Bowen Family Systems Theory No man [human] is an island,” mused 17th century English poet, John Donne, in his poem of the same name. Dr. Murray Bowen, a 20th century psychiatrist, would agree. Bowen ... Continue Reading→

My last blog post was about reflective listening. This blog post describes a practice called “looping,” which is a part of reflective listening. Looping can be a very effective way to assure people ... Continue Reading→

My last blog post was a bit of a rant about how hard humans seem to find listening. I believe it is especially hard for most humans to listen carefully and deeply in the presence of pain. Emotional, ... Continue Reading→

Sometimes you need to be quiet and listen. In this blog post, I have a very specific context in mind when I say, "Be quiet and listen." I am speaking about the context of grief. If you read my last ... Continue Reading→

Lack of new content is the death knell for a blog. If so, then this blog is in trouble. I have not posted since March 4th of this year. On November 4, 1992, Queen Elizabeth II gave a speech on the ... Continue Reading→

One of the core tenets in conflict transformation work is that facilitators must remain neutral. When conflict transformation ministers step in to a situation, neutrality (or the appearance of ... Continue Reading→

The previous blog post talked about clarifying expectations in order to manage conflict.  This blog post addresses aligning expectations with priorities. Once we are clear about our expectations, we ... Continue Reading→

In life and in ministry, we encounter many gray areas. Gray areas are the places where there aren't clear cut rules and regulations. Gray areas are governed more by traditions, expectations, and ... Continue Reading→

It has been a while since we have published reading recommendations on the blog. Since end of the year lists are popular, here’s a list of some of what I (Molly) read in 2018. They are in no ... Continue Reading→

In conflict transformation work, there can be wisdom in waiting. There have been two recent referrals to Conflict Transformation Ministries where we have decided to wait. In one instance, I advised ... Continue Reading→