By: Mary Pandiani on October 28, 2015
I love it when a plan comes together in a serendipitous way. Some might say it’s when all the stars align. Others say it’s all by chance. For a few men sitting down for a meal, the synchronicity of the Holy Spirit emerges through a simple conversation, sparking an idea around discovering new and fresh…
By: Nick Martineau on October 28, 2015
I must admit, I have had a very naive view of Pentecostalism. I’ve always just classified those that speak in tongues as Pentecostal and more lately I’ve connected Pentecostalism to the prosperity gospel. Well, I have been proven wrong. Miller and Yamamori’s book, Global Pentecostalism – The New Face of Christian Social Engagement, has…
By: Phillip Struckmeyer on October 28, 2015
Oops My Bad, I Believe That Too, and That Is What I Felt in Hong Kong! I had three major reactions while receiving and positioning “Global Pentecostalism: The new face of Christian social engagement” by Donald Miller and Tetsunao Yamamori into my personal library. First I had a “Oops, my bad” moment. Next I was thinking…
By: Jon Spellman on October 27, 2015
I feel a bit like a subject this week, a research subject that is! While engaging with our reading this week, it’s like I’ve been poked, prodded, examined, questioned and generalized to the point of exhaustion. It feels a bit strange to have someone study me, my group actually, and present findings based on observed…
By: Dave Young on October 27, 2015
One of the numerous times that Jesus’ detractors tried to trip him up he was asked “which is the greatest commandment?” His response is a summary of all God’s instructions: “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength. The second is equally…
By: Dawnel Volzke on October 24, 2015
I must say that Charlene Li is one of my favorite thought leaders when it comes to leadership within today’s modern organization and digital world. There is no denying that social media has changed the way that leaders must interact and engage with the world. Leaders of today’s high-performing organizations must engage with technology in…
By: Brian Yost on October 23, 2015
I have always loved the metaphor of the sandbox. Perhaps it is because I spent so many hours in the sandbox as a kid (and then as a dad). I know how sandboxes work and I know that some kids gravitate toward group play while others stake out their boundaries—literally; a quick squeeze of the…
By: Travis Biglow on October 23, 2015
Out of this reading what stood out the most to me is the idea of relationship. I love this because in the US many churches are about numbers and not the people. I love these readings because all of them make me reflect on what I am doing now. From this program I began a…
By: Mary Pandiani on October 22, 2015
Years ago, a friend of mine was laying cement for a new driveway on a cul de sac where he and his family lived. In addition to their family, nearly 20 neighborhood kids played outside every Saturday, in particular a band of young boys who loved to ride their bicycles up and down the street.…
By: Jon Spellman on October 22, 2015
“Liquid Modernity.” That phrase by Zygmunt Bauman is emblazoned in my mind as, perhaps, the most spot-on accurate description of the world in which we all now live and lead. Fluid, ever-changing, morphing, these are words I find myself using a lot when helping leaders understand the nature of the world surrounding their organization, the…
By: Phillip Struckmeyer on October 22, 2015
Becoming a Different Kind of Leader For the last three years I have operated under a job title I have made up for myself. I am the “Network Catalyst” for Nitrogen, a church health and multiplication network within The Wesleyan Church denomination. I live in Lowell, Michigan, a four hour drive from The Wesleyan Church…
By: Nick Martineau on October 21, 2015
Just think about how much has changed in the last 50 years. Just over 50 years ago, the fictional married couple, Lucy and Ricky Ricardo, starred in the number one television show, I Love Lucy, but they couldn’t dare sleep in the same bed. Even though showing the married couple in one bed would be…
By: Dave Young on October 21, 2015
I want to live in a different world. I long for the world that would have been if Adam had said to Eve “Oh, honey—let’s not listen to that snake in the grass. After all, God has shown himself to be completely trustworthy.” Or even if his theological discernment was a little off that day,…
By: Brian Yost on October 19, 2015
In his book Visual Faith: Art, Theology, and Worship in Dialogue, William A. Dyrness reminds us of the need to embrace the visual arts and incorporate them into our worship. Visual arts have been embraced for centuries in the church. While not without conflict, it was understood that beauty and artistic expression could be used…
By: Jon Spellman on October 17, 2015
Rational behavior… I have often asked myself, “What in the world are you doing?” Or, “what did you get done today?” I can’t count the number of times that a person has asked me (quite innocently enough) “hey, so what do you do?” and almost immediately I feel the anxiety creeping up the back of…
By: Travis Biglow on October 17, 2015
No Mystery October 15th 2015 (I posted this thursday dont know what happened) I never feel that we are where we are for no reason. I think God ordains us for what we are created for. “People are products of their past”[1] As much as I want to not associate with my past I know…
By: Brian Yost on October 16, 2015
While it is true that a good leader will have a clear vision for the future, it is important to recognize that our past will inform our present as we move into the future. A leader does not just arrive onto the scene. A leader and each person with whom the leader works will function…
By: Dawnel Volzke on October 16, 2015
In his book, The Leadership Mystique, Manfred Kets De Vries states, “effective business leadership is never limited to the acts of one “heroic” individual; rather, it operates in a context of employees and of the business, industry, and larger social environment. Leaders who recognize the nuances of that context and guide their followers accordingly provide…
By: Mary Pandiani on October 15, 2015
A number of years ago, I asked my Organizational Dynamics teacher in seminary which book and/or author would she recommend as one of the best on leadership. Perhaps because of her influence under Dr. Bobby Clinton, especially with his work Making of a Leader, she claimed that he provided the most significant practical information on…
By: Nick Martineau on October 14, 2015
Last Fall at the Vanderblomen, Next: Succession conference, I was somewhat jokingly told there were two circumstances that can best help an incoming pastor hoping to replace a founding pastor…either the Founding pastor suddenly dies or he/she has a major moral failing. In Manfred Kets de Vries, The Leadership Mystique, I am given equally encouraging…
