By: Jon Spellman on January 23, 2015
Is Power Taken, Or Given? Or Both? “Power-Grab!” “Absolute power corrupts absolutely!” “Global superpower!” “Overpowering!” All of these words and phrases carry with them a sense of brashness, unwieldiness, fear… A “powerful” person is one that, for most regular folk, should probably be avoided, UNLESS you need the power they possess, that is. When they…
By: Julie Dodge on January 23, 2015
“Prayer is not an event, but a life. It is not a petition but a love relationship with one God, expressed as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.” [1] I love this statement, particularly that prayer is a love relationship with God. It is. Oh, it is. I have long taught, and known, that prayer is…
By: Mitch Arbelaez on January 23, 2015
To often we do not pray. We find other things to do than to actually stop the madness of the doing and just sit and wait upon the Lord. I once heard a story of African converts who were earnest in their times seeking God that they would each choose a place in the thicket…
By: Richard Volzke on January 23, 2015
This week’s reading reminded me just how important prayer is in every aspect of a Christian’s life. Prayer is the tool/mechanism (for a lack of a better term), which allows man to commune with God. It is only through prayer that we can have a relationship with God. A relationship is what God desires to…
By: Bill Dobrenen on January 23, 2015
There was some irony for me in this week’s reading. I would call it serendipity, but I would also call it providence. Let me explain. I went to Rwanda in 2007 to do some research on a new ministry organization that I had helped develop. This trip became a turning point for me in my…
By: Ashley Goad on January 23, 2015
I started my Thursday in prayer with three wonderful ladies. Our paths crossed during a Bible study with a larger group centered on the book by Richard Stearns, The Hole in Our Gospel.[1] Though the book study ended after eight weeks, the four of us enjoyed the camaraderie and friendship we had developed, and since…
By: Carol McLaughlin on January 23, 2015
In some ways prayer is that in between place. G.K. Chesterton described the difference between talking about prayer and praying as the difference between blowing a kiss and kissing.[1] One communicates an intention, while the other acts revealing desire, commitment and affection. It is not that talking about prayer lacks desire, commitment and affection, but…
By: Brian Yost on January 22, 2015
In her book Making Room for Leadership: Power, Space and Influence, MaryKate Morse stresses the importance of leadership, not just for a select group of individuals, but for everyone. Morse asserts, “God did not design us to be benchwarmers; we are all players. And since we are all part of this great game, with one…
By: Deve Persad on January 22, 2015
It’s been over eight years since one of the most significant conversations that I’ve ever had. I had driven two hours from my home to visit with one of my mentors. We went for lunch and then took a walk around the campus at the Bible College where he teaches. Our conversation that day had…
By: Mary Pandiani on January 22, 2015
In an effort to build relationships between a particular local non-profit and the church in which I worked, I asked the Executive Director and her Senior Project Manager to meet the Senior Pastor and Executive Pastor. When Karen and Marsha, both women, walked into the room with me, we encountered the two pastors, both men,…
By: Travis Biglow on January 22, 2015
Leaders Helping others in the Sandbox January 21, 15 MaryKate really hit on some major issues that I have faced years ago and even now. I can’t even begin to speak about how many areas that are so relevant to my life now and even in the work I am doing here at…
By: Telile Fikru Badecha on January 22, 2015
Reading A Guidebook to Prayer by MaryKate made me reflect on my prayer experience. Prayer has been an important part of my journey with God. I first learned how to pray from my grandmother who prayed aloud every morning and evening. She never asked me to pray with her, but I remember kneeling next to…
By: Phillip Struckmeyer on January 21, 2015
My initial thought when seeing the “title” for our next read in class was to think this would be a leadership book for the soul. Without reading it, I would have labeled it as probably a good book to go on a “soul journey” that would have some type of “restorative” affect on your personhood. …
By: Dave Young on January 21, 2015
The infamous “they” need to start teaching entire seminary courses on power. It seems to me that Jesus—who had all power and authority, used it for others, and did not abuse it—could have zapped all those religious hypocrites with a single command. The image that comes to my mind is a Tolkien-created Elven princess who was tempted…
By: Nick Martineau on January 21, 2015
“He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless.[1]” Tuesday night I watched the State of the Union address. I have a love/hate relationship with the State of the Union address. It’s like one of those car crashes you can’t keep your eyes off of. I always want to watch the…
By: Travis Biglow on January 21, 2015
Nationalism by Vernacularization After finding that this book was a little hard to read at times it had some important concepts to think about. I realized that nationalism is connected to languages that are more popular than others. And this is really something to think about in more areas of life than one. Unity…
By: Richard Volzke on January 18, 2015
David Brooks, in his book The Social Animal: The Hidden Sources of Love, states, “We are primarily the products of thinking that happens below the level of awareness.”[1] Who we are comes from our subconscious rather than the conscious part of our minds. According to Brooks, the subconscious mind is where we make most of…
By: Mitch Arbelaez on January 17, 2015
“There are two ways of seeing: with the body and with the soul. The body’s sight can sometimes forget, but the soul remembers forever.” ― Alexandre Dumas, The Count of Monte Cristo I am a romantic. I love love stories. I love movies that are based on true stories. Historical epics, life documentaries, tear…
By: Carol McLaughlin on January 17, 2015
Julia and Rob, Harold and Erica, Harrison, Raymond and Richard Grace, cultures and ambition, generations and maturing, descriptions of the flow and ebb of life are integrated within the pages of The Social Animal by David Brooks. I am thankful that Brooks has taken the time to interweave the nuts and bolts of information and…
By: Bill Dobrenen on January 16, 2015
In his well-written book, The Social Animal[1], David Brooks does a terrific job of explaining the human condition as it really is in all its humanity and bases his input on lots of rich research. I enjoyed the book and Brook’s style. I especially enjoyed his characters and how he develops their lives. So does…
