By: Jake Dean-Hill on April 10, 2019
Brené Brown calls herself a researcher and storyteller, and she is also a social worker to the core. She has a BSW, MSW, and even a DSW (that’s a bachelors, masters and doctorate all in social work). It’s no wonder I am drawn to her materials since I am also a social worker and am…
By: Tammy Dunahoo on April 10, 2019
Being a conference junkie for more than thirty years, I found myself burned out with the idea of one more registration confirmation in my inbox, just as a friend who works with Patrick Lencioni’s Table Group, began prodding me and our team to come to The Unconference. How could I politely get out of this…
By: Harry Edwards on April 10, 2019
In my line of work I get to spend a lot of time with apologists who travel locally and internationally training men and women to defend the truth claims of Christianity in an increasingly secularized world. I’m in their company quite a bit and so inevitably I get lumped in with them. Each time that…
By: Dave Watermulder on April 9, 2019
The first time I encountered BrenéBrown, a cartoon had been overlaid over her voice, and a moose, a bear and a fox were discussing the differences between sympathy and empathy. You can watch it here, and you will be glad that you did: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Evwgu369Jw BrenéBrown is a New York Times bestselling author, known for her Ted…
By: Rev Jacob Bolton on April 9, 2019
I was recently having a discussion with a local interim minister. In the PCUSA, interim ministers are often called to serve a congregation during the “in between” time, the time a church takes after a pastor leaves and before they call a new pastor. These interim ministers are specially trained in systems and family theory,…
By: Greg on April 8, 2019
I have often told young leaders when looking for staff or when looking for a staff position, to find a team that lets you thrive and helps everyone look good because everyone’s gifts and abilities have”complemented” each other. Jake I am stealing some of your thoughts because I loved what you said about egalitarians complementing…
By: Wallace Kamau on April 8, 2019
There is more to leadership than the external level or the outward expression as is conventionally know through performance, passion, power, motivation, knowledge, skills and the like. There is something that is more foundational to leadership in ‘the person’ of the leader, leadership is essentially who you are and there is no dichotomy between who…
By: Shermika Harvey on April 8, 2019
By: John Muhanji on April 7, 2019
When we were growing up in our communities, we grew up under instructional guidance of the “do not” and “dos.” Sometimes they would give you explanations and sometimes they would not explain the reason. For example, girls were not allowed to climb trees. It was not morally right for them to climb trees especially when…
By: Tammy Dunahoo on April 7, 2019
The degree of WEIRDness (western, educated, industrialized, rich and democratic) we are, determines the depth of autonomy, individualization and independence revealed in our perspectives and confirmation biases. This concept described by Jonathan Haidt in The Righteous Mind: Why Good People are Divided by Politics and Religion, seems to read like a diary of his own…
By: Sean Dean on April 5, 2019
Last night I had the opportunity to sit and talk with some future foster parents about their journey so far. It was a fascinating conversation about their first interest in foster care and adoption and how it has grown and how their church community is helping to foster their movement in this direction. One of…
By: Jason Turbeville on April 5, 2019
Where I live there is a sports radio station that I enjoy listening to, one of the sayings which has made its way into my vernacular is the word “tired head”. The definition of this word is a discussion that you have been through multiple times and would rather just move on from, but instead…
By: Rhonda Davis on April 5, 2019
When I began my career in student development, I was excited by the opportunity to come alongside the university classroom to aid in the holistic development of the student. In my context of the Christian university, we had a lot of freedom at that time to discuss issues of character and justice. We were aware…
By: Rev Jacob Bolton on April 5, 2019
The image above shared with me by Union Theological Seminary Professor Emeriti Larry Rasmussen demonstrates one of the largest hurdles climate scientists face when discussing the issues of climate change. Often when discussing global warming, climate change or the climate crisis, changing our lifestyles, our former beliefs, or dare I say our elephants[i], ends up…
By: Trisha Welstad on April 5, 2019
If you can suspend your bias and personal belief (and maybe your identity) to read through the text Two Views on Women in Ministry, you would likely finish with the perspective of, “I could be either a complementarian or an egalitarian.” This is because the biblical scholars have argued through Old and New Testament Scriptures…
By: Shawn Hart on April 4, 2019
(Please forgive me; I have been everywhere but at my desk today so my response to the reading will be less than complete; in addition to a busy week thus far, I have left my copy of the book at the church building…so no quotes from it). It seems this has been the book I…
By: Andrea Lathrop on April 4, 2019
I found Haidt’s The Righteous Mind: Why Good People are Divided by Politics and Religion fascinating. I wish I had more time to explore all his research on moral psychology and the ways we are wired to judge, exclude and include. I do not have to look deep at my own elephant or those close…
By: Nancy VanderRoest on April 4, 2019
I had the blessed opportunity to officiate a funeral for one of my Hospice patients on Monday. Now, I’ve done many funerals because of my chaplaincy role, but this one was different. This is a fractured family situation that I would be speaking to and the most diverse grouping of attendees I had ever met.…
By: Digby Wilkinson on April 4, 2019
I need to say right at the beginning; there is a difference between the American version of Jonathan Haidt’s, The Righteous Mind, and the UK option published by Penguin.[1] The English version has a different cover and it’s special! It makes you wonder what’s inside and precisely who is ‘flipping the bird‘ to whom? Rather…
By: Kyle Chalko on April 4, 2019
What an exciting last run of books for us to end on! I am truly excited to dive into the blogs this week and see how all of you are wrong. just kidding __ Growing up in the Assemblies of God I have seen many women ministers, all of whom I have considered very effective…
