Magical….. is word that comes to mind after spending time at the Children’s Garden in Sarasota. It is very much off the beaten path but filled with a pirate ship, performance stage, dragons, fort, pond and so much more. What are the magical places ...
Building Community at Home and in Your Workplace
Our Friends Deamon Harges and Anne Mitchell are hosting a conversation in Indianapolis. We are happy to share their invitation with you: Please join us for an exciting two days learning how to use Asset Based Community Development (ABCD), Theory U and other...
People Do Amazing Things
![People Do Amazing Things](https://www.joeerpenbeck.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/baseball-card.jpg)
Conversations are very different now from anything I have ever done before. Once in my work, I had answers for people. Now I have only questions. I have learned people and neighborhoods have the answers. My conversations are much more ordinary, usually about e...
What We Are Learning
Each of us has many gifts. Discover them! Look for gifts with the intentionality and intensity. Spend your time with people and in neighbourhoods. Build relationships. Be open to possibilities. Suspend control. We do not need to fix or correct people. Acknow...
Welcoming Places
![Welcoming Places](https://www.joeerpenbeck.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/welcome.png)
My friend Matt had just moved to Cincinnati and I learned he really cared about baseball. He loves following major league teams and loves to play softball. We were exploring his neighborhood and saw a group getting ready to play baseball and went over to find ...
It’s All About Gifts
Everyone has gifts, usually many. Sometimes they are easily discovered. Sometimes it takes time and more importantly a relationship before gifts can become visible. Simple questions can help us learn about a person’s gifts: · Tell me about your fa...
Flourishing
![Flourishing](https://www.joeerpenbeck.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/MNP-8-750x375.jpg)
Written by: Mark Buttelwerth A vague idea many years ago remains a clear and shining beacon in the community of Westwood today. The Westwood United Methodist Church sponsored “My Neighbors Place (MNP)” began as a murky dream of then Pastor Steve Benett w...
Alive and Well in Detriot
![Alive and Well in Detriot](https://www.joeerpenbeck.com/wp-content/uploads/10421774/5274363.png)
Almost 5 years ago, we started telling the story about Brother Al Mascia. Brother Al could often be found on the corner of Liberty and Vine Street speaking with neighbors of St. Francis Seraph Church. He, along with Jim Murphy, cofounded the Canticle Café at ...
A Historic Perspective
![A Historic Perspective](https://www.joeerpenbeck.com/wp-content/uploads/10421774/1326770330.png)
Tripp has an uncanny memory. When he was 5 or 6 years old, his parents hired someone to fix their hardwood floors. A year later they wanted to get some additional work done and were not able to remember the repairman’s name. Tripp overheard the conversation ...