LeadershipConneXtions

The Sounds of Risky Faith

Today, I am preaching on The Sounds of Risky Faith and taking a look at Mary in Luke 1:26-38.

Here are a few resources for those who would like them.

Download SoundsRiskyFaithPowerPoint  (This is the Power Point slides/images.)

Download RiskyFaithYourYes  (This is the one you can print out and add your picture to.)

Download RiskyFaithInsert   (This is the sermon outline insert.)

Brian Rice

Leadership ConneXtions International

A Most Unexpected Book . . . A Most Welcome Gift

It's happened to me a handful times of time when I've flown on a trip. The first time is still the best. The few other times have been very good. But the first time was the best. A week ago when it happened again, it became the "second best" and that is quite the honor.

It is a book that turns out to be a most unexpected book.

The first time, the most unexpected book was one by Brennan Manning, Ruthless Trust. It was a sacred moment . . . a divine encounter - reading that book. I pulled it out half an hour into the flight and once started, I couldn't stop. Couldn't stop reading... couldn't stop scribbling all over the pages with my racing thoughts... couldn't stop praying and worshiping and being grateful.

I arrived at my friends's house with some major jet lagging going on. I slept only a few hours, woke up about 2:00 am. I made some coffee and journaled for the next few hours. Reflecting on page after page of wonderful thoughts from Manning that launched personal discovery.

It was a divine moment (a long moment). It was a gift. It was a defining moment in my faith.

And just a few days ago I had another one of those most welcome gifts when I started on another book which turned out to be most unexpected.

The morning I am flying out to Santiago, Chile, I stopped at Border's to pick up some coffee to take along. And there it was on the new releases shelf.

I picked it up for two reasons, no, it was three reasons. While I had several books with me for the trip, I needed one more short one for the flight. This one qualified. About paper back size, less than 150 pages and a fair amount of white space. The perfect complement to the 300 pager in my carry on.

Second, the author's name grabbed me, for I had just read an intriguing quote by him. I had never read any of his previous books, but because of the quote, his name was on the front burner of my memory.

And then it had a one word title and that title grabbed me for it was about a subject I have been doing much thinking about recently.

I stopped in to get some coffee and I left with a most unexpected book. Which now has the "scribbles" all over it. And all those blank pages in the back of the book are blank no longer. Instead -- ideas, themes, impressions, musings, questions, yellow brick roads to follow, open doors to investigate -- all are scribbled down wherever I could find space.

This book has nothing of faith or theology or spirituality in it. But I had a faith-quickening, spirit-deepening, theology-forming experience reading it. I could not put it down until I finished the last page. It will continue to consume my attention for weeks. I felt larger, more alive, more focused and determined for having read it. I'm sure it will spawn at least a dozen posts in the time ahead.

A most unexpected book.

A most welcome gift.

Brian Rice

Leadership ConneXtions International

On yes . . . the book - Tribes by Seth Godin

Conflict Management and the Church (John Hilliard)

My LCI colleague and LWCC Leading Edge colleague and friend, John Hilliard is very committed to peace making, conflict resolution, and helping people live in harmony and reconciliation.

 

So it didn't come as any surprise when John was really motivated by some material he worked through recently on those subjects. Here are his thoughts.

 

Brian Rice

Leadership ConneXtions International

 

 

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Conflict Management and the Church

One of the most damaging parts of ministry, which drives good people away, is the area of church conflict.  Unresolved problems between people in a congregation or with the minister damage relationships and compromise effective ministry.  Effective and faithful servants can be discouraged and damaged by these interpersonal battles.

 

 

Conflict is an inevitable aspect of people interacting with each other and should not be a surprise or shock to a leader.  In order to be an effective leader you must be able to manage conflict and understand the nature of conflict.  There are a number of excellent books on conflict resolution.  The ‘level 5’ leader (Collins) must be aware of the nature of conflicts and how to navigate them. 

 

 

The Peace Maker by Ken Sande has become a foundational book for Christian conflict management and is a ‘must read’ for the Christian leader.  Sande is a lawyer and full-time Christian conciliator.  In this third edition since 1991, he lays out the four basic principles used by Peacemaker Ministries called the “Four G’s.”

1) Glorify God,

2) Get the log out of your eye,

3) Gently restore, and

4) Go and be reconciled. 

The book is structured with these basic principles in mind.

 

As the four basic principles suggest, it is both an internal as well as external work. The leader must be aware of their own issues that lead to conflict as well as the brokenness of those who you work with.  Each chapter provides a ‘summary and application’ section which provides a series of easy to use questions for the leader to review. 

Other recommended conflict management books are:

 

Church Conflict: The Hidden Systems Behind The Fights by Charles Cosgrove and Dennis Hatfield

 

Conflict Management in Congregations, by David Lott

 

Discover Your Conflict Management Style by Speed Lea

 

Church Conflict by Norma Cook Everist. 

 

These books provide a balanced approach to managing conflicts. If this is an issue of concern and need, pick up one of these books. Read it, talk about it with a friend, and find ways to implement what you learn.

 

 

For more information on The Peacemaker by Sande and his ministry, check out Sande's website.

 

John Hilliard

Airplane Windows and Strange Thoughts

Take offs and landings - the best part of the flight. Especially if you have a window seat with no airplane wing in the way to obstruct your view. I was lucky. This time I had a great seat with a wonderful view . . . of everything.

If you've never flown (and how odd to think that you might not have, since it is such a part of my life), it is hard to imagine the perspective that flying provides. I really enjoy the night time flights for the cities lit up are spectacular and mysterious.

Perspective. The higher I go, the further I see and yet the less I see. The sprawling mall, so large at 1000 feet, shrinks as the plane speeds onward and upward. Houses, then developments, then neighborhoods, the bigger picture is emerging. The super highways becoming spaghetti thin. Their traffic barely visible, still the undulating movement is there to see.

It is all so big. And so networked. I am amazed at how we do it. How do we keep it running? How do we hold it together? How is it sustainable and how can it grow still further? It is all - so big!

I wonder how God sees our world. He takes it in, all with a glance. When God looks at us, he sees the big picture in all its bigness and yet sees the smallest detail at the same time. I can only have one or the other. Details or big picture. God has both.

I wonder how the Great Descent of the Second Person was when He visited our planet. Seeing it all, closer, closer, shedding divinity with each descending mile until Immanuel lodged in a womb. From stellar to cellular. What did He see in His descent?

I wonder what it was like when He returned . . .

The Glorious Ascent? Did he face High Heaven with its worshiping angels the whole time He was leaving? Or did he glance back from time to time to see Terra Firma and its peoples shrinking small? Part of me wants to think He ascended backing His way out of our once Forbidden but now Visited Planet, watching us the whole time.

It's strange, sometimes, the thoughts I have, when I look out the window of an airplane.

Brian Rice
Leadership ConneXtions International

The Terminal

I've spent a lot of time in airports. I was sitting in one again . . . a familiar airport . . . my preferred airport for international travel - Baltimore-Washington International. It is easy to get to. I can usually make it in about 70 minutes with normal traffic. And once you are there, it is an easy terminal to navigate.

I love watching planes take off.  The big ones slowly, almost serenely lift into the air. Perhaps even ponderously moving into the skies. I pretend to be a "pre-modern" who knows nothing of physics, about thrust, air resistance (in truth, when it comes to this stuff I am a pre-modern because I just told you all I know). So I marvel watching these steel monsters take flight.

But the ones I love the most are the smaller jets. The zippy ones. They hurl down the runway and then seem to leap into the air. Quickly, nose going vertical they zoom into the sky . . . their upward climb so fast they are soon out of sight.

Since I've arrived early, about 90 minutes early, I watch fifteen, twenty planes take off . . .

I like airports because they are "down time" for me. From the time I leave home until I meet my host - it is down time. I move into introvert mode. The crowds of people, coming, going . . . fussy babies . . . noisy children . . . the babel of foreign tongues . . . the cell phone chatter of businessmen and clients, of spouses and their families . . .

And then there is the ubiquitous, distorted, crackling sound systems announcing arrivals, departures, delays, notifications . . .

It is all there, surrounding me, enveloping me, but it is the background of my introversion. This is the time when I relish being alone in a crowd of strangers. No one knows me, no one interrupts me. It is the replenishing of my energy. For four days I'll move into extrovert mode which I love to do. I love being with people and friends, having delightful conversations, laughter, serious words. But for now, I go back to reading my book, reading, reflecting, waiting for the distorted announcement that it is time for me to board.

Brian Rice

Leadership ConneXtions International

A Description of Modernity Part Two (IBT #12)

As you will see, these different features of MODERNITY are closely inter-related. Yesterday we looked at: (1) secularization and (2) privatization. Today we'll look at (3) reductive naturalism.

REDUCTIVE NATURALISM

This may sound complicated, but it really isn't. It just refers to the belief that NATURE is all that is. There is no 'SUPER' - NATURAL. Only what you can access with your senses (sight, sound, smell, taste and touch) is real. There is no spiritual world. There is no God or small gods. There is no "other realm."  (Think Carl Sagan, one of the great popularizers of this in the 20th century)

ONE:  Reductive naturalism (RN) is an ideology that is built on the scientific method of testing hypotheses.

TWO:  RN has produced an endless proliferation of specialization and areas of expertise. These areas of study become every narrowed in scope, highly isolated from other fields, and thus reality is experience in fragmented way.

Q:  By the way - have you heard the definition of an EXPERT?

A:  An expert is a person who knows more and more about less and less until she knows everything there is to know about nothing.

THREE:  This specialization lead to a massive attempt to standardize and systematize all discovered knowledge in texts known as encyclopedias (of a wide variety). This also involved a massive work to categorize and classify all knowledge. And to do that, there was reductionism - where everything is reduced to its seperate, simplest form.

FOUR:  Progress was an accepted "given" in this approach. Progress would always occur and this progress was viewed as evolutionary in its nature.

FIVE:  In such a world shaped by RN, we lost our sense of wonder, awe, mystery, reverence and miracle. Such things were expunged from a scientifically secular world that had no room for them.

Without these things, MODERN MAN AND WOMAN became hollow men (T.S. Elliot) who were full of sound and fury signifying nothing (MacBeth).

Stephen Crane wrote these tragic words:  A man said to the universe,"Sir, I exist!" "However." replied the universe, "The fact has not created in me a sense of obligation."  (pictured to the left)

Walker Percy said we were "lost in the cosmos."

And T.S. Elliot's poem could aptly be applied to all of MODERNITY.

We are the hollow men

We are the stuffed men

Leaning together

Headpiece filled with straw. Alas!

Our dried voices, when

We whisper together

Are quiet and meaningless

As wind in dry grass

Or rats' feet over broken glass

In our dry cellar

Shape without form, shade without colour,

Paralysed force, gesture without motion;

Those who have crossed

With direct eyes, to death's other Kingdom

Remember us - if at all - not as lost

Violent souls, but only

As the hollow men

The stuffed men.

This is the way the world ends

This is the way the world ends

This is the way the world ends.

Not with a bang but a whimper

This is the way hollow MODERNITY ends, not with a bang but a whimper.

Maybe that is how the church reared and shaped by modernity (certainly the liberal and possibly the conservative expressions) will end as well . . . with barely a whimper or notice.

Brian Rice

Leadership ConneXtions International

A Description of Modernity Part One (IBT #11)

Well, I'm picking back up with the In-Between Times series. The last time I posted  on this was about two weeks ago.

I want to take a few days and describe MODERNITY to you. Modernity is the time of life that is coming to an end (supposedly). Modernity is the season of life that was the context for evangelicals and how we thought about theology, spirituality, missions, evangelism, apologetics, world religions, church structures and leadership.

Today I want to mention two closely related features of modernity. The first is Secularization and the second is Privatization.

SECULARIZATION:

Secularization is the process by which everything that is (family, law, politics, economics, art, novels, etc.) becomes divorced from the sacred or religious. It is the elimination of the spiritual from life and culture. It is the co-opting of religious symbols for non-religious use.

In Europe, this process was dramatic, inexorable and had total impact on country after country.

In the United States, the process was different. Secularization made great inroads in the elite areas of life: university education, the media, the social sciences in particular, the hard sciences as well, politics and the urban centers. But even though that was a considerable penetration, it did not reach the masses as it did in Europe. In the USA, many (even most) people remained religious in some ways.

This process is described by several scholars.

America is as furiously religious as it ever was and in some cases more so than ever. Peter Berger, sociologist

German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche may have proclaimed that God is dead, but it is apparent that few in America attended the wake.  James Emory White, pastor

And here is one of my favorites:

If India is the most religious country on our planet, and Sweden is the least religious, America is a land of Indians ruled by Swedes.  Peter Berger

And that leads to a direct by-product that arises out of how secularization worked out in the USA.

 

PRIVATIZATION:

Theodore Roszak explained privatization when he said the Christian faith in America is "socially irrelevant even if it is privately engaging."  (quote may not be exact)

In modernity, we are allowed to have faith as long as we hold it privately and to not engage in the public arena from a position of faith. Live out your faith in your family and church, but then leave it behind those doors when you go to work, to shop, to play and do anything else.

Ray Kroc is the man who turned McDonalds into a worldwide franchise. He said, "I believe in God, family and McDonalds. And in the office that order is reversed."

The end result of this is that our Christian faith has no room and even less impact on our way of life in the USA. There are, of course, Christian groups who desired to reintegrate their faith back into the public life.

There were very sophisticated and theologically robust attempts to do this. Andy Crouch's book, Culture Making: Recovering Our Creative Calling, is one more of the latest articulations of this approach.

There were also less culturally astute and more poltically aggressive approaches like the Moral Majority of Falwell, Robertson and Dobson.

These were two VERY DETRIMENTAL features of America that were hostile to the Christian faith.

Tomorrow - a look at Reductive Naturalism (don't be alarmed at the title, it will make a ton of sense as soon as you read it).

Brian Rice

Leadership ConneXtions International

Tim Keller explaining the Reasons for God

This is the second Keller post in the space of three days!

My friend Geer in Holland sent me this link of Tim Keller speaking at an Authors at Google event. It is a very nice summary of solid apologetics for today. I so appreciate Keller's style and brilliance. I don't even think he has notes. He is just talking about this stuff off the top of his head.

And not only does he discuss things at a very high level, the quality of questions that he fields and responds to (full of grace and truth) is striking.

It is a long clip, but high quality and well worth watching. Set aside an hour to watch it and have your faith strengthened and know that the reasons for belief in God are very strong.

Thanks Geer for this clip.

Brian Rice

Leadership ConneXtions International

Santiago Chile (Sunday Update)

Well, it is very late Saturday nite and I'll be turning in in a few minutes. Today was a long day. I taught from 8:30 - 5:00. It was a good group of people. My translator is a young women, daughter of one of the workers here and she has done a great job.

I had some time to watch my Chile team (because it is my friend's team) Cola Cola win the quarterfinals for national soccer. It was fun.

Homemade pizza for supper.  Good conversation and getting ready for manana. Preaching in the morning, a few hours back home and then a final teaching session from 5-7:30 and then off to the airport.

Warm sunny days . . . in the 80's. Although I was inside all day. The nights cool down to the 50's. 

That's all for now. 

Shalom in Christ,

Brian

Santiago Chile (Saturday Update)

Well, it is well after midnight, I just got done eating very good ribs sometime after midnight. I didn't get back from class until 11:30 p.m.

Today I spent the morning from 10 - 1 with pastors and younger leaders in a dialogue about what needs to change. Then this evening I taught the evening institute class. Now, tomorrow is a long day. I'll teach from 9 - 5 and then in the evening speak at their postmodern/emerging service Culto.com

Then Sunday will be just about as busy . . .

I think I'll have time to post again tomorrow late.

Pray for me for today . . . 

Plus, my allergies are bothering me . . . having come into full spring with everything blooming . . .

Blessings,

Brian

Conversations with Life-Long Learners

There are some things that are very core to my thinking.

Life-Long Learning is one of them. For the most part, it doesn't matter how you engage in life-long learning - but make sure you are doing it.  Be consistent.  Be strategic.  Go outside your comfort zones and areas of knowledge.

I have been struck in the last two weeks by a half dozen conversations with leaders I really admire. And EVERY ONE OF THEM was consistently, strategically engaged in life-long learning. Both men and women. Younger and older. In really senior levels of leadership and one person who would prefer to be known as a servant and follower rather than a leader!  Fortunately, in the latter case, it can be a both/and.

They were setting aside significant time for sharpening the saw of their mind and heart. (Covey)

Each one was excited about what they were learning. And for each one, it ws not a theoretical exercise. These are all practitioners. They are "get-it-done" leaders. They are leaders who are making a different in the lives of others.

Learning and leading are not mutually exclusive. I dare to say that the very best leaders who get the job done are those leaders who have figured out their life-long learning approaches.

They are staying hungry to learn and grow.  They pay the cost of time, money and energy to fuel the growth engines of their leadership. And they talk about what they are learning with others. Each one shared with me what they were learning. They were excited about it. I learned from them as they talked.

So -- what is on the front burner of your learning these days?

What are the really great ideas you're wrestling with because you know they will make a difference in your life?

Who is your "learning buddy/friend?" Who are you talking to about what you are learning?

May we each keep in step with the Spirit on our life-long learning (Galatians 5:25).

Brian Rice

Leadership ConneXtions International

Santiago Chile (Friday update)

It is mid afternoon.  Weather is beautiful.  Blue skies.  Warm temps, but not too warm. Night time it cools down nicely.

Last night's first session went well. It always takes a session for the group to feel connected with me and vice versa.  There are some familiar faces from when I was here before. And a lot of new faces. About 40 people in the Emerging Paradigms of Leadership course.

Today I had a meeting with about 15 people and then back tonight for another session with the institute participants.

The group is eager to learn. They are leaders who want to make a difference.  Good questions... some hard questions.  Good insights as well. I have a great interpreter. 

The time rhythms are pretty different here. Up very late, till the early morning. Supper is usually late (for us it is after class which gets over at 10:30 pm). 

Yesterday my hosts made a great "asado" which is a "barbecue."  We had beef, chicken, different kinds of sausage. I had some good Moroccan hot sauce... nice bite to it.

And the fresh made bread . . . daily . . . great.

Thanks for your prayers.

Brian

Keller on the "Lostness of the Elder Brother"

The Prodigal God!

Even the title gets my attention. Because I don't think in terms of a Prodigal God, I think in terms of a prodigal son. Keller's is the better title for the biblical text found in Luke 15:11-32.

What really grabbed hold of my spiritual attention was how Keller described the "elder brother" and the lostness of that brother. I usually don't see myself as or really relate to the younger brother and his descent into depravity and lostness. That was not my experience.

But the elder brother . . . now that is a different matter and Keller wisely and painfully opens up the biblical passage and its meaning in its fullness.

I journaled about this "elder brotherness" syndrome the other day (and am still pondering it as the days go by).

To read a bullet point summary of this  Elder Brother Lostness, click on the pdf link.

Download The Elder Brother Lostness

This is part of my spiritual pathology and my spiritual journey of recovery. If the brief description strikes you, you may want to pick up a copy of Keller's book. It is short. It reads like a slightly expanded sermon. Not complicated, but direct, pastoral, spiritually formative . . .

Brian Rice

Leadership ConneXtions International

Santiago Chile (Thursday update)

Just a quick note to say I am here in Santiago.  The training institute is not until this evening. A very uneventful flight. Got in 40 minutes early!

Unfortunately I was not able to connect with Dan at JFK. We were in different terminals.

I'll have some updates tomorrow.

Blessings.

Brian

Sowing Seeds of Learning (Miriam Phillips)

It was great to see Miriam for five days when she was in Lancaster taking the Emerging Paradigms Course. I really appreciate Miriam's delightful reflection that follows. I know you will as well.

Brian Rice

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It’s amazing what your grown children do or don’t remember of their upbringing. Memory is apparently not only selective, but revisionist. Why do they remember the heater grate in the living room floor, but nothing of a family celebration we spent days putting together.

 

But I’ve noted that even though they don’t remember the weeping willow we used to visit beside the stream—they’ve grown up loving trees.

 

For myself, I’ve read much through the years I don’t remember—but it continues to ‘feed my intuition’.  There are problems and issues I’ve wrestled with that have no apparent bearing on my current life, but the inner ‘muscles’ built in the wrestling still serve me well. 

 

And there are things that I can only really make my own a little bit at a time, building learning in thin layers, often repeated.  And there is some learning—like learning to let go—that needs to be embraced again in each new season, wresting my grasp from yet another too-tightly held treasure.

 

So I bury the seeds…in myself…in those God has given…and supplement the rains…as curious as anyone what will flower forth and what the intended fruit will be. 

 

I’m fully dedicated to seeds because I’m hooked on the harvest. 

 

Miriam Phillips

Off to Santiago, Chile to Teach Emerging Paradigms of Leadership

I leave today for Chile. I'm really looking forward to connecting with my friends in Santiago. I fly out of BWI to JFK and then have an overnight flight directly to Santiago.

Through FACEBOOK, I recently reconnected with a friend from college (and that was a long time ago) who is pastoring down in Florida. He is headed on a trip to Kiev and "happens" to be flying through JFK today as well. So we are going to try and meet up at the airport for 30 minutes or so to reconnect in person. His flight takes off a lot earlier than mine so if we do connect, we won't have a lot of time. But, if it does, that will be fun. It was exciting to hear about his global work through some emails. 

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Prayer requests for my trip:

Mainly that I would be very useful to the leadership of the churches, both established leadership and younger emerging leadership in helping them think through new paradigms of church, mission and leadership.

This is some pretty complicated material and taking it cross culturally in a well contextualized form is a challenge.

That I would be able to encourage my friends who are serving the purposes of Christ in some very exciting ways.

And finally, to build some more bonds of partnership with Latin American leaders who are committed to the training of leadership.

I love what I do. It is pleasure and a privilege, a joy and a humbling opportunity. Thanks for your prayers and your interest in this ministry of developing leaders.

Brian Rice

Leadership ConneXtions International

p.s.  I have some posts "pre-set" for while I am gone, but I also hope to be able to post some more immediate experiences each day while I am there.

Ruth Haley Barton: Cultivating Community

Well, today Ruth will be working with the LWCC staff from 9 - 3, walking us thorugh "some" of her material on cultivating spiritual community.

I hope to have time to blog a little tonight about that.

But . .. last night was great.

The ambience of the Commn Grounds Coffee Bar was just right for this kind of event.

I had the opportunity to meet a number of people from a variety of churches.

It was fun to be with friends from LWCC who are interested in spiritual formation.

And of course, it was really good to meet and hear Ruth Barton

Ruth used a very interesting format for the evening. I had assumed she does this often, but when I talked with her afterwards, she told me it was the first time she had ever used this format.

She gave a "spiritual autobiography" talk, walking us through her journey by walking us through her books and what was going on in her life that was the occasion and the impetus for her to write those books. For anyone who has ever been trained in Bible College or Seminary on how to study the Bible, you know the words - context, context, context. Understand the context in which the text is being written. Ruth gave us the personal, spiritual, autobiographical context and it was really neat. It kind of makes me want to go back and re-read all her books.

Of all the many (and I do mean many!) good nuggets she dropped into our hearts and minds last night, here are a few that hit me. I'll just mention them without any commentary (or this would be really long).

ONE:  A good journey begins with knowing who you are and a willingness to go somewhere else.

TWO:  Sabbath is one of the hardest spiritual discipliines.  (yes...)

THREE:  Spiritual formation can be harrowing and dangerous.

FOUR:  The bedrock of our being must be the Presence of God (not our work for God).

FIVE:  Silence and solitude cannot be optional, they are vital for the soul to meet with God.

SIX:  Spiritual transformation is beyond our ability to manage . . . but we can engage in the spiritual disciplines that become the means through which God works our transformation.

SEVEN:  Desperation is a good thing; it is what makes us willing to try things that we would otherwise resist.

EIGHT: For those of us who are performance and achievement driven, we will come to really bad places that will then make us desperate for spiritual transformation.

NINE:  For her, an author, speaker, thinker - there came a point when "words weren't working . . ."

TEN:  She asked - do you miss God?

Each of the above spoke to me. I am looking forward to our time today.

Thanks to Hearts and Minds for this wonderful event.

Blessings to all of you and may you find today, The One You Miss.

Brian Rice

Leadership ConneXtions International

Ruth Haley Barton Event

For those who are somewhat local to the York area . . .

From 7:00 - 9:00 p.m. author, speaker, and spiritual director, Ruth Barton will be the guest presenter speaking on spirituality and signing books.

The event is hosted by . . .

 Hearts and Minds Bookstore

(Byron and Beth Borger) . . .

. . . and will be held at the Common Grounds Coffee Bar at Living Word Community Church.

It should be a great and fun evening. Come out for a stimulating time of hearing from a very insightful author and hanging out with friends.

I have been promoting her recent and very good book on leadership - Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership.

For directions, call the church at 717-848-4293.

For a longer description of this evening event, go to this link.

Hearts and Minds to Host Ruth Barton at the LWCC Common Grounds Coffee Bar TONIGHT!!!

I'll post tonight on how the evening went.

Brian Rice

Leadership ConneXtions International

The Art of Self-Deception (Tim Adour)

Tim Adour's post this month is on a crucial issue. It is the capacity we all have for self-deception. Tim was moved to write this through a great leadership book he recently read: Leadership and Self-Deception by the Arbinger Institute.

Tim, thanks for your very vulnerable window into this issue.

Brian Rice

Leadership ConneXtions International

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The Art of Self-Deception

My artisitic abilities are severely limited. The best I can do is stick figures and sad looking trees. I envy those who can draw and paint.

However, I do possess the incredible talent of blame shifting. I have the ability to take any problem I hve created and sculpt it in such a way that all attention is taken off of me and points the finger at anyone I choose -- usually my wife. It is a great talent. The skill in which I work my craft is astonishing. I think I will start art classes in this craft because I'm sure there are others who would want to learn my proficiency. . . .

To read the rest of this one page reflection click on the link.

Download Art_of_Self-Deception_Tim_Adour.pdf

Tim Adour

Church of the Revelation

 

On the Reading of Good Books (and) How to Find Them through the Reading of Good Book Reviews

One of the laments I have is the decline of reading good books, the decline of the ability to read (illiteracy) and the decline of the desire to read (aliteracy).

So I know this short post is not for everyone.

I simply do not know of a better Book Reviewer who reviews an enormous number of books covering a wide range of topics, than my friend Byron Borger of Hearts and Minds.

If you want to stay in touch with the newest books that are coming out, find out what they are saying and hear why you should be reading some of them -- then Visit the Hearts and Minds Site and Sign Up for Book Blogs. 

And then from time to time, buy a good book, read and reflect, make changes in how you think and live.

I had missed about two weeks due to a crazy schedule and spent some time catching up. There were about a dozen books I wanted, but settled on four of them.

Thank you Byron for the service you provide through these reviews.

Brian Rice

Leadership ConneXtions International 

Wendell Barry and a "Mad Farmer Mnifesto" in Election Times

It was the Tuesday night of the election, our Board meeting had ended and I walked into the office of my friend, Aaron. We talked about the early returns and our thoughts on the candidates. Aaron shared with me this poem from Wendell Barry. It is:

 Manifesto: The Mad Farmer Liberation Front.

I have read it a half dozen times since then. I've reflected on it. It just really speaks to me. I hope you'll be moved by it as well. I provide the first and last stanza, but to honor copyright I've left off the middle three stanzas. The entire poem is found on the In Context website. Please visit that site.

Love the quick profit, the annual raise,

vacation with pay. Want more

of everything ready-made.  Be afraid

to know your neighbors and to die.

And you will have a window in your head.

Not even your future will be a mystery

any more. Your mind will be punched in a card

and shut away in a little drawer.

When they want you to buy something

they will call you. When they want you

to die for profit they will  let you know.

 

So, friends, every day do something . . .

Ask the questions that have no answers . . .

Put your faith in that two inches of humus . . .

 

Go with your love to the fields.

Lie down in the shade. Rest your head

in her lap. Swear allegiance

to what is nighest your thoughts.

As soon as the generals and the politicos

can predict the motions of your mind,

lose it. Leave it as a sign

to mark the false trail, the way

you didn't go. Be like the fox

who makes more tracks than necessary,

some in the wrong direction.

Practice resurrection.

 

Brian Rice

Leadership ConneXtions International

A Reflection on the Presidential Election

I am taking a few days off from the IBT series. More to come on that, so stay tuned . . .

Instead, it is a week plus a few days after the 2008 Presidential elections.

No sooner did the campaign ads come to an end (and not a moment too soon), that the Christmas advertisements started! Only 43 more shopping days until Christmas! But, this is a post about the presidential election and not about consumerism (now where did I put my Santa list?).

I wanted to share a few thoughts that have lingered with me and continue to go a little deeper. This is a longer reflection, but I think it will go quickly.

ONE: I read Jesus for President earlier in the year and I have to admit, that book resonated in some deep ways. I know some people react pretty negatively against  Claiborne's politics of justice and compassion, but what I haven't heard was those people doing a better job exegeting the biblical texts and then applying the biblical texts in a contemporary way. I am a little suspicious of those who start with a political ideology and then ignore the text. Let's start with the biblical text and talk meaningfully about strategic applications of it in our contemporary situation.

TWO: Shane Claiborne is an Anabaptist and I found myself doing a little revisiting of church history and pondering the different approaches to politics taken by different Christian traditions throughout history. I actually did a presentation on this to a group of young adults at LWCC's Liquid. Even though I am strongly reformational and desire to see all of life redeemed, I also have some "Anabaptisty" tendencies in my life. And I have been feeling a little bit Anabaptisty lately.

THREE:  By Anabaptisty, I mean that I am feeling a bit suspicious and cynical toward power and especially political power. I also mean that I am thinking that Christians should have more of a prophetic, subversive, counter-cultural influence than we do.

FOUR:  I recently taught a course on Emerging Paradigms of Leadership and one of the sessions was an overview survey of a biblical theology of power and authority (leadership). Every time I do this, I am truly struck by just how radical is the use of power and authority in the Scriptures. It is the "not-so-with-you" model of Jesus (Mark 10:35-45). As I go through this material, and think of political leadership, is it any wonder that the Anabaptists (both old and new) could not reconcile Christians in the political roles of our culture.

FIVE:  In our Ancient Future Faith course, we are looking to rediscover the Forgotten Ways and then figure out how to re-practice these ways today and tomorrow. Some of the Forgotten Ways are the great themes of the bible that we can overlook. One of the themes we considered for two weeks was the Sovereignty of God. I have to admit that many years ago this was a dominant theme in my thinking. Then it kind of slipped into the background, went away and I rarely ever give it a thought. Well, it resurfaced with a vengeance in the last month through texts like Isaiah 40 (and in particular, vs. 23-24) which have been the stepping stone for lectio divina reflection. God is the Sovereign Lord and even the greatest nations and their rulers are as grasshoppers, dust in the wind, here today, gone tomorrow. If you have it, pull out Chariots of Fire and watch the scene near the end where Eric Liddel is reading Isaiah 40 while the Olympic track events are being held on Sunday. God is in control.

SIX:  I was deeply moved by how the African American population reacted when Barack Obama won the presidency. To see tears streaming down their faces, to see the signs of overwhelming joy . . . that was priceless. It was far more than a candidate with their political positions being elected. The first African American president-elect! It's true. The Civil War, the Civil Rights Movement . . . this is the culmination of what that was all about . . . THE DREAM . . . and I was proud to be an American.

SEVEN:  Whether you like his policies or not (and policies are very important), the bearing, the demeanor, the presence and the oratory of Obama on Tuesday night was very moving for me. If one of the tasks of leadership is to inspire and one of the tools leaders use to do that is communication, then we can all admit that Obama is virtually without peer. (I also keep in mind that some of the leaders who are most dangerously wooed by the "dark side of the force" are those who are enormously charismatic . . .).

EIGHT:  The world was tuned in -- big time! Since I am very interested in many countries around the world, I spent some time surfing the Internet for world news the next day. It was pretty striking to see the excitement THE WORLD HAS for our President Elect.  I have had this conversation with a number of people . . . but if you just don't travel internationally, it is hard to understand just how much of the world really HATED us in recent years. Why do so many people hate us? I won't say any more about this, just something I've been reflecting on.

NINE:  I have been truly impressed on the responsibility of prayer for our leaders.  

I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone -- for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. (First Timothy 2:1-2)

This is not something I am accustomed to doing, but something I believe God is nudging me to do with great frequency.

TEN:  I found myself thinking, now that we have a new president, the 48% who did not vote for him will now be against him.They will want him to fail because they oppose his policies. They will resist those policies, be passive-aggressive if not outrightly aggressive. They will withhold their energies and contributions.

We are not a United States of America. We are a Deeply Divided States of America.

Think about it this way - if we did this in ANY OTHER INSTITUTION, anywhere - that institution would be crippled, useless, ineffective.  If the business world operated this way they'd go out of business . . . if churches operated this way (wait, that's right, churches do operate that way) they'd close their doors . . . if families operated this way they'd break up in divorce (hmmm) . . . if sports teams . . . Well, you get the picture . . .

I guess that is why they call it politics. Since you can't count on people helping you, you have to manipulate them, placate them, trick them, lie to them, cover up the truth from them, spin-doctor to them . . .

I think I'll go pray now.

Brian Rice

Leadership ConneXtions International

. . . that's Post-Christendom (IBT #10)

When a young 25 year old man visits church and the preacher says, turn to the Gospel of Mark, and the young man does not know what a gospel is, he does not know what the Gospel of Mark is, he does not know what the New Testament is, and he has never opened the pages of a Bible - that's Post-Christendom!

When a first-time visitor to a church does not come back because she does not know that church is a repeated, weekly event (she is thinking it is like a one-time concert) -that's Post-Christendom!

When dozens of old church buildings close their doors FOR THE LAST TIME because there are too few people to keep them open (and heated) - that's Post-Christendom!

When in a major city, there are more Muslims worshiping at Mosques then Christians worshiping in Churches in a given week - that's Post-Christendom!

When you go to a Border's or Barnes & Nobles bookstore and look at the religion section, and discover there are more books on Buddhism than on Christianity, and when there are more people looking at the Buddhist books and not the Christian books - that's Post-Christendom!

When millions of people buy a book called The Da Vinci Code, and believe it is factual history - that's Post-Christendom!

When the Story of Christian Faith has virtually disappeared from our vocabulary and mindset . . .

. . . when the church now competes with every other institution  (schools, sports, shopping, etc.) for attendance on Sunday morning (and loses) . . .

. . . when the children who grew up in conservative churches no longer attend them  (because they just don't make sense any more and are not appealing) . . .

. . . when the statistics show that the average Christian is little different in actual moral behavior than the average non-Christian . . .

. . . when the moral codes of Christianity are now considered the quaint, left-over remnants of an outdated morality . . .

That's Post-Christendom!

And that's our emerging cultural context.

It is the established cultural context in Europe . . . and it is inexorably moving our way. It may still be years away . . . but it's coming.

While the fullness may still be years away, it is already here.

And if the church continues to do church and faith and spirituality and preaching and mission and evangelism and leadership like we've always done . . .

we'll just accelerate the process of Post-Christendomization!

I think I just made up a word . . .

More on Post-Christendom soon and looking at this question:  Is this Post-Christendom a good thing or not so good of a thing?

I'll be taking off from this IBT series for a a bit, but we'll come back to it later in the month.

Brian Rice

Leadership ConneXtions International

Post-Christendom (IBT #9)

Here is another of the "BIGGIES" when it comes to a "post" world. It is Post-Christendom. But to understand that, we must first understand what Christendom is.

There is a connection between Christian and Christendom. Here is one way to think of that connection.

Think of Christian and think of Kingdom and merge them together into an earthly political entity.  That's Christendom.

Think of Church and think of State and merge them together in a geographical location on earth.  That's Christendom.

Think of Christianity and think of Culture and merge them together into a whole.  That's Christendom.

Christendom is when Christianity becomes institutionalized into the culture in which it exists.

Christendom is when churches have American flags in them and when American Courts have people swear to tell the truth on a Bible (which now, they no longer understand, believe or follow, which means Christendom is going... going ... gone... )

Christendom is when the Statue of Liberty holds a cross to the sky.

Christendom  is when the money of the country says In God we Trust (but the truth is that we no longer trust in God but in our money making and multiplying systems, which means  Christendom is going, going, gone).  And so is our money!

Christendom is when political officials ask God to "bless America" (but today they have not the slightest idea what would actually bring the blessing of God to a nation, which means Christendom is going, going, gone). 

Christendom exists where the Christian faith and church has been so strong that it came to define and decisively shape the life other culture in which it was.

Christendom exists where the church and the town hall are side by side (think of the New England "greens" or "commons" where the center of the village, town or city was). 

Christendom exists when the Christian faith has a privileged role in shaping the cultural life of a country and its people.

Christendom exists when the church is THE (or virtually THE) primary institution in the culture.

Christendom began when the Roman Emperor CONSTANTINE turned the persecuted, on the fringe, minority religion known as Christianity into the dominant and preferred religion of the Roman Empire. It happened about 312-313 AD.

Christendom migrated to the rest of Europe and became entrenched into its countries throughout the Middle Ages. It was in the time of the Renaissance, then Reformation, then Enlightenment which slowly saw the "disestablishment" of Christian faith as the dominant, controlling influence on society.

In the United States of America, to where Christendom was exported, it lasted longer than it did in Europe. But it has been in a long, slow decline for many years.

People like James Dobson, Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell were three Christians who lamented the passing of Christendom and sought to revive it through a politically energized "moral majority" that through political means would "re-establish" the Christian faith and its moral code which was becoming marginalized again.

So, is the end of Christendom in the U.S.A. a good thing or a bad thing? James, Pat and Jerry think it is a very bad thing . . .

We'll visit that question tomorrow.

Brian Rice

Leadership ConneXtions International

 

 

 

The least of these . . . Jesus, Hope International, Tony Campolo, Peter Greer (and Lancaster County Breakfast Buffet)

A few days ago, my friend Todd McDaniel and I went over to Lancaster to hear Tony Campolo speak at the Hope International annual breakfast.

Hope International is a great organization that works over about 250,000 loan recipients. They give small loans to impoveristhed people so they can begin micro-businesses. Hope has incredible success helping the poor find dignity and hope as they begin their own businesses and start a new kind of life for their families. Plus, the loan payback is unbelieveable - 99% payback!

This is an organization that cares.  And this is an organization already making a HUGE difference and they are poised to do much, much more.

Peter Greer is the president of Hope Int'l. and he has a book forthcoming on Zondervan. It will be well worth your getting this book. Peter did a great job walking the audience on a tour through the past, present and future of Hope Int'l.

Anyway, Tony Campolo was their morning speaker. I found myself doing a looonngggg stroll down Memory Lane. I first heard Tony back in the mid-1980's when I was connected with Evangelicals for Social Action. 

Tony's passion was undimmed. Tony is the closest thing to a white, black preacher. I found myself being moved (once again) by Tony's heart for the poor (which is really Jesus' heart for the poor). Tony said a few things that really moved me. He reminded me that in some way, Jesus is sacramentally present with the poor, with those Jesus describes as "the least of these." And when we love and serve and minister to and bless the poor, we are in some mystical and real way, doing it all to Jesus.

Of course that is the meaning of Matthew 25:31-46 (well worth revisiting again). It is a pretty radical text and it implies that the very evidence of authentic faith is found or confirmed by how we engage with the poor.

I found myself thinking I need to do much more to engage with the poor and downtrodden (when was the last time I heard that word) than I do. Even though I do some of that through LCI, I just found myself thinking this is where the kingdom of God is bursting forth into the world scene. Jesus is doing something beautiful.

It was a moving morning.

Blessings on Hope International and my friends there as they serve the poor in Jesus' Name, and as they serve Jesus through their service to the poor.

Brian Rice

Leadership ConneXtions International