By: Adam Cheney on September 16, 2024
I loved the inspectional readings for this week. I found myself agreeing with both authors time and time again and look forward to our advance to hear their lectures in person. I will certainly be diving back into these books to read them completely. This blog will overview this week’s readings and posit some questions…
By: Noel Liemam on September 15, 2024
Basically, How to Win For this particular reading or blogpost assignment, I have picked the book by Sun Tsu, “The Art of War.” It is claimed to have been written around the 5th Century BCE by a Chinese military strategist by the name Sun Tsu, and it said that the original text was written on…
By: Jennifer Eckert on September 15, 2024
This week’s assignment brings continued thoughts about power and dominance over those who are disenfranchised following my recent blog on John Wesley’s book, Thoughts Upon Slavery. Authors Jim Wallis and Brett Fuller bring meaningful and unique viewpoints that combine Biblical and historical reflections with contemporary ideas on leadership and justice. Jim Wallis, who wrote God’s…
By: Ryan Thorson on September 13, 2024
When asked to choose a book about leadership that has been in print for at least 300 years, it was interesting to search and not find anything that was explicitly stated as a leadership book. It got me thinking about how, in the Christian tradition that I’m familiar with, there was much more emphasis placed…
By: Chad Warren on September 12, 2024
In his introduction to Athanasius’ On the Incarnation, C.S. Lewis recommended reading old books. He contended, “ Every age has its own outlook. It is specially good at seeing certain truths and specially liable to make certain mistakes. We all, therefore, need the books that will correct the characteristic mistakes of our own period. And…
By: Daren Jaime on September 12, 2024
It has been said, history has a way of repeating itself. Who would ever imagine that a book published three hundred years ago could still find relevance today? Oh, I forgot-we are in Seminary….. Let me clear this up, what book other than the Bible??….. An argument can be made that books having long…
By: Julie O'Hara on September 12, 2024
I recall seeing Brother Lawrence’s The Practice of the Presence of God mentioned by Ruth Haley Barton, Richard Foster, Henri Nouwen and others. If leadership really is influence, then Brother Lawrence was a great leader, having influenced so many of these important authors on the topic of spiritual formation. I admit to struggling in the…
By: Elysse Burns on September 12, 2024
History has long provided innumerable examples of leaders, some virtuous and others despotic. Whether upright or cruel, the recorded life stories of history’s leaders offer insight into the past, wisdom for the present, and a cautionary voice for the future (as history often repeats itself). The biography Agricola was written in AD 98 by the Roman…
By: Kari on September 12, 2024
October 31, 2017, marked the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation. The Reformation is said to have started when Martin Luther posted his famous 95 Theses in 1517.[1] I celebrated this milestone with my house church in Islamic Africa. It was an inspiring day as we reflected on the Reformers’ sacrifices. It was not lost…
By: Joel Zantingh on September 12, 2024
I work to inspire and equip followers of Jesus to embrace peace and reconciliation, but these important end goals can never be reduced to the absence of conflict — one must learn peacemaking and peace building as part of the non-violent path to resolving division, or avoiding war whenever possible, which is not always feasible.…
By: Graham English on September 12, 2024
How does one grow in Christlikeness in a world that makes it difficult for someone to do so? The Rule of St. Benedict was written by Benedict of Nursia, to help monks live in a monastic community as they sought to grow in Christlikeness together. Benedict became a monk at age 20, after being exposed…
By: Diane Tuttle on September 12, 2024
The Rule of Benedict dates back, approximately to the mid-600s AD. Today, it remains a constitution of sorts that men agree to follow when entering a Benedictine monastery. Although Benedict called the book, “a little rule for beginners,” it prescribed every aspect of the daily life for the community.[1] Benedict believed that by following the…
By: Shela Sullivan on September 12, 2024
This is a Syntopical book review based on a text that explores the importance of leadership. Nehemiah provides a classic and practical model of managerial leadership in spite of obstacles and challenges. He led God’s people in accomplishing the challenging goals set before them and his leadership style reaped the benefits of having the people…
By: Glyn Barrett on September 11, 2024
Sun Tzu’s, The Art of War, believed to be written in 512 BC, is a long-standing exposition on leadership, asserting that the paramount objective in warfare is to ruin the adversary’s strategy.[1] This insight holds profound relevance, particularly within the context of the spiritual battles faced by Christians. My life coach recently reminded me that…
By: Debbie Owen on September 11, 2024
One of the primary reasons the concepts behind the Enneagram first resonated with me can be summed up in the words of Paul in Romans 7:18b-19: “For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the…
By: Adam Cheney on September 10, 2024
My bookshelf is full of modern books, and it is difficult to find a book older than thirty years. The challenge to find a book over three hundred years old was aided with a simple prompt in AI. The leadership book I chose to read was The Prince by Niccolò Machiavelli. I chose it for…
By: Christy Liner on September 10, 2024
The Art of War, by Sun Tzu is an ancient Chinese military writing, dating back to the 5th century BCE. The Art of War has been used by East Asians, Southeast Asians, French, and English for centuries and millennia and is highly regarded as one of the most influential strategy texts on warfare. [1] Before…
By: Jeff Styer on September 9, 2024
Do you ever look around the world today and notice all of the various issues with which we must contend? Do you ever wonder if things are different today than compared to the past.; do leaders face the same issues? King Solomon stated that there is nothing new under the sun, does that hold true…
By: Jennifer Eckert on September 8, 2024
The term “slavery” conjures powerful emotions and carries significant historical and ethical weight. Its impact on individuals and societies has been deep and far-reaching. In this post, we’ll delve into John Wesley’s 1774 essay, Thoughts Upon Slavery. Wesley, an Anglican clergyman and co-founder of the Methodist movement, was a staunch advocate for social reform. He…
By: Julie O'Hara on September 5, 2024
Last January I listened in a small group while the founding pastor of a US megachurch shared the heartbreak he experienced following his failed attempt to soothe the 2020 election vitriol within his congregation. During that season between the pandemic and the election, he was urged by members of both the right and the left…
