At our weekly office meeting, a colleague read a passage from The Purpose Driven Life by the Christian writer Rick Warren:“Relationships are always worth restoring….. Broken fellowship is a disgraceful testimony to non-believers.”  Often the most painful breakdown in relationships occurs between people who are working for the same cause. I recall a conversation with Ron Kraybill who has spent […]

It was such a small thing and so long ago. A perceived slight three decades back when we were both young. No doubt he had forgotten it; indeed he probably never intended or knew the hurt he had caused. Our paths had followed different directions and we had not seen each other since. And yet, over all these years the […]

And now for something completely different…Last week we bought a new car. We said goodbye to our trusty 1999 Subaru with 150,000 miles on the clock and downsized to something more fuel efficient (since this column is commercial free I will refrain for mentioning the model). But this blog is not about cars but about the conversation that took place […]

Thomas Friedman has attracted criticism from some quarters for contrasting Boomers and their “situational values” with their parents’ generation which, he says, maintained “sustainable values.” Those who experienced racial or gender discrimination in earlier decades know how unevenly those values were applied.  America is a far better place today. We live in a more open, inclusive, and democratic society. One […]

“Tea is not sweetened until the lump of sugar is dissolved,” said a wise man. In my book, Trustbuilding, I highlight the power of “implicit networks” in the life of a community. These networks are not linked by organizational structure, but by “intangible threads of relationships, shared understanding, and selfless care for the ‘other.’….These implicit networks provide the moral and […]

This past weekend I attended the opening of Tim Kaine’s campaign office in Richmond. I first got to know Tim when he was a member of the city council. He subsequently became our mayor, then lieutenant governor, governor, and chairman of the Democratic National Committee. Now he’s running to succeed Jim Webb in the US Senate. Kaine opened his remarks […]

Today we celebrate the life of a great American, a man who more than anyone embodied the vision of a nation striving to become better, a nation truer to its principles. At the time of his death, Martin Luther King, Jr. was an increasingly uncomfortable and troublesome figure to some authorities. His appeal for justice caused them to label him […]

Ben Campbell wastes no time in naming hard truths in his new book, Richmond’s Unhealed History. It opens in 1607 with Captain Christopher Newport arriving at the fall line of what is now the James River, Virginia. Planting a large cross in the ground he tells the representative of Chief Powhatan that it symbolizes the partnership between King James and […]

A few months ago I met a young Egyptian judge who was in Washington, DC, taking part in a fellowship program. “The problem with Americans is that they never have any time,” he told me. “Often I start a conversation with a person and he will say “Oh, that’s so interesting, I’d love to hear more about that.” But when […]

Driving to Delaware for the family Thanksgiving we stopped for lunch. “My name is Christy and I will be taking care of you,” announces the bright young woman who hands us a menu. And she really seems to mean it. Later we stop at Kmart for supplies. We remark to one of the staff that the store has advertised that […]