Dis-illusioned: Post-Election Thoughts
Given the results of the election, we now know this: America wants Trump. Not just the convoluted Electoral College, but the majority of voting Americans have decided this. When I sit down with folks undergoing a faith crisis – often one that has been unfolding for years – a…
Seven Directions Prayer
If you’re looking for a prayer to stay grounded this election and post-election season, consider the seven directions prayer. It has similarities with how we did our Call to Worship on Sunday – facing each of the four cardinal directions, calling to mind the gifts of each. Like the new…
Essential Work/ers
Every year the Transitions small group ends with an evening mini-retreat. After a shared meal, we meet in the sanctuary for a ritual of passage that marks the end/fading/composting of a life stage for each participant, and the beginning/emerging/growing of the next. Every thirty years or so we get a…
Decade/s Review
These last two weeks I’ve been part of gatherings looking back on the life of two congregations over the past decade/s. The first was our annual CMC office staff retreat. Gwen, Mark, Mim, and I have been working together for ten years, but with Gwen’s upcoming retirement, this was her…
Frame-storming
Earlier this year the Harvard Business Review published an essay arguing that companies are too quick to problem-solve. A better approach, the authors suggest, is to step back and first look at the problem from various angles. Doing so can lead to a better set of questions, or a redefinition of the…
