Johan Kotze send us a summary of Willard's well kown book Renovation of the Heart. You can download the summary hear Enjoy! The book is availible at Communitas bookstore Contact Zillah at projek@sun.ac.za of 0218083381
Coping with grief and loss
After a significant loss, you may experience all kinds of difficult and surprising emotions, such as shock, anger, and guilt. These are normal reactions to loss. Accepting them as part of the grieving process and allowing yourself to feel what you feel, is necessary for healing.
There are healthy ways to cope with pain. Grief that is expressed and experienced has a potential for healing that eventually can strengthen and enrich life.
When a person suffers a major loss, he or she goes through certain stages of grieving in order to heal. The grieving process can be described as a series of emotional states in a downward curve that bottoms out before the process of recovery begins – called the “grief cycle”.
These stages are depicted in the diagram below (also included in a PowerPoint in English and Afrikaans).
Being aware of these emotional states can assist us in working through the grief and continue towards recovery
You can read the full article on Coping with Grief and Loss of prof Danie Louw in the attached English newsletter of SAAP (Suid Afrikaanse Assosiasie vir Pastoraat). Please log in to see both the PowerPoint and the Word document of SAAP.
The curve of loss
(click on this article’s title to see the graphic, as well as the attachments, for which you have to be logged in)
How a paradigm is created
Hier is 'n prettige PowerPoint aanbieding wat 'n diep waarheid oor die skep van paradigmas uitbeeld: How a paradigm is created.
The contribution of Appreciative Inquiry on the attitudes of church members towards a change in strategic focus
By Francois Retief
Dissertation as part of MBA studies
July 2009
The proposed strategic focus of the congregation had been described by the leadership as “being a positive and healthy presence in society.” This new approach entailed a move away from an inward focus on the needs of the members of the congregation to a focus on the needs of the community.
The congregation studied has a history going back almost 140 years. Traditionally, congregations with long histories have been viewed as being extremely resistant to change. This is all because of attitudes such as “we have always done it like this…”; “our traditions are important to us…” and “this is who we are…”
The beauty of the Appreciative Inquiry model of change management is that it works with exactly these. Appreciative Inquiry calls it the “Positive Core” of the organisation. The research question was whether this model would have a significant impact on the attitudes of members when the leadership makes a shift in the strategic focus of the congregation.
The objectives of the study were to determine members’ attitudes towards the proposed change and to then determine the contribution of the Appreciative Inquiry concept of discovering the Positive Core on their attitudes.
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