By: Julie Dodge on March 14, 2014
(Disclaimer: This blog is more of a reflection than critique of MaryKate Morse’ book, Making Room for Leadership: Power, Space and Influence[i]. Thank you, MaryKate, for the opportunity and framework.) I’ve been asked to serve in leadership positions throughout much of my adult life. In my twenties, I had it going on. I started and…
By: Bill Dobrenen on March 14, 2014
Midterm grades are often eye-opening experiences for my students. Some are doing well; others not so well. And although they probably know where their grades stand, it is another thing altogether when they see an “F” on their midterm grade report. I approached one of my students this week who was failing my English composition…
By: Carol McLaughlin on March 14, 2014
I have good memories of playing in sandboxes when I was growing up. In particular I recall playing at the neighbors house down the street. I do not recall the sandbox being very large in size, but somehow there was room for five to eight boys and girls to dig tunnels for our matchbox sized…
By: Phil Smart on March 13, 2014
MaryKate Morse in her fascinating book Making Room For Leadership sates that Jesus was very ordinary from a physical and perceived stance and that he was a minimalist, but he changed the world. At least as ordinary, I’m in good company! For six years I worked in Marketing and Sales for a company in Kansas. …
By: Fred Fay on March 13, 2014
Recently another Christian leader has come under scrutiny for sexual allegations. It would have been one of the least likely people by the way this man conducted himself. He was reserved, non-flamboyant and taught a moral high road. If you lived in the U.S. in the 70s and beyond, chances you would have heard of…
By: David Toth on March 13, 2014
The church was abuzz with activity. The worship service had just ended and people were engaging conversations, getting coffee from the coffee bar, and meeting in small groups planning lunch gatherings. Kids were running about looking for parents, or avoiding parents! The staff was making the most of the opportunity to have a few words…
By: Ashley Goad on March 13, 2014
The two men I admire most throughout all time in all the world are my Savior, Jesus Christ and my dad, William Goad. Dr. MaryKate Morse wrote about both of them in Making Room for Leadership: Power, Space and Influence. After weeks of capitalism, consumerism, Protestantism and Calvinism, Morse’s personal stories intermingled with practical application…
By: Deve Persad on March 13, 2014
It would be of little surprise to know, to those who are familiar with our family, that when it comes to preparing for a family vacation, my wife takes care of most of the details. She’s actually quite amazing at it. From food to clothing that we’ll need to take, to making sure our little…
By: Sam Stephens on March 13, 2014
Communication and its contents play an important role in leadership. In the same seam, a leader’s actions, the way they are perceived and their impact upon people has equal significance. The implications of whatever is said and done by a leader has positive or negative consequences. These are widely discussed leadership principles that are well…
By: Chris Ellis on March 13, 2014
Making Room for Leadership: Power, Space and Influence by MaryKate Morse was this week’s assignment for my D.Min program. It dissects the intersection of body, leadership and power. She writes, “Leadership happens all the time, and it happens when we use our bodies to influence others. “(Loc 143). Prior to our London Advance I hadn’t…
By: Sharenda Roam on March 13, 2014
Morse Code for Using Power: “A Kiss” (Acknowledgment), “Water”(Hospitality) & “Oil” (Honor) In her book “Making Room for Leadership: Power, Space and Influence” MaryKate Morse discusses four kinds of power and gives an excellent and moving description of these using the story of Jesus, the Sinner Woman and Simon. “Expert Power” belongs to someone who…
By: Fred Fay on March 11, 2014
Interacting with popular culture as a Christian has been an interesting journey. In the church of my youth we couldn’t dance, drink alcohol or go to movies and a few other abominations. We looked at pop culture with suspicion. When I was in middle school a friend asked if I had heard the song “I’m…
By: Miriam Mendez on March 9, 2014
This week marks the beginning of Lent. For many of us, we understand Lent as a time of sacrifice and deprivation. It is a time of “giving up” stuff, habits and patterns, eating chocolate, drinking coffee, soda, watching television, limiting our internet time, withdrawing from playing solitaire, doing less shopping at the mall, and the…
By: Mark Steele on March 9, 2014
When was the last time you sent an email with a typo or an emotional response and regretted it? Did you know Abraham Lincoln had a similar problem? According to Daniel Forrester in his book Consider; harnessing the power of reflective thinking in your organization, Daniel tells us about Abraham Lincoln’s communication habits and his…
By: Richard Volzke on March 9, 2014
Religious Symbolism and the Church Miller’s book, Consuming Religion, summed up the consumer driven culture of many Christian denominations and theologies found in our world today Churches and Christian non-profit organizations have experienced great wealth and membership growth when they have been able to meet the demands of their constituents. This can be both positive…
By: Mitch Arbelaez on March 8, 2014
My title may be simply words to one of Madonna’s songs, as she sang about her own personal taste as a material girl. However, her conclusion is quite accusatory as she sings, “Experience has made me rich – And now they’re after me, ‘cause everybody’s…living in a material world.” Her statement implies that living in…
By: Carol McLaughlin on March 8, 2014
Growing up in non-liturgical churches my understanding and comprehension of Lent was filled with indifference. I remember my cousin giving up oatmeal-raisin cookies during Lent. I could not for the life of me understand why he would do such a thing especially since oatmeal-raisin cookies were not my favorite. Maybe he did it because his…
By: Telile Fikru Badecha on March 7, 2014
Starbucks Medium Ethiopia Whole Beans! Starbucks Medium roasted Ethiopia Starbucks coffee is my favorite coffee and I enjoy it every morning. It has the best flavor and aroma of all other coffee brands I have tried. A picture of a coffee pot with a cup on the brown foil packaging reminds me of home. However,…
By: John Woodward on March 7, 2014
On my early trips to Romania, I was captivated by the beauty and otherness of the Orthodox churches I visited. For a protestant, the mosaics, icons, candles and abundance of gold were all breathtaking and totally foreign to me. I found that one could purchase official icons in a number of stores throughout Romania. A…
By: Liz Linssen on March 7, 2014
Cavanaugh’s book, Being Consumed, explains to the reader some of the problems of Consumerism, while offering Christians informed, alternative ways of living. Miller’s book, Consuming Religion, on the other hand, focuses on what excessive consumerism has done to the practices of religion. That is, how the dynamics of consumerism have been brought into the playing…
