Sight-Seeing: Don’t go into a relationship – or institution – thinking you can change them
KAREN SWALLOW PRIOR, in an article first published on Religion News Service, says she thought for a long time I could help the church change, a view she now sees as foolish and prideful…
Change to avoid transitions
Are you someone who uses change to avoid transitions? PICTURE: Andrew Teoh/Unsplash The late American organisational consultant William Bridges names people like that. They will change jobs rather than discover what it is in themselves that keeps finding such terrible bosses to work for. They will end a relationship rather than deal with the behaviours, attitudes […]
Two lives?
Psychologists tell us that most of us live two lives. ILLUSTRATION: BrianAJackson/iStockphoto The first life is where we chase success – material and otherwise, believing that riches, fame, status, attention will bring us happiness. Then something like divorce, disease, death, drugs or other disaster brings dissolution to such beliefs. This is hard. Some people just give […]
Doing the dishes
I only recently read this apparently old saying, “Everyone wants a revolution, but no-one wants to do the dishes.” PICTURE: Marek Studzinski/Unsplash Wow. Everyone wants things to change, but no-one wants to do the work to make it happen. Most of the time when things change – when things improve and we solve global endemic […]
Constant change
In William Bridges’ famous book, Transitions, he points out that for virtually all of human history we have honoured those in a community who protected our stable continuation. PICTURE: srgktk/iStockphoto Those who kept us safe – reinforced our communal rules and stories, the status quo – were our heroes. We now live in the first era of […]
‘Young’ or ‘one’?
Recently Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced a change to our anthem, from ‘young’ to ‘one’. PICTURE: Mitchell Luo/Unsplash When something has been around for a while, a change can at first seem grating. ‘Why do we have to do that?’ It’s quite normal to respond to change with resistance. But if we can let the […]
20/20 vision
As a leader I used to smile inwardly at the whimsical nature of casting a 2020 vision. The double meaning was as clever as one of my good “dad jokes”. PICTURE: Daniil Kuzelev/Unsplash None us of could have imagined what 2020 was going to be like, and most of our 2020 plans probably lay broken […]
Essay: Yes, we can be thankful for an imperfect America this Thanksgiving
In an article first published on Religion News Service, SHANE CLAIBORNE, activist, author and co-director of Red Letter Christians, says it’s possible to be “both thankful for what America is and impatiently hopeful for what America could be”…
Essay: Remembering the Christianity of Jesus, not empire
Rev AMY BUTLER, former senior minister of Riverside Church in New York City, says that in addressing issues like racism “it’s time to go beyond words to faithful action, as Jesus did”…
THIS LIFE: CHANGE DOESN’T NEED TO CAUSE FEAR
US columnist CAROL ROUND, in an article first published on ASSIST News Service, looks at the “good news” about life changes…