By: Richard Volzke on November 7, 2014
Ethics is a broad subject, open to much debate. I’ve found that Christian ethics is an especially touchy subject, as some people equate this with legalism or Christian rules. Yet, so much of Scripture touches on ethics or moral values. Since “ethics is a system of moral principles”[1], Christian ethics involves the way that we…
By: Carol McLaughlin on November 7, 2014
The words startled me, “Oh! Oh, no!” my mother-in-law exclaimed. Immediately I thought, “What did we forget? Did I forget something? Did Mom leave her purse behind in the doctor’s office?” All of this happened suddenly as I was driving down Seattle’s Madison Avenue away from Swedish Orthopedic Clinic and toward the I-5 freeway, the…
By: John Woodward on November 7, 2014
Whenever I pick up a book on philosophy, I always wonder how many people actual think about ethics, morals or philosophical leanings? Sadly, most people I know never stop to consider why they believe what they believe or examine the reasons for their actions. This is where The Matrix of Christian Ethics is a helpful…
By: Telile Fikru Badecha on November 7, 2014
A friend of mine, who serves in the village of Wondo, told me a story of one of his church member, Kedir, who is a teacher, a husband of two wives and a father. A couple years ago, Kedir decided to follow Jesus with his family and be a part of the newly planted small…
By: Julie Dodge on November 7, 2014
One of my roles at Concordia is to serve as the faculty advisor to the Social Work Club. The Club has decided to support the social worker at the elementary school next door – a high need, high poverty school. One challenge the school social worker faces is helping parents who live far away to…
By: Liz Linssen on November 6, 2014
“Jason”[1] is a compassionate and sincere man and has been a member of our church from the beginning of the church plant. He first came with his two young children until his wife, who left him for another man, decided to not only ruin their marital relationship, but take his children away from him too.…
By: Deve Persad on November 6, 2014
Despite my deepening interest in philosophy and my great love for mathematics, Rene Descartes famous statement, “I think therefore I am”, comes up short. While it is true that the capacity to think is in itself a fairly reliable sign of life, it is more true that thinking is just the beginning, there is so…
By: Ashley Goad on November 6, 2014
I must admit, my favorite class in Seminary was Christian Ethics. I loved every second of the semester. Though I am not much of a “theory” person, I enjoyed picking apart the philosophers’ thoughts, and putting the principles into practical application. Today I sat at a local coffee shop with a high school student, and…
By: Miriam Mendez on November 3, 2014
As I read through Edwin Friedman’s book, A Failure of Nerve: Leadership in the Age of the Quick Fix, I was reminded of one of my favorite verses in the New Testament: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”[1] These are words of endurance and perseverance.…
By: Clint Baldwin on November 3, 2014
Friedman’s A Failure of Nerve is just the text needed for further invigorating – rather than truncating – conversation encouraging a robust engagement between a universally interconnected moral coding (however, nuanced) and civic participation. Of course, reading anything related to “universal” puts a lot of peoples’ radar on high alert with warning sirens flashing and resounding in…
By: rhbaker275 on October 31, 2014
The assigned task of reading Edwin H. Friedman’s book, A Failure of Nerve: Leadership in an Age of Quick Fix, was for a moment a daunting task. I began as usual by perusing the table of contents and scanning through the chapter headings and sub-headings. Nothing different here although a few words jumped out creating…
By: Stefania Tarasut on October 31, 2014
I first read Edwin Friedman’s book, A failure of Nerve: Leadership in the Age of the Quick Fix, in the fall of 2009. I didn’t realize just how much I learned from this book until I picked it up again. His thoughts on self-differentiation changed the way that I lead and interact with people in…
By: Bill Dobrenen on October 31, 2014
I was in an academic department meeting this week. These are meetings that I endure rather than enjoy. I even find myself taking notes in code sometimes: WAIH (Why am I here?); WISSA (Why is she speaking so much?); O & O (One and on); LHM (Lord have mercy). Our department chair is a…
By: Telile Fikru Badecha on October 31, 2014
In his book Leadership in the Age of the Quick Fix: A Failure of Nerve, Edwin H Friedman presents unprecedented insight on leadership from his great wealth of experience working as a pulpit rabbi, organizational consultant, and family therapist. Friedman uncovers the failure of leadership affecting America’s civilization today, which he refers to as a…
By: Michael Badriaki on October 31, 2014
A few months ago I watched Bob Schieffer’s interview on “Face of the Nation” with former US Secretary of State, Madeleine Albright. Albright summed up the world’s current condition by saying “the world is a mess.” Madam Secretary is right. Her interview focused on the conflict between Ukraine and Russia and the Gaza and Israel…
By: Carol McLaughlin on October 31, 2014
There once was a dreamer that dreamed a dream. This dream occurred several times over the years. Sometimes the setting varied, but there was always a common element. There was water present. At times this meant the setting was a coastal town and other times the water was something to be crossed. In either situation…
By: Mitch Arbelaez on October 31, 2014
So many good books so little time. Again, another great author. Another great book. A Failure of Nerve: Leadership in the Age of the Quick Fix by Edwin H. Friedman is one of those books that I will continue to return to in order to be reminded that good leadership cannot be synthesized down to…
By: Richard Volzke on October 31, 2014
How many times have you heard the phrase “lets just all get along”? This is a common saying or theme that many businesses and church leaders are propagating. It seems that the art of leadership is has given way to allowing everyone to have equal say and vote in the workplace. While it is important…
By: Ashley Goad on October 30, 2014
Edwin H. Friedman wrote one of the frankest, no-nonsense books I have ever read. A Failure of Nerve: Leadership in the Age of the Quick Fix caused me to wrinkle my forehead, squint my eyes, and stare off into space for minutes at a time as I pondered his thoughts. I was reminded of real…
By: John Woodward on October 30, 2014
In our information inundated, computerized world, there is the strong temptation to find quick-fixes, easy answers, new techniques, and advice from a plethora of experts ready to solve whatever issues or problems you might have. For this reason, my heart goes out the legions of small church pastors and the mothers of over-active children who…
