By: Ryan Thorson on September 13, 2024
When asked to choose a book about leadership that has been in print for at least 300 years, it was interesting to search and not find anything that was explicitly stated as a leadership book. It got me thinking about how, in the Christian tradition that I’m familiar with, there was much more emphasis placed…
By: Jana Dluehosh on September 13, 2024
As I enter my final year of Doctoral work on Leadership, I am left with more questions than answers. We began our studies with a profound quote from our professor that I have found myself repeating to others; “As the island of our knowledge grows, so does the shore of our ignorance.”[1] Studying leaders…
By: Dinka Utomo on September 12, 2024
The book I selected for this week’s assignment is The Imitation of Christ by Thomas Kempis. This is a Christian devotional book first composed in Medieval Latin as De Imitatione Christi (c. 1418–1427). The devotional text is divided into four books of detailed spiritual instructions: (i) “Helpful Counsels of the Spiritual Life”, (ii) “Directives for the Interior Life”, (iii) “On Interior Consolation”, and…
By: Chad Warren on September 12, 2024
In his introduction to Athanasius’ On the Incarnation, C.S. Lewis recommended reading old books. He contended, “ Every age has its own outlook. It is specially good at seeing certain truths and specially liable to make certain mistakes. We all, therefore, need the books that will correct the characteristic mistakes of our own period. And…
By: Jonita Fair-Payton on September 12, 2024
A Playbook for Power and Position! Introduction The Prince was written over five hundred years ago by Niccolo Machiavelli after his political career was brought to an abrupt end and he was imprisoned. He authored the book hoping it would help restore him to power. It is a book that can still be considered relevant…
By: Daren Jaime on September 12, 2024
It has been said, history has a way of repeating itself. Who would ever imagine that a book published three hundred years ago could still find relevance today? Oh, I forgot-we are in Seminary….. Let me clear this up, what book other than the Bible??….. An argument can be made that books having long…
By: Julie O'Hara on September 12, 2024
I recall seeing Brother Lawrence’s The Practice of the Presence of God mentioned by Ruth Haley Barton, Richard Foster, Henri Nouwen and others. If leadership really is influence, then Brother Lawrence was a great leader, having influenced so many of these important authors on the topic of spiritual formation. I admit to struggling in the…
By: Adam Harris on September 12, 2024
When I saw that Jason was requiring us to read a book over 300 years old, I was automatically taken back to Oxford when Dr. Martyn Percy asked our DLGP cohorts to name a significant work over 300 years old that is still in print. Several works were named by us before he revealed one…
By: Elysse Burns on September 12, 2024
History has long provided innumerable examples of leaders, some virtuous and others despotic. Whether upright or cruel, the recorded life stories of history’s leaders offer insight into the past, wisdom for the present, and a cautionary voice for the future (as history often repeats itself). The biography Agricola was written in AD 98 by the Roman…
By: Kari on September 12, 2024
October 31, 2017, marked the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation. The Reformation is said to have started when Martin Luther posted his famous 95 Theses in 1517.[1] I celebrated this milestone with my house church in Islamic Africa. It was an inspiring day as we reflected on the Reformers’ sacrifices. It was not lost…
By: Pam Lau on September 12, 2024
“It occurred to me that there were two sets of virtues, the resume virtues and the eulogy virtues. The resume virtues are the skills you bring to the marketplace. The eulogy virtues are the ones talked about at your funeral–whether you were kind, brave, honest or faithful. Were you capable of deep love?”-David Brooks, The Moral…
By: Todd E Henley on September 12, 2024
This week, I was taken back to 1984, my senior year of high school. I remember that spring studying various religions but the only one that stood out was Taoism, because I remember thinking, this is a nice way of living. Forty years later I am so glad I read Tao Te Ching by Lao…
By: Joel Zantingh on September 12, 2024
I work to inspire and equip followers of Jesus to embrace peace and reconciliation, but these important end goals can never be reduced to the absence of conflict — one must learn peacemaking and peace building as part of the non-violent path to resolving division, or avoiding war whenever possible, which is not always feasible.…
By: Graham English on September 12, 2024
How does one grow in Christlikeness in a world that makes it difficult for someone to do so? The Rule of St. Benedict was written by Benedict of Nursia, to help monks live in a monastic community as they sought to grow in Christlikeness together. Benedict became a monk at age 20, after being exposed…
By: Diane Tuttle on September 12, 2024
The Rule of Benedict dates back, approximately to the mid-600s AD. Today, it remains a constitution of sorts that men agree to follow when entering a Benedictine monastery. Although Benedict called the book, “a little rule for beginners,” it prescribed every aspect of the daily life for the community.[1] Benedict believed that by following the…
By: Shela Sullivan on September 12, 2024
This is a Syntopical book review based on a text that explores the importance of leadership. Nehemiah provides a classic and practical model of managerial leadership in spite of obstacles and challenges. He led God’s people in accomplishing the challenging goals set before them and his leadership style reaped the benefits of having the people…
By: Jenny Dooley on September 11, 2024
Have you ever heard of Arthashastra? I hadn’t until this week’s assignment. Led by my curiosity about what 300+ year old books on leadership might exist in Asia, I was delighted to find an ancient book from the sub-continent of India that predates much of what is considered classical treatises on leadership and statecraft from…
By: Glyn Barrett on September 11, 2024
Sun Tzu’s, The Art of War, believed to be written in 512 BC, is a long-standing exposition on leadership, asserting that the paramount objective in warfare is to ruin the adversary’s strategy.[1] This insight holds profound relevance, particularly within the context of the spiritual battles faced by Christians. My life coach recently reminded me that…
By: Debbie Owen on September 11, 2024
One of the primary reasons the concepts behind the Enneagram first resonated with me can be summed up in the words of Paul in Romans 7:18b-19: “For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the…
By: Kim Sanford on September 10, 2024
Today’s leadership lesson is brought to you by not one, but two, very old books. I enjoyed the challenge of this week’s assignment, perhaps a little too much. I went down a bit of a nerdy rabbit hole[1] and ended up skimming through four books before sitting down to write. I had to stop myself…
