By: Greg Reich on March 11, 2020
One of the biggest benefits about living in the state of Washington has to be the ability to enjoy the diverse outdoor experience. Whether it is the beauty of our majestic Mt. Rainier and the Cascade Mountains or the many miles of sandy beaches, there is plenty to see and enjoy. Other than kiting, one…
By: Darcy Hansen on March 10, 2020
“Sweet Jesus, free me.” Five years ago, these words, birthed from Spirit, emerged from the depths of my being and were spoken into what seemed to be a dark empty void of space. But like the creation narrative, when Spirit combines with Word, new things happen. Over time, this open-handed, full-of-trust prayer has been answered…
By: Shawn Cramer on March 10, 2020
To imagine “that which could be” requires a new way of thinking – new wineskins. The status quo is a direct result of the current modus operandi, or to quote the oft used leadership adage, “Every system is perfectly designed to get the results it gets.” It’s helpful to employ a Greek concept here: that…
By: Steve Wingate on March 10, 2020
This book is part of Walker’s Undefended Leader trilogy. It includes concepts that on many levels help leaders become more self-aware so that they can become a more comprehensive leader. Walker is not only an author about leadership, but he is also a clergyman, who finds in Jesus Christ the most remarkable example that “power…
By: Jer Swigart on March 9, 2020
Who are the leaders of the future? How are they formed? What is their relationship with power? And how do they make decisions? These are the questions addressed by Simon Walker in his trilogy compilation on leadership, The Undefended Leader. As both an Anglican clergyman and Oxford academic, Walker is concerned with the formation of…
By: Dylan Branson on March 9, 2020
In Simon Walker’s The Undefended Leader trilogy, Walker seeks to lay out various challenges found within leadership. In the study of leadership, the question is often trying to discern a definition of leadership that is both applicable and makes sense. Walker writes, “Leadership is about who you are, not what you know or what skills…
By: Jer Swigart on March 5, 2020
Calan (fictitious name) is a very white, very conservative, evangelical-oriented university located in the Pacific Northwest. Historically, they’ve marketed themselves as a safe university that promotes a “Christian camp” environment and perpetuates a conservative evangelical theology and worldview for its students. Thus, the majority of its student and donor bases come from homeschool or private…
By: Greg Reich on March 4, 2020
Have you ever thought it would be nice to travel back in time when life was less complex and a lot simpler? Then again simpler times for one may not be simpler times for another. For me it would be the days when I was a young child on a small ranch in Montana. Not…
By: Shawn Cramer on March 3, 2020
Curiosity is the fountainhead of all learning, deep relational connection, and innovation. An increasing polarization and the resulting combative culture threaten curiosity on university campuses in the US. Brain researchers have noted the difference in how our brains work during conflict. Curiosity is impossible when one is feeling threatened. Instead, “we feel an involuntary need…
By: Dylan Branson on March 2, 2020
The Coddling of the American Mind is one of those unique books that isn’t afraid to take a look a trends in culture and call them out their inconsistencies. Haidt and Lukianoff expound upon three untruths that have infiltrated the American mind: The Untruth of Fragility: “What doesn’t kill you makes you weaker.” The Untruth…
By: Chris Pollock on March 2, 2020
The modern world is full of the old Christian virtues gone mad. G.K. Chesterton Is it possible to be all empiricist, rationalist and nativist at the same time? I wonder if we can combine or wrap up our personal and relative moral leanings as we find our way through our lives by a soulful,…
By: Joe Castillo on March 2, 2020
The Atlantic “Whatever your identity, background, or political ideology,” the authors advise young people, “you will be happier, healthier, stronger, and more likely to succeed in pursuing your own goals” if you do three things: Seek out challenges “rather than eliminating or avoiding everything that ‘feels unsafe.’” Free yourself from cognitive distortions “rather than always…
By: Steve Wingate on March 2, 2020
This book lends itself to be a self-help book. In The Coddling of the American Mind, Jonathan Haidt and Greg Lukianoff argue that well-intentioned adults are unwittingly harming young people by raising them in ways that implicitly convey three untruths and that the explicit threats are commonly from the right side of the political spectrum: The Untruth…
By: Shawn Cramer on February 27, 2020
Innovation excels with diversity of thought, skills, and importance. As I consider the future of the US and the complex (“wicked”) problems facing it, I see a desperation for creative and innovative solutions, yet an apathy for “reaching across the aisle” in faith and politics. No one side has the worldview, resources, or perspective to…
By: Jer Swigart on February 27, 2020
Tuesday marked the one-year anniversary of my dad’s passing. It was a sacred, impossible, hilarious, formational eight-month journey of liver cancer. I was privileged to accompany him all the way to the river then watched as he took the most difficult step that we take in life’s journey: from this life to the life beyond.…
By: Greg Reich on February 26, 2020
As a parent we learn early on that seeking perfection is overrated and the realization that imperfection can be a huge blessing. As a father of four I am so very thankful for each of my children. I am a nostalgic old codger at times and like many parents I have many keepsakes and memories…
By: Darcy Hansen on February 24, 2020
On September 5, 1918 in Game 1 of the World Series the Boston Red Socks were playing the Chicago Cubs. Tensions ran high in a nation where 100,000 soldiers already died during the US involvement in WWI. A heaviness was palatable at this lower-than-usual attendance game. In an effort to lift the spirits of all…
By: Dylan Branson on February 24, 2020
During January, we had an awkward amount of time between the end of examination period and the Lunar New Year holiday. There wasn’t enough time to begin a new unit or do any “real” teaching, so I pulled out one of the more interesting group discussions for a class activity. The premise was simple: A…
By: Steve Wingate on February 24, 2020
Haidt wrote that learning is hard work but primarily comes through experience. “This book is about why it’s so hard for us to get along. We are indeed all stuck here for a while, so let’s at least do what we can to understand why we are so easily divided into hostile groups, each one…
By: Joe Castillo on February 24, 2020
You are intelligent, liberal and well informed. He can’t understand why working-class Americans vote for Republicans. He thinks they have been duped, but he is wrong. This accusation did not see Ne from the right. It is a warning from Jonathan Haidt (New York, 1963), a social psychologist at the University of Virginia who, until…
