http://blog.kyria.com/giftedforleadership/ Women Called to Ministry en Copyright 2010 Tue, 31 Aug 2010 14:52:07 -0600 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/?v=3.31 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss by Helen Lee Last week (on August 26) Women’s Equality Day—a day commemorating the contributions of the women’s suffrage movement—got a lot of news coverage. In our modern age with numerous nationally recognized female political figures, we may find it difficult to remember that less than 100 years ago, women could not even vote in the U.S. And yet, while we have made progress in attaining measures of equality in some areas such as the right to vote,... http://blog.kyria.com/giftedforleadership/2010/08/the_books_that_shape_us.html http://blog.kyria.com/giftedforleadership/2010/08/the_books_that_shape_us.html Effective Leadership Tue, 31 Aug 2010 14:52:07 -0600 Nicole Unice]]> In 1984, I wanted to be Sandra Day O’Conner, the first woman to sit on the U.S. Supreme Court. I wrote to her and tacked her signed picture on my bulletin board. She was a pioneer, and even as an eight-year-old, I revered the place she had made for herself in what I considered a man’s world. This month, Elena Kagan became the fourth woman to sit on the court. Of the nine justices on... http://blog.kyria.com/giftedforleadership/2010/08/same_message_different_vehicle.html http://blog.kyria.com/giftedforleadership/2010/08/same_message_different_vehicle.html Ministry Life Wed, 25 Aug 2010 11:31:30 -0600 by Margot Starbuck I’d been mindlessly flipping through cable channels when I caught a quick glimpse of TV hosts Stacy London and Clinton Kelly bursting through the doors of an ornate cathedral, followed by a choir singing The Hallelujah Chorus. When my Spidey senses warned me that something was not right, against my better judgment, I lingered. A young priest, at the front of the sanctuary, was addressing a packed congregation. Though twenty-seven year old Rev. Emily Bloemker... http://blog.kyria.com/giftedforleadership/2010/08/ornamental_or_instrumental.html http://blog.kyria.com/giftedforleadership/2010/08/ornamental_or_instrumental.html Soul Care Wed, 18 Aug 2010 12:05:36 -0600 Judy Douglass ]]> For the past few years Synergy has been turning the pages of God’s remarkable story of his plans for his daughters. Annual conferences have explored: Your Place in the Story: The Return of the Ezer Your Relationships in the Story: Defining the Blessed Alliance Conflict in the Story: The Shaping of a Leader’s Soul And on March 4-6, 2011 in Orlando the next chapter unfolds: The Rest of the Story: From Here to Eternity. You... http://blog.kyria.com/giftedforleadership/2010/08/our_place_in_the_rest_of_the_s.html http://blog.kyria.com/giftedforleadership/2010/08/our_place_in_the_rest_of_the_s.html Ministry Life Wed, 11 Aug 2010 07:56:00 -0600 by Natasha Robinson I have friends all over the world, literally. I separated from Marine Corps active duty in 2008 and was honorably discharged from the reserves this year. Today, my dear friends from the military are populating the entire East Coast, California, Japan, Iraq, and Afghanistan just to name a few locations. Despite these once intimate connections, there have been times when some of the relationships have unexpectedly turned for the worst. I have been left with... http://blog.kyria.com/giftedforleadership/2010/08/parting_ways.html http://blog.kyria.com/giftedforleadership/2010/08/parting_ways.html Home Life Wed, 04 Aug 2010 07:34:02 -0600 Caryn Rivadeneira]]> The other morning I got up early to write, but while waiting for the coffee to brew, I turned on the TV. Big mistake. As I clipped through the channels, I stopped to watch the movie Freedom Writers. Again. My friend Anita first encouraged me to see this movie, starring Hillary Swank and Patrick Dempsey. At face value, Freedom Writers is another one of those inspirational movies about an idealistic teacher who heads into a... http://blog.kyria.com/giftedforleadership/2010/07/does_ministry_kill_marriage.html http://blog.kyria.com/giftedforleadership/2010/07/does_ministry_kill_marriage.html Home Life Wed, 28 Jul 2010 09:01:16 -0600 Nicole Unice]]> I’ll admit that I like to pull a Scarlett O’Hara when it comes to the less attractive side of church leadership, like getting the parking lot paved or turning in a budget. “Fiddle dee dee!” I shrug. “I can’t think about that now! I’ll think about that tomorrow…” I think the business of church can be excruciating. What do you get when you take a room full of over-committed volunteers, mix in some underpaid staff... http://blog.kyria.com/giftedforleadership/2010/07/bothered_by_the_business_of_ch.html http://blog.kyria.com/giftedforleadership/2010/07/bothered_by_the_business_of_ch.html Ministry Life Wed, 21 Jul 2010 11:39:39 -0600 Bev Murrill]]> I saw a shooting star tonight! I’ve never seen a shooting star before, and I wouldn’t have seen it this time except that I was walking up a rickety wooden pier in the lake and just happened to turn my head to the right, in time to see a brilliant downward flash of light that disappeared only a second after my mind understood what it was. I’m so grateful that I saw it, and all... http://blog.kyria.com/giftedforleadership/2010/07/finding_strength_in_rest.html http://blog.kyria.com/giftedforleadership/2010/07/finding_strength_in_rest.html Ministry Life Wed, 14 Jul 2010 09:56:02 -0600 by Makeeda Pennycooke Who are you calling a leader? John Maxwell says leadership is influence. Well, if that’s the case, I guess I’ve always been a leader. I’m the oldest child of two strong-willed, independent parents, so I may even have been born a leader! If I were in a group and no one was in charge, it was natural for me to step into the role. People often looked to me for answers and direction. However, I... http://blog.kyria.com/giftedforleadership/2010/07/when_you_dont_feel_gifted.html http://blog.kyria.com/giftedforleadership/2010/07/when_you_dont_feel_gifted.html Ministry Life Wed, 07 Jul 2010 15:02:18 -0600 by Rob Moll A few weeks ago, I attended a book launch party for my former colleague Rob Moll’s new book, The Art of Dying. While words like dying and caregiving normally don’t compel me, I have to admit that during Rob’s reading, I was hooked. I stayed hooked during our conversation afterward as he told me how women are leading the charge on transforming the way we care for the elderly and the way we view dying.... http://blog.kyria.com/giftedforleadership/2010/06/the_caregiving_challenge.html http://blog.kyria.com/giftedforleadership/2010/06/the_caregiving_challenge.html Home Life Wed, 30 Jun 2010 07:56:47 -0600 Nicole Unice]]> Between sessions at a busy conference, I rushed through my email at a student kiosk. I clicked open an article and time stopped. Finger poised over the mouse, I read the headline about Jennifer Knapp, a million-record-selling, multiple-Dove-award-winning singer-songwriter: “Jennifer Knapp: resisting the label lesbian, but ‘in love with a beautiful woman.’” I clicked through the article but honestly, I wasn’t that surprised. I’m a big fan of hers, the kind who’d googled Jennifer every... http://blog.kyria.com/giftedforleadership/2010/06/disenchanted.html http://blog.kyria.com/giftedforleadership/2010/06/disenchanted.html Ministry Life Wed, 23 Jun 2010 12:50:25 -0600 Caryn Rivadeneira]]> In an ever-growing list of words that annoy the living daylights out of me, excellence has clawed its way to the top. It’s everywhere, and I’m sick of it. Funny, because I used to love this word—when written in perfect grade-school-teacher cursive atop a worksheet or when my piano teacher (rarely) scrawled it on top of a page of a songbook. It meant something then because it didn’t always happen—because it recognized something rare and... http://blog.kyria.com/giftedforleadership/2010/06/the_trouble_with_excellence.html http://blog.kyria.com/giftedforleadership/2010/06/the_trouble_with_excellence.html Ministry Life Wed, 16 Jun 2010 06:52:00 -0600 by Jenni Catron I couldn’t have been more than 3 or 4 years old when I first watched Wonder Woman on TV, but I remember specifically thinking, She is awesome. I want to be her. She’s so strong. She’s so pretty. She quickly became my super hero. I even sported Wonder Woman Underoos until I could no longer fit in them. (Don’t judge; I know you had your favorite super-hero Underoos too!) Known for her super human strength,... http://blog.kyria.com/giftedforleadership/2010/06/my_dangerous_wonderwoman_ego.html http://blog.kyria.com/giftedforleadership/2010/06/my_dangerous_wonderwoman_ego.html Effective Leadership Wed, 09 Jun 2010 08:54:47 -0600 Judy Douglass ]]> “Heroin? Our son is on heroin?” Emotion washed over Laurie. How is he? How could he? Laurie and Jason had just found out their 18-year-old son was in jail for heroin possession and use. They were overwhelmed with the shock and horror of it and with concern for their son. As that reality began to settle in, they were overcome with a new thought: What would the church Jason pastored say? Would people understand,... http://blog.kyria.com/giftedforleadership/2010/06/praying_for_prodigals.html http://blog.kyria.com/giftedforleadership/2010/06/praying_for_prodigals.html Home Life Wed, 02 Jun 2010 08:21:38 -0600 Nicole Unice]]> “How does a caterpillar make a cocoon?” My three young children are incessantly curious, asking questions of nature, of people, and of God. As their mother and primary answer-giver, I find their curiosity alternately fascinating and frustrating. “Why does Emma have two daddies and two mommies?” I used to relish curiosity. But lately busyness and the relentless demands of motherhood have sapped my inquisitive drive. Now I spend as much time saying “Because!” as I... http://blog.kyria.com/giftedforleadership/2010/05/the_gift_of_curiosity.html http://blog.kyria.com/giftedforleadership/2010/05/the_gift_of_curiosity.html Ministry Life Tue, 25 May 2010 18:01:11 -0600