From “Secrets in the Dark: A Life in Sermons” by Frederick Buechner The earliest sermon in this collection is “The Magnificent Defeat,” which I preached at Phillips Exeter Academy around 1959 or so when, fresh out of seminary, I was starting in as the new school minister. Exeter was for only boys in those days […]

From “What Makes You Come Alive: A Spiritual Walk with Howard Thurman” by Lerita Coleman Brown As high school valedictorian, Thurman qualified for a tuition fellowship to Morehouse College. In 1919, he began his studies at Morehouse, exploring a wide array of subjects but focusing primarily on economics and sociology. During the summer prior to

From “Innovation and Entrepreneurship” by Peter F. Drucker Entrepreneurs innovate. Innovation is the specific instrument of entrepreneurship. It is the act that endows resources with a new capacity to create wealth. Innovation, indeed, creates a resource. There is no such thing as a “resource” until man finds a use for something in nature and thus

From “Discernment: Reading the Signs of Daily Life” by Henri Nouwen with Michael J. Christensen and Rebecca J. Laird The story of the disciples on the road to Emmaus is not just about overcoming sorrow or despair in difficult times. It is a gospel story that reveals a spiritual pattern for discovering the real presence

From “Mindset: The New Psychology of Success” by Carol S. Dweck, PhD We have lots of sayings that stress the importance of risk and the power of persistence, such as “Nothing ventured, nother gained” and “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again” or “Rome wasn’t built in a day.”) By the way, I

From “Where Good Ideas Come From: The Natural History of Innovation” by Steven Johnson Nemeth has gone on to document the same phenomenon at work in dozens of different environments: mock juries, boardrooms, academic seminars. Her research suggests a paradoxical truth about innovation: good ideas are more likely to emerge in environments that contain a

From “Listening to Your Life: Daily Meditations with Frederick Buechner” by Frederick Buechner On her deathbed, Gertrude Stein is said to have asked, “What is the answer?” Then, after a long silence, “What is the question?” Don’t start looking in the Bible for the answers it gives. Start by listening for the questions it asks. 

From “The Discipline of Inspiration: The Mysterious Encounter with God at the Heart of Creativity” by Carey Wallace Songwriters as diverse as Brian Wilson, Carole King, Burt Bacharach, and Lamont Dozier all name God as the source of their inspiration, along with Jimmy Webb, who says, “I believe that He’s the author of all this

From “Wired to Lead: Being the Leader the Church Didn’t Think You Could Be” by Suzanne Nadell Some of you may be questioning why you are even reading this book. You may be thinking, “Suzanne is a liberal journalist disguised as a Christian who tricked me into reading a book that discusses white privilege.” You

From “Walk with Me: A Journey through the Landscape of Trauma” by Ellen Corcella Family lives are disrupted and turned upside down by devastating genetic and developmental diseases. Parents must make unbearable decisions about the care of their children. A young girl was failing to thrive at the end of her life. Her parents decided