Why Regent University?

Simply put – God called me here. When my wife and I were still dating in 2005, I worked at a place I loved, lived near friends and family in Ohio, and I was all set to go to another university on a full-ride scholarship. Yet, there was a sense of unrest – God was whispering and I listened... In a matter of two months, we quit our jobs, got married and moved here to get a degree at Regent. There is no question that Regent was the right choice.

Why Online Learning?

As a direct result of earning a Christian education, I have a better grasp of my roles as a Christian, a husband, a lifelong learner, a friend, a follower, and a leader. Moreover, earning a degree is a very fulfilling yet difficult experience. I can’t imagine earning it without the support and encouragement of dedicated Christian faculty and the freedom (and expectation) to grapple with spiritual challenges in the context of the classroom.

Why A Business Degree?

Leadership is interesting, relevant and applicable. Leadership is everywhere but it is not understood by many people. Also, there is a critical need for good leadership everywhere. Last, leadership is essential influence, and without influence, one cannot change the world. The real question is, “Why not a leadership degree?”

Alumnus

A Joke is a Joke Unless Nobody is Laughing

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A Joke is a Joke Unless Nobody is Laughing

Generally, humor is funny. Is that an obvious statement? Maybe—maybe not. Humor has taken many forms over the years. Humor has relieved tension, built relationships, and even unified previously estranged peoples. In general, psychologists view our ability to laugh at ourselves a sign of good self-esteem. It is okay, after all, to not be perfect.

A joke is a joke. We all joke about some stereotypical characteristic about some thing or some group. Cultural sensitivity and sense of timing is important; however, there is an “understood” limit as to when a joke is offensive. Not many of us can clearly define pornography, but we all know it when we see it. All nudity is not pornography; all jokes are not tasteless. A joke is just that—a joke.

Sometimes a joke is not a joke anymore. Over the years, our society has, in fact, drawn the line on certain types of humor in certain environments. For example, several decades ago, it was commonplace for men to joke around about slapping around their wives (or girlfriends). Obviously a detestable act, the country at large revolted against this kind of humor. It is no longer “socially acceptable” to use that kind of humor. Wife-beating has made it onto the list of other topics that—though at one time many people in our society considered them to be “funny”—are not a joke anymore. Whereas a joke about beating one’s spouse might get you dirty looks, make a joke about a bomb anywhere near a school or an airplane, and you could be looking at jail time. Sometimes, depending upon numerous varying characteristics, a joke is not a joke anymore.

The anatomy of a joke is complex. Although jokes can only be comprised of a limited number of combinations of several components—people, places, things, and animals—the results are infinite. Jokes can range anywhere between two extremes of a number of different continuums such as the clean-dirty, child-adult, innocent-insidious, specific-general, corny-clever, plausible-implausible, chaste-lewd… you get the picture. Furthermore, timing and delivery of the joke, the audience and the context all contribute to the joke’s overall humor value. Socio-political and socio-cultural norms as well as laws may also play into the jokes overall humor value.

Considering Jeff’s jokes were currently socially acceptable, stereotypical, clean, innocent, plausible, chaste, gender/hair color-based delivered in writing to a general audience of educated (or getting there) people who are charged with forgiveness, love and humility, under circumstances where a representative from the allegedly offended group first passed these jokes to Jeff, I think a survey of 10,000 Americans (blondes included) would reveal that blonde jokes are still acceptable and funny in most situations and under most conditions with the possible exception of funerals and Marilyn Monroe conventions.

However, if we go to the extreme by banning all jokes pertaining to hair color, the following subjects of jokes are now off limits as well: ethnicity, gender, age, relationship status, income, height, weight, and any reference to the size of any body part including, but not limited to the eyes, nose, ears, mouth, feet, hands, etc.; the ability (or lack thereof) of eye-hand coordination, athletic ability, ability to sing, dance, draw, speak in public, write, or talk; all occupations, interests, hobbies, talents (or lack thereof) are off limits, as are anything to do with politics, religion, science, engineering or education; all jokes about, pertaining to, or containing references of animals, fictitious characters such as cartoons or superheroes, pop stars, politicians (local representatives to the president both in this country and internationally), movie stars or musical artists are forbidden; any humor directed toward the deceased or yet to come, the past, present or future, about anything that creeps, crawls or flies, anything below the surface of the ground, water or skin and anything below, within, or above the clouds or outer planetary atmospheres are also off limits; jokes repeated within and about certain industries such medical, engineering, law, restaurant, higher education, performing arts, psychology, theology, and business/organizational life (sorry Dilbert) are also forbidden; moreover, any and all references to any person, place, thing, animal or idea that someone may or may not have an unhealthy connection, association, or otherwise dependence on are also strictly prohibited…

Gimme a break!

In the final analysis, God enjoys humor. Since most of us are Christian, He should be our final authority on the matter. In fact, there is undeniable proof that God does enjoy humor and playing jokes… just look in a mirror. Enough said :)

Kyle

By the way, I am an Irish-German, short, overweight, bearded (sometimes), non-athletic, non-coordinated, fashionably challenged, four-eyed, slightly balding, mildly intelligent, moderately educated, partially asthmatic, newly Christian, politically confused, middle-aged, married man, who is only aesthetically pleasing to one woman (God bless my wife). I would love to hear your jokes… thanks in advance for your submissions.

Thank You

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http://www.jacquielawson.com/viewcard.asp?code=1545489532

The above link was posted to the TheBranch, and I just wanted to make a comment:

I have never served in the military. In fact, in my own young ignorance, I had a somewhat negative view of the military. My father served in the Navy during Vietnam, but he never talked about it. I don't think he "saw any action" per se, but nonetheless, I grew up in the post Vietnam culture, which unfortunately did not respect the military as it had done in the prior decades.

Today, I have a different view. While I do not necessarily agree or disagree with war in Iraq or the "War on Terror," I do stand behind the men and women who have sacrificed their daily comfort and safety for mine. After graduation, many asked, "What next?" It was at that point that I realized I had the choice to contemplate "What next?" For some, their next steps are dictated by the level of engagement in lands thousands of miles away. For me, I have a choice.

I have family and friends in the military. I am grateful that they are willing to put their lives on hold and on the line so that I can continue with mine. This notion places a deserving importance on the decision making process involving "What next?". While I will not argue theology here, I believe that God has provided us with the widsom as well as the responsibility to choose within his moral will, and that He will support and guide us as He always has and will continue to do.

In sum, indecision or decision by default is a terrible way to utilize our God-given and soldier-secured right to choose. In the end, our lives are the result of a series of decisions. While most of our decisions happen quite regularly and easily, major decision require (usually) a bit more thought. Who we will marry, where or if we will get our education, and whether or not we will choose to accept Christ are among the most impactful. If you are in a place of making major decisions, take your time to make a good decision, but also remember the sacrifice, privelage and responsibility you have.

Guitar Hero?

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Over the course of my life, I have played (or attempted to play) a number of different intruments. I started with the trumpet (played for 3 years), moved to keyboard (played for several years), then the harmonica and guitar. I currently play the drums (not very well). The fact is, without talent (that's me), playing an instrument is hard!

I just ran across something called, "Guitar Hero." Apparently it is an interactive game that uses a guitar-controller to simulate playing a guitar. The on-screen personality mocks movements associated with song. It plays of the dance games you seen in the video arcade, where participants must (with amazing coordination) match the steps on a sensor pad to the music. In the case of the Guitar Hero, participants must hit keys on the fake guitar with as acurately as possible in accordance with the song they are attempting.

This kind of video game sure is a long way from my original Atari 2600 with Space Invaders! Check this kid out below... he is five years old and quite the expert.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3yEjyuw42YY

Research Topic - A Fleeting Thought

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An interesting thing happened this weekend... well, maybe not interesting; rather, it was unusual for me. I am in the Culminating Experience course (OLAM 486), which is essentially a research paper. On the surface, it is not so difficult, until you here the words... "What you do for your project is up to you." Sounds great? Not really.

It is much easier to be told what to do. Seriously! "Your assignment is a 50 page paper on ___________." Okay, I can do that. Thinking of a topic that is interesting enough, large enough (but not too large), yet one that is manageable is rather difficult. Why? Because there really is so much out there that is interesting!

Our task for the first week was to select a topic. Okay, after 2 or 3 submissions, I settled on servant leadership. In the second week, we start to get serious... the proposal, which is the 10-15 page document that describes what you are going to do and how you are going to do it as well as an annotated bibliography of the sources you wil use. In this phase, a research is supposed to let the research guide them; that is, see what is out there, what is really interesting, what has been beaten to death, or what needs more research. From that research, one narrows down the topic. For me, this was quite difficult.

So, we derive a research question: "Can servant leadership survive in a transactional world?" (This question actually came about in a collaboration from a previous class) It may seem simple enough, but in actuality, it was huge! Too huge! in a matter of days, I had more than 20 books and 100 articles, and I barely got into it. Okay, so obviously the scope of that project was not condusive to an 8-week class.

How about, "College students' understanding, perceptions, and use of servant leadership: An early indicator of whether servant leadership will survive the twenty-first century" Again... more focused, but still really, really huge. Okay, how can I do this.. think! Think! Ahaaaa...

Just chop the second half and be left with: "College students' understanding, perceptions, and use of servant leadership" - Now we are getting closer. Not sure if we are there yet, but better. Perhaps I should just take one of the three elements... understanding, perception or use? Not sure at the moment, but hopefully this will get all cleared up in the next 12 hours.

Home Stretch

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Q: So, Kyle... now that you have graduated, what are you going to do now?

A: Take another class.

Yes, that is right. I am one of those "lucky" ones that still have another class to complete in the summer. OLAM 486 is its name and research and writing is the game... and lots of it. They call it the culminating experience, and I suppose it is, but I would have preferred commencement to have been my culminating experience.

This course should prove to be quite challenging. Time management will be a huge factor. I can't imagine trying to work full time, keep up two blogs, write for a magazine, build a web site, maintain relationships, bathe once in a while, sleep once in a while, pray a whole lot (becuase you know I can't do it by myself) and do this last class. Well, okay, everything is true except for the bathing... I do that every day--honestly.

The logical progression of leadership theory from 1900 to the present.

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There are nine major theories that comprise the progression of leadership theory from 1900 to the present, including trait, style, skill, situational, contingency, path-goal, LMX, transformational and servant (Northouse, 2004). These theories developed logically in that they first focused on the leader as an individual, then on the situation or context, and finally on others and the dynamics of the leader-follower relationship.

First, theories focused solely on the leaders. Trait, skills and style theories respectively examined leaders’ characteristics, capabilities and what they do (Northouse, 2004). Trait theory is often referred to as the “great man” theory, suggesting that leaders were inherently endowed with favorable attributes through genetics or birthright. Skills theory focused on the leaders’ abilities, suggesting as set of competencies was most important. Style theory again focused on the leaders but more on their behaviors and whether those behaviors were more task or relationship oriented.

Next, theories centered on the leaders’ adaptation to situation, context of leadership, or the followers they were leading (Northouse, 2004). Situational leadership focused on appropriate tactics or style adaptations for the situation, contingency theory choosing appropriate leaders based on a fit between their styles and the contexts in which they were to lead, and path-goal theory focused on leaders’ adaptation to use the style that most appropriate meet their followers’ motivational needs (Northouse).

Finally, theories began to focus the dynamics of the leader-follower relationship. Leader-member exchange (LMX) theory examines the “interactions between leaders and followers” (Northouse, 2004, p. 147) and transformational leadership theory examines how leaders and followers are changed through the process and relationship of leadership. Servant leadership suggests a radical change in the perspective of the leaders toward those who follow in that leaders should lead by serving followers rather than being served by them.

Jesus Christ advocated servant leadership: “If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all” (Luke, 9:35) and “Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant” (Matthew 20:26). Like many of our own journeys, we often begin self-centered, thinking about how we can become “great men” through whom we are or what we can do, only to realize that greatness in life and leadership is ultimately found in being others-centered—through service.

References
Northouse, P. G. (2004). Leadership: Theory and practice (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

Discussion posts

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I was just thinking of those wonderful discussion board posts that we all do for our classes. In a few hundreds words... explain or articulate this or that. Honestly, it takes me at least a good hour or so to write a good post. I am not talking about the first bit of nonsense that comes to mind; I am talking about thoughtful prose that really answers the questions posed by the instructors.

There a few things about those posts I must dwell upon. First, I wonder how many of our classmates read them? If the responses received are any indication, not many. Second, am I the only one spending quality time with them? It seems that posts come easier to others. One classmate said they spend about 15 minutes on a post. Last, are these posts really a good substitution for classroom interaction? My guess is no. That post that took me an hour to write would have only taken me 3-4 minutes in class to articulate. Moreover, I would have seen the expressions on my classmates' faces instead of wondering if anyone even "heard" me.

Discussion board posts are great; however, I think it would be better if we moved toward "audio" posts--audio messages recorded and posted by students. This would take less time and do a better job recreating the characteristics of classroom interaction.

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Commissioning

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“This service is a very special time dedicated to worshiping God and commissioning our graduates to take the training they have received through Regent into the marketplace and world to make a difference for Christ”

Commissioning and Commencement often get confused. Even internally within Regent when speaking about two events, the opposite word will slip out. So, I thought I would take a moment to breakdown what commissioning is all about solely based on my interpretation of the preceding description.

First, we are there to worship God. In everything we do we should worship God. The way in which we speak to people, fulfill the duties of our jobs, and raise our children are all ways in which we can worship Him by fulfilling His commands.

Second, “commissioning” means to grant authority to someone. We are being granted the authority to move into the world on Christ’s behalf. We have studied and learned as apprentices, but it is now time to take that training and make a difference.

Third, we are taking our training into the marketplace. That marketplace is in not just mainstream business, but the marketplace of interaction within our communities and families. Anywhere there is exchange of goods, services, or ideas can be a marketplace. This broad definition places us in the realm of responsibility 24 hours each day.

Last, we are taking our training, into the marketplace, to make a difference for Christ. Not for each other, not for pride, not for material possessions, but for Christ. We are not only granted the authority but we are charged with changing the world. We can change the world one person at a time if necessary, but it can and will change.

Just as our students have received and followed a call to study our respective fields from a biblical perspective at Regent University, so now our graduates are charged with engaging in their fields with the same perspective. So, go forth bravely into this needy world, dear graduates. Go forth with your authority and your mission, and change the world for Christ.