That’s Quoatble

Gene Edwards, The Inward Journey:

Perhaps we should place this sign on the wall somewhere in our homes, [and our churches!]:

Church life may be hazardous to your health…

The Lord knows something we don’t: the Fall has left all of us in dire straights.  Most of us are either extremely sinful or extremely religious… and most are both!  And futher, I suspect that neither one of those stae pleases God more than the other.  Neither impresses Him.  What we invite Him to do in us impresses Him.

Micorsoft takes another stab…

I have loved watching the many itenerations of Windows recent ad campaigns as it reacts to Apple’s campaign and increased market share.  Their most recent ad, in my humble view, takes on yet ANOTHER approach to attacking Apple (no Jerry Seinfeld here , but is it working?

Here is a great thought from a Fast Company magazine article:

Even Microsoft’s new anti-Apple campaign highlights the vanillaness of Windows–the character in the ad thinks she’s “not cool enough” to own an Apple machine, and opts for a much cheaper (and, though its not described, lower-specced machine). The ad makes no mention of the benefits of the Windows OS at all. Microsoft is portraying itself as irrelevant.

On the other hand, I can definitely see the pricepoint argument they are making… to me, that would be the single clearest line of attack.  What do you think?

See the ad here

The leader’s weapons

I love this quote I learned in martial arts sometime over the last 20 years… it is from Lao Tzu, a philosopher who added a lot to Taoism.  And while I don’t validate Taoism, God’s Truth is seen in many places.  Truly… all things are spiritual.  And these three are a leader’s most potent arsenal:

“Simplicity, patience, compassion. These three are your greatest weapons. Simple in actions and thoughts, you return to the source of being.  Patient with both friends and enemies, you accord with the way things are. Compassionate toward yourself, you reconcile all beings in the world.”

-Lao Tzu

iPhone apps

I’ve had my iPhone for nearly a year now… and love it more every day.  Here are some of my most used apps:

Evernote – Still finding new uses for this… a great inbox for voice memos, pics, lists of all kinds… and totally free!

iMafia – My favorite iPhone game… become a crime don.  I love the real life strategy in this game… fight a lot and make quick money, or invest in real estate for long term growth?  I’ve noticed players who play with their pride (I’ll show HIM) tend to die quickly

Twittter Fon / Tweetie - These two twitter apps meet all my needs… I do about 90% of my twittering on TwitterFon… it’s fast and very slick.  But Tweetie allows me to work multiple accounts and is a good backup.

vlingo – I can post to Twitter, Facebook, make a call or a text, get directions, or search google… all with my voice!

Google sync – I no longer sync my contacts, calendar, or mail on my iPhone through iTunes… but over the air with Google!  I loved this on my blackberry (it was the single biggest regret when switching to iPhone) and it is even better on the iPhone.  Make sure you go here to choose which calendars to sync though…

Now Playing – I like going to movies on Sunday night… a great way to chill out and prepare for the week ahead.  This is the best movie tool on the iPhone I’ve found.  Quick, simple, and very accurate.

Public Radio – I listen to a lot of public radio… and this app does it simply wonderfully.  Quick, simple, and efficient!

Pandora Radio – I play Pandora on my Mac for hours every day… and this app has in large part replaced iTunes for most listening on my iPhone.  Great way to keep the music fresh and free!  If you don’t know Pandora, type in a song, a group, or an artist and Pandora will play music of a similar genre in “channels”.  No purchasing required.

The Weather Channel - beats the on-board iPhone weather app hands down.  The speediest and simplest – I love it!  A must have for every biker!

No wasted time…

Jer 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.
Ps 23:3-4; Joel 2:25

God can take the events of the past and weave them so skilfully into a new plan for us that not only do we find that there IS a future for us after all, but it is as if there have been no wasted years.  No baggage… just cargo for our journey.  Useful for our next arrival.

Jesus walks in my past…in all the dark rooms I pretended were closed, that He may bring His light to bear.  I must invite Him into each moment to receive his wholeness and forgiveness… His acceptance of me completely.  I must offer especially… all that I wish to forget… all that still pains and hurts me… all the hurts I have caused others.  Invite Him into the places I am most afraid of (ashamed of?) knowing that His arrival will bring redemption and wholeness.  Because He is not only in may past – illuminating all my dark corners – but ahead of me as well… preparing the next place for me.  He is on the road I journey, wherever my journey is leading me, He has already been.  Perhaps I have no clue what lies ahead – what glories or challenges await – but I know WHO is ahead of me.  So my future is not unknown…  (inspired by the writings of David Adam – The Edge of Glory)

Christian Dating Sites

Matt, from thechurchofnopeople.com put up a very funny post on how to write the best Christian dating ad on the blog StuffChristiansLike.  If you don’t read SCL, you should definitely check it out – very funny blog!

Here is a snippet:

Why should you not list any other interests [in your Christian dating sire profile]? Because any real Christian will see right through to your worldliness:

Jazz Music: That’s baby-making music. How do you know about that anyway?
Television: It’s just sex and violence.
Cars: Jesus didn’t have a car.
Football: Way too much butt slapping.
The stock market: Better to store up treasures in heaven.

There you have it, a complete Christian dating profile. Take my advice, and you will be a steaming chunk of sexy Christian temptation. Anyone fortunate enough to see your profile will be overtaken by a fit of smoldering passion and desire to read The Five Love Languages with you, participate in several weeks pre-marital counseling, get married, and settle down into a nice quiet Christian life. That’s hot!

That Worship Feeling…

“Sometimes, contemplatives think that the whole end and essence of their [spiritual] life is to be found in meditation and interior peace and the sense of the presence of God.  They become attached to these things.  But recollection and meditation are just as much creatures as an automobile.  The sense of interior peace is no less created than a bottle of wine.  The experiential ‘awareness’ of the presence of God is just as truly a created thing as a glass of beer.  The only difference is that recollection, meditation, and interior peace – and the sense of the presence of God – are spiritual pleasures and the other are material.   Attachment to spiritual things is therefore just as much an attachment as inordinate love of anything else.  The imperfection may be more hidden, more subtle, or seemingly more ‘excusable’; but from a certain point of view, that only makes it all the more harmful because it is even more difficult to recognize or deal with.”

-Thomas Merton, Seeds of Contemplation

Remember the old Righteous Bros. song… “You’ve lost… that LOVING feeling.”?  I read this quote this morning and it really nailed me.  Don’t we who follow Jesus sometimes see this same behavior in ourselves, seeking the “high” of worship and equating the FEELING with the ACT?  Jesus, heal me of the need to feel a certain way… make me WHOLE in Jesus, needing nothing, even the “spiritual” high.

Staff Management

Of all the things they SHOULD teach in cemetery, I mean seminary, but don’t… Staff Management ranks as the most important.  More pastors I know leave churches because of problems with staff than any other single problem.  James McDonald wrote about the lessons he learned managing staff.  His closing paragraph alone is worth the read.  Following just this advice will keep most pastors out of hot water, and make for happier staff relationships:

In summary:
Hire slower, fire faster, manage more consistently, encourage more frequently, share your burdens more openly and trust your best people more completely.  Listen to what references tell you and not as much to what people say about themselves. Hire the smarter person, hire the more passionate person, hire the more teachable person.  Don’t hire the person with the reluctant spouse or the person with the personal agenda.  People who over promise under deliver and people who are easily enamored will be just as easily disillusioned.  As with all relationships in the body of Christ, keep your eyes on the Lord and your heart filled with faith; God is working on all of us.

Sunday Morning Prayers

Have you ever noticed that not once did Jesus ever make his disciples pray???  He just kept praying, modeling the Divine Conversation, until they at last asked him how they too could also be a part.  And his response, his teaching to them, was not full of religious platitudes.  He used no flowery words, no pious speech, no rhetoric… just simple, direct speech filled with nobility and sureness.

Almost as though he was not worried about WHO (people) might be listening, because he knew intimately WHO was listening.  I heard as a boy that no farmer who plants corn worries that wheat may come up instead.  If you plant an acorn, you trust the virtue, the nature of that acorn is to grow an oak… not a pumpkin.  So it is with Jesus’ prayer life that he modeled for His followers.  Knowing that prayers that are based on that which is simple, honest, just, pure, lovely, etc. will be fulfilled by the heart of a loving and just God, Jesus did not argue his prayer life into being.  There was no fanfare.  No sweat and theatrics.  Because He trusted the nature of prayer – that what is planted is what will grow.

God, help me be a part of this Divine Conversation in the same way.

Simply.

Without fanfare.

Trusting the nature of that which is planted.

Big

How BIG is God in your life?  This society we live in tends to minimize everything… dreams, family, time, ethics.  You name it, and our culture seems to find a way to hem it in, diminish it, and restrict it.  Of course, we use labels like pragmatism, “doing business”, and realism.  But the result is the same: small living.

I have a discipline in my daily time with God that is there strictly to remind me that GOD NEVER DOES ANYTHING SMALL.  Look at the stories in the Bible.  Floods.  Creation.  Incarnation.  Life Change.  Healings.  I never see a time when a person dreams and God says… “Hold On!  Too Big!”.

What I do see is that we often try to put God in a box.  Compartmentalize.  Define.  Restrict.  God is easier to understand if he fits on my schedule on Sunday morning from 11:00-12:15.  But change the world?  Drop eggs from a helicopter?  Revitalize whole communities?  Bring hope to special needs families?  Never!  Get Real – we say.

I tell you this… when I die, I don’t want to look back and ask – “What was I waiting for?”.  Go Big.  Dream Big.  Blow the doors off.  Use your head, think things through, and plan to execute well… but don’t ever listen to the voice that says “That’s too much… or too big… or too unrealistic.”

When Satan accuses me in front of God the Father (see the book of  Job) I don’t want it to be because I played it too safe.  And now two special words:

Pastors – God called YOU to lead your church.  Not the people who might be criticizing you.  If they know how to do it so much better, then God will call them to lead.  You are not in the position you are in because of your personality, giftedness, or social network.  You are where you are because God called you, equipped you, and placed you. So – Hear from Him… and have the COURAGE to do what HE says.  And whatever it is… GO BIG!  Make an impact!  Your calling is too important not to try!

Men – Society tells us to hem it in.  Play it safe.  The church often comes across very feminized.  But guys, Jesus wasn’t a girly man.  He had moxie.. the courage to take a chance on a group of guys and ladies who would change the world.  The courage to lead.  The courage to tick off the religious leaders and challenge them to change.  You don’t have to shut up and sit up straight to be a follower of Jesus.  Get out there and try it!

Interview Room 4

I got a call from a buddy this last week.  The police in his town were looking into a violent felony and called him in to talk to him as a witness. He was not a suspect, but he called me because he knows my background in law enforcement.  He asked me if there was anything he should know when talking to the police.  Here was my advice:

1. Whenever possible, cooperate with the police.  But realize there are times when you should not.  I am about as pro-police as you can get, but the prison system continues to reveal falsely convicted people who confessed to crimes they didn’t commit because of the skills of the interviewers/interrogators.  Realize that, by definition, ALL police interactions are either adversarial or potentially adversarial.  When in doubt, even in the slightest, SHUT UP and call an attorney.
2. Usually, the police will interview witnesses at the witnesses’ convenience (around their schedule, location, etc.).  Being called into an interview room, as my friend was, can be (but isn’t always)  an indicator of ulterior motives.
3. The moment you begin to think that the police are questioning YOU (not simply taking a witness statement) STOP TALKING.  You have time later to give them any information they need… after you have spoken to an attorney.  JUST STOP TALKING.
4. STOP TALKING.  Did I make my point?  The interviewers may tell you that you can’t leave, they have some chore they need you to do, and it will only be another ___ minutes, etc.  Don’t explain yourself.  Don’t ask questions.  Immediately STOP TALKING.
5. Then leave.  The interviewers may try to stop you.  If you are under arrest, they WILL stop you from leaving.  Ask “Am I under arrest?”.  If they say yes, ask for counsel, then say NOTHING FURTHER.  Sit in the corner, close your eyes, and hum your favorite tune.
6. STOP TALKING.  Imagine the words “I have the right to remain silent!” written on the wall you are facing.  Read it over and over in your mind.  Tactics often employed are to offer deals if you supply missing information, employ guilt to make you feel like you must talk, or assuring you that they understand how you feel and just need the last few facts.  Remember… police are allowed by the courts to lie about facts and evidence.  They can say whatever they want to elicit a confession (on the now falsely held belief that no one would confess to a crime they didn’t commit).
7. NO DEAL.  Police cannot make “deals” (like if you confess we’ll reduce your charges…etc.)  The prosecuting attorney makes deals.  I have worked for a district attorney and in law enforcement… any “deal” made during an interview has to be run by the prosecuting attorney anyway.  Leave the deal making to your attorney.
8. MOVE IT.  Have you ever seen an interview room?  Usually there are two padded chairs (for each interviewer) and one uncomfortable chair for the interviewee.  A desk or table is used as a symbol of authority (remember being called into the principal’s office?) with the other interviewer used to “block in” the suspect.  The suspect is placed away from light switches, thermostats, etc. to add to the feeling of being cornered/isolated.  The interviewers can/will invade personal space to assert control or draw out feelings of insecurity.  So what to do?  Get up!  Move the chair.  They can ask you to leave it alone… do it anyway.  They can enforce laws by putting you under arrest, not tell you where to sit or when to speak/not speak when you are not under arrest.  Be an informed citizen!

Changing Times…

I know there is some news about the economy slowing down…

But we live in an incredible age where change happens fast, and the rate of change is happening ever faster!  How well are you keeping up with it?

For example, Fast Company reports that the NYTimes is considering might be considering ditching paper all together and instead promoting delivery on e-readers like the Kindle.  It would actually save the TIMES a bundle, but would cost them in terms of reader familiarity with the devices.  Makes sense… I read the paper every day, but haven’t bought a “paper” paper in years.  I read it online on my computer or on my iPhone.

Even if you don’t spend a dime on new technology (which most of the time is the wise choice), take a trip down to your favorite electronics store and play with a few new devices.  Read blogs and crawl the web looking for the latest tools.  Stay up on the latest trends, even if you don’t invest in them.  It helps stay in touch with the culture around us.

Creative Teams

I have worked in creative teams for many years now… and have enjoyed most of my experiences.  The strength of a team to compose a talk for the weekend, the service flow, or creative elements, is that many sets of eyes and many creative minds can synergistically create what no single person ever could (no matter how talented)!

But for a creative team to really function well together there are a few non-negotiables that everyone must agree to:

• No territory.  No team member can feel protective, defensive, or proprieatry about any area or idea.  No one owns the intellectual or creative property of the team!
• It’s not personal.  When a team member begins to take criticism of an idea as criticism of them, the team breaks down.  Egos have to be left at the door… all ideas are up for discussion so that the team product can be that much better.  No pouting, no defensive remarks… leave it all at the door!
• Do your homework.  Each team member needs to have an idea of the agenda and direction of the meeting so they can come prepared with ideas.  Otherwise, it can take a good chunk of time getting everyone geared up to the content and direction – valuable time wasted!  If you lead the creative team, make sure your people know what they are coming to work on, and make sure they have taken the time to prepare their own hearts and mind for the meeting.
• Have white space.  A huge white board.  A wall to write on.  Lots of big paper… something where you can write down every idea that comes up.  Don’t get cramped by lack of white space!
• Followup.  Send out a mindmap, a pages document… something to the team summarizing what was accomplished, what was decided, and what remains undone.  This confirms progress and builds team unity and cohesion.

Bride of Christ

I have been studying this concept of being the bride of Christ the last few mornings… this is from my journal of the last couple of days:

We are the Bride of Christ… a corporate Bride, made up of all those who love Him.  Those who follow Him.  Those who make Him first, and ourselves second.

He drew us to Himself, not the other way around.  Because He loves us, He wants to spend time with us.  He loves the sound of our voice… of our feet as we approach.  The fierce love of a husband, melted together with the sweet love of a Father is His love for us.

Violence in Church

Henrico county – just a rock’s throw from my front door – was the location of an aggravated battery on a local pastor, James Bullock.

8am on a Saturday… quiet study time for many pastors… there is a knock on the church door.  Two men looking for assistance (so they claimed) attempted a strong arm robbery once Pastor Bullock let them in.  When he wasn’t able to produce any money, they stabbed him multiple times.  Pastor Bullock was discovered later and rushed to the ER.  Thankfully he is expected to make a full recovery (read story here).

Pastors – we are seen as easy marks… turn the other cheek and all of that.  We HAVE to think about security.  We are the shepherds of the sheep.  Protecting the flock from wolves.  And I don’t know about you, but this pastor would rather be a SHEEP DOG than a SHEEP any day!

Think about it -  crimes in churches are increasing faster than any locale in this country the last two years (see NCIC).  During a weekend, for example, most churches have almost everyone facing the same direction, away from the door, with often no security in place.  Any drunk or disorderly person with a grudge (against his girl from the previous night’s fight, against the pastor for the counseling his wife received, or against his neighbor for the property dispute) knows exactly where to find their intended target, can walk up on them without a second look and without the target being aware.  They are fairly sure no one in a church will put up any serious resistance.  And most of the time experience has shown the police can’t even be called or respond in time to apprehend the subject while still on scene.

Pastors – protect yourself.  Protect your people.  Here are some basic ideas to get you started:

• If legal and you feel justified, arm yourself.  If you cannot or are not willing, make sure you keep the doors locked when in the church by yourself.
• Someone at the door need help when you are in the building by yourself?  Be sensible – have them wait while you call another leader to meet you at the church.
• Light your parking lot (this should go without saying – but take a look around!!).  Escort anyone leaving after dark to their vehicle if leaving by themselves.
• Recruit off duty police officers in your church to form security teams for your weekend gatherings.  It can be as simple as attending one service with their family, and a second service by themselves “on-duty”… sitting by themselves, in a back corner of the room where they have tacitical superiority.  Ask them to wear their duty weaon and/or radio discreetly and use their police eyes, not their church-attender eyes.  Empower them with the critical task of safeguarding that meeting.
• Give the local police department (especially if they have a tactical team) the architectural drawings to your building BEFORE they need them.
• Mark the exterior doors clearly with large reflective numbers that are visible from the street or parking lot (tell the 911 dispatcher to meet you at door #2, for example).
• Have an evacuation/shelter-in-place plan established and practiced with your leaders.
• Pre-designate someone in your auditorium to call 911 should the situation arise.