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Westmont

Book Reviews, PathLight, The SOLD Project, Westmont,

The Cultural Intelligence Difference, by David Livermore

Over the past couple of years I’ve been reading David Livermore’s books about cultural intelligence, or CQ as it is called. David has a knack for putting academic insights into readable form that make a complicated topic approachable. For instance, the first book of his that I read was “Serving With Eyes Wide Open” and it immediately went on the list of recommended books that I ask all PathLight International volunteers to read. I know the folks at The SOLD Project also utilize the book.

Subsequent books by Livermore about cultural leadership were excellent. They focused on the …

Book Reviews, Westmont,

To Change The World

James Davison Hunter has written the incredible book To Change The World: The Irony, Tragedy, and Possibility of Christianity in the Late Modern World. If you read my blog, you probably need to read this book.

Hunter studied under a longtime friend of mine, Stan Gaede. Stan and I go way back, having first met about 40-years ago. If Stan likes the guy, I like the guy. And even though I’ve never met Hunter, I do like the guy. He even uses a ministry I started a few decades ago as an example of how the Spirit is at …

PathLight, Random Thoughts, Westmont,

Drifting from Prayer

My prayer life has drifted lately. Meetings, travels, and all the other exercises of life have drawn me away from the times of reflection and quiet that our souls need. What’s curious is that this happened without me even realizing it. My times of prayer continued, but my focus and energy had waned. Nothing new about this. It’s called life, I suppose, and such drifting is the part of the cyclical nature of a spiritual walk. But it’s still not what I want.

In the last week I have intentionally pushed the cycle toward prayer. My friend and colleague Mark …

D'Oliva Olive Oil, Family, Sabbatical, Westmont,

Ciao from Italy!

Ciao from Italy! Wish I could post photos but WordPress seems to hate iPads. But trust me, we are seeing great stuff!

D’Aun and I spent the first few days in Rome overcoming jet lag and touring the city. Our tour guide, Angelo, was great and created special events that we’ll remember a long time. For instance, the first day we headed out of town to an olive mill that his brother-in-law owned … and along the way we stopped at the bridge just outside of the old city of Rome where Emperor Constantine had his vision of the cross …

Emerging Ministries, Goble Properties, PathLight, Random Thoughts, Sabbatical, Westmont,

The House of the Lord

My month long break begins today. Hallelujah!

For the last month and for the month to come, I’ve been working through prayers and readings in the book “Celtic Daily Prayer”. The Morning Prayer begins like this:

One thing I have asked of the Lord,
this is what I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life;
to behold the beauty of the Lord
and to seek Him in His temple.

This comes from Psalm 27:4. I love this start because it expresses the foundation of this sabbatical month. Dwelling in the …

Book Reviews, Westmont,

Longing for God, by Gayle Beebe and Richard Foster

There are few things more intimidating to a 20-year old college student than a judgmental professor. But there I was in the summer of 1979, facing three of them. They were (and still are) all brilliant, all renowned experts, and all challenging the inventory of facts that I had quickly memorized the night before.

It was a warm afternoon in Santa Barbara. I had signed up for the Westmont summer program in Europe and was living on campus for a few weeks in preparation for the trip. Having already fulfilled the classes offered by the Europe program, I was taking …

Belize, Family, PathLight, Westmont,

Zealous Love

Okay, so here is a book everybody should read. I don’t say that often, and I guess I’m overstating it here to make a point, but this really is an excellent read.

Mike & Danae Yankoski, friends of mine and former PathLight volunteers, have put together a “practical guide to social justice.” And indeed it is. Zealous Love is a unique collection of short articles on human trafficking, unclean water, refugees, hunger, education, environment, HIV/AIDS, and inequality.

The list of writers is simply outstanding…but of course my favorite is my own daughter, Rachel! Well done, honey! Also in the …

Random Thoughts, Westmont,

The Willis Family

When D’Aun and I were seniors at Westmont College we signed up for a 2-week program called Sierra Treks. This program had us in the Sierra Mountains learning to cross-country ski, rappel off mountains, navigate by compass, and other fun things. Sounded like a simple and fun way to earn a couple of credits.

It turned out to be a life changing experience. The outdoor activities were great fun, although I remember one sub-zero night when I wondered what I was doing in a sleeping bag in the Sierras in January! But the outdoor times were only a part of …