It is the Christmas season. A time of celebrating a new birth that would enlighten the darkness, bring hope to the hopeless. It is also a time of gift giving and receiving, even for those of little or no religious faith. Two of the greatest gifts in my life happen to be also the two… Read More Shakings in the two largest democracies on earth
Most of us stay in our little boxes, sometimes for a lifetime. That box may be a way of thinking, a way of approaching faith, a political party, you fill in the blank. But now more than ever in these divided times and fractured communities we need boundary crossers. People who will leave their comfortable… Read More We need more ‘boundary crossers’
Three weeks ago I walked into a room for a meeting, only to find half a person on a couch. (see photo) I literally gave a little jump but was relieved to see that it was a prop for a magician’s show. Still a bit unnerving, however. How would you feel if you saw the… Read More Ever felt ‘disembodied’?
During a retreat recently led by a colleague, this question came so clearly to me: “Do you have any idea what I think of you?” It had been some time since I had thought about whether God loved me or what He thought of me. Not that I didn’t deeply need the affirmation. We all… Read More Any idea what I think of you?
Life on the margins has its own power, but it also has its own special pain. After all, it is easier to live in the center where power is, where you feel you can have an impact on events and people that the margin doesn’t provide. But throughout history many of the key social, political… Read More Living on the margins away from the centers of power
Cynicism can start as a perhaps justifiable response to disappointment in our lives, but then often grows to something deadly to a life of hope and faith. All of us face disappointment, whether with ourselves or with the way life has turned out or with the groups we work among or with. For me disappointment… Read More The Deadly Danger of Cynicism
I’ve been thinking lately about kindness. Actually about how unkind we are in our public and political discourse. I’m writing this post in the USA, but it is certainly true in other nations as well. Yesterday, with the graves of the Normandy D-Day invasion in the background, the US President in an interview savaged his… Read More How low will our public discourse go? The importance of kindness.
I must confess my struggle with the constant question “how are you?” It comes at us every day, many times a day. It happens at really any place humans gather. It also comes with a certain felt obligation to respond in kind, even when you don’t want to. At least it does for me. But… Read More How long does it take to get over severe trauma?
I love positive people, and hope that most of the time I’m one myself. But what I don’t appreciate is when I, or anyone else, denies reality to be positive. It is important to acknowledge the reality before us as well as when something is a fake that seems awfully close to the real thing.… Read More It’s not enough to be positive
If you have read my blog before, you have seen posts on Asian history and its often surprising (to some) place of having the first universities, a strong Christian faith until the 14th century, having the first hospitals and much more. Asia was also very inter-connected through the silk roads and its many branches, both… Read More The Future is Asian
An Invitation to Pause, Encounter & Grow Together.
a global story
learning life and leadership in Thailand
Our Journey Into Justice, Compassion, and Action
WordPress.com is the best place for your personal blog or business site.
Thoughts From a Resident Alien
COMMUNICATING ACROSS BOUNDARIES
Thinking Christianly about the American Past
Encounters of Faith in Asia: Past, Present and Future 