When I first read the (paraphrased) quote of Gandhi, “Be the change you want to see in the world,” I didn’t understand what he was trying to tell me, the world, or anyone else. Today, after working with people who desperately want change in their lives, their families, community and the world, but refuse to [...]
The Book of Job: Lessons on Community Transformation
Posted on May 10, 2013 · Leave a Comment
Most of what we learn from Job focuses on dealing with pain and suffering, specifically undeserved pain and suffering. But much of the book involves Job’s interactions with his friends, so there must be lessons on community. And, because the story shows how Job is transformed in his thinking about God, I figure there is [...]
The Book of Job: Loss and Transformation
Posted on May 3, 2013 · Leave a Comment
We often hear of the patience of Job. But what stands out to me is his raw honesty and his relentless persistence to see and know God. He never claimed patience and in fact railed against the idea because of his immense suffering, not only physically but emotionally and spiritually. His story is found in [...]
The Power of Full Engagement: Personal Transformation at Work and Home
Posted on April 26, 2013 · Leave a Comment
In The Power of Full Engagement, Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz put forth the idea that “Energy, not time, is the fundamental currency of high performance.” Using this approach they help clients to successful engage with their work, largely by removing performance barriers. The book provides practical tips for making changes that lead to transformation. [...]
Two Old Women: Lessons on Personal and Community Transformation
Posted on April 19, 2013 · Leave a Comment
Two Old Women: An Alaskan Legend of Betrayal, Courage and Survival, a book written by Velma Wallis, illustrates the process of personal and community transformation in less than 200 pages. I found the lessons from the book to be transformative. Though I’ve never lived in the brutal climate of an Alaskan winter, I picked up [...]
How Personal Transformation Can Build Community: Insights from Jacob’s Reconciliation with Esau
Posted on April 10, 2013 ·
You can get a glimpse of how relationships can be restored and a sense of community can be established from the story of Jacob and his reconciliation with his brother Esau in Genesis. As Jacob nears home, he comes to understand the need to turn away from his old ways of scheming, deception, and manipulation; [...]
How Transformation Feels: Jacob’s Fear, Distress, and Restlessness
Posted on April 2, 2013 ·
“I didn’t sleep at all last night” is what I hear when I read the account of Jacob’s evening before reuniting with his brother Esau and his entrance into the promised land of God. Jacob’s story can be found in Genesis. He is conniving, manipulative, and deceitful; he marries into a family that is conniving, [...]
“The measure of the good that God is doing in our lives isn’t how we’re feeling about it, it’s how others are changed by it.” Bob Goff
