By: Jean de Dieu Ndahiriwe on October 5, 2022
Ray Land, Jan H. F. Meyer, and Michael T. Flanagan (Eds.) have done a great job introducing the threshold Concepts. It comes with five parts that include Theoretical Directions, Negotiating Liminality, Threshold Concepts and Interdisciplinarity, The Doctoral Journey, and Threshold Concepts in Professional Practice. “It seeks authors who can demonstrate their understanding of discourses of…
By: Greg McMullen on October 4, 2022
Through out my life, I have had pinnacle moments in my life where I have had to change. Sometimes I have even fought wanting to change, sometimes even dragging my feet when its God pulling me into a new direction. I have found that I can become very comfortable and complacent in systems, routines, ministry,…
By: David Beavis on October 4, 2022
Seven years. From the sixth grade to graduating high school, seven years total, I took Spanish. This subject was taken seriously. I wanted to learn! Picturing myself speaking was enticing. However, nearly a year after graduating from high school, I was in Nicaragua for Spring Break. To my dismay, I had forgotten everything. All of…
By: Becca Hald on October 3, 2022
Nelson Mandela has a gift of story telling. For the most part, I have enjoyed listening to his autobiography on Audible. Until I got to the part where he described prison life on Robben Island. I was tired, still recovering from my vaccines in preparation for Cape Town, and my emotional resilience was low. I…
By: Laura Fleetwood on October 1, 2022
Walking the same streets as Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu was an experience I will never forget. Before reading their auto-biographies, I did not know a great deal of knowledge about either man, but I now view them as primary examples of differentiated leaders as we are studying this semester. Edwin Friedman describes the following…
By: Chad McSwain on September 29, 2022
Horns of a dilemma. That is the term in philosophy to describe the logical fallacy of only being offered two positions, with both being the worst possible outcome. That is what I think of when reflecting on the position of South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission. The Commission is caught between ignoring the damage of…
By: Shonell Dillon on September 19, 2022
Have you ever been in a place that felt like home, a place you never thought you would ever leave? Have you had to leave unwillingly? I will raise my own hands to these questions. Unfortunately, this was not my home that I had to leave. I had to leave a church. A holy place,…
By: Audrey Robinson on September 16, 2022
Trevor Noah, the host of the Trevor Noah Comedy Show, wrote in his memoir about his birth in South Africa during Apartheid. His father was a white Swiss German, and his mother was a black South African woman from Soweto. Trevor was born in 1984 and stated he was born a crime because he was…
By: Chad McSwain on September 16, 2022
“I would like feedback more often. In fact, I like it, at the end of staff meeting, when you go around to each person and ask us the most important thing we have to do this week.” That was feedback I recently received while going an evaluation for a new employee. I was more clued…
By: Kristy Newport on September 15, 2022
It is rare for a leader of magnanimous character to emerge on the world’s stage but when one does, their example does not fade from sight quickly. After reading Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela, I was reminded of Dietrich Bonhoeffer who may be heralded as a leader equal in character. Nelson Mandela…
By: Jenny Steinbrenner Hale on September 15, 2022
I am finding it difficult to write and reflect upon the works of Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Nelson Mandela, as these two individuals seem superhuman to me. Rather than offering my thoughts on their ideas and experiences, my preference would be to absorb their words, listen to their hearts as reflected in their stories, and…
By: David Beavis on September 15, 2022
When we think of people like Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu, we admire who they are and their contribution to the world. Therefore, we are not surprised at the magnanimity by which people hold them. How did they become so admired by the world? What did they do to capture the world’s respect? In…
By: Michael O'Neill on September 15, 2022
A “Long Walk” to Freedom is an understatement for Nelson Mandela. His autobiography escorts the reader on a journey through the extraordinary life of a passionate man who stood for equality and justice like no other. Mandela’s story of a humble Xhosa boy that transforms into an iconic freedom fighter is nothing short of exhilarating.…
By: Jean de Dieu Ndahiriwe on September 15, 2022
The heroic acts that led South Africa to freedom have paved a way to many other African countries seeking a way to freedom and stability for their citizens. Even after many years of struggle and attempts for such a freedom destination, countless of Africans still suffer from bondages than one can care count and the…
By: Tonette Kellett on September 14, 2022
I have to admit, I have had a difficult week. However, I managed to read Nelson Mandela’s book this week and finished Desmond Tutu’s reading tonight. I teach middle school math on the Choctaw Indian Reservation. I’ve been doing this for 21 years. For the first time, yesterday, a seventh grader took her own life.…
By: Sara Taylor Lattimore on September 14, 2022
As I write this blog, I have to acknowledge that I have been born and raised as a citizen of the United States. This means that my cultural tendencies will include a competitive edge. Understanding where we are from culturally and our cultural tendencies is critical to the engagement of other cultures. Yes, it is…
By: Shonell Dillon on September 11, 2022
I admit that I love to read. I love to read what I want to read, when I want to read, how I want the read. Even with that being said, I refuse to say the words “I CAN’T”. As a therapist my job is to motivate the client to believe that they can make…
By: Caleb Lu on September 10, 2022
I want to make it very clear from the outset that what Erin Meyer is talking about in “Culture Map” can be helpful. The idea that there are differences in cultural tendencies that make communication and collaboration nuanced is one that is important. Even in her caveat that all people from a country fall on…
By: Greg McMullen on September 10, 2022
In collecting and analyzing data, I believe there is no greater reference that can help us solve our problems than the Bible. Proverbs 11:27 The person seeking good will find favor, but anyone who searches for evil—it will find him.[1] In the bible there are many principals to help have a biblical worldview to love…
By: Laura Fleetwood on September 10, 2022
I once had a startling experience with a co-worker after this person assembled a stage TV and cart for our church. When the TV had been tested and was ready for use, I sent an email to the worship team letting them know we would use the new TV for Sunday worship and in the…
