By: Kally Elliott on November 4, 2024
My most deeply held convictions before the readings were that both, colonialism and slavery were and are harmful, and frankly, evil systems that continue to cause immense suffering for those they oppress. I believe we need to take a hard look at our history, owning up to our collective and personal failings, and roll up…
By: Glyn Barrett on November 4, 2024
Carol S. Dweck is a psychologist and professor at Stanford University, best known for her research on mindsets, whose work explores how beliefs about intelligence impact motivation and success. Despite her success in an academic context, I am struck by her down-to-earth, easy-to-reach manner and application of the work contained within the book Mindset:…
By: Travis Vaughn on November 4, 2024
I will first unpack the why and what of my beliefs about colonialism and slavery, primarily from a theological standpoint. Then, after I look at the two texts, I will summarize why and how my beliefs were both affirmed and challenged. Before reading Nigel Biggar’s Colonialism and Jeremy Black’s A Brief History of Slavery First,…
By: Adam Cheney on November 4, 2024
Over the last few months, life has been pretty hard in our household. In fact, there was one point while in Washington D.C. that I almost had to catch a late-night flight and return home early. Navigating adoption trauma with our son has been harder on our whole family than I ever imagined it to…
By: Russell Chun on November 4, 2024
Cyrillic: Большинство всегда угнетает меньшинство. Romanized: Bol’shinstvo vsegda ugnetayet men’shinstvo. The Majority always victimizes the minority. Part 1, Summary Part 2 What I learned Epilogue Part 1, Summary – The majority ALWAYS victimizes the minority in EVERY country. The sin of Pride in the majority looking down on the minority who look, act, and…
By: Noel Liemam on November 3, 2024
“How To Lead When You’re Not in Charge: Leveraging Influence when You Lack Authority, “by Clay Scroggins and forwarded by Andy Stanley. Clay Scroggins was an author, speaker, and the lead pastor at North Point Community Church. His background is undergraduate engineering degree from Georgia Tech and Masters and Doctorate from Dallas Theological Seminary. This…
By: Jana Dluehosh on November 1, 2024
Let me start this week first by apologizing. I am 20 hours late in getting this blog done. I am sorry. I know where I am sorry, which is that it decreases my chance to interact with you all, but perseverance is the word of the semester for me. I make choices each semester on…
By: Julie O'Hara on October 31, 2024
The denominational pastors on the east side of the state were gathered for a one-day meeting intended to strengthen relationships and encourage their ministries. While listening to the stories from pastors about how God was moving in their local churches my first impulse was sadness that I had left my church community of over 20…
By: Daren Jaime on October 31, 2024
Living in COVID, we were all were forced to cope with an unprecedented experience. No one ever was forced to live through a pandemic, and for those such as myself in leadership, we were faced with a plethora of emotional upheavals, daily changes, uphill obstacles, and no apparent expiration date to this life-altering experience. We…
By: Chad Warren on October 31, 2024
I didn’t realize how personal this would become. Over the years, I have seen and read about many leaders publicly addressing their “moral indiscretions.” From a distance, I’ve watched as greed, pride, impurity, and sexual immorality disrupt and damage families, churches, and communities. However, when I received a letter implicating one of my friends and…
By: Diane Tuttle on October 31, 2024
Full disclosure, I like shopping at Hobby Lobby. Perusing the aisles for nonessential holiday decorations or mini kitchen gadgets is relaxing. Don’t judge. I don’t need to purchase anything, but getting lost in doing nothing for a few minutes while Christian music plays throughout the building is surprisingly peaceful, especially for a big retail store…
By: Shela Sullivan on October 31, 2024
The book, ‘The Elephant’s Dilemma: Break Free and Reimagine Your Future at Work” by Jon Bostock is practical and inspiring, [1] published in 2020. The book explores how individuals can break free from their current constraints and reimagine their future in the workplace. According to reviewers, this book inspires readers to take risks and make…
By: Christy Liner on October 31, 2024
There are plenty of books and content around women’s roles in ministry, the home, and society. Like many secondary issues, there is a huge spectrum of thought on what a woman can do, and what it looks like for a woman to flourish. Dr. Joel Green at Fuller Seminary believes women are equally called to…
By: Debbie Owen on October 31, 2024
What is the job of a leader? “To guide people through the unknown to something better than they can imagine,” says Yaseen Dadabhay, therapist and coach. [1] Another way to say that is that the job of leadership is to put on an attitude of constant transformation. (My definition: attitude is what you think and…
By: Kari on October 31, 2024
Eric Liddell was a Scottish runner known for refusing to run his preferred race in the Olympics because it was on a Sunday. He, instead, trained for a different race on a different day and broke a world record.[1] As a kid, I first heard of his story in the movie Chariots of Fire. His…
By: Ryan Thorson on October 31, 2024
In today’s complex and shifting world, what defines a good leader? And as a Christian leader in the Pacific Northwest, how can I embody a healthy, mature approach to guiding others in faith during such uncertain times? Reflecting on these questions led me to choose Invisible Jesus, a new book by Scot McKnight and Tommy…
By: Elysse Burns on October 31, 2024
Uninspired. If I were to choose a word to describe the past few weeks for myself, this would be it. I am afraid of this word. I’m not too fond of the feeling. Perhaps this is why I chose Andrew Peterson’s Adorning the Dark: Thoughts on Community, Calling, and the Mystery of Making. This book,…
By: Joel Zantingh on October 31, 2024
Don’t be confused by David Ehrlichman’s direct title, Impact Networks: Create connection, Spark Collaboration, and Catalyze Systemic Change. Behind this simple and straightforward framework for network leadership are a leadership mindset and a set of behaviours that can attend to the complexity of our world. Ehrlichman wastes no time to express, Across the globe, we…
By: Jennifer Eckert on October 30, 2024
Background People have divided themselves and others into groups for millennia. Ancient tribal and clan structures allowed families to share resources and protect one another from harm. As knowledge of agricultural practices took root, nomadic lifestyles were replaced with settlements. Social hierarchies formed organically and were based on wealth, land ownership, and labor. A major…
By: Jennifer Vernam on October 30, 2024
It is hard to challenge the tribe in which you have been raised and built your career. Doing so without whitewashing your own contribution to the dysfunction requires hard deconstructive work. Take, for example, Russell Moore’s critical self-assessment when reviewing the Southern Baptist Convention’s policies regarding Women’s leading in the Church: “A new generation of…
