Monthly Archives: April 2007

Shameless self-promotion

Posted on April 18, 2007 by igalindo

An article by Israel Galindo appears in the current issue of Congregations magazine from Alban Institute. The article is titled “What’s Systems Theory Got to Do with It?: Addressing Congregations’ Emotional Processs in Our Preaching.” In it, Galindo says, “The … Continue reading →

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Suggestions for children’s sermons

Posted on April 15, 2007 by igalindo

I recently visited a church in which a staff member did the “children’s sermon” during the morning worship service. It was all I could do to keep from moaning and cringing. This staff member broke all of the “rules” for … Continue reading →

Posted in children, Christian Education | 1 Comment

Teaching the unteachable

Posted on April 14, 2007 by igalindo

Sometimes I get the nagging suspicion that there may be some things that are “unteachable.” Ironically, those things may be the most important things we want to teach, things like maturity, emotional intelligence, faith, and the usable part of systems … Continue reading →

Posted in bowen family systems theory, children, Christian Education | 1 Comment

First Second chair post

Posted on April 13, 2007 by igalindo

Interestingly enough, we’ve yet to have a “second chair” post on the blog. This is interesting in that most of us in the GRACE group fall under that category. Whether you are a second chair or first chair in your … Continue reading →

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First and second order change in systems

Posted on April 12, 2007 by igalindo

In the field of community psychology (yes, there is a field of community psychology), the theory of “logical types” and the concepts of first and second order change can help us understanding some aspects of addressing homeostasis in relationship systems. … Continue reading →

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Know thyself . . . or not

Posted on April 11, 2007 by igalindo

The idea of self-differentiation has within it the hint of the idea of the necessity to “know thyself.” Evidence of this is the emphases on achieving insight into how we got to be who we are (family of origin work) … Continue reading →

Posted in bowen family systems theory, philosophy, world view | 1 Comment

Hacks and professionals

Posted on April 10, 2007 by igalindo

In his book, A Failure of Nerve, Ed Friedman writes about the tendency of ineffective leaders who exhibit the tendency to seek the “quick fix” and the obsession with methods, techniques, and programs rather than engage in the hard work … Continue reading →

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New Good Friday Poster

Posted on April 9, 2007 by igalindo

We’ve added a new poster to the Art Gallery section of the Educational Consultants website. Go to Links/Art Gallery to locate the poster. The poster is titled “Love” and has the text of John 3:16.

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Inimical “middle languages”

Posted on April 8, 2007 by igalindo

One of the continuing paradoxes of Christian education in congregations (and in most seminaries, admittedly) is that the ways we’ve chosen to go about teaching for faith is actually inimical to how people need to learn it. Here are some … Continue reading →

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Regrettable food

Posted on April 6, 2007 by igalindo

Well, Lent is almost over, so I’m looking forward to enjoying again some of the things I’ve “given up” during the season of denial and penitance. If you’ve had trouble sticking with going without, or if you’ve had trouble giving … Continue reading →

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