Search: “make a difference”

When this post goes live, it will be Christmas Day — a time when many people exchange gifts. This year, I’d like to suggest that you give yourself an intangible gift. You can think of this as a resolution if you like. However you think of it, I’d like to suggest that you go easy […]

  When I was in college, I joined my school’s InterVarsity Christian Fellowship chapter. I felt comfortable in our chapter’s meetings, probably because they were reflective of our small, liberal campus. But multi-campus InterVarsity events were different. I’d grown up in the Episcopal church and was unfamiliar with the evangelical subculture. What I encountered was […]

  Dressember is the brainchild of Blythe Hill, who combined a personal fashion challenge with a desire to fight human trafficking, particularly in the sex industry. The idea is simple: women commit to wearing a dress every day during December. Exceptions may be made for work uniforms, exercise, cleaning, and sleeping. Participants use their commitment […]

  This week I encountered two articles about privilege. One was a series of photos that visually explain privilege by flipping what we expect to see. The other was a thoughtful article about privilege from a conservative point of view. Privilege has been on my list of potential blog topics. The articles were the nudge […]

  “Generous” is a broad term. Many of my posts have touched on generosity one way or another. But today I want to encourage you to help others succeed professionally, even if it never benefits you. Use LinkedIn With a Generous Spirit If you’re on LinkedIn, you’ll find several ways to help others, starting with […]

… or, if you prefer the British spelling, grey. I’ve stated before that I believe in right and wrong. But I also believe that we live in a world where many issues are not black-and-white. There are shades of gray. And if we embrace the gray, we may be able to listen to and understand […]

Several months ago, my alma mater’s magazine included a story about an on-campus therapy dog program. The following issue included a couple of letters from cranky alumni, who complained about how soft students have become. You know the type of letter: “Back in my day… .” One of the alumni graduated when I did, and […]

After last year’s presidential election, Democrats who were shocked that Trump won were encouraged to step outside their bubbles. This isn’t bad advice, but it isn’t just urban Democrats who should step outside of their bubbles. All of us should work to understand people who are different from ourselves by exposing ourselves to all sorts […]

I don’t often experience social media-induced envy, but I had a raging case on Friday night. As I sat outside the Target dressing rooms while my daughter tried on pants, I scrolled through Instagram and Facebook. Many friends were posting about U2’s Joshua Tree tour. I wished with all my heart that I could be […]

A lot of people have pulled together to help those affected by Hurricane Harvey. Not only first responders but ordinary people came to the rescue of others. People have donated money and goods. Some — not just Americans but also Mexicans — have volunteered. The whole Lakewood Church controversy aside, churches and mosques opened their […]