Life Practices

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

Mennonites Singing for Cease-Fire

Earlier this week – Tuesday, I think – a couple of hundred Anabaptists convened in the House of Representatives’ Cannon House Office Building, in Washington DC, to call for a permanent cease-fire in Palestine. The Mennonites sang songs of peace

Dwight J. Friesen January 21, 2024January 21, 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

“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

My Time @ St Luke’s Coming to a Close

If you’re a regular to my site you might recall that I have had the privilege of serving as the “substitute pastor” for an ELCA (Lutheran) community here in Bellevue since January 2022. Even though I am not ordained Lutheran

Dwight J. Friesen August 25, 2023August 25, 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

Mother’s Day Newsletter?

Every week during my tenure serving at St Luke’s church I have the opportunity to write a newsletter article. I love this writing process, and think of it as a vital aspect of pastoral care. For me, writing is a

Dwight J. Friesen May 14, 2023June 9, 2023

SDGs as a Faithful Expression of One’s Spirituality

Last Saturday, at the end of the end of the Winter trimester low residency retreat, The Seattle School held its “Day of Scholarship.” There was a fantastic scholarship poster session showcasing some exciting submissions from current students, alumni, staff, and

Dwight J. Friesen January 16, 2023January 16, 2023

…But I’m Ready Now!

One week left! As a child I found this final week was almost unbearable… anticipation overload! Time off school, gifts to open, gifts to give, fun events in my neighborhood, school, church and extended family. Just a different kind of

Dwight J. Friesen December 18, 2022December 18, 2022

Has it Really Been that Long?

Well, I’m finished with classes for the trimester. Of course, there is still assessment of student work to complete, a few details for next trimester’s syllabi and online classrooms to button up, and preparations for the January low-residency retreat and

Dwight J. Friesen December 16, 2022February 18, 2025

Fusion & Consent?

Lot’s of excitement from US scientists at the National Ignition Facility at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California because for the first time ever they have successfully produced a nuclear fusion reaction resulting in a net energy gain. On

Dwight J. Friesen December 15, 2022December 15, 2022

Advent & Sabbath

Whatever hemisphere a person lives in, Winter is a season of long nights and short days. Located as I am in the Northern hemisphere, I witness winter turning colder, Canada Geese flying south, Monarch butterflies migrating, bears hibernating, and humans…

Dwight J. Friesen December 10, 2022December 12, 2022

An Advent Reflection

There is something about the first snow of the season; there’s the thrill of late starts, cancelled school, and snowmen.  I love that little flakes of frozen ice can change the pace of modern life.  People huddling up in their

Dwight J. Friesen December 2, 2022December 16, 2022

“Stutz”

At the recommendation of my therapist I just watched a new documentary directed by Jonah Hill, looking into the life and work of the psychotherapist Jonah – himself sees – to help him in navigating his journey from depression unto

Dwight J. Friesen December 1, 2022December 16, 2022

8 Billion Neighbors

As of today, eight billion humans are living on planet Earth. A huge milestone officially projected for and being recognized today by the U.N. It was 1974 that the world population first hit 4 billion people. It took from the

Dwight J. Friesen November 15, 2022December 16, 2022

“How to be Alone”

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

Dwight J. Friesen November 4, 2022November 27, 2022

“Swan Upon Leda”

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

Dwight J. Friesen October 31, 2022November 26, 2022

One Who Wrestles with God

This weekend, one of our lectionary readings is a story of encounter, wrestling, and transformation. It’s the story of Jacob’s name being changed to Israel. As you may recall, it is Jacob’s sons for whom the twelve tribes of the

Dwight J. Friesen October 13, 2022January 31, 2023

Join the “Urban October” Celebration

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

Dwight J. Friesen October 1, 2022October 1, 2022

Real . Story . Life

Below you will find the latest letter I sent to the congregation with whom I am serving. For some reason I went a little philosophical with this one. I sure hope it makes sense. I hear in my writing an

Dwight J. Friesen September 30, 2022September 30, 2022

Marking the Changing Seasons

I’m roughly nine months into my 20 month commitment at St Luke’s Lutheran Church in Bellevue. The church has commissioned its pastor to go on pilgrimage to Holden Village for about a year and an half, and I get to

Dwight J. Friesen September 9, 2022September 9, 2022

The Queen is Dead

Saddened to learn of the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. She was 96 years old. In coming days we will learn much more, we will be aided in remembering her 70+ year reign, and will be aided in

Dwight J. Friesen September 8, 2022September 8, 2022

“If I Reach the Light of Day”

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;

Dwight J. Friesen September 6, 2022September 28, 2022

Laying Down our Hammers

Over the last few weeks the Lectionary Sunday Gospel readings have awakened our Sabbath rest imaginations. It seems fitting that this weekend, many of us will participate in an observation of Labor Day… a much-needed extra day of rest. I

Dwight J. Friesen September 1, 2022September 26, 2022

Remembering Kallistos Ware

We see that it is not the task of Christianity to provide easy answers to every question, but to make us progressively aware of a mystery. God is not so much the object of our knowledge as the cause of

Dwight J. Friesen August 30, 2022February 13, 2024