Culture Creating

Thank You Lawndale!

So grateful for the legendary Lawndale Christian Community Church on Chicago’s south side. The church hosted Parish Collective’s annual Inhabit Conference. This was the first time Inhabit wasn’t held in the Seattle area, and Lawndale hit it out of park.

Dwight J. Friesen April 27, 2025May 3, 2025

At Q in Atlanta Next Week

Next week I will be in Atlanta, GA at Q-Conference. Together with some of my colleagues from The Seattle School. Together, we get to host a pre-conference “Liturgy of Eucontamination.” As you may infer “decontamination” is good contamination. As in

Dwight J. Friesen January 14, 2025January 14, 2025

My Poster Board on Faith for Cities

As part of this year’s “Day of Scholarship” at The Seattle School of Theology & Psychology, I presented a poster board highlighting some of the work I do in service of the UN-Habitat’s efforts at implementing the Sustainable Development Goals

Dwight J. Friesen January 11, 2025January 17, 2025

Brueggemann’s Response to “Election 2024”

Earlier today I came across a post-election reflection piece on the Church Anew website by Dr. Walter Brueggemann… the wise, influential, and kind Hebrew Bible scholar. Brueggemann’s article is titled, “Beyond the Fetal Position,” and I commend it to you. Brueggemann

Dwight J. Friesen November 7, 2024November 13, 2024

WUF12 Begins in Just a Few Days

Well, I’m very excited that UN-Habitat’s 12th convening of the World Urban Forum is just a few days away. WUF is the world’s premier conference on sustainable urbanization. This year – for the first time – there is a Faith

Dwight J. Friesen November 1, 2024November 1, 2024

Join the Faith Pavilion at WUF12

There is still time to join the – first-ever – Faith Pavilion at UN-Habitat’s Twelveth convening of the World Urban Forum. Applications are due by Monday, October 14th, 2024. This is an amazing opportunity to meet and collaborate with global

Dwight J. Friesen October 3, 2024October 3, 2024

Get Your Community Dreaming Together

UN-Habitat recently released a new resource to help you facilitate multi-level urban forums. Urban Forums are critical and inclusive platforms to domesticate and localize global agendas and to advance evidence-based policymaking and review, as well as communicating policy outcomes and

Dwight J. Friesen August 2, 2024August 2, 2024

“The Matrix Changed My Life”

Just watched Keanu Reeves on The Late Show sharing his delight as an artist to have been part of making The Matrix… it touched so many people. Peace, dwight

Dwight J. Friesen July 26, 2024July 26, 2024

The Spiritual Infrastructure of the Future

I highly commend Sue Phillips’s recent essay, “The Spiritual Infrastructure of the Future: Stewards of Religious Assets Should Embrace Spiritual Innovators.” Sue is on the founding team of the Workshop for Emotional and Spiritual Technology, a tech startup working to

Dwight J. Friesen July 12, 2024July 12, 2024

Housing Trap

This is the clearest, most insightful articulation of our housing crisis I may have ever seen. Thank you Strong Towns.

Dwight J. Friesen May 30, 2024September 3, 2024

(Re)Imagination Resource

Design Guidance for Green & Thriving Public Spaces C40 Cities . Desgin Principles How Public Spaces Can Function How Public Spaces Can Be Built What Public Spaces Can Promote

Dwight J. Friesen May 17, 2024May 17, 2024

What a Beautiful Place to Call Home

Peace, dwight

Dwight J. Friesen April 22, 2024April 22, 2024

“Mountain of My Mind”

“Mountain of My Mind” by Chris Stapleton There’s a destination, I’ve got a ways to goThere’s a revelation that I might never knowSomewhere, salvation is waiting down the roadSo, I think I’ll find a long white lineCurse the world and

Dwight J. Friesen April 15, 2024April 15, 2024

Holy Week Anthem . 2024

In my personal practice I occasionally select a theme song for Holy Week. This year I’m traveling back in time to 1999. If you’re as old as I am you might remember that in 1999 an earthquake in İzmit, Turkey

Dwight J. Friesen March 24, 2024March 26, 2024

Inner Development Goals

If you follow my blog at all, then you know that I am passionate about helping realize the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). I often say that the 17 SDGs are as audacious as they are beautiful and are a

Dwight J. Friesen March 18, 2024May 7, 2024

The Seattle School of Theology & Psychology is Hiring!

My school, The Seattle School of Theology & Psychology, is in the process of hiring two full-time core faculty positions, a number of adjunct instructors, plus a handful of other vital roles. If you, or someone you know invests their

Dwight J. Friesen March 12, 2024March 12, 2024

Equity for All

I raise up my voice, not so I can shout, but so that those without a voice can be heard. Malala Yousafzai International Women’s Day is observed on March 8th, every year. The day is dedicated to recognizing and celebrating

Dwight J. Friesen March 8, 2024March 9, 2024

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