Culture Creating

Live Stream Event . March 12th

In response to the ongoing and rapid biotech innovation and evolution, with its corresponding impact on the our planet and its climate, the UN-Environment Programme (UNEP) felt prompted to make a series of very helpful governing recommendations to its 193

Dwight J. Friesen March 6, 2024March 6, 2024

“Evangelical” Doesn’t Mean what it Used To!

My friend Tim likes to says that “words make worlds,” and they do, words are powerful. I just heard my friend Sparrow say, “all transformation is linguistic.” The way we – and those around us – use language makes some

Dwight J. Friesen March 4, 2024March 4, 2024

Universal Declaration of Human Rights

As you may know at the end of 2023 the world observed the 75th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This bold and beautiful series of 30 articles, is a milestone document in the history of human rights.

Dwight J. Friesen March 2, 2024March 4, 2024

“You Never Know”

You Never Know by Iron & Wine (aka Sam Beam) You could make gray, call it gold Let it fool your eyes You could make rain and let it have your life Being green grass, any little wind Begs you

Dwight J. Friesen February 28, 2024February 27, 2024

Palm Springs . Extended Weekend

So my partner is a public school teacher, while I teach at a grad school; part of what that means, is that our breaks rarely line up. So this year I took an extended weekend during Lynette’s midwinter break, to

Dwight J. Friesen February 20, 2024February 21, 2024

“Without Love”

Without Love by Kitty Tsui I cannot do without love the way I make myself do without food or sleep or sex  I cannot do without love sometimes I rummage through my papers  scraps of dreams thoughts from long ago

Dwight J. Friesen February 14, 2024September 29, 2023

“Kindness”

Kindness by Naomi Shihab Nye Before you know what kindness really is you must lose things, feel the future dissolve in a moment like salt in a weakened broth. What you held in your hand, what you counted and carefully

Dwight J. Friesen February 12, 2024February 12, 2024

“Join or Die” . A Putnam Documentary

Last year, Join or Die was released. The film explores America’s civic unraveling through the journey of scientist Robert Putnam – of Bowling Alone fame – whose research on the decline in American community lights a path out of our

Dwight J. Friesen February 8, 2024February 7, 2024

Faith For Cities

I’m joining Chris Elisara and the folks at Faith for Cities seeking to harness multi-faith insights and actions in the face of an unparalleled era of urbanization. As we know more than eight out of people people on the planet

Dwight J. Friesen February 7, 2024February 7, 2024

“Fast Car”

The performance at last night’s Grammy’s that most pulled me in – and I think – stole the show, was Tracy Chapman and Luke Combs “Fast Car” duet. So beautiful. It was sheer joy to watch Chapman play and sing

Dwight J. Friesen February 5, 2024February 9, 2024

Metacrisis . Your Daily Experience of the World Falling Apart

My colleague Joshua Montoya sent me a link to the above video. It feels so alive inside me. Please watch it and wonder about it. What is the invitation coming to you, and yours. “The metacrisis is your daily experience of

Dwight J. Friesen February 1, 2024February 2, 2024

Multi-Faith Side Events . COP28

Speakers: James Bhagwan, Julia Rensburg, Tara van Ryneveld. Remove: Episcopal Nana Firman & Meryne Warah, H.E. President Wavel Ramkalawa Islamic Dev Bank/Islamic Solidarity Fund, Phoebe Chatfield Faiths for a Just Transition: Bottom up & Systemic Approaches from Affected Communities 🌍

Dwight J. Friesen January 31, 2024January 31, 2024

Multi-Faith Presence @ COP28

While I wasn’t able to attend COP28 in person, it’s been so great to the reports from my multi-faith colleagues about the remarkable advancement in the active participation of world’s faiths, religions, and spiritualities in the conversation. 84-85% of the

Dwight J. Friesen January 30, 2024January 30, 2024

Middle Kids

I was recently introduced to an Australian band who go by “Middle Kids.” Their latest record Faith Crisis Pt 1 will be released the middle of next month. I have been listening to all of their stuff online and am

Dwight J. Friesen January 28, 2024January 28, 2024

Bellevue Comprehensive Plan 2044

Bellevue’s Comprehensive Plan is updated about every 10 years. The 2024 update, to guide Bellevue’s development through 2044, is now underway. The update includes an environmental impact statement as a requirement of the State Environmental Policy Act. The EIS includes

Dwight J. Friesen January 24, 2024January 22, 2024

The Bible Intentionally Mistranslated

1946 is a feature documentary following the story of tireless researchers who trace the origins of the anti-gay movement among Christians to a grave mistranslation of the Bible in 1946. The film chronicles the discovery of never-before-seen archives at Yale

Dwight J. Friesen January 23, 2024January 22, 2024

Trevor Powers . Youth Lagoon

Prizefighter by Youth Lagoon (aka Trevor Powers) Hope you filled the sky at nighttime Diamond in the ring don’t feed your mind Maybe I never pictured bad times Brother in drugstore falls behind He’s got knuckles that no longer fit

Dwight J. Friesen January 22, 2024January 21, 2024

SDGs & Religion . Free eBook

On the Significance of Religion for the SDGs: An Introduction, by Dr Christine Schliesser, is part of Routledge’s “Religion Matters” series. And it is available for free as an eBook on Amazon. I’m not sure whether this is permanently free

Dwight J. Friesen January 20, 2024January 20, 2024

Spirituality & Polycrisis

Some of the people of faith I’ve been collaborating with to activate our respective traditions to engage the SDGs for a more sustainable urban future for all everything alongside UN-Habitat and the World Economic Forum have just published a new

Dwight J. Friesen January 19, 2024January 19, 2024

New Urban Agenda . Best Practices

This 2022 UN-Habitat report highlights of the numerous ways real people, governing bodies, and organizations are acting on the New Urban Agenda. As you may know, the New Urban Agenda is an audacious and beautiful activation of a better urban

Dwight J. Friesen January 9, 2024January 9, 2024

“What Was I Made For?”

Last night Billie Eilish performed on Saturday Night Live and I thought it was simply beautiful. What Was I Made For? by Billie Eilish & Finneas Baird O’Connell I used to float, now I just fall down I used to

Dwight J. Friesen December 17, 2023January 21, 2024

Save the Date… WUF12

UN-Habitat, World Urban Forum 12 (WUF12), will be assembling around this time next year… November 4-8, 2024. Mark your calendar and begin making plans. I am hoping to convene – or co-convene – two gatherings in Cairo, Egypt to coincide

Dwight J. Friesen November 1, 2023November 1, 2023

Urban October 2023

For a number of years now, UN-Habitat has been earmarking the month of October as “Urban October.” Our goal is to draw humanity’s attention our cities in order foster conversation, engagement, and movement toward a better urban future for all

Dwight J. Friesen October 1, 2023October 14, 2023

Dying for Change: Two Loops Model

Systems thinkers, organizational innovators, and localists Deborah Frieze and Margaret Wheatley, with the Berkana Institute, have developed a very helpful model for better understanding the complex process of systems change. Their model – among other things – thoughtfully attends to

Dwight J. Friesen September 13, 2023September 13, 2023

Helpful Reports

Here are links to three very helpful UN-Habitat reports reflecting back on 2022. My apologies for not posting these sooner, but here they are: Peace, dwight

Dwight J. Friesen August 27, 2023October 14, 2023

“Fake Plastic Trees” . Covers

There are few songs that have met me, held me, and helped me get through and keep going when I was in a thin place, quite like Radiohead’s “Fake Plastic Trees.” I love this song. Thank you Thom Yorke! I

Dwight J. Friesen July 31, 2023April 16, 2024

“Like a Prayer” Cover

Yesterday afternoon, I turned on the radio (KEXP, of course) DJ Eva Walker was in covering for Kevin, I wasn’t there for the beginning of it all, but a most unusual – dare I say sacred – thing was unfolding.

Dwight J. Friesen June 30, 2023June 30, 2023

Surgeon General on Loneliness

Last month The U.S. Surgeon General released an important report outlining the nation’s loneliness epidemic. Among other things the report demonstrates that loneliness has a equivalent impact on one’s health as smoking 15 cigarettes’ a day. The report provides some

Dwight J. Friesen June 25, 2023January 9, 2024

“Father, Son”

“Farther, Son” by Peter Gabriel Father, son Locked as one In this empty room Spine against spine Yours against mine Till the warmth comes through Remember the breakwaters down by the waves I first found my courage Knowing daddy could

Dwight J. Friesen June 16, 2023June 15, 2023

Art Battle . Seattle

Saturday night Lynette and I participated in Seattle’s Art Battle. Our first time. It was amazing. It’s painting competition. Two rounds of six artists in a circle, painting for twenty minutes. After each round the crowd votes for the painting

Dwight J. Friesen June 13, 2023June 14, 2023