By: Darcy Hansen on October 5, 2020
Three years ago, when I left the church, I left not only my primary connection to community, but also many ministry responsibilities. These ministry responsibilities consumed much of my time for so long, I was disoriented when those responsibilities were no longer required. When I left the church, friends said kind things like “God has…
By: Chris Pollock on October 4, 2020
My dad was an English Teacher and he loved to talk. He loved to tell stories. I think he enjoyed the attention at the front of his class; he was a passionate teacher. My brother and I certainly didn’t offer him the respect teachers are deserving of. His class-front podium with the undivided attention of…
By: Jer Swigart on September 30, 2020
Fear. It’s a high-octane undercurrent of energy that drives some to remain safe and others to lash out with violence. Fear. It seems to have replaced the hope and the vision and the optimism the once inspired personal, organizational, and even cosmic exploration. Fear. For some, it’s a debilitating power that renders them paralyzed. For…
By: Shawn Cramer on September 29, 2020
Innovation requires risk. Risk requires courage. Courage responds to fear. The twenty-first century possesses a fear-based, ambivalent posture towards innovation. Only 4% of businesses have not defined innovation as a strategic priority, yet only 10% are satisfied with their current innovative endeavors. Meanwhile, a culture of fear has hamstrung courageous risk taking – from the…
By: Dylan Branson on September 28, 2020
I pause at the door, my hand hovering over the latch. The steps out of the Tower and out of the City are filled with Unknowns I don’t know where I’m going – I hardly know where I’ve been at this point. I can still turn back. I can still I say, “No.’ That’s…
By: Darcy Hansen on September 28, 2020
A friend of mine embarked on a 23-day hike along the John Muir Trail earlier this month. Just days into the trek, wildfire smoke became a prohibiting factor. She and her fellow hikers were forced to leave the trail. Not to be deterred, they traveled to eastern Oregon so as to keep their feet moving…
By: Greg Reich on September 28, 2020
“Papa tell me a story” is a common request when Facetiming my 4-year-old Granddaughter Addison. “Papa use the faces!” So it begins. I pick an emoji face that covers my face and start the story. “Once upon a time there were 3 little pigs (the pig emoji face covering mine) …” When I get to…
By: Chris Pollock on September 25, 2020
A pandemic spanning across the planet, caused by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome(SARS) Corona-Virus 2, is a new challenge for us, as a global community, to navigate through. Residents of North Americans saw the virus infecting and killing multitudes as it rounded the globe last winter. Upon arrival in our respective cities (and, recall that day)…
By: Jer Swigart on September 23, 2020
Breonna Taylor is dead. She is one more soul in a large and ever-growing constellation of black lives that have been prematurely extinguished by white-made systems. Today, the lethal actions of her executioners, three Louisville police officers, were deemed “justified.” Just like that, another devastating, yet highly probable and predictable outcome has traumatized our black…
By: Greg Reich on September 22, 2020
“Our anxiety does not come from thinking about the future but from wanting to control it.”[1] Where does this need for control come from? Coach and motivational speaker Tony Robbins states, the need for control comes from self-doubt and fear. People seek control to get a temporary relief from anxiety and to find assurance that…
By: Shawn Cramer on September 22, 2020
I find myself in the wardrobe. I entered to hide, but mystery awaits here, I sense. The smell of mothballs fills my nose. Some things will certainly die here. What will those things be? Will I let them perish? What will grow in their stead? These hanging coats are not my usual dress and they…
By: Dylan Branson on September 21, 2020
I’ve failed. My conversation with the Seeker replays over and over again in my mind. Their parting words cut to my core: “Until others can grasp what you say, knowledge is useless. Knowledge may be powerful, but if it is not properly wielded it is simply useless strokes on a page.” Fury rises in my…
By: Darcy Hansen on September 21, 2020
She sat next to me on the park bench, warm morning sun shining on her face. She shared about a funeral she attended where story after story was told about an old woman who lived life large all over the globe producing concentric circles of influence. My friend said she wanted a life…
By: Greg Reich on September 16, 2020
How many people choose a career based on the advice and the good intentions of others? I grew up on a small ranch in Montana. My dad was a hard worker and skilled craftsman but often struggled to hold onto a job as a carpenter. The issue was never his talent. It was because he…
By: Shawn Cramer on September 16, 2020
The wind was robbed from my sails. This week leaves me feeling like a cautionary example from Steven D’Souza and Diana Renner’s work. A twisted mess of dashed hopes, overconfidence, and an undistinguished identity. A six month journey with positive signs all the way quickly shattered by a single, rote e-mail notification of “another candidate.”…
By: Jer Swigart on September 14, 2020
Pause. Think. Breathe.[1] Three simple, beautiful concepts that could be used to describe a leader. Yet rarely are these practices lifted up as admirable when discussing the characteristics of great leadership. Why not? In the moments following the onset of the Coronavirus Pandemic in the United States, my organization was forced to make some decisions…
By: Darcy Hansen on September 14, 2020
Six weeks ago, I was backpacking through the Sisters Wilderness Area, taking in the sights, breathing in the clean air, and searching for the Holy of God along the way. I feel like I don’t know a whole lot during these pandemic, racial unrest, and economic downturn days. What I do know is hiking those…
By: Chris Pollock on September 14, 2020
Abba ‘Abba, help us along the way, to slow down and stop. Here, may we find home in You as we are reminded of our wandering there, home in You; a light-hearted rest. Home is with us, even in us; Home is along the way and Home is in our destination. In Jesus, Amen.’ Reptilian…
By: Dylan Branson on September 14, 2020
I move toward the window and draw back the curtain, shielding my eyes from the sunlight that pours through the window. As my eyes adjust, I can see people wre flooding the streets and making their way to the various ivory towers scattered throughout town. Each tower marks the residence of another Expert – those…
By: Jer Swigart on September 10, 2020
In the opening chapter of Not Knowing: The Art of Turning Uncertainty into Opportunity, D’Souza and Renner reflect on an ancient doctor in training, Vesalius, who thought it odd that contemporary doctors were utilizing archaic knowledge as the ultimate truth. Despite the obvious upgrades in knowledge, Vesalius found it nearly impossible to contradict the authority…
