what do you think? no really?

In the a recent New York times editorial, Bono stated the three greatest threats we face today.

Should we know what they are? Why would we care about Bono's thoughts?

Should we spend very much time and energy to find out how our organization might be interested in participating in reducing the threat posed to the world by these three things?

How competent would our members and community be in engaging a plan to reduce the threat from these three things?

Bono's big three are extreme poverty, extreme ideology and extreme climate change.

Let's assume we are already working on extreme poverty.

Let's also take climate change off the table because it's kind of a divisive issue.

But what about extreme ideology? Is that something we can work on?

Could we look at how we offer opportunities for people with different viewpoints to share in a safe space about what they believe and why?

Would that have to start with us?

Maybe we should take some time to listen to someone else's idea, (at least try) to learn from the diametrically opposed, and to work with people we don't understand in a project or two of their choosing.

Would you be willing to take some time away from the birds of a feather and flock with a different covey?

Turkeys and turnover

I was inspired to wonder a little bit about Thanksgiving and the historical significance of turkeys. I have encountered a group (rafter, gang?) of wild turkeys a couple of times on jogging outings I have been on in a neighborhood closeby. I thought it was strange because I have always thought of turkeys as elusive. But there they were in folks yards- along the driveway. Some sitting on the fence. Not stressed or with a "turkey in the headlights look". Just hanging out. 20-25 of them. I was overcome by a very real sense of peace.

I was thinking about how things have changed for them: for these particular turkeys and their predecessors. And how they seem to be able to deal with it. Where did this spirit of peace, of wholeness, of OK-with-things-ness come from?

Loss of habitat. Coyotes moving in. Joggers running by. Hunters. Hunters with guns. Hunting technology. Bass Pro Shop. The development of easy, cheap, extra broad breasted turkeys. The movement back to more native type turkeys for eating on Thanksgiving.

I thought of the changes of the other historical figures of Thanksgiving. The trail of tears. Massacres. Loss of Land. Loss of tribal identity. Alcoholism. Abject poverty. Cultural demonization of spiritual identity.

I was on a visit to the Hopi Nation cultural center earlier this year and I was engaged in the same sense of peace that I experienced from the gang of turkeys. Peace in the face of unimaginable change and loss over the past couple of centuries.

And it seemed to eminate from a source of "togetherness despite it all." Young Hopi were sharing about the proud history and grace of their people. Together with other Hopi people. Older Hopi were offering their handcrafted creations to visitors. Together.

There's lots of changes afoot. Economically, theologically, and culturally, things never stay the same; but things seem to be particularly volatile right now.

How might we best impart a sense of peace in this setting?

Thankfully, I think, it will be together.

May we be a rafter of resourcefulness, a gang of gatherer-togetherers, a tribe of togetherness in all the communities we touch.

Collaborate. Partner peer to peer. Seek to learn first and try to teach second. Answer the phone before you check the caller id. Return the tough email. Show them how much you care. Pray for peace.

Happy Black Friday.

The light of Jesus and the extension cords

Tony Campolo, in a recent podcast, stated that "Christians are called not to be pragmatic: they are called to be faithful to the teachings of Jesus."

Is this contradictory?

There's the comparison in Luke 14:28-32 of someone who is preparing to build a tower or go to war to the cost of discipleship, right?

Are we supposed to consider the costs of discipleship and then make a

decision about it?

The prodigal son seemed pretty pragmatic in his determination of how to get out of the mess he made.

Do we sometimes have to unplug the light on the Jesus picture to plug in the extension cords of live to get something done?

Are we supposed to check our pragmatism at the door?

Are you OK with, "Yeah, but it's just a church thing."

Sometimes I think the church is where you can come and just not have to worry about practicalities and whether or not something works.

We have Sunday evening services because one evening a young man came to the church doors on a Sunday evening, and there was no service at that time, so he shot himself. Right there in the front alcove. You can still see the bullet hole. That's why we have Sunday evening services.

We had 300 reservations for the church dinner and we had about 300 people show up, so it was a success.

We view the stewardship commitment as something sacred between you and God, but we do use them to figure out how much our budget will be, don't we?

It's both and I'm guessing, huh? Sometimes the best way to exemplify the love of Jesus is by careful calculations and determinations of how to proceed and at other times it just happens in spite of us and our figuring.

Is that OK?

I guess the best we can offer is we'll leave the light on for you. Unless we have to plug in some extension cords instead.

Dream alotta dream

"A dream is a complete moment in the life of a client. Important experiences that tempt the client to commit substantial resources. The essence of the desires of the consumer. The opportunity to help clients become what they want to be."

-Gian Luigi Longinotti-Buitoni, former CEO of Ferrari North America

"Hold fast to dreams, for if dreams die, life is a broken-winged bird that cannot fly.”

-Langston Hughes

“Always dream and shoot higher that you know you can do. Don’t bother just to be better than your contemporaries or predecessors. Try to be better than yourself.”

-William Faulkner

The other night I dreamed that I was jogging along the road and a car pulled up with a bunch of guys that I went to high school with (and I'm not facebook friends with). In the dream we talked about what's been going on over the last 27 years. How funny it was the way things turned out. We talked about what we do and our families and then the subject came up of what we were going to be doing next year. "I'll be going on some mission trips and planning some activities and events and organizing and planning and putting stuff together, and you know." And then from the backseat of the car, the kid who always had a twinkle in his eye and was quick to smirk and give a knowing look asked: "Yeah, but what are you going to do that's really cool?"

What are you going to do that's what you really want to do, that'll entice you to commit time and resources that you don't really have and that will get you out of bed earlier and make you feel alive and like you're soaring? What will you engage in that has the best chance of helping you move closer to your true self or as Faulkner put it, be better than yourself?

It is no doubt an important exercise to do. But once we do that, might it also be a good idea to ask our leaders of ministry these types of questions?

What does you committee chair see as the coolest thing she might be able to do? Is it in the budget for next year somewhere? What event are you not yet doing that will have a better chance of causing a member of your ministry team to choose it over a t-ball game? Maybe it's loading up and going to a t-ball game? What activity will have enough value to enough people to cause you to go to the folding chairs? What's the next step after "that was nice"?

The answer probably isn't with you. Or at least not just you. It resides in the hearts, minds, and relationships of your leaders.

So ask them:

What are you, or we, going to do that's really cool?

this i believe

A neighbor engaged me in conversation about this and that.

And in the middle of that, a moment of truth occurred.

He pause and then asked:"Do you believe in reincarnation."

He seemed to be waiting for my response as a sort of permission to continue.

My time was limited and I considered my options:

No- might shut him down, might make him think I'm small minded, might spark a debate about reincarnation.

Yes- might be disingenuous- nothing against reincarnation (or for it)- I don't know enough about it to know if I believe in it or not.

-Or-

"Sure, why not?"- my response in this case.

He guffawed as if to say: "I know what you're doing. You're giving me some space to share this next bit... thanks."

So he told me an interesting and endearing story that he had recently heard that he suspected gave credence to the concept of reincarnation.

It was a remarkable moment. I think it was made possible by a willingness to put our beliefs in the back seat for a minute and then by taking some time to share. Harmless.

I wonder if there are other opportunities to let belief take a back seat so that knowing and understanding one another may occur.

You think sin is just more about action and not so much about a state of being? ok. (pensive head nod)

Trust is more about knowing someone will do the right thing (by your standards) and not about how well you know someone (including yourself)? all right

Jesus is all about atonement and not so much about experiential incarnation? I know, right?

Most efficient application of the largest amount of resources possible is a higher priority than relationships that develop in a culture of empowerment? hum... tell me more.

There are limits, right? To this exercise? To this way of thinking?

"Sure, why not?"

mission: lose a tooth

I spoke to a group of 8 year olds today.

My mission was to read a book to them on behalf of a civic club that a friend, who invited me to participate in the reading program, belongs to.

Part of my mission was to explain a little bit about the civic club.

I handed out book marks and was about to read the organization's mission statement when I decided to ask the youngsters: "What's your mission?"

"To be in a play."

"To lose this tooth, see?" It was loose for sure.

"To be in a play and have lots of people come to it."

"To play the guitar."

"To play the drums."

"To be in a play and have lots of people come to it. And to make them all laugh."

It was interesting because usually when I ask people what their mission is the response is:

"Hem-Haw."

"You mean my mission statement or the mission statement of the ministry...or the organization, or what?"

"I don't know."

"I hate mission statements."

While I was in the process of reading to the 8 year olds, one of them accomplished his mission. His tooth came out. Man, he was excited. And I was excited. Because it's exciting, but also because I knew what his mission was and that he accomplished it.

We don't do that enough- share our mission and then share the joy of accomplishing it.

So forget "What's your mission?" because apparently that question gets loaded with baggage the older we get.

How about: "What do you want to do?"

It will be exciting when you do it. For you.

And if you are willing to share it with me:

For me, too.

Would you get up in the middle of the night for it?

A recent throw down with Bobby Flay revealed an interesting way to measure how good a pie you have in your refrigerator.

The challengee was a couple of ladies in New England famous for their berry pie.

One of them defined how they measured the value of their pie:

Is it good enough to make you get up in the middle of the night to have some?

That was the question that the pie lady came back to.

She assured the viewers that the pies she and her colleague made were.

Even after the judges declared her pie second to Bobby Flay's in the competition she came back to it:

"Yeah, but would you get up in the middle of the night for it?"

"I don't think , " so was her rather subjective assessment.

She lost the contest, but she won with her ability to evaluate based on her criteria.

So it boils down to being remarkable.

Which of our ministries events and activities would we ask someone: "Would you _____________ for it?"

Would you give something up for it?

Would you change your schedule to participate in it?

Would you be willing to show up an hour earlier than you normally wake up for it?

What characteristics would it have?

Maybe it would be a chance to have an honest measured conversation about important issues with someone who sees things differently than you do, but you trust (know) well enough to share a conversation and a different viewpoint with.

Maybe it would be an opportunity to tell someone how they straight up changed your way of thinking or understanding or doing things.

Maybe it would be a chance to take a realistic look at your dreams and how they intersect with the dreams of other people and how you can work together starting now to make them a reality.

Maybe it would be the thing that you get a little bit choked up about talking about and then other people understand what you're talking about because it chokes them up too?

Do we do anything like that?

And if we do, is there any way to do more of it?

donors and efficiency

Peter Drucker, in Managing the Nonprofit Principles and Practices, indicates one of our jobs as leaders is to move our donors toward participants.

Your best hope for this may be to make sure all your donors know when your events are happening and where they will be held, how much they'll cost and how long they will last. Include a packing list and don't forget childcare.

People need seven discreet touches and they learn in different ways so try different media.

Make sign up easy and set deadlines.

Train people about where to find information so you can streamline your communications.

Tell people interesting stories about how you are handling their contributions so they'll know their donations are being put to use efficiently.

Or:

Find out what has value for people. Find out what if any impact you and your programs are having on the people that support them and encourage venues for sharing the story.

Instead of adding another distraction for your donors to feel guilty about not participating in:

Offer them something that will help them with a struggle they are in or give them a respite from the madness of their world.

Unfortunately, you don't get to decide what has value, your donors do.

So trying to make more donors more efficiently won't really move them anywhere.

If, as Drucker contends, our main purpose is to be human change agents, we have to start talking more about why and how we are doing and spend less time obsessing about making sure there is a link on the homepage about the church yardsale.

Maybe we have to find out what is important to people instead of thinking that what we are doing is so important.

Unless you feel pretty good about the direction of your donors. Then just make sure they know when to show up. And where to drop off their children.

are we there yet?

We were discussing the desired outcome of a mission event when it became apparent we mixed up the pace with the result.

It can be about the journey and not the destination, but the fact that it might the destination might be reached in a specific time shouldn't negate the desire to understand why we are on the journey.

So is the ultimate goal of this mission trip that local community members will ultimately have control of the program?

The first year or so, we might just be building trust and doing everything for them.

Will we be moving from providing services to community autonomy?

We are bringing in the resources from the outside at first.

Are we seeking community members to take on leadership?

We don't know what direction the spirit will take.

What's the ultimate goal?

We don't know. We don't want to limit it.

The fact that it will take time sometimes keeps us from determining what we want to do.

Is everything that way or is that just church?

Hopefully at least we do no harm.

both feet on the ground with a straddle

A friend we visited with at a community event this week explained how he has decided that his high school freshman (and according to our friend, a wormy little guy--"just like I was", he says) son is growing. Apparently, his son rode up on his dirt bike and when he stopped he had both feet on the ground and this much space (he held his fingers apart a couple inches) between his straddle and the dirt bike seat. Last year, he continued, his son had to lean over with one foot on the ground when he stopped his dirt bike. It's hard, he confided, to tell if someone is growing when you see them everyday.

So: no numbers, no measurement, no program, no data mining. But he knew his son was growing.

How do we keep up with such things? Did the day of outreach grow this year from last? How can you tell? 14 more people participated or 20 people less participated, but 10 more people from the drug recovery center participated (more receivers became givers).

The retreat where numbers were a bit down from last year: the participants spent time in small groups and talked about "real stuff"- my wife says I care more about what goes on at work than what goes on at the house. Yeah, me too. I tell her: if we want this stuff, I have to put in the hours.

The youth, who last year laughed when introducing the offertory during worship, this year takes it seriously and explains what it's all about and calls down a buddy who snickers about it.

The ministry team chair takes a personal interest in a coordinator of the event and makes sure to show up for all the planning meetings and has her over for dinner and cups of coffee and is with her every step of the way.

Instead of carrying out the recommendation of the subcommittee for them, you work closely with them to make sure that, working together, the vision, mission, and strategy is carried out.

You and the subcommittee understand its vision, mission, and strategy.

There is a subcommittee.

It really isn't that important where you are right now.

It is important to understand where you are right now compared to last year though, isn't it?

So, who's straddling the dirt bike this year and who still has to lean over when they come to a stop?

...where's the mission?

A group of folks from a church in Marietta ventured to Monterrey Mexico to try to find a community that was interested in changing its situation and the lives of those who lived within it and those who came in contact with it.

A staff member of the local denominational office responsible for such things set up several meetings.

A pattern formed.

The group from America would visit with the church members of the Methodist Church in Monterrey and then visit the community where the church was working to bring about wholeness and right relationship through its desire to be the community of faith (church) God called it to be.

The team from Marietta met lots of church members from Mexico who were out doing their best to make a difference in the lives of communities where people lived in wooden pallets houses and struggled to come up with $10 or $20 per year or half year or some ridiculously small amount of money to send their children to the public schools while living off scraps that people throw away.

The need was fantastic and the possibilities to engage in God's mission endless.

On the last visit though, the team was taken to a very nice, middle-class looking church with lots of ammendities in a pretty decent area of town.

As the Marietta team toured the church a general murmur of: "This is nice, but where's the mission?" was the kind of unspoken vibe.

Where's the stench? Where's all the poor people at?

How about us? A visiting team to Marietta: Would they wonder where the mission is? Where are the broken hearted people? Where are the people that are seeking reconciliation with God?

If a group came to Marietta and wanted to find out how they can help the community grow and change the lives of those within it: would they stop by our church? Would that be a logical place for them to come to?

Should it?

We could take them to the soccer game. There are probably some broken hearted people there.

If we took them to the back to school festival or the Christmas angel project: could we introduce them by name to some of the people there and what their hopes, unique desires, and dreams are?

Should we?

Or if the visiting group came to our church would they say: "This is nice, but...?"