We seem to live in a world more and more subject to suffering. It can be easy to feel overwhelmed. Responding to suffering has become part of our regular experience each day, each week. People suffer, whether our friends, our families, or someone we have never met on the other side of the world. Our hearts and our minds are […]
The Hard Work of Responding to Suffering Read More »
We want to build something with our lives. Some of us would rather build bridges than walls. Others believe good fences make good neighbors. While we have different definitions and perspectives, we each want to spend our lives building something that matters. We hope we will build a difference into the world and leave it better
Leadership Builds to Last Read More »
Listening is an essential quality of spiritual life. There have been times when I thought talking demonstrated how smart, how wise, how spiritual, I was. I filled the air with the sound of words. The pauses in my flow of words were opportunities to think of what to say next. I was focused on framing my next
Spiritual Life is About Listening Read More »
There may not be a “perfect job” for me. My experience includes lots of different kinds of work, in various jobs, for diverse organizations. I have done work, and worked for companies, I did not love. One person told me one of those experiences was “the perfect job, in hell,” and that was close to true. There
I Love Working Here! Read More »
I was taught that leadership is about using what we know. We work hard to learn as much as we can. When we have the answers, we lead by putting them to work. The more I tried to know, the more it seemed there was still to learn. There was always a sense that there
Leadership is About What We Do Not Know Read More »
I know people who seem to give the impression spiritual life is nothing but blissful comfort and joy. My experience of spiritual life is different. Spiritual life has lessons to change our lives, deep truths, inspiring examples. Spiritual life touches our most excruciating pain and unforgettable anguish. Spiritual life finds and fills us in our most
Spiritual Life Can Be a Real Pain Read More »
It is easy for us to get caught up in what needs to be done immediately. We have a list of work we need to do this morning, today, this week, and this month. Our long range goals are for this year. We work to make progress right now, and keep moving. We may not remember the
Working for the Long Run Read More »
People who help things grow impress me. As a boy, I grew up surrounded by people who helped things like corn, soybeans, and other crops grow. I have never been a farmer, though my friends include farmers, gardeners, even landscape architects. It takes hard work and wisdom to help things grow. Much of the work
Leadership is Helping Things Grow Read More »
It is a challenge to put spiritual life into words. Words do not seem to fit deep spiritual truths. Some words feel too small to express what cannot be measured or evaluated. We hold onto what we think the words mean for us, which can distract us from the depths of spiritual life. How we appreciate spiritual
Spiritual Life is Beyond Words Read More »
We put a lot of time and attention into making life work for us. Sometimes everything fits, all the pieces work together well. We see ourselves doing a good job. Nothing catches us by surprise, everything is balanced and complete. Our efforts are paying off, life is working well for us. There are other times when life is
