About a year ago, a friend emailed me inviting me to join a group of his friends at a baseball game. While I generally don’t do well in groups of people I don’t know, I figured it was a good opportunity to stretch myself. (I also really wanted to watch the game!) Little did I … Continue reading Social Intelligence
It’s hard to move in today’s thought-space without encountering the idea of personal branding. What was just a few years ago an idea only found in the wilds of executive coaching or social media “influencers” has become pervasive in our culture. More and more we are encouraged to conceive of our careers, hobbies, lifestyle, and … Continue reading Branded
I know a young man, whom I’ll call Stanley, who is a bit of a hero to me. When Stanley was very young, he decided that he was an athlete. Unfortunately, athletics did not come naturally to him. He was clumsy and awkward and struggled to learn to throw and catch. But Stanley was not … Continue reading Perseverance
Yesterday we celebrated the feast of Pentecost, the celebration and appropriation of the gift of the Holy Spirit poured out on Jesus’ disciples. My reflections yesterday centered on the theme of freedom: The Holy Spirit frees us from spiritual slavery, from bondage to fear and everything else that holds us back. But, as I’ve noted … Continue reading #Blessed (A Reflection on Matthew 5.1-12)
The great promise of Christianity is that a fundamental change has come into the world. The “normal” ways of the world, whether conceived of as sin or fate or the writing of the stars or the law of karma, have been overturned. We can now opt out of the power of these forces and be … Continue reading A Spirit of Freedom (A Reflection for Pentecost 2019)
Matthew Root 