Young Tom would come to class with a hat pulled down over his eyes, and he never smiled. In and out of foster homes for many years, this young boy was very lonely and very angry. Mean to his classmates, belligerent, disruptive in class – he had no friends. When the Roots of Empathy Instructor… Continue reading The Bully and the Baby
Inside Out
“Make an impact”, “Realize your potential”, “Change the world”. Sometimes I get weary with all the striving and the pressure our students (and myself) face with trying to make a difference in the world. Is that what God intends? I get to be at a significant crossroads in people’s lives and help them discern what… Continue reading Inside Out
Learning How to Lead in New Ways
Q. What are the most significant challenges that Executive Leaders of church systems are currently facing? There are a multitude of things that the Executive Leaders of church denominations are dealing with, many of which are new to the American church. I would summarize the biggest issues in three ways. Pew Research titles one of… Continue reading Learning How to Lead in New Ways
Detectives of the Divine
My daughter called me in a panic one morning. Her car was acting weird, sliding sideways on the ice and snow, as she attempted to drive along a busy, backed up highway. At one point she couldn’t move at all, when someone offered to push her. Then someone else driving by noticed that her rear… Continue reading Detectives of the Divine
Friendship, Servanthood and Love
Sometimes when I think of obedience, I’m reminded of those schools for training dogs. Their obedience is won with treats and repetition. Who hasn’t at sometime been told not to ask questions, but just do it? Maybe in the military such unquestioned obedience is a virtue, but in all other relationships, it leaves a person… Continue reading Friendship, Servanthood and Love
The Brotherhood of the Towel
Famed conductor and music instructor Ben Zander starts his school year by announcing to the class that your grade for the year is an A. The one condition is that they write a letter now, dated May at the end of the class year. The letter must begin, Dear Mr. Zander, I got my A… Continue reading The Brotherhood of the Towel
The Elusive Spirit
The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” John 3:8 Snow leopards are one of the world’s rarest, most elusive and little studied large animals. They are generally… Continue reading The Elusive Spirit
Stampede Breakfast Video 2013
A Gentle Voice
They say most people would rather do the following than attend a family function with certain relatives: Be poked in the eye with a sharp stick (16%) Get a case of hemorrhoids (12%) Swallow a live bug (12%) Get audited by Revenue Canada (11%) Clean the toilet (9%) When it comes to conflict, silence or… Continue reading A Gentle Voice
Risk Valuing Others
“There can be no peacemaking or social work or anything else to improve our world unless we are convinced that the other is important.” Jean Vanier. One person who sees the value in another can alter that person’s life. I would like to be that person to someone just as I have needed someone like… Continue reading Risk Valuing Others