Archive for the ‘Influence’ category

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Plans

October 11, 2008

Well, tomorrow the staff will have an opportunity to share some of the ideas that they have for Lifepoint in 2009. For me, the idea of personal development is crucial. I can’t imagine being the point guy for personal development, but it is a concept that has connected with my very core. When I have talked with people over the past year, the one common thread has been a desire to understand their lives better and to make better decisions for it’s future.

In the past twelve months I have read more books than I have been able to post about. Most of those books have had to do with the idea of personal development. Now I’m not talking about Anthony Robbins – although he has made a good living doing his thing – I’m talking about the mechanics and psychological underpinnings of why we do the things we do. From Marcus Buckingham and his putting your strengths first approach, to Robert Torbert and his vision of action logics to Dee Hock and his view of chaordic organizations, I have read and digested and wanted to do something with the information. Now is the time.

In 2009, there will be many opportunities for people n the Middle Georgia area to come to events hosted by Lifepoint Church (that’s right, a church!) to help people in their personal development. From personal mission statements to strengths that will help you find the right job for you, Lifepoint will embark in a new era of facilitating personal growth for Middle Georgia and it’s citizens.

Needless to say, I can’t wait!

Categories: Context, Creativity, Cultural Ideas, Influence, Leadership, Life, Lifepoint, Me, People, Starting, Strengths, Vision

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Practices of a Generous Heart

October 5, 2008

Today we moved beyond the identification of the Pillars of Generosity, to the practices that accompany a generous heart. A lot was said, but I want to hone into an idea. Generosity, by definition, has to do with giving. Giving of time, money, effort, kindness, empathy, creativity, wisdom, love – and the list could go on. In the discussion today we are talking from a Christian point of view, and more precisely from a Christ/Jesus point of view.

Now, regardless of your take on Biblical interpretation, when the main character, Jesus, does anything, generosity is an integral part of it. There is always more than the original gift (which can certainly be an odd choice): mud leads to restored sight; shame leads to freedom; a happy meal feeds thousands more than it should. The point is not the supernatural healing or multiplying – the point is the modeling of generosity that Jesus exemplifies.

Jesus is speaking volumes with his actions. We can discount mud and fish as cheap, but the essence is not the original supposed value of the items, it is what happens when ordinary items become part of a pattern of giving. When giving becomes a part of your life, your life will change.

I’ve made a point to not become political in my posts – there are much better analysts to discuss such things, but through this election season we have seen something that has largely gone unnoticed. Barack Obama, from the onset, decided to enlist the “average Joe” to contribute five or ten dollars at a time to the campaign. In those small amounts people began to feel that they were a part of something. I don’t have numbers, but I would be willing to guess that if you added up the total contribution of an average Obama supporter, you would find a much larger amount than if they had given just one time. Here is what I think is interesting. Throughout the campaign season a habit of giving has been engendered by the Obama campaign. This is not a small thing.

Think about this – the truth is that the Bible promotes the idea of giving (whether rich or poor), and also promotes the concept of blessing associated with giving. The election will come and go, and someone will be the next President, but the combined effect of hundreds of thousands of people giving (some out of their overflow and some out of their poverty) will be, if we believe the Bible, historical in terms of economic effect.

The practices of a generous heart are not a “Christian only” or “Jewish only” concept. The idea of generosity is waiting for anyone who will embrace the giving of themselves and their “stuff” for someone else. The result of such giving is simply amazing!

Categories: Awareness, Context, giving, Influence, Life, Lifepoint, Message Series
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The Art of Peacemaking

October 2, 2008

I do not need to list the myriad of concerns around the world in regards to Peace. I am consistently amazed at the need seemingly present in religious circles to have a “crusade” or “fight the good fight” or use the “sword of the spirit” to “defeat our foes”. Though we proclaim that our message is Peace our language is anything but.

Don’t missunderstand me, I realize that the endeavour of peace is not a simplistic undertaking. Time, conversations, more time, listening and work are needed – but not force or violence.

One word that must be included in the conversations about peace is the word, “Justice”. Robert McAffee Brown speaks volumes about the search for peace when in Making Peace in the Global Village he says,

“We need to measure our world and the imperative for peacemaking, with an eye to justice. Whatever is unjust threatens peace. Whatever fosters justice is an act of peacemaking.”

These acts that foster justice can be done by anyone at anytime and each is an act of peacemaking – each moves us closer to a realization of global peace. Sometimes when we think of world-wide peace, we tend to become overwhelmed, but the imperative is that the big things are never done by big organizations or big governments, they are always done by small people who, like yesterdays post, have big dreams.

Categories: Awareness, Cultural Ideas, Influence, Life, peace
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Dream a Little Dream

October 1, 2008

When I was younger, I managed to find myself in trouble quite a bit because of daydreaming. People said that I needed to focus on what was going on and “pay attention”. Now that I’ve added a few more years, I have found great value in daydreaming. I like to think that prior to God’s work of creation, however that happened, He indulged in a little daydreaming. Once satisfied then He did whatever it was that He did.

Dreaming is an incredible gift for us, but even more so if we realize that we all dream differently. We can have the same facts, environment and desire, but our dreams will be completely different.

T. E. Lawrence in Lawrence of Arabia makes a distinction between day dreamers and night dreamers:

“All people dream, but not equally. Those who dream by night, in the dusty recesses of their minds, wake in the day to find that it was vanity. But the dreamers of the day are dangerous, for they may act their dreams with open eyes to make it possible.”

Today dream a little dream – in the open day – for your dream can, and should, become a great dream that influences many for the good.

Categories: Awareness, Belief, Creativity, Influence, Life
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Relationships: Life’s Ultimate Building Block

September 27, 2008

In the scientific realm there are discussions about a substance called Black Matter. This material is theoretically what connects the universe and holds everything together. Perhaps in the theoretical field the answer is Black Matter, but in the sociological field the substance that holds all of us together is Relationships.

Relationships are unique things. A relationship doesn’t just happen because two people get to know each other. A true relationship happens when two people are willing to talk and listen to each other. The skill of listening actively to each other means letting life open up in front of you.  It means having truthful conversations that give vocal opportunity to everyone and each of those who have spoken feel that they have been heard because the listeners are listening well.

Imagine the last time you were in a conversation. How would you have felt if you had been able to contribute and had felt that everyone listened to your perspective? People sometimes sit quietly in discussions because one or two people are talking non stop about what matters to them. When one takes a break the other begins. This continues several times and then everyone leaves saying that “we had a good meeting”.

The truth is that valuable insight was lost because of the inability of the leader to listen instead of feeling the need to be heard him or herself. The biggest key in conversations is for us to come together as equals. In conversation there is no king and there are no peons – there can’t be for true conversation to take place. When we shed our titles and roles and simply come together as human beings, we are able to hear from varied perspectives. Though a certain answer may not come out of meeting (it seldom does), it should increase our levels of curiosity as something to be relished and sought after. The more we listen, and listen well, the more holistic a perspective all involved will have.

This next week seek out having conversations. but not so that you can be heard. In the conversation, provide plenty of time to listen completely so that the person talking feels they are being heard. You’ll find that if you do that, you will also have plenty of time to talk about the things that you care about.

Before the Internet, email, faxes and phones – even before paper and pen, human beings communicated by having conversations. Building relationships through conversations is the only way true change will ever happen.

Categories: Awareness, Influence, People, Rhythm
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World Wide Day of Play

September 27, 2008

Something amazing has happened today. Nickelodeon, Noggin, The N and NickToons have all gone dark. From noon until 3:00pm nothing will be shown on these channels. For the fifth consecutive year Nickelodeon is brokering its influence for a Worldwide Day of Play. This is the first year that all Nickelodeon networks and their comparable websites will effectively shut down in order for kids around the world to get out and play.

There have also been over 1,000 play event scheduled around the United States. This was designed as a way for Nick to encourage kids to fight obesity. Before and after the blackout, each network will show programming that is health-related. Nick has partnered with several organizations this year including the Boys and Girls Clubs of America, Big Brothers and Big Sisters along with the National Football League.

What a great opportunity to for our kids to see that there is more that they can do, and that influence can be used in positive ways to motivate us toward better goals and a better life.

Categories: Awareness, Creativity, Cultural Ideas, Influence, Life, People, Sports, Vision
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Alzheimer’s Memory Walk

September 25, 2008

Alzheimer’s is a disease that is increasingly affecting more and more of us. Today it is uncommon to find someone who does not know of a friend, family member or acquaintance who either has known, knows or is going through themselves this terrible disease.

The most difficult part of Alzheimer’s is that when we lose memory, we lose the path of our life. When the signposts of the past are gone, we truly become lost. To watch as someone you love enters into a place of lostness within themselves is a decidedly helpless position to find yourself in.

My friend, Mike Scarborough, has set up a team to participate in the Georgia Alzheimer’s Memory Walk this November 1st. I encourage you to click here and either become part of the team, donate or both. Significant advances are being made in the search for a cure, but more help is needed. Together we can indeed make a great difference in the future!

Categories: Awareness, Belief, Cultural Ideas, Influence, Life

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President Bush and David Blaine

September 24, 2008

Odd title I know, but this is something that couldn’t go unsaid. As Creative Pastor I make sure that nothing technical gets in the way of the success of our creative learning environments on Sunday morning. Sound, lighting, video, music selection, drama, set design and execution are all critical elements that if done effectively will all fade into the background and go without comment.

Cue the President. During what could be one of the most important “talks to the nation” he’ll make before leaving office, a continuous mic cable noise could be heard throughout his talk – an annoying muffled low bumping noise – that was distracting and, most important – not the technical quality of presentation you expect of the White House. This is especially significant when telling the nation that the government is the only entity capable of handling the economic crisis that we all are fully aware of. Mic noise – economic stability of the free world. I know they are totally dissimilar and the audio guy was fired, but given everything else on the radar, this was a time to shine and for tech problems to disappear – and they didn’t.

Cue David Blaine. In what was heralded as one of the greatest magical experiences since the Flood, David Blain made those who were interested sit for a couple of hours until….in a moment that was to at least rival Houdini….did he explode?….did he transform into some other creature?….did he give everyone in the audience a new car?…No. He jumped off of a 40 foot truss, connected to a safety harness and then was lifted away by a large bunch of helium balloons while we all watched in awe. Awe that we had been duped into wasting a couple of hours to see a fair ride. How does this connect? As David Blaine is “disappearing into the night”, someone forgot to mute the audio of a guy saying, “Get him up. Higher, higher. Get him up.” Now I’m no magician, but that sounded a lot like a director giving cues.

The key takeaway is this: details matter – in life, in business, in family. Apparently we do need to sweat the small stuff…at least some of the time!

Categories: Influence, Life, Production

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Wine….and more wine!

September 17, 2008

In lieu of the comments from Sunday’s message I feel compelled to bring up the story of Jesus and the wedding in Cana. In spite of the church’s need to display Jesus as a party pooper, he was nothing of the sort. Jesus was, in fact, the kind of guy you would want around if you were to throw a party.

Jesus’ ability to turn water into wine, although very handy, is not the reason I chose to give my allegiance to him. Jesus embodies hope and gives me a reason to wake up in the morning. He sees all of life as a sacred celebration. This story is full of implications that when life seemingly runs out of joy/hope/peace/meaning (wine) he is there to bring it back. When everything seems lost and the party is doomed, look for Jesus like Mary did and he’ll bring the abundant life back to your party.

The biggest thing this story can teach us is seen as John mentions that it took place on the third day. The third day is typical of resurrection, and if so, the first day would be the wonderful – everything is OK  good Friday. The second day would have to be those liminal spaces where we are anything but settled, but the third day is significantly different. With Jesus’ response, the third day becomes a day filled with expectancy and hope.

For us the significance of this story has to go to the jars of water. Prepared for a sacred service they are transformed into functional jars for the service of the people. How much of our own religious world is filled with sacredness. So much so that we overlook it’s functionality to service. If the service needs to change from Sunday to Thursday let’s change it. If we need to sit on the floor instead of pews, let’s do it. If we need to have a true conversation instead of a talking head let’s do it. Certainly in the church there are issues of practicality, but ultimately everything that we do has the ultimate end of bringing people into the abundant life Christ has given to us. Everything is a means to that end – not an end to itself.

Mary knew that the party didn’t have to end. She knew what resided in Christ -and so do we. As we look toward our future, let our response be that of Jesus. Crank up the music, tell the baby-sitter you’ll be late, smile and grab your partner, this party isn’t near over. The best really is yet to come!

Categories: Awareness, Belief, Context, Creativity, Influence, Kingdom of God, Life, religion

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The Wizard of Oz

September 12, 2008

Tonight we watched The Wizard of Oz as part of Family Night. I love the movie, even though there are some who think any mention of witches, wizards and teleportation will send one directly to the Bad Place. Some things jumped out at me while we were watching.

One thing is how funny the scene is when the apple trees start pelting the travelers with apples – who knew trees had a gruff voice? Seriously, it is hard for me to just watch a movie. I’m more intrigued than ever before as to how the contextualization of the time period the movie was made translates with the time period in which it is being watched. (Only really great movies are able to bridge this chasm)

1 – After the Scarecrow is talking about not having a brain, Dorothy asks him what he would do with a brain if he had one – and the Scarecrow is quick to have an answer. Sometimes we allow not having something to become a reason we can’t get anything done, when the truth is that we probably wouldn’t get anything done even if we did have what we are whining about.

2 – Dorothy immediatly invites the Scarecrow to join her on her journey. She is not the least bit proprietary about her journey. She welcomes anyone who wants to go with her. Many times we get too defensive when we resist help in situations where an openness to others would quickly solve a problem.

3 – The Tinman longs for a heart, but his song delivery is the most emotional of all of the travelers.

4 – They think the Wizard will fix everything, but find out that the answers to their questions and desires are within them.

5 – Glenda tells Dorothy that she has had the way home all the time, but that she couldn’t tell Dorothy because she wouldn’t have believed it. How true is this? If we would allow ourselves to live a life filled with trust instead of suspicion, we could take leaps in our development as people and humans.

Next time you watch a film, open yourself up to the possibility of seeing more than just a plot line and actors. Within the power of storytelling is the answers to life itself.

Categories: Awareness, Context, Creativity, Cultural Ideas, Influence, Life

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