Stressful. Overwhelming. Too much. If these words describe the tone of your everyday life, it's time for a change. In the midst of a fast-paced world we need strong friends and family relationships more than ever. The digital devices used to connect us often inhibit even the best efforts to communicate effectively, pulling us into more remote exchanges that isolate us rather than bring us together. This book addresses these challenges head-on. With stories from Scripture and real life, the author helps readers find help and inspiration for love and friendship that flourish rather than simply survive.
This book helps leaders discover, develop, and deliver their leadership lifestories. Through examples of Jesus's 12 disciples, readers will understand more about the relationship between storytelling and leadership from first-century followers of Jesus. In a world that seems to separate people, Leadership Lifestories bring people back together by pointing to the peace found in the redeeming work of Jesus Christ. Each chapter includes simple steps so that individuals can uncover their unique strengths and discover how they can better serve their families, their organizations, and their communities.
Unwrapping the Gift of Communication provides readers with theoretically sound principles and guidelines for relational communication. God created human beings with the gift of language which allows us to communicate and build relationships. Unfortunately, this "gift" can often cause problems and strain relationships. Fortunately, God was aware of the challenges communication could create and we have been given Scripture to help us figure out how to unwrap the gift and use it in a positive way. This book takes several contemporary communication concepts and uses Scripture to illustrate what that theory means and how to apply it to your everyday...
A university professor and two young middle school English teachers weave recent educational research on humor with examples from C.S. Lewis's Narnia Chronicles to make a compelling case for teaching teachers how to relax and enjoy the wild things in the classroom. Using Lewis's foundational ideas on the four sources of laughter--Joy, Fun/Play, the Joke Proper, and Flippancy--they illustrate how children begin to lose their gentle and affiliative laughter through the middle school years, often becoming mean, cruel, and cynical, and then suggest ways to counter the downward trajectory and revive the joy and fun of learning. What makes the...
In this updated and expanded version of Dr. Spencer's classic offering, we are treated to new insights and expressions of wisdom. Big, colorful virtues like courage and decisiveness in crisis easily get our attention. But sometimes it's those everyday values that shape us much more profoundly. Lost in our noisy, flashy, gaudy world are the quiet virtues that work behind the scenes--molding our character, guiding our actions, enriching our lives. Greg Spencer unfolds the beauty and nature of each, showing us how to take notice of discernment, innocence, generosity, authenticity and more. In this book you'll discover how far from...
In this updated and expanded edition, the author invites professors of communication and media to reflect on each chapter in light of our current cultural challenges and technological advancements over the past two decades. The collection of voices and conversations offer a discerning introduction to communication theory that guides readers through an interesting, creative, and biblical study of communication. Thoroughly grounded in a Christian worldview, Communicating for Life explores the implications of individual human communication and the influence of communication on community.