As I sit here on the back porch at Casa de Copper Creek on the first cool late summer day that hints at the fall temperatures to come, I gaze at the colorful green/yellow leaves from the black walnut trees in my backyard as they flutter to the still emerald green Bermuda grass below. Union …
Author: Julie Powell, Ed.D.
With over 30 years in higher education, I have a passion for seeing people, not only succeed at life, but to flourish in their God-given space personally, professionally, and spiritually.
Givers and Takers
In the research to discover some of the best strategies for assisting emerging generations in their pursuit of a flourishing life, I’m frequently astounded by how often the concepts seem so simple on the surface, a bit of common sense even; however, when it comes to pursuing these practices that develop the Habits of a …
Messy Middle
Much of our life is spent surviving the messy middle. Whether it’s moving to a new house like my friend Jennifer, the remodeling of a room in your home, the rebuilding of an athletic team, or investigating a research topic such as a flourishing life, the bulk of the process happens in the Messy Middle. …
Time Poverty
If one were to search the dictionary in an attempt to define the word poverty, similar words might appear such as scarcity, deficiency, shortage, or insufficiency. Most of the time when describing poverty, one’s mind has a tendency to ponder material assets such as money, property, or food; but today, I ask that you consider …
The First 48
If you have ever tuned in to watch the television show entitled The First 48 on the A&E Network, you have been a witness to the importance that the first 48 hours play in a criminal investigation, and I offer that just as a crime investigation often hinges on those precious first hours, how a student experiences the first hours enrolled in …
Forgotten Generation
With an intentional focus on unearthing the best practices for engaging and equipping Gen Z, the generational category of my current students, I confess to setting aside content about my own cohort, Gen X; and it seems I’m not alone in this oversight. As authors compose articles on insightful methods for engaging all generations currently …
Gratitude Gap
Many of you can surely relate to this statement, “I’ve never failed a class in my life!” As a diligent student through all levels of education, I embrace learning and have an insatiable sense of curiosity about people, concepts, ideas, Scripture, and even how things work. However, I’m currently failing at a task, and based …
Tiptoes of Expectation
Have you ever read an expression of words that seemed to capture meaning and emotion, while offering a visual image, that reached deep inside of you and touched you at the core of your soul? That might be a slight over exaggeration but I’m not sure how else to articulate the way that God uses …
Round Tuit
Why I remember obscure and trivial details will always be a mystery to me; however, sometime in the 1970s, I remember dad coming home one day and showing us this circular object called a Round Tuit. Absorbing the idea took a few minutes, but the idea behind the object was to reach deep into your …
Finding New Wa(ze)
Creative and resourceful people who are adept at Finding New Wa(ze) of accomplishing routine tasks amaze me! At times, I consider myself fairly “crafty,” in that my brain will conjure new applications for established methods or see an approach that involves tweaking a long-standing process; however, creating something truly original is highly unlikely. As I …
Flourishing @ Life 