Observations on America

I’ve now been back in the USA for 31/2 weeks. I’ve made a few observations. They may not be profound to you, but they have become startlingly (is that a word?) obvious since I lived here for a year in 2005-2006.

Here are some theologies of the USA (a country I deeply love & appreciate!):

The Theology of Comfort - If there is one theology that is “preached” in the USA, it is this one! I’ve ridden in or driven busses, planes and cars in the past 3+ weeks and the vast majority of complaints have been in the context of comfort - hard seats, not enough leg room, too hot, too cold, too noisy, no food, no toilets, etc., etc.

If it’s not comfortable, it’s not right and it needs to change. Comfort reigns king in the realm of decision-making in our country. Convenience. Availability. People apologize to me for putting me on “the guest bed” (I’m thrilled to have a place to sleep!) or for not having Wi-Fi or Starbuck’s coffee (now, that one might be unforgivable!).

Others reel in shock and/or horror at my decision to travel 12 hours by bus to visit friends/churches/supporters. “Why don’t you fly? It’s so much more comfortable.” True, I think, but then I miss out on the time to think, read, rest, listen (to other people preach for 2.5 hours on a recent prophecy they heard at their local church outreach) and see the country from the ground.

I think comfort is over-rated. I like sleeping in a sleeping bag in a tent on hard, rocky ground - for a time - to get close to nature and away from the chaotic rush-about over-scheduled, over-committed thing we call “life” in the USA.

The Theology of Entitlement - This theology goes hand-in-hand with the Theology of Comfort. We have the right to have ice in our soft drinks, to drink alcoholic beverages, go on vacation, eat 4 times as much food as we need, buy 2 times as much stuff as we need, rest, relax, take it easy, enjoy entertainment and on and on.

We believe that we are entitled to everything that the next guy has. He has a house? I should have a house. He has a boat? I should have a boat.

The Theology of Gluttony/Materialism - Recently, I was in Atlanta, Georgia, and as I walked through the neighborhood where I was staying (a mighty fine neighborhood it is, too, I might say! - enormous houses (some with even 6 bathrooms!) and STILL their Lexuses (or is it Lexi?) and Toyota Land Cruisers and other fine automobiles are parked in the driveway (why do we park in driveways and drive in parkways? (thanx to Steven Wright for that one) because their garages are brimming with STUFF! I stood in the driveway of one home and admired the collection of stuff that was stacked, stashed & jammed onto shelves & piles in their garage. “Hm”, I pondered, ”I could really use that and that.“ Then I laughed at my momentary conversion to the Theology of Gluttony/Materialism. I didn’t even know I ”needed“ that thing until I saw it sitting in the garage prominently on display for my lusting eyes to covet. I know that’s what marketing is all about - making me want what I don’t have - but suddenly need - so that I will buy it and then stash it away after a use or two.

It’s even come to the point of deception, this Theology of Gluttony/Materialism. One commercial touts that if you purchase their allergy medicine, not only are you stopping those nasty drips, sniffles and itches, but as a bonus you get 2 hours of time! (That’s nothing new. Jim Croce sang ”Time In A Bottle“ some 35+ years ago!) But really, I’m buying time? How stupid do you think I am?

And further, what is with the gluttonous portions of food in restaurants? I can’t buy the child’s portion (something about my age!), but that’s exactly what I’d like to buy! I don’t need to buy lunch, breakfast & dinner all at once - which is usually what I end up eating when I go out to eat in the USA. I love the food, but no so much of it!

I’m going to make some people mad with this next statement. Why do we preach against lust, greed, envy abortion, murder, and so many other sins, but not about gluttony in the USA? Forget the fact that obesity is costing us literally billions of dollars a year (maybe if we trimmed down, we could get out of debt!) and is affecting our productivity as a nation. The fact that gluttony is a sin should worry us more than anything else.

I’m sorry if you’re offended. And I KNOW that some people have health problems that cause overweight issues. But when 30-40% of our NATION is obese, we need to take a hard look at what causes are in place and what to do about it. And, Christians, we are just as at fault - if not more - than the rest of our nation. When t-shirt sizes change (I used to wear an X-Large, now I wear a medium and I’m basically the same size as I was 25 years ago.) to reflect the average size in the nation, we need to take stock and ask, ”What’s happening?“

Gluttony, materialism, entitlement & comfort are acceptable sins in the cultural realm of our nation. It’s wrong. Let’s look at our nation’s condition through the eyes of someone who can be more objective than we are - Jesus Christ.

Is it right to eat so much that I gain 10, 20, 50, 100 pounds while so much of the rest of the world is starving? Young people - if you’re serious about making a difference in the world hunger problem, trim down yourselves!

Is it right that we can’t give to charitable organizations because we spend so much of our income on stuff that sits in our over-laden garages?

And what makes us think that we deserve a bigger ”this“ or better ”that“ or another ”one-of-those“? Where do we get the idea that we deserve anything? It’s by the grace of God that we’re here in the first place. Let’s not forget to be thankful for what we have and to learn to be content with what we have and to work to not pursue anything that doesn’t propel or project the Kingdom of God forward. Let’s go back to ”seeking FIRST His Kingdom and His RIGHTEOUSNESS and (then all) these things will be added to you.“

And the next time you’re backside hurts from sitting in an uncomfortable chair, be thankful that you had a chair (or a seat)! Use those ”uncomfortable“ and ”inconvenient“ settings to ask yourself ”Is it really all that bad?“ Maybe it’ll be an opportunity for some physical exercise (we could all use more of that!), or to smooth off some rough edges that grow from too much comfort - who knows?

I’m sure that Jesus was uncomfortable on His cross - but what a pay-off! Aren’t you glad His Theology of Comfort didn’t guide His decision to stay or not stay on the cross?

Me, too.

Catalyst Conference 2008 - Andy Stanley #2

Andy Stanley wrapped up the conference with “Recent Random Thoughts On Leadership”

1. *** “To reach people no one else is reaching, we must do things no one else is doing.” (This is a quote he took from Craig Groeschel) Andy elaborated on this thought by emphasizing that he’s talking about radically different things, not just tweaking an already-existing service, ministry or activity.

The “Take Away” is: Become preoccupied with gaining those you haven’t reached as opposed to those you are trying to keep.

1. *** “The Next Generation product almost never comes from the previous generation.” (Quote from “Focus” by Al Reis) My job is to recognize the good/great ideas!



2. The “Take Away” is: Be a student not a critic. Critics rarely learn anything. Usually, the things that are most threatening to me are those things that are most unfamiliar.

1. *** What do I believe is impossible to do in my field... but if it could be done would fundamentally change my business? (from “Future Edge/The Paradigm Book” by Joel Barker)

The “Take Away” is: Pay attention to the people who are breaking the rules.

*** If we got kicked out and the board brought in a new CEO, what would he do? Why shouldn’t we walk out the door, come back in, and do it ourselves? (from “Only The Paranoid Survive” by Andy Grove)
        No pain, no change.
        Where are we “manufacturing” energy? These are the areas where we’re needing to make changes!

The “Take Away” is: Acknowledge what’s not working and own up to why you are unwilling to do anything about it.

*** “When your memories exceed your dreams, the end is near.” (from Michael Hammer)
        I don’t want to be an expert in how to do ministry in the past 15 years.. I want to be at the epicenter of how to do ministry NOW!

The “Take Away” is: Don’t let success overshadow your vision.


Success breeds complacency. Complacency breeds failure.

Catalyst Conference 2008 - Andy Crouch

Andy Crouch - author of “Culture Making”

Okay, I’m going to confess something here. This session was the most difficult for me to swallow. Not because the language was techo-jargon or I couldn’t follow his presentation - he was quite clear & well-prepared.

My problem is this: Are we, as disciples of Jesus Christ, called to shape culture? To make culture?

One of Andy’s early comments/questions in his talk was, “Why aren’t we shaping culture? Copying, condemning & critiquing culture is what we’re comfortable doing.”

Here are some comments from Andy’s talk:

Gen. 2:15 - We are to cultivate culture, to take what is good & keep it good.
Rev. 21:2, 26 - We are to create culture.

CREATING CULTURE:

1. It always starts in community/together (often with 3 people) - something becomes possible when culture is changed, that originally did not exist or is makes something possible

Then he communicated how to begin change:

Start with 3 people - Andy calls 3 the “suspension of impossibility”
Then you bring in others to have between 3-12 people to build DEPTH
And finally, you expand to 120 people which gives you BREADTH.

Constantly ask others who their 3-12-120 are?

What are you cultivating/creating?

Celebrate the answers.

Maybe I need to read his book to catch the essence of his talk. Maybe I just needed a cup of Land of a 1000 Hills coffee (I discovered this at Catalyst and the Rwandan coffee is excellent - trust me. I’m picky about my coffee and this is good stuff.)

Anyway, I felt like I lost the point of Andy’s talk. Sorry, Andy, nothing personal and I’m certainly not “dissing” your book or work. I just wonder if the Kingdom of God is about changing culture as a strategic point as opposed to a by-product of people becoming true disciples of Jesus Christ and serving & meeting the needs of the world as an expression of the Kingdom.

Catalyst Conference 2008 - Dave Ramsey

Dave Ramsey, a personal money management expert, was a hoot! He is funny, passionate & committed to excellence!

Dave has a radio talk show on finances that is heard throughout the nation. He also has a TV show and has written several books.

Here are some of his thoughts from his talk “The Enemies of Unity” from Gen. 11:5:

ILLUSTRATION:
        1 Belgian plowhorse can pull 8,000 lbs. by himself
        2 Belgian plowhorses (who have not been trained to work together) can pull 24,000 lbs. together
        However, 2 Belgian plowhorses (who have been trained to work together) can pull 32,000 lbs. together - 4 times as much as 1

The point? Unity, synergy & training!

You cannot have synergy without unity.

1. Few organizations experience real unity.


2. The 5 main enemies of unity are:
   
   
   
   • Poor communication
   
   
   • Gossip
   
   
   • Unresolved disagreements
   
   
   • Lack of shared purpose
   
   
   • Sanctioned incompetence
   
   
   
   


3. Poor communication can take many forms, but when the right hand doesn’t know what the left hand is doing, strife sets in.


4. Gossip is degrading and will destroy a church or organization.


5. A successful leader develops & maintains a culture in which negatives are handed up (to a leader who can do something about it) and positives are handed down & laterally.


6. By definition, gossip is when a negative is discussed with anyone who can’t help solve the problem.


7. Unresolved disagreements happen when a leader doesn’t know they exist or when that leader avoids confrontation. A leader must have a backbone!


8. A little confrontation cleanses the wound and allows the parties to go forward in a spirit of unity.


9. When you are aware there are hurt feelings and/or disagreements, act quickly and decisively. (Don’t have the “squirrel-caught-in-the-middle-of-the-road theology.) Nobody ever shot anything with, ”Ready! Aim! Aim! Aim! Aim! Aim!“


10. Lack of shared purpose is caused when a leader doesn’t re-state the goal, the vision and mission early and often.


11. It has been said that sanctioned incompetence demoralizes. (Be kind. Investigate. We are all incompetent at something.


12. Team members will eventually become demotivated when someone else on the team can’t or won’t do their job and a leader will not take action.


13. For the sake of unity in the entire group, the leader must go to battle early and often with any of these enemies of unity.


14. When unity is valued in the culture, the team will also act to keep these enemies from the gate. (Knowledge & perception remove fear.)

Catalyst Conference 2008 - Tim Sanders

Tim Sanders (former Chief Solutions Officer at Yahoo!) spoke on the topic of taking your faith into the marketplace in his talk titled, “Saving The World At Work.”

His core message, as he dictated it to us was, “Tell your people to take their values to work!”

Here are a few thoughts from his talk:

If not you, then who? If not now, then when?

As an individual, I have virtually nothing; in community, however, we make a great stew!

“Good is the new great!” (The meaning behind this is that people want to work for companies that do good in their communities or the world. People will actually change jobs to companies that do good.

The Law of Interdependence - make people successful and the world comes to you!

The Law of Observed Reciprocity - also called “Contagious Compassion” - Leaders gauge reality and give their people hope (how appropriate in our current situation with the 100+ billion dollar bail out.

A single act of compassion can create a ripple of love. One person stepping out boldly to commit an act of compassion can create a ripple effect of compassion throughout a community - even the world!

Catalyst Conference 2008 - Craig Groeschel

Craig Groeschel is senior pastor LifeChurch.tv which includes 12 physical campuses & an internet campus (whatever that means!).

On a “fluke” (I really don’t believe in “flukes” or luck), I was walking through the Gwinett Center’s exhibition areas and spotted a flyer on a table in the food court that caught my attention. Next to the flyer was a black “it” cut out of card stock paper with a note glued onto it that said, “You’ve found it! Return ”it“ to (such & such a table) for a free copy of Craig Groeschel’s book titled, ”How Churches and Leaders Can Get It and Keep It.“ So, I returned it and received a free book. After I read it, I’ll give you run-down and some of my thoughts about the content.

Craig’s talk “Finding It When You’ve Lost It” was captivating at worst and cage-rattling in my soul at best!

His text from Scripture was Joel 2:12-14 and he named the “it” that “something special of God, without defining it further than that.

With ”that“ said, here’s what he said about ”it.“

1. God makes ”it“ happen.


2. We cannot create ”it.“


3. ”It“ is not a model, system or program.


4. The upside of ”it“ is that lives are changed.


5. ”It“ attracts critics.


6. Sometimes our ministries quench ”it.“
   
   
   
   • How am I measuring success? By inward obedience? or by something else?
   
   
   
   


7. Simple prayers bring ”it“ back.
   
   
   
   • Prayers like ”God, stretch me!“ There is more in you! You think you’re at the end of your rope, energy, strength - no, there is more in you!
   
   
   
   


8. Who/What will stretch me to help me get ”it“ back?

God must stretch me to get ”it” back.

Before God can stretch me, He must heal me.
Before He can heal me, he must ruin me.
Joel 2:12-14 - “weeping, mourning & fasting”

Am I broken at the things that break God’s heart?
Am I angry at the things that anger God?
Do I have a passion for Jesus above all else?

My prayer from this segment by Craig is:
        Ruin me!
        Heal me!
        Stretch me!

Catalyst Conference 2008 - Seth Godin

The short & sweet of Seth’s talk, “Tribes” is “Where’s my tribe & what am I doing to feed & care for them?”

“Am I doing something FOR the tribe or TO the tribe?

A tribe is defined as a group of people, often self-selected and often with a leader. A tribe is also defined by who isn’t present. The point is CONNECTION.

WHAT THE TRIBE WANTS:

• To connect


• To create meaning


• To make a difference


• To be noticed


• To matter


• To be missed

sethgodin.com

tribes.com
crossfit.com

You EARN a tribe, you don’t deserve one.

Statistics & research show that it is now 4 Degrees of Separation, not 6.

The move in marketing now is not Marketing Management, but Tribal Leadership, so now some other questions appear:

1. How do I grow my tribe? (The simple answer is to ”escalate the positive deviants.“)


2. How do you start a tribe? You have to start with at least 10 people. Any less and the tribe will not grow or continue to exist. 100 people is better and 1,000 is excellent.
   
   
   
   • Do something people criticize!
   
   
   • Find people who are alone in the world
     
     
     
     • Find people who are like those who are alone in the world.
     
     
     
     
   
   
   • Put people together who normally would not be together.
     
   
   

• It’s about LEADING, not CONTROLLING!

Nobody follows mediocre!

Become a ”heretic!“ (Martin Luther)

Heretics challenge religion while still embracing the faith.
Heretics don’t let rules & religion stand in the way of their faith!

Leadership = marketing and vice versa.

WHAT LEADERS DO FOR THEIR TRIBE:

• They challenge their tribe.


• They create a culture for the tribe.


• They are curious (and continue learning for the good of the tribe) (italics are my added thought).


• Leaders get charisma when they lead - not before.


• They communicate to the tribe.


• They connect the tribal members to each other


• They commit themselves to their tribe.

Seth then donated a copy of his latest book ”Tribes“ to each of the 12,500 Catalyst Conference attendees! After I read the book, I’ll give some more feedback on this whole concept of tribes.

Catalyst Conference 2008 - Brenda Salter McNeil

Brenda Salter McNeil wrote the book, “A Credible Witness.”

Her talk was entitled, “Shake It Up” and came from Acts 1:8 and Acts 2:1-12

Here are thoughts from Brenda’s talk:

“God wants to change the world more than we want to change it!”

The spread of the Gospel starts where we are, but it doesn’t stop there!

Jerusalem = our home
Judea = close to home, but not home - sub-cultures fit in here
Samaria = hostile territory - we don’t identify with these people at all
                - We are uncomfortable with them
                - We feel weird around them
                - This is where we’re going to feel like we’re going to get shaken up!

Catalytic events provide the substance for movement.

God always intended for His Kingdom to be GLOBAL. We need to find out where we fit in with that GLOBAL PLAN!!!!!

Catalyst Conference 2008 - Jim Collins

Jim Collins (www.jimcollins.com), author of the book “Good to Great” had a boat-load of things to share with us Though not a believer, his approach to business has strong Scriptural ties & foundations. Here is some of what he shared with us:

“Not all of life is equal.” (with regards to seasons of life)
“Good is the enemy of great.”

“We are not imprisoned by our circumstances; we are freed by our choices - mostly, the choices that are not visible to others.”

We need to foster a culture of discipline in our organizations, churches, etc.

He uses an illustration of a bus for building a great organization. The first thing he says that is crucial to do is to get the right people on the bus and the wrong people off of the bus. In that context, he stated, “When you start compromising the quality of people on the bus, you will fail.”

Better “who’s” on the bus produce completely naturally better “what’s.”

The ultimate preparation for the future is the “who” you have on the bus - not the whats or anything else.

The cornerstone of a culture of discipline is the ability for the leaders to articulate their responsibilities, not titles. True leaders do not need managing, they need leadership. Leadership that recognizes the abilities of a leader and releases him to carry out his responsibilities is good leadership.

“Whenever you feel the need to tighten up your management of someone, it’s probably because I have the wrong person on the bus - or best case scenario, that the right person is on the bus but in the wrong seat.

“Pay your mentors back by mentoring others!” (Peter Drucker said this to Jim Collins)

“The presence of a To-Do List without an equally robust ”Stop To-Do List“ is undisciplined.”

The questions spinning in my head re: this seminar are:

1. Do I have a culture of discipline in my PERSONAL life? My family life?


2. Do I have the right people on the bus in the various ministry works I lead?


3. Am I passionate about my work? How am I contributing to those with whom I work?


4. And am I resourcing those with whom I work (do they have the people, money, brand recognition, etc.) that they need?

Catalyst Conference 2008 thoughts - Andy Stanley - 1

Last week, I had the privilege (and that’s what it was) of attending the Catalyst Conference at the Gwinett Arena in Atlanta, Georgia.

As always, it was like trying to drink from a fully-opened fire hydrant. My brain still hurts. My heart still races when I think of what God did through the speakers, the worship and so much more!

I’ve decided to do several short blurbs (each from a particular session) in hopes that I can pass on to you some of what I heard/learned and what I’m processing as a result and how the Lord spoke to me or touched me through it.

(There is no particular order to the choice of sessions...)

Andy Stanley spoke from Nehemiah and called it “Louder Than Words.” His main Bible text was Neh. 5:6-18
(more messages by Andy Stanley at www.northpoint.org)

The question he answered from his talk was: Why, in verse 12 and then again, in verse 13, did these leaders - who had been confronted by Nehemiah so directly about their abuse of power - so quickly, immediately and without complaining agree with Nehemiah and promise to return what they had wrongly taken and not to do it again?

Why didn’t they argue with him?

In short, it is because of Nehemiah’s MORAL AUTHORITY.

Moral authority defined is: public alignment between our creed and our deed.

Nehemiah’s moral authority was a 1:1 ratio. Read the chapter and you’ll see why. Nehemiah PRACTICED what he PREACHED for 12 years before he had the confrontation with the leaders.

Moral authority is the only influence we (as leaders) really have on people. It is ALL WE HAVE.

“People who really influence us rarely have authority over us.” Andy Stanley

Andy then applied these truths to 3 areas: Forgiveness, Finances & Family. The following is from what he stated per each point:

        FORGIVENESS: This is our message! Forgiveness in Christ Jesus! Our moral authority here is to forgive ASAP every single day of our lives!

        FINANCES: Is there hypocrisy in our finances? Do we have a problem raising funds because of financial hypocrisy? Do we live according to Scripture in our financial lives?

        FAMILY: “If my wife/family thinks that the ministry is my mistress, I have no moral authority in their lives.”
                “I’m the only dad my kids will ever have. Why would I sacrifice that for a different role that many others could do just as well - or better - than I?”

Moral authority, character, integrity - these are words that captivate the heart of the follower of Jesus Christ.

First, we must BE disciples of Jesus Christ. Obeying Him in our family responsibilities, financial dealings and ministry work. Then, secondly, we can DO the work that He has called us to do. To reverse these two points is to destroy the essence of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.