Kristia Wickstrom |
October 11, 2019 |
Pastor Spouse Connection
Some people like to unwind and relax by watching birds. Ever since I was a young child, I have had a very real fear of birds, Ornithophobia. This stems from numerous events including everything from an unfortunate incident on a family vacation (I thought rain was...
Michael Blue |
October 8, 2019 |
Blog Thrive in 5
Education & Clergy Development welcomes Michael Blue as the new contributor to the financial domain of clergy care for Thrive in 5. Michael serves as the executive director and general counsel for The Ron Blue Institute for Financial Planning. The Ron Blue...
Dr. Toddy Holeman |
September 25, 2019 |
Blog Education & Clergy Development Thrive in 5
How many times in your intimate relationships have your best problem-solving skills failed? Your problem may not be poor implementation as much as it might be implementing the wrong strategy for managing certain types of conflicts. Relationship experts Drs....
Jessica White |
September 17, 2019 |
Blog Education & Clergy Development
Dean of Houghton College Online purposes to create opportunities for more students to experience Houghton Houghton College’s residential campus in upstate New York is a close-knit environment where students experience transformative learning in classrooms and in...
Gabriela Garver |
September 13, 2019 |
Blog Education & Clergy Development Pastor Spouse Connection Thriving Clergy
Kiley Skor, a pastor as well as pastor’s spouse, tells the story of how she stepped into her calling Kiley Skor once considered herself “a great second and the world’s most overqualified volunteer.” As a pastor’s wife with a love for worship ministry, she thought she...
Jordan Loman |
September 12, 2019 |
Pastor Spouse Connection
In the Midst of church planting – Next week will celebrate 2 years as a church plant. The last two years feel like they have made up most of our lives. There is a small piece of me that realizes the comical truth in that statement, being that we are very young,...
Linda Gist |
September 10, 2019 |
Blog Education & Clergy Development Thrive in 5
Thrive in 5 – Spiritual Dallas Willard’s writings are among the most significant in recent years for helping us learn about the transformational process of becoming more like Christ. As pastors who are leading others, we need to be intentional about engaging the...
David B. Lewis |
August 27, 2019 |
Blog Education & Clergy Development Thrive in 5
The Necessity of Rest and Sleep Four key components for physical well-being include: proper nutrition, consistent quality exercise, spiritual vitality (yes, our spiritual health directly influences our physical well-being) and sufficient rest/sleep. We will focus on...
Dr. David Drury |
August 15, 2019 |
Blog Thrive in 5
Challenging My Ministry Mind As a pastor, you know the importance of continuing to learn and grow in your leadership. Our world is changing fast, and we need to challenge our thinking and keep it sharp. In this “Thrive in Five,” David Drury, pastor and chief of staff...
Jennifer Richardson |
August 14, 2019 |
Pastor Spouse Connection
Today is my fifteenth anniversary. And instead of cruising through a blue Caribbean sea, or driving through the sparkle of big city lights, we are spending it staying still. Living with my parents. Almost all of our worldly possessions are in a storage unit ten...
Jerolyn Bogear |
August 1, 2019 |
Blog Emotionally Healthy Leader Thriving Clergy
Tom, a local church pastor, was struggling with how to lead his board well. He would present his vision and some ideas, but they never seemed to take ownership and join Tom on the journey to reach those goals. He’d tried several different approaches, but now he felt...
Jessica White |
July 29, 2019 |
Blog Education & Clergy Development
When asked to sum up his goal as a professor at Oklahoma Wesleyan University, Mark Shannon, assistant professor of leadership and management, simply said, “My goal is to help all my ‘Sams.’” That answer necessitated the follow-up question of, “Who is Sam?” Sam is the...
Sarah Linder |
July 29, 2019 |
Blog Education & Clergy Development
Brian Webb, sustainability coordinator at Houghton College, wants “to leave the world a better place.” Webb’s responsibilities as sustainability coordinator include student engagement with events, meetings and seminars that focus on campus energy use and how to...
Jessica White |
July 19, 2019 |
Blog Education & Clergy Development
SWU University Singers witness 18,000+ military persons make commitments to Christ “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus...
Jessica White |
July 18, 2019 |
Blog Education & Clergy Development
Rev. Dr. Lenny Luchetti came to Wesley Seminary as a full-time faculty member in 2009, the seminary’s first year of existence. Currently, he is responsible for the development and teaching of the doctoral and masters level preaching courses offered by the seminary....
Sarah Linder |
July 18, 2019 |
Blog Education & Clergy Development
As an assistant professor of religion at Southern Wesleyan University (SWU), Andrea Summers walks a delicate balance of supporting and challenging each student who enters her classroom. Summers enjoys teaching students and having informed dialogue. But her favorite...
Jessica White |
July 18, 2019 |
Blog Education & Clergy Development
Once per year, College Wesleyan Church in Marion, Indiana, celebrates World Communion Sunday by inviting congregants from a variety of cultural backgrounds to serve communion in their native languages. Nuk Kongkaw attends College Wesleyan and over the past few years...
Jessica White |
July 18, 2019 |
Blog Education & Clergy Development Featured Blog
For Elyse Garverick, “family” always included her church family. Growing up as a pastor’s kid at Northridge Wesleyan Church in Dayton, Ohio, church was home and the congregation was family. Now as an adult, Garverick has again found her family at church. “Growing up...
Dr. Virginia Holeman |
July 2, 2019 |
Blog Education & Clergy Development Thrive in 5 Thriving Clergy
Self-justification Do you own a yahbut? No, this is not a new designer-dog breed. It is a common mutt. Self-justification is a common human tendency. Psychology refers to the “yahbut” as self-justification. Think: “Yeah, but...
Dr. Toddy Holeman |
June 18, 2019 |
Blog Education & Clergy Development Thrive in 5
Contempt is the corrosive acid in any relationship. Relationship experts, John and Julie Gottman, define contempt as verbal (e.g., name calling) and non-verbal communication (e.g., rolling your eyes at something your conversation partner says) that says, “You...
Jessica White |
June 17, 2019 |
Blog Education & Clergy Development
Americans are ranked as the loneliest people in the world. National surveys show the United States is in a loneliness epidemic. Despite being more connected through the internet, cell phones and social networking, loneliness is a real problem that can foster...
Linda Gist |
June 6, 2019 |
Blog Education & Clergy Development Thrive in 5
Thrive in 5 – Spiritual “What comes into our mind when we think about God is the most important thing about us … Were we able to extract from any man a complete answer to the question, ‘What comes into your mind when you think about God?’ we might predict with...
Sarah Linder |
June 4, 2019 |
Blog Education & Clergy Development
“Indiana Wesleyan University (IWU) has been my spiritual and intellectual home,” said Cassie Olson, a new IWU philosophy and theology graduate. Olson was introduced to IWU by a spiritual mentor who saw potential in her and began helping her prepare for college. Olson...
Jessica Sheets |
May 29, 2019 |
Pastor Spouse Connection
“Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another: “What! You too? I thought I was the only one.” ~ C. S. Lewis I am an extrovert. I like being around people and I thrive on conversations. I’ve been accused of smiling too much and,...
