Bøger af Israel Galindo

There currently is a strong desire in congregations to change the practice of Christian education from an educational model to a formation model. The best some congregations have been able to do is change the name of their educational programming from "Christian Education" to some variant that uses the term "formation." Regrettably, these efforts have been little more than a hopeful gesture that has kept old wine in old wineskins. Truthfully, congregations continue to suffer from a lack of effective discipleship due to a lack of understanding of both education and of formation. Certainly, this is tragic. Too many efforts at meeting the spiritual needs of the members of the church, from children to adults, are at best, benign, and at worst, inimical to growth in the faith. Spiritual direction, or, "the cure of souls" as it is often called, is an ancient Christian practice whose aim is spiritual formation and growth through the encounter of the Holy. Spiritual direction is the practice of being with people as they attempt to deepen their relationship with the divine, or to learn and grow in their own personal spirituality in relationship with God, self, and others. In Seeking the Holy: An Introduction to the History and Practice of Spiritual Direction for Today's Churches, Israel Galindo provides a guide to understanding the historical development of this ancient practice and its relevance for today's churches. Grounded in scholarship, this work does not merely provide a strong grounding for understanding the foundations and fundamentals of spiritual direction. It also offers practical pedagogical principles for the application of this practice in the congregational context.

Bowen Family Systems Theory (BFST) has become a significant resource for many clergy and congregational leaders. Since the groundbreaking volume by Edwin Friedman in 1985, Generation to Generation, the theory continues to be an influential "theory of practice" for ministry. As a bona fide theory, that is, one grounded in a field of study and practice, BFST provides a more rigorous framework as a theory of practice than devotional, romantic, metaphorical, or individualistic understandings of the role of clergy in a particular context, the congregation. In a day of liminal transition and great swells of anxiety in local churches the benefits of framing one's function as a leader using BFST as a construct for understanding emotional systems in congregations can be a significant resource for healthier and more effective functioning. The 100 quotes in this primer serve as an introduction and overview of the theory for novices, the curious, and "veterans" of the theory.

Some people are great at telling jokes. For others, attempts at telling a joke always falls flat. Regardless, we all appreciate humor and good stories that tickle the frontal lobe. A recent study on humor found that the most enduring jokes over the course of history tend to be on the more baser subjects (think fart jokes). Unfortunately, you can't tell fart jokes to your pastor, even if privately, your minister likely knows more of those than you. Here is a collection of jokes you can tell your minister. Or, if you need, a resource of jokes your minister can use if she or he needs a new supply of pulpit jokes.

Ministry is hard, and becoming harder. So, sometimes you just have to laugh at the absurdities one encounters in living out one of the most paradoxical of callings. This collection of cartoons originated from a "Caption Contest" among friends and colleagues. I thank the many unwitting contributors to this collection of cartoons. The response of friends and colleagues was a source of daily delight and encouragement. I hope they'll be a source of amusement for the reader-and maybe a source of insight to the foibles of ministry.

A Christian Educator's Book of Lists is a manual of basic information that every Christian educator and teacher should have on hand. At the heart of this book is the desire to make available to churches and their leaders a handbook of basic, practical information for effective Christian education. Part basic encyclopedia, part trivia resource, part practical "how to" compilations, part teaching manual, and part general knowledge index, the book is a handy reference manual for Christian educators and teachers. It's everything you need to know about Christian education but didn't know where to find.

It may seem unlikely that ascetics and monks have much to say that can be of relevance to us, living in our digitized, relativistic, consumer culture. We are far removed from their odd lives of extreme devotion. Most striking in our age on constant entertainment is what comes across as the deprived and aspects of their lives. They did not sleep much, rarely bathed, had poor diets, owned little by way of material possessions, enjoyed little company, abstained from sexual relationships, and in many cases, did not even attend church! Truth be told, the average modern suburban church-goer would hardly recognize them as Christians! These stories of the Desert Fathers, however, speak to universal human relationships and spiritual struggles. These ascetics struggled with the same challenges and foibles as do modern disciples who seek to sincerely practice the Christian faith and live lives worthy of their calling. The stories speak to struggles with pride, impulses, anger, temptations. They speak of our often confusing relationship with our Self, and our occasional prickly relationships with others in community. On loftier matters they speak about the will of God in our lives, the attainment of salvation, and obedience. Despite their oddness, or perhaps because of them, these ancient stories have a universal appeal. Their simplicity in addressing basic human issues touches a chord, and their narrative structure provides an entertaining vessel for deep insights for today's bewildering world. In a world demanding productivity, the stories speak to simplicity in living. In an age that worships the vanity of youthful celebrities, the stories speak to wisdom and respect for sages. In a culture that celebrate violence and war, the stories urge transformation through silence and compassion. For a fractured world seeking meaning amidst the cacophony of media and trivial entertainment, the Desert Fathers point to a different path, that of obedience to the God who creates and calls us to a life of meaning and joy.

For over twenty years the Leadership in Ministry workshops (LIM) has trained leaders from across the country in a different way of thinking about the ministry of leadership. Grounded in Bowen Family Systems Theory, the workshops challenge and equip pastoral leaders to lead from the self with a deep understanding of the emotional process that influences relationship systems. In this volume LIM faculty members and other contributors share wisdom gained from the workshops and from coaching ministry leaders in numerous contexts. Using Bowen Systems Theory as a theory of practice for ministry, the writers offer a different and challenging perspective for courageous leadership. CONTRIBUTORS INCLUDE: Joel Alvis, Elaine Boomer, Michael Lee Cook, Israel Galindo, Meg Hess, James Lamkin, Margaret Marcuson, Rebecca Maccini, Lawrence Matthews, Betty Pugh Mills, Bill Pyle, Ronald Richardson, Carla Toenniesen, and Brian Virtue. www.leadershipinministry.org

This guide will help you design your course in the context of a theological curriculum. Using two proven educational frameworks for course design you will be able to create a powerful course that will facilitate a meaningful learning experience for your students, and a rewarding teaching adventure for you. Using the frameworks of Understanding by Design (Wiggins and McTighe) and the learning principles of the classic educational theories of Constructivism and Instruction, you will be able to design a course that: is student-centered, applies theory to practice in learning experiences, applies effective pedagogies of Instruction, is experiential, and leads to demonstrable learning outcomes. Using this guide you will be able to design your course for a variety of forms for course delivery, from traditional classroom instruction, to a hybrid format, to a dedicated online learning course using your school's online learning system. A successful learning experience requires planning, the application of sound educational theory and practice, and assessment of student learning. This workbook is your guide to creating a model course for your students.

Based on research in the field of educational leadership and on years of experience Galindo offers a rich resource of practical wisdom for deans, associate deans, and program administrators. More than a "how to" manual, this resource provides academic leaders with the perspective needed to lead with effectiveness in the complex and multifaceted contexts of schools. The first part focuses on the nature and practice of academic leadership. The second part of the book covers practical methods and practices for program administration and assessment. Persons new to the job of dean and of educational administration especially will find helpful wisdom for the challenging job of educational leadership.

There is the way we think people learn, and then there's the way people actually learn. This book helps answer the question, "How do people actually learn, and therefore how should we teach them?" That's an important question that every effective educator keeps at the forefront every time he or she teaches a class, writes a lesson, designs a program or plans a curriculum. The survey of the theories of learning presented in this book provides and introduction to a broader repertoire of approaches and principles of learning and education that is available to the Christian educator, whether in a church context or a theological program---a seminary or theological school.

Research in classroom instruction has identified one hundred and twenty-one specific teacher behaviors that directly relate to increased student learning and positive classroom behavior. In this book you will learn nine of those specific essential instructional skills. The nine skills reviewed in this research-based book are demonstrated to be the most essential of the instructional acts used in teaching that influence learning positively. The nine skills span the arc from the beginning to end of the instructional experience. Other important instructional skills will be introduces along the way. If you master these nine instructional skills, and if you practice them in the way that enhances learning rather then inhibits learning, you will be on your way to being an effective teacher who can deliver powerful and meaningful learning to your students. "Galindo provides an excellent primer on the essential skills for successful teaching and learning. This is a great resource for new and experienced teachers." Margaret Provol, Associate Professor of Education and Instruction "Galindo reclaims the art of instruction in an age too often mesmerized by technological wizardry. When it comes down to it, it is the skill of the teacher than makes the difference in the classroom. This new resource will help teachers become master instructors." Frederick T. Yates, Professor of Secondary Education

A Family Genogram Workbook, by Israel Galindo, Elaine Boomer, and Don Reagan, is an easy to use, but powerful, guide to understanding your family and how it shaped you. This workbook will take you step-by-step to learn how to create your own family genogram. A genogram is an exciting tool for understanding and interpreting family history and relationships. By working through various exercises and activities in A Family Genogram Workbook you will gain insight into your family and your place in it. The workbook has four chapters. The first, a tutorial, shows readers, step-by-step, how to create their own family genogram so that they can quickly reap the benefits of this powerful tool for understanding family emotional process. The workbook format contains work pages so the reader can create a genogram right in the book. Subsequent chapters provide basic information on how to interpret and how to use the genogram. The chapter titled The 20 Questions to Ask About Your Family will help readers focus on key issues related to family emotional process. By working through various exercises and activities in A Family Genogram Workbook readers will gain insight into their families, how they work, and their place in it. Along the way, readers will also acquire an understanding of basic Family Systems Theory concepts and terminology. This resource is suitable for courses on family systems, social work practice, individual or group study, marriage and family retreats or workshops, for premarital counseling with couples or blended families, coaching relationships, or for personal use.

This book was written to help congregational leaders, clergy, staff, and laypersons, plan and organize a Christian education ministry from the approach of Christian formation in a community of faith context. This book provides a model for organizing the Christian education leadership committee or team of the church, demonstrates how to use the church year as a framework for planning the Christian education ministry of the church, and gives a model for assessing the effectiveness of the educational ministry of the church and a process to help congregations move toward the Christian Education Formation approach.

Faced with crisis, lack of direction, or just plain "stuckness," many congregations and their leaders are content to deal only with surface issues and symptoms-only to discover that the same problems keep recurring, often in different, and more serious, ways. In The Hidden Lives of Congregations, Christian educator and consultant Israel Galindo takes leaders below the surface of congregational life to provide a comprehensive, holistic look at the corporate nature of church relationships and the invisible dynamics at play. Informed by family systems theory and grounded in a wide-ranging ecclesiological understanding, Galindo unpacks clearly the factors of congregational lifespan, size, spirituality, and identity and shows how these work together to form the congregation's hidden life. He provides useful tools for diagnosing and understanding how one's congregation fits into the various categories he names and suggests what leadership skills are necessary to get beyond the impasse of surface issues and help the congregation achieve its mission. The Hidden Lives of Congregations provides one of the most far-reaching looks into the invisible nature of faith communities written in recent years. For seminaries and divinity schools, it provides a standard text for getting a solid start in congregational practices; for experienced pastors, it provides support for renewing ministry; for lay leaders and committees, it offers insight to deepening mutual ministry. Israel Galindo has written an indispensable manual that leaders will return to repeatedly for new wisdom and guidance