In the words of Olivia Newton John – almost – “Let’s get metaphysical, metaphysical, we wanna get metaphysical, let us hear Christ’s body talk…” (or something like that). I’m in the process of writing a short paper on leadership. I
Thinking about syncing… I recently finishing reading Steven Strogatz’s book “Sync: the emerging science of spontaneous order.” Is God subject to God’s creation? Usually Christians have answered, “No.” For example we would usually say something like the genders of male
One of the tools I have come to find quite helpful when I’m in the process of discerning which path to take, or question to explore, or practice to engage… basically when my way doesn’t seem clear I often spend
How we say what we say, says more about who we are than the words we say. Words point to realities beyond themselves the words. The way we piece together our words is often slightly less conscious, and the tones
I was telling a friend that I believe that ALL philosophy, science, theology and even heresy are a gift from God, often serving a prophetic role for humanity. And all is an invitation to know (in the eastern sense) the
I am experiencing a something of disruption in my calm order of existence these days. In addition to facilitating Quest, working on my doctorate, being a life partner & a dad, I have recently stated working part-time theology grader at
It would be interesting to read a study on the history, use, and meaning of the word or idea of “success.” In the enlightenment success was proving oneself or one’s theory as right, profitable, empirically verifiable, etc. I would think
I continue to struggle with the growing use of the term “missional.” I’ve often used the term, yet I’m becoming concerned about what the cultural baggage hidden underneath the idea. I choose to emphasize embodied living (maybe even bodied living)
Lately I have been challenging the the assumption was raised with that God created the church. Is God drawing people together to live the the way of Jesus? – yes. Was Christ’s statement to Peter about what we now commonly
“Every soul has a will capable of loving God.” St. Francis de Sales Centering Prayer is a practice of prayerful meditation, which prepares us to receive the gift of God’s presence, often referred to as contemplative prayer. It consists of
Almost a year ago theOoze.com interviewed me for their Seedstories deal, which has been undergoing a retooling for some time. Seedstories is a curated collection of stories and interviews with people from around the globe who are pioneering new expressions
Here’s my top ten list of books from 2003. These books touched me in some meaningful way. I feel grateful for them, and to the people who birthed them, and to the publishing houses that offered to our world. These
Here is the latest essay I’ve written in my doctoral studies. Scale-Free Networks as a Structural Hermeneutic for Relational Ecclesiology Peace, dwight
Chad raises an important point of for further discussion from my last post. I’d like to try to speak to it, but please recognize that I am still very much in process on this one… In my 12/13/2003 journal entry
why relational church? by dwight j. friesen Doug has a love/hate relationship with the church. Some of his fondest memories, his life shaping moments and his deep relationships have been within the body of Christ. He became a pastor to
Text always says what we are willing, or open to let it say at any given moment; it can never say more. By faith I sense that the Spirit am be inviting more… the Spirit seems to let the reality
I have a growing sense that moral relativism may be the highest from of morality that exists for Christians. If you are Christ’s (whatever that means) and God’s Spirit is leading you to deny self, love God, others, and creation
After watching the film, Pollock (2000), based on the life of artist Jackson Pollock, together with a group of friends, we pulled out paint and canvases and tried our hands at Pollock-esk art. Occasionally I’ve heard people say “anyone could
A friend emailed a couple of questions yesterday: “What are the drawbacks to Post-Modernism? What are weaknesses within the ‘post-modern’ church?” Here are my efforts at a response… There are likely as many drawbacks to the pomo as there are
I don’t see postmodernity at odds with special revelation. However, postmodernity is very in in the midst of a vigorous conversation with a foundationalist approach to the text. I dare say that a postmodern reading of scripture brings it to
The modern epistemological project assumed that systems could be objective, thus making neutrality possible. A more pomo approach might suggest that no system, construct, ideology, etc can be neutral. Semiotically speaking, all systems are a type of language. The systems
“He who has eyes sees something in everything.” – Roy Lightenberg My typical rate for spiritual direction is $100.00 per hour. That said I provide a sliding scale if the cost is an issue. Peace, dwight
In dialogue with my friend Thomas, we found ourselves wondering about the church as trans. Take a look at the “da Vinci Code” for some of the impetus for the discussion. The church seems to struggle with its identity. One
Simple things have a way of changing lives. Yet simple things can be difficult to receive. Most people have this fascination with being profound (in fact “homosapien” means wise, intelligent being and we can’t forget the Garden of Eden). When
I’ve been doing a bit of reading on globalism, one of my friends asked a group of us; “Will the new world order be one in which religion will play a leading role?” Our conversation morphed to exploring whether there
I’m back from an great trip to Boston. Walking in the main hall for the opening of this conference I was a little surprised to find the vast majority of the attendees were male and almost all of the males
Tomorrow I’m heading to Boston as part of my doctoral studies. I’ll be attend a conference entitled, “Sacred Text and Interpretation: Perspectives in Orthodox Biblical Studies” which focuses on Biblical and cultural exegesis from an Eastern perspective. The conference is
I got into a discussion with a friend regarding our view of Scripture and our connection to the “world.” She stressed that a very high view of Scripture is essential. What is a high view? And how does a “high
Kierkegaard wrote: “It would seem very strange that Christianity should have come into the world just to receive an explanation.” The question of experience is in part a question of certainty. Is my experience a guise or is it genuine,
