Northwest Leader - Brian Dolleman » Community http://www.northwestleader.com Mon, 28 Aug 2023 15:24:09 +0000 en-US hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.6.1 Those Times When You Think You’re Being The Blessing And Then You Realize It’s The Other Way Around http://www.northwestleader.com/2018/times-think-youre-blessing-realize-way-around/ http://www.northwestleader.com/2018/times-think-youre-blessing-realize-way-around/#comments Tue, 11 Dec 2018 18:43:16 +0000 Brian Dolleman http://www.northwestleader.com/?p=6449 God has entrusted the Church to keep the soul of childhood alive, to safeguard our candor and freshness… Joy is the gift of the Church, whatever joy is possible for this sad world to share… What would it profit you even to create life itself, when you have lost all sense of what life really […]

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]]> http://www.northwestleader.com/2018/times-think-youre-blessing-realize-way-around/feed/ 1 Lent Day 2… To Be Rooted http://www.northwestleader.com/2017/lent-day-2-rooted/ http://www.northwestleader.com/2017/lent-day-2-rooted/#comments Thu, 02 Mar 2017 13:00:32 +0000 Brian Dolleman http://www.northwestleader.com/?p=5876 Today is a little different—rather than sharing from one of my favorite Lent devotional books, I will be sharing what I fondly call a tweetstorm. This one is courtesy of Sarah Bessey. *     *     * If you would’ve told me 10 years ago I’d be a straight-up devoted church lady, I’d have […]

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]]> http://www.northwestleader.com/2017/lent-day-2-rooted/feed/ 0 Schools of the Heart http://www.northwestleader.com/2016/schools-heart/ http://www.northwestleader.com/2016/schools-heart/#comments Thu, 10 Nov 2016 19:17:30 +0000 Brian Dolleman http://www.northwestleader.com/?p=5752 *pictured above: some of my favorite ladies at church hanging out and catching up with each other Today’s word from Jean Vanier… True unity cannot be achieved in a family or community which denies difference, and behaves as if everyone should be the same and think in the same way. Unity is achieved when each […]

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]]> http://www.northwestleader.com/2016/schools-heart/feed/ 0 A Tiny Sign That Love Is Possible http://www.northwestleader.com/2016/tiny-sign-love-possible/ http://www.northwestleader.com/2016/tiny-sign-love-possible/#comments Tue, 08 Nov 2016 22:01:06 +0000 Brian Dolleman http://www.northwestleader.com/?p=5743 When the world seems particularly chaotic, crazy, paranoid, hateful, fearful, or just too noisy, I need the gentle voice of a great-great-grandfather-type. My go-to in these times is Jean Vanier. In his book Community & Growth, Vanier says… We have to remind ourselves constantly that we are not saviors. We are simply a tiny sign, […]

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]]> http://www.northwestleader.com/2016/tiny-sign-love-possible/feed/ 0 And What Do We Have Here? http://www.northwestleader.com/2016/and-what-do-we-have-here/ http://www.northwestleader.com/2016/and-what-do-we-have-here/#comments Tue, 25 Oct 2016 18:49:37 +0000 Brian Dolleman http://www.northwestleader.com/?p=5736 I remember years ago hearing leadership guru John Maxwell talking about “Putting a ’10′ on everyone’s head.” He was encouraging us to see people as valuable, worthy of our time and attention. Then yesterday, I watched the first episode of the newly released Black Mirror (season 3) on Netflix. Black Mirror is often described as […]

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]]> http://www.northwestleader.com/2016/and-what-do-we-have-here/feed/ 2 What My Daughter Said About The Church http://www.northwestleader.com/2016/daughter-said-church/ http://www.northwestleader.com/2016/daughter-said-church/#comments Tue, 11 Oct 2016 16:43:53 +0000 Brian Dolleman http://www.northwestleader.com/?p=5733 My daughter recently had an assignment at school: to write a paper about her family of origin, her culture, and/or traditions that have shaped who she is. I’d like to share a small section from her paper: Another tradition from both my mom and dad’s childhood is going to church every Sunday; this has been […]

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]]> http://www.northwestleader.com/2016/daughter-said-church/feed/ 5 To Give Space http://www.northwestleader.com/2016/give-space/ http://www.northwestleader.com/2016/give-space/#comments Fri, 22 Jul 2016 16:51:57 +0000 Brian Dolleman http://www.northwestleader.com/?p=5659 An excerpt from Jean Vanier’s book Community & Growth: To welcome is one of the signs of true human and Christian maturity. It is not only to open one’s door and one’s home to someone. It is to give space to someone in one’s heart, space for that person to be and to grow; space […]

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]]> http://www.northwestleader.com/2016/give-space/feed/ 0 A Lesson From Single-Lane Scottish Roads & Stanley Hauerwas On Community http://www.northwestleader.com/2015/lesson-single-lane-scottish-roads-stanley-hauerwas-community/ http://www.northwestleader.com/2015/lesson-single-lane-scottish-roads-stanley-hauerwas-community/#comments Tue, 24 Feb 2015 13:00:45 +0000 Brian Dolleman http://www.northwestleader.com/?p=4802 note: pictured above – a single-lane road on the Isle of Mull Two of my favorite authors – Jean Vanier and Stanley Hauerwas – collaborated on a book together: Living Gently in a Violent World—The Prophetic Witness of Weakness. While talking about the need for community, Hauerwas says… I love the Isle of Mull in […]

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]]> http://www.northwestleader.com/2015/lesson-single-lane-scottish-roads-stanley-hauerwas-community/feed/ 2 To Do Ordinary Things With Extraordinary Love http://www.northwestleader.com/2014/ordinary-things-extraordinary-love/ http://www.northwestleader.com/2014/ordinary-things-extraordinary-love/#comments Wed, 04 Jun 2014 17:03:05 +0000 Brian Dolleman http://www.northwestleader.com/?p=4191 Jean Vanier is the 85 year old Canadian philosopher, theologian, and humanitarian who is most known for founding the L’Arche communities. L’Arch (French for “the ark”) began in 1964 when Jean Vanier took two men with disabilities into his home in the town of Trosly-Brevil, France. It is now an international organization operating some 146 […]

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]]> http://www.northwestleader.com/2014/ordinary-things-extraordinary-love/feed/ 1 Your Church Is Better http://www.northwestleader.com/2013/church-better/ http://www.northwestleader.com/2013/church-better/#comments Tue, 10 Dec 2013 15:45:23 +0000 Brian Dolleman http://www.northwestleader.com/?p=3694 Your church is better than mine And I’m good with that. To me, better isn’t the issue anyway. We’re different. I think we should be. My church doesn’t do everything well, and it can’t. The “my _______ is better than your _______” feels like a sassy elementary school yard conversation, don’t you think? I can’t […]

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