear, expressing one’s true self, and arriving at a universal hope and truth that “love is where all of us belong.” May it be so. Cat Stevens has added a reflection of activism in live performances stating that “that evil rises only when good people stay sitting.”

“There’s a Light Up Ahead” is a song recently recorded by Alison Krauss and Union Station as part of their first album after a 14-year hiatus. The song offers hope through darkness and encourages us to keep moving toward the light up ahead. It is a metaphor that can be felt on a personal level, such as Alison Krauss’s own struggles with vocal dysphonia, or national ones, such as the active struggles for democracy in the face of rising authoritarianism.

—Chris E.