Archive for the ‘teaching’ Category

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Notes on Being a Man

November 3, 2025

Observing the growing diversity of genders and races at engineering conferences over the past 20 years has been gratifying. I’ve been a “perp” at times over the years. When I had leadership responsibilities, I promoted unlikely people into strategic roles looking at their skill sets and social maturity. I had a female project manager and a sales engineer in the 1980s when many men were uncomfortable with that. They were good.

Melinda French Gates (Bill’s ex) recently appeared on a podcast. While celebrating the advances women have made, she noted the importance of bringing men along. I applaud the setting aside of an “us vs. them” mentality. I’m with Martin Luther King, Jr. when  he asked that we judge people by the strength of their character, not by external factors.

I have watched for years how some boys and men have not been brought along with the progress of women, people of color, and privileged white men. I would see the woman of the family driving the car, going into the bank to do business, running other errands, while the guy sits slumped in the car playing a video game.

Sometimes parents have not been a help. Sometimes no coach or teacher or neighbor has come forward to offer guidance. They’ve heard that if you don’t go to college, you’re nothing. And their talents are not in that direction.

My last podcast discussed building a workplace that respects people. We need to help bring everyone along for the ride. We cannot sit back and expect other to do this.

[Note: the linked blog post contains language and situations that some will find offensive. The message is clear, though.]

Tim Ferriss writing about Scott Galloway on his blog discusses disturbing statistics about young (and a little older now) men. They need guidance. OK, maybe sometimes a metaphorical kick in the pants. Check out Tim’s post and the discussion about Galloway’s new book.

What can we do either individually or through business to help bring these disaffected people along—all the while not forgetting to enable everyone?

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Posted in Attitude, Compassion, Leadership, teaching | Leave a Comment »

Spiritual Formation

September 9, 2025

For those who checked out my series on Spiritual Formation through following the outline Paul used in his letter to the Romans, did that help you gain awareness of an intentional path for deepening your spiritual relationship to God? What resonated? These were brief comments with no discussions in this format. What would you like to see explained? Would you do sessions on zoom to discuss?

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Sin and Awareness, Part 1a

August 29, 2025

Read Romans 2:17-3:20

This passage of Romans begins a bit strangely. We must remember that Paul has a problem different from what we face, although similar in some respect. This is the cultural distinction (from the Jewish point of view) where humanity is neatly divided into those who are Jewish and those who are not (called Gentile).

The Jews thought they were God’s chosen people. They missed the part where Abraham was told he would be a light to the world. They thought they were “it”. 

By the way, this is not a unique thought throughout history. Even today we have cultural groups who think they are the only “chosen” people. But that may be a future lesson.

Back to the Jews. Jesus was definitely a Jew. As far as we can tell, all of his original followers were Jewish. Jesus dealt fairly with people in Galilee and Judah who were not Jewish. I have never seen a document that disputes that the movement began as a Jewish movement.

Immediately following his death and resurrection, the movement rapidly spread throughout the region irrespective of cultural origin. Indeed, only a few years after, Paul, himself, was appointed Apostle to the Gentiles charged with spreading the word throughout the Greek and Roman world.

But he was a Jew. Proclaimed himself a Pharisee of Pharisees. So, his heart was broken by the rejection of Jesus by the Jews. So, he yells at them.

He says, “For, as it is written, ‘The name of God is blasphemed among the gentiles because of you.’”

They think they have it made because they have the Law. A key part of the law was that every Jewish boy is circumcised ritually as a mark of salvation. Paul would call this salvation through works.

Returning to the topic that we must become aware of our sins, he negates circumcision, “No, not at all, for we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under the power of sin, as it is written: ‘There is no one who is righteous, not even one…’”

He continues quoting from their Scriptures:

“There is no one who is righteous, not even one;

11     there is no one who has understanding;

        there is no one who seeks God.

12 All have turned aside; together they have become worthless;

    there is no one who shows kindness;

        there is not even one.”

13 “Their throats are opened graves;

    they use their tongues to deceive.”

“The venom of vipers is under their lips.”

14     “Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.”

15 “Their feet are swift to shed blood;

16     ruin and misery are in their paths,

17 and the way of peace they have not known.”

18     “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

Paul is leading up to recognizing two important concepts of spiritual reality—faith and grace. He concludes, “For no human will be justified before him by deeds prescribed by the law, for through the law comes the knowledge of sin.”

We do not enter into a right relationship with God because we have followed a law…or even a bunch of laws.

Before we can proceed, we must become infused with this knowledge not only in our brains but in our guts. Our total awareness needs to see this.

Once during a meditation session, I was passing by an old, decrepit house. I was drawn to the porch and then the door. I opened the door. A guide met me. He/she led me in. We looked around. There was another door. This one to the basement. I opened that door. Went down the stairs. And there I was introduced to every imaginable sin. My guide led me to realize that within me lay the capabilities to commit any sin.

I came out of the session with a deeper understanding of just how I am. It was some months before the next step in meditation. I’ll leave that to another session.

Posted in Awareness, Meditation, Sin, teaching | Leave a Comment »

Paul’s Guide To Spiritual Formation

August 27, 2025

I am working through a new syllabus looking at the Letter to the Romans from the point of view of spiritual growth and formation. I have read too much philosophy and theology in my life. I’ve become much more interested in “First Principles”–that is, how we become deeper enmeshed in God’s Spirit and what we do about it.

This is my working outline for the thoughts in the letter:

  • Awareness of our sinful life
  • Faith
  • Grace
  • Living in grace

As part of the faith discussion, Paul seems to digress into a long discussion of Jews and Gentiles (everyone not a Jew). 

The thoughts I’m currently working out look at this Jew and Gentile discussion not as an ancient problem because Jesus and the movement called The Way grew out of Judaism. I wonder if the discussion is germane to problems currently found globally with one ethnic group demonizing another. Just standing here at my desk flashes of vision from at least six countries in the world appear behind my eyes. It’s a current problem.

Sit and read Romans through several times. Don’t try to dig into theologies that Paul might not even have entertained. You can see a clear progression from having a life full of sin, to awareness, to faith, to grace, to living in grace. I have observed many Christians stopping at the “grace” part ignoring how we are supposed to live in grace. A good secondary source is Paul’s letter to the Galatians.

This sounded so familiar to instruction I have had, that I asked Claude.ai to list John Wesley’s four types (or manifestations) of grace. He/she/it provided this description:

  • Prevenient Grace – This is the grace that “goes before” and precedes human response to God. Wesley believed this grace is given to all people universally, enabling them to recognize their need for God and making it possible for them to respond to the gospel. It counteracts the effects of original sin and restores some measure of free will.
  • Justifying Grace – This is the grace through which God pardons sin and declares the believer righteous. It’s received through faith and represents the moment of conversion or being “born again.” This grace removes the guilt and penalty of sin.
  • Sanctifying Grace – This grace works in believers after justification to gradually transform them into the likeness of Christ. Wesley emphasized that this is an ongoing process of spiritual growth and moral purification that continues throughout the Christian life.
  • Glorifying Grace – This is the final grace that believers receive in heaven, where the process of sanctification is completed and they are made perfect in love. It represents the ultimate fulfillment of God’s work in the believer’s life.

Then provided a bit of context with which I concur and offer for contemplation.

These four types of grace formed a comprehensive framework for understanding the entire process of salvation from God’s initial drawing of individuals to their final perfection in heaven. Wesley’s emphasis on the availability of grace to all people (through prevenient grace) was particularly important in distinguishing Methodist theology from more strict Calvinist interpretations of predestination.

Posted in Faith, Growth, teaching | Leave a Comment »

Curiosity Is A Skill

July 29, 2025

This is becoming a mini-series on curiosity.

Let’s see…a student for 17 years, teacher for one, school board member for eight, wife taught in elementary school for 35.

Some people dislike public schools (meant to provide a common education for everyone in a democracy) because they want to see teachers’ salaries reduced. Some because they don’t teach political or religious philosophy they espouse.

I side with Seth Godin. He calls it the industrial-education complex. Schools, public and most private ones (and most universities) exist to churn humans through the system such that they can provide bodies in industrial-type jobs. Not thinking or creative jobs. Assembling things, entering data/writing rote reports, attend meeting after meeting (sort of just like school).

In this post called Why and How from a couple months ago, Godin tackles science non-education. (Interesting that my copy of Burn Math Class arrived today. I’ve had the same feelings about math class as science class—and I like both things.)

Let’s get rid of science class in school.

Instead, beginning in kindergarten, we could devote a class to curiosity and explanation.

A class that persistently and consistently teaches kids to ask why and to answer how.

The unacceptable single-word answers are “because” and “magic.”

Curiosity is a skill, and it can be taught.

I learned biology when my parents bought a microscope, and I began exploring. I read about planets, and relativity, and dinosaurs. I learned electronics math while learning how to assemble and analyze circuits. I bought a 22-scale log-log slide rule (still have it) and an electronics math slide rule in the early 60s while in high school.

I was frustrated by chemistry. I kept wanting to ask Why. He kept saying to memorize the balance equations or whatever. The only math class than kept me interested was geometry. The teacher said what I’m really going to do is teach you to think. And he did. Solving proofs for theorems was pretty cool.

Everything in school could be taught as an outgrowth of curiosity instead of ramming down a curriculum devised by people far away who haven’t seen a classroom for decades.

Turn the teachers and kids loose and let education happen.

(By the way—works for spiritual topics, too. Curiosity led me to mediation, which led to studying the “mystics” and Desert Fathers, which led to studying the Christian thinkers and leaders of the first 300 years of the movement, which led to deeper understanding of the New Testament, which led to deeper meditation awareness…)

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Mentors and Coaches

February 12, 2025

I am thinking about mentors and coaches today. News just arrived that one of my mentors had passed away over the weekend.

I had few mentors. Some of them I didn’t realize until later. There are a few who could have been if I had only known how to ask.

That asking is a key element. I failed to ask so many times. Not because I thought I knew it all. Mostly because I hate to bother people. Some because I just couldn’t formulate the right questions.

I have mentored a few people in my journey. Sometimes I didn’t realize it—it wasn’t intentional to any certain individual. I was just being helpful.

I was able to visit one of my mentors before he died. And another I sent a note being a considerable distance away. I hope he got it.

Think of people who have helped you along the way. Send a note (hand written is best) or make a call to those still with us.

If you see someone who could use some help, ask if you can answer a question. If you need some help, don’t be afraid to ask. I didn’t ask. And I have lived to regret it.

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Acknowledging The Team

July 29, 2024

When I teach Romans, I lead people through the spiritual formation path that Paul lays out. It sort of follows the logic chain: self-awareness of our sins, different approaches of Jews and Greeks (very important in 50 AD), Jesus and Grace, now what (once we’ve accepted grace how do we live), and then finally friends, partners, and the team. Chapter 16 describes the latter.

Despite the sentence that Paul wrote to Timothy where he says “I” (not God) do not permit women to teach (addressing a specific problem in Ephesus), looking at the team listed at the end of the letter to the Romans, we get an entirely different portrait of first century Christian leadership. There are women—and men. Couples and singles. I’d imagine many were wealthy and many not so much.

What sort of team and selection of partners have you assembled or are participating?

I never quote this much, but I think the topic needs it. This is from the NIV translation.

I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a deacon of the church in Cenchreae. 2 I ask you to receive her in the Lord in a way worthy of his people and to give her any help she may need from you, for she has been the benefactor of many people, including me.

3 Greet Priscilla and Aquila, my co-workers in Christ Jesus. 4 They risked their lives for me. Not only I but all the churches of the Gentiles are grateful to them.

5 Greet also the church that meets at their house.

Greet my dear friend Epenetus, who was the first convert to Christ in the province of Asia.

6 Greet Mary, who worked very hard for you.

7 Greet Andronicus and Junia, my fellow Jews who have been in prison with me. They are outstanding among the apostles, and they were in Christ before I was.

8 Greet Ampliatus, my dear friend in the Lord.

9 Greet Urbanus, our co-worker in Christ, and my dear friend Stachys.

10 Greet Apelles, whose fidelity to Christ has stood the test.

Greet those who belong to the household of Aristobulus.

11 Greet Herodion, my fellow Jew.

Greet those in the household of Narcissus who are in the Lord.

12 Greet Tryphena and Tryphosa, those women who work hard in the Lord.

Greet my dear friend Persis, another woman who has worked very hard in the Lord.

13 Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord, and his mother, who has been a mother to me, too.

14 Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas and the other brothers and sisters with them.

15 Greet Philologus, Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas and all the Lord’s people who are with them.

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Make Stuff Up—With Confidence

July 22, 2024

I was trained long ago to speak and write as if I knew what I was talking about. They told me to sound confident, forceful, knowledgeable—even though I might just be putting forth a proposition expecting pushback and discussion.

This thought from Seth Godin recently came my way.

One of the valid complaints about some AI systems is that they make stuff up, with confidence, and without sourcing, and then argue when challenged. 

Unsurprisingly, this sounds a lot like people. We often end up with what we are willing to tolerate. Show your work and ask for receipts.

Then I thought of the many people I’ve known who are so convinced of their opinion as the only way. They speak with complete confidence in their being correct.

Maybe I need to find a way to be more humble and invite discussion. Maybe we all need to achieve the self-awareness that reflects back to us that we don’t know it all. Sorry if you think you do—you don’t.

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Irony of Teaching

July 10, 2024

Those who most need teaching or coaching are those least likely to sign up for it.

Church leaders and members can slip too easily into simply reinforcing a closed set of precepts forgetting the charter to teach new people about Jesus.

Learning requires energy, curiosity, openness to ideas.

Teaching requires the ability to inspire, ignite curiosity, encourage thinking.

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Find Your Hidden Potential

May 30, 2024

Sometimes I come across something important for our (yours, mine, and someone you know) personal development. Hidden Potential: The Science of Achieving Greater Things by Adam Grant is a must-read book. Weaving research, analysis, and stories, Grant takes us through a number of steps and processes to help us find our hidden potential. The value extends beyond ourselves to those we parent, mentor, coach, or teach. Helping others develop is a joy beyond description.

He discusses at one point the value of teaching character traits exceeds the subject matter. I appreciate the validation. I spoke for 30 years about how when training young people to become soccer referees that I was teaching beyond just the Laws of the Game. I taught those 12-15-year-olds how to show up on time, be properly equipped, make decisions, stand up for yourself in the face of the inevitable complainers. I see many of them on Facebook or LinkedIn who are successful engineers, teachers, coaches, and more in their own right. I hope I helped them in my own low-key way.

Adam Grant is an organizational psychologist at Wharton, where he has been the top-rated professor for seven straight years. 

To quote from the description on Bookshop.org:

The #1 New York Times bestselling author of Think Again illuminates how we can elevate ourselves and others to unexpected heights.

We live in a world that’s obsessed with talent. We celebrate gifted students in school, natural athletes in sports, and child prodigies in music. But admiring people who start out with innate advantages leads us to overlook the distance we ourselves can travel. We underestimate the range of skills that we can learn and how good we can become. We can all improve at improving. And when opportunity doesn’t knock, there are ways to build a door.

Hidden Potential offers a new framework for raising aspirations and exceeding expectations. Adam Grant weaves together groundbreaking evidence, surprising insights, and vivid storytelling that takes us from the classroom to the boardroom, the playground to the Olympics, and underground to outer space. He shows that progress depends less on how hard you work than how well you learn. Growth is not about the genius you possess–it’s about the character you develop. Grant explores how to build the character skills and motivational structures to realize our own potential, and how to design systems that create opportunities for those who have been underrated and overlooked.

Many writers have chronicled the habits of superstars who accomplish great things. This book reveals how anyone can rise to achieve greater things. The true measure of your potential is not the height of the peak you’ve reached, but how far you’ve climbed to get there.

You may notice that I link to bookshop.org. This store supports your local independent bookstores in the US. I am not an affiliate. If you find these thoughts useful, please share.

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