As I dropped my kids off at camp this morning, I asked them if they are trying to find friends at camp that don’t look like them.  My daughter, who can be a little smart a– said, “Mom, everyone looks different from me.” So, I went full into giving them a lecture on how people...Read More

I have known Andre since he moved into our neighborhood 7 years ago. Andre is the most welcoming person I know.  He invites people with his smile and energy into his circle no matter what.  Andre runs the We Got This garden and you will find him in the garden most days helping people.  ...Read More

I have this really cool opportunity to spend some time tomorrow workshopping our message with Rob Bell. I’ve been a fan of his for years and he is offering, for a fee, small group sessions where you spend time working on your communications. In order to maximize the time, Meg and I have been working...Read More

I just wrapped up listening to the audio book version of White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo. The book is her attempt to define the term white fragility. In a rough paraphrase, white fragility is the concept or response that white people often have to their discomfort when talking about race or receiving feedback that they...Read More

In August 2005 I quit the diner to work at the church. I had been attending and volunteering for a few years at that point and it seemed like a natural move to make at the time. When you have the mindset that what you do matters and that everyone has value, working at a...Read More

It’s 7:00pm on the fourth of July and I just finished my run. I started from my house and did the 3 mile version of my run down to the Fiserv Forum. That means I just stop about half a mile before I get there and turn around and go home. I wasn’t in a...Read More

The other day I asked my kids if they feel safe in our neighborhood. My daughter said, “Yes, I feel safe except when I hear about a murder that happens on our block.” We didn’t always tell our kids about these situations, they are kinda oblivious to any violence. When we saw a bunch of...Read More

One of the questions I’m asked about living in the inner city is if I feel safe. I don’t like this question. It makes me think of my 90 year old neighbor and if it’s ok if she lives in a place that’s not considered safe. Or of my neighbor that’s a single mom of...Read More

I clearly remember the first time I knew I was using my white privilege. It was summertime and the community garden program just let out. There were usually 50 boys who worked in the morning and got $20 for their efforts, leaving happily across the bridge and around my block. I loved going outside to...Read More

I had a running injury a few weeks ago so this was the first I started running again. Today I was running in a different are than usual so I couldn’t keep track of my mileage as I usually can. It was a hard run, like really hard and I got done and thought I...Read More