Lots of people have taught me a wide variety of lessons. I am not sure I have ever learned anything I did not learn from another person. Parents and siblings, teachers and preachers, coworkers and friends, people have taught me. I have learned from some people by listening to them, or by reading what they […]
The Examples of Monks Read More »
Spiritual life is more than a feeling, more than an idea, more than how we see the world. We do more than experience spiritual life. We put spiritual life into practice. Our spiritual practices do not make us better people, more deserving of love. We do not practice spiritual life to earn rewards or punishments.
An Intimate Connection to Immensity Read More »
Some people believe they have earned the right to be leaders. Some are confident our experience or our education means we deserve to be leaders. Some of us think we have inherited leadership from our ancestors. Some people see themselves as having the personality or the ambition it takes to be a leader. Some of
Leadership Cultivates Our Hope Read More »
I spent more than my usual share of time this week in waiting rooms. I generally do not enjoy waiting, though I am becoming more willing to practice patience. Rooms which are specifically intended for waiting often have specific hazards designed into them. I have learned to avoid watching anything that might be on a television, especially
Spiritual Life and Waiting Read More »
Every so often, we need to look behind things and give our leadership a thorough cleaning. There are boxes we need to open and move around, trying to remember why we have them. We may have received gifts, and have forgotten why we kept them. There may be things we have put away because, “you never know when
Leadership Spring Cleaning Read More »
Some people appear to believe spiritual life is all about getting things. We may pray to receive specific objects, as if God were like a celestial Amazon or Netflix. We would love to have a new car or move into a different house, and we pray to obtain it. We begin to see spiritual life as
Spiritual Life is Not About Our Things Read More »
People, especially people interested in leadership, like having a plan. Many people want to be able to understand everything, to have all their questions answered in advance. They want a predictable, easy to remember set of steps to turn themselves into great leaders. They do not ever want anything unexpected to surprise them. Some people ask me
Getting Ready for Leadership Read More »
Walking is important to me. I walk whenever I can. I relate to other people differently when I walk than when I drive. We all walk at our own pace. Sometimes we amble along, sometimes we stride with purpose. Walking gives us time to reflect, to breathe well, and to pray. My prayer is fairly intentional
Some people want to become leaders. They are looking for opportunities to lead. Some people have mixed feelings about leadership. They would like to assess their potential. Some people are not interested in leading other people. They just want to do their best. Almost all of us, though, know how it feels to run out of time to
Finding Time to Lead Read More »
Easter was here just a week ago. After weeks of preparing and practicing in Lent, Easter exploded in light and celebration. There were hours of special church services over three days last week. Social media feeds were filled with photos of family gatherings and resurrection memes. Children hunted for hidden eggs. The air was filled with
Where Did Easter Go? Read More »
