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By Owen Phelps, Ph.D. Director, Yeshua Institute One of the first principles of Leading Like Jesus is that “leadership begins on the inside.” We teach – and firmly believe – that unless one’s heart is properly disposed, there is no hope of becoming a Jesus-like Leader. Or as Pope Benedict XVI put it, “If a man’s heart is not good, then nothing else can turn out good either.” And yes, of course, it’s as true of women as of men. Huge issue The huge issue of the heart for us is putting – and keeping – God first and foremost in our lives. As Jesus...

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By Owen Phelps, Ph.D. Director, Yeshua Institute It may come as a legitimate surprise that any sane person would propose “cultivating” anything during Advent. After all, it’s the busiest time of the year for many people. There are all the holiday preparations to attend to: selecting and buying gifts, sending out Christmas greetings to old friends and business associates, getting kids off to games and concerts, baking holiday treats, attending seasonal gatherings of all sorts, getting personal finances in order and reviewing tax implications before the year’s end. If you live in the top h...

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By Owen Phelps, Ph.D. Director With Advent and the new liturgical year just underway and a New Year not far off, it’s a good tine to announce some changes at the Yeshua Catholic International Leadership Institute. One is big and longer term. One is small and, we hope, much shorter term. Let’s start with the smaller one first. A small change On Dec. 10 I begin a 3-stage regimen with my eyes: a corneal scraping to be followed, after a healing period, with cataract surgery in both eyes, one after another, sometime early in the new year. Since I’m the editor of this publication and need my eyes...

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The Yeshua Institute is offering two webinars to help people make the most of Advent, which begins this Sunday, Dec. 1. “All About Advent and How You Can Make it Work for You” will be presented live on Tuesday, Dec. 3, at 11 a.m. Central Time. (Please note that the date and time of this webinar has changed since it was first announced last week.) Msgr. Michael Tierney, a retired priest with extensive pastoral and teaching experience, will discuss the history of Advent – how it began and how it developed over the centuries – and also offer a list of practical ways we can celebrate and grow from...

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By Fr. Eugene Hemrick Yeshua Institute Fellow There's no better time than Advent for putting our house in order. The house of which we speak is our disposition that is being bombarded by a topsy-turvy world threatening the beauty of the season. Years ago, the Second Vatican Council's Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World identified the threats to society and the common good: "Feelings of hostility, contempt and distrust, as well as racial hatred and unbending ideologies, continue to divide men." Today, violence, character assassination, dishonesty, animosity and combative ...

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[EDITOR'S NOTE: The day and time for our new Advent webinar has changed since this story was first published. Please see the new date and time below.] The Yeshua Institute offers two webinars to help you make the most of Advent. “All About Advent and How You Can Make it Work for You” will be presented live on Tuesday, Dec. 3, at 11 a.m. Central Time. Msgr. Michael Tierney, a retired priest with extensive pastoral and teaching experience, will discuss the history of Advent – how it began and how it developed over the centuries – and also offer a list of practical ways we can celebrate an...

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By Owen Phelps, Ph.D. Director, Yeshua Institute I’ve got no doubt that there are many people in the world – including many people in positional leadership positions – don’t see any connection between the season of Advent and their own development as leaders in their homes, workplaces, communities and parishes. But they’re wrong. Leadership, you see, begins on the inside. It starts in the heart. Unless we get the heart part right nothing else will turn out to be anywhere near as it could, anywhere near where God would like to see us be. Advent is all about developing our hear...

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While Thanksgiving is a U.S. national holiday and Advent is a universal observance for Catholics and many other Christians, for the bulk of our readers the latter observance arrives on the heels of the former – and together they inaugurate a special time of the year. This year Thanksgiving occurs on Nov. 28 and Advent begins on Dec. 1. We hope that the reflection that follows will help you prepare for this very special season and for Christmas. Unfortunately, we don’t have a source for this reflection. * * * A time to remember all who have supported us in our life and to thank God for our paths crossing. ...

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As the Thanksgiving holiday approaches, several important dates loom. For your convenience, here’s a quick list: Nov. 28 -- Thanksgiving Dec. 1 – First Sunday in Advent Dec. 2 – Yeshua Institute Webinar, 1 p.m. CST, “All About Advent and How You Can Make it Work for You,” presented by Msgr. Michael Tierney. Register here. Dec. 5 – St. Nicholas Day Dec. 8 – Second Sunday in Advent. Usually the Feast of the Immaculate Conception is observed on Dec. 8; however, when it falls on a Sunday, the observance is moved to the next day, a Monday. Dec. 9 – observance ...

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Lolly Daskal, author of The Leadership Gap: What Gets Between You and Your Greatness, offers 12 phrases to help anyone resolve any conflict. I sense that you’re feeling emotional about this topic. Is that right? Let’s take a breather before we think this through. Thank you for your candor—I appreciate your feedback. I recognize your efforts and hard work. Let’s work on this problem and fix it together.   Tell me more—I want to understand. Let’s see what we can do to make sure it doesn’t happen again. What can we do to change the situation? Yes, you’...

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