300 words a day

A few years back, I stopped to talk to a patient. We chatted briefly, but I knew that she didn’t need to be entertaining visitors. I asked her what she would like me to ask God for on her behalf. “Discernment,” she said. “For both of us.” I smiled. I mentioned that James talks about […]

Rich Dixon understands learning.  +++ What would you say if I pointed out the similarities between the group of men I talked about last time and the middle school kids I taught for 24 years? Comparing guys recovering from addiction and middle school kids? I promise, I’m not joking or being sarcastic. I loved working with […]

I published this six years ago this week. Reading it again was a helpful reminder to reflect on the ways in which I paid attention to myself. +++ The other day, I read the news on my phone. Then I read the passages for Sunday morning from Exodus 20 and Philippians 3 and Matthew 21. […]

Dietrich Bonhoeffer quotes the first line of Psalm 133 as the first line of Life Together. That’s his book from 1939, describing a way to approach Christian community. Because it was written from his experience leading an illegal seminary in Nazi Germany, Bonhoeffer is credible in teaching about building community when it isn’t easy. “Behold, how good and […]

God. I try to be honest, God, when I talk to you. I’ll be honest. I want to try to be honest. Today, I need to honestly say, we do not understand what is really going on. In just about anything. Nations, families, our own hearts, we know there is chaos and uncertainty and question. […]