24
May 24, 2005 Uncategorized Hodge Podge
//MOOD: Hmm
//ITUNES: “Give It Back” – Hoobastank
Well, 24 ended with…well…a sound as powerful as…well…cottonballs?
Blah.
But, Dave Barry has cheered me up again. Here’s my favorite line in his update:
Where IS the missile going? Could the missile be a diversion for some OTHER fiendish terrorist genius mastermind stroke of evilness? Will Jack be able to stop it in time? Will Audrey be eaten by ants? Wouldn’t that be great? Is the Ford Big Truck Throwdown still going on? Will Chloe and Edgar finally give in to their passion, tear off each other’s clothes, then log on to an internet database to find out what they’re supposed to do next? (“Hang on, Edgar! I’m downloading your schematics!”)
Good to Great
May 23, 2005 Uncategorized Hodge Podge
//MOOD: Good, not Great
//ITUNES: “Where are you?” – Ish
I am reading a book called “Break-out Churches” right now. It examines churches that went from plateaued or declining growth to growth. Now, obviously, numbers aren’t everything, but they are an indicator of health.
In the chapter I am reading, the author is talking about getting the right people in leadership and shuffling the deck in such a way that the right people are in the right places. He quotes Jim Collins, from the book “Good to Great.”
To let people languish in uncertainty for months or years, stealing precious time in their lives that they could use to move on to something else, when in the end they aren’t going to make it anyway–that would be ruthless. To deal with it up front and let people get on with their lives–that is rigorous.”
This reminded me of an article I read on Ray Pritchard’s Blog. The entire post is worth a read, but here is what stuck out to me:
I recall one particular story about a group of people in the early days who opposed his vision and wanted to replace him as pastor. I’ve forgotten most of the details, except for his decision not to back down under pressure. Then he gave me the moral of the story: “Ray, I learned a long time ago that the first price you pay is always the cheapest.” What do you mean? “In the church, we tend to avoid controversy because we think it will go away on its own. That almost never happens. Many problems could be easily solved if only someone would care enough to get involved. But by ignoring the problem, or pretending it isn’t there, it never gets better. It only gets worse. And the price for solving it always goes up.”
I’ll tell you: one of the hardest things to do in ministry is encourage someone to serve where they are really gifted. A lot of us (myself included) don’t have a really balanced view of ourselves. And it takes other people helping us examine our lives to get a proper view. Now, add to that ministry. When we covet a ministry position, often it is hard for us to see if we are really the right person for that role. Then, when we are serving in that role, it is even harder to move on to something else.
I think this is what Paul was talking about:
1Corinthians 12:14-21
Yes, the body has many different parts, not just one part. If the foot says, “I am not a part of the body because I am not a hand,” that does not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear says, “I am not part of the body because I am only an ear and not an eye,” would that make it any less a part of the body? Suppose the whole body were an eye—then how would you hear? Or if your whole body were just one big ear, how could you smell anything?
But God made our bodies with many parts, and he has put each part just where he wants it. What a strange thing a body would be if it had only one part! Yes, there are many parts, but only one body. The eye can never say to the hand, “I don’t need you.” The head can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you.”
Tombstone
May 23, 2005 Uncategorized Hodge Podge
//MOOD: Fairly Good
//ITUNES: “Satan is my Motor” – Cake
At Dan’s dad’s funeral, a bunch of us were talking about what we wanted on our tombstone. Now (thanks to Hans), you can make yours in advance. Click here to make yours. Here is mine:
The Distributed Church
May 23, 2005 Uncategorized Hodge Podge
//MOOD: Thoughtful
//TIVO: ET Elvis Special
Several people have recommended that I look into “The Distributed Church” because I would resonate with it. I just got done reading this paper and I did find a lot of stuff I like. Essentially, the idea is that the church is supposed to have a good balance of “inside” and “outside” relationships. And really that the church needs a good relationship with, well, the church too.
Here are a few excerpts of the paper that I like:
Sadly, twenty centuries later, most local churches and Christians do not have a good balance of “inside” and “outside” belonging. Our relationships are limited to those within our group. Because we are self-contained, we are isolated from each other, we are pre-occupied with our own problems, we are stagnant, and we are irrelevant to others.
A church or ministry cannot work cooperatively with all other ministries in the world; that would not be practical. But a church can partner with a limited number of others that are a good fit for its purposes and personality. Such partnerships will accomplish more for the Kingdom that what could be done alone.
In an era of explosive change, a successful operational (management) model will not be one that seeks to contain and control; it will be one that coordinates or connects what is beyond itself.
Now this is my favorite section:
The Average Leader The Good Leader The Great Leader Increases isolation in the name of focus Builds better relationships inside the organization Inspires better relationships outside the organization (2 Cor 5:14-21) Builds by competition Builds by cooperation Builds by connection (Eph 2:13-22) Maintains helpful programs for people Multiplies helpful programs by finding the right people to lead Equips helpful people to not need programs (Luke 10:25-37) Coaxes people into a building to hear of Christ Sends Christians from the building to tell of Christ Arranges sustenance for Christians to live Christ everyday (1 Cor 16:14-18)
Photon
May 20, 2005 Uncategorized Hodge Podge
//MOOD: Really Really Good
//NOISE: Kids talking in the baby monitor
The last four posts were a test of an iPhoto plugin called Photon. Basically, it allows you to post a picture directly to your blog via iPhoto. You don’t have to save the file and then upload it and then post it. It’s all one step. Very cool. It is very customizable, so it resizes the photo and puts it exactly where you want it stored.
Noely likey.
Scary
May 20, 2005 Uncategorized Hodge Podge
//MOOD: Scared
//ITUNES: “What Have I Done to Deserve This?” – Pet Shop Boys
OK, so this is frightening. FuelGuy linked to this scary site that does a search of public records if you type in your name. It’s called Zaba.
If the concept itself isn’t scary enough, it also lists one of my addresses as Katie’s house! The internet thinks I live with Katie!
