Dwight J. Friesen • dwight j. friesen

“Little Lion Man”

“Little Lion Man” by Mumford & Sons Weep for yourself, my man You’ll never be what is in your heart Weep, little lion man You’re not as brave as you were at the start Rate yourself and rake yourself Take

Dwight J. Friesen June 15, 2020June 15, 2023

“Prayer for the Untranslated Testimony”

Prayer for the Untranslated Testimony by Franny Choi At midnight, I am sitting on my back steps, looking at the leaves and listening to the sound a boy is making into the night with the peak of his lungs somewhere

Dwight J. Friesen June 11, 2020August 31, 2022

Webinar: Shalom in a Time of Pandemic

URBAN SHALOM SOCIETY WEBINAR SERIES: Shalom in a Time of Pandemic: Glimpses of Regeneration In just a few short months the global novel coronavirus pandemic has racked the world with tragic human loss. Hundreds of thousands of people are dead

Dwight J. Friesen June 9, 2020May 12, 2022

Loving Your Neighbor(hood) – Webinar

This online event brings two communities of Christians together, pastors and professional placemakers–that is architects, urban designers, planners, and developers–for a learning exchange. The purpose is to equip the church to better love and serve people by helping to design,

Dwight J. Friesen June 8, 2020September 26, 2022

King County Equity Now

For those in King County, this is helpful information on demands in the wake of George Floyd’s murder. King County Equity Now. March on June 19, 2020.

Dwight J. Friesen June 7, 2020May 12, 2022

My Grandmother’s Hands

My Grandmother’s Hands: Racialized Trauma and the Pathway to Mending Our Hearts and Bodies, by Resmaa Menakem Menaken encourages us to “stop trying to address white supremacy through dialog. Don’t expect to change the world by teaching tolerance. Forget about

Dwight J. Friesen June 6, 2020January 25, 2021

Can “White” People Be Saved?

I recently reread Willie James Jennings‘ essay, “Can ‘White’ People Be Saved?” (highly recommended), after defining ‘whiteness’ and walking through the tragic history of the collusion the Christian faith with white supremacy Dr. Jennings writes: “As I close – I

Dwight J. Friesen June 5, 2020May 12, 2022

George Floyd

The Reverend Al Sharpton delivered a powerful message of change the funeral for George Floyd today. “It’s time for us to stand up in George’s name and say, ‘Get your knee off our necks.’” “The reason we could never be

Dwight J. Friesen June 4, 2020May 12, 2022

COVID-19 Teaching us about Traffic?

Really helpful article by Joe Cartright who runs the think tank and blog City Observatory. Cartright’s article is posted on Strong Towns, its called: What COVID-19 Teaches Us About How to Fix Highways, by Joe Cartright The Small Towns‘ podcast

Dwight J. Friesen May 20, 2020September 26, 2022

Neighborhood Soul Mapping

My friend, Dan Jacobs introduced me to this cool use of Google Maps to help celebrate the character of Seattle’s South Lake Union neighborhood.

Dwight J. Friesen May 20, 2020September 26, 2022

Educational Metaphor

I find the metaphor of a gardener to be a fertile one in helping me feel and think my way into my work as a formational educator. Rather than tending to fruits, vegetables, and flowers, I picture my formational role

Dwight J. Friesen May 15, 2020May 12, 2022

“Begin” by Human Cargo

Music is vital to surviving this shelter in place era. One bright spot for me was receiving my vinyl copy of the final recording in the 11 year trilogy by Seattle’s Human Cargo, “Begin.” If you don’t know Human Cargo,

Dwight J. Friesen May 7, 2020December 11, 2020

Some Good News!

I’ve been loving John Krasinski’s “Some Good News” broadcasts, during the pandemic. I’ve posted a link to the first episode, but he’s posting at least one per week so there are more popping up all the time. Remember you’re not

Dwight J. Friesen May 5, 2020September 20, 2022

You are Here!

You are here! Actually your are there; I am here. This is amazing! This is real. Like no time in modern history – or least not since the inventions of the steam ship, the locative, the automobile, and the airplane

Dwight J. Friesen May 5, 2020September 26, 2022

Distanced Church: Reflections on Doing Church Online

Heidi Campbell has pulled together and made available a timely collection of short, practical, and missional essays called, “Distanced Church: Reflections on Doing Church Online.” I recommend forwarding this link to anyone who has some measure of responsibility to guide a

Dwight J. Friesen May 5, 2020May 8, 2022

Palm Sunday 2020

Have a blessed Palm Sunday my friends! Weird to think about Jesus riding a donkey into the city of Jerusalem amidst Covid19. Looks more like Will Smith’s “I am Legend” than the Gospel accounts. The streets empty, no pruned palm

Dwight J. Friesen May 5, 2020May 8, 2022

Spirituality of Listening Amidst COVID19

I’m actively facilitating the online course “Toward a Spirituality of Contextual Listening Amidst COVID19” that I’m teaching through The Seattle School of Theology & Psychology. Part of loving our neighbors is anticipating the changes that may affect them tomorrow. While we

Dwight J. Friesen May 5, 2020January 14, 2021

Place as Teacher

Here’s a little video The Seattle School put together, briefly talking about how our bodies placed in the real world is the primary means through which we discover what is real. Enjoy. Peace, dwight

Dwight J. Friesen May 4, 2020September 26, 2022

“Everything is Waiting for You”

Everything is Waiting for You by David Whyte Your great mistake is to act the drama as if you were alone. As if life were a progressive and cunning crime with no witness to the tiny hidden transgressions. To feel

Dwight J. Friesen May 4, 2020August 24, 2022

The Universal Christ

“What Love Tells Us About God Love, which might be called the attraction of all things toward all things, is a universal language and underlying energy that keeps showing itself despite our best efforts to resist it. It is so

Dwight J. Friesen April 20, 2020May 6, 2022

Risen!

Christ is risen! _ _! “Death and taxes,” well… after the resurrection of Christ, I suppose taxes are the only inevitable thing remaining. Death doesn’t win! The grave isn’t the last word. Thanks be to God! It’s often said because

Dwight J. Friesen April 12, 2020May 12, 2022

Nothing “Good” About It

If I can speak candidly for a moment, I’ve never understood why we call Good Friday “good.” Don’t get me wrong, I understand the historical and theological rationales, and yet… I hate Good Friday, and I see nothing about it

Dwight J. Friesen April 10, 2020May 12, 2022

Maundy Thursday

Blessed Maundy Thursday… God’s invitation to “wash up before dinner.” Imagine a God who doesn’t demand your worship, mindless obedience, or tithes but actually serves you out of love, simply because that’s who God is… Imagine a God, so located

Dwight J. Friesen April 9, 2020May 12, 2022

“Weird Ways”

Today Strand of Oaks feels like a welcome companion in this lockdown. Please be safe, take care of yourself, care for those you can, try to check in on those who are especially vulnerable near you. Remember, that you are

Dwight J. Friesen March 29, 2020September 8, 2022

“Has the Moon Been Up There”

Has the Moon Been Up There by Gregory Orr Has the moon been up there All these nights And I never noticed? A whole week with my nose To the ground, to the grind. And the beloved faithfully Returning each

Dwight J. Friesen March 2, 2020May 6, 2022

Urban Shalom Forum @ WUF-10

During the World Urban Forum 10 in Abu Dhabi urban thinkers and practitioners from around the world and from a number faith traditions gathered at the invitation of the Urban Shalom Society. These gatherings serve multiple purposes it seems to

Dwight J. Friesen February 18, 2020September 26, 2022

And so it begins…

As we know, or are being reminded everywhere in the media, “Impeachment” at least in the USAmerica is the process by which the House of Representatives (Congress) brings charges against a civil federal officer, the vice president, or the president for misconduct alleged to have been committed. Today

Dwight J. Friesen January 16, 2020September 24, 2022

Dwight’s Top Ten Books of 2019

Here’s my list of book picks for 2019. These books touched me in some meaningful way. I feel grateful for them, and to the people who birthed them into our world. These are some of the books I have found

Dwight J. Friesen December 31, 2019November 1, 2022

Having Difficult Conversations

I recently came across this insightful, and immediately helpful TEDx talk by Adar Cohen, PhD, titled, “How to Lead Tough Conversations.” Here’s a link to a short article about his TED talk summarized by Daryl Chen. Dr. Cohen highlights three

Dwight J. Friesen December 21, 2019November 2, 2022