By: Dinka Utomo on November 9, 2023
We will only know who we really are by the re-ordering of our agency, the transfer of object and subject of self, in relationship to the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. -Jason Clark- There was a Sunday School song that was sung quite often when I was little. The lyric quote is as…
By: Todd E Henley on November 9, 2023
Years ago, I heard a story of a middle-aged woman named Nancy who lived in Pennsylvania and one summer traveled to California to visit her sister. Nancy and her sister decided to go shopping in Tijuana, a Mexican border town below California. On their way back to the car to head to California, Nancy saw…
By: Mathieu Yuill on November 9, 2023
Journeying through the intersection of faith and capitalism can sometimes feel like wandering through a marketplace, where each vendor seems to promote their own version of salvation. In Evangelicalism and Capitalism; A Reparative Account and Diagnosis,[1] Jason Clark provides a thought provoking analysis of this junction examining the occasionally conflicting relationship between these two realms.…
By: Adam Harris on November 9, 2023
Last week I went to the theater with our pastor and his wife’s small group to see, After Death, which is a documentary exploring NDE’s (Near Death Experiences), produced by the same people responsible for The Chosen. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I was pleasantly surprised by their approach to this complex, and…
By: Cathy Glei on November 9, 2023
There is so much that this world has to offer that deforms a person. Author and University of Dayton professor, Dr. Vincent Miller, in his book Consuming Religion: Christian Faith and Practice in a Consumer Religion says, “Our attention to the nitty-gritty materialist details of these cultural shifts will be better able to guide a…
By: Jenny Dooley on November 7, 2023
Maybe it’s jetlag. My head is spinning following my recent trip to Bali, Indonesia. Memories of my life there 34-years ago are frequent companions. Moments of grief turned to joy, memories of God’s provision, and reconnection with people I hold dear fill my thoughts. Needless-to-say memories of bamboo beds, mallard ducks, and Oreos sparked by…
By: Jonita Fair-Payton on November 7, 2023
Commodification I must admit, I had no idea what commodification meant. I liked the sound of it but had no idea how to use it in a sentence. So, of course, I looked it up. Commodification the act or fact of turning something into an item that can be bought and sold.(1) If I understand…
By: John Fehlen on November 6, 2023
NOTE: The following “stream of consciousness” essay contains possible emotional triggers. I grew up devoutly Catholic. I was an Altar Boy. I attended parochial school. I was spanked by a nun. Seriously, she bent me over the edge of her desk and used the “board of education” on my hinder parts. It only happened…
By: Dinka Utomo on November 2, 2023
“Providing kingdom-seeking, God-honoring, biblically rooted influence requires that one has an ongoing, intimate interaction with God” -Jules Glanzer- The head of Badan Kependudukan Keluarga Berencana Nasional (translated: National Population and Family Planning Board) Indonesia, Dr. Hasto Hardoyo mentions in his statement that “Currently, the divorce (rate) is high because in many families the original…
By: Todd E Henley on November 2, 2023
“We have become so focused on leading others, we have fundamentally lost the ability to lead ourselves.”1 “Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in these things, for as you do this you will ensure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you.”2 The Sound of Leadership by Jules Glanzer…
By: Adam Harris on November 2, 2023
Both my boys have been learning to play instruments. My oldest has been working with the trombone and my youngest is learning the guitar. As they were gaining their musical skills it was a bit comical and, at times, painful to hear, but that’s part of learning! I’m the one who usually takes my youngest…
By: Mathieu Yuill on November 2, 2023
The Question: “What do you want them to say about you at your funeral?” It was a pretty deep question for my uncle to ask when I was 14 years old but the lesson was clear: live your life the way you want to be remembered. As I grew older and entered professional work I…
By: Cathy Glei on November 2, 2023
“God-honoring, kingdom seeking, biblically rooted leadership has a scale too. All the complexities of leadership, the required competencies and character, the convictions and courage to act, and the needed charisma and compassion to accomplish what is needed for the common good of the people fulfilling God’s mission in the world, are built on five words: …
By: Jenny Dooley on November 2, 2023
The Sound of Leadership: Kingdom Notes to Fine Tune Your Life and Influence, by Jules Glanzer, presents a pause from the intense readings of the past few weeks. The title of the book grabbed my attention immediately as it hinted at further insights to the importance of listening, a thread I’m following throughout our readings.…
By: Jonita Fair-Payton on November 1, 2023
“I firmly believe that kingdom-seeking, God-honoring, biblically rooted leadership needs to learn how to hear God’s voice. Leaders must lead from a divine center with a heart in tune with the heart of God, forming a holy partnership that results in fulfilling the purposes of God on earth.”(1) Leadership Vibrations This book was music to…
By: Kim Sanford on October 31, 2023
After a little more than a year of doctoral studies in leadership, I don’t suppose we’re experts yet, but I do think we can draw a few solid conclusions. Can we all agree that a good approach to God-honoring leadership might be:1. Leading by means of compelling vision2. Maintaining an unimpeachable character 3. Influencing rather…
By: John Fehlen on October 30, 2023
I don’t recommend being in Las Vegas on a Friday night. Overall, Vegas is a dumpster fire wrapped in a train wreck. That is, unless, you are in Las Vegas with your best friends, to see [arguably] the best band in the world, U2, at the best venue currently in the world: The Sphere. Google…
By: Dinka Utomo on October 27, 2023
“Poverty was nature surviving in society; that the limitedness of food and the unlimitedness of men had come to an issue just when the promise of boundless increase of wealth burst in upon us made the irony only the more bitter.” -Karl Polanyi- On every occasion when I contemplate international travel, my preparations include…
By: Jenny Dooley on October 26, 2023
The books assigned in recent weeks are difficult. I am not understanding every concept, nor reading them in their entirety. However, I am being challenged and hopefully changed by authors I never would have discovered on my own. I am noticing connections and pondering many questions with little time to answer them. My questions currently…
By: Todd E Henley on October 26, 2023
All societies face the economic task of producing and providing for all members of society. Modern market societies are unique in assigning this responsibility to the marketplace, thereby creating entitlements to production for those with wealth, and depriving the poor of entitlement to food. All traditional societies have used non-market mechanisms based on cooperation and…
