By: Michael Simmons on February 9, 2023
In their book, authors Marcus Warner and Jim Wilder dare to be rare in their approach to leadership development, and diagnosing common leadership issues, particularly among Christian leaders and pastors. R.A.R.E. is an acrostic which stands for Remain relational, Act like yourself, Return to joy, and Endure hardship, and these habits are said to increase…
By: Troy Rappold on February 9, 2023
Marcus Warner and Jim Wilder wrote Rare Leadership: 4 Uncommon Habits for Increasing Trust, Joy, and Engagement in the People You Love in 2016. Since that time this book has undoubtedly been a benefit to many Christian leaders wanting to improve their effectiveness and ministry. But like a key note speaker whose opening banter drags…
By: Pam Lau on February 9, 2023
Sitting across the top of my desk are the first several books assigned to us for our program. True Confessions: Since November, each time I read the title, “How to Read Numbers,” my heart raced with excitement thinking it was a guide in reading the Old Testament book of Numbers! To be fair, the English…
By: Nicole Richardson on February 9, 2023
RARE; how one may describe good leadership today. It is definitely implied by authors Marcus Warner and Jim Wilder in their book Rare Leadership: 4 Uncommon Habits For Increasing Trust, Joy, and Engagement in the People You Lead. Wilder, who holds a Ph.D. in Psychology and an M.A. in theology, and Warner, who holds a…
By: Roy Gruber on February 9, 2023
In my early years of ministry, I heard repeated ideas about the essence of leadership. “Leaders have a bias toward action” and “Leaders get things done” were common descriptions voiced about the identifying marks of strong leadership. In Rare Leadership, Doctors Marcus Warner and Jim Wilder point in a different direction than outcome-based definitions and…
By: Jonathan Lee on February 8, 2023
RARE Leadership is a leadership development book written by Marcus Warner and Jim Wilder. Dr. Marcus Warner received his seminary education from Trinity Evangelical Divinity, and he is the president of Deeper Walk International, an organization that focuses on equipping ministry leaders to help them grow in their identity and leadership. Dr. Jim Wilder has…
By: Esther Edwards on February 8, 2023
In 2017, my husband began having pain while running. The doctors dismissed it but as it continued to get worse, tests were taken and concluded that Keith had bladder cancer. Within minutes our family was googling bladder cancer and every statistic possible to inform us of what might be our future. We breathed a sigh…
By: Cathy Glei on February 8, 2023
In all honesty, when I first read the title, my heart sank and a bit of math phobia was reactivated. In 1990, Ray Hembree, from Adrian College, conducted a meta-analysis of 151 studies concerning math anxiety. The study determined that math anxiety is related to poor math performance on math achievement tests and to negative…
By: Kally Elliott on February 8, 2023
I got a D in statistics in college. Yep. I tell you that because several of you have admitted your own inadequacies when it comes to math and statistics. To be fair to me, my statistics class was at 8am in winter quarter in Davis, CA where between tule fog and rain it was always…
By: Eric Basye on February 8, 2023
Rare Leadership: 4 Uncommon Habits for Increasing Trust, Joy, and Engagement in the People You Lead is a leadership book that incorporates elements of neuroscience and psychology. Written by Jim Wilder and Marcus Warner, the combined duo provide a breadth of experience to speak to the spiritual, mental, and social elements of leadership. Dr. Wilder…
By: Jean de Dieu Ndahiriwe on February 8, 2023
The reading this week was terrific. King’s On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft and Steven Pressfield’s War of Art are both full of nuggets for anyone willing to take a rip of faith and grow their potential against all odds. Pressfield, in War of Art, speaks of our two lives and the internal demon…
By: Andy Hale on February 8, 2023
A quick Amazon search for “leadership books” will yield over 50,000 results, so either the market is desperate for more leadership wisdom that many people struggle to lead or something else altogether. I am glad I chose to write a book for clergy and congregational leaders for my doctoral project… Don’t fact-check me on this,…
By: Jenny Dooley on February 7, 2023
When I read the title of the book for this week’s blog post I cringed. I’m not very good with numbers. When I went to my bookshelf to retrieve, How to Read Numbers, by Tom Chivers and David Chivers it was not there. I hadn’t purchased the book! Maybe I was in denial and holding…
By: Jennifer Vernam on February 7, 2023
“He was a prophet who did powerful miracles, and he was a mighty teacher in the eyes of God and all the people…We had hoped he was the Messiah who had come to rescue Israel.”[1] In reviewing the dialogue that Jesus’ followers unwittingly had with him after his resurrection, Oswald Chambers writes: “Every fact that…
By: David Beavis on February 7, 2023
Let’s begin with a thought experiment. What is the first image that comes to mind when you hear the word “writer.” If you’re anything like me, you imagine the likes of an Albert Camus with a life of great freedom, creativity, and ease of work. I mean, how hard can putting one’s thoughts on paper…
By: Scott Dickie on February 6, 2023
I know what you are all thinking about my title: “Scott, without giving us your IQ number, we can’t determine how much smarter you have actually become.” Fair point, and one that you might not have identified as deficient quite as quickly if you hadn’t engaged with this intriguing book. Many of us are familiar…
By: Tim Clark on February 6, 2023
When someone quotes a statistic in a conversation with me, I’ve been known to respond: “Did you know that 78% of all statistics are made up on the spot?” What varies is that I make up a different number, every time, on the spot. It’s a slightly sarcastic way to let them know that I’m…
By: Kristy Newport on February 5, 2023
Eat That Frog: 21 Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time is a book by Brian Tracy and has become a resource for business managers and academics alike. [1} Doctor Clark mentioned this concept, “Eat the Frog” last semester during a zoom call; this jumped out at me as I have…
By: Travis Vaughn on February 5, 2023
“Your football team is always playing on primetime!” That’s what my Bears-loving friend and fellow ministry leader from Chicago told me last fall. Being a long-time Kansas City Chiefs fan, my response was: “Really? Well, it’s about time!” Of course, his statement didn’t set well with me. I mean, did he really conduct the necessary…
By: Laura Fleetwood on February 5, 2023
In just over a week, on Sunday, February 12, experts predict that more than 100 million people in the U.S. will tune in to watch the Super Bowl. [1] It’s referred to as the biggest pop culture event of the year. And this year, Jesus will show up on the big screen two times. An…
