DLGP

Doctor of Leadership in Global Perspectives: Crafting Ministry in an Interconnected World

Thanks Brain, for ALL your work!

By: on April 4, 2024

For the longest time, I thought multi-tasking was a great way to get lots done in a short time period. I am not sure, exactly, what changed my mind. It might have been the stacks of papers that were left unfiled on my desk or the mountain of work I had yet to do. Regardless…

13 responses

Thanks be to God

By: on April 3, 2024

In his book, Dominion: How the Christian Revolution Remade the World, Tom Holland, historian of ancient societies, writes an extensive account of the influence of Christianity on Western Civilization. In Holland’s own words, “This book explores what it was that made Christianity so subversive and disruptive; how completely it came to saturate the mindset of…

9 responses

Writer’s block

By: on April 3, 2024

In March I went on a lovely vacation to Japan with my family. I am half-Japanese and my mother’s side of the family lives in Japan. My mother’s conversion to Christ and marriage to my father wasn’t well received from her family, so I didn’t have the opportunity to know my extended family during childhood.…

9 responses

Casualties of War and Armor for the Soul

By: on April 3, 2024

I read The Good Kill: Just War and Moral Injury, by Marc LiVecche on my flight to Phnom Penh, Cambodia last week. I then watched We Were Soldiers. I understood the film to be an accurate representation of the impact of war not only to soldiers on both sides of the Vietnam War, but that…

17 responses

Wrong and More Wrong

By: on April 3, 2024

Reading the newspaper was a daily ritual in my household. In fact, we had the news delivered to us daily at our doorstep. Sometimes, my sister would wake up early before work just to get an early jump at the goings-on in the world. My parents were also affixed to the headlines, which would prompt…

one response

A Stage is Much Better Than a Committee

By: on April 3, 2024

The first chapter of this book, “Your Brain at Work,” got my attention. I loved the stage analogy and could relate to it. I have a very large stage in my brain, with way too many actors and a large audience. It is hard to stay focused. I never thought of it as a stage;…

13 responses

If You Eat Quiche, Can You Wear A Scarf?

By: on April 3, 2024

“Real men don’t eat quiche” is a phrase from the 1982 book Real Men Don’t Eat Quiche by Bruce Feirstein.[1] The book is a satire of masculine stereotypes. In a clever tongue-in-cheek approach, Feirstein explained what was acceptably “masculine” and “feminine” behavior according to the era’s societal standards. For real men, quiche was, apparently, a…

8 responses

A New Definition of ‘Loving Someone to Death’

By: on April 3, 2024

There is at least a little irony in considering the Christian-based philosophical arguments for killing people as we are approaching Good Friday and we reflect on a God who emptied Himself and surrendered his life for the sake of world. Was that a unique ‘call’ and pathway for the Messiah, or an example for all…

6 responses

Quiet on the Set!

By: on April 3, 2024

“My mother was an actress and when I was a kid, I wanted to act, too. But she didn’t want that for me. She said the lifestyle is so hard, it’s either feast or famine. Today, I am a businessman who acts,” Jess Akerman (not his real name). When my former boss posted this quote…

8 responses

The Heart of Jesus’ Ethic: Beyond Human History

By: on April 3, 2024

As I sat in the library reading The Good Kill: Just War and Moral Injury by Marc Livecche I wrote a question in my notebook: What do Christian theologians say to the warriors who are morally, spiritually and psychologically injured as a result of war? I also wrote down the following questions: What is moral injury? What…

11 responses

Moral Injury in Military Action and in Every-day Life

By: on April 3, 2024

Last week, as he was home for spring break, I asked my nineteen-year-old business major son what he was thinking he might do after college. Assuming he’d say he would pursue an MBA, I was taken aback when instead he mentioned going into the military. (This, of course, was a fall-back idea in case his…

7 responses

It’s just war.

By: on April 3, 2024

I grew up in a denomination that began with a full-throated support for The United States. In the 1930’s and 40’s, the Foursquare Church, led by the Canadian immigrant Aimee Semple McPherson, supported patriotic musicals, sold war bonds, and prayed against the godless hordes the US seemed to be battling on every front.[1] In many…

12 responses

Ponderings of a Dual Citizen

By: on April 3, 2024

I have never served our country as a Veteran.  My dad was a Chaplain in the Vietnam War and my son-in-law served seven years in the military.  My oldest son-in-law comes from a family of Army Generals (his dad and grandfather both served; frequently moving from base to base).  Several of my close friends have…

5 responses

Thank you, Buck!

By: on April 2, 2024

As I read “The Good Kill Just War and Moral Injury” by Marc LiVecche, so many people came to mind. Living and pastoring in the Washington D.C. area has given my husband and me the unique honor of having many congregants who work for the CIA, State Department, and Military. Many have served our country…

13 responses

Tweak to Optimize

By: on April 2, 2024

For the past few weeks, there were few unexpected happenings and people just dropped into my schedule and derailing it into various directions. Some family members living nearby that never visited decided to visit; others flew into town, and I have to make time to see them, while others were work-related stuff that decided to…

10 responses

A Pathway Leading to Healing

By: on April 2, 2024

This past week has been so peaceful and filled with so many joyful interactions. I love Holy Week; it is my favorite time of the year with Thanksgiving being a close second. I welcomed the week off from class, readings, and posts as I desperately needed the week to not be on a schedule. I…

10 responses

Focus and Collaborate (Fokus dan Ber-Kerjasama)

By: on April 2, 2024

In the beginning, I thought David Rock’s book, Your Brain at Work: Strategies for Overcoming Distraction, Regaining Focus, and Working Smarter All Day Long[1] is yet another book that I have to read one sentence three times so that my brain can capture the outcomes. I felt this way because the title of the book…

8 responses

Morality, Dignity, and Progress

By: on April 2, 2024

In a recent review in the New Yorker on Marilynn Robinson’s recent book Reading Genesis[1], James Wood held back few punches.[2] Though a respecter of Robinson as a writer, Wood holds her religion in contempt. Wood entertains his readers with plentiful depictions of the Christian (particularly Calvinist) tradition that, though occasionally fair and meriting robust…

5 responses

Divine Providence and Monkey Mind

By: on April 2, 2024

“Your Brain at Work” [1] by David Rock is a fascinating and thought-provoking book. The author’s exploration of neuroscience and its implications for improving workplace performance and personal effectiveness reminds me of another brilliant book called “The One Thing” [2] by Keller and Papasan, in which there are many similarities. I recommend that the duo are an incredible…

14 responses

Living the Cruciform Life

By: on April 1, 2024

Have you heard the song “Cross of Gold” by Michael W. Smith from the album Change Your World? I am dating myself to tell you that I remember when this album came out (and I am pretty sure I still have the cd somewhere). In the song, he asks the questions, “What’s your line, tell…

4 responses