Shalomic Imagination

“Miracle of Peace”

I No Longer Pray for Peace by Ann Weems On the edge of war, one foot already in, I no longer pray for peace: I pray for miracles. I pray that stone hearts will turn to tenderheartedness, and evil intentions

Dwight J. Friesen February 25, 2022March 3, 2022

Racial Economic Inequity

The idea or dream that is the Untied States of America that cannot be realized without taking significant and meaningful action to make right the evils upon which this nation is founded… stealing land, genocide of its first inhabitants, and

Dwight J. Friesen January 17, 2022December 19, 2022

Exquisite Mutuality

If you have just 3ish minutes to watch a video, I commend this glimpse into the heart and mind of Father Greg Boyle. Here, he briefly unpacks his beautiful phrase, “Exquisite Mutuality.” Have a great day… remember, you are not

Dwight J. Friesen December 12, 2021December 10, 2021

Changing Cities & City Changers

I’m a City Changer is a worldwide campaign with the aim of sensitizing and creating awareness among citizens on urban issues to achieve better cities. It is promoted by UN-Habitat, the city agency of the United Nations, through the World

Dwight J. Friesen November 20, 2021September 26, 2022

Complexifying Indigenous Homelessness

The Canadian Observatory on Homelessness posted a profoundly wise complexification of indigenous homelessness. Indigenous peoples from across nations within Canada identified 12 dimensions of indigenous homelessness. These 12 dimensions expose a few realms inviting my deeper listening. One such realm,

Dwight J. Friesen November 12, 2021September 26, 2022

Collective Leadership by Petra Kuentel

My friend Forrest Inslee recently introduced me to the important work of Dr. Petra Kuenkel. Petra has amassed a very impressive CV investing her life as a leading strategic advisor to pioneering international multi-stakeholder initiatives tackling themes of local and

Dwight J. Friesen November 10, 2021November 6, 2022

Uncertain Times

Is it just me, or does the Jenga-like quality of life feel especially close to the surface these days. Precarious. Teetering. Unstable. Somehow just looking all that is changing can fill, even the heartiest of us with fear. “It could

Dwight J. Friesen November 8, 2021November 8, 2021

Oscillating Between & Beyond Modern & Postmodern

It was in the 1990’s, toward the end of my grad school days when I first began to engage “postmodernity” to describe the cultural angst and cynicism in response to modern ascertains of certainty, knowledge, and such. By the time

Dwight J. Friesen October 16, 2021November 3, 2021

The Truth Shall Set You Free

Jesus once proclaimed, “The truth shall set you free,” (John 8:32). His statement is in a section of the Gospel of John inviting us to feel the way Jesus’ identity was contested by his contemporaries. People were struggling to trust

Dwight J. Friesen October 11, 2021November 3, 2021

Discovering Your Mezzo Parish

Guiding your faith community into even greater faithful presence within its parish invites discernment of the collective. Where and how to focus time and energy is a vital and ongoing journey of listening and adapting. Sometimes we get sidetracked by

Dwight J. Friesen October 6, 2021November 12, 2021

“Love Does That” by Meister Eckhart

Love Does That by Meister Eckhart All day long a little burro labors, sometimes with heavy loads on her back and sometimes just with worries about things that bother only burros. And worries, as we know, can be more exhausting

Dwight J. Friesen September 6, 2021November 4, 2021

Suffering is NOT Punishment, Pleasure is NOT Reward

Breath is life. Inhaling… Exhaling… Things come together and things fall a part. Into every life comes pain & suffering, and joy & pleasure. Suffering is not Divine judgement any more than pleasure is God’s reward. Both are part of

Dwight J. Friesen September 4, 2021November 4, 2021

Now Welcoming New Directees

“When I heard about spiritual direction, I felt as if I was seeing an old friend I had never met. Spiritual direction (this new old friend) led me deeper into the love of God. Spiritual direction helped me experience more

Dwight J. Friesen September 3, 2021November 4, 2021

UN-Habitat “Urban October”

We have one month to get ready for the UN-Habitat’s Urban October. UN-Habitat is engaging people and groups from all over the world to think about where they live and how they live where they live, with an eye to

Dwight J. Friesen September 1, 2021September 26, 2022

From Ally to Co-Conspiratorship

Last night Lynette introduced me the following excerpt from a conversation between Dr. Bettina Love, author of We Want to do More Than Survive: Abolitionist Teaching and the Pursuit of Educational Freedom and Dr. Yolanda Sealey-Ruiz, award winning Associate Professor

Dwight J. Friesen August 27, 2021November 7, 2021

Cultivating Imagination for a More Shalomic Future

Leading Ideas Talks brings to the table cutting-edge leaders on subjects you care about — navigating change, reaching younger people, financing your ministry, communicating effectively — to help you be the leader God is calling you to be. Dr. Ann Michel,

Dwight J. Friesen August 24, 2021November 8, 2021

Interview on the Earthkeepers Podcast

The good folks over at Circlewood released interviewed me for their Earthkeepers Podcast. Its Episode 36, “For a Greener Future.” Their site says: In this episode, Forrest talks to the authors of a book called 2020s Foresight: Three Vital Practices for

Dwight J. Friesen August 17, 2021January 6, 2023

Flipping the Script on Church Owned Property

Flipping the Script on Stewardship: COVID-19 & the Shift from Church Property to Kingdom Building For more than a year, your church’s building has been unused.  Yet, not having access to it didn’t stop your faith community from being a

Dwight J. Friesen August 2, 2021November 8, 2021

Walking Sacred Ground… Montgomery, Selma, & Birmingham

During our first trip to visit my sister and her family since they made the seismic move from Calgary, Alberta to Birmingham, Alabama – which happened to be our first flight anywhere since the beginning of the pandemic – they

Dwight J. Friesen July 25, 2021November 17, 2021

2021 Integrative Projects

Annually, at the end of the Spring term at The Seattle School of Theology & Psychology we gather to hear TEDish-styled presentations from graduating seniors. While most of the presentations are made by graduates of the school’s theology programs, some counseling students

Dwight J. Friesen June 9, 2021November 8, 2021

Pride Month Readings

June is Pride Month. Which is the perfect opportunity to highlight some of some of the important LGBTQ+ theological writings followers of the Way of Jesus the Christ are researching, writing, and reading to help us love God, love neighbor,

Dwight J. Friesen June 1, 2021November 17, 2021

Planning for our Mega Cities

I invite you to watch the above video with an open heart. Attend to your own curiosity as you watch it. Every one of us come to data dumps like this with our uniqueness and particular hermeneutics. This is is

Dwight J. Friesen May 18, 2021September 26, 2022

Remembering Dr. René Padilla

“The practice of justice is at the center of God’s purpose for human life. It is so closely related to the worship of the living God as the only true God that no act of worship is acceptable to [God]

Dwight J. Friesen May 3, 2021November 3, 2022

Spring Trimester Begins Today

Spring trimester at The Seattle School of Theology & Psychology begins today. I will be serving as the guide along the course of three learning journeys. My three classes this trimester include: Integrative Project: Exploring the Future Intersections 3: Textual

Dwight J. Friesen April 26, 2021November 20, 2021

“Defund the Police” Anabaptist Curriculum

My spiritual lineage has is a pretty straight line back to the earliest days of the Anabaptist peace movement… often referred to as the “radical reformation” within Christianity. The older I grow the more I appreciate aspects of my heritage.

Dwight J. Friesen April 24, 2021November 7, 2022

“The Guest House” by Rumi

The Guest House by Rumi This being human is a guest house. Every morning a new arrival. A joy, a depression, a meanness, some momentary awareness comes as an unexpected visitor. Welcome and entertain them all! Even if they are

Dwight J. Friesen April 23, 2021November 20, 2021

Earth Day 2021

“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.” Albert Einstein Happy Earth Day! You and I live somewhere. Faithful presence invites us to discover a way of living in harmony with all of life… people, animals, ourselves, and the earth. The acceleration

Dwight J. Friesen April 22, 2021September 26, 2022

Toward Justice

Thanks be to God, an American police officer was held accountable for murdering an African American man… George Floyd. The officer was found guilty of all three charges. May this nation not turn back from the much overdue reform of

Dwight J. Friesen April 21, 2021November 20, 2021

Maundy Thursday… “Wash Before Dinner”

Blessed Maundy Thursday… …God’s invitation to, “wash up before dinner!” Imagine a God who doesn’t demand your worship, mindless obedience, or tithes but actually serves you out of love, simply because that’s who God is… Imagine a God, so located

Dwight J. Friesen April 1, 2021November 2, 2022

Mr. Rogers & Jeff Erlanger

How sad it is that we give up on people who are just like us. Fred Rogers Growing up in Canada when I did, I watched and loved the Mr. Dressup show. I’ve come to learn that Mr. Dressup was

Dwight J. Friesen March 31, 2021November 21, 2021