Thanks to Christian History Institute for letting me reprint this. If you get CHI’s daily emails about this day in Christian history, you won’t have missed the fact that the June 4 quote is from a very popular person around here lately—Francis Asbury. In it, he bemoans the state of religion in New England, at least as he saw it, on his first visit there on June 4, 1791: “We are now in Connecticut; and never out of sight of... Read more
Most people participate in some form of a team or group on a regular basis. This happens through recreation in the realm of sports and clubs. This happens on the job as people come together to get things done within organizations. Although you likely have been part of both groups and teams in the past, do you understand the difference? What are the key distinctions between a group and a team? Defining Teams Larson and LaFasto describe three basic characteristics... Read more
In this speedy world of words, leaders must learn how — and when — to use them, writes a Duke Divinity School New Testament scholar. This post was first published in Faith and Leadership. We are awash in words. Never before in the history of the human race have so many words been so widely thrown about and with such remarkable reach. The advent of the digital age began the age of words, words, words. Of the making of... Read more
Today most career counselors and well-meaning friends would respond to this question with: What are you good at? What do you love to do? What’s your personality type? Where do you want to live? What kind of lifestyle do you want? These are good, normal questions. Yet I have to wonder, are the goals of self-fulfillment and maximizing my personal potential the best way to think about a lifetime of work? These views are hardly uncommon. According to the... Read more
Faith, work, and economics integration is one of the most strategic things you can invest in as a pastor. We all spend more waking hours at work than in any other single activity, so to put that off to the side is beyond unstrategic; it seems like almost a dereliction of duty as pastors. That’s where people live and Jesus has a plan for that. I’ve found that by talking with people just once a month about integrating their faith... Read more
This post is reprinted from Marion Be The Change, a community development and advocacy organization in Marion, IN “aimed at giving those living in poverty a voice, while seeking tangible solutions to improve their lives.” The organization focuses on talking seriously with those in poverty to hear their own stories and suggestions. Check out some other organizations doing similar work in our community development forum last November, and stay tuned for more posts from MBTC from time to time. By... Read more
By Stephen Milliken Dress to impress, right? Whether in corporate culture or student affairs, the adage is about as ubiquitous as a collared shirt. While it is certainly prudent to understand the social implications and subtexts of what we wear, I suspect that there is a subtle psychological difference between dressing appropriately and dressing to impress. My fear is this: Within the workplace, that simple adage “dress to impress” is a means by which we perpetuate superficial criteria that judge... Read more
By Bill Peel “The best anti-poverty program is a job,” said President Obama at the recent Poverty Summit at Georgetown University. Overwhelming response on Twitter pushed #PovertySummit to a national trending topic. God created us to work. When we don’t work, we can’t flourish — much less eat and pay the rent. When people don’t work bad things happen. So, who creates jobs so people can work? Our friends at Institute for Faith, Work, and Economics posted an article about how extreme poverty has drastically decreased... Read more
Read the previous installments of our interview with Gloria Nelund, reprinted from Ethix: Defining financial success Helping the middle class Too big to fail? Technology Investments? How does the common sense work in today’s more complex world? How would a bank know that investing in Facebook would be a good idea, for example? I would say investing in technologies is a different thing. Technology investments are completely a venture play. They’re not a commercial-lending play. A small business that has... Read more
This is adapted from a sermon preached at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, Hazard, KY on June 28, 2015, on the lessons 2 Samuel 1:1, 17-27; Psalm 130; 2 Corinthians 8:7-15; Mark 5:21-43. Let me tell you a story. It takes place, or at least some of it does, over 200 years ago, in Pennsylvania, where a young African-American boy named Richard was a slave on a large farm owned by the Pennsylvania attorney general. At the age of seven his... Read more
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