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I just finished reading another book by Bill Hybels, Holy Discontent. Last week I finished When Leadership and Discipleship Collide, which I wrote about here. I wanted to include both books in my dissertation, at the last minute. As I said before, Hybels is one of my favorite writers/leaders. Not only is Holy Discontent an … Read more
A second thing struck me while listening to Mark on the road yesterday (read about the first thing in my last post). Also in Mark 10, there’s a story about Jesus healing a blind man, Bartimaeus (Mark 10.46-52). The phrase that especially caught my attention was Jesus’ statement upon hearing the blind man begging for … Read more
Joleen and I are splitting shifts this week between caring for, and spending time with, Ethan and working on our dissertations (defenses are just over three weeks away). I took yesterday afternoon and went to use the Wi-Fi Internet access at Wegmans. On the road to and from State College I listened to the last … Read more
Christ is risen! This is our first Easter together as a family. We began the weekend (Saturday) experiencing a little snow from a late season Alberta Clipper that passed through on Friday night. Ethan didn’t seem to be too overly excited about it, though. Also on Saturday, Ethan climbed the 16 steps from the first … Read more
One of my favorite writers/leaders is Bill Hybels, founding/senior pastor of Willow Creek Community Church (South Barrington, IL). Hybels has more than 30 years of leadership experience, and I am always inspired and challenged when I read his stuff. It’s no different after reading When Leadership and Discipleship Collide, a brief book with about 57 … Read more
During our first few weeks with Ethan, we’ve written a good bit about the challenges we’re facing with Ethan’s transition into our home. In the process, we’re also getting to know Ethan better and we’re discovering more of his personality. Joleen and I have been discussing some of our favorite things … Ethan’s smile as … Read more
In our dissertation work (at Asbury Theological Seminary), Joleen and I chose Appreciative Inquiry (AI) as the strategy for our field research (at the suggestion of our mentor, Dr. Russell West). AI, which grew out of Dr. David Cooperrider’s Ph.D. work in the 1980s, is a response to more traditional approaches that tend to focus … Read more
Two weeks ago, we posted that we had mailed the defense-ready drafts of our dissertations to our mentor, who delivered them to the doctor of ministry office on March 6 (after one last read-through). In the meantime, the editor at Asbury is currently editing them (they should be returned to us within the next few … Read more
Our busy weekend, which started with getting our tax returns completed at H&R Block Friday, continued Saturday with our annual Easter dinner with the Flaughs (Joleen’s step-dad’s family). This is always a big family gathering — Joleen’s mom and step-dad (Paul), Paul’s five sons and their families, plus Joleen and I, and new to the … Read more