To Serve well

Serving with Excellence for a Life of Excellence

Diversity

Thoughts toward action: The next 30 days… and then the next 30 days

I’m sure we have all had one or multiple conversations this week around our nation’s racial equality issues. The problems run deep and require a higher level of understanding than what you get if you’re just scrolling through headlines. I personally have spent a few years working on building my own understanding of the inequalities that exist in our world, and yet I would still put myself at a 3 on a scale of 1 to 10 when it comes to having true understanding. I have a lot of work to do, and I’m guessing this week taught you that you do, too.

When we hear phrases like “we need systemic change,” it’s easy to lose momentum because of how daunting that sounds. Systemic changes come with actions like voting. Tragically, there are some who feel like their vote hasn’t been heard in the past, which can really take a toll on hope for real, sustainable change.

America needs a leader –– many leaders. We need folks who can galvanize us around a mission: A mission to tackle these issues head-on, including the education system and the criminal justice system.

I titled this “The next 30 days” because I am hearing folks say they want to start somewhere meaningful. The majority of people genuinely want to take action and want to move our country forward, as the peaceful protests show.

There is work we all can and should do. Know that it’s not easy, but it’s important. We all have a part to play in creating change. It should be clear that this has taken many years to reach this level and it will be a marathon, strong and steady, to move forward. Check out this post on Medium for a list of 75 ways you can contribute your time, energy and resources. I’ve poured through it, and it taught me a few things. I know it can feel overwhelming and hard to know what to really do next. My prayer is for God to direct me toward clarity of impact. Thus, the idea on starting in 30 day increments…

My thought process is to break it down into some areas where I – and most others – could use grounded information with the goal of building foundational understanding. Here we go…

  • Listen to understand. Reach out to the people in your life who are from other backgrounds. Ask them how they’re doing. Ask them to tell you their story of living in this world. Listen intently. My goal is to have three truly strong, meaningful conversations during the next 30 days.
  • Read to understand. Take the time to read up on structural racism to better understand the gravity and depth of the reality we find ourselves living in. (Developing a common understanding is central to getting to the root of the problem. Check this site out for videos and other resources, as a starting point. And if you haven’t already seen it, check out this IGTV post from Viola Davis!)
  • Research local. Look for examples of systematic issues in your state or area. Education is a terrific place to start and was recommended by a friend and after a close review, I would say education reform is mission critical. I will use Kansas as an example. On this site, you can compare the many variances between districts. When you see gaps in performance, consider the lost opportunity children have across the state. This alone should demonstrate that this is a primary issue that we all need to consider critical to achieving equality. (If diving through data isn’t your thing, watch the documentary “Waiting for Superman,” for terrific content on the topic.)

I hope this helps you on our collective journey to serve well. If we keep perspective, keep praying, be kind always, and keep moving with unbridled determination and strength, we will create change. We have to believe that and lock arms tightly.

Simple Thoughts Sunday: Hold the tension until something beautiful comes forward

… As in the miracle of childbirth itself.
…As in that first real fight and talking through it until you both grow (my friend calls it building relationship muscle – I like that!).
…As in diligently digging yourself out of a tough financial situation.

All of these examples, while valid, don’t speak to the true tension most of us are feeling on this day. The voice of America is loud right now and God help us that it produces a path forward – a change in direction… a call for us all to not stop short of pursuing justice and equality until it is achieved.

This tension, and the beauty that could come forward after, is like deeply inhaling the mountain air. There is joy and peace in those places after much work has been done.

With so much heavy news over the last few months, and especially these last few weeks, I’m even more committed to this idea that we have to keep holding on… pushing thru. Beauty can come. I believe that.

Brené Brown’s wonderful “Unlocking Us” podcast episode with actors Jay and Mark Duplass on the Power of Paradox was deep and captivating.  The conversation –– not at all intended to take on the weight of the tensions we are facing in America in this moment –– offered the listener an opportunity to ignite thinking around tension, and how we might deal with it: pushing ourselves through the pain, committing to one another, staying unrelenting and strong.

Scripture shares the following:

“To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that He might be glorified.”

Isaiah 61:3 KJV

I’m not typically a King James advocate (preferring instead something I can relate to more easily), however this is genuinely spot on from my perspective.

The foundation on which we stand started with struggle, and God’s word offers us comfort in knowing that we can expect beauty from ashes. It would be too hard to believe, had I not have had personal exposure to the stunning reality. I have witnessed all manner of struggle… emotional and physical abuse, poverty, illness among those who were far too young, and even hate crimes and murder. I have seen God’s redemption in my story and in those of some dear loved ones at every turn.

I have also seen many stories, like those we face in America right now, resulting in tragedies that prove we are far from achieving equality to all. Stories that should bring tension to and haunt all of us. Stories that should ignite us to push harder, to act in some way…

I want to hold the tension along with my friends that represent every minority group, and to do so until we find something beautiful together. I believe we will find more tension first, but as a Christian believer, I hold strong on that if we stay tuned in, pray for direction and act with love that we can press forward together. We can heal and find beauty. I feel that. I also feel this will require a fight … a fight forward and toward unity.

On Wednesday’s blog my goal will be to provide a short list of actions (We must ACT versus just say/post/share.) that all audiences and ages can participate in. For today, check out the website www.bethebridge.com. It seems to be a great starting point.

If you happen to have an idea please reach out to me. Thank you!

Black History month matters: A call for us all to take action

For some reason, It seems to me that I have always had a desire to “read up”, if you will, to better understand men and women who looked differently than I do. I’d like to say it came from hours around a dinner table of parents or grandparents that stressed the importance, and even made efforts to expose me, but that wouldn’t be true. At work this week, we were referencing the classic, “What you talkin’ ’bout, Willis,” line from the 1978-1985 iconic show, “Diff’rent Strokes,” so perhaps that is the genesis.

More than likely, however, is that some brilliant teacher planted a seed early on. (And that my friends is why we should all love and pay great respect to our teachers!).

Here’s the thing: While I have always had this desire, it continually seems to hit me in the face that I still don’t know enough. My efforts are good, but not acceptable – at least to me. It shouldn’t be the case that in America today that, at age 51 (almost 52), I am learning that Rosa Parks wasn’t the first to refuse to give up her seat on a bus. There were actually several before her – such as 15-year old Claudette Colvin, who was studying the great inequality injustice at the time, and opted for a bold move to make her point. I read her story just today. By the way, she also ended up in jail.

More grave is a story I learned two years ago, when my friend and mentor Tanesha, took me to a Black History event held at the University of Missouri Kansas City campus. Shocked, lump in your throat, disturbed…. all may be a good way to describe how I felt when finding out that of the 12.5 million Africans shipped to the New World via the Translantic Slave Trade, that fewer than 388,000 arrived in the United States. (According to PBS.com.) That means that over 12 million men, women, children… loving grandparents, respected community members… all died A tragic death during the journey. To put that in perspective, 6 million Jewish people were killed by Nazi Germany by the end of World War II and the Holocaust. (According to Guardian.com). It left me unraveled.

I hope that you knew this and that you have already made strides in using your influence to help us be better. If you didn’t, I hope this helps paint the picture that we need to work toward truly understanding the human experiences of our fellow countrymen/women. Society as a whole is impacted tremendously by history in many ways – psychologically, physiologically, socially, economically, etc. By studying and building awareness, even at the most cursory levels (although we shouldn’t stop there), we are able to move toward eradicating stereotypes, and improve society as a whole.

The founder of Black History Month, Carter G Woodson, considered his role was to use “black history and culture as a weapon in the struggle for racial uplift.” (Smithsonian Institute) That is a weapon we can all get behind. By 1916, he had established the Association for the Study of Negro Life and Culture with a goal of making black history accessible to a wider audience. In February of 1926, Black History Month launched in America. We might think that in 94 years we would have made such progress that this recognition wouldn’t be needed, however, the facts demonstrate this is not the case. Us American’s are a tough group. As the Smithsonian article I am referencing noted, “The chains of slavery are gone, but we are all not free.” The author’s final note describes slavery is an African American success story “because we found ways to survive, to preserve our culture and our families.” I appreciate that optimistic viewpoint.

I hope today’s blog offers you a bit of inspiration to do some research regardless of your race or background. I can assure you that it is worthy to always better understand those that God has placed to live this life out with us side by side. We are so much better together and beyond powerful when unified.

Top reads for 2019

This is such a tough post for me, because I truly love all books – and for totally different reasons. I think that’s likely true for all of us, that we gravitate toward what we individually need to hear at that particular time in this season of life.

All of that to say, I am going to attempt this anyway. After all, I hear from some of you that you’d love to see another post on top books – and I aim to serve! This one is long overdue, since my last book post was in… April. Oops! You can find other posts related to books I love in the archives under “book reviews.”

Here are my top 10 for the year, each with some excerpts that highlight why they made the list (The first three from my April post):

Notorious RBG, by Irin Carmon and Shana Knizhnik – No matter your political interests, this is such a good read. This absolutely fun read about the life of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is terrific in 100 different ways. I love all of it, but this quote in the beginning in particular: While reading her dissent in a voting rights case, she quotes Martin Luther King directly, “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice,” she said, but then she added her own words: “If there is a steadfast commitment to see the task through to completion.” Now that is true and powerful.

The Art of Gathering, by Priya Parker – So much amazing work in this book. I’d grab this one for sure if you like to read topics that appeal in multiple areas of your life. One simple idea here: “If you want a lively but inclusive conversation as a core part of your gathering, eight to twelve people is the number you should consider. Smaller than eight, the group can lack diversity in perspective; larger than twelve, it begins to be difficult to give everyone a chance to speak.”

Joyful, by Ingrid Fetell Lee – A really interesting and fun read that covers the full gamut of joy. One idea I appreciated: “I began to notice that while the topic of work-life balance comes up frequently in media, play is largely absent from the conversation… The most joyful people I know manage to hold space for play in their adult lives (think playing a sport, family game night, etc.).”

Shoe Dog, by Phil Knight – This was on everyone’s top list in 2016-17, but it took me a while to dive in. It did not disappoint, and could arguably be my number one book. It’s a classic tale of starting from the beginning, finding your path, and what is required (absolute commitment, focus and imagination) for top-level individuals and companies to achieve success. Phil is the founder of Nike and you can imagine the power of the story. The power of any great story is found when purpose is exposed. This line captures it well, “I walked out of the room, I thought of that phrase, ‘It’s just business,’, It’s never just business. It never will be. If it ever does become just business, that will mean that business is very bad.” Profound truth.

Women Rowing North, by Mary Pipher – The inside cover reads, “A guide to wisdom, authenticity, and bliss for women as they age…a timely examination of the cultural and developmental issues women face ...” There are so many valuable nuggets in here, but I highlighted this one: “One day I told her that I greatly admired how she handled her difficult situation with such good cheer. She looked at me and said, ‘Mary, I have no choice about the leukemia, but I can control how I deal with it. I might as well act right and have something to feel good about.'” That’s so true about almost everything in life. We get to decide. Another that spoke to me: “On further reflection, I realized that I often become my own worst enemy, constantly signing myself up for combat duty when I really want to stay home, pet my cat and read a book.” (Okay, not the cat part, but Jennie and Gretchen, that’s for you!)

Range, by David Epstein – This read takes on the idea of whether it is best to “specialize” in a field/hobby/etc., or if it’s better to have a “range” of interests/focuses/preparations. Notable authors such as Malcolm Gladwell and Daniel Pink praise Epstein’s work, and this is indeed a solid read on the topic our path to excellence in life. I loved this: “Instead, she told me, in a clever inversion of a hallowed axiom, ‘First act, then think,’ Ibarra marshaled social psychology to argue persuasively that we are each made up of numerous possibilities. As you put it, ‘We discover the possibilities by doing, by trying new activities, building new networks, finding new role models.’ We learn who we are in practice, not in theory.” So good. As we go into 2020 and a new decade, where do we need to develop new possibilities?

The Moment of Lift, by Melinda Gates – From the inside cover: “How can we summon a moment of lift for human beings?” And also: “I had to write this book- to share the stories of people who have given focus and urgency to my life.” Those “people,” those “stories,” are from countries and cultures across the world, whom we have the power to help “lift,” thereby using the gifts God has given us to help all of humanity. It is about helping others use their voice, and build lives and generations by challenging the status quo. Who is giving urgency to my/your life right now? Where and who do we need to pursue to ensure we use your gifts and achieve our purpose? Those questions are true for every single age. It’s a useful question for launching into the new decade.

The Innovator’s DNA, by Jeff Dyer, Hal Gregersen, and Clayton M. Christensen – This book hones in on 5 skills for innovators using stories from the great innovator’s of our time, Apple, Google, etc. It’s a true business read, chalked full of quality content, research and stories we can use. One such example, “Google holds an ‘Innovator’s Challenge’, four times each year. In this competition, employees submit ideas for management review. Winning ideas receive the resources necessary to maintain momentum. Innovation at Google is very democratic; it lets market forces determine which ideas move forward.” I am always challenged by these types of reads and look forward to any ideas I can grab and use. Perhaps you are as well.

Rhythms of Renewal, by Rebekah Lyons – One of my favorites, and the topic of a blog post from October. Why do I love it? I love the topic itself, I love the simplicity of every single chapter and I feel like this book alone makes me better. That is saying a lot. One thought that is powerful as you go into the new year: “When we rest long enough to take inventory, when we ask God to cultivate our hearts, talents and passions according to the purpose he planned before our days began, we’ll find new horizons opening up, horizons beyond all we could ask or imagine. It’s never too late to re-establish what you want your life to be about.” So good.

Stillness is the Key, by Ryan Holiday – This one ties with No. 9 above on the absolute best for me for 2019. I wrote about it twice this year (Oct. 22 & Oct. 28) and one thought I loved: “The answer is that while we may naturally possess stillness, accessing it is not easy. One must really listen to hear it speaking to us. And answering the call requires stamina and mastery.” To me, all of this is most worthy of my attention and incredibly critical at this point in our world. We need to be still and we need to think and listen well in order to serve well… be it at home, the workplace, the community, and yes, making key decisions in 2020 as it comes to new leadership for our country – and beyond. We need to urgently focus on removing distractions.

Praying for each of you to have an incredible finale to the decade and to have the focus to start strong on a new year this week ahead!

Live in the arena

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again … who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly.”

Theodore Roosevelt

Want to level up your personal growth? Find a bit over an hour, log into Netflix and be prepared to actively take notes. You will laugh, you will nod in understanding and you will be changed. In her Netflix special, Dr. Brene Brown, says something to the tune of “there is my life before this quote (above) and my life after.” I could say the same thing about this show. Incredible.

She talks about “engineering smallness” in her life because of her fear to step into her own power and play big. (Frankly, that’s its own headline!)

She shares incredible data that proves that if we are to achieve anything – from career success to love – we will indeed fall, get our asses kicked, and experience heartbreak. (Ouch!)

She talks about being hard-wired for belonging, and our need to speak our truth and not betray ourselves for other people.

She educates about the need for us to be vulnerable…even in the workplace. Especially if we are to develop inclusivity, equity and diversity and have uncomfortable conversations that ultimately have the power to bring us to unity. (Folks… we need to be vulnerable… this is critical for our generation.)

That, my friends, encompasses only about 5 percent of the content. I truly hope that you will make it a priority to step into this great message. And if you’ve already caught her Netflix special, I’d love to hear about your takeaways!

The “arena” can for sure be intimidating – scary even. The “arena” is also that place where we grow, thrive and shine like no other place. You all are champions my friends! Cheering you on always.

My top books of 2019 – so far

Happy Tuesday! Today’s a good day to share what I’ve learned so far this year through my readings. They have all been good, with Notorious RBG, The Art of Gathering & Joyful being my favs.

I picked one take away from each of them and shared it below. If you decide to grab one let me know what you think (or if you’ve read them already)! Have an amazing week!

The Messy Middle, by Scott Belsky – This is a leadership read that is pretty heavy in content (it took me a while to get through it and truly digest the information). One of my favorite insights was on “organizational debt,” which is “the idea of ‘bounty program’ … in this system, any employee who encounters a policy or process that is hindering their ability to deliver value to the customer can submit the policy/process and a recommendation to the program website. The idea is to incentivize everyone to bash inefficiencies and dumb practices that contribute to organizational debt.”

The Art of Gathering, by Priya Parker – So much amazing work in this book. I’d grab this one for sure if you like to read. One simple idea here: “If you want a lively but inclusive conversation as a core part of your gathering, eight to twelve people is the number you should consider. Smaller than eight, the group can lack diversity in perspective; larger than twelve, it begins to be difficult to give everyone a chance to speak.”

Girl, Wash Your Face, by Rachel Hollis – This book is just so fun. It’s a simple read/self help type of book with some profound thoughts. One particular idea that I liked: “1.) I went to therapy. 2.) I hustled for joy. (love, love, love this) 3.) I reordered my list.”

Woke Church, by Eric Mason – I read this alongside a beautiful young professional I sometimes get a chance to mentor. It’s a call to justice and about understanding how socioeconomic, philosophical and historical realities inform our responsibility. An abbreviated excerpt from the back of this book says it best: “The church in America should have rejected the first whispers of slavery. But we didn’t. We should have stopped segregation and Jim Crow before they affected communities. But we didn’t. We should have been woke, but we’ve been asleep.”

Joyful, by Ingrid Fetell Lee – A really interesting and fun read that covers the full gamut of joy. One idea I appreciated: “I began to notice that while the topic of work-life balance comes up frequently in media, play is largely absent from the conversation… The most joyful people I know manage to hold space for play in their adult lives (think playing a sport, family game night, etc.).

The 10X Rule, by Grant Cardone – A classic book that has been around for a bit. So many key parts to this, but the one I hadn’t heard and resonated the most: “You must keep adding wood until the fire is so hot that no one – and nothing – can put out your success.” This was a call to action around all areas of your life! Keep adding wood my friends to what’s important to you!

Notorious RBG, by Irin Carmon and Shana Knizhnik – Honestly you should read this no matter what your political interests or otherwise area. This absolutely fun read about the life of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Gisburg is terrific in at least 100 different ways. I love all of it, but this quote in the beginning received a few stars: While reading her dissent in a voting rights case, she quotes Martin Luther King directly, “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice,” she said, but then she added her own words: “If there is a steadfast commitment to see the task through to completion.” Now that is true and powerful.

The 5AM Club, by Robin Sharma – I have followed Sharma for many years and his latest is a great reminder of the power of taking over our days by starting out right. His section on the 4 focuses of history-makers is solid: 1) Capitalization IQ (“What makes a legendary performer so good isn’t the amount of natural talent they are born into, but the extent of that potential they actualize and capitalize.”) 2) Freedom from Distraction 3) Day Stacking 4) Personal Mastery practice.

Farsighted, by Steven Johnson – The book is all about how we make decisions and how to make better ones. His compelling first comments, “Countless studies have shown, humans are wired to resist losses more than to seek gains,” set you off on a deeper understanding of how our habits and even wiring may not help us make the best decisions and how we should consider understanding at a deeper level how to make better choices.

Chasing Daylight, by Eugene O’Kelly – I have blogged previously about this excellent, short read. Mr. Kelly wrote this book over his last few months after an unexpected illness took over his body at 53 years old. It’s a powerful reminder to to live intentionally. “To get the most out of each moment and day-and not just pass through it.”

“A soul generated by love” – Wrapping up Black History Month

I didn’t want the month to end without once again highlighting Black History Month.

I feel like our country is really starting to take hold of the idea that we need to become more educated on the issues we face by not being aware of the issues of our past. There are so many new authors really taking on this subject in a powerful way.* If we can all make a decision to do our part in truly diving into history and what it means to us today, I can imagine a world that is stronger and more beautiful. The very idea of this blog is to provide insights that might help us all “level up” and really serve each other well. From my perspective, serving starts by understanding and then by coming alongside all people, in whatever way they need, to make our world better.

The quote in the picture above came from Martin Luther King Jr’s last sermon before he was assassinated. He continued to say:

“…You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You don’t have to know about Plato and Aristotle to serve. You don’t have to know Einstein’s Theory of Relativity to serve. You don’t have to know the Second Theory of thermodynamics and physics to serve. You only need a heart full of gratitude. A soul generated by love.”

It’s no surprise that the month of “love” is also Black History month. Let us all remember that love has the power to overcome all challenges we face. We can choose to use that love to put forth actions that bring us a life and world of service and unity. Now, I can get down right joyful about that thought!

*If you’d like to jump into some good, easy reading around this topic, I’d highly recommend, “I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World made for Whiteness,” by Austin Channing Brown. I have several others that I’ve found quite helpful on my personal journey. Please feel free to message me if you are interested.

Thank you, Dr. King

Please don’t dismiss this week’s celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

If you are a news junkie, no doubt it has been front and center (along with football playoffs and winter) the last few days. Others are avoiding the news, instead gravitating toward anything but the often-negative stories that flood into our homes.

For this week, it is worthwhile to take in the story of his life… again.

If you’d like a simple place, use this. The “I have a dream” video is also worth your 5 minutes.

My friend Gretchen who substitute teaches (lucky kids) told me that she asked her class the other day who today’s heroes are. The collective group couldn’t really come up with any. Maybe some athletes, but overall the exercise provided pause that left everyone asking who deserves such a title today? Who is doing work that addresses the big issues?

Thankfully there are a LOT of heroes in our world. Many who are quietly serving – and some more noteworthy … spending their days working on complex & big issues. But there is always room for more stand-outs who can GALVANIZE our country. People like Dr. King who sacrificed their lives for the good of man and society.

The quote above is my favorite of Dr. King’s. It resonates with me and I hope it does with you. What issues have we been silent about? The definition of silence meaning that you haven’t really done anything to share your concern and take action to help improve the situation. This could be as easy as walking by litter in your own neighborhood, or as complex as taking on the hate that impacts our world.

 (A shout out to my friend Mindy Corporon and family who are working toward improvement in this area via their foundation and their annual week-long event bringing awareness to these issues.) 

Whatever the issue is that you have a passion for, please don’t be silent. It’s a new year and I’m often glad Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday is celebrated this month, because this is a month to LAUNCH – to kick off or renew a commitment to what is important in our lives. (If you don’t have anything that stands out, please join Mindy and team.)

While you are at it, if you have children in your life that you can inspire, encourage them this week to identify those issues and begin to step forward as a leader to truly impact our world for the positive. I’m confident that today’s youth have what it takes to continue to make America the greatest country in the world.

Stumbling upward… Going beyond the easy button in the diversity conversation

I like to tackle tough conversations. I always hesitate a bit to throw it out on the blog, but I need to be more brave.

There is a literal jewel of a book that just came out recently, “How Good People Fight Bias – The Person YOU Mean to Be,” by Dolly Chugh. It’s probably the most powerful book I’ve read on the topic, taking on the ideas that stir in many of us in a fresh way. The concept of “stumbling upward” in the pages made me want to spend the rest of my days doing just that: striving to be better in all aspects of my life. In this particular topic of understanding tolerance and diversity, I am certain I can grow meaningfully.

In the book, Chugh tells the story of two well-meaning business guys, “Fitz and Zach” who brought the “Unconference” idea to Chicago. The idea of the “Unconference” is to bring together a network of people with agendas created on the spot, generating much energy and innovation. The organizers are responsible for the who, when and where of the event. These two guys, started with their own network, initially 118 people and only 14 women – most men being white. When called out on by the audience, they both were quite embarrassed. They didn’t realize that their networks, unintentionally, had become a bunch of people that looked like them. It was a true “bro-fest,” as the book refers to it. Once their awareness was made clear, they were able to correct their ways and begin developing networks that broadened their homogeneous network.

“They asked people to nominate people “more amazing than you.” One time, they asked people to nominate “women and minorities.” Another time, they asked participants to nominate people “who don’t look like you, if you usually are in the majority.” No method was perfect, but every attempt was a stumble upward.”

By 2017 their events had equal numbers of men and women and diversity was evident. Chugh introduces concepts that we all need to be aware of, including ordinary privilege, willful awareness and others. These topics are important. We all need to be more aware, like “Fitz and Zach.” What would your event look like if you hosted one? We need to understand the issues, and can do so by reading books such as this, attending events, expanding our networks and conversations. If we want to serve well for both our generation and those that follow, we should consider this a critical learning opportunity. I’m in.

A conversation that matters

Tuesday was the kick-off to the annual Seven Days events in Kansas City. I attended a terrific session on Tuesday night, “A Rabbi, an Imam, and an Evangelical Minister Walk into a Bar.” It was a conversation about “being your neighbor’s keeper.” It was pure delight.

It reminded me that I needed to make this the point of today’s blog. I have posted previously about these events, and as Seven Days is in their 4th year, I think it is important to share their story and encourage you to join in for some of the events and for sure the conversation.

The rest of the blog is primarily a rewind of the post from 2016. The information is as true today as ever, as we strive for progress at a higher pace. Please take some time to follow this important conversation. You will be better for it!

Rewind from 2016:

I asked one of my boys to attend the session Tuesday night explaining why this idea of Interfaith is important. He was confused because in his mind he is certainly open to all races and religions and as far as he was concerned there was not a good reason to learn more about the topic. I loved that, because I think it explains how many feel. Not long ago most of our country could say that they embraced all others. As generations have become educated and society progresses we have indeed made great strides forward.

I have to admit that I also didn’t like this response at all, because I personally know that there is so much more. It wasn’t until just a few years ago (well into my 40s- Yikes, now 50) that I attended a friend’s Passover Seder, which was an important step in understanding her faith. I still haven’t made the steps necessary to learn about my Muslim neighbors, and the list goes on. So, yes, we have made progress, but we have to do more to make the impact that is possible and necessary.

This summary below is just that, a high level overview… I’d love to hear your thoughts and also if you have questions, I’d be happy to moderate getting those to the Rabbi.

Why Interfaith? A lot of reasons, but in our current environment, understanding is the imperative to solving global issues that didn’t really exist prior to the current fast-paced communication and social media opportunities that ensure we have at our ready world-wide news and can react and respond right away. (One note: In last night’s session (2018), the panel talked about the change from the term interfaith to multi-faith, noting that we should not have to give up our individual beliefs, but be in friendship and hold respect for one another(s)…I like that A LOT.)

A great example he gave: In our country we enjoy freedom of religion, which is why my son answered as he did – makes sense. Unfortunately other countries do not enjoy freedom of religion. It is important for us all to understand the implications of this on world peace.

4 keys ways we can inspire each other in interfaith (multifaith):

  1. ENCOUNTER one another – Yep, invite your Muslim neighbor over, or if you are Muslim, invite your Christian neighbor over to begin a conversation of understanding.
  2. STUDY other countries, religions, beliefs – We must challenge ourselves to understand fully the traditions of others to truly understand them.
  3. PRAYER – The Rabbi included this and I thought it was great. This may seem like an easy list, but it isn’t. Even taking the first step seems some how beyond our ability to just jump out and make it a priority. We need to pray that God would give us a passion for understanding.
  4. SERVICE – Perfect that he ended with this. The idea being that once we come together we can translate that into ACTION that makes our communities and countries stronger.   Let’s contemplate that today!

There are some great activities/events happening in KC this week as a part of SevenDays. Check out the website for the full details.

Have a strong wrap to your week!