DLGP

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

Dialogue to Build Up

By: on January 8, 2024

I first encountered the idea of Identity Politics in the Fall of 2023 when we read Francis Fukuyama’s book Identity: The Demand for Dignity and the Politics of Resentment. At the time, the concept of Identity Politics left me with a kind of hopeless feeling. That’s not to say that I saw no good in…

6 responses

I Wish That I Had Known This Earlier

By: on January 8, 2024

The last few months have been humbling as my rate of learning has increased. I am mentoring a young leader who introduced me to Obsidian in early 2023. I was intimidated at first but as I played with it, I grew to appreciate the ability to connect thoughts and ideas. I have a long way…

18 responses

Welcome to Leadership Bootcamp! Are you Ready?

By: on January 8, 2024

Someone recently asked me why I decided to begin a doctoral program when it seemed, at least in their eyes, completely unnecessary in my personal and professional life as a local church pastor. Since I had wrestled with that same question myself before beginning the program, I answered with a metaphor: I shared with them…

17 responses

How to avoid lighting your world on fire.

By: on January 8, 2024

The United States faced a political and cultural powder keg in 2020. One match that lit a national fuse was the viral video that showed the brutal arrest and death of George Floyd. In many places, racial tension that had been simmering for years instantly boiled over. Los Angeles was one of those places. John…

13 responses

Reading and FOMO

By: on January 8, 2024

One of my strengths and weaknesses is that I don’t particularly like leaving things unfinished. I would not consider myself a perfectionist, but leaving projects unfinished creates significant irritation. Consequently, although I have always engaged with reading, I have usually read books from beginning to end, just in case I am missing something. Fear of…

16 responses

What if Identity Synthesis is Part of Our Healing?

By: on January 8, 2024

Grief is complicated. There is an illustration of grief that looks like a giant ball of tangled string: one way in, a thousand tangles and loops, and finally, a way out. Years ago, someone I loved hurt me deeply. I was in great emotional pain but instead of feeling sad, I felt MAD. I was…

15 responses

Embrace Fragility to Become Antifragile

By: on December 11, 2023

“Some people just shouldn’t have kids.” This was something that I overheard in a conversation last year about how IVF(in-vitro fertilization) babies frequently end up in the NICU(neonatal intensive care unit). Their argument was simple, parents who “artificially” conceived were more likely to have fragile babies. By fragile, it was implied that these babies could…

6 responses

Antifragile

By: on December 10, 2023

“Antifragile: Things That Gain from Disorder” by Nassim Nicholas Taleb is an exploration of how systems, both natural and artificial, respond to different kinds of stressors. In this review of Talibs’s book, I will focus on Taleb’s perspective on stressors as sources of information and catalysts for improvement. Central to Taleb’s idea is the concept…

8 responses

The Outside Edge of the Inside

By: on December 10, 2023

Identity politics is a charged phrase these days. For some, it elicits a prideful response, for others a snicker or sneer. Regardless of whether one is a fan of identity politics, we all must acknowledge that we want to be valued for who we are. It is this desire for recognition and respect that Francis…

3 responses

Train Up A Child

By: on December 10, 2023

Nassim Taleb’s book Antifragile: Things that Gain from Disorder was a challenging read for me this past week, perhaps because it’s the end of the semester for both doctoral work and my job at school. I’m pressured to finish my assignments, give and grade semester exams myself, and so on. Then there is this very…

4 responses

Omnifragile

By: on December 9, 2023

Introduction In Nassim Nicholas Taleb’s (NNT) groundbreaking work, Antifragile: Things That Gain from Disorder, the author challenges traditional perspectives on resilience and introduces the concept of antifragility. Rooted in both financial expertise and philosophical insight, Taleb urges readers to view “volatility, randomness, and disorder,” not as threats but as opportunities for growth.[1] He opens his…

12 responses

“We Know the Best of Us Did Not Return”

By: on December 9, 2023

Controversy To say that Nassim Taleb’s book, Antifragile: Things That Gain From Disorder, is highly controversial is an understatement. Some have read his book and his prior two books, The Black Swan and Fooled by Randomness, and found Antifragile disappointing and sometimes contradictory to his earlier works. Then, a select group thinks he is “pretentious,…

12 responses

The Fragile Idea in Antifragile

By: on December 8, 2023

Much Too Delicate In a recent conversation concerning resilience, I offered a thought that I described as The Great Dilemma in Parenting, which is the tendency to protect our children from harm while we know that the difficult situations will make them mentally, emotionally and spiritually stronger. If you have ever wondered how to navigate…

13 responses

Let Oxford Be Oxford

By: on December 8, 2023

Introduction My journey towards academic success was far from typical. Growing up, my environment didn’t exactly celebrate intellectual prowess. Being too bright was perceived as distancing oneself from their roots, leading to a sense of alienation. You were often accused of “forgetting where you came from.” This greatly influenced my formative years as a young…

4 responses

UNYIELDING FORCE OF OPTIMISM

By: on December 7, 2023

Grandiose fantasies are a symptom of Resistance. They’re the sign of an amateur. The professional has learned that success, like happiness, comes as a by-product of work. -Steven Pressfield-     A piece of advice was given to me by one of the lecturers where I studied theology. The advice reads, “the best written work…

15 responses

The Head, The Heart, and the Space In Between

By: on December 7, 2023

Resistance, professionalism, and the Muse are main themes in Steven Pressfields the War of Art: Break through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles.  Pressfield takes a very easy way of writing to walk us through his own experience of resistance and how to press through this through professionalism and embracing the mystical idea…

8 responses

Not All Heroes Wear Capes…but Some Do

By: on December 7, 2023

Recently, I watched a clip of Rick Rubin, named “One of the Top 100 Most Influential People in the World” by Time magazine, discussing his philosophy and approach to art as well as his creative process. If you’re not familiar with Rick Rubin (not Santa Claus) you have probably heard some of the artists he…

12 responses

Why I Thought I Was an Artist and How I Was Wrong

By: on December 7, 2023

When I was younger, I thought of myself as an artist. I loved drawing and writing, spending my summers at art camps and evenings in art classes. My high school was even focused on the arts. But around the age of 16, I started to see things differently. I got into photography and wrote for…

14 responses