By: David Beavis on January 15, 2023
Youth ministry was not the career path I desired. Though pastoring has been the dream since I was 18 years old, I rarely saw myself as a youth pastor. A senior pastor? Absolutely. Youth pastor? In the words of Moses, “Pardon your servant, Lord. Please send someone else.” To my surprise, I have served in…
By: Laura Fleetwood on January 14, 2023
I felt it early, even as a child. The bone deep desire for something more. Do the right thing. Get the good grades. Don’t cause waves. Control is my addiction and approval my vice. I am chasing, always chasing. Trying. Yearning. Wanting. Numbing. I live in bondage…to myself. The fatal flaw of humanity is a…
By: Dinka Utomo on January 13, 2023
A survey in 2018 showed that Indonesian reading interest was ranked 62nd in the world. [1] Somehow, I was not too surprised by that survey. Honestly, I seem to be one of the people mentioned in that survey. I do not hate books, but hard for me to put reading books as my top priority,…
By: Jana Dluehosh on January 13, 2023
“When the going gets rough, turn to inquiry and wonder”, is a guideline taught by Parker Palmer as one of many guidelines that promote a “circle of trust.”[1]. Trust is an important word for most of us. As I reflect on myself and this journey into the Doctorate world, I recognize the layers of trust…
By: Chad McSwain on January 13, 2023
It is with great delight that the authors of The Molecule of More deliver on their promise of revealing how a single chemical “will determine the fate of the human race.”[1] This single chemical is dopamine and it is getting its fair share of the attention in the media and popular works, and rightfully so,…
By: Noel Liemam on January 13, 2023
To start, I would say that these readings help me to gather my thoughts and to point me in the direction that I needed to go. In gathering myself to start this blogging is like trying to start a car with dead battery, but anyway I guess if I just start writing something I might…
By: Todd E Henley on January 13, 2023
Without critical thinking, how can we really live a meaningful life? We need this skill to self-reflect and justify our ways of life and opinions. Critical thinking provides us with the tools to evaluate ourselves in the way that we need to. Over the years I have done well at taking apart my life to…
By: Jonita Fair-Payton on January 13, 2023
I made a declaration on Tuesday morning, during incredible physical pain from new formed gallstones, that I’m DONE with hard things. I am not doing anything else that is hard for at least 6 months. I am only doing things, experiencing people, feeling emotions, sharing words, and listening in ways that are easy for me…
By: Kally Elliott on January 13, 2023
In middle school I wrote horrible lovesick poetry to boyfriends. In high school I spent late nights in the laundry room pecking away at my dad’s computer composing essays for my Honor’s Lit class. In college I received an A- on an essay on religious freedom. A few weeks later my would-be husband had to…
By: Jennifer Vernam on January 13, 2023
Over my lifetime, I can chart on my shelf the books that have given me inspiration, companionship and even healing. In years past, reading for me has been a refuge. As an adult I have discovered that I also enjoy writing, especially the process of editing. I find it immensely satisfying develop a text into…
By: Cathy Glei on January 13, 2023
As I type this post, what is most prevalent in my mind is “I hope I am writing this blog post correctly?” (Slight panic, just being honest). Some of you may relate. While trying something new is difficult, I am reminded of a quote, “Ask yourself if what you are doing today is getting you…
By: Jean de Dieu Ndahiriwe on January 13, 2023
Lieberman and Long’s book the Molecule of More, how a single Chemical in Your Brain Drives Love, Sex, and Creativity and will Determine the Fate of humans be a very interesting book that I will surely keep on the very important reading materials. Dopamine “the pleasure molecule,” as dubbed by scientists in 1997 after Katheleen…
By: Mary Kamau on January 12, 2023
The covid19 pandemic was as brutal as it was merciless in forcing everyone across the globe to change. Life became unpredictable as people lived in fear and uncertainty, not having a clue of what to expect or do. If change management is leadership, then everyone was forcibly conscripted into leadership to manage the most unpredictable…
By: Adam Harris on January 12, 2023
While wading through this week’s material on reading more intelligently, thinking more critically, and taking smarter notes, I was reminded of the idea, It’s better to dig a few deep wells, than hundreds of shallow ones. [1] I’ve run across a few versions of this saying over the years from spiritual leaders and yogi’s, and…
By: Travis Vaughn on January 12, 2023
My wife often tells me I should pick up more fiction. I agree with her, but for some reason I’ve had an aversion to such literature most of my adult life. Admittedly, I do occasionally pick up a novel by Cormac McCarthy, J.R. Tolkien, or J.K. Rowling, but the thought of doing more of that…
By: Jenny Dooley on January 12, 2023
I buy books. Lots of books! I bought How to Read a Book, by Mortimer J. Adler and Charles Van Doren, decades ago. I don’t recall having ever read it. I laughed at the realization of having packed, unpacked, and repacked a book I had never finished over the course of five international relocations. I…
By: Michael O'Neill on January 12, 2023
The Molecule of More by Daniel Z. Lieberman and Michael E. Long is a fascinating exploration of the role that dopamine plays in human behavior. This book focuses on how dopamine, also known as the “molecule of more,” impacts our lives from day-to-day decisions to large-scale societal trends and habits. Together they have created a…
By: Russell Chun on January 12, 2023
“Interessanterweise sind unsere beiden Autoren (Adler und Ahrens) Deutsche.” Translation: It is interesting to note that both our authors (Adler and Ahrens) are German. Part 1, Sönke Ahrens, How to take Smart Notes Grade: A Sönke Ahrens sparked my interest as many of his Smart Note taking points are “informed” as he says, by his…
By: Tonette Kellett on January 12, 2023
Introduction In the book, The Molecule of More, the authors wrote about dopamine and its effect on different areas of our lives and on society as a whole. [1] According to WebMD, dopamine is a type of neurotransmitter made by our bodies. [2] Our nervous system uses dopamine to send messages between our nerve cells.…
By: Jenny Steinbrenner Hale on January 12, 2023
As I Begin One of my goals this semester is to reduce the amount of time I spend preparing my blogs, in order to sharpen my communication skills and create a more balanced life and work routine. I am pushing myself to form and hone my ideas more quickly and to edit less. I find…
