- We tookQuiz 1:
1)How did you make your decision about whether or not to take a donut?
2)What lesson was the donut exercise meant to illustrate?
3)List two of your top 5 strengths from survey
4)1-2 sentences that convinces the teacher you read the assigned reading for today
We did our first read of our second keynote Scripture: Philemon
Leadership Lesssons from Dancing Guy: Official transcript at http://sivers.org/ff -
Leadership Lesssons from Dancing Guy: Official transcript at http://sivers.org/ff
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---------------- Matrix: We watched first half-hour and made connections to Jesus and leadership. What do you remember (Most of the scenes below)
Matrix, Jesus, and leadership
part 1: white rabbit (click to view)
part 2: Neo meets Trinity
part 3: choose your pill:
part 4: waking from the dream:
part 5: immersion into the Matrix
:
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Here are the "field trip" stories I told today:
Until recently, the story students teased me about most was the time when Sonya uttered those words that no lovesmitten college student wants to hear:
Where does a guy go after hearing that? As a new Christian, how dis I respond/grieve/rebel/"backslide?"
I tell students this particular story at a particular place, so I can literally point, so they get the point and picture.
What do I do? (Historical present tense)? Devastated, I go across the street from campus to the grocery store (I point to the store) and buy a pack of cigarettes (50 cents?), and walk back to campus to climb to the roof of the seminary house.... and lie there and smoke!
And while students laugh with (at!) me as they envison this; , looking up what is now w the "patio" of Tim Neufeld's office), I can quickly append another story.
Years later, near same spot..
I point at the street where a girl jumped in my car and.... let's just say, made me an offer I could refuse.
Suffice to say this story affords a great chance/segue to talk about Jesus' temptations!
But now the story everyone wants to hear about is the following.
This story has just entered a second life, as recently the university finished a wonderful new m sign..
The official FPU Facebook page published this photo of it, comparing it (right) to the old sign from my day (left).
The only problem with the caption on the left is that, unlike it assumes, the sign did not look like this from 1962-1989/
That's my fault.
The sign was indeed there all that time.
But the cross you see on it was only on it for a few hours, and very few ever saw it.
Many heard all about it, though...
There's quite a story here.
In 1984, the college decided the school sign needed to be replaced.. An exploratory committee was put together to make proposals about what it should be made of, what it should include, etc
One of the early decisions that was released (leaked?) was that nowhere on any eventual new sign should there be anything "conspicuously Christian."
Now, one can understand reasons for that (particularly understanding the Mennonite Brethren tradition which sponsored the school has long been more concerned about quiet, humble, practical and radical discipleship and Christian action, rather than just words...and well, signs.
But that phrase tripped up some of us students.. especially new Christian like me.
We were a Christian school, why not let it be known?
.
So we came up with a plan.
A subversive one.
And right or wrong, we carried it out.
We would subvert the dominant paradigm...or at least convert the current sign.
I enjoy taking my current students to the scene of the crime, and telling the story.
Without telling anyone, we commissioned two of our number (not to mention any names: Mark Hill and Randy Richmond) to use their carpenter gifts and craftily craft a nice wooden cross.
One night we snuck out (in fatigues and camouflage, no less), eluded security ,,,and attached the cross to the sign.
In the morning, we posted signs in the cafeteria (Alumni Hall) saying "Have you seen the new sign? It's the work of the "Cross Committee'. We wanted to stir up conversation, and hopefully impetus to reverse the "nothing conspicuously Christian" decision.
We soon found ourselves mildly disciplined . and then brought into/dialogue with the administration. They seemed open to our concerns, and promised to consider them...
...as long as we didn't pull another prank, no matter how prophetic it was.
Several years later, as the college became a university, a new sign was added (including a Christian motto)
And then this year, an even newer and larger ...and conspicuous>..sign was constructed.
Note that at not one, but two places, a pretty conspicuous "founded in Christ" appears.
I have no idea if that had anything with the Cross Committee. of nearly three decades ago.
I's like to think so, but I doubt it.
Yes, I love the new sign!
So I I posted a photo of the new sign on my Facebook, and soon current and former students of mine..., as well as friends I went to college with, even members of the renegade Cross Committee....began teasing me afresh in the comments.
Graham Dyck, a member of the committee, even dug up and posted some photos (see them here) of our middle of the night adventure.. I had never seen them before, and they had never posted anywhere.
But then a few says ago I see on the official FPU Facebook page, the double photo I posted above.
The photo on the left was Graham's photo (someone official had obviously seen it in their feed but not gotten that it was part of a rebellion. They assumed that's how the sign always looked ...when actually it only looked like that for a few historic hours..
That is way too funny. I love that the caption provides the time frame as 1962 to 1989, a whopping 27 years. The cross was on the sign for one day from about 3:00 am until maintenance showed up at 7:00 am and took it down as their first order of business. Anyway, we "remember the past with gratitude" even though few can actually remember that part of the past.
Be sure to do your Strengths test. You will need the results (your Top 5 results)for the quiz Thursday. Remember if you have your results from a previous class, you do not need to take it again. If you need to take it, there is a code to take it for free in the insert in your Strengths Based Leadership book (unless it is a used copy). Otherwise, take it online for a small fee ($15) here.
If you have already taken it, you can take the newer Leadership version free. Highly recommended, it's here
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SETS: We didn't cover these in class yet, but I had pics of the three sets on the board. We will cover this Thurs or next week.
Greetings all!: here is a re-send of what I wrote last month, and the final syllabus attached. See you soon. Note: One more extra credit assignment challenge. You can work together on this one. If by the end of the first class, one person from class can stand and announce the seven intentional jokes on the syllabus, everyone gets extra cred (:
Greetings class:
It's an honor to be teaching the Min 357 Christian Ministry and Leadership class you are enrolled in this spring. I find this an amazing and unique class that Quintin Kinnison has created and strengthened over the years, and I am delighted to be teaching it while he is on sabbatical.
Before we get to the bottom line, a little about me. I became a Christian as a result of attending FPU in the 80's. In fact, my JCC teacher, Leslie Mark, is 90 and still visits campus once in awhile! I also met a beautiful student while at FPU, the former Sonya Kriegbaum. We have been married 30 years, and have two children. Some of you know one of my kids--Tim Wainscott-who was a freshman 2011-12, and may return to campus next year.
I have been a pastor since my senior year at FPU (1986), and have been teaching on all campuses of FPU since 2008. I don't think I had any of you in JCC 2011-2102, but I taught many sessions then. I mostly teach in Degree Completion. Take a look at our common facebook friends, if you want to find out from my former students what kind of teacher I am (: You can click "about me" at the bottom of this email to learn more.
As I said, the Min 357 class is usually surprisingly enjoyable. I realize that since it is GE, not all of you are looking at leadership or ministry in your future, and some may not even be Christian. That's totally OK!
Since this is Quintin's class, I will be teaching it using his outline and texts. I have attached his syllabus from last year; mine will be nearly identical except for the dates, etc.
Here is the booklist.
First, two qualifiers:
1)The class utilizes the Strengths Finder 2.0 assessment.
I think most, if not all of you, have taken this assessment inventory already as part of your FPU program.
You'll see by the syllabus that taking the inventory online is required the first week of class. You do not need to pay to retake it if have your results. Also note that one of our books is Strengths-Based Leadership. If you buy that book new, it has a one-time-only access code to take the inventory at no extra cost. So if you have not taken the inventory, either buy a new version of that book, or be prepared to pay $15 to take the inventory
online at strengths.gallup.com (Since the access codes are only good once, it almost certain that anu used copies of the books will have expired codes).
2)The Strengths-Based Leadership book also has an access code to receive a Leadership Guide based on your results. This should be helpful, and recommended, but it is not officially required for the class . (We will cover this material in class). So you can weigh that in choosing a new or used book.
Required and Supplementary Materials
Rath, Tom and Barry Conchie. Strengths Based Leadership: Great Leaders, Teams, and Why People Follow. New York: Gallup Organization, 2008.
Linsky, Martin & Ronald Heifetz, Leadership on the Line. Boston: Harvard Business School Press, 2002.
McIntosh, Gary L. and Samuel D. Rima, Sr., Overcoming the Dark Side of Leadership. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 2007.
Edwards, Gene. A Tale of Three Kings: A Study in Brokenness. Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale, 1992.
Nouwen, Henri. In the Name of Jesus: Reflections on Christian Leadership. New York: Crossroad, 1989. (for review)
Other short readings (book chapters or articles) may be assigned periodically. These will be handed out in class. All readings are to be completed before the class in which they will be used.
Recommended and Texts for Review (students will choose one to review; see assignments):
Cathy, S.Truett & Ken Blanchard. The Generosity Factor: Discover the Joy of Giving Your Time, Talent, and Treasure. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2002. (for review)
Stahl-Wert, John and Ken Jennings, The Serving Leader. San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler, 2003. (for review)
Did someone say extra credit? (: Any student who gives the correct answer to the following question on the first day of class receives extra credit, Of course, the challenge is how to find the answer (it shouldn't be hard):
What "prank" did I (your teacher) participate in while a student at FPU that could've gotten me kicked out?
Feel free to be in touch. My cell is 974.2508, and links to my social media and blog are below
