My friend Chris Elisara invited to join him at the Congress for New Urbanism (CNU), when its conference was here in Seattle a few weeks back. I’ve posted just two of the amazing talks from the event. One of the
Wow! What a Day! I have never loved felt more proud of my city than I do today. The Womxn’s March on Seattle was truly beautiful. Lynette and I carpooled with some neighbors, we had a blast… if that’s the right
It’s “Thanksgiving” in the USA today… thanksgiving for whom? is a great question to be asking. USAmerican “Thanksgiving” appears to be weighted in the direction of settlers and colonizers. If you are an indigenous “American” or an African “American” or
Pearl by Ted Kooser Elkader, Iowa, a morning in March, the Turkey River running brown and wrinkly from a late spring snow in Minnesota, a white two-story house on Mulberry Street, windows flashing with sun, and I had come a
A few months ago – September 25, 2015 to be exact – the 193 countries of the UN General Assembly adopted the 2030 Development Agenda titled “Transforming Our World: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.” I can only imagine the
What Comes by Carolyn Forché J’ai rapporté du désespoir un panier si ipetit mon amou, qu’on a pu le tresser en osier. I bought back from despair a basket so light, that it could have been woven of willow.
Prince’s latest release contains the track to the above video… “Baltimore.” This song holds the memory of Freddie Gray and his killing at the hands of the Baltimore police department. We all know that Mr. Gray was not killed because
“Conversations after Church” is the latest film directed by Winnipeg’s Bevan Klassen. The film explores faith and spiritual journeys of six people who at one time described themselves as Evangelical Christians and/or Mennonites. Each person’s story testifies to their experience
Disturb us, O Lord when we are too well-pleased with ourselves when our dreams have come true because we dreamed too little, because we sailed too close to the shore. Disturb us, O Lord when with the abundance of things
Invisible by U2 It’s like the room just cleared of smoke I didn’t even want the heart you broke It’s yours to keep You just might need one I finally found my real name I won’t be me when you
Came across this the other day and I watched it a few times. This is a vision of development that I need to learn more about and feels really hope filled. Check out the site for the Congress for New
I stumbled across the above video; its a live performance of “Alive” by Pearl Jam. Eddie Vedder’s introduction where he shares some of the backstory is beautiful. He shares how that experience felt like a curse at the time of
Starting Over – Fighting Back by Sheila Cassidy And so we must begin to live again, We of the damaged bodies And assaulted mind. Starting from scratch with the rubble of our lives And picking up the dust Of dreams
KEXP introduced me to a new artist: Perfume Genius (new artist to me, think I heard this is the third release). I heard the single, “Queen” off the new Too Bright release. So good! Peace, dwight
I stumbled across this video by a Croatian cellist duo – 2Cellos – consisting of classically trained cellists, Luka Šulić and Stjepan Hauser. I had never heard of them before, but they play instrumental arrangements of well-known pop and rock songs, as well as
Tonight I get to participate in a conversation annual gathering of The Society of Christian Ethics (SCE). Tonight’s conversation will bring together the “Liturgy & Ethics Interest Group” and the “Technology & Ethics Interest Group.” Both liturgy and technology are formative
We Lived Happily During the War by Ilya Kaminsky And when they bombed other people’s houses, we protested but not enough, we opposed them but not enough. I was in my bed, around my bed America was falling: invisible house
I was recently introduced to the work of the British composer and pianist, Max Richter. Richter works within postminimalism and in the meeting of contemporary classical and alternative popular musical styles. Simply beautiful. Check out his website. Peace, dwight
Keep Breathing by Ingrid Michaelson The storm is coming but I don’t mindPeople are dying, I close my blindsAll that I know is I’m breathing nowI want to change the world, and instead I sleepI want to believe in more
A Brief for the Defense by Jack Gilbert Sorrow everywhere. Slaughter everywhere. If babies are not starving someplace, they are starving somewhere else. With flies in their nostrils. But we enjoy our lives because that’s what God wants. Otherwise the
A Little Bit of Everything by Dawes With his back against the San Francisco traffic, On the bridges side that faces towards the jail, Setting out to join a demographic, He hoists his first leg up over the rail. And
So I was driving to Issaquah to meet a local leader about a possible new church and to walk around a couple of neighborhoods together. On my way, I was listening to KEXP radio…as I often do, when John Richards
“Tomorrow, & Tomorrow, & Tomorrow” By William Shakespeare (from Macbeth, spoken by Macbeth) Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow,Creeps in this petty pace from day to day,To the last syllable of recorded time;And all our yesterdays have lighted foolsThe way to
Tonight was the 53rd annual Grammy Awards. The show featured numerous collaborations between artists from across the popular music spectrum. In my opinion the performance by Bob Dylan, Mumford & Sons, and The Avett Brothers stole the show. So good!
“Swim Until You Can’t See Land” by Frightened Rabbit I salute at the threshold of the North Sea of my mindAnd I nod to the boredom that drove me here to face the tideAnd I swim, I swim, oh swimDip
