By: Jonita Fair-Payton on January 11, 2024
I want to share a story with you. It came to mind as I read the introduction of The Identity Trap. As I have shared in other blogs, I am a Consultant and I work with non- profit organizations, churches, and charitable foundations. During the pandemic, in July of 2020, I worked with a CEO…
By: Todd E Henley on January 11, 2024
I have always enjoyed preaching, teaching, training, podcasting, and hosting workshops. About 90% of the time, I am asked to speak on topics such as: Trauma’s impact on the body, brain, immune system, or nervous system. How to help the body heal from childhood trauma? How pornography and/or sex addiction wires the brain. Generational trauma…
By: Jenny Dooley on January 11, 2024
The Identity Trap: A story of Ideas and Power in Our Time, by Yascha Mounk, offered a clear perspective on the discord and polarization I encountered when I returned to the USA in 2014. Something had drastically changed over the years that I could not put my finger on and left me fearful of speaking…
By: Cathy Glei on January 10, 2024
“. . . identity synthesis may likely lead to a society that fundamentally violates his most fundamental values and his most ardent aspirations for the future. The lure that attracts so many people to the identity synthesis is a desire to overcome persistent injustices and create a society of genuine equals but the likely outcome…
By: Kim Sanford on January 8, 2024
I first encountered the idea of Identity Politics in the Fall of 2023 when we read Francis Fukuyama’s book Identity: The Demand for Dignity and the Politics of Resentment. At the time, the concept of Identity Politics left me with a kind of hopeless feeling. That’s not to say that I saw no good in…
By: John Fehlen on January 8, 2024
My name is John. I identify as a white, straight, upper class, middle-aged male. Therefore, I will just shut up now. Of course, I jest. I’m just kidding. But, I do have to be honest: over the last handful of years I have more than occasionally felt like I just need…
By: Dinka Utomo on December 7, 2023
Grandiose fantasies are a symptom of Resistance. They’re the sign of an amateur. The professional has learned that success, like happiness, comes as a by-product of work. -Steven Pressfield- A piece of advice was given to me by one of the lecturers where I studied theology. The advice reads, “the best written work…
By: Adam Harris on December 7, 2023
Recently, I watched a clip of Rick Rubin, named “One of the Top 100 Most Influential People in the World” by Time magazine, discussing his philosophy and approach to art as well as his creative process. If you’re not familiar with Rick Rubin (not Santa Claus) you have probably heard some of the artists he…
By: Mathieu Yuill on December 7, 2023
When I was younger, I thought of myself as an artist. I loved drawing and writing, spending my summers at art camps and evenings in art classes. My high school was even focused on the arts. But around the age of 16, I started to see things differently. I got into photography and wrote for…
By: Todd E Henley on December 7, 2023
In her book, Jump, Kim Perell talks about what to do with our fears and challenges in life. She says, “Instead of letting it paralyze you, let it catalyze you.”1 In other words whatever has the power to cause resistance in your life, use it to give you insight, wisdom, direction, passion, fire in your…
By: Cathy Glei on December 6, 2023
“Any act that rejects immediate gratification in favor of long-term growth, health, or integrity. Or, expressed another way, any act that derives from our higher nature instead of our lover. Any of these will elicit Resistance.” [1] I couldn’t have ended my semester in a better way than to read a book about the enemy of creativity.…
By: Jonita Fair-Payton on December 6, 2023
Most of us live two lives. The life we live, and the unlived life within us. Between the two stands resistance. ~Steve Pressfield The back cover of this book asks a question that I yelled “YES” as an answer! YES, I dream about writing the Great American Novel! Now that I’ve cleared that up…how do…
By: Jenny Dooley on December 4, 2023
The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles, by Steven Pressfield came at just the right time. Well, maybe not. It is a curious time to unpack my own resistance when I have so little time to do so. However, I am receiving this opportunity as a timely invitation…
By: John Fehlen on December 4, 2023
This is my third time reading The War of Art by Steven Pressfield. It’s a go-to book for me, and so are his other works on writing and creativity, such as Turning Pro, Do The Work, and Put Your Ass Where Your Heart Wants To Be. Like the writings of Austin Kleon (Steal Like An…
By: Dinka Utomo on November 30, 2023
Leadership is a process whereby an individual influences a group of individuals to achieve a common goal -Peter G. Northouse- Every five years, our denomination holds leadership elections at the synodal level called the Synodal Assembly, which has 11 positions for Pastors, Elders, and Deacons. The 11 selected individuals will lead our denomination for five…
By: Todd E Henley on November 30, 2023
Terrorism, political upheaval, mass murders, world-wide pandemic, mass migration, racial strife, discord in global politics, depression era economy, mass poverty, the #Me too movement, financial oligarchies, and mass hunger. The years 2020-2022 have felt like our entire societal structures were crumbling beneath our very feet. We have entered an age of disruption. Yet the possibility…
By: Adam Harris on November 30, 2023
I feel like I dropped the ball with our new teenage volunteers recently, especially after reading Peter Northouse’s, Leadership Theory and Practice. To give some context, several months ago we made a big shift at our church to truly embody the value of service for our youth department. We still have youth classes on Wednesday…
By: Mathieu Yuill on November 30, 2023
Merriam-Wesbter’s 2023 word of the year is authentic[1]. There are many definitions for authentic but the specific use of it that resulted in the dictionary publisher giving it top honours is “Not false or imitation. Real.” One of the methods Merriam-Webster uses to determine its word of the year is by studying search trends and…
By: Jonita Fair-Payton on November 30, 2023
Leadership At first glance, this book seemed massive and overwhelming. I decided to take a different approach to reading this book. I will be honest, inspectional reading is my only option at this point in the semester as my leadership responsibilities are bleeding over into every aspect of my life, I feel like the role…
By: Jenny Dooley on November 30, 2023
I’m embarrassed to confess that I have not read many books on leadership prior to this doctoral program and I was not given to thinking of myself as a leader. I simply considered myself a good follower. Reading Leadership: Theory and Practice, Ninth Edition by Peter Northouse was fascinating and presented a thorough and broad…
