speaking info

i enjoy storytelling in person as well as in writing. the two are very different experiences in which to engage and participate.

for me, as a communicator, writing is a bit more like being a 'classical' composer and musician...carefully and intentionally putting together thoughts into words and sentences like a musical 'score' that is to be experienced as it is read. each time a written piece is read, the images may evolve or expand, but the words on the page remain the same.

on the other hand, speaking for me is much more similar to being a 'jazz' musician...taking a basic framework of expression (in the musician's case, a 'lead sheet'...in the speaker's case, a few notes or an outline), and from that framework spontaneously creating or 'composing in the moment' the 'music' that is experienced as it is heard. each time a story is told in this context, the basic theme may remain the same, but the words, stories and images will change depending on the movements in the moment.

i love doing both. but speaking is the venue where those gifts of improvisation and inspiration in the moment come more fully into expression.

in other words, at heart, i'm more of a 'jazz musician' than a 'classical musician.'

and i am available for speaking engagements in a variety of settings...

-- retreats

-- conferences

-- spiritual gatherings (including worship services, university campus groups and chapels, and other special events)

-- community panels/discussions

speaking on a variety of topics...

-- apocalypse now...and then: extraordinary traces in ordinary faces and places

-- life as a sacred journey: a story to be lived and shared

-- spiritual themes in the arts (music, film, theatre, literature)

-- living with depression: an experience in discovering 'night vision'

-- suffering and hope: the interconnections and possibilities

-- an unpredictable journey, an inexpressible joy: living with a child with autism

-- it's the end of the world as we know it...and i feel FINE: revelation as a letter of hope

-- faith: the art of living (hebrews 11)

-- don't worry...BE (sermon on the mount)

-- and MANY more...

 see the 'contact' page for more information.