This morning I read a post from Dan White Jr detailing a way of journeying back into our post quarantine neighborhoods. It is very insightful and empowering, especially if you have little or no experience living into your place. It inspired me to reconnect with a project that I had been working on prior to … More Where to Begin … part 1
Maybe it’s just me … but I’m guessing it’s not. Maybe it’s realizing my real age, not the one I still think I am … but I’m guessing it’s not. Maybe it’s acknowledging that “I ain’t as good as I once was” … but I’m guessing it’s not. I find myself now waking up every … More Somewhere between presence and paralysis
As I shared yesterday, I continue to see churches and leaders who I greatly respect and admire sending out messaging to their people about all that is being done to keep the risk down within their walls and making it safer for their congregations to gather on the weekends. It’s a fairly important message with … More neighboring in the midst of our own fear … or may we not be chicken pt.2
As a follower of Jesus, I take great comfort in his teaching that we will not know the time of his return and the end to this life as we know it. Based on the response of many of my fellow followers during our current world health crisis, I don’t think that I could bear … More May we not be chicken
via Nothing stays the same, but its worth it
Ten years ago or so I was invited to be the “inspirational” speaker at the holiday tree lighting in our neighborhood. Within the invite I was reminded that it was a “holiday” tree and accordingly my remarks should reflect the diversity of beliefs of our urban Northwest neighborhood. Rather than being offended that my beliefs, … More of lights and trees and stories
I will be the first to admit to having some irrational responses to random things. For instance, if I am shopping for an item in the store and it doesn’t have a price tag, I refuse to buy it. Once in a great while, if I’m in a store with a price check scanner in … More Fireplace deception
I find that in neighborhood work it helps to not do it alone. We all have different tendencies and talents. We all have unique lenses and come from various contexts. These cause us to pick up on different aspects of the same scenes. For example, this morning I’m sitting in a new local caffeine establishment. … More Pears and Pairs
So I’m sitting in a coffee shop, located in Powells bookstore, on Hawthorne in Southeast Portland watching a barista concoct a soy chai latte… for those of you unaware, you don’t get much more authentically Portland than that. Certainly not everyone would agree with me on this, but do you have any idea what it’s … More Sometimes it’s just a pig
It’s been two years since we made the emotional decision to close out a four year journey with our downtown faith community known as Common Table. A number of times these past few years I have been asked to do a “post mortum” of sorts. To be fair, no one has ever been insensitive enough … More moments of grace
