Ideology vs. People

Today Claire shared this article on her advocacy FB page.  I now realize that this is pretty old (2014 looks like).  Whatever the case it is a blog post that offers a perspective on why it’s so difficult to try to engage fundamentalists in real conversation. ...
Of Tribes and Echo Chambers

Of Tribes and Echo Chambers

I recently discovered Seth Godin.  He’s been an internet guru for many years, but somehow I’m just now catching up.  I think I like the gist of his message, the idea that marketing is about changing the world, and that you should look for the smallest...
Growth: A Design Feature

Growth: A Design Feature

I think of myself as perpetually learning, and I live in an academic community with lots of occasions for good conversations with intelligent and knowledgeable people. But over the past five years I’ve had to rethink a lot of what I thought I knew.  And that...

The Power of Conversation

I am a firm believer in the power of conversation.  My wife, Claire, and I facilitate a batterer intervention program on a weekly basis. The format we follow is a directed discussion where we try to learn from the real world experiences of everyone in the class,...

Leadership

It sometimes appears to me that the modern American culture I’m part of is obsessed with “leadership.”  There are “leadership” conferences, books, summits, seminars, workshops, bible-studies.  I’ve attended a few of these, and...

Being Real

One of the “big ideas” of my life comes from my experiences in my faith communities.  I have been a committed Christian since I was a child, and have always been in churches.  I am incredibly thankful for the layered and piled up blessings that I’ve...