Under Fear
This week, I’m at the Episcopal Convention in Louisville, KY, together with our Dir. of Youth Engagement, Hannah, and our Dir. of Media, Ean. We are meeting with current and prospective partner organizations and testing how PTU’s Potluck for Democracy initiative can serve communities in the social context of Louisville and that region. As we…
Read MoreDeep Breath
This spring has been so busy for PTU. We are now moving into a phase of spreading the word about the Potluck across the nation. We want to help individuals and community organizations to find their power to come together and strengthen our democracy and communities. Hannah, Ean (our Director of Media), and I will…
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Read MoreNow and Next
Twenty people gathered on a beautiful evening in Skagit County. They gathered as the LGT Skagit Council to offer feedback and vision for Let’s Go Together in Skagit County. These twenty people represented many, but not all of the groups in Skagit County: people of diverse wisdom traditions, cultures, life circumstances, and identities. After 1.5…
Read MoreThe Gift of Adaptive Leadership
Every time we turn around, we seem to be in challenging times. Every time we turn around there seems to be something more that threatens to divide us even further. Increasingly, I find myself running out of ways to be adaptive. And I am exhausted. For over a decade, I have worked with young people…
Read MoreWe All have the Power: Reflection on Let’s Go Together
I asked this question at our public event at the Lincoln Theater in Mount Vernon last Thursday night: “How many of you are worried about the future of our democracy?” Every hand went up. They join 76% of the US population in this concern. But most people don’t have a sense of what we can…
Read MoreCommunity Wisdom
Community wisdom is the foundation of PTU’s strategy for multi-cultural public partnerships, Let’s Go Together. On May 16, the Skagit partnership’s first cohort of participants will share their experience and vision with the public. Please join us for this celebration of their first successes in building cross-cultural partnerships in Skagit County! May 16 at 7:00…
Read MoreAmending the Soil
A few years ago I had a big moss problem in my yard. I live north of Seattle, so moss is hardly a surprise. But it was taking over the yard to the degree that the grass could no longer grow. My eighty-five year old neighbor came over the the hedge between our properties. He…
Read MoreStrategic Void
I’ve been involved in numerous presentations addressing the threat of what’s often termed Christian Nationalism to our democracy. This ideology seeks to establish a governance model where Christians permanently hold power, fostering what David Elcott describes as an “illiberal democracy” where everyone’s rights hinge on the whims of a ruling, Christian elite. I want to…
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