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Amanda Held Opelt Profile picture
Amanda Held Opelt
@AmandaHeldOpelt
Songwriter, author of A Hole in the World & Holy Unhappiness (July ‘23). Writes about faith, the creative life, grief, & ritual. Rooted in Southern Appalachia.
Mar 1 • 6 tweets • 2 min read
Hey @megbasham I watched the entire meeting and felt even more respect for Zelensky’s after watching it. It was Vance that ratcheted up the aggression only after Zelensky stated a basic fact: Russia was the aggressor, and Russian has historically broken its peace deals. 🧵 Zelensky has spent the last 2 weeks being blamed for the war and being called a dictator by our president and much of the right wing media. He came to the Oval Office and was mocked for wearing war fatigues in solidarity with his brave soldiers.
Oct 5, 2024 • 7 tweets • 1 min read
With the weekend coming and Boone being accessible by road, we anticipate lots of visitors to the high country. We are SO THANKFUL that people care about Western NC. A few things to keep in mind: If you are coming simply as a tourist, to look at the damage or look at the leaves, please don’t come. 😊🙏🏼
Sep 25, 2024 • 12 tweets • 2 min read
Every time conversations about The Billy Graham Rule come up on here, I feel compelled to share my experience...

Once upon a time, I worked for almost a decade at an organization run by Billy Graham's son.

Here's how the Billy Graham Rule played out there. (a thread) 1) Every office or meeting space at our headquarters had a window on it.
Sep 12, 2024 • 8 tweets • 2 min read
I’m currently reading a book about how food stereotypes have been used as an agent of “othering.” Little did I know how relevant that topic would be this week. 🧵 The book speaks specifically to Appalachian food stereotypes (i.e. all hillbillies eat roadkill & drink moonshine) but the tactic of using food stereotypes to “other” & oppress is ubiquitous & as old as time itself…
Apr 25, 2024 • 12 tweets • 4 min read
May 4th will mark 5 years since Rachel died. That is the day her death certificate was signed, the day we started planning her funeral…

(A thread 🧵) Image But my body remembers the anniversary of her death always on April 21st. It was the morning of April 21st (Easter Sunday) that we realized her condition was much more serious than we thought. Image
Nov 30, 2023 • 7 tweets • 2 min read
I don’t normally engage like this on SM. But I feel a need to post something for the record.

If Rachel was passionate, direct, and severe in her critique of folks like Wilson, it is perhaps, in part, because of me. 1/7 There was a time in my early 20s when my life was devastated by a spiritual leader who ascribed to many beliefs that Doug Wilson’s promoted. His harmful actions were a direct result of those theological beliefs. 2/7
Jun 7, 2023 • 5 tweets • 1 min read
Have you ever felt like you had to rewrite your story of struggle to include redemptive language? Have you ever felt like you had to edit out the most painful parts because you wanted a tidy ending to the story?🧵 Something like:

“Yeah, that was really hard…but at least I learned something from it.”

or

“That was really tragic, but I know everything happens for a reason.”
May 22, 2023 • 9 tweets • 2 min read
I’ve been putting some thought into this. 🧵

About 3 years ago I created a “Rules of Engagement” document for social media use that I try to stick with. I’m not sure my rules are right for everyone, but it’s what I can sustain with integrity in this season: 1) No rage tweeting

2) You do not have to have a hot take on every issue or every current event or every controversy.
May 4, 2023 • 5 tweets • 1 min read
Some might say she was a popular author. I would say she was a beloved author. To know the difference is to understand her, to truly understand her legacy.

She died 4 years ago today.

It feels like 4 minutes ago.

It feels like 4 centuries ago. Image A few months ago, I was looking through the boxes of books from Rachel’s library, & found an old notebook in which she had scribbled some thoughts, page after page of disjointed sentences that, from what I could tell, eventually became some of the chapters in Searching for Sunday
Mar 28, 2023 • 10 tweets • 2 min read
I’d like to speak to Evangelicals.

If you are like me, you’ve spent most of your life being told that you have to vote Republican to be a good Christian.

I understand if your convictions prevent you from voting for a Democrat. But let me suggest something: 1/10 You can withdraw your support from candidates who won’t pass meaningful gun reform. You can inform candidates/legislators that they will not have your coveted Evangelical vote if they accept donations from the NRA or seek to block meaningful gun reform 2/10
Feb 16, 2023 • 7 tweets • 1 min read
I’m about to give a hot take on this revival. I might regret it. I might be wrong. I might delete this. 1/6 I’m just…confused?? Off-put?? by any Christian “gatekeepers” who feel a need to drive to Kentucky & investigate a revival so they can determine & report back to us whether or not it’s legitimate. ?? 2/6
May 6, 2021 • 7 tweets • 1 min read
It’s been beautiful and healing to read your reflections and remembrances of Rachel this last week. A few thoughts on Rachel below: 🧵 I’ve often marveled at how Rachel‘s death moved so many people at such a deep level. I’m realizing that the grief of losing her unlocked countless other griefs in us: the loss of certainty...
Aug 28, 2020 • 9 tweets • 3 min read
I’m beyond thrilled to share this song written by @SarahDeshields - a work I was able to witness taking shape in our songwriting group. A thread on what this song has meant to me: open.spotify.com/track/1FHLiJju… More than any other book or conversation or therapy session (though therapy is GREAT), this song has helped me process my grief from the last 2 years of multiple losses. (2/9)
Jul 24, 2020 • 5 tweets • 3 min read
Move over Taylor Swift! Three of my favorite Boone based musicians have released new songs today (1/5) @SarahDeshields released “Who Killed Cock Robin” an old English nursery rhyme that immigrated to America(as songs & poems often do)& emerged as a traditional Appalachian murder ballad, but w/ birds as the lead characters. You’ll never see sparrows the same open.spotify.com/track/5LybH9E0…
Jul 20, 2020 • 4 tweets • 1 min read
Shout out to my fellow Xennials aka Oregon Trail Generation(b. 1977-1985): How has becoming an adult during 9/11, hitting your professional stride during the 2008 financial crisis, & experiencing a global pandemic during your childbearing/raising years messed with/impacted you?😬 Just feels like many of our rites or passages have been accompanied by global instability.
Jun 24, 2020 • 4 tweets • 2 min read
So good of @sarahbessey and @jeffchu to invite us into this conversation. I always love talking with them. A few random additional thoughts on Rachel below: (1/4) My sister is most often lauded for her love, kindness and relatability. I’d like to take a moment to reflect on her incredible talent. The woman could WRITE. An avid student of literature, she knew the fundamentals of composition & practiced until she got it perfect. (2/4)
May 11, 2020 • 10 tweets • 3 min read
Thread: I want to share my first experience of getting pulled over: it was 10 years ago in Nashville when I was visiting the home of one of my students. She lived in a neighborhood where most of the residents were people of color. 1/10 After visiting her, I was in a rush, making my way towards the highway, and accidentally drove the wrong way in a one way. Almost immediately, I saw the blue flashing lights of a cop car behind me. 2/10
May 6, 2020 • 6 tweets • 1 min read
To all who shared remembrances, spoke eloquently of Rachel’s impact, sent cards and messages, prayed...thank you. To all who have walked with our family even from afar...thank you. (1/6) To everyone in our communities in Boone and Dayton who have been present with us and shouldered burdens even in the midst of your own quiet grief, I thank you and I see you. (2/6)
Apr 6, 2020 • 4 tweets • 1 min read
It is not lost on me that Holy Week of 2020 is the week the scientists and experts say may be our hardest week of this Pandemic, perhaps the darkest days Americans have seen for generations. Holy Week of 2019 was the hardest week of my life. (1/4) I’ve grown wary of asking with any sense of entitlement for the theatrical miracle, the poignant Easter resurrection you think will show the world whose really in control. I’ve learned to always show up with burial spices. Death is part of life in this world. (2/4)
Nov 7, 2019 • 6 tweets • 2 min read
Fun fact. It will take 200,000 streams on Spotify to cover the cost of production of a song. 😳. Only a little daunting. With so many streaming services out there these days, it’s hard for independent artists to fund their projects. Here’s how you can help: If you use Spotify, be sure to follow artists you enjoy, “like” your favorite songs, and add then to playlists you can make public and share. Spotify also makes it easy to share your favorite music through social media platforms like twitter and instagram.
Oct 15, 2019 • 4 tweets • 1 min read
Thread: Wrote an angry tweet about the situation in Syria. Deleted it; other, more educated people can rage on twitter more eloquently than I can. Instead, below are some organizations responding to Syria and the refugee crisis: preemptivelove.org/northern-syria…