By: Caleb Lu on September 30, 2023
In college my grades were directly dependent on how I performed relative to my peers. There were classes where I would routinely score in the 50s out of 100 and end up with the same “B” letter grade as a class where I scored 96 out of 100. And in some ways, it made sense.…
By: Chad McSwain on September 30, 2023
“Demand for recognition of one’s identity is a master concept that unifies much of what is going on in the world of politics today”[1]. This is the thesis of Francis Fukuyama’s book, Identity: The Demand for Dignity and the Politics of Resentment. Fukuyama brings his Hegelian perspective of history[2] to offer an explanation for the…
By: Jean de Dieu Ndahiriwe on September 29, 2023
Introduction The weekend before Oxford, I facilitated a music concert inside the prison for a volunteer organization. The team wore t-shirts with “Orange Lives Matter,” Referring to the Inmates’ orange uniforms. Inmates were so excited by the gesture that they also matter and deserve dignity. In “The Demand for Dignity and the Politics…
By: Greg McMullen on September 27, 2023
Marcus Warner and Jim Wilder in Rare Leadership: 4 Uncommon Habits of Increasing Trust, Joy, and Engagement in the People You Lead reminded me of many books we have read and what many leaders have endured through this time of Covid.[1] Often leadership comes down on how we choose to see and handle things. From…
By: Greg McMullen on September 24, 2023
Identity Fukuyama shares with us the problem with identifying only with those like us or in Christian vocabulary like minded. Fukuyama reminds us of the importance of sharing national beliefs, and a need to find a way to have an identity that supports our democracy instead of undermining it.[1] Francis Fukuyama is an internationally recognized…
By: Jana Dluehosh on September 15, 2023
I’m not sure I am drawn to Nelson Mandela’s model of leadership because I am about to embark on Advance number 2 which brings up memories of South Africa, or if it’s because I really appreciate his style. I am drawn to consensual leadership as mentioned in Simon Walker’s book Leading with Nothing to Lose,…
By: Chad McSwain on September 15, 2023
“So, who sets the vision for this church? You or the congregation?” I was sitting with a prospective member when this question came up. It was the question that he really wanted to ask me. Just moments before, I had heard a story about how this person held a leadership position at their previous church…
By: Kally Elliott on September 15, 2023
In this sequel to “Leading Out of Who You Are” by Simon Walker, the author summarizes his second of three books, “Leading with Nothing to Lose,” by writing, “We will look at the key elements of power, the particular forces involved in any transaction. Then, having established the basic elements, we will go on to…
By: Jenny Steinbrenner Hale on September 14, 2023
“If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.”[1] This was the verse around which our pastor focused his sermon this past week.[2] He said these words represent a lifestyle of caring about other human beings so much that we are willing to pour ourselves…
By: Sara Taylor Lattimore on September 14, 2023
“Before change comes stillness.” (145) In our busy world we hold in high regard anyone who looks like they are busy to be still is the equivalent of a curse word. Even when someone says to you I wish I could just sit for a moment , be still in silence for a moment, in…
By: Pam Lau on September 14, 2023
A few weeks ago, Tremper Longman posted on his Facebook page about his relationship with Pastor Tim Keller with whom he shared a close friendship. Longman asked: Who will be (or is) the next winsome advocate for Christianity now? There are plenty of culture haters out there, but who will be those voices that try to love and…
By: Jean de Dieu Ndahiriwe on September 13, 2023
Introduction: I was born while my parents were going to Uganda as refugees after a Coup d’état in Rwanda in 1973. Habyarimana ruled Rwanda until his plane was blown to pieces in 1994, after which we saw the worst genocide. The genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda left a million innocent women, men, and children…
By: Greg McMullen on September 13, 2023
In my career in ministry and in large scale commercial construction, I have been exposed to many types of leadership styles. Some of these lessons inspired me, some of these lessons cautioned me greatly. Leadership styles and a leader will vary in times of war and peace. At times of war, leaders rely heavily on…
By: Russell Chun on September 13, 2023
Mit tenne Jézus? (Hungarian) – What would Jesus do? Highlights Part 1 Rare Leadership & More than a menu Part 2 Chapter 13, What would Jesus Do? Part 3 Indigenous Church: Self Supporting, Self-Governing, Self-Propagating. GoodSports International Part 4 Summary Part 1 – Rare Leadership & More than a Menu Rare Leadership The DLGP study…
By: David Beavis on September 12, 2023
“History has not been kind to Neville Chamberlain.” Malcolm Gladwell pointed this out in his book Talking to Strangers.[1] Gladwell recounts the story of British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain’s attempt to engage in diplomatic dialogue with the mysterious, erratic new leader of Germany, Adolf Hitler. Through their meetings, Hitler convinced Chamberlain that he was not…
By: Kristy Newport on September 12, 2023
Introduction Simon Walker, in his book, Leading With Nothing to Lose: Training in the Exercise of Power, familiarizes the reader with various leadership theories and how different leaders use power. Walker provides eight role models who embody the different strategies he proposes; four American presidents, Winston Churchill, Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela, and Jesus. Walker…
By: Tim Clark on September 11, 2023
Along with being a pastor, my dad was a bi-vocational contractor. He mostly worked laying floors, but he could do anything, as was evidenced by the fact that he built—by hand—one of the houses I lived in when I was young (yes, I know it sounds like I grew up on Little House on the…
By: Sara Taylor Lattimore on September 11, 2023
I have actually never used an AI service like ChatGBT before this assignment. I was a sceptic that thought it was a way of cheating a way of avoiding the work that should be completed by humans. Having done more research and listening to other perspectives. I have come to believe that as a tool…
By: Becca Hald on September 11, 2023
Believe. What is it like to have someone believe in you? What does it feel like? How does it impact you? How does it change you? I did not grow up knowing what it felt like to have someone believe in me, but I married a man who continually lifts me up and encourages…
By: Caleb Lu on September 10, 2023
*heart emoji*, *kiss emoji*. I have sent both of these texts unintentionally. The more harmless, *heart emoji*, was sent to my mom and while it was a mistake, it was probably for the best. The *kiss emoji* was sent to an elderly Chinese man who is the coordinating pastor at a church I guest speak…
