By: Jenny Dooley on October 21, 2024
Humility seems rare in our current US political environment, western culture, and sadly, at times, among our more public religious leaders. Maybe humble leaders don’t make the news, but they exist. Genuine humility is essential whether one is leading or following. Defining and practicing humility is a challenge. I wonder how false humility has become…
By: Esther Edwards on October 21, 2024
I recently asked my daughters and sons-in-law (all millennials and Gen Z’s) what they would look for in a church and a pastor. Our family message thread was immediately flooded. These were their responses: In a congregation: a small congregation where we could get involved quickly opportunities to grow and be mentored to know the…
By: Cathy Glei on October 21, 2024
As I read this week’s reading of Humble Leadership: The Power of Relationships, Openness, and Trust by Edgar Schein and Peter Schein, I made several leadership connections to other texts I have read in the last 2+ years. This is an attempt to highlight some of those connections between the texts. As our world rapidly…
By: Dinka Utomo on October 17, 2024
According to data from the Central Statistics Agency (B.P.S.) of Indonesia in 2023, the proportion of individuals who master gadgets at age 5-14 years is 36.99%, and aged 15-24 is 92.14%. In general, Indonesia holds the world record for the longest screen time per day, which is 6.05 hours per day, beating Thailand…
By: Adam Harris on October 17, 2024
About a month ago, my family, which includes my wife and two boys, ages 8 and 14, were having a barbeque with two other families from our church who also have boys. That means seven boys in all. You can imagine the noise levels, chaos, and energy when they were all together. Ironically, my friend…
By: Jonita Fair-Payton on October 17, 2024
Anxiety I had a conversation this week with a client that shared that they suffer from anxiety. They shared it in a conversation that the topic was not their mental health but as an explanation of how they responded or didn’t respond in a situation. The interesting thing about this situation is that I did…
By: Todd E Henley on October 15, 2024
“You’re killin’ me, Smalls” is a playful way of telling someone they’re being annoying or frustrating. It’s often used in a lighthearted way among friends or family members. The phrase is taken from the movie Sandlot and is uttered by the character “Ham” Porter to Scotty Smalls. The scene occurs when Ham offers Smalls a…
By: Kim Sanford on October 15, 2024
A couple of weeks ago, I sat in a parents’ meeting listening to my son’s teacher talk about the upcoming school year. Toward the end of the meeting a father behind me raised his hand and asked the teacher if she had a guess as to how many students in the class had phones. She…
By: Cathy Glei on October 14, 2024
“I have found that Gen Z has several great strengths that will help them drive positive change. The first is that they are not in denial. They want to get stronger and healthier, and most are open to new ways of interacting. The second strength is that they want to bring about systemic change to…
By: Mathieu Yuill on October 14, 2024
A few years ago, I took on a project that became bigger than I ever anticipated: a neighbourhood fireworks show. What started as a small, local event grew into something special, something that brought our entire community together. For ten years, we lit up the sky—literally and figuratively—and the final few years saw over 4,000…
By: John Fehlen on October 14, 2024
On August 1, 1981, just after midnight, MTV (Music Television) debuted the first “music video.” It was set to the song Video Killed the Radio Star by the Buggles. MTV went on to set the standard for visual content and propel artists into virtual superstardom. Ask any child of the 80’s, and they will tell…
By: Esther Edwards on October 14, 2024
Raising a healthy, resilient and capable child is what every parent desires. However, Jonathan Haidt, a reputable social psychologist, makes a compelling argument that we have done much in the past 14 years to undermine this desire. In his book, “The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood is Causing an Epidemic of Mental…
By: Jenny Dooley on October 14, 2024
Social psychologist Jonathon Haidt has written a timely book with an urgent message. I’m grateful for the opportunity to read The Anxious Mind and will pass it on to my now-adult children. I’d like to think my kids escaped what Haidt describes as the “great rewiring.” Though my kids didn’t have access to smartphones until…
By: Dinka Utomo on October 10, 2024
In the past month, on various social media platforms, Indonesian netizens have been abuzz with posts containing past and present moments in one scene accompanied by Forever Young music. The song’s lyrics read, “Forever young I want to be forever young. Do you really want to live forever? Forever, and ever. Forever young, I want…
By: Jonita Fair-Payton on October 10, 2024
I saw the title of the book and immediately thought, “Oh No, Thank You!”. The idea of living 100 years is not appealing to me. At 54, there are many things that are left on my “to do” list, really important things but none inspire me to live 100 years to achieve them. Don’t get…
By: Adam Harris on October 10, 2024
Years ago, a national news station covered the life of Flossie Dickey, who was turning 110 years old. Throughout the interview, the news anchor struggled to get answers regarding Flossie’s family, the secret to longevity, and what she does for fun. She was tired and less than thrilled to be doing the interview. Finally, the…
By: Kim Sanford on October 8, 2024
What do Joe Biden, my own extended family and sabbath rest have in common? Reading The 100-Year Life: Living and Working in an Age of Longevity, falls at an interesting time. At the time of writing (although I recognize things may look very different by the time this blog post is published) our nation is…
By: Esther Edwards on October 7, 2024
The 100-Year Life: Living and Working in an Age of Longevity by Lynda Gratton & Andrew Scott was one of the pivotal books that I read as I began to delve into my Doctoral research regarding midlife. Gratton and Scott recount research showing that the average life expectancy “has expanded at a steady rate of…
By: John Fehlen on October 7, 2024
Like any good story, the setting, background, and character development are paramount. I am John. Like Jimmy in The 100-Year Life, I was born in 1971. My parents were born in 1951, just a few years apart from the fictional character Jack. My dad is currently 73 years old and remarried after my mom passed away…
By: Mathieu Yuill on October 7, 2024
Introduction Imagine living to be 100. In Lynda Gratton’s and Andrew Scott ‘ The 100-Year Life: Living and Working in an Age of Longevity[1] this potential dream or nightmare is exactly what they imagine. They challenge the traditional three-stage life—education, work, retirement—suggesting that as we live longer, we’ll need to rethink how we approach each…