Some needed perspective

A friend not too long ago flew from the Philippines to the U.S. to withdraw all their money from a bank because they feared they would lose it all. Unbelievable!   Victor Hansen gives some much needed perspective on recent economic events.

Get a grip. Much of our current panic is psychological, and hyped by instantaneous electronic communications and second-by-second 24-hour news blasts. There has not been a nationwide plague that felled our workers. No earthquake has destroyed American infrastructure. The material United States before the September 2008 financial panic is largely the same as the one after. Once we tighten our belts and pay off the debts run up by Wall Street speculators and millions of borrowers who walked away from what they owed others — and we can do this in a $13 trillion annual economy — sanity will return.

Holiday Gift Guide

Ok, I confess, I am the one who likes to go shopping, not my wife.  So, this article by Dave Barry, “Why do we give gifts during the holiday season?” does not really fit our family.  But, Barry has some unusual suggestions for that one that has everything.  Enjoy.

There is, and it’s right here in your hands: the annual Holiday Gift Guide. This is a list of items that are so unusual that if you give one to your wife, her reaction will be: ”Thank God he did not get me any more.” And this effect is not limited to your wife: whomever you give a Holiday Gift Guide item to, that person will never want to exchange gifts with you again.

All of the items in the Gift Guide are real products that are being sold in exchange for actual money. We know this because we have purchased all of these items with what little money the newspaper industry has left. Then we subjected the items to our rigorous Quality Assurance Testing Laboratory Procedure, which consists of taking photographs of them without getting too close. This is why we are able to offer you this:

UNCONDITIONAL LIFETIME WARRANTY: If you purchase any of these gift items, and at any time during your lifetime you experience any kind of problem whatsoever with the item, simply place it in its original container and place it in a dumpster. We will take it from there.

But enough with the technicalities. Let’s move on to the 2008 Holiday Gift Guide:

DAVE BARRY’S ANNUAL GIFT GUIDE

Lottery Mate Multi-Purpose Scratch-Off Apparatus

Head Spa Massager

Talking Fly Swatter

Razorba ‘War Hammer’ Back Razor

Disaster Preparedness Activity Books

Gun-Shaped Egg Fryer

Pet Highchair

Zombie Yard Sculpture

‘Firm Grip’ Brand Butt Glue

Restroom Baby-hanger

Hug Me Pillow

Wearable Sleeping Bag

The Uroclub

Gassy Gus Flatulence Game

Obedience or expedience?

Found this pithy quote this morning, out of a book called

Leadership Essentials by Greg Ogden and Daniel Meyer.  Thanks to David Mays.

“Practice a lifestyle of long-term obedience over short-term expedience.” (172)

Training I have not missed

One advantage of living outside the United States is that I have missed the over the top diversity training that Bill Whittle  writes about here. Here is a sample from his article.

Well, first of all, I find it deeply offensive to my personal sense of honor and integrity to be punished or otherwise lectured on something I did not do. Period. And to be subjected to two hours of second-grade style, “who can tell me what Johnny did wrong by telling Sarah she has a hot body” lecturing infuriates me on many levels.

To begin with, I do not need to be told this is inappropriate behavior. I already know that is inappropriate behavior. I learned that was inappropriate behavior not from the State of California or a battalion of corporate lawyers, but from my parents, who raised me to be polite, well-mannered, and who spent much of their own youth trying to form me into a civilized gentleman. I know, I can see the smiles on many faces already. It’s like I’m speaking in Aramaic.

Ideal phone call

from William Katz at Urgent Agenda

What is the ideal phone call.  Well Katz links to an article from the UK’s Telegraph, which says this about the  ideal call:

Lasting nine minutes and 36 seconds, the ideal phone conversation should consist of chat about family news, current affairs, personal problems and the weather.  Experts came up with the winning conversational formula after analysing what more than 2,000 people liked and disliked about talking on the phone.

What kind of experts do work like that?  What are they experts in?

Common ground with non-Christians

John Fischer writes about, “Why I’m (practially) not a Christian” below. I am beginning to remember why I liked some of his early books like Real Christians (don’t) Dance. Read the whole post here and subscribe to his daily post at www.fischtank.com

One of the things you will find out if you start to listen to non-Christians is why they don’t like Christianity. My guess is, when you hear their reasons, you may actually agree with some of them, because the Christianity they are against is quite often not true Christianity anyway. So right there you can have something in common. You can both not like Christianity (the wrong one, of course). I know that seems odd, but these are strange days anyway.

How ironic is it, that the thing we would have in common with non-Christians is the fact that neither of us like Christianity? Believe it or not, you can turn this “anti-Christian” commonality into an opportunity to talk about none other than Jesus.

Good manners

Would you rather spend time with a liberal or a conservative?  Theorore Dalrymple suggests in Pot Meet Kettle that it is the world view of liberals (and not conservatives) that leads people to act selfishly and  thoughtlessly.  You know, the ones who cut us off in traffic, are rude to waiters in public or irritate us with their irritating cell phone calls in public.

Modern conservatives tend to see the locus of appropriate moral concern more in personal behavior than in social structure (I am not here concerned with whether they are right or wrong). They believe in personal responsibility rather than causation by abstract social forces. They do not believe in entitlement, their own or anyone else’s, or in an indefinite extension of rights. They do not believe in perfection, and they think that even improvement usually comes at a cost.

Modern liberals, by contrast, tend to focus their moral concern more distantly from themselves, on the more abstract political and economic sphere. For example, the personal sexual code does not concern or worry them much unless it is restrictive. They believe that bad behavior finds its origin in social forces rather than in man’s soul. They believe in everyone’s entitlements, which are never met quite sufficiently and need to be extended endlessly. For them, the perfect society will result in perfect people.

Which outlook is more conducive to good manners? It seems to me, a priori, the conservative rather than the liberal: for what can the daily personal conduct of a single man add to or subtract from the sum of human goodness or evil, happiness or misery?

Willing to fail

Read this tonight and need to write it down so it won’t be lost.

“I am willing to fail. Risks are not to be evaluated in terms of the probability of success, but in terms of the value of the goal.” Ralph Winter

And knowing who Ralph Winter is, the valuable goal for which he was willing to fail was the glory given to  God as all the nations kneel before the King.  Forgive me God for giving up too easily or for being unwilling to start! May my eyes be focused upon Your glory!

Challenges of ministry in the mid-life years

Here is a summary of what I have so far–comments or additions

Challenges of ministry in our mid-life years?

1. Energy
2. Practical-Minded
3. Idealism
4. Limited influence
5. Loneliness
6. Financial concerns
7. Pain
8. Weaknesses
9. Fear of failure
10. Problem of Promotion
11. Human development
12. Longing for Roots
13. Envy
14. Doing versus Being
15. Will of God
16. Coasting
17. Anger
18. Unresolved conflicts
19. Boredom
20. Anxiety

Ministry in the mid-life years

Ministry in the mid-life years

I am giving a seminar on Wed on the above topic.  My objective for the attendees: “Help you identify and process your fears about ministry during your mid-life years and design at least three action steps to help you enjoy the blessings of ministry in your mid-life years.”

My main points

1. Challenges of ministry in the mid-life years

2. God and about ministry in the mid-life years

3. Blessings of ministry in the mid-life years

4. What to do to enjoy the blessings of ministry in the mid-life years

If any readers (especially those from the mid-life years and beyond) have ideas in any of these areas, please encourage me and others with your wisdom.  Hope to make posts on each of these topics after Wednesday.

Unshaken by financial uncertainties

In light of the continuing fall in the financial markets, Psalm 16:8 was very encouraging to me last week.  “I know the LORD is always with me.  I will not be shaken for He is right besides me.”

This morning, our pastor, Steve Ruetschle, gave five reasons we should store up treasure in heaven out of Mtt 6:19-24.

1. Treasure on earth is insecure. (obvious of late!)

2. Treasure in heaven is secure.

3. Our treasure is where our heart (hopes, dreams, aspirations) will be.

4. To keep our eyes good (or singularly focused)

5. To make God our master

He only gave one solution to the question of HOW to store up treasure in heaven.  By Giving!  (see Lk 12:32-34 and 1 Tim 6:17-19)

How is that for being counter-cultural–Christians have a committment to give away their money when the financial crises are the most severe!

Most irritating phrases

Here are the top ten most irritating phrases.

1 – At the end of the day

2 – Fairly unique

3 – I personally

4 – At this moment in time

5 – With all due respect

6 – Absolutely

7 – It’s a nightmare

8 – Shouldn’t of

9 – 24/7

10 – It’s not rocket science

Thanks to Tom McMahon, who suggests trying to use all ten in one sentence!

An audience of One

To live and serve as if I only had an audience of one!  This was the title of our sermon yesterday out of Mtt 6:1-16, 16.  You know the passage.  Are my acts of service (giving, fasting, praying are the examples Jesus gives) done in such a way so that they will be noticed by men or are they done in secret before God, my audience of one?  How important is the praise, recognition or appreciation of men to me?  Yes, God sees all that is done, even those deeds done in secret and He will reward (in His way and in His timing). Is that good enough for me? My actions and attitudes of late indicate otherwise.

I am trying to remember where I have read about living or playing for an audience of one?  Sounds like something Yancey or Eldridge might write about.  I discovered that there was a movie in 2007 by this . title–k ow nothing about it.   There is a song by Big Daddy Weave–words don’t quite  capture for me the impact of this phrase. Here is a quote from Philip Yancey that I found

According to Jesus, it’s what God thinks of us that matters, not what others think. Jesus instructed us to pray in a closed room, where no one could see us, rather than in a public place where we might get credit for being spiritual (Matt. 6:6). In other words, live for God and not others.

Do we clamor for attention and achievement? Jesus invites us to let go of that competitive struggle, to trust that God’s opinion of us is the only one that ultimately counts.

How would our lives differ if we truly played to an audience of One? Certainly our sense of ego and rivalry would fade, because we would no longer need to worry about proving ourselves to others. We could concentrate instead on pleasing God by living in a way that would attract people to Jesus.  — Philip Yancey

Our pastor suggested as an application for this message–do something this week in secret–write an encouraging note, give a gift to someone in need etc.  That should help but I still need to address the hidden motivations of my heart for my actions that will be seen by others.  I think this is hitting me hard this morning since I am someone who tends to be a performer–I can make jokes or do crazy things to get attention or to mess with people’s minds.  Somone once told me to “stop showing off.”  Ouch!  Does not exactly fit with someone who lives before an audience of One, does it?  I guess I need to go back to Jesus– the best example of someone who lived before an audience of One.

Rules for Men

I needed something a bit lighter for this weekend.  My wife sent me this today so I presume she agrees with what is listed. Yes, I have “the rules for women” and will post it told to do so!! I don’t know where it came from–one of those things floating on the internet but if you have a source for it, please tell me and I will give that wise man credit.   I would welcome other rules.  For the full list, look at my page on RULES for Men

Here are some of my favorites

1. Men are NOT mind readers.

1. Ask for what you want. Let us be clear on this one: Subtle hints do not work! Strong hints do not work! Obvious hints do not work! Just say it!

1. If something we said can be interpreted two ways and one of the ways makes you sad or angry, we meant the other one

1. You can either ask us to do something or tell us how you want it done. Not both. If you already know best how to do it, just do it yourself.

1. Whenever possible, Please say whatever you have to say during commercials.

1. If we ask what is wrong and you say ‘nothing,’ We will act like nothing’s wrong. We know you are lying, but it is just not worth the hassle.

Humility is the ointment for our wounds

Slowly moving thru Interior Castle by Teresa of Avila and it is amazing how her words speak into my current situation.  As she writes about the third mansion, she warns that very moderate trials may disturb and dishearten them.  She says that we should not give them advice nor should we argue with them.  “They cannot be made to understand that they are acting imperfectly.”  Sounds very familiar with how I have been of late!

The solution is that “God wishing His elect to realize their own misery, often temporarily withdraws His favors.”  This withdrawal of the consolations of God is a great mercy and helps those in trouble gain great humility as they see their faulty behavior.  Sounds similar to John’s Dark Night experience, doesn’t it?

One example she gives of the kind of moderate trials that bother these people is when they experience a lack of respect–something I have suffered with of late. She says God does give grace to bear the lack of respect but she says that the reason we are disturbed is that “they have not long meditated on the pains our Lord endured.”  Again, correct–so easy to focus on myself!

Teresa says that the issue is not our vocation–whether we are a pastor, priest or missionary “but whether we practice the virtues and submit our will in all things to the will of God.  The object of our life must be to do what He requires of us; let us not ask that our will may be done but His. If we have not yet attained to this, let us be humble, as I said above.  Humility is the ointment for our wounds; if we have it, although perhaps He may defer His coming for a time, God, Who is our Physician, will come and heal us.”

She talks later about a lack of humility as being a key reason for people not continuing to make progress (presumably in their spiritual life or for Teresa to other mansions.)   She seems to suggest self-renuniciation as a solution although I must admit that I don’t exactly know what that means nor how to go about it.  Perhaps, “It is not longer I who live but Christ who lives in me.”

Her last paragraph does offer some help.  “Let us look at our own faults, and not at other persons’. . . We ought not to insist on everyone following in our footsteps, nor to take upon ourselves to give instructions in spirituality when, perhaps, we do not even know what it is. (OUCH)  . . . it is best to keep our rule, which bids us ever to live in silence and hope.  Our Lord will care for the souls belonging to Him; and if we beg His majesty to do so, by His grace we shall be able to aid them greatly.  May He be forever blessed.”

Seems like she is a bit contradictory in the last section but nonetheless a warning to be careful about leading others–I think of Galatians 6: 1-2 how we are to gently and humbly help those who have been overcome by sin lest we ourselves fall into the same temptation.   Lots of things here to think about!

Fear of the mystery

Lovely thoughts from Thomas Merton, Nov 4 from A Year with Thomas Merton

This morning, I was preparing . . . in the woods as usual.  It was cold but the sun came up and melted the frost.  It was quiet except for the crows.  I sat on an old chair under the skinny cedars, with my feet in the brown, frosty, grass, and reflected on the errors of my monastic life.  They are many and I am in the midst of them.  I have never seen so many mistakes and illusions.  It should be enough that God loves me.  For His love is greater than anything else.  It is the beginning and end of all.  By it and for it all things were created.  Yet, outside of His love, I am tempted to erect a cold house of my own devising–a house that is small enough to contain my own self, and that is easier to understand than His incomprehensible love and His providence.  Why is it we must be afraid of Mystery, as if the Mystery of God’s love were not infinitely simple and infinitely clear? Why do we run away from Him into the dark, which, to us, is light?  There is the other mystery of sin, which no one understands.  Yet we act as if we understood sin and as if we were really aware of the love of God when we have never deeply experienced the meaning of either one.”

Struggle

I have been making some bad choices of late.  Even though I said this week, “whatever you want, God,” I really didn’t mean that.  I base that conclusion upon my actions.  I have chosen to hold onto pain and the corresponding anger and have refused the comfort of God.  Serious matters.   Reading in Psalm 90 this week.  Verse 11 struck me, “Your wrath is as awesome as the fear you deserve.”  A lot there about the anger of God.  I think I have been trying to take on God and I have been losing big time.  I know what is wrong (with everyone else) and I have a plan to fix things–me focused, eh?

Three verses from today and yesterday that I am asking God to work thru my soul.

Psalm 90:14 Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, so we sing for joy to the end of our days.

1 Peter 1:9 Your reward for trusting him will be the salvation of your souls.

Acts 17: 25  He has no needs.  He himself gives life and breath to everything and he satisfies every need there is.

Election fear

Another good word–this time from John Fischer

Peter told us: “Do not fear what they fear; do not be frightened. But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have” (1 Peter 3:14-15). Notice how fear is contrasted with hope. You can see why it’s so important. Our hope is the means by which we will have an opportunity to speak of the goodness of God in our lives. So if people look at us and see fear, they will only think one thing, “Who wants their God? They’re more afraid than I am.” If we are to always be ready to give an answer to anyone who might ask us the reason for our hope, then what we will say to those who ask us why we are so afraid?

This is just an election. It’s not the end of the world. We have one of these every four years. And God is not in heaven with His fingers crossed, hoping for a certain turnout. God is over all of this.

So go, vote proudly, watch what happens, and know that nothing escapes His constant care.

Leadership Books

Have read three books on leadership in the past two months and I thought it worth giving some thoughts about them. All worth reading!

1. Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership by Ruth Haley Barton, IVP 2008  She talks about strengthening the soul of a leader through the disciplines of silence and solitude so that we experience a fullness personally that we are trying to lead others into.  She resonates with me!

2. The Starfish adn the Spider by Ori Brafman and Rod A Beckstrom 2006  They are trying to help organizations to extend their influence by decentralizing leadership.  The basic idea–have a shared leadership so that when anyone person is cut off (like the leg of the starfish), the organism keeps going and actually reproduces.   Leader as spider is the traditional model and so when the spider’s head is cut off, the organization dies or has to find someone to replace the person immediately. . . Thinking about how to do this in a member care system in our organization.

3.  Tribal Leadership by Dave Logan, John King and Halee Fisher-Wright, 2008 Finally read this after  a friend raved about it for a month or two.  Five levels of organizations–most are stuck in level 2 or 3.  The five levels: Life sucks, My life sucks, I’m great (and you’re not), We’re great (and they are not), Life is great.  It is fairly easy to identify where an organization and a leader are based upon the language they use.  Some coaching help to help move your organization up one level at a time.

Whatever You want to do God

Today is the first day for reading in Psalm 90 this week–looks to be a fruitful week.  One verse stands out to me this morning, “You are God, without beginning or end.”  My response to this Psalm and specifically this verse, is “Lord, you can do whatever you like.  I want to let you do whatever You want in my life–whatever. “

Read this last week, “God does not ask us for success; God asks only for our surrender.”  I realize that I have been fighting God–I have had this idea of the way things should be going and when they don’t or haven’t,  I have become angry, frustrated and tend to blame others, pout, lose my joy and perspective.  Where is this divine human cooperation thing that I so strongly believe in.  Sounds an awful lot like David only wanting his way and refusing to be submissive to God or anyone else.   Seeing many people that want (need?) to be in control and yes, I am one of them.  Ok, Lord, not just an apathetic, “whatever” but an active waiting, the steadied watching to see what God wants–yes, Lord, whatever you want–may I not resist your plan or what you are doing in the world (as if I could!).  Surrender to your will.  That means engaging some people with whom I am in conflict–speaking the truth to them but leaving the consequences and decision into your hands.  Ok, Lord, whatever you decide to do today, I am going to follow.