By: Jonita Fair-Payton on April 24, 2023
I read the title and instantly envisioned a beautiful waterfall with water cascading down the side of a breathtaking rock formation. I could almost hear it. That image brought forth an image of a tropical paradise. I think it might be pretty common to summon this peaceful image at the end of a very challenging…
By: John Fehlen on April 24, 2023
“Whether you are an activist advocating for social and political change, a manager leading an organization, or a leader looking to shape an entire society, the need to create interconnectivity and interdependence remains essential” (Satell, 35). I’m writing this particular blog post on the three year anniversary of the day I made the difficult decision (along…
By: Jenny Dooley on April 24, 2023
One of the main reasons I am in this doctoral program is because I have a vision for tomorrow. My days of full-time missionary service may be over. I hope not. I have had a vision of coming along side and supporting ministry leaders in our family of churches for a while. Something feels unfinished.…
By: Dinka Utomo on April 22, 2023
“Leaning forward and maintaining eye contact indicate engagement; leaning back and avoiding eye contact indicate disengagement, or even boredom, anger or disdain.” -Julian Treasure- In Indonesia, it is common scene to observe couples or families sitting together at a restaurant without engaging in any conversation. Instead, they are engrossed in their own smartphones, occasionally…
By: Adam Harris on April 20, 2023
Nausea, sleeplessness, anxiety, dread, and sweating describe some of my initial experiences when it came to speaking in front of midsize to large groups of people. At a young age I had a growing enthusiasm for ministry, the church, serving people, and God. I had no idea how much fear I would have to work…
By: Todd E Henley on April 20, 2023
April of 1983, I was a junior in high school and I was running for President of the Student Body. My main reason for running for office was to creatively impact more people with the gospel. One month before the election, one of my favorite teachers asked to see me after class. Mr. Riley looked…
By: Cathy Glei on April 19, 2023
How many times have you found yourself towering over a little one who is begging for your listening ear? Daddy, daddy? Mommy, mommy? Mrs. Glei. . . ? Listening is a way to show respect and honor to another person. Kids when they are or are not being listened to. When I think about how…
By: Esther Edwards on April 19, 2023
As a young mom, my ability to multi-task had become a way of life and something I prided myself in. We were a household of six. My life was a constant flow of ministry, music teaching, and keeping up with family needs. We loved life and enjoyed the journey, but my mind was a distracted…
By: Jonita Fair-Payton on April 19, 2023
I love talking to people. It is one of my favorite things to do. I love learning people’s stories. My husband and kids laugh at me when we go places because I always leave having met someone new and knowing their story. I am a talker. I always have been. As a child, my Mama…
By: Mathieu Yuill on April 19, 2023
I had watched a Julian Treasure TED talk in 2018 when I began presenting a regular workshop for an employment program in my neighbourhood. I own a marketing and communications company and have been working in this field since 1998 when I landed my first full-time job at Centennial College in their publications department. So…
By: John Fehlen on April 18, 2023
Every sailor knows that the sea, Is a friend made enemy, And every shipwrecked soul knows what it is, To live without intimacy, I thought I heard the captain’s voice, But it’s hard to listen while you preach, Like every broken wave on the shore, This is as far as I could reach… Every Breaking Wave by U2 Julian Treasure, author…
By: Jenny Dooley on April 18, 2023
“The first duty of love is to listen.” Paul Tillich In How to be Heard: Secrets for Powerful Speaking and Listening, author Julian Treasure highlighted how sound permeates every moment of my day. What I hear contributes to my emotional state. Taking time to consciously listen produced joy when I paused to listen to the…
By: Todd E Henley on April 16, 2023
I used to believe that I only used about 10% of my brain. I believed this because about 4 decades ago I read this and was told this was a fact for about 95% of the people in the world. I remember hearing the same statistic in college and even at leadership conferences. It seemed…
By: Mathieu Yuill on April 16, 2023
I tell people often “I can only do one thing at a time,” especially when I’m in the middle of something and they ask me an important question. Early in my marriage my wife and I would be discussing something, I’d begin thinking about it and I’d be snapped back to reality by another question…
By: Dinka Utomo on April 14, 2023
“Mindfulness isn’t difficult: the hard part is remembering to do it.” -David Rock- Many people say that 24 hours a day is not enough. Time seems to pass quickly without waiting or giving a chance. Our tasks and responsibilities await even while we are asleep. From personal activities in the morning to preparing for…
By: Jenny Dooley on April 7, 2023
This book is genius. Your Brain at Work, by Dr. David Rock helped my brain make many connections. I’m not sure I can adequately explain just how many connections I experienced while completing the reading this week. After all, it is not good for a brain try to focus on too many things at once!…
By: Adam Harris on April 6, 2023
My parents got divorced when I was young, so I never really knew my Father. That is until he came to stay with us for about a month when I was eleven. I was so happy to see him arrive and even happier to see him leave. He was not what I was expecting. He…
By: Esther Edwards on April 6, 2023
“Your Brain at Work” has been extremely beneficial and thought-provoking (no pun intended).[1] Dr. David Rock was able to make a complex topic more understandable for the average person through his well-written use of the stage metaphor. It meets a chronic need for me personally and most people I know who are living their lives…
By: Cathy Glei on April 5, 2023
Something to try (from Scene 3). . . Catch yourself trying to do two things at once and slow down instead. [1] Caught! Earlier today, I was in a ZOOM Session, doing a load of laundry, writing out a “to-do” list with my right hand while turning pages in a book with my left. Absolutely…
By: Jonita Fair-Payton on April 4, 2023
There are times when my brain is not working at all or in “time-out”. My recall is just not what it used to be. I am easily distracted, and I am forgetful. The embarrassing truth is that I probably spend more time looking for my cell phone than I do actually using it. I am…