Place

Urban Gems Podcast

I’m grateful to share the book launch party episode of a new podcast connected to a meaningful project—Urban Gems: Ministry Perspectives on the Global City and Its People, edited by my friend and colleague, Dr. Joel S. Kiekintveld. This book

Dwight J. Friesen April 13, 2026April 13, 2026

Inhabit Conference . Chicago . April 25-26

Parish Collective’s annual Inhabit Conference is about two months away. The conference will be held in Chicago this year. Reserve your spot now. See you there! Peace, dwight

Dwight J. Friesen February 21, 2025April 21, 2025

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

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

Parish Collective, Inhabit/Connect 2021

Here are two great panel discussions from Parish Collective’s, 2021 Inhabit Connect. “Inhabit Connect” is the pandemic substitute for Parish Collective’s annual flagship event in Seattle, the Inhabit Conference. By the Way tickets for the 2022 in person Inhabit are

Dwight J. Friesen October 1, 2021November 4, 2021

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

“Where I’m From” by George Ella Lyon

Where I’m From By George Ella Lyon I am from clothespins, from Clorox and carbon-tetrachloride. I am from the dirt under the back porch. (Black, glistening it tasted like beets.) I am from the forsythia bush, the Dutch elm whose

Dwight J. Friesen April 6, 2021November 20, 2021

“It’s My Corner After All”

I love the opening scenes of the 1995 “Smoke” by film makers Wayne Wang and Paul Auster. Among others, the movie features Harvey Keitel, William Hurt, Stockard Channing, Harold Perrineau Jr., and very young Forest Whitaker. The story begins as a local business owner is

Dwight J. Friesen February 24, 2021November 22, 2021

TIME & place

I’m getting ready to teach a new class: “Spirituality & Sabbath.” I’m having a blast reading, mediating, praying, sketching, and thinking in preparation. As you may know, I’ve spent the better part of my adult life opening to faithful presence

Dwight J. Friesen February 12, 2021November 22, 2021

“Little Boxes” – A Rant about Racism, Suburbs & Feeling Special

In 1962 Malvina Reynolds released her song “Little Boxes” – used as the theme for the Showtime series “Weeds” – and it’s a song capturing the fear of being ordinary, at least in part. The fear of having a ticky-tacky

Dwight J. Friesen January 28, 2021November 8, 2021

Thriving Cities

This 10 minute video put together by the Thriving Communities Group is a beautiful introduction to our vital need for a renewed Shalomic imagination for faithful presence within the ecosystem of relations that sustain life. The video is really good!

Dwight J. Friesen December 2, 2020September 26, 2022

Five Signs of New Parish Expressions

Immediately following the release of The New Parish, Paul Sparks, Tim Soerens, myself, and a number of artists who joined us for legs of the tour hit the road. Our travels – which were a purposeful blending of on the

Dwight J. Friesen October 5, 2020January 13, 2021

Report on UN-Habitat “World Urban Forum 10”

Back in February of 2020, just before COVID-19 re-ordered life as we’ve known it, myself and a crew of international, multi-faith urban thinkers and place practitioners gathered in Abu Dhabi to participate the United Nations, Habitat’s tenth convening of the

Dwight J. Friesen September 30, 2020November 2, 2022

The Ground Beneath Your Feet

Recently watched The World Before Your Feet, it’s a documentary film directed by Jeremy Workman and executive produced by Jesse Eisenberg . The film follows Matthew Green on his quest to walk every street, park, and beach in the five

Dwight J. Friesen June 27, 2020November 8, 2022

You are Here!

You are here! Actually your are there; I am here. This is amazing! This is real. Like no time in modern history – or least not since the inventions of the steam ship, the locative, the automobile, and the airplane

Dwight J. Friesen May 5, 2020September 26, 2022

Place as Teacher

Here’s a little video The Seattle School put together, briefly talking about how our bodies placed in the real world is the primary means through which we discover what is real. Enjoy. Peace, dwight

Dwight J. Friesen May 4, 2020September 26, 2022

The Dare of Proximity

“The Dare of Proximity” was an interview I did for the “Text.Soul.Culture” podcast hosted by Derek McNeil of The Seattle School.

Dwight J. Friesen April 2, 2018May 6, 2022

Randy Woodley’s 10 Missiological Imperatives

I read and reread everything that Dr. Randy S. Woodley (Keetoowah Cherokee) writes and try to sit at his feet every chance I get. I sense he may be a prophet of our time and place. Maybe especially to Whiteness

Dwight J. Friesen May 15, 2015November 3, 2022

Local Theologies

Ryan Bolger has created a helpful slide illustrating an overview of local theologies as they have emerged over time.  Ryan is drawing heavily from amazing thought leaders like: David Bosch, Andrew Walls, and Wilbert Shenk. peace, dwight

Dwight J. Friesen November 17, 2009June 7, 2022

Contextuals . . . Beyond Liberal & Conservative Labels

Few terms polarize a conversation between Christ-followers like the L-word and the C-word: Liberal & Conservative. Both terms (liberal & conservative) have long and important histories in political and religious life; even if the terms have become one of the

Dwight J. Friesen June 7, 2006January 14, 2021

Guest Map

While on Andrew Jones‘ site the other day I was introduced to the concept of guest maps.  The thought of slowly getting a sense of where people are encountering my little site is kinda cool, so I set one up.  If

Dwight J. Friesen November 6, 2004January 15, 2021

Studio Glimpse

I wanted to post a few photos of one of my favorite spaces in the world. My studio – I love this place. It is NOT an office – I don’t like the “office” metaphor – it is a studio;

Dwight J. Friesen August 2, 2004November 28, 2022