First of all, I hope you are all having the chance to watch and follow some of the speeches and ceremonies going on today honoring, remembering, and continuing in the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech, today, 50 years later. King’s vision and dream continues I believe today, because the vision and mission with which it is grounded and speaks of is just as relevant and important today as it was when the speech was first given.

Now, as I have been on sabbatical, I didn’t really blog over the past month.  This does not mean, however, that I was not reading, learning, and thinking.  From my reading and thinking, I came across quite a few links which you might enjoy.  A sampling of these I offer below.

Reflection, Vision, Vocation and Daily Life

To start with, given the amount of traveling, listening and reflecting I did during my sabbatical Pico Iyer’s Ted Talk “Where is home?” could not possibly be more relevant.  If you have not seen this video yet, please stop reading this blog and spend the next 14 minutes watching/listening to him.  You will thank me afterward.  I think I may have to give this Ted Talk a full blog post in the coming days, but until then, please do watch it!

The Harvard Business Review featured a helpful re-evaluation of how to be more productive by reallocating/reviewing one’s time at work and they spend that time.  Peter Drucker would greatly appreciate the amount of effort given in this take for the implications it has on knowledge workers.

In the midst of discernment, there can be change.  Some times these changes are small and under the surface.  Other times they are much more noticeable, like when one decides to make a career change.  How should you talk about these times?  HBR offered a helpful tip about the need to “tell the story, connect the dots, and focus on the value you bring to others.”

For those trying to figure out if its time to make a career change, the Huffington Post offered a rather humorous list of “21 Signs that it’s time to Leave Your Job.”

Leadership

One of those repeated questions in the leadership and management world is “what is the difference between leadership and management?”  Vineet Nayar unpacked this question with three potential differences.  What do you think?

In leading and managing, one of the toughest challenges can be in overcoming the challenges of resistance from fellow employees and staff.  Mark Goulston at HBR offers some insights he gained from an interview with Dr. Xavier Amador.

Back in early July, Jessica Lawrence wrote a blogpost that has stuck with me about “The Next Big Opportunity for Startups.”  Her conclusion is fantastic!  She writes, “startups can build companies in which every person they employ can flourish.  The world will get better when we build better organizations, not just when we build better products.”

Society and Social Responsibility

If you are in the private sector, or considering a private sector opportunity, there is great room for important social responsibility and social involvement.  One such area is in the potential for urban sustainability which John Macomber at Harvard explains.

Jen Boynton from HBR looks at “how the voice of the people is driving corporate social responsibility.” Anyone who likes to think about the idea of the common good, as well as the great room for growth that there is in the social responsibility fields should give this a read.

In July GOOD announced their “Global Neighborhood Challenge” winners.  I encourage you to read a little about them, and to be inspired.

The Church

There have been quite a number of changes in the church recently.  Expect to see a post or two about the leadership transition in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) forthcoming.  (If you have not heard, Rev. Mark Hanson, the presiding bishop of the ELCA will be finishing his time as presiding bishop in October, and Rev. Elizabeth Eaton will become presiding bishop of the ELCA on November 1st.)  One of the other more recent global church leaders whose time at the helm ended, was the Former Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams.  He was in the news recently for speaking at Edinburgh International Book Festival in Scotland.  Charlotte Higgins of The Guardian, offers an interesting read. I greatly appreciate Williams’ explanation and critique of the use of the concept of persecution.  Too many people in today’s church feel they are being ‘persecuted’ when they have no concept of what it really means to be persecuted.

For those of you with an interest in the areas of the missional church and worship, you might find Rob Moss‘ look at liturgy and its role thought provoking.

Economics 

While in college I double-majored in economics and religion.  If you did not know this, perhaps this helps explain a few things about my interests and the topics that are discussed in this blog?  Anyway, I read an interesting piece by Paul Krugman this week he titled, “The Real Trouble with Economics.”  If you have any interest in econ, I encourage you to read this (especially if you have any training in economics).  I am not saying I agree with it necessarily, but I found it thought provoking and compelling.  Perhaps you might as well?

Stewardship

One of my theological and social interests is stewardship.  I believe that stewardship is more than just giving some money in the offering plate at church.  I believe it embodies our whole beings as created unique and beautiful Children of God.  So to make a long story short, when I see ideas that offer helpful thoughts on how to live more sustainably (socially, financially, environmentally, etc.), as well as do good and help others with that which we have been entrusted I like to share them.  LSS offered a nice post last week about some things which can maximize your grocery savings, and I now offer this to you as some hopefully helpful and practical food for thought.

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I could probably add some more, but I think there is enough food for thought for one day here.  I hope you find some of these enjoyable. As always, let me know if there are other things which you would like me to highlight or explore.