By: Alex Mwaura on April 10, 2025
Throughout this semester, several recurring themes have emerged in my mind based on the books we read and our discussions as a cohort. One theme is that the world is in a challenging place. Even though the wisest man declared that “there is nothing new under the sun,”[1] we are facing systemic issues, some of…
By: Darren Banek on April 10, 2025
The Cold War had tentacles far beyond the governmental structure of two superpower countries. Following its outbreak in the late 1940s, this unconventional war was marked by a series of pivotal events that had a global impact. There was the signing of the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty in the spring of 1972 and President Ronald Reagan’s…
By: Robert Radcliff on April 10, 2025
When I started at my current church, we had just come off the mission field and were unsure of what was next for us. We stayed with my wife’s parents for a few months and attended Sarah’s home church. I became co-pastor with Sarah’s dad on September 1, 2019. He was the retired county attorney…
By: Betsy on April 10, 2025
The issue of taking responsibility seems central to the development of a functional society and yet seems to be one that can cause confusion, anger and indignation. Walker asserts that ‘the only proper goal of leadership is this: to enable people to take responsibility.’[1] Yet the general population globally seem to be determined to fight…
By: Jess Bashioum on April 9, 2025
Mission Bells The Sound of Leadership by Jules Glanzer cleverly uses the language of music to give audible sound to Leadership. I appreciate the use of a different sense then sight to understand a concept. Words like harmony and frequency are ones that span several fields that they can be applied to, making a great…
By: David Weston on April 9, 2025
I was smitten after reading excerpts from both Neil Postman and Marshall McLuhan’s book as well as Jonathan Haidt’s journal articles on the impact of Social Media, Artificial Intelligence, and the collective impact of these two cataclysmic technologies on our modern societies. This particular statement gave me much pause and elicited some of my own…
By: Rich on April 9, 2025
This week, I read The Sound of Leadership by Jules Glanzer.[1] The book draws primarily from his experiences as a pastor, seminary dean, and Christian college president rather than from studies or external sources. He uses a musical theme to describe the elements of leadership, calling many voices into “a harmonious sound of imagining and…
By: David Weston on April 8, 2025
I think we have all dabbled with the notion of heroism. What is a hero? How does one become one? I know for me, it has been a rather confusing subject for consideration. To be honest, when I look at definitions of a hero, I walk away feeling like a certain part of the author…
By: Joff Williams on April 8, 2025
Loud-ership A quick search of Amazon reveals over 60,000 results for items matching the search term “leadership,” and that’s after filtering to only books. [1] University programs advertise programs or intensives dedicated to the topic. Leadership curriculum is even tailor-made for elementary school students. [2] Parents are promised that this or that extracurricular activity will…
By: Mathews Manaloor on April 7, 2025
After reading the books from the beginning of this class some very heavy theoretical others practical and most of them classics in their own rite it was really refreshing to read a play Full in four acts 14 scenes, with intermission, encore and various actors coming in and out of the stage with the director…
By: Michael Hansen on April 5, 2025
“What is next?” was my first thought after I hung up the phone. The sudden announcement of the 100M+ business loss still tumbled through my head. It had taken years to develop, nurture, and deliver extraordinary services for this large customer, and now it was scheduled to disappear within 90 days. My facility was now…
By: David Weston on April 4, 2025
I know I have said this before, but so much of my life has been spent fighting wars, sharing the love of Christ among those who have never heard, and as much as the first two, I am considered a raconteur. I love storytelling and have been around many excellent spinners of yarn. I really…
By: Christian Swails on April 4, 2025
Working with this three-pound organ in my skull has been my full-time job for most of my adult life. I’ve tried every productivity and management system I could find to keep the infinite areas of interest and responsibility passing through my awareness somewhat under control. There have been lots of fits and starts but rarely…
By: Jeremiah Gómez on April 3, 2025
As I write these words, I’m keenly aware of neurology. Not as a (formal) student of neurology or brain physiology but as a patient. One Sunday a few years ago, I awoke to strange sensations and cognitive fog that progressed to the point that a day later, I was unable to walk under my own…
By: Darren Banek on April 3, 2025
The French poet Marcel Proust is credited with the paraphrased quote “The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.” This loose paraphrase is from The Prisoner, published in 1923, and is taken from volume five of his seven-volume work, Remembrance of Things Past. The original statement is…
By: Robert Radcliff on April 3, 2025
The subtitle of this post is: “What did the basal ganglia say to the prefrontal cortex? Why are you always pushing your liminality down into me! And other jokes for doctoral students.” This week, I read Your Brain at Work by David Rock. This book is a confluence of psychology and leadership, applying insights about…
By: Betsy on April 3, 2025
What power do humans have and what power do we think we have? As leaders these are crucial questions to wrestle with as we intentionally seek to build cultures where power is used to help rather than harm. Within my work I aim to empower those we support, so that they feel equipped to create…
By: Ivan Ostrovsky on April 2, 2025
This week’s reading, Your Brain at Work by Dr. David Rock, reminded me of “Thinking, Fast and Slow” by Daniel Kahneman, which we read a few weeks ago. Both books break down how our brains function. Kahneman explains the two systems in our minds—one that operates on autopilot and another that activates when we need…
By: Alex Mwaura on April 2, 2025
In 2015, Devex published an article titled, “5 Things to Know About the Next Generation Development Professional.” The author outlined the following five traits required of a future development worker: Integrators are key Jack of all (funding) trades Invest in education and learning skills Soft skills are critical Constant upskilling [1] Fast forward to 2025;…
By: Joff Williams on April 2, 2025
“Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment” Romans 12:3 Getting perspective The first take of the recording was over. We put our musical instruments aside and walked over to the console booth, eager and excited to listen to what the engineer had captured of…
