“Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” – Anne Ritchie This common proverb outlines the greatest issue facing innovative leaders today: the difference between implementing an innovative idea and developing an innovative culture. The former is akin to giving a man a fish, … Read More
Praying for Authority
When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law. (Matthew 7:28-29) Let’s begin our week where the Sermon on the Mount ends. In these early days of Jesus’ ministry, the crowd reaction was amazement. Part of that was the … Read More
Teaching, Learning, and the Mind of Christ
It was very interesting to meet this week with the owner of a local architectural firm, who works with building new school buildings and modifying older structures. What was fascinating to me was his role as an agent of change in the teaching and learning process. It struck me how he could be an external, disruptive force for change – … Read More
Praying to Make Peace
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. (Matthew 5:9) One of the reasons Jesus came to earth was to make millions of these. When people step out of God’s plan to try to be their own god, or try to be a god to others, there is no end to the damage done. When the amplitude … Read More
The Future of Christian Schooling
When I think about the future of Christian schools, I am conflicted. I look at the American political and theological landscape and wonder where we will be ten years from now. Over the past decade we have seen more than 25% of all Christian schools in the United States close their doors and shutter their windows, never to open again. … Read More
Praying to See God
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. (Matthew 5:8) Purity is something we don’t talk about much because we think it’s impossible, which of course makes it less possible. What does Jesus mean by “pure in heart”? Here’s my guess. First thing we need to remember is that when Jesus talks about “heart” he seems to view … Read More
When Satisfaction Doesn’t Mean Happy Parents
We often hear talk about satisfied customers when we are considering customer service. Customer service is a relatively new concept to Christian schools so it may be helpful to consider what other businesses look at when they work on customer service and satisfaction. Though many of the techniques and motives that schools use are different from other businesses, the main goal … Read More
Leading Innovation: The Process, Part 2
As we have seen, having and communicating an innovative vision are essential. The next step to leading innovation is implementing the vision. This stage is often the most challenging because it immediately and clearly affects the status quo. In general, my innovation experience has boiled down to the following five stages: research, pilot, execute, evaluate, and back to the beginning. … Read More
Praying to Enjoy God’s Mercy
Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. (Matthew 5:7) Here we see Jesus saying for the first time what he says throughout his teachings: if you want to be forgiven, you should forgive others. The Jewish idea of mercy/forgiveness was to get right inside the other person and see issues from their point of view. Our word ‘sympathy’ … Read More
Praying to be Starving to do Right
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. (Matthew 5:6) I have worked in some ethically challenging environments, and this is a lesson from Jesus I learned too late. A simple way to define “righteousness” is: doing the right thing. I’ve read that the Greek words for “hunger” and “thirst” used here have a lot … Read More
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