Graduation season is upon us! It’s the time of year where grads reap the benefits of years of hard work – or so it seems. Here is our list of gifts you didn’t expect to get, but we think will mean more in the long run.
Slavery Still Exists. Here. Now. In Your City. Featuring Harmony Dust-Grillo, a social activist for women trapped in the sex industry. Learn what you can do to make a difference. Register online
Unless you’ve lived under a rock for most of your life, chances are such that you’ve been offended. Someone has said something or done something directly or indirectly that hurt you. Jeff and Dave are tackling this very issue in the third part of the Building A True Community series.
“Accept other believers who are weak in faith, and don’t argue with them about what they think is right or wrong.
For instance, one person believes it’s all right to eat anything. But another believer with a sensitive conscience will eat only vegetables. Those who feel free to eat anything must not look down on those who don’t. And those who don’t eat certain foods must not condemn those who do, for God has accepted them.
Who are you to condemn someone else’s servants? Their own master will judge whether they stand or fall. And with the Lord’s help, they will stand and receive his approval.
In the same way, some think one day is more holy than another day, while others think every day is alike. You should each be fully convinced that whichever day you choose is acceptable. Those who worship the Lord on a special day do it to honor him. Those who eat any kind of food do so to honor the Lord, since they give thanks to God before eating. And those who refuse to eat certain foods also want to please the Lord and give thanks to God.
For we don’t live for ourselves or die for ourselves. If we live, it’s to honor the Lord. And if we die, it’s to honor the Lord. So whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.
Christ died and rose again for this very purpose—to be Lord both of the living and of the dead.
So why do you condemn another believer? Why do you look down on another believer?
Remember, we will all stand before the judgment seat of God. For the Scriptures say, “‘As surely as I live,’ says the LORD, ‘every knee will bend to me, and every tongue will declare allegiance to God.’” Yes, each of us will give a personal account to God. So let’s stop condemning each other.
Decide instead to live in such a way that you will not cause another believer to stumble and fall.
I know and am convinced on the authority of the Lord Jesus that no food, in and of itself, is wrong to eat. But if someone believes it is wrong, then for that person it is wrong. And if another believer is distressed by what you eat, you are not acting in love if you eat it. Don’t let your eating ruin someone for whom Christ died. Then you will not be criticized for doing something you believe is good. For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of what we eat or drink, but of living a life of goodness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
If you serve Christ with this attitude, you will please God, and others will approve of you, too.
So then, let us aim for harmony in the church and try to build each other up. Don’t tear apart the work of God over what you eat. Remember, all foods are acceptable, but it is wrong to eat something if it makes another person stumble. It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything else if it might cause another believer to stumble. You may believe there’s nothing wrong with what you are doing, but keep it between yourself and God. Blessed are those who don’t feel guilty for doing something they have decided is right. But if you have doubts about whether or not you should eat something, you are sinning if you go ahead and do it.
For you are not following your convictions. If you do anything you believe is not right, you are sinning.”
10 Necessary Qualities for Building Community (source)
A faculty learning community is a faculty group engaging in activities that provide learning, development, and community. The following qualities guide the design and process of a faculty learning community:
Safety and Trust. In order for participants to connect with each other, there must be a sense of safety and trust. This is especially true as participants reveal weaknesses in their teaching or ignorance of teaching processes or literature.
Openness. In an atmosphere of openness, participants can feel free to share their thoughts and feelings without fear of retribution. For example, in the Community Using Difference to Enhance Teaching and Learning at Miami, participants were able to discuss ways that other participants or colleagues offend them.
Respect. In order to coalesce as a learning community, members need to feel that they are valued and respected as people. It is important for the university to acknowledge their participation and financially support community projects and attendance at related conferences.
Responsiveness. Members must respond respectfully to each other, and the facilitator(s) must respond quickly to their participants. The facilitation should welcome concerns and preferences, and when appropriate, share these with individuals and the community.
Collaboration. The importance of collaboration in consultation and group discussion on individual members’ projects and on achieving learning outcomes hinges on the group’s ability to work with and respond to each other. In addition to individual projects, joint projects and presentations should be welcomed.
Relevance. Learning outcomes are enhanced by relating the subject matter to the participants’ teaching, courses, scholarship, and life experiences. All participants should be encouraged to seek out and share teaching and other real-life examples to illustrate them.
Challenge. Expectations for the quality of outcomes should be high, engendering a sense of progress, scholarship, and accomplishment. Sessions should include, for example, those in which individuals share syllabi and report on their individual projects.
Enjoyment. Activities must include social opportunities to lighten up, bond, and should take place in invigorating environments. For example, a retreat can take place off campus at a nearby country inn, state park, historic site, or the like.
Esprit de Corps. Sharing individual and community outcomes with colleagues in the academy should generate pride and loyalty. For example, when the community makes a campus-wide presentation, participants strive to provide an excellent session.
Empowerment. A sense of empowerment is both a crucial element and a desired outcome of participation in a faculty learning community. In the construction of a transformative learning environment, the participants gain a new view of themselves and a new sense of confidence in their abilities. Faculty leave their year of participation with better courses and clearer understanding of themselves and their students. Key outcomes include scholarly teaching and contributions to the scholarship of teaching.
Thanks for listening. If you like it, share it! Feel free to leave some thoughts in the comments. -J
Building an atmosphere of mentoring involves the things we say and do. On this episode, Jeff and Dave discuss the opportunity mentors can use to “fire up” those around them. A great mentor is like a fire tender. They know how to make sure the fire doesn’t become destructive or flame out. Like a fire is dynamic, so is mentoring. There are ups that downs. There are times where the fire is steady and it doesn’t need more wood or oxygen. There are times when the fire needs more or less of those things depending on the situation.
One specific tool mentors use is their words. What we say, when we say it and how we say it matters. And we get to control the words we use! Listen in as Jeff and Dave continue this series of building an atmosphere of mentoring.
Become A Coach | One area that needs mentors is on our live coaching lines. Are you 18+? Want to give a young person a few hours a week simply by being online and available? Check out our coaching page to learn about becoming a coach with our partner, Groundwire.net.
The idea: Sabbath was given to us not just as a day of rest like many believe, but also as a day of relationship. This day was established to be one where families could intentionally instill value into one another. And they did this in some significant ways. Husbands would honor their wives in front of the group. By honoring, they would recommit their desire to love them and serve them. Maybe they would give gifts or do something that would show honor to them. Likewise, the parents would bless their kids. They would speak life over them, affirming them and their qualities or personal abilities.
Affirmation. Honor. Significant, meaningful time clear of distractions and “busyness”. These are the keys to making this day meaningful. What would happen if families used this example as a template for a couple hours 1 day a week? Would our family life be different today? Would communities be different? Will our country change?
How do we encourage as mentors?
Words. Affirm the truth and debunk myths or lies they believe about themselves or others. Genuine, honest feedback is valuable to anyone. It doesn’t mean you’ll always like what they have to say. But the last thing any of us need are more empty words or empty promises. Let’s raise the expectation that we can all be honest and truthful, even if it hurts me or the other person’s feelings. Let’s create a culture of honesty, honor, generosity, and humility.
No words. Active listening can be a greater encouragement to someone. Remember, not everyone coming to you with an issue is looking for you to solve it.
Acts of generosity. This is done in a variety of ways using our time, talent or treasure. Generous people are people you want to be around.
What other ways can you think of?
The difference between empty flattery and solid encouragement
If I didn’t know any better, it would be easy to believe that the only thing that mattered to Christians this week were some plain red cups.
News flash. Being a Christian is way more than plain red cups.
Our guest tonight is April Strom-Johnson. April has spent the majority of her adult life mentoring young men and women in their musical abilities as well as life. She has an incredible story and shares insight on what it means to love one another.
[Tweet “Love was never intended to have victims. -April Strom-Johnson #HNRTB”]
Penn Jillette is a renowned entertainer and illusionist. He’s also very vocal of his atheistic worldview. However, a few years back, he recorded this video, which has stuck with me through the years. We couldn’t have explained the mission of a Christian any better.
Burnout. The point of emotional emptiness. Is there a way to make it through life without giving up because of burnout? Creating emotional margin in your life is the first step. Jeff and Dave have some ideas and hope you will start to live with more to give.
When we are emotionally resilient, we can confront our problems with a sense of hope and power. -Richard Swenson, Margin: Restoring Emotional, Physical, Financial and Time Reserves to Overloaded Lives
[Tweet ” Life isn’t always smooth sailing. The bigger the upset, the more margin you need. #HNRTB “]
Emotional margin generally takes more time than physical or mental margin, but it should still be an important factor in what you undertake.
In the midst of it, I didn’t give myself emotional margin and tried to carry on as if nothing happened. That didn’t work, and I eventually shut down to essentials. And I didn’t handle those as well as I thought I did, either, which added to the stress and turmoil. Needless to say, none of my planned projects got done this summer.
Understand that there is a God and they are not Him.
Understand there is a plan and it is not theirs.
Understand that the real problem in life is sin and that I am the sinner and all I deal with are sinners and have the same problem and same solution.
Responded to God’s invitation and accept His gift of life offered through His son Jesus.
Understand that “time and chance” have more to do with success that skill, rhetoric and manipulation and that God is the one who controls the time and chance.
Abide with God, Delight in His Word
Desires to put flesh on the plans and desires of God.
Desires to be put in a position to make others successful.
Leadership is really not an arrangement, it is a relationship. It is about following God and what is right and doing so in public. It is about making those around us successful
Forgiveness plays a big part in maintaining strong emotional margin
Have you ever noticed how much stress you hold on to when you choose not to forgive someone? Unforgiveness, resentment, bitterness… these all wear away at our emotional health until we have expunged it all. Here is a simple assessment from Ron Edmondson to see whether you have some unforgiveness eroding at your emotional margin.
The first thought test.
When the first thought you have about them is not the injury they caused in your life you have probably extended forgiveness. You should be able to have normal thoughts about the person occasionally. Remember, you are dropping the right to get even — the grudge you held against them.
An opportunity to help them test.
Ask yourself: Would you help them if you knew they were in trouble and you had the ability? Most likely this is someone you once cared about — perhaps even loved. You would have assisted them if they needed help at one point. While I’m not suggesting you would subject yourself to abuse or further harm, or that you are obligated to help them, or even you should, but would you in your heart want to see them prosper or would you still want to see them come to harm? This is a huge test of forgiveness. CONTINUE READING
Bottom Line
You need emotional margin. If you find yourself worn out and feeling like you’re on the verge of burnout, the best thing you can do is to go to someone you know you can trust and share these feelings. We don’t get to that point by accident. In fact, many giving people will neglect their own self-care because they’re so caught up in the pressing matters of another’s life. Take 15 minutes every day to assess your emotional margin. Are you giving too much? Are you not pouring into relationships enough and withdrawing? Balance in life is a fleeting pursuit. Instead, make each day its own. Routine is good. Setting up your day with emotional margin is also wise.
