Leading While Learning

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

Not all theology survives contact with reality.  What I mean is that theology can sound clear in a classroom or feel settled in familiar environments. Yet, once you step into a place that doesn’t share your assumptions, your pace, or your resources, what you believe gets tested quickly.  For the past few years, I’ve had the privilege of serving on Manna Missions trips to island nations in … Read more

On the northeast side of the Bay of Bengal sits one of Southeast Asia’s hidden jewels: Myanmar (Burma).   Myanmar is home to more than 55 million people and 135 ethnic groups. If London is the “whole world in one place,” then Myanmar is one place with hundreds of worlds. Different faces. Different foods. Deep sociological and economic divides. … Read more

I do not like to be late. I tend to believe punctuality is next to godliness…unless it involves me showing up late to Jiu-Jitsu, in which case I fully support missing warmups.  I plan ahead. I think in contingencies. I want to know every possible scenario before it happens. I’m wired for information, analysis, and research. I check accounts more … Read more