DUS Urban Leadership: Leading from Within: “The Art of Soul Keeping”
TM252Fall 2014
Denver Urban SemesterGreg Fuchs/Millie Cline
913 N. Wyandot St303-928-9526
Denver, Co.
“In contemporary society our adversary majors in three things: noise, hurry, and crowds.” Richard J. Foster
Class Times and Location:
Mondays from 9am-12pm and 1-4 at various locations around city
Course Description
In a culture where being busy and productive are valued, this course will help students establish a different approach to leadership. Students will be invited to form a healthy sense of humility through inner reflection and allow a life of self-knowledge to bring freedom. This class desires to teach students to learn how to examine and take care of their soul in order to be people with the ability to lead in perhaps difficult places in the world. The goal of this course will be to develop leaders who have a true sense of self, become aware of God’s transformative invitation and become leaders who value “being” instead of “doing.”
Course Objectives
-Discover how God has created us and given us unique personalities
-Learn about our spiritual gifts and why God desires for them to be expressed in community
-Become aware of the lifelong tension between our flesh (shadow) and spiritual nature
-Understand the importance of how honest inner work directly influences leadership
-Learn the biblical theology of rest, renewal and Sabbath
-Review, process and present key events that shaped our spiritual journey
-Learn about the six historical Christian faith traditions
-Study historical spiritual leaders that worked with the poor
-Practice historical Christian spiritual practices and disciplines
-Recognize important elements in one’s life that both hinder and maintain a balanced life
-Develop practical tools for soul keeping
-Participate in a discernment process from the Ignatius & Quaker historical perspective
-Become people who offer life, not busyness to others
Performance Outcomes
Course Objective / KNW, SKL, or VAL / Activities / Assessments1
2
3
4
Texts & Media
Required Readings
Miller, Don, A Million Miles in a Thousand Years, (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2009)
Smith & Graybeal, A Spiritual Formation Workbook (New York: Harper Collins 1999) Muller W., Sabbath: Restoring the Sacred Rhythm of Rest: (New York: Bantam Books 2000).
Benner, David G. The Gift of Being Yourself, (Illinois: Intervarsity Press 2004).
Films
Mother Teresa, 2006 Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment
Les Miserables, 1998 Columbia Pictures
Luther, 2003 Universal Pictures
Other readings & media:
Dawson G., Companions in Christ. (Nashville: Upper Room Books, 2006)
Foster & Smith, Devotional Classics. (New York: HarperCollins Publishing, 1993)
Mother Teresa, Total Surrender. (Ann Arbor: Servant Publications, 1995).
Nouwen, H. Spiritual Direction. (New York: HarperCollins Publishing, 2006).
Web Resources:
Enneagram: self-awareness& discovery
Spiritual Gifts:
Methods and Procedures:
- Students will be given spiritual exercises to practice throughout the semester.
- Students will keep a journal with at least two entries per week reflecting on the practice of each week’s assigned spiritual discipline, recording personal experiences of working with the poor and disenfranchised and thoughts on living and working in the city.
- Students will engage in two silent/solitude times during the semester and write a
3-page paper reflecting on what they experienced and learned through this time and the
practice of the disciplines introduced in class and Muller’s book.
- Students will visit churches from at least 5 of the Christian faith traditions. Each student will give a write an8-10 page reflective paper on the Six Streams of Faith (Foster) and their church visit and give class presentation comparing and contrasting the expressions of faith found in the churches visited and their home church.
- Students will write a 2-3 page reflection paper on Benner’s book and ones Vocare/calling.
Please address what you learned about yourself through the enneagram, spiritual gifts, Myers Briggs, and shadow work classes.
- Students will write 8-10 pg. and present their spiritual autobiography.
- Students will be encouraged to participate in class discussions.
Grading Policy
This course will be awarded a letter grade according to the regular grading scale. There will be penalties for any work submitted after the specified deadlines.
Academic Integrity
Sterling College faculty and students form an academic community committed to the biblical principles of justice and honesty and to the core values of faith, calling, learning, integrity, service and community. With this in mind, the policy in the Catalog will be followed for this class. (Information on page 44,45 of the 2009-2010 Catalog).
Statement of Non-Discrimination
Sterling College does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability or age. The policy in the Catalog will be followed for this class. (Information on page 3 of the 2009-2010 Catalog).
Grading
Streams of faith paper and presentation (faith traditions)20 pts.
Spiritual Autobiography paper and presentation 25 pts.
Class attendance & discussion 10 pts.
Vocare Paper 15 pts.
Solitude Paper 10 pts.
Journals (due at beginning of Monday class) 20 pts.
Course Content and Assignments:
1. Monday
Millie: Introduction to spiritual disciplines/creating space/ Ps. 139 Greg;Image
2. Monday
Millie: A reflection of God: Beauty (spiritual exercise)
Greg: Keeping balance/ Serving from a heart of worship
Assignment: Muller pgs. 1-34
3. Orientation: Nancy Black: Trauma Stewardship, impact and training on 2nd hand trauma
4. Monday
(8:30-11) Millie: Who am I called to be? Vocare
Knowing your personality preferences and the impacts on others
Discipline: Simplicity
(1-3:30) Sandy Lee: Communication and conflict
Assignment: Practice simplicity- give up at least one electronic device for next 6 days-
Journals, Take Enneagram inventory, print all results and bring to next class
Read Benner pgs. 13-46, Muller 35-64
5. Monday
(8:30-11) Millie:Introduction to the nine types and understanding your archetype
Discipline: Gratitude
(1-3:30) Watch Mother Teresa film and discussion
Assignment: Practice gratitude 5 xs/ day- journal, reflect on who God created you to be and path of integration/growth- one page on what and who has helped you “grow, motivated, inspired...” Read Benner pgs. 47-74, Muller pgs. 65-122
6. Monday
(8:30-11) Millie: Disintegration and Integration (growing)
Discipline: Silence and Solitude
(1-3:30) Stations of the Cross @ Cathedral (Greg introduce/ Meet with Millie after
Assignment: Take a personal 2 hour time of silence and solitude and journal
Read Miller Part One/Two (pp. 1-92)
7. Monday
(8:30-11) Greg: Befriending our Shadow. Shadow work
Discipline: Imaginative prayer
(1-3:30) Watch Le Miserable and discussion
Assignment: Shadow work assignment, Pick 2 favorite scripture stories and practice
Imaginative prayer,Read Miller Part Three (pp. 93-154), Genesis 25:27-34
8. Monday
(8:30-11) Streams of Faith 1 (Greg)
(1-3:30) Birth Narrative – my story (Dave)
Assignment: Research Birth Narrative, Read Miller Part Four/Five (pp. 155-252)
9, 10, 11 (Fri-Sun) Retreat (Dave Meserve)
Spiritual Autobiography: Orientation, Disorientation, Reorientation Stories
12. Monday
(8:30-11) Sandy Lee: Multicultural communication
Discipline: Lectio
(1-3:30) Watch Mi Familia and discussion
Assignment: Pick a favorite Psalm twice this week and practice lectio-journal.
Spiritual autobiography paper due, Read Benner pgs. 75-108, Muller pgs. 123-156
13. Monday
(9-2) Millie: Field trip to Labyrinth
Assignment: Solitude paper due Monday Nov. 4th.
Read Muller pgs. 157-194, Read Foster Ch. 1-4
14. Monday
(8:30-11) Greg: Streams of Faith 2
Discipline: Ignatius reflection - rivers of life
(1-3:30) Watch Luther and discussion
Assignment: Practice Ignatius Rivers of Life 2x this week- journal .Spiritual gift
Inventories- bring results to class
Read Foster Ch. 5-7
15. Monday
(8:30-11) Millie: Spiritual Gifts
Discipline: Play
(1-3:30) Gifts of gratitude/ Closing well
Assignment: Create your peer gift of gratitude and write thank-you notes, Finish
Well- practice closure. Streams of Faith paper due Monday
Presentation in class on Streams of Faith next Monday, Read Muller 195-208
15. Monday
(8:30-11) Millie Disciplines that give life
Streams of Faith class presentations
(1-3:30) Perigrinatio
Assignment: Take a Perigrinatio journey 2x this week- journal
Vocare paper due last day of Term