In a recent unscripted new year’s message, Tony Robbins explained his theory of personal change. He believes that the actions we take flow from our sense of who we are and the standards we use to judge our experiences. So Robbins invites his mentees to “raise their standards,” to challenge themselves to expect more from […]
Reclaiming the menu
I spent several hours on Thursday being filmed at home for a series of short profiles on US Adventists. As part of the filming process, I cooked dinner for the filmmakers. So halfway through the afternoon, I chopped up a little onion, celery and carrot, a bunch of collards, and potatoes; I simmered green split […]
Wheatley on Learning Organizations
“The Army is an incredibly literate organization. They have internal journals that they use to correspond with one another. They study history carefully. They have a center for Army lessons learned. They document everything. And they have this wonderful process of learning from direct experience called “After Action Review,” in which everyone who was involved […]
Synchroblog: Coming Back to Prayer
This is a contribution to the 2014 Queer Theology Synchroblog under the theme “Coming and Going.” Other contributions will be compiled on the QT site by October 22. The article I contributed to last year’s synchroblog on creation was based on Genesis 1:2, and I reference it in this piece. “I, though I saw and heard these […]
Engagement and Apathy
Sometimes we don’t care because we don’t have to care. At other times we care not because we wish to, but because questions sprang up around us and our lives were pre-enrolled as evidence; because if we do not speak our own words, who can speak them? It’s a privilege to participate in a constructive […]
From the Archives: Spring Cleaning
This article was first published around the March equinox four years ago. Winter 2014 has been long here in Maryland. The clocks have sprung forward and the sunset sprawls wide in the evening—but yesterday it was only 43°F and we’re not yet sure whether spring is here to stay. “Spring Cleaning” surfaced when I reviewed […]