Melynne Rust
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Melynne Rust
 

Common Spaces Between Us

common spaces between us melynne rust

The fox and the whale. Two creatures unlikely to have anything in common. They’re different colors, different sizes, and come from completely different environments. They even breathe differently. 

And yet, in this photo they’ve found some common space that overlaps their environments of land and sea. A bit awkward perhaps, but still hospitable.

Can we be like the fox and the whale and find some common space between us? Can we possibly hope to connect with one another in the midst of polarizing differences that are tearing us apart? 

The last thing we might want to do is look for ways to recognize, honor, and nurture the good in one another. It’s hard work. And yet, when we do this, we often surprise ourselves in discovering common spaces between us.

That’s what happened to me. Shared through the stories of my own (often) awkward experiences working on an incredibly diverse college campus, Common Spaces Between Us offers concrete ways for us to connect with others by recognizing, honoring, and nurturing the good in the midst of our differences.

 
 
 

Purchase from your favorite Local bookstore or click one of the booksellers listed below

 
 
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What people are saying about

Common Spaces Between Us

 
“Common Spaces Between Us is a timely book! The stories presented here invite us to think, reflect, and more importantly to see our common humanity regardless of our differences and treat one another with respect and dignity.”
— Hugo Magallanes, Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University
 
“The church is blessed when ministers enter the complicated spaces where persons live, search, and struggle, and Melynne Rust has offered us a gift in sharing her own journey.”
— Ken Carter, Bishop, The United Methodist Church
“In a world that is becoming more fractured and polarized with each passing day, Common Spaces Between Us offers a much-needed alternative view. By allowing us - through her storytelling - to walk the path toward openness and acceptance with her, Melynne gifts us with visions of possibility, of grace, of hope.”
— Kathy Swaar, author, retired university instructor, retired pastor
“We are drowning in a sea of partisanship. But we can do something about it. Melynne writes about the power of relationships to overcome our fear-based separatism. The stories she shares are the proof it can be so. Her life and work have made it so. Her book is a call for us to go and make it so.”
— Steve Harper, author, speaker, retired seminary professor
“This book is relevant to people of all different beliefs and different walks of life. We live in a wonderfully diverse world, and rather than making that diversity problematic, Melynne helps us to celebrate it.”
— Missy Hart, pastor, peace and reconciliation consultant
“Melynne invites us into her story, the students’ story, and into our own story as she reveals what it is to be human alongside one another. What we have in common is the fear, the pain, the complexity and the need for connection.”
— Ramona Reynolds, BCC, ACPE Certified Educator
“Reading this book helped me understand how we all are connected on a spiritual level regardless of our religious beliefs or lack of them.”
— Gloria Rivera-Lick, retired university professional
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