By: Shela Sullivan 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…
By: David Beavis 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…
By: Glyn Barrett 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…
By: Becca Hald 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…
By: John Fehlen on April 1, 2024
Remember back to when the “internet” first became a thing? We had AOL and the famed “You Got Mail” voice prompt.[1] MSN Messenger and Yahoo were kind of a big deal. Viral videos were just becoming something we talked about and shared via email on the internet; both things that in 1994 the hosts of…
By: Audrey Robinson on April 1, 2024
Tom Holland’s book Dominion: The Making of the Western Mind is a compelling work that traces the most enduring influences of Christianity from ancient Rome to the present day. It is an ambitious work that attempts to argue about who we are and how we came to be who we are.[1] According to Holland, Christianity…
By: Greg McMullen on April 1, 2024
Western Culture is still deciding how much to let Christian Culture dominate its nation and people. In the Bible, we have two primary mindsets: the Hebrew Mindset (the Eastern mindset) and the Greek Mindset, which is the Western mindset. We see the difference in the writings of the gospel, primarily the difference between the Gospel…
By: Jennifer Vernam on April 1, 2024
As we head into the 2024 election season, public attitudes towards our military efforts in Israel and Ukraine are relevant. In The Good Kill,[1] Marc LiVecche refutes a common understanding that all killing is wrong, all the time. As a research fellow at the National War College and recognized expert in ethics[2], LiVecche is trying…
By: Adam Cheney on April 1, 2024
Looking at this book on my shelf did not excite me as I thought about reading it. However, I was pleasantly surprised that I found the information useful and relevant. I certainly did struggle to get through it though as I kept finding myself distracted repeatedly. We have a couple of house guests staying with…
By: Jeff Styer on April 1, 2024
“The kingdom of heaven is like . . .,” so begins Jesus in telling his parables in Matthew 13; using visuals to help his audience understand his teachings, threshold concepts.[1] David Rock in his book Your Brain At Work says that if you can, use visuals in an effort to “reduce the energy required for…
By: Michael O'Neill on March 31, 2024
God is so good. Praise be to God, whose goodness knows no bounds! This Easter I’m reminded of this awesome privilege we possess in knowing God, communing with Him, and “doing life” with Him. I mean… what an honor? The creator of the entire universe is alive and active in our lives and provides everything…
By: Kristy Newport on March 28, 2024
In his book Dominion, Tom Holland draws readers into a historical account of Christianity’s powerful influence by beginning his chapter on the Enlightenment with a murder mystery story. I was deeply moved by the account of Jean Calas, the father of Marc Antoine, who committed suicide by hanging. The riveting story reveals how local “magistrates”…
By: Jonita Fair-Payton on March 28, 2024
“Baptism is the dramatic or episodic representation of the act or ritual of initiation-or, at least, stands midway between the entirely “unconscious” or procedural forms of initiation and their semantically abstracted symbolic equivalents. Baptism is the spiritual birth(rebirth) as opposed to birth of the flesh.”[1] I preached last month on Renewal, and as I…
By: Kim Sanford on March 27, 2024
I know we’ve often been advised to not only read the books we’re assigned but also read about the books we’re assigned. That is, we’re meant to read reviews and the like, but I can’t say I always do. This week, though, for whatever reason I decided to start with some reviews of Jordan Peterson’s…
By: Caleb Lu on March 26, 2024
The power of words has become more and more clear. Whether it’s starting a podcast or a blog, or having an X (when can we stop saying “formerly known as twitter”?), Instagram, or TikTok account, everyone has access to some platform for getting their words, thoughts, and paradigms out to the masses. The influence of…
By: Kristy Newport on March 25, 2024
The line that jumped out at me while reading Rethinking Leadership by Annabel Beerel was: “During times of radical uncertainty, leaders need psychological strength, emotional balance, and courage to navigate the choppy waters ahead.” [1] I believe this sums up my current leadership needs. My brother and cohort friend, Greg McMullen, recently shared a vision…
By: Russell Chun on March 25, 2024
قبل ما تنطوي الصفحة” (qabl ma tantawi as-safha) – Before the page turns (Iraqi Arabic). Flashback Part 1 Peering into the topic Part 2 What others are saying Epilogue Flashback She’s dead. Dimitri repeated, “she’s dead.” Dimi a soldier from Ukraine spoke without feeling, his face frozen. I remember him teasing Nahla a few…
By: Audrey Robinson on March 24, 2024
Matthew Petrusek’s Evangelization and Ideology: How to Understand and Respond to the Political Culture uniquely blends Catholic Social Thought (CST) and political philosophy. Petrusek attempts to provide a methodology for arguing in our highly politicized environment. His ultimate goal is to provide culture with an “alternative to thinking – and acting – ideologically altogether.”[1] In…
By: Chad McSwain on March 23, 2024
I recently met with a colleague at Chick-fil-a to discuss the preaching calendar for the summer. While sharing lunch, she mentioned that she had not been at the restaurant in a number of years. I ask her more about this and she shared that it was because of their political positions. I quipped, “That chicken…
By: Noel Liemam on March 23, 2024
When I was growing up on a tiny Island in the middle of the vast Pacific Ocean, I read and worked on my school assignments during the night in the light of a kerosene lamp; regardless of the low light it provides, I was able to see clearly and worked gratefully. After thirty-one years of…
