We share our most important messages when we pay attention to the ones we first need to hear.
Tell the story that you need to hear
Wonderland: A STORY 2018 Recap
Cinque Terre - There's more to discover
There's a lot going on
PDX to SAN
You have a beautiful house
So how was Haiti?
Notes from Plywood Presents
To Haiti, with hope
Mr. Rogers, beta fish, and some bold what-ifs
What I love about Vancouver
A flight to Port Au Prince
Recipe for a good day
On the big question
At a glance, my pursuits are all over the place.
I don’t really like to compartmentalize. But- it would be nice to quickly communicate what I’m all about with a smaller word count.
Lately, I’ve been working to clarify what it is that ties it all together. Here’s what became clear:
I’m a big believer in something MLK said... that the most urgent question in life is what we are doing for others. I want to help people answer that question.
My travels and storytelling follow a desire to help people connect and empathize across cultures and distance. Applying that to the world of nonprofits and social justice helps empower those who help.
Every time I’ve seen someone go all out in answering that question, it leads to purpose and connection- and that’s something we all need.
The hardest parts are often unknown
On Continuing to Show Up
Keep aiming for a life of full-fledged empathy. Understand that it’s an ideal we’ll never get to fully embody, but that it’s so important to keep trying and to keep reminding ourselves that we’re meant to be here for each other. Take sips of both grace and ambition, and keep showing up.
Notes from New Cuyama: Rural placemaking
On Incarceration
Honestly, I don’t give enough thought to the issue of incarceration. My church hosts a monthly meeting focused on racial reconciliation, and last night this was the topic. I had the chance to hear from a couple where the husband spent 25 years behind bars.
Hearing their story- especially their memories of family visits and raising kids with one parent locked away was pretty powerful. What really stood out to me was when the man started sharing about his own childhood, growing up with a mom who’d been assaulted. These things are totally cycles that get passed from one generation to the next.
It’s a complicated issue, and I’m definitely not an expert in spite of all those Ear Hustle episodes I’ve gone through at the gym. I just know that prison shouldn’t be seen as an easy, out-of-sight solution. Everything that happens to a prisoner after a sentence also has huge impacts, at a generational level.
I think that Jesus was being real deliberate when he noted the way we treat those in prison as equal to the way we treat God.