Reading Reflections

Jim Collins’ book Good to Great is a study of what distinguishes successful companies from the rest. For this study, a great company had to beat the market and comparison companies for a duration of 15 years. They didn’t start with a hypothesis, but they took the 11 qualifying companies and determined what those companies…

I was first exposed to Jesmyn Ward while sitting under the teaching of Dr. Patrick Alexander and Dr. Otis Pickett (one of our elders). Lecturing in one of the only air conditioned buildings of Mississippi State Penitentiary (Parchmen) as part of the Prison to College Pipeline, Dr. Alexander masterfully unpacked Ward’s memoir Men We Reaped.…

“It’s day 45 of quarantine, and I’ve finished Nexflix,” the joke goes. In these days of physical distancing to protect life and flatten the curve, our working, studying, exercising, shopping—and even connecting—are now done behind a computer more than ever before. We’ve moved online. Of course, with the advent of the iPhone in 2007, we…

I believe the gospel; sometimes it just doesn’t show in my parenting. You know what I mean, don’t you? Some days, in my sorority house of 6 girls ages 11-18, I can get a little cranky and controlling. I just want knickknacks picked up, general obedience, a little peace and quiet, and some manners. Those…

“I wish I had read this earlier.” It’s the sentiment of many who read this book. Imagine living with an aging mother who manipulates with guilt, a 9-year-old son who throws tantrums when disciplined, a husband who doesn’t text when he’s late, and a boss who gives you more work than you can do. You…

Abuse is prevalent in our culture. [1] Perhaps you’ve seen pictures of bruised bodies and broken bones from domestic violence. Maybe you’ve read of deaths. But abuse is more than that. Psychological, verbal, and emotional abuse may not show up in a picture, but an abuser slowly dismantles your identity in a way that can…

We all have a theology—an understanding of the Bible out of which we answer life’s big questions and think about the world. What’s your theology? In Grace Unknown, R.C. Sproul presents Reformed Theology or the doctrines of grace. It’s an accessible explanation of an elegant system that revolves around the Sovereignty of God. The book…

At the beginning of each year, I like to read a book on productivity to shape the year ahead. This year, I reread one of my favorites, What’s Best Next, by Matt Perman. Perman takes a ‘Christian’ approach to productivity, and he builds his system from David Allen’s Getting Things Done (stronger in projects and…

When I first started reading Dr. John Cox’s book Setting Parents Free, my 7-year-old daughter sat nearby finishing her homework. As my mechanical pencil went wild, she looked up from her notebook and asked, “Why are you underlining?” “Because I want to remember certain things.” “Are you going to put it in a bible lesson…