God. “Why did you bring us here to die?” That’s what the people of Israel asked Moses.That’s what we ask you all the time. “We’re here because you brought us here, and now we’re going to die.” Although usually we mean that things aren’t going our way. You gave us this job, and now the […]

Jesus asked for water. And had a comparatively long conversation with the woman about cultural conflicts over religion and worship. The woman asked for healing for her child. And Jesus had a relatively long conversation with her about who could expect what from God. Martha met him on the edge of town. And Jesus had […]

As much as I would like to believe that I am not a sheep, I am one. Not, I suppose, a blind follower of a random mindless herd. (Unless that’s what all followers of Christ are). I like to believe that I have the capacity to think with some originality. I like to believe that […]

Rich Dixon helps us think about mission: Our weekend in Memphis featured a talk at Melissa & Dudley’s Heartsong Church, where a man asking one of those penetrating questions: What’s your REAL mission? Rich’s Ride wasn’t primarily about fund-raising. Actually, our project was a pretty inefficient fundraiser. There are faster, easier, and more scalable ways […]

I write regularly here about my work as a hospital chaplain. I’ve been talking recently about my work as a teacher. I don’t talk much about my work as a researcher.  I’ve been part of Arbor Research Group since 2016. People come to us with questions about their organizations and their communities, and we use […]