Howard Schultz, with Joanne Gordon. Onward: How Starbucks Fought for Its Life without Losing Its Soul. Rodale, 2011. (350 pages) http://www.starbucks.com/onward — VIA — Lessons abstracted are ethereal and often lost. Lessons in stories are vivid, palpable, moving, and memorable. It is the latter which makes this book so engaging. Schultz provides a surprisingly transparent… [Read more…]
May 20, 2012
Christian Smith. The Bible Made Impossible: Why Biblicism Is Not a Truly Evangelical Reading of Scripture. Brazos Press, 2011 (220 pages) Other reviews: Experimental Theology blog; Rachel Held Evans blog; The Gospel Coalition; Reformation 21; Theoblogy (Tony Jones) – The Ailment, The Cure, The Fatal Flaw Introduction My contention here is that the American evangelical… [Read more…]
May 17, 2012
http://praythedevilbacktohell.com/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pray_the_Devil_Back_to_Hell Liberia, a West African country of 3 million people, was founded in 1847 by freed American slaves. Their descendants formed an elite class which dominated indigenous ethnic groups for more than a century. Rising tensions finally erupted into civil war in 1989. From then on, Liberians suffered a prolonged period of violence. At… [Read more…]
May 6, 2012
Community Discussion Guide. http://www.waitingforsuperman.com/action/. — VIA — The Community Discussion Guide includes a whole host of resources such as websites, organizations, definitions, FAQ’s, and guidance for how to take action. The film does a good job highlighting and dramatizing the reality, but offers little in tangible “next-steps,” a reason to download and read the document… [Read more…]
May 6, 2012
Jerry Coyne. Why Evolution Is True. Penguin, 2009. (282 pages) Preface …while the Dover trial is an American story, creationism isn’t a uniquely American problem. Creationists — who aren’t necessarily Christians — are establishing footholds in other parts of the world, especially the United Kingdom, Australia, and Turkey. The battle for evolution seems never-ending. And… [Read more…]
May 4, 2012
Published: October 2011 Beautiful Brains Moody. Impulsive. Maddening. Why do teenagers act the way they do? Viewed through the eyes of evolution, their most exasperating traits may be the key to success as adults. By David Dobbs, National Geographic Although you know your teenager takes some chances, it can be a shock to hear about… [Read more…]
April 29, 2012
Bart Ehrman. Did Jesus Exist? The Historical Argument for Jesus of Nazareth. HarperOne, 2012. (361 pages) [many thanks to Janelle for our copy!] Introduction When mythicists use the term [myth] they often seem to mean simply a story that has no historical basis, a history-like narrative that in fact did not happen. (3) What I… [Read more…]
April 19, 2012
There were several items in this article worth noting, and seriously considering. Making Education Brain Science April 13, 2012 By JENNY ANDERSON LAST month, two kindergarten classes at the Blue School were hard at work doing what many kindergartners do: drawing. One group pursued a variation on the self-portrait. “That’s me thinking about my brain,”… [Read more…]
April 14, 2012
Suppose that two American friends are traveling together in Italy. They go to see Michelangelo’s “David,” and when they finally come face to face with the statue, they both freeze dead in their tracks. The first guy — we’ll call him Adam — is transfixed by the beauty of the perfect human form. The second… [Read more…]
April 12, 2012
Nicholas Kristof & Sheryl WuDunn. Half The Sky: Turning Oppression Into Opportunity For Women Worldwide. Vintage Books, 2009. (296 pages) www.halftheskymovement.org, www.facebook.com/kristof, https://www.facebook.com/halftheskymovement, http://twitter.com/nickkristof, — Review — The book reads much like one long New York Times article (or several stringed together), and is riveting, educational, inspiring, and evocative. My only regret is not reading… [Read more…]
April 9, 2012
Julie Clawson. The Hunger Games and the Gospel:Bread, Circuses, and the Kingdom of God. Patheos Press, 2012. (149 pages; 3930 Kindle locations) One Hand Clapping – Julie Clawson’s website Introduction: Let the Games Begin Although not explicitly “Christian” books, the themes explored in The Hunger Games are the same ones Christians have wrestled with since… [Read more…]
April 8, 2012
Marco Tempest: What I’d like to show you today is something in the way of an experiment. Today’s its debut. It’s a demonstration of augmented reality. And the visuals you’re about to see are not prerecorded. They are live and reacting to me in real time. I like to think of it as a kind… [Read more…]
April 8, 2012
So the type of magic I like, and I’m a magician, is a magic that uses technology to create illusions. So I would like to show you something I’ve been working on. It’s an application that I think will be useful for artists — multimedia artists in particular. It synchronizes videos across multiple screens of… [Read more…]
April 8, 2012
Just a moment ago, my daughter Rebecca texted me for good luck. Her text said, “Mom, you will rock.” I love this. Getting that text was like getting a hug. And so there you have it. I embody the central paradox. I’m a woman who loves getting texts who’s going to tell you that too… [Read more…]
March 27, 2012
The following article was too good to simply post on Facebook. I’ve highlighted my favorite lines that I believe are most telling to the human experience, elements of behavior and choice we should all pay attention to. March 24, 2012, 4:28 pm The Brain on Love By DIANE ACKERMAN A RELATIVELY new field, called interpersonal… [Read more…]
March 25, 2012
Lois Tverberg. Walking In The Dust of Rabbi Jesus: How the Jewish Words of Jesus Can Change Your Life. Zondervan, 2012. (239 pages) I. Hearing Our Rabbi’s Words With New Ears 1. Brushing Away the Dust of the Ages In just the past fifty years, we have seen more advances in biblical archaeology and in… [Read more…]
March 23, 2012
California Listening Tour Education Forums (in Partnership with StudentsFirst) [VIA: I have striven to be as accurate as possible in this summary. I take responsibility for any misrepresentions. The quotes that follow are not exact.] The main speaker was Michelle Rhee, introduced and hosted by her husband and Sacramento Mayor, Kevin Johnson. Michelle began by… [Read more…]
March 22, 2012
The Book, the Website, the Press, and the TED talk: When I was nine years old I went off to summer camp for the first time. And my mother packed me a suitcase full of books, which to me seemed like a perfectly natural thing to do. Because in my family, reading was the… [Read more…]
March 10, 2012
PBS POV project, “This Gay & Age” by Morgan Wilcock Watch This Gay and Age on PBS. See more from PBS Online Film Festival. Below are a couple quotes that highlight key elements of the discussion and debate.: Just ask yourself…if it’s true, that sexual orientation is innate and God-given, then what does it mean… [Read more…]
March 5, 2012
http://www.eji.org/eji/ | http://jjie.org/founder-of-equal-justice-initiative-greeted-standing-ovation-at-ted/76755 Bryan Stevenson spends most of his time in jails and prisons and on death row. He’s a lawyer, and the founder of the Equal Justice Initiative. So he’s found it very energizing at TED, and wanted to start by pointing out that there is a distinct identity here. Things said here have a power… [Read more…]
March 4, 2012
So that’s Johnny Depp, of course. And that’s Johnny Depp’s shoulder. And that’s Johnny Depp’s famous shoulder tattoo. Some of you might know that, in 1990, Depp got engaged to Winona Ryder, and he had tattooed on his right shoulder “Winona forever.” And then three years later — which in fairness, kind of is forever… [Read more…]
March 4, 2012
(Video) Announcer: Threats, in the wake of Bin Laden’s death, have spiked. Announcer Two: Famine in Somalia. Announcer Three: Police pepper spray. Announcer Four: Vicious cartels. Announcer Five: Caustic cruise lines. Announcer Six: Societal decay. Announcer Seven: 65 dead. Announcer Eight: Tsunami warning. Announcer Nine: Cyber-attacks. Multiple Announcers: Drug war. Mass destruction. Tornado. Recession. Default.… [Read more…]
March 4, 2012
Let me begin with four words that will provide the context for this week, four words that will come to define this century. Here they are: The Earth is full. It’s full of us, it’s full of our stuff, full of our waste, full of our demands. Yes, we are a brilliant and creative species,… [Read more…]
March 4, 2012
Eric Yaverbaum. Leadership Secrets of the World’s Most Successful CEOs: 100 Top Executives Reveal the Management Strategies that Made Their Companies Great. Dearborn Trade Publishing, 2004. (275 pages) 1. Gene A. Abbott: A good leader makes sure he is surrounded by the right people. Only through one’s willingness and dedication to give one’s self, and… [Read more…]
March 4, 2012
Pastor Sid Harms Oct 14, 1950 – Feb 21, 2012 Sunsets happen every day. There are some sunsets, however, that make you stop and stare. You cannot help but be captivated by its radiance and color. People stop driving. They pull over to the side of the road, pull out their cameras and take pictures.… [Read more…]
March 3, 2012
David Platt. Radical: Taking Back Your Faith From the American Dream. Multnomah, 2010. (230 pages) http://www.radicalthebook.com/ 1. Someone Worth Losing Everything For Jesus actually spurned the things that my church culture said were most important. So what was I to do? I found myself faced with two big questions (2) The first was simple. Was… [Read more…]
March 2, 2012
Gabriel García Márquez is one of my favorite writers, for his storytelling, but even more, I think, for the beauty and precision of his prose. And whether it’s the opening line from “One Hundred Years of Solitude” or the fantastical stream of consciousness in “Autumn of the Patriarch,” where the words rush by, page after… [Read more…]
February 29, 2012
The things we make have one supreme quality — they live longer than us. We perish, they survive; we have one life, they have many lives, and in each life they can mean different things. Which means that, while we all have one biography, they have many. I want this morning to talk about the… [Read more…]
February 29, 2012
http://beingelmo.com/ There were two specific sentiments that I was drawn to in this well done documentary. First: “This is too deep. It’s sort of like religion. It’s like another being, it’s like something deep inside of you.” – Kermit the Frog when asked about the role that Jim Henson plays in his life. When the… [Read more…]
February 26, 2012
A conversation with Richard Dawkins and Lawrence Krauss. 7pm | Saturday, Feb. 4, 2012 | ASU Gammage Auditorium http://richarddawkins.net/videos/644930-dawkins-krauss-discussion-from-asu-4-feb http://origins.asu.edu/ NOTES [I have striven to be completely accurate in the following transcription. I take full responsibility for any typos or misrepresenting punctuation or grammar.] Krauss: [Introductory remarks] Krauss: Now, the title for this evening is… [Read more…]
February 26, 2012
John Dickson. Humilitas: A Lost Key to Life, Love, and Leadership. Zondervan, 2011. (196 pages) INTRODUCTION | Humility and How I Achieved It CHAPTER 1 | Thesis: What Is Humility and Why Does It Matter? Learning history (and especially learning from it) is the ultimate exercise in democracy. By it you give a voice not… [Read more…]
February 25, 2012
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milk_%28film%29 Here is the closing line of the movie: If a bullet should enter my brain, let that bullet destroy every closet door… And that’s all. I ask for the movement to continue. Because it’s not about personal gain, not about ego, not about power… it’s about the “us’s” out there. Not only gays, but… [Read more…]
February 11, 2012
11:30 AM Thursday February 9, 2012 My highlights from the recent article in HBR: http://blogs.hbr.org/bregman/2012/02/how-to-start-the-big-project-y.html … Doing something big and important is rarely as simple as just getting it done. Often we don’t know how to start and, even when we do, we rarely already have all the knowledge and capability we need to see… [Read more…]
February 11, 2012
I want to start just by asking everyone in the audience a question. How many of you are completely comfortable calling yourselves a leader? See, I’ve asked that question all the way across the country, and everywhere I ask it, no matter where, there’s always a huge portion of the audience that won’t put up… [Read more…]
February 9, 2012
The most powerful device known to man: an idea. A single idea from the human mind; it can start a groundswell, a flashpoint for a movement, and it can rewrite the future. But, an idea is powerless if it stays inside of you. The only difference between an idea that is adopted and an idea… [Read more…]
February 6, 2012
Ada Yardeni. A-dventure-Z’: The Story of the Alphabet. Carta, 2003. (86 pages) The tracing of the consecutive phases in this formal evolution, from the common ancient signs to their forms in the different scripts, is possible thanks to the large number of ancient inscriptions and manuscripts discovered in the last two centuries, when archaeology became… [Read more…]
February 5, 2012
[additional graphic notes forthcoming] David Eagleman. Incognito: The Secret Lives of the Brain. Pantheon, 2011. (304 pages; 5809 locations) 1. There’s Someone In My Head, But It’s Not Me A vocalization seems ephemeral and ineffable: it is like opening a bag of feathers which scatter on the breeze and can never be retrieved. Voices are… [Read more…]
January 31, 2012
http://www.grassrootsfilms.com/thehumanexperience/ Grassroots Films, 2007 [PG-13] Amazon.com EXPERIENCE I: HOMELESS ON THE STREETS OF NEW YORK Find those things that make us human. It’s not the nature of life to be despairing. The nature of life is to be hopeful. Life is other people. It’s just that simple. If you view the other as a unique… [Read more…]
January 29, 2012
In his book What Technology Wants Kevin Kelly makes an argument that Technology is producing “Deep Progress.” Here is an excerpt from my notes and review: — But the steady stream of good things is relentless as well. …I think there is evidence that on average and over time, the new solutions outweigh the new… [Read more…]
January 29, 2012
John Maxwell. Leadership Gold: Lessons I’ve Learned from a Lifetime of Leading. Thomas Nelson, 2008. (256) Searching for Gold …everything rises and falls on leadership. (vii) …please understand that… 1. I’m still learning about leadership. 2. Many people have contributed to the leadership gold in this book. 3. What I’m teaching can be learned by… [Read more…]
January 28, 2012
Home: khanacademy.org Twitter: @khanacademy The Khan Academy is most known for its collection of videos, so before I go any further, let me show you a little bit of a montage. SK: We now have on the order of 2,200 videos covering everything from basic arithmetic all the way to vector calculus and some of… [Read more…]
January 23, 2012
Dennis N.T. Perkins. Leading at the Edge: Leadership Lessons from the Extraordinary Saga of Shackleton’s Antarctic Expedition. AMACOM, 2000. (268 pages) This path has led me to believe that the essence of leadership can be found in this ultimate crucible of human endeavor. I am convinced that by understanding the things that work when survival… [Read more…]
January 22, 2012
One of the most fascinating talks on religion and secularism, a programme of bringing both forward. My notes and review below. — NOTES — I would like to inaugurate a new way of being an atheist. PREMISE: Of course, there is no God. Of course, there are no deities or supernatural spirits or angels, etc.… [Read more…]
January 16, 2012
Michael Coogan. God and Sex: What the Bible Really Says. Twelve, 2010. (237 pages) — VIA — Full disclosure: I did not actually finish “reading” the book (a term I use to communicate that I have actually digested a book’s full content). Coogan does in this book what any author of a short survey of… [Read more…]
December 31, 2011
Jim Burns. Teenology: The Art of Raising Great Teenagers. Bethany House, 2010. (221 pages) http://www.homeword.com/teenology-raising-great-teenagers-p-60.html PART ONE: PARENTING TEENS TO BECOME RESPONSIBLE ADULTS 1. Who Is That Stranger in Your House It has been said that raising kids is part joy and part guerrilla warfare. (17) A dog trainer once told us that training your… [Read more…]
December 30, 2011
Abraham Joshua Heschel wrote, “The Greeks learned in order to comprehend. The Hebrews learned in order to revere. The modern man learns in order to use.” (God in Search of Man, 34) My blog is really not for blogging, but more for study, and many posts are in the Greek vein. This post is in… [Read more…]
December 28, 2011
Fred Rogers. The World According to Mister Rogers: Important Things to Remember. Family Communications, Inc., 2003. eBook Edition. (701 locations) — VIA — One of my heroes. This collection is simple, straightforward, frequently a gentle reminder, occasionally a poignant insight, and always kind, and loving; an expression of the very best of what humanity has… [Read more…]
December 21, 2011
Shane Hipps. The Hidden Power of Electronic Culture: How Media Shapes Faith, The Gospel, and Church. Zondervan, 2005 (176 pages) …every innovation is an amputation as well as an extension. – Brian McLaren (from the Forward) INTRODUCTION This is not a book intended to argue that the church needs to engage culture. Rather, it assumes… [Read more…]
November 27, 2011
Kevin Kelly. What Technology Wants. Viking, 2010. (405 pages). http://www.kk.org/books/what-technology-wants.php. Video: http://www.qideas.org/video/what-technology-wants.aspx 1. My Question Should we allow human cloning? Is constant texting making our kids dumb? Do we want automobiles to park themselves? But as my quest evolved, I realized that if we want to find satisfying answers to those questions, we first need… [Read more…]
November 25, 2011
Scot McKnight. The King Jesus Gospel: The Original Good News Revisited. Zondervan, 2011. (184 pages) FOREWORD BY N.T. WRIGHT The Christian faith is kaleidoscopic, and most of us are color-blind. (11) We ought to welcome it if a musician plays new parts of the harmony to the tune we thought we knew. (11) “the gospel”… [Read more…]
November 7, 2011
John Walton. The Lost World of Genesis One: Ancient Cosmology and the Origins Debate. IVP Academic, 2009. (191 pages) Prologue It is regrettable that an account of such beauty has become such a bloodied battle-ground, but that is indeed the case. (5) In this book I have proposed a reading of Genesis that I believe… [Read more…]
October 23, 2011
Miramax, 2004. [G] As a part of their study of the Holocaust, the children of the Whitwell, TN Middle School try to collect 6 million paper clips representing the 6 million Jews killed by the Nazis. Beautiful. Several themes emerge in this movie that are worthy of note. And though the pace and tone of… [Read more…]
October 22, 2011
Short snippets of a random selection of young people does not a documentary make. I’m always thankful to be educated and exposed to various aspects of life and culture. And to a certain degree, this film accomplishes that. Some stories prompted me to feel proud and excited about the future. Others, a bit fearful. However,… [Read more…]
October 22, 2011
Kinnaman, David. You Lost Me: Why Young Christians Are Leaving Church… And Rethinking Faith. Baker Books, 2011. (254 pages) http://youlostmebook.com/ You Lost Me, Explained You Lost Me, is about young insiders. At its heart are the irreverent, blunt, and often painful personal stories of young Christians–or other young adults who once thought of themselves as… [Read more…]
October 15, 2011
http://www.thestory.com/home [Disclosure: I'm preaching through this series with a church who has partnered with this campaign and had a brief cordial talk with Shelley Leith, the National Church Coach and Story Specialist, Western Region, at the NYWC, 2011. Thanks to Shelley for the dialogue. I hope my words here do justice to our conversation.] There… [Read more…]
October 15, 2011
Reggie Joiner & Carey Nieuwhof. Parenting Beyond Your Capacity: Connect Your Family to a Wider Community. David C. Cook, 2010. (199 pages) Every parent has a set of limitations. As you read these pages we hope you will learn to look beyond your limitations and embrace a set of principles that will help you influence… [Read more…]
October 13, 2011
Apple has announced it’s new voice controlled “personal assistant” for the new iPhone 4S saying,… A lot of devices can recognize the words you say. But the ability to understand what you mean, and act on it; that’s the breakthrough with Siri. - Scott Forstall The parallels with hermeneutics seem profound. A lot of Bible… [Read more…]
September 30, 2011
Nahum Sarna. Understanding Genesis: The World of the Bible in the Light of History. Schocken Books, 1966. Introduction …the very concept of a Canon of Scripture, of a fixed corpus of sacred books, implies a long process of selection and rejection from among a host of candidates. (xvii) Until the Hellenization of the East, it… [Read more…]
September 18, 2011
http://thehelpmovie.com/us/#s=home My favorite movies of this genre are based on true stories (“Remember the Titans,” “Malcom X” and “Amistad” come to mind). However, I will add this film to my list of recommendations for it really is a wonderfully depicted story of the hardships during the Civil Rights era through “a lens less viewed”. While… [Read more…]
September 17, 2011
Peter Drucker. The Effective Executive. Butterworth-Heinemann, 2007. (167 pages) Forward by Jim Collins …replace the quest for success with the quest for contribution. The critical question is not, ‘How can you achieve?’ but ‘What can you contribute?’ (x) Drucker’s own contribution was not a single idea, but rather an entire body of work that has… [Read more…]
September 15, 2011
J. R. Daniel Kirk has written an open letter to students of the New Testament. I thought it well done and important, and in some ways, according to the comments, enlightening to the kinds of assumptions and attitudes that people have towards seminary, higher education, and Biblical studies. It is duplicated below with my underlines… [Read more…]
September 15, 2011
Andy Thomson’s talk, ‘Why We Believe in Gods,’ given at the American Atheist 2009 convention in Atlanta, Georgia: — VIA — The discussion of science and religion continues to the arenas of neurobiology. I appreciate Thomson’s work, his careful attention to the studies, and the references to good scientific work. I consider this to be… [Read more…]
September 5, 2011
Jim Belcher. Deep Church: A Third Way Beyond Emerging and Traditional. IVP, 2009. (233 pages) This book is written for those who are caught in between [emergent & traditional]. They are unhappy with the present state of the evangelical church but are not sure where to turn for an answer. (13) …this book is written… [Read more…]
September 4, 2011
At HIP, we believe everyone has the potential to transform the private virtue of compassion into the civic virtue of heroic action, and we are dedicated to helping individuals internalize and express their ‘heroic imagination’ in service to humanity. Phil Zimbardo and the Heroic Imagination Project: TED Blog exclusive video. http://heroicimagination.org/ My new mission in life… [Read more…]
September 3, 2011
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/knew/ “…the old-timers have seen it all before.” “Don’t kill your mavericks. They might save your life one day. And they’re the ones with all the great ideas. So try and take care of them. John was a maverick. A brilliant maverick.” August, 2011, John O’Neill leaves the FBI. September, 2011, John O’Neil, chief of… [Read more…]
August 14, 2011
During the Leadership Summit at Willow Creek, the following announcement was made: There are dozens of lessons to be learned here — transparency, integrity, honesty, communication, respect, trust, love, etc. Adam Hamilton wrote a thoughtful response in the Huffington Post, and there are plenty others. But as I have mused and read about this, there… [Read more…]
August 14, 2011
http://www.fallfromgracemovie.net/ Baltimore Sun (12/4/2007) The Hollywood Reporter (12/3/2007) Kansas City Star Review (9/14/2007) Variety Review (6/26/2007) Director, K. Ryan Jones named Emerging Artist of 2007 by Kansas City Star (4/29/2007) eFilmCritic Review Lawrence Journal-World: “Southern audiences react to KU filmmaker’s ‘Fall from Grace’” (3/16/2007) Austin Chronicle Review (3/16/2007) Cinematical Review (3/13/2007) Austin Chronicle: “Looking More… [Read more…]
August 14, 2011
Discovery Channel’s page. Regarding the solar eclipse, the vikings believed that “skoll,” the wolf god would “eat the sun.” Without a scientific explanation imagine how disturbing it would have been to see the sun vanish. The vikings then responded through some sort of violent “scaring away” of the wolf, and believed it was them. They… [Read more…]
August 12, 2011
“I think the role of leaders at this time in history is to be curators of human talent. They need to learn how to cultivate, how to identify, how to nurture, how to develop and unleash the God-given potential in every person.” — live notes — I’m convinced that one of our greatest challenges is… [Read more…]
August 12, 2011
— live notes — People need to be reminded more than they need to be instructed. – Samuel Johnson Getting Naked is about The power of Vulnerability. Definition of vulnerable capable of being physically or emotionally wounded open to attack or damage liable to increased penalties but entitled to increased bonuses after winning a game… [Read more…]
August 12, 2011
“Mistakes of execution are rarely as damaging to any organization as a refusal to concede mistakes. Apologize to those affected and redress the issue with generosity and haste.” — live notes — Leading up to the Summit, I’m struck with the reality that I’m going to be the guy that is going to talk on… [Read more…]
August 12, 2011
“No matter what ‘potential’ someone has, or what talents, brains, or opportunities they possess, unless they also have the character to bring it all to fruition, success rarely happens. Who you are really, truly matters.” — live notes — It’s not long into a consulting session when the issue of “this guy” comes up. “This… [Read more…]
August 12, 2011
“How can we have an education system where 95% of the adults think we’re doing an excellent job, when, in reality, we are only producing an 8% proficiency in math?” — live notes — Clips from “Waiting for Superman.“ Our theory of change was really to focus on human capital. We needed to ensure that… [Read more…]
August 12, 2011
“When you love somebody, you live it.” — live notes — …with Pastor Stephen Sundar and Bill Hybels We all love “rags to riches stories.” But if we’re not careful, we will begin to think that everything should build and grow, up and to the right. But what if God called certain leaders to lead… [Read more…]
August 11, 2011
“I’m out to activate your audacious faith – to inspire you to ask God for the impossible. And in the process, to reconnect you with your God-sized purpose and potential.” — live notes — One thing I do feel that I’m an expert at, is being dumb enough to believe God can do anything. I… [Read more…]
August 11, 2011
“Artists are people with a genius for finding a new answer, a new connection, or a new way of getting things done. That would be you.” — live notes — Someone here today, is going to change everything, because they decided to, and because it’s important. In general, our society is built on “more!” I… [Read more…]
August 11, 2011
“This generation is multi-racial, global, and relational – we must understand and respect this if we are going to reach them with the gospel.” — live notes — A “catalytic event/moment” is a “game changer.” Who could have expected that these young leaders could have created a revolution (Tunisa, Egypt, etc.). They are developing a… [Read more…]
August 11, 2011
“While we are a coffee company at heart, Starbucks provides much more than the best cup of coffee – we offer a community gathering place where people come together to connect and discover new things.” — SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT — This session has been canceled due to a petition. See Christianity Today’s article, WGNtv.com, change.org, First,… [Read more…]
August 11, 2011
“Stand in Newark and you see and feel the dynamic change, the power and potential, you see that the future of America is happening here.” — live notes — My father tells stories about what it means to stand up for something. You will always face in life, adversaries, that want to hate you, and… [Read more…]
August 11, 2011
“Entrepreneurs have a passion for discovering opportunities. Once they do, they act.” — live notes — 13 years ago, we asked, 1. Find out who your customers are, 2. Find out what they want, 3. Give it to them. Here, I want to talk about something different. In reference to the “From Here to There”… [Read more…]
August 11, 2011
“Whenever you see something going well – whenever light begins to chase back the darkness that threatens to engulf our world – look closely. There stands a leader who is holding that candle.” — introduction — “Swing hard or surrender your back.” | “Punch me in the face, I need it every 12 months.” |… [Read more…]
July 31, 2011
Brilliant, on so many levels. The entire article is copied below. July 30, 2011 Evangelicals Without Blowhards By NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF IN these polarized times, few words conjure as much distaste in liberal circles as “evangelical Christian.” That’s partly because evangelicals came to be associated over the last 25 years with blowhard scolds. When the… [Read more…]
July 15, 2011
http://www.dividedthemovie.com/#aboutlink [vimeo link] Divided is a very well produced independent film that communicates a critical message to the faith community (and to the secular community as well, really), that families truly are the most effective means through which children and young adults are raised (discipled). However, that really important message is so deeply clouded in… [Read more…]
July 4, 2011
Paul H. Wright. Understanding Biblical Kingdoms & Empires: An Introductory Atlas & Comparative View. Carta, 2010. (40 pages) On the Edge of Empire in a Land Between …the overall pattern in the historical record of the peoples of the ancient Near East and Mediterranean Basin portrays the Levant as a frontier of Empire: a bridge… [Read more…]
June 19, 2011
The 100 greatest non-fiction books After keen debate at the Guardian’s books desk, this is our list of the very best factual writing, organised by category, and then by date. The greatest non-fiction books live here … the British Museum Reading Room. Art The Shock of the New by Robert Hughes (1980) Hughes charts the… [Read more…]
June 11, 2011
Today, it was conferred upon me and my fellow students a Master’s Degree. I have admitted that my personal journey through seminary has been tainted by a begrudging attitude and my feelings are more of relief than they are of celebration. However, after 7 years of continuous movement and investment in a particular direction–by myself,… [Read more…]
June 7, 2011
James Kouzes and Barry Posner. The Truth About Leadership. Jossey-Bass, 2010. (197 pages) Introduction: What Everyone Wants to Know About Leadership Age made no difference. (xvi) In the middle of responding to an audience question one of us was saying, “I don’t know what you call something that’s been the same for twenty-five years, but…,”… [Read more…]
June 4, 2011
http://www.thegodmovie.com/. NR, 2005 Writing notes and a review for this film is somewhat,…uh,…paralyzing and, well, a bit insipid. So, I guess I won’t. If you want to read a review, see the Full Review by “Answering Infidels”, and the Christianity Today interview. In addition, Ben Witherington’s review of The Jesus Puzzle, and Taking the Jesus Puzzle… [Read more…]
June 4, 2011
Gary Hamel. Leading the Revolution. Harvard Business School, 2000. (331 pages) PREFACE …the most successful companies weren’t obsessed with their competitors; instead they were following the polestar of some truly noble aspiration. What counted was not so much how they positioned themselves against long-standing rivals, but how creatively they used their core competencies to create… [Read more…]
May 20, 2011
Every now and then a company comes along that speaks more to the human spirit rather than to the human urge. And every now and then we need to be inspired by its message and commitment. http://www.advertisingforhumanity.com/ Clear the room. Start with your employees. Your smart, wonderful employees. Get rid of Blake in the corner with… [Read more…]
April 30, 2011
Eldon Jay Epp. Junia: The First Woman Apostle. Fortress, 2005. (138 pages) FOREWORD: To begin with, most scholars now agree that Romans, in common with other early Christian texts, was written in a specific context and to address a specific set of issues or concerns. (IX) To put the point sharply: there is no Greek… [Read more…]
April 29, 2011
Philip B. Payne. Man and Woman, One in Christ: An Exegetical and Theological Study of Paul’s Letters. Zondervan, 2009. (511 pages) Let’s begin with the end: To the degree my thirty-six years of research on this topic has led me to understand correctly the message God intends to communicate through his Word, I pray that… [Read more…]
April 26, 2011
Being Wrong: Adventures in the Margin of Error. The present tense is where we live. … We all end up trapped in this bubble of feeling right about everything. I think this is a problem. Why is this a problem? Is it possible to step outside of this problem? Why do we get stuck in… [Read more…]
April 26, 2011
“Leaders can let you fail and yet not let you be a failure.” “I probably learned the most about relationships; that they are the sinews that hold a force together.” “A leader isn’t good because they’re right. They’re good because they’re willing to learn and to trust.”
April 1, 2011
Karl Giberson & Francis Collins. The Language of Science and Faith: Straight Answers to Genuine Questions. InterVarsity Press, 2011. (250 pages) http://biologos.org/blog/the-language-of-faith-and-science-a-brief-history/ God has provided two distinct, complementary and reliable revelations–the Bible and the natural world. (8) Introduction In the pages that follow we share this good news [that we do not have to make… [Read more…]
March 28, 2011
http://www.todieinjerusalem.com/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ayat_al-Akhras http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rachel_Levy To Die in Jerusalem follows Avigail Levy–Rachel’s mother–in her search for answers and reasons behind the suicide bombing of Palestinian Ayat al-Akhras that killed the two of them on March 29, 2002. While the primary narrative is through the Israeli experience, the producers did give voice to the Palestinian/Muslim perspective and contrasted… [Read more…]
March 20, 2011
[Thanks to Janelle for our "limited edition" copy! You are loved.] Rob Bell. Love Wins: A Book About Heaven, hell, and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived. HarperOne: 2011. (200 pages) First, the Press… Martin Bashir on the Paul Edwards Program afterwards: http://www.godandculture.com/ra/bashir_edwards.mp3 The March 12 interview in New York by Lisa Miller:… [Read more…]
March 18, 2011
http://www.lionsgate.com/religulous/ Religulous [R], 2008 — VIA — So, while some of my colleagues may be judgmentally inquisitive of me for watching this film, it seems good to me to understand life in its full…and yes, Bill Maher and Religulous must be taken into account as a part of the fullness of this life. To discount… [Read more…]
March 7, 2011
Friends of God. HBO home video, 2007. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/25/arts/television/25stan.html — VIA — Obviously things have changed quite a bit from 2007. Ted Haggard’s “fall from grace,” the death of Jerry Falwell, the election of President Obama being the key events. And there are many things that haven’t: Acquire the Fire’s tour schedule is full, pro-life rhetoric… [Read more…]
March 6, 2011
Schalom Ben-Chorin. Brother Jesus: The Nazarene through Jewish Eyes. University of Georgia Press, 2001. (252 pages) 1 The Figure of Jesus For me, the New Testament is certainly not holy scripture in the canonical sense. …it is a document that belongs to the history of Jewish faith and preserves much of relevance to the salvation… [Read more…]
May 30, 2012
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