By: Greg McMullen on September 28, 2023
This is a very difficult subject to navigate. Lately, I have been reflecting if there is more class discrimination rather than ethnicity discrimination. Whether it be a class struggle or struggle with different ethnicities there is a real problem in our society. There is a problem inside our hearts with loving others. 1st John 2:11,…
By: Greg McMullen on September 27, 2023
Marcus Warner and Jim Wilder in Rare Leadership: 4 Uncommon Habits of Increasing Trust, Joy, and Engagement in the People You Lead reminded me of many books we have read and what many leaders have endured through this time of Covid.[1] Often leadership comes down on how we choose to see and handle things. From…
By: Greg McMullen on September 24, 2023
Identity Fukuyama shares with us the problem with identifying only with those like us or in Christian vocabulary like minded. Fukuyama reminds us of the importance of sharing national beliefs, and a need to find a way to have an identity that supports our democracy instead of undermining it.[1] Francis Fukuyama is an internationally recognized…
By: Michael O'Neill on September 16, 2023
Simon P. Walker takes his readers on a journey of “undefendeness” and is a great sequel to his first book of this trilogy, Leading Out of Who You Are. Walker draws copiously from psychology and other ego patterns mentioned previously in his writings such as “shaping, defining, adapting, and defending.”[1] He interweaves secular and sacred…
By: Jonita Fair-Payton on September 15, 2023
Oxford I will honestly admit that I did not hold the fascination with Oxford that so many people have. I always perceived it as a place that I had little to no connection with. As my departure date grew closer, it seems as though my interaction with people that are completely enamored with Oxford strangely…
By: Jana Dluehosh on September 15, 2023
I’m not sure I am drawn to Nelson Mandela’s model of leadership because I am about to embark on Advance number 2 which brings up memories of South Africa, or if it’s because I really appreciate his style. I am drawn to consensual leadership as mentioned in Simon Walker’s book Leading with Nothing to Lose,…
By: Chad McSwain on September 15, 2023
“So, who sets the vision for this church? You or the congregation?” I was sitting with a prospective member when this question came up. It was the question that he really wanted to ask me. Just moments before, I had heard a story about how this person held a leadership position at their previous church…
By: Kally Elliott on September 15, 2023
In this sequel to “Leading Out of Who You Are” by Simon Walker, the author summarizes his second of three books, “Leading with Nothing to Lose,” by writing, “We will look at the key elements of power, the particular forces involved in any transaction. Then, having established the basic elements, we will go on to…
By: Dinka Utomo on September 14, 2023
Undefended leadership is about a kind of generous hospitality: a giving of ourselves to the world that transforms it, an opening-up of space in our lives in which the ‘other’ is welcomed and, indeed, utterly changed (Simon P. Walker) The allure of power resides in its capacity to influence others and fulfill personal desires. Possessing power…
By: Jenny Steinbrenner Hale on September 14, 2023
“If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.”[1] This was the verse around which our pastor focused his sermon this past week.[2] He said these words represent a lifestyle of caring about other human beings so much that we are willing to pour ourselves…
By: Jonita Fair-Payton on September 14, 2023
“Alexa, Stop!” Before I can write about AI and the applications of it to my studies, I must first talk about my Nemesis Alexa. I was an enthusiastic, early user of Alexa. I was completely captivated by the idea of having her respond on command. I bought an Echo Dot for every room in the…
By: Jenny Dooley on September 14, 2023
For years I dreamed of pursuing a doctorate. I considered social work, psychology, ministry, missiology, and even Southeast Asian studies. I secretly hoped to become a docent at the Asian Civilizations Museum in Singapore. Needless to say, I am surprised by my choice and surprised by leadership. In Leading with Nothing to Lose: Training in…
By: Todd E Henley on September 14, 2023
As I read Walker’s book two verses kept burning in my heart. With every page chills went up and down my spine. The verses below screamed off nearly every page. “Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been…
By: Sara Taylor Lattimore on September 14, 2023
“Before change comes stillness.” (145) In our busy world we hold in high regard anyone who looks like they are busy to be still is the equivalent of a curse word. Even when someone says to you I wish I could just sit for a moment , be still in silence for a moment, in…
By: Jonita Fair-Payton on September 14, 2023
I had a plan for my Summer. It included many trips to the beach, a quest to find the best breakfast taco (my favorite food), a moderate amount of Uber driving for my children, leisurely reading for a book club that I joined (friends from high school), drinking frozen beverages and having my age-appropriate version…
By: Esther Edwards on September 14, 2023
With leadership books and theories in plentiful abundance, Simon P. Walker takes the subject and draws yet another angle that causes one to take a step back and evaluate self and leadership. In his first book, Leading Out of Who You Are he defines the undefended leader. The undefended leader leads out of their own…
By: Pam Lau on September 14, 2023
A few weeks ago, Tremper Longman posted on his Facebook page about his relationship with Pastor Tim Keller with whom he shared a close friendship. Longman asked: Who will be (or is) the next winsome advocate for Christianity now? There are plenty of culture haters out there, but who will be those voices that try to love and…
By: Adam Harris on September 14, 2023
About a year ago, I taught a class on the book of Revelation from a historical-critical point of view. Weirdly, Simon Walker’s, Leading with Nothing to Lose, reminded me of some of the insights and discussions we had in there. I know this may seem like a weird connection, but this is how my brain…
By: Jean de Dieu Ndahiriwe on September 13, 2023
Introduction: I was born while my parents were going to Uganda as refugees after a Coup d’état in Rwanda in 1973. Habyarimana ruled Rwanda until his plane was blown to pieces in 1994, after which we saw the worst genocide. The genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda left a million innocent women, men, and children…
By: Cathy Glei on September 13, 2023
Leadership is often associated with power, control, and authority. However, what if true leadership emerged not from holding onto power, but from letting go of it? What if true leadership looked more like putting others first, turning the other cheek, washing the feet of the individuals on the team, being last, or laying down one’s…
