I saw petroglyphs in New Mexico last week. “Petroglyph” means “rock writing” and refers to art carved in volcanic stones lying about the desert hills just west of Albuquerque. According to the scientists who’ve studied the petroglyphs, Native Americans from the Pueblo nation produced those markings during a few centuries before and after 800, c.e. […]
Category: community
While waiting in Atlanta for his flight to San Francisco, a colleague of mine, Vic Dippenaar, sat down in the waiting lounge to nurture patience in the pages of a book. He raised in front of his eyes David Richo’s book, How to Be an Adult, and began reviewing the chapters. Vic, the director of […]
Some years ago, I stood with a cousin of mine on a balmy June evening at the edge of a field on our late grandfather’s farm. It was about 10:00 p.m. and the field stretched away for nearly a mile to a distant tree line, visible as a dark jagged ribbon against a luminous night […]
I’ve been thinking lately about community and human connectivity. It’s becoming more and more dear to my heart as I see the divisive nature of our public discourse and the dismissive attitude so many have toward those whose lives differ from their own. Indeed, I realize I’m as guilty in these tendencies as any of […]
You never meet an individual. Oh, sure, you can run into someone standing by herself in the line at the coffee kiosk, exchange greetings, and have a two-way conversation analyzing the coffee, but the fact is: she’s responding with a style, using vocabulary that she learned, and referring to cues she picked up from a […]
Lesson #6 has to do with the resistance to Support Teams that I’ve encountered among pastors and, indeed, it comes in two parts. Here’s Part One and it’s a heart-felt sympathetic description of why one encounters resistance. There’s a good reason for it. Part Two will come next Wednesday (March 9, 2016), and it’ll be […]
When I start to talk about Support Teams, I’ve learned that everyone already has an idea of what I’m talking about – and in many cases, it isn’t what I’m talking about. People like it when I say that I’m working with Support Teams, but I’ve found that I need not assume they understand what […]
It’s a New Year, and the occasion gives me the opportunity to reflect on what’s happened (and not happened) since I’ve been here at the Support Team Network. I came to UAB Hospital almost two years ago and took on the mantel of “Support Team Network Manager.” I remember the excitement I felt. Support Teams […]
I love the Geico commercial that has fun with the “loner cowboy.” Have you seen it? The cowboy sits on his horse while his girl comes running out weeping hysterically and yelling, “Don’t go, Jessie!” He says, “I’m sorry, Daisy, but I’m a loner. And a loner has to be alone.” He then kicks his […]
With this post, I begin a series of blogs about people I’ve known who’ve taught me over the years the value of throwing oneself into the mix of a team of service. Some of these folks I met in international contexts, others are as close as my home city. All of them had a profound […]
Community Support Teams 