By: Jonita Fair-Payton on September 14, 2023
I had a plan for my Summer. It included many trips to the beach, a quest to find the best breakfast taco (my favorite food), a moderate amount of Uber driving for my children, leisurely reading for a book club that I joined (friends from high school), drinking frozen beverages and having my age-appropriate version…
By: Adam Harris on September 14, 2023
About a year ago, I taught a class on the book of Revelation from a historical-critical point of view. Weirdly, Simon Walker’s, Leading with Nothing to Lose, reminded me of some of the insights and discussions we had in there. I know this may seem like a weird connection, but this is how my brain…
By: Cathy Glei on September 13, 2023
Leadership is often associated with power, control, and authority. However, what if true leadership emerged not from holding onto power, but from letting go of it? What if true leadership looked more like putting others first, turning the other cheek, washing the feet of the individuals on the team, being last, or laying down one’s…
By: John Fehlen on September 11, 2023
My preferred genre of books is the biography, which is the account of someone’s life written by someone else. I also enjoy a good autobiography (emphasis on ‘good’), and yet, those quite often are self-serving, short-sighted, and elbow-bending/back-patting. You always know when a celebrity, I mean, politician, is gonna declare a run for US President…
By: Dinka Utomo on September 7, 2023
“Dealing with systems that output plausible but wrong information feels like a very new challenge” (Michael Webb) The impact of technological advancements, particularly Artificial Intelligence (AI), extends across various facets of contemporary life, encompassing domains as diverse as church life and ministry. Approximately one year ago, I encountered a noteworthy post authored by a…
By: Todd E Henley on September 7, 2023
In 1991 I was a youth pastor and I specifically remember being at my secretary’s home to talk about an upcoming mission trip. Before I even sat down, she ecstatically said, “Hey PT, look at this! The World Wide Web!” This computer thing is amaaaaaazing!” I had no idea what she was talking about but…
By: Adam Harris on September 7, 2023
Artificial Intelligence (AI) presents a double-edged sword, harboring both immense promise and perilous risks. On one hand, AI revolutionizes industries, enhancing efficiency and solving complex problems. However, its unchecked proliferation raises grave concerns. One peril lies in job displacement, as AI automation threatens livelihoods across sectors. Moreover, AI bias and discrimination are rampant, perpetuating societal…
By: Mathieu Yuill on September 5, 2023
I have been using AI to write articles, create marketing plans, help me think of what I might missed, check grammar and spelling, create art (images) but mostly, I use it in automation, writing simple code for websites and creating complex spreadsheet functions really quickly. In high school I was one of the first classes…
By: Esther Edwards on September 4, 2023
The year was 1974. My mother was an accountant at a large, growing automotive remanufacturing company in Philadelphia and was asked to house an office with three employees in our home to manage the executive payroll. My father remodeled the basement to accommodate but had no idea how large the office would become with the…
By: Jenny Dooley on September 4, 2023
It wasn’t long ago I found myself in the musty basement of Collins Memorial Library at the University of Puget Sound doing research using a microfiche. My much younger fellow graduate students had no idea what a microfiche was and quickly introduced me to the wonders of online research. I found the documents I needed…
By: Cathy Glei on September 4, 2023
The use of artificial intelligence offers benefits and opportunities, but it also presents challenges and risks. Technology acts as a catalyst that expands the opportunities for humanity to pursue. It is amoral, not good or evil in itself, but can be designed and used for good and evil purposes. Much of its use for good…
By: John Fehlen on September 4, 2023
In 2002, Steven Spielberg directed a movie staring Tom Cruise called “The Minority Report.” I remember watching it and seeing aspects of technology that was so mind-blowing to me at the time. Tom Cruise, for crying out loud, would use this hands to move files around on a large touch screen computer. Absolutely Insane. And…
By: Mathieu Yuill on September 1, 2023
In his book, The History of Oxford, Paul Sullivan presents a collection of narratives that question the perception of Oxford as a stronghold of tradition and prestige. Through his stories Sullivan exposes a city filled with peculiarities and paradoxes mirroring the experiences of those who traverse its streets. As I prepared to visit Oxford, not…
By: John Fehlen on September 1, 2023
I have friends that have been known to laugh and mock me for reading “touristy” guide books, such as ones by Rick Steves, Lonely Planet, and, a PNW regional favorite travel guide: the late Gerry Frank (whom I personally met at my local grocery store!). The primary reason for their jeering: The Internet. And they…
By: Dinka Utomo on August 31, 2023
The endeavor to secure a proper education represents a challenging and profoundly meaningful journey. Over time, humanity has encountered many obstacles and impediments in its pursuit of access to quality education. In this context, reflecting on this struggle reveals the pivotal role of education as a foundation for personal development, empowerment, and societal advancement on…
By: Todd E Henley on August 31, 2023
I’ve been looking forward to the Oxford Advance for a few months but what sold me was the famous quote by Dr. Jason Clark, “Oxford is the oldest, whitest, most elite place in the world…Let Oxford be Oxford.”1 As a black man growing up in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, one of the oldest, diverse, and founded by…
By: Adam Harris on August 31, 2023
Here we go. Time to dust off the old blog cobwebs. I can almost hear the gears trying to crank back up in my head writing this post after the summer break! I have to say I never knew Oxford contained so many colleges within it, 44 to be exact. While reading through Paul Sullivan’s…
By: Cathy Glei on August 29, 2023
The Secret History of Oxford by Paul Sullivan delves into the lesser-known aspects of Oxford University’s rich and storied past. Unveiling hidden narratives, the book explores intriguing stories that have shaped the university’s history. Historical narratives and timelines are intriguing to me for so many reasons, one of the reasons being that historical narratives expose…
By: Jenny Dooley on August 28, 2023
I never knew Oxford was on my bucket list until discovering it as a location for our Advance. It has been 43-years since I last traveled to the United Kingdom. Decades have passed with longings to visit destinations I missed during my summer backpacking adventure through Europe in 1980. I knew nothing about Oxford as…
By: Esther Edwards on August 28, 2023
As I read through the pages of Paul Sullivan’s “The Secret History of Oxford”, my finite mind was overwhelmed at the incredible stunning architecture, historical significance, and continuing educational investment of a place that I have only heard about in movies. As the author gave behind-the-scenes stories, I felt as if I had embarked into…
