One of the more interesting questions I have wrestled with over the years is deceptively simple: Why do leaders keep growing? Not why they start growing. Why they continue. I know that leadership development sounds exciting in theory. However, growth is often inconvenient. Leadership development costs time, attention, humility, energy, money, discipline, and ego. As … Read more
One of the few undergraduate courses that I still get to teach at Manna University is Mentoring & Coaching. Almost every undergraduate student takes the course, which means I get the privilege of connecting with nearly every student who journeys through our university. Early in the course, I usually ask some version of two simple … Read more
BJJ has taught me many things. I’ve learned truths like: Gravity is undefeated. Ego bruises easier than ribs. A person significantly smaller than you can absolutely ruin your afternoon. It has also taught me something deeper about spiritual formation. Almost 20 years ago I found myself up to my neck in pastoral ministry, college studies, and family life. I also found myself … Read more
I’ve taken all the “tests” and the results are conclusive: Myers-Briggs=INTJ, Enneagram=Five, Working Genius=Tenacity/Wonder, Strengths Finder=Learner/Intellection Hello, my name is Carlo, and I’m an introvert. Not the “I dislike people” kind of introvert, which would be a problem for sure. I genuinely love people. I’ve spent over two decades in vocational ministry serving people as a pastor, educator, and nonprofit leader. However, I dislike small talk. … Read more
One of the stranger trends in modern Christianity is the growing divide between intellectual depth and practical ministry. In some circles, scholarship is treated with suspicion. The assumption is that serious theological reflection somehow weakens spiritual passion or practical effectiveness. In other spaces, ministry practitioners are quietly viewed as less serious than academics, as though preaching, shepherding, … Read more
One of the few undergraduate courses that I still get to teach at Manna University is Mentoring and Coaching. Almost every undergraduate student takes the course, which means I get the opportunity to connect with nearly every student who journeys through our university. One of the things I tell students early in the course is that formation rarely happens … Read more
When was the last time you ate cotton candy (candy floss for my British friends)? Here’s the thing about cotton candy: at a fair or carnival, it looks irresistible. Maybe it’s nostalgia. Maybe it’s groupthink. Either way, it works. You take a bite and sugar hits your veins like a freight train. For a few minutes, life feels pretty good. Then … Read more
As the United States of America basks in its 250th anniversary, I’ve found myself thinking a lot about origins. Origins matter because they often reveal what people believed was worth preserving. They expose priorities, assumptions, fears, and hopes about the kind of society people wanted to build and the kind of leaders needed to sustain it. Long … Read more
There is a strange moment that happens after you come back from a missions trip. If you’re like me, you unpack, catch up on emails, and try to fall back into your normal rhythm. And then, almost without realizing it, everything you experienced starts to feel distant. What felt urgent begins to fade. What felt clear gets crowded out. What felt important gets replaced … Read more
We’ve seen so much change and upheaval this year that it is dizzying. The world has felt upside down. Although has it ever felt right-side up? I often remind our staff and faculty that Manna University is not a church, but we are part of THE Church. Moreover, we serve the local church. It’s a core value. When Jaemi and I were first married, I … Read more
