Tag: community

  • Tied to One Another

    Tied to One Another

    We sat in a large circle in the lounge, some sitting straight with legs crossed, others stretched out on the carpeted floor. One by one we passed the “talking piece” and we invited to say a few words about the experience of the last few weeks. I think the organizers of the evening from NARPI…

  • Industrial or Ecclesiastical?

    It took two weeks and some intense times together, but by the second “cultural night” of NARPI (Northeast Asia Regional Peacebuilding Institute), groups were no longer isolated by country or regional cultures. A Mongolian and Japanese team did a dance, Korean and Japanese women led a song, and Chinese and Mongolian participants were the emcees.…

  • And Now, Over Three Years Later…

    And Now, Over Three Years Later…

    The time has come to move again. We were in Harrisonburg, Virginia longer than I thought we would be, and it’s been good. But the end always comes and somehow we say goodbye.  Reflecting on my last three years here, I realize that I take much more with me than what we’ll pack into our little…

  • Resonance

    He poured the bowl full of water, then held it out, balanced on his palm, fingers angled down and away from the thick bronze base. Slowly, he moved the wooden mallet around the edge. Expecting the resonance of the singing bowl, I was shocked to see sparkles of water emerge from the rim. As he…

  • A “Wasted” Life

    Easter this year felt special. I guess it does every year, but I thought a lot this Lent and Easter season about the meaning of all of this in a way that I haven’t before. In our reflection time on Sunday, I wrote:   “What does Easter mean to me? I don’t really know exactly.…

  • Community and Authority

    I am not entirely sure how my recent piece in CM will be received with respect to church authority.  The basic point of the column was draw attention to both the conflicting or contending lines of authority that we have drawn and also, most importantly, to acknowledge that we have drawn them.  This was not…

  • A “Merry Christmas” Story

    During our trip to Canada for the Christmas break, I was surprised how many times I heard the same story. It goes something like this: They are trying to get us not to say “Merry Christmas” and to say “Happy Holidays” instead because someone might get offended. If they are offended by Christmas, they can…

  • We’re Better Together

    I wrote this post about community long before I heard the research. But now it’s neurologically true – community makes things easier. During the attachment conference at Eastern Mennonite University earlier this year, James Coan, an “affective neuroscientist” at the University of Virginia, presented his research in the regulation of emotions, such as fear and threat,…

  • Practical Wisdom

    Today during a field trip with the Intensive English Program at Eastern Mennonite University, the staff had some miscommunication. The resulting disorganization didn’t cause any major problems, but was a bit frustrating and confusing for both students and staff. At our staff meeting when we got back, we discussed what went well and what we…

  • Yearning for Home

    “By embracing what they had most wanted to avoid they gained what their hearts yearned for” – Yearning for Home   The title captured my attention first. Wandering through the stacks of the library, getting distracted from my research focus by the section on peacebuilding with its fascinating topics and authors, Yearning for Home in…