One of my first academic presentations took place at AERA’s (American Educational Research Association) national conference, a large conference of over 10,000 attendees. I wish I could do it all over again – it didn’t go poorly, but it didn’t sizzle either – and it just wasn’t that strong.
Since that day, I have presented a few times and I’ve watched hundreds of other presenters (graduate students, practitioners, and tenured professors) take their research and invested subjects and work to communicate it in a memorable way. At one conference I saw a presentation that struggled along, so I began to jot down some guidelines that would help my graduate students avoid a similar experience. read more…
Posted on Friday, February 25th, 2011 at 8:56 AM in CONNECT EFFECTIVELY. 2 comments
This past weekend, the server that hosts this website crashed – the hard drive ruined beyond repair. Fortunately we have a great hosting service and the good folks there were able to restore all of the data on a new server. The whole experience got me to thinking about the phrase “hard drive crash.” I particularly thought of those of us who are ‘driving hard’ in life, our ambition to make a difference (or make a living, provide for family, have renown) fuels the daily TO DO list and pushes us beyond the traditional boundaries of a 40-hour work week.
What if your hard drive crashes? I don’t mean the physical one your computer. What if the ambition waned and suddenly you were challenged to live a normal life right where you are? What if you didn’t have the desire to do more? Worse (perhaps), what if you were required to life a regular life? Work a 40 hour work and live in the same local community for the rest of your life? You’d wake up every day to the same folks at the local coffee shop. Have a hobby. Raise a great family. Live and love well. And do little beyond the walls of that community. You might even take up golf … without the golf cart of course (go green!).
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Posted on Wednesday, February 23rd, 2011 at 6:25 AM in IN THIS CORNER, LEAD WELL. No comments
One time I attended a seminar on today’s youth culture and one of the attendees asked whether how youth were being described was also true for older (and she meant very old) generations as well. Perhaps what we say is true about ‘today’s teens’ is true for the culture as a whole? Seriously, haven’t you noticed how connected to a cell phone senior citizens are too? We already know they watch more television than youth do. What if other aspects or ‘findings’ of research were equally true for older people? The big problem with adolescent research is that it often fails to answer the question, Is it particular to adolescence?”
In my doctoral work at Purdue (go Boilers!), I had the privilege of learning about adolescent research from Dr. Thomas J. Berndt, one of the leading authorities on child development and peer influence. Dr. Berndt ingrained this question into our minds, citing numerous descriptions of adolescence that were equally true for adults.
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Posted on Monday, February 21st, 2011 at 7:34 AM in YOUTH MINISTRY. No comments
I enjoyed watching Muse on the Grammy’s this week. I like that style of music. It took me back to my college days when a band from Dublin named U2 took the world by storm. And overran my life, giving me music that resonated in tune with my life and faith in Christ. I remember playing the cassette of U2 “Under a Blood Red Sky” over and over until I had to buy a new one. The album was from a concert live at Red Rocks. The remastered DVD is a must-have purchase, the original concert cited by Rolling Stones as one of the top 50 moments that changed rock music.
This week, for my morning readings, Psalm 40 has been the Psalm for the week in my devotional book, A Guide to Prayer (I highly recommend this book to those who are looking for something to aid their spiritual life!). And, it’s funny because I think the first three verses are what God intends for me to learn this year. And waiting patiently has not been a part of my DNA.
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Posted on Friday, February 18th, 2011 at 6:06 AM in IN THIS CORNER. No comments
I just finished Curating Worship by Jonny Baker (I know, finally). The delay wasn’t the book’s fault – it’s quite readable – but rather my own as I worked it in here and there. And then reread it. Jonny’s work has affected almost every conversation I’ve had about ministry or teaching over the last three weeks. Just last night I talked with a Christian leader who lamented hearing the same 30 choruses over and over at his church – and the quality levels for some didn’t render themselves to repetition.
The bulk of the book is series of interviews with different leaders who facilitate worship experiences. It will introduce you to what is happening in some traditions within the UK, Australia, and in parts of the US. You will note a theological range as well within the interviews, something that I think is healthy for someone who wants to be introduced to a particular practice within Christian churches. Those prod and challenge me – and I find that helpful.
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Posted on Thursday, February 17th, 2011 at 8:20 AM in BELIEF MATTERS, LEAD WELL, THE WORLD. No comments
“Okay everybody,” shouted the leader, “It’s time to worship.” The 150 youth and young adults immediately jumped to their feet and focused on the video screens as the leader began to play guitar. Twenty minutes later, the group sat down and listened to a 35 minute talk given by another leader while a PowerPoint showed key points and a Scripture passage or two. The leader closed with prayer and then dismissed the crowd.
This is the standard form of “worship” in many Christian traditions today, especially in youth ministry circles. This routine form has almost became an established liturgy of what it means to be contemporary and relevant. I see this form all over America – and the songs are often played the same from coast to coast, near replicas of how they sounded on the latest CD. I’ve previously written that I think we’re headed toward a new shift in facilitating how people worship . The scene I open with was once thought of as a participatory form, but it has lost its uniqueness and often become a one-way experience where we ‘hope’ people are drawing closer to God… but we don’t really know. We hope the fact that they’re singing is shaping their understanding of who God is … but we’re not sure.
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Posted on Tuesday, February 15th, 2011 at 5:19 AM in BELIEF MATTERS, LEAD WELL, THE WORLD. One comment
I’ve had a quieter week this week, an opportunity to gain some rest and perspective. After years of graduate school and writing projects, I realized this past weekend that I had not brought any work home, that no project pressed for my attention, and I didn’t need to fire up my laptop to work.
So I didn’t.
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Posted on Wednesday, February 9th, 2011 at 10:19 AM in IN THIS CORNER. No comments
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