Welcome to my new blog. Everything will be about engaging in life practices which can change your world. We call them Life Listening Practices. You can read more about them here, but here’s a list:

Centering

Live from the center of our authentic selves, staying balanced and empowered.

Awareness

Know who we are in ourselves and in relationship.

Empathy

Listen with compassion and generosity, cultivating awareness of what it might be like to be the other person.

Assertiveness

Engage others with confidence and respect.

Emotional Maturity

Speak and act appropriately in all situations, being aware of our feelings and choosing helpful responses.

Connecting

Develop an ability to see the interdependence of all things and to live with an attitude of cooperation, seeking mutual benefit in what we do.

Storytelling

Learn to listen and tell our stories so we develop a shared narrative that enables us to transform our world.

Reframing

Speak out of our own values and perspectives, offering alternative ways of seeing the world.

Creative Imagination

Expand our ability to see the world from different perspectives, creating new solutions to old problems.

Nonviolent Engagement

Choose the way of love rather than fear, responding to threats with creative confidence in the future.

A shalom community would challenge the spirit of domination in this world and call people to work for justice and peace. It would stand against war and violence of any kind, teaching people how to nonviolently resist “the powers that be” to stand with the poor, vulnerable, and oppressed people of this world. It would challenge the economic, military, political, and religious systems of our time that create an increasing disparity between the rich and the poor. It would stand against intolerance, arrogance, hatred, abuse and everything else that causes harm to people who often cannot stand up for themselves.

Anyone whose heart and soul agrees with this vision and wants to be part of a community committed to making the vision a reality in our world would be welcome to participate in the life of the community. Email me and tell me of your interest.

The troops need our support, President Bush says, as he asks for billions more in “defense” spending. The troops, however, increasingly say it’s time for them to come home. Bush says our help in Iraq is not “open-ended.” Most Iraqis say they want our help ended now by leaving their country.

Most people who publicly write and speak about international matters say that attacking Iran would be foolish. But even Senator Hillary Clinton, speaking to a Jewish audience Friday, said nothing should be “taken off the table” in considering options for stopping Iran from becoming a nuclear power.  How is that any different than Bush’s position?

Who will stop the President? Who will turn the course of the raging river of war, arrogance, and greed we are caught in today?