By: Mary Pandiani on June 10, 2015
Reminiscent of last week’s conversation about liminal space, Hong Kong appears to be a threshold for the whole world to see as it seeks a new-old identity. The crossroad of Chinese-ness and Western-ness meets on this little island mixed with a bit of China mainland. From 1997 when the British handed her over to Chinese sovereignty,…
By: Phillip Struckmeyer on June 4, 2015
Strategy for Lunch While Sipping on Style! At the church I planted 12 years ago, I was the primary communicator when we first launched. I would like to think I was a good communicator casting vision, teaching God’s word, and inspiring all hearers to have a greater hunger and thirst for God and his ways…
By: Nick Martineau on June 4, 2015
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this week’s articles mostly because they beautifully articulated, “an itch I’ve been wanting to scratch.” I’m guessing this week’s readings would resonate with any one who finds themselves in leadership. The longing question Len asks, “How do we walk with God into a new future – an unknown place?[1]” is…
By: Jon Spellman on June 4, 2015
“Liquid Modernity,” “Chaordic Age,” “Post-post—Modernity,” “Post-Christian,” “Post-Church,” uuuuggghhhhh! It’s exhausting! We are forced more and more to navigate nuances, to make values-based decisions while constantly adjusting our vision to ever-morphing shades of grey. That’s what it means to be a church leader today. If I’m being honest, sometimes I just want things to be…
By: Mary Pandiani on June 3, 2015
“Go With The Slow” – Costco’s caption of their most recent The Costco Connection – intrigues me. Yes, many ads of products fill the inside, but the main focus in their Health section concerns subjects such as de-stressing, wellness, spiritual focus, being present, and mindful eating. These articles contradict what would be expected for a…
By: Travis Biglow on June 3, 2015
Uncertainty and Chaos the brothers of change! June 3, 15 This reading was one that I will cherish a lot. I felt like God was talking to me and letting me know that chaos has purpose and its ok. I always feel like chaos is not bad because things that are business as usual get…
By: Brian Yost on June 3, 2015
“Churches are entering a nowhere land that has come into being in the turbulent waters of societal shift. We have become travelers with maps that are outdated and that no longer describe the landscape.”[1] This quote by Len Hjalmarson captures a key issue in church leadership. There are models of leadership and “doing church”…
By: Dave Young on June 2, 2015
The church I pastor, Alliance Bible Church, is in a place of uncertainty, or as Len Hjalmarson writes “a place of liminality… of a space in-between, a transition point, where old and new collide.” “Limina” is old Latin for threshold.[i] In some ways we wear our “liminality” as a badge – we’re a home of…
By: Brian Yost on May 28, 2015
In his book Grassroots Asian Theology: Thinking the Faith from the Ground Up, Simon Chan offers a fascinating look into the reality of Asian Theology. He draws a stark contrast between the official method of Asian theology and points to the more prevalent folk or grassroots theology of most Asians. Formal theology is often practiced…
By: Dawnel Volzke on May 23, 2015
Amy Chua’s book, Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother [1], is a story about a Chinese mother’s journey to raise her daughters within American culture. The book is introduced as a story about cultural differences between American and Chinese parenting styles. However, I found the book to be lacking in reality for what most families in American face, no…
By: Travis Biglow on May 21, 2015
May 21, 15 While reading about the Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother I really related back to the style of leadership that my father had. I lost my mother when I was in the sixth grade so I did not get to know her real well. But what I did learn is how…
By: Phillip Struckmeyer on May 21, 2015
Tiger Mother or Mama Grizzly? Chinese Tiger Mother or Western Mama Grizzly . . . Which metaphor resonates with you? Amy Chua in her provocative book, “Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother”, creates a conversation for the culture chasm that exists between parenting in a Chinese culture as opposed to raising children in a Western…
By: Jon Spellman on May 21, 2015
“We aren’t here to raise happy kids, we’re here to raise healthy, competent, thoughtful adults!” So said I with just a hint of smugness round about the time my oldest daughter was a mere 7 years old and still a compliant little bundle of joy… Then over the next ten years I promptly proceeded to…
By: Nick Martineau on May 20, 2015
Liz and I have a group of close friends in Wichita. We try to be vulnerable and share life with each other but as kids have come into the picture we have all acknowledged that the most difficult issues to discuss, or criticisms to receive, are in regards to our parenting and kids. It’s…
By: Mary Pandiani on May 20, 2015
Amy Chua has a bit of Jennifer Hatmaker’s (www.jenhatmaker.com) humor – sarcastic, extremist, and self-deprecating. All the while, she, like Jennifer, hits on some major soft spots in Western parenting, values, and choices. In Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother, Chua expresses her desire to raise her two daughters in the Chinese way. Playing off of…
By: Brian Yost on May 20, 2015
Amy Chua’s book Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother was a fascinating read and really brings to life some key cultural differences in parenting. Her transparent and lively narrative style made reading it a joy. I particularly enjoyed this book because I have had the privilege to teaching seminary classes and intensive training courses…
By: Dave Young on May 20, 2015
The more I read of “Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother” [i] by Amy Chua, the more I liked it. It was written with honesty and self-parody, by a woman with a keen mind for the absurdity in both eastern and western cultures, as well as bravery in the face of how her Chinese parenting…
By: Dawnel Volzke on May 15, 2015
In chapter 4 of Social Geographies: Space and Society, Valentine discusses the concept of community in relation to they way they mobilize and come together. The author talks about ‘natural communities’ and Darwin’s theories surrounding the relationships between organisms and their surroundings. Also discussed are the theories of Park, who looks at community through competition, ecological…
By: Brian Yost on May 15, 2015
The concept of space is intriguing and anything but obvious. Space helps to define who we are, how we think, how we live, how we perceive, how we set priorities, etc. There are so many aspects from Valentine’s book Social Geographies: Space and Society that piquet my interest, but one in particular hits close home.…
By: Nick Martineau on May 14, 2015
I just so happen to be writing this from Starbucks. Starbucks claims their goal is to become the Third Place in our daily lives. (i.e. Home, Work and Starbucks) “We want to provide all the comforts of your home and office. You can sit in a nice chair, talk on your phone, look out the…
