Over the last couple of days I’ve watched and re-watched this short film/poem by the great Irish poet and theologian, Pádraig Ó Tuama. So beautiful, as is most of what he puts out into the world. The poem is titled
Swan Upon Leda by Hozier A husband waits outside A crying child pushes a child into the night She was told he would come this time Without leaving so much as a feather behind To enact at last the perfect
This week I got to serve as the theologian in residence for the Episcopal Gathering of Leaders clergy event just outside of Portland, Oregon. What a great group of church leaders. It was so inspiring to be with other folks
For Calling The Spirit Back From Wandering The Earth In Its Human Feet by Joy Harjo Put down that bag of potato chips, that white bread, that bottle of pop. Turn off that cellphone, computer, and remote control. Open the
Poem for the Beings Who Arrived By Marwa Helal if you ask me where i come from i have to converse with broken wings. this is a line. and all love is agreement, each day of living: an agree or
Today begins the month long celebration and exploration of all things “city” thanks to UN-Habitat’s “Urban October.” This year’s theme is: Mind the Gap: Leave No One & No Place Behind! What are the gaps in your parish or neighborhood? What
Thirty-one years ago today – September 24, 1991 – Seattle’s Nirvana released their groundbreaking, sophomore LP, Nevermind… can’t believe that was more than three decades ago! Damn that is one great record. To me Nevermind still feels raw and emotional;
The fourth convening of the Urban Economy Forum is less than two weeks away. You still have time to register! I will be participating in a roundtable exploring urban policy and public services, our theme is, “Inclusive Urban Finance.” You
I have recently found a poet whom I am can’t believe I have lived without until now. Her name is Mona Lisa Saloy. I read Dr. Saloy and something opens inside me. So good, so very good! God Was Willing
Last night Lynette and I soaked in some great live music at the 9th annual, Jackson Street Jazz Walk. We hadn’t been before, but you can know that this event will be a fixture in our Fall rhythm going forward.
Those who know me well, know that I have lived with clinical depression for much of my adult life. It’s probably more actuate to acknowledge that I’ve been navigating depression as long as I can remember, long before any diagnosis;
So I was listening to KEXP radio and heard the song “Go Easy Kid.” Monica Martin is a new artist to me, and I’m loving what I’m hearing so far. But this song stopped me in my tracks, I had
In October I will have the privilege and responsibility to offer a neighborhood-rooted, grassroots-parish, faith-based, gift-economy perspective, that is so vital to the ongoing conversation about sustainable urban economics. The City of Toronto is hosting (in-person & on-line) the fourth
The City of Bellevue is updating it’s “Comprehensive Plan.” This plan is an important tool that will help guide growth and development in Bellevue for the next twenty years. People are at the heart of Bellevue’s plan for the future
Every two years UN-Habitat releases a major report regarding the World’s Cities. The latest report was just released during WUF11 in Katowice, Poland last week… I even got to be there for the press release. This year’s report, titled: “Envisaging
I have never been a big fan of the ways the United States of America celebrates on July 4th. “Independence” is often a destructive myth which diminishes the importance of relationship. The holiday often seems like an excuse for championing
This Friday I am on my way to Katowice Poland to participate in the United Nations Habitat’s eleventh convening of the World Urban Forum. So I thought I’d offer a bit of an explanation of what I will be doing…
Currently we have surpassed 100,000,000 refugees on our planet. That’s more than 100 million people just like you and me, who have had to make the terrible decision to flee the place they love, their home, and what they know
Loving the latest single, “Sidelines” from Phoebe Bridgers. I just watched the YouTube of performance on Fallon from earlier this week. So good! She released her sophomore LP, called, “Punisher.” I am totally digging her writing and her sound these
I recently stumbled across a band from Siberia that is quite literally rocking my world… Otyken. They seamlessly integrate traditional aboriginal and modern instrumentation and kick ass arrangement. Just to help place Otyken genre-wise, I kinda hear some resonance with
The Republic of Tenderness by Nathan Spoon You are living inside the cup of another life. Water is running slowly. Somewhere a hand is overflowing with the abundance and celebration denizens dream of. Meanwhile if there is happiness it hangs
Wood Working at the End of the World by Ocean Vuong In a field at the end of the world: a streetlamp shining on a patch of grass. Having just come back to life, I lay down under its warm
Friend, I seek to follow in the Way of Christ, I am a pastor, a professional theologian, and a professor at a Christian seminary… I have spent the majority of my life doing a few things: practicing love in the
As the details of Saturday’s horrific mass shooting in Buffalo continue to emerge it is painfully clear, yet again, that the evils of assumed white body supremacy and black body racism persist. Racial hatred ought to have no place in
One More Love Poem by Dunya Mikhail If I had one more day I would write a love poem composed of one word repeated like binary code. I’ll multiply it by the number of days that passed without saying it
Since its creation, United Nations Habitat has been striving to put practical tools in the hands of local people and communities to equip them with the needed information, inspiration, and ideas to mobilize grassroots people to bring about real change
Not sure exactly why this song calls to me today, but something about it touches a deep place. I hear something of the power of presence, kindness, and relational risk coupled with the real complexities of each new day… and
Last night I tested COVID positive! After dinner a headache, body aches, and a cough settled in. Then today I’ve had a sore throat, and a low grade fever hovering around 100. And I’m fully vaccinated, boosted, and wear a
The other night on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon Wolf Alice preformed their new song, “Last Man on Earth.” Damn… if that wasn’t the most beautiful thing I’ve heard thus far in 2022. They will be in Seattle later
