In an ideal world, everyone would be willing to Walk a Mile in Someone Else’s Shoes demonstrating a Habit of Awareness of Others in efforts to create a flourishing community. However, the reality is that most of us are more interested in our own perspective and having our own opinions supported than we are at …
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.
Audience of One
When a phrase comes to your attention from three different sources all within a 24-hour period, it might be wise to pay attention! The phrase Audience of One appeared in a sermon podcast in the morning and two separate books on different topics in the afternoon. Discussing the Sermon on the Mount, Ortberg discusses how …
Dust of Your Rabbi
One of the characteristics I associate with accomplished writers is the ability to paint in my mind a picture of the scene they are describing, or it could be the turn of an unusual phrase that grabs my attention which is what occurred during the reading of John Ortberg’s God Is Closer Than You Think. …
Nothing But Crickets
Have you ever stood in front of a group of people, whether as the sage on the stage in a college classroom, as a small group leader, or as the supervisor in a business meeting and experienced that sinking feeling when you ask a question and no one says a word? That awkward silence continues, …
Skillful Teaching
In the Logos at Union University located on the second floor in the east end of the beautiful domed building is an area where the Center for Faculty Development places materials that might be of interest to our faculty. The only downside to visiting this space is that when my intention is to locate one …
Face Down in the Arena
Preferring action movies that incorporate history and a compelling story over the science fiction Marvel-esque films of today, one of my all-time favorites is the 2000 film Gladiator. Perhaps the attraction relates to the intriguing history of sport which compels me to reference the movie in the sports facilities’ class, not only to emphasize the …
Building the Wrong House
Have you ever been guilty of attempting to Build the Wrong House? Sometimes in my eagerness to serve or help, I start trying to help everyone and instead of following the blueprints God designed just for me, I let the Enemy distract me into building the house he created for someone else. In Banning Liebscher’s …
Hub of the Wheel
Have you ever experienced a word in your vocabulary that is taken for granted? You know its general meaning and your pencil (or keyboard) has placed the letters in the boxes of a crossword puzzle, but when the combination of individual letters are connected, or you speak the word aloud, a simple vocabulary word comes …
The Hospitable Leader
Recognizing that other people may not track with my philosophy that one should view an athletic event or a college classroom as an opportunity to demonstrate hospitality, my hope is that even those who disagree will be able to connect with the concept of a Hospitable Leader. Author Terry A. Smith invites us to ponder …
Lesson of the Slime Mold
The more hours spent engaged in research on a flourishing life, the more convinced I become that a successful definition rests more in relational equity and connecting with others than in the measurement of achievements and successes. Whether it’s words of wisdom from the Reverend Billy Graham in Nearing Home or Bob Buford’s Finishing Well, …
Flourishing @ Life 