By: Diane Tuttle on February 26, 2025
Problems are a common part of living. Solving many of them may be relatively simple. They give people confidence to try new things, thinking that the strategies for problem X would likely work for other problems. In addition, problem solving has other benefits such as giving life meaning, building mental growth, stimulating thinking and helping…
By: Ryan Thorson on February 26, 2025
“I’m not sure I can do this anymore…” That was my wife and I in 2018, 8 months into our journey as foster parents. We had been trained and called to foster kids in our community as a way to serve Jesus, but had no idea the complexities of caring for young children who had…
By: Jennifer Eckert on February 26, 2025
I love watching birds, especially now that my kids bought me one of those fancy feeders with a camera that sends live stream images to my phone. Seeing each one flitting in and out, pecking at seeds with a calm purpose, makes me smile. The simplicity of their actions is a peaceful backdrop to the…
By: Shela Sullivan on February 25, 2025
‘Exploring Wicked Problems: What They Are and Why They Are Important’ by Joseph Bentley and Michael Toth explores into the concept of wicked problems—complex, ill-structured, and ambiguous issues that are difficult to solve. I enjoyed reading this book for the second time. It is an easy read and practical. In some organizations, wicked problems arise when…
By: Adam Cheney on February 25, 2025
Towards the end of our time living in Kenya, my family and I were deep in the muck. Truly, we so stuck in the swampy mess that we did not even really realize where we were at. We had become a bit disoriented, struggling to keep finding our way through the mess. We were unhealthy…
By: Jeff Styer on February 24, 2025
After reading Joseph Bentley and Michael Toth, Exploring Wicked Problems: I realize that our country no longer has an immigration problem; our country has an immigration mess. In this post I will define tame and wicked problems, define a mess (it may or may not be my son’s bedroom), show why immigration is a mess,…
By: Glyn Barrett on February 24, 2025
“Exploring Wicked Problems” [1] by Bentley and Toth offers a brilliant, albeit lengthy, exploration of the distinction between “wicked and tame” [2] problems. Many leaders are likely acquainted with this concept, which is difficult to dispute at its core. The authors highlight that while some problems are clear-cut and easily addressed, others are intrinsically complex,…
By: Christy on February 24, 2025
In 1973, Horst Rittel and Melvin Webber introduced the term “wicked problem” to describe the complexities and challenges of addressing planning and social policy problems. Unlike the “tame” problems that occur in science, wicked problems lack clarity in both the problem and solution. Examples include: climate change, homelessness, border control, poverty, terrorism, and healthcare access.…
By: Noel Liemam on February 21, 2025
Introduction One review stated that the rewiring of childhood has led to a decline in physical play and independent exploration which are crucial for healthy development in our children. And Haidt called for both parents and educators to recognize this issue and to adapt in order to support the mental health of the children.[1] This…
By: Julie O'Hara on February 21, 2025
In The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness, social psychologist Jonathan Haidt provides the research behind what I thought I already knew: devices can be dangerous. Our Story It was late 2012 when our then-sixth-grade daughter convinced us she needed a phone. Her youth pastor communicated…
By: Joel Zantingh on February 21, 2025
It was a couple of years ago that I did a quick informal survey of the prevalence of mental health diagnoses among young adults in my world. It aligned with what the Canadian Association of Mental Health reported, that “Mental illness is the leading national cause of disability among those aged 15-29, with an estimated…
By: Chad Warren on February 20, 2025
“You’re killing me, Smalls!” I grew up watching The Sandlot, which is easily one of the most oft-quoted movies among my friends and now my kids. It reminds me of the magic of a childhood spent outdoors—pick-up baseball games, daring adventures, and friendships forged through scraped knees and summer mischief. The boys in The Sandlot…
By: Debbie Owen on February 20, 2025
I put another log on the fire and closed the door to the wood stove. I waited a moment until the flames caught, sending warmth into the room. I sat down, opened The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt, and picked up where I had left off the night before. Just as I started reading, my…
By: Daren Jaime on February 20, 2025
Taking a trip down memory lane, I vividly recall witnessing fights, student altercations during lunch, instances of verbal disputes, and, in rare cases, incidents of extreme violence such as stabbings or killings. While peer pressure, hazing, and occasional encounters with bullies were commonplace, the overall climate was mild. Fast forward to 2025, and the landscape…
By: Elysse Burns on February 20, 2025
Nothing incites panic quite like realizing your phone is missing. While driving through a narrow street in our neighborhood, Kari hopped out of the car to help direct me through. Somewhere between exiting the car and stepping into her role as traffic guide, her phone slipped from her lap and disappeared into the sand. Neither…
By: Graham English on February 20, 2025
Six years ago, I gathered a few teachers in my church and facilitated a conversation, hoping to learn more about the community we were pastoring. When I asked them about the issues that children and families were dealing with, the number one response was anxiety. Each person spoke about how alarming levels of anxiety in…
By: Christy on February 19, 2025
With high ratings from Bill Gates and many others, I was looking forward to this week’s reading. [1] Moreover, my church’s family ministry is currently reading The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness by Jonathan Haidt. [2] Haidt explains two trends that are shaping today’s world:…
By: Diane Tuttle on February 19, 2025
When I was growing up, summer was magical. Many days my neighbor and I would grab our bikes and ride for miles. Other days were spent at the local park where along with most of the neighborhood children, we played hockey, made crafts and took turns on whatever apparatus was open. My mother’s only rule…
By: Kari on February 19, 2025
Ding-ding. Is that mine? Bzzzz. Whose is that? Hardly five minutes go by before someone checks their phone or smartwatch. Even the vibration mode or a screen lighting up can feel as disruptive as a ringtone left on. We live in a day and age where our phones dictate our lives. I am guilty. You…
By: Shela Sullivan on February 18, 2025
About the book The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness” by Jonathan Haidt. He explores the alarming rise in mental health issues among Generation Z. Haidt emphasizes that the increasing integration of digital technology, particularly smartphones and social media, into children’s lives has fundamentally reshaped their…
