Beginning to Re-Story Wisdom as She Beckons...

  Brian Insisted We Watch “Sinners” (the Ryan Coogler vampire movie with Michael B. Jordan, among others) I find myself watchful,  feinting, jabbing, ducking more with  institutional power these days . Sometimes led, sometimes leading I am aware of roles, or intentionally refuse them. Which can be unwise. Or holy. Or both. Those with institutional power  pretend they have authority, projecting pain onto any who will bear it assuming a pattern earned by pedestaled leaders who came before. Those truly free to serve within institutions listen deeply to a silence within themselves,  loving those around into Grace, even Mystery led by a pattern surrendered into by one or more beloveds who came before. The institutional match-steps are stamped with flawed, exacting abuse. Living, free bodies left  hurting, silenced, disdained as power wounds from unexamined hurts, cycling again and again rote words without competence or curiosity We are human collectives long dea...

[A long-read, perhaps 10-15 minutes? so to reflect pedagogically about AI and honor the experiment I engaged this past week when substituting for my husband/pastor of his congregation in their virtual-Connections Class.]   Introduction & the ‘Experiment’ in Pedagogy/Andragogy I think I am beginning to understand some of my students’ proclivities with respect to AI, or artificial intelligence.  I am still a firm believer in the absence or refusal of AI in my classrooms, course-assignments, mostly because the work I do forefronts the personal-spiritual-emotional integration of dissonance or fear into a more grounded, faithful and whole-expression. Complications explored not ignored or flattened to previous assumptions. AI should never be used to mimic personal growth of a human being, though I’m sure some of my students are tempted to use it so. Their loss, however, and it’s too difficult to track if/when AI might make up personal anecdotes when asked by a fearful human bei...

The faculty of United decimated by unthinking self-will: 80-year-old white men who know not how to make room for others, the New. Today I received the email announcement: yet another colleague departing the school. Leaving her tenure-track work here for tenure-track work at another seminary. She is the main breadwinner of her family of five, three small children the financial challenges facing United major. It’s a wise move for her and her family, whom I do celebrate. Anger, my old friend.   Red hot fire the denied but spoken Board Chair’s words Faculty are expendable. We will get 30 applications for every job that opens . What kind of Christian sees human beings as expendable? And this kind of Christian is a seminary Board Chair? At least this one isn't wearing a mask as he disregards the humanity of those present. Blessedly, I've done my work. Abandonment this is not. It does sting, of course.  I feel sad.  Moral is as low as it goes. Yet another unknown in a sea of unk...