By: Jennifer Eckert on March 11, 2025
I am a diamond. At least, that is what my high school history teacher, Mrs. Clara Luper, called me and all her students. We were HER diamonds, and our gender, race, or ethnicity was of no importance. I am Mrs. Luper’s diamond, and just like a natural gemstone, I was formed under intense pressure for…
By: Jeff Styer on March 10, 2025
Previous Knowledge Race is a topic that I am passionate about, but the reality is that race along with ethnicity are terms that I do not like. Today most people understand that race is a concept developed to differentiate people based on skin color and other physical features. For years due to concepts such as…
By: Christy on March 10, 2025
Summary of My Most Deeply Held Convictions Before the Reading I have had a core belief that God values diversity because it is in this diversity that the fullness of the body of Christ exists. In total, we make up the image of God, and if we were all identical, we’d be missing out on…
By: Joel Zantingh on March 10, 2025
Serving in stated Christian leadership for more than thirty years has brought with it the relentless growth curve in seeking to be more like Jesus and inviting others to do the same, coupled with the brutal reality that my ego is really tough to transcend. Despite years of seeking to live with self-awareness about my…
By: Noel Liemam on March 8, 2025
Introduction “As I ordered my steak, I wanted to be medium RARE – for its taste, which is my desired taste. Though often costs me, I enjoyed it. Then, moved on to next agenda with filled stomach. Apologies! I got carried away.” But to be authentic to the definition of leadership, which is to influence…
By: Daren Jaime on March 7, 2025
My first job as a youth landed me at an office with my older sister who had the crazy notion that my teenage brother needed something to do. As a result, she got me a volunteer job at her place of employment. She worked on 41st Street and Park Ave in New York City, in…
By: Elysse Burns on March 7, 2025
I still remember my first week in North Africa. I sat in a small room, staring at my two duffel bags—the only things that held my entire life—and felt a wave of uncertainty wash over me. I don’t think I have the capacity to truly love the people here, I thought. Each time I’ve wrestled…
By: Chad Warren on March 6, 2025
Ted Lasso once said, “Taking on a challenge is a lot like riding a horse, isn’t it? If you’re comfortable while you’re doing it, you’re probably doing it wrong.”[1] The most effective leadership isn’t about avoiding problems or playing it safe—it’s about embracing challenges while prioritizing relationships, emotional maturity, and cultivating joy. In Rare Leadership[2],…
By: Julie O'Hara on March 6, 2025
God winked at me when I started reading Rare Leadership. He reminded me of the conversation with my leadership coach less than two weeks ago when I told Stephen that I wanted to press into living from a place of joy. I was motivated by an inner impulse to represent Jesus and attract others to…
By: Kari on March 6, 2025
We had just finished a lovely evening celebrating a friend’s birthday at the only chain restaurant in my country, PAUL. This bakery-restaurant combination attracts many foreigners and affluent citizens. Due to the clientele, it also draws beggars hoping for charity or food. As we stepped outside, I noticed the beggar children just as they noticed…
By: Ryan Thorson on March 6, 2025
What does it take to be a RARE leader? What sort of teams and processes need to be cultivated in order to experience the joy and grace of leading together with others, rather than giving in to the distress and dis-ease of our leadership-deficient world? In RARE Leadership, Dr. Wilder and Dr. Warner provide a…
By: Graham English on March 6, 2025
In a post-pandemic survey done in 2022 by the Barna group, they reported alarming statistics on the decline of pastoral health in the US. The effect of the pandemic continued to ripple through the ranks of pastors, as it has through many professions. The research does not paint a promising picture. They write, “The number…
By: Debbie Owen on March 6, 2025
It’s clear there’s a “control factor” at play. Isn’t that often the case in a church? You’re on staff, and they pay you for your expertise. But so often, there’s at least one volunteer who is quite sure they know just as much as you do. They manage to get onto the committee with which…
By: Shela Sullivan on March 5, 2025
Introduction: In today’s fast-paced business environment, effective leadership is crucial for fostering trust, joy, and engagement among team members. The book RARE Leadership: 4 Uncommon Habits for Increasing Trust, Joy, and Engagement in the People You Lead by Marcus Warner and Jim Wilder outlines four habits that can transform leadership practices.[1] This essay explores these…
By: Adam Cheney on March 4, 2025
For years I have prayed about increasing my joy. I have understood for a while that joy is certainly more than happiness but that it is a deep contentment that we might find in the Lord. During times of suffering, joy can be hard to find. Yet it is a choice we can make. When…
By: Glyn Barrett on March 4, 2025
In RARE Leadership,[i] Marcus Warner and Jim Wilder provide a framework for leaders to build emotional resilience and thriving teams. By integrating principles from neuroscience and theology to offer strategies that enhance leadership effectiveness, RARE Leadership emphasises that emotionally mature leaders cultivate trust and engagement, creating environments where individuals and organisations flourish. Warner and Wilder…
By: Jennifer Eckert on March 4, 2025
Back in the 1920s, minister and Methodist camp leader George William Cooke had something to teach us about joy through a catchy little song called Joy in My Heart.[1] Years later, contemporary neuroscience would confirm his findings about the healing power of joy. Joy is not only a feeling but, in fact, a mechanism for…
By: Diane Tuttle on March 3, 2025
This may be stating the obvious but throughout our readings over the last couple of semesters, many books have confirmed that leadership is more about the character of the leader rather than the skills that person might have. Early on, reading Leading out of Who You Are, The Undefended Leader, author Simon Walker, D Prof…
By: Jeff Styer on March 3, 2025
In this post I am going to look at Marcus Warner and Jim Wilder’s book Rare Leadership book and the importance of knowing and acting out your identity.[1]. Much of this post centers around a conversation with my youngest son, Josiah. Josiah came home from a meeting at church one evening while I was in…
By: Christy on March 3, 2025
In 15 seconds, this is how I share my testimony: There was once a time in my life when I was anxious and fearful of death, then Jesus came into my life and freed me. Now, I experience peace and am confident in my identity in Christ. My husband is very involved in evangelism ministry…
