A Prayer for Effective Communication Heavenly Father, please accept my brief, humble prayer to use your gift of communication more faithfully: “When my words are not on target. When my messages are missing the mark. When my attitudes and motivations are self-centered. Please help me have the humility and patience to get back on target. To find the mark. To …
Devotional, “Park Bench Conversation,” by Bill Strom
Park Bench Conversation “He did not need any testimony about mankind, for he knew what was in each person.” John 2:25 Have you ever wondered how a personal encounter with Jesus would go between you and Him? Imagine that you have taken a break for lunch on a park bench. A man approaches and sits down at the end of …
Vlog entry, “What is Too Much Information, or TMI?”, by Stephanie Bennett
Description: In this installment of The Secret Place (Ps. 91:1-2) . . . Some things are not meant to be self-disclosed. What? Isn’t self-disclosure a good thing? Yes, indeed It can hep solidify and ground those relationships that are primary importance to us, but let’s be discerning. Holding back information about ourselves sometimes Is not about being shy or introverted. …
Column entry, “Talking About Race: Truthfully, Lovingly, Productively,” by John Hatch
Crossed My Mind: Thoughts on Culture and Communication By John Hatch, Ph.D. Eastern University (retired) CCSN Senior Fellow Column Description: As Christians, we are called to have the mind of Christ. This goes against the grain of our social and cultural conditioning. We seek personal or political advancement; Christ seeks the lost and the least. We grasp for cultural ascendency; …
Devotional, Silence is Golden, by Donna Elkins
Silence is Golden When he opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour (Revelation 8:1, NIV) Western culture, and those of us in the United States in particular, believe talking is more desirable than silence. In fact, silence is often viewed as embarrassing or awkward. When I was a newspaper reporter, a communication technique …
Communication Devotional, “Fighting Against the Empathy Deficit,” by Donna Elkins
Fighting Against the Empathy Deficit When Joseph came to them the next morning, he saw that they were dejected. So, he asked Pharaoh’s officials, who were in custody with him in his master’s house, “Why are your faces so sad today?” Genesis 40: 6–7 (NIV) Empathy has been defined as “one’s ability to connect with others and discern how they’re …
Teacher-scholar column, “Laying a Biblical Foundation for Communication Studies,” by Richard Noble
Column title: Teacher-Scholar: Servant Teaching and Missional Scholarship Entry: “Laying a Biblical Foundation for Communication Studies,” by Richard Noble, DMin, Adjunct Associate Professor of Communications, Geneva College Column Description: this column explores the important inter-connections between teaching and scholarship in Christian higher education. Contributors address such questions as: What does it mean to be a “servant teacher” who is committed to …
A Prayer to Avoid Words Spoken in Anger, by John Chrysostom
Words Spoken in Anger “Lord, Teach us that no matter how just our words may be, we ruin everything when we speak to others in anger.” Author: John Chrysostom Source: Bill Mullen (paraphrased)
Column entry, Keeping the Faith (as a Graduate Student) in a New Year, by Lakelyn Taylor
Keeping the Faith in Grad School January entry: “Keeping the Faith (as a Graduate Student) in a New Year” Column Description: Writing as a Christian who is a doctoral student at a public institution of higher learning, Lakelyn reflects on how graduate students can maintain their faith in graduate school when it seems hard to do. This column is not …
Column Entry, “Three (or Four) Impossible Prayers,” by Chase Mitchell
Column: Image to Image: Musings on Faith, Media, and Story January entry: “Three (or Four) Impossible Prayers” Column Description: Image to Image: Musings on Faith, Media, and Story is a monthly column that illuminates old and new ideas about media ecology from a Christian perspective. Dr. Mitchell will explore what it means to bear God’s image and Christian witness in a mediated …
