By: Dinka Utomo on April 27, 2023
“Because small groups engender strong bonds, loose connections provide greater numbers, and a common purpose gives direction.” -Greg Satell- After completing and submitting assignments in two courses, my wife and I went to the cinema to watch Jesus Revolution movie. The movie depicts a spiritual revolution in Costa Mesta, Southern California in early 1970s. The…
By: Adam Harris on April 27, 2023
While in Divinity school after several of us had shared an interest in starting home churches, the professor challenged us when he said, “Just remember, it takes systems to change systems.” That concept has lingered with me ever since, and I believe that is one of the main points Greg Satell is getting at in…
By: Mathieu Yuill on April 26, 2023
My company often describes itself to people as “your marketing department,” because you can’t hire us to create one graphic or one email. Typically we need to be invited into your company or nonprofit so we can learn about the organization, its culture and people. What I’ve learned these last five years since founding Leading…
By: Tim Clark on April 26, 2023
I once heard someone say that joy is one of the most punk rock attributes a person can have. That it rebels against the world’s system. That it is the ultimate alternative to the cynicism we are so easily sucked into. When I was reading Cascades by Greg Satell I couldn’t stop thinking about that…
By: Pam Lau on April 25, 2023
In 2001, I met with a small group of women in Newberg, Oregon for the single purpose of connection. Most of us had recently moved from across the country; one woman relocated from Russia. Another had been living in Newberg for more than a decade. Each week, huddled in a circle sipping coffee, one person…
By: Esther Edwards on April 24, 2023
The premise of Greg Satell’s book “Cascades” is clear and simple: “Small groups, loosely connected, but united by a common purpose” can cause a monumental cascade of change.[1] Satell surmises that power is no longer in the hands of the top hierarchies but in the center of networks.[2] Satell parades an array of examples throughout…
By: Jennifer Vernam on April 24, 2023
It’s the end of the term and, like the rest of you, my brain is tired. When my brain is tired, I start to revert to what is familiar. So as I was reading Cascades[1] I found myself wanting to anchor the material to an area with which I am already familiar. I will take…
By: Travis Vaughn on April 24, 2023
In Cascades, Greg Satell argues that “power no longer resides at the top of hierarchies, but at the center of networks.”[1] Satell’s network dynamics include “small groups, loosely connected, but united by a common purpose.”[2] And if a leader needs “interconnectivity and interdependence”[3] to be effective, then perhaps this is at least part of the…
By: Jonita Fair-Payton on April 24, 2023
I read the title and instantly envisioned a beautiful waterfall with water cascading down the side of a breathtaking rock formation. I could almost hear it. That image brought forth an image of a tropical paradise. I think it might be pretty common to summon this peaceful image at the end of a very challenging…
By: John Fehlen on April 24, 2023
“Whether you are an activist advocating for social and political change, a manager leading an organization, or a leader looking to shape an entire society, the need to create interconnectivity and interdependence remains essential” (Satell, 35). I’m writing this particular blog post on the three year anniversary of the day I made the difficult decision (along…
By: Jenny Dooley on April 24, 2023
One of the main reasons I am in this doctoral program is because I have a vision for tomorrow. My days of full-time missionary service may be over. I hope not. I have had a vision of coming along side and supporting ministry leaders in our family of churches for a while. Something feels unfinished.…
By: Kim Sanford on April 24, 2023
They say a picture is worth a thousand words, and this book certainly paints an inspiring picture. It’s encouraging to think of leveraging the unseen networks all around us to bring real transformation. Using numerous real-life examples, Greg Satell explains how “small groups, loosely connected, but united by a common purpose… grow as the density…
By: Dinka Utomo on April 22, 2023
“Leaning forward and maintaining eye contact indicate engagement; leaning back and avoiding eye contact indicate disengagement, or even boredom, anger or disdain.” -Julian Treasure- In Indonesia, it is common scene to observe couples or families sitting together at a restaurant without engaging in any conversation. Instead, they are engrossed in their own smartphones, occasionally…
By: Russell Chun on April 22, 2023
Епілог-Epilogue (Ukrainian) Today, an online magazine article from one of my “go to” magazines presented itself. Listed on the Christian Realist Providence Magazine, I read Ed Meador’s article about “Apocalypse Now: The Revelations of Vladimir Putin.” Meador writes, “Now, following decades of deception, Putin has unveiled his heart of KGB darkness, outrageously demonstrating just how…
By: Jana Dluehosh on April 20, 2023
I suffer as a light sleeper…it’s rough. In my 20’s I worked as a Residence Hall Director at a University in Chicago for 4 years. My bedroom was right above the front door of the hall, and I could hear everything…problem was that I didn’t always want to hear what was going on because it…
By: Adam Harris on April 20, 2023
Nausea, sleeplessness, anxiety, dread, and sweating describe some of my initial experiences when it came to speaking in front of midsize to large groups of people. At a young age I had a growing enthusiasm for ministry, the church, serving people, and God. I had no idea how much fear I would have to work…
By: Todd E Henley on April 20, 2023
April of 1983, I was a junior in high school and I was running for President of the Student Body. My main reason for running for office was to creatively impact more people with the gospel. One month before the election, one of my favorite teachers asked to see me after class. Mr. Riley looked…
By: Cathy Glei on April 19, 2023
How many times have you found yourself towering over a little one who is begging for your listening ear? Daddy, daddy? Mommy, mommy? Mrs. Glei. . . ? Listening is a way to show respect and honor to another person. Kids when they are or are not being listened to. When I think about how…
By: Esther Edwards on April 19, 2023
As a young mom, my ability to multi-task had become a way of life and something I prided myself in. We were a household of six. My life was a constant flow of ministry, music teaching, and keeping up with family needs. We loved life and enjoyed the journey, but my mind was a distracted…
By: Scott Dickie on April 19, 2023
While a Lead Pastor does a bunch of other work outside of the pulpit, they can’t escape the fact that they speak for a living (unless they have a preaching pastor on their team). Most of us as Lead Pastors can struggle to be organized or do mediocre HR and still be in the congregation’s…
