By: Shonell Dillon on April 25, 2023
Factfulness Eight out of ten of my clients may be working on changing negative thoughts during my weekly sessions. Their anxious feelings have overwhelmed them and taken over their thinking process. How did this happen? NIMH (National Institute of Mental Health) says that both genetic and environmental factors contribute to these feelings of fear, worry,…
By: Chad McSwain on April 25, 2023
I am one of those people who can be inspired merely by the statistics. Which is the point that Hans Rolling is making with his seminal book, Factfulness[1]. It is a book all about challenging how we view the world through faulty perceptions that lead to wrong, pessimistic conclusions about the state we are in…
By: Becca Hald on April 25, 2023
Megachurch Introduces Frequent Tither Rewards Card “NASHVILLE, TN – In a bid to increase giving ahead of the organization’s upcoming $40 million sanctuary expansion, local megachurch LifeJourney Church announced Monday its new frequent tither rewards card, as part of a program designed to incentivize more regular giving to the church.”[1] The title is meant to…
By: Esther Edwards on April 24, 2023
The premise of Greg Satell’s book “Cascades” is clear and simple: “Small groups, loosely connected, but united by a common purpose” can cause a monumental cascade of change.[1] Satell surmises that power is no longer in the hands of the top hierarchies but in the center of networks.[2] Satell parades an array of examples throughout…
By: Becca Hald on April 24, 2023
Vincent J. Miller depicts the commodification of religion in his book Consuming Religion: Christian Faith and Practice in a Consumer Culture. In a blog review of this book, pastor W. David O. Taylor writes, “The short version of his thesis is this: the problem with a so-called consumer culture does not, ultimately, lie at the…
By: Jennifer Vernam on April 24, 2023
It’s the end of the term and, like the rest of you, my brain is tired. When my brain is tired, I start to revert to what is familiar. So as I was reading Cascades[1] I found myself wanting to anchor the material to an area with which I am already familiar. I will take…
By: Alana Hayes on April 24, 2023
Karl Polanyi’s 1944 book “The Great Transformation: The Political and Economic Origins of Our Time” is considered a classic work of economic history… Polanyi argues in this book that the rise of the market economy in nineteenth-century Europe was a deeply political and social process that required significant state intervention, and that the market-led transformation…
By: Tonette Kellett on April 24, 2023
This week’s book was Factfulness written by Hans Rosling. It was an unusual read and I enjoyed it. The author puts forth ten instincts that we as human beings tend to hold as true problems in the world. Each instinct is dramatic and negative. Then he offers factual solutions for these problems. Thus the title…
By: Jonita Fair-Payton on April 24, 2023
I read the title and instantly envisioned a beautiful waterfall with water cascading down the side of a breathtaking rock formation. I could almost hear it. That image brought forth an image of a tropical paradise. I think it might be pretty common to summon this peaceful image at the end of a very challenging…
By: Laura Fleetwood on April 24, 2023
“Leadership is a process whereby an individual influences a group of individuals to achieve a common goal.” [1] This simple definition of leadership is how Northouse introduces his book by the same name, yet as this book proves, effective leadership is anything but simple. Leadership by Northouse is a comprehensive exploration of the theory and…
By: John Fehlen on April 24, 2023
“Whether you are an activist advocating for social and political change, a manager leading an organization, or a leader looking to shape an entire society, the need to create interconnectivity and interdependence remains essential” (Satell, 35). I’m writing this particular blog post on the three year anniversary of the day I made the difficult decision (along…
By: Daron George on April 24, 2023
Introduction: The relationship between religion and capitalism has been a subject of significant scholarly interest as researchers seek to understand how religious beliefs and practices intersect with economic and social systems. This blog will compare and contrast two important works that examine this relationship: “Consuming Religion” by Vincent J. Miller and Chapter 6 of “Evangelicalism…
By: Jenny Dooley on April 24, 2023
One of the main reasons I am in this doctoral program is because I have a vision for tomorrow. My days of full-time missionary service may be over. I hope not. I have had a vision of coming along side and supporting ministry leaders in our family of churches for a while. Something feels unfinished.…
By: Kim Sanford on April 24, 2023
They say a picture is worth a thousand words, and this book certainly paints an inspiring picture. It’s encouraging to think of leveraging the unseen networks all around us to bring real transformation. Using numerous real-life examples, Greg Satell explains how “small groups, loosely connected, but united by a common purpose… grow as the density…
By: Becca Hald on April 23, 2023
I stared at the paper blankly trying to think. The question should not have been a hard one. “Name three positive attributes.” I was at a psychiatrist office with my teenage son filling out paperwork to get services started. I had no trouble listing negative behaviors. Why did it take me so long to list…
By: Laura Fleetwood on April 23, 2023
Trauma is an urgent public health issue and one that Dr. Bessel van der Kolk has dedicated his career to addressing. In The Body Keeps the Score, van der Kolk describes his intent for this book “to serve as both a guide and an invitation—an invitation to dedicate ourselves to facing the reality of trauma,…
By: Alana Hayes on April 23, 2023
Evangelicalism in Modern Britain by D.W. Bebbington Evangelicalism has been at the heart of British society for generations, but its impact, and even its fundamental definition, has shifted in recent decades. D.W. Bebbington’s work “Evangelicalism in Modern Britain” details this intriguing trip. He contends that Evangelicalism’s purpose and character have evolved from an inward concentration…
By: Laura Fleetwood on April 23, 2023
On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King and The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles by Steven Pressfield are two books that are essential reading for anyone who wants to become a better writer or to get the most out of their creative endeavors. Both…
By: Alana Hayes on April 23, 2023
Max Weber’s work The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism was published in 1905. Weber investigates the relationship between religious ideals and economic development in Western Europe in his book. He believed that Calvinism, with its focus on hard work, delayed gratification, and worldly success, played a significant role in the creation of modern…
By: Chad McSwain on April 23, 2023
Trauma is Prevalent “I think this man is suffering from memories.” This paraphrase of Sigmund Freud was used by Dr. Bessel Van Der Kolk upon hearing the story of the unique and misdiagnosed symptoms of a war veteran.[1] This quote is quite poignant when it comes to the conversations around trauma and its presence in…
