I heard a fascinating interview with David Owen, author of Green Metropolis, on Here on Earth: Radio Without Borders via the Ideas Network of Wisconsin Public Radio recently. He was making some very provocative comments about sustainable living and how urban centers can teach the entire country some things about true sustainability. Here are a …
A Word from St. Francis
I recently read this powerful statement from St. Francis of Assisi: "What I am before God, that I am." How often we think of ourselves in terms of what others' opinions are. The truth of our identity, however, is not in what any person thinks of us, whether parent, sibling, lover, friend, enemy, or stranger. …
Leadership – Meriwether Lewis
In a post from a couple of days ago, I recommended Stephen Ambrose’s book Undaunted Courage, which studies the life of Meriwether Lewis. Here is an extended excerpt from Ambrose on the sort of leader Meriwether Lewis was: How he led is no mystery. His techniques were time-honored. He knew his men. He saw to …
Undaunted Courage (Book Review)
As a Christian you are urged to read all sorts of Christian-y things. There is no end to the magazines and catalogs pushing for you to read books about spiritual disciplines, theology, church history, innovation in ministry methodology, and pastoral leadership. Now, there is nothing wrong with all of this material. In fact, I read …
The Power of the Starfish
I’ve been reading a very interesting book recently on the power of decentralization in organizations called The Starfish and the Spider by Ori Brafman and Rod A. Beckstrom. While examining a variety of business organizations from GM to eBay, this book makes a strong case for embracing the move to increasingly decentralized structures that engage …
Matthew Erickson 