I’m recognized as the primary teacher in our community and am counted upon week to week to deliver a talk. However, I’ve started to relax that expectation a bit by opening up the teaching time as a discussion opportunity. Even though I do have an opinion (and that can’t be helped), I hope I communicate that I hold my opinion loosely. I do not hold a monopoly on truth. I do not want to open the floor to simple confirmations... Read more

I’m thinking lots about community lately. Mainly because I am the pastor of one. I am interested in how a community that may initially come together around a common set of values, traditions or beliefs can eventually shift their primary allegiance away from those values, traditions and beliefs towards the people of that community. Is that possible? Is that valid? These are serious questions. They are serious questions because when one of the members of the community begins to legitimately... Read more