Nurturing Peace
Over the past few weeks, our worship series, Courageous Peace Witness, has invited us to think about what it means not simply to believe in peace, but to practice it. We have talked about courage, conflict, reconciliation, and the ways that peacemaking sometimes asks something difficult of us. Recently, I…
I-A-E Communication Model
This week I started a workshop through Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary (AMBS) called “Giving and Receiving Feedback,” led by Betty Pries. We meet 90 minutes, once a week, for four weeks. The first session focused on a model of communication called I-A-E: Intent, Action, Effect. Here is a sketch: In…
Faith In (Public) Life
This afternoon I participated in a Zoom call with Faith in Public Life, a national nonprofit with an Ohio cohort. But rather than a strategy meeting, this was a memorial service. After 20 years of “Advancing the moral imperative for a just, inclusive, and equitable country,” FPL is ending all…
Practicing CLARA
On Saturday I attended a Peacekeeper training at the nonpartisan Election Protection summit, held on the Columbus State campus. Peacekeepers are present at Boards Of Elections for early voting, and throughout Election Day to ensure people can vote without harassment or obstacles. This has become a regular practice for me. …
Well Done Wendell
Wendell Berry died last week and I’ve thought about him every day since. He was a writer of essays, poetry, and fiction. For a while, he was also a teacher of writers. He was also a farmer, having moved back to his family’s home area in Henry County, Kentucky. …