The month has flown by...
Wow...
Here are a few misc. thoughts and happenings, the podge of hodge and bits of tid for October.
ONE: The Rolling Stone issue had a great article on U2 Live From Outer Space. I love U2 but have never seen a live show. Sigh... Someday...
TWO: And speaking of the music industry, here was a fascinating tid bit of information from a New York Times article. There are 13 million songs on line and for sale. Of those 13 million songs, 10 million never had a single buyer! And . . . 80% of all revenues came from 52,000 songs. In other words, less than 1% of music for sale on the internet generated 80% of the income. Kind of makes you wonder where the music industry is going to wind up?
THREE: What is the most common disease in the United States? Seth Godin's blog said it is sinusitis and it has 30 million sufferers. I am one of them. Traveling back and forth between the southern and northern hemispheres two times in 3 weeks aggravated the problem.
FOUR: I had a meeting with a friend (a pastoral friend) and I came away deeply admiring how much of a life long learner he is. He shared books he is reading, conversations he is having with friends, new things he is exploring, websites to check out ... He is going strong and is going to finish well. I came away with a half dozen trails to explore out of our conversation.
FIVE: Jeffrey Gitomer. I read two books by him in the last month... both in the "leadership, self-help" genre and the kind of books I normally avoid. But there were numerous nuggets in each one. Here is one of them. He said, "What you are off the job determines what you are on the job." Well Said! Gitomer is one of the most highly motivated, intentional, strategic people out there. He is making every minute count. ummmhhh... good stuff...
SIX: I had a great trip to Argentina, working with a top shelf group of leaders, many of whom I know quite well, having had them in several courses and seminars over the years. One thing that was quite rewarding was seeing the influence the LCI courses had on them... how they are growing in their capacity to empower a new kind of leader in their context. I was deeply grateful for their lives and for the privilege Christ has entrusted to me for working with them.
SEVEN: I was also really struck by the fact that my friend and colleague, Omar Gava, is finishing EXTREMELY WELL. And I hope he takes at least another 25 years in this finish. His life and ministry is a testament to a life well lived, a life well shaped by core values and a powerful vision. He is an inspiration to me.
EIGHT: Practicing Spanish... Every time I am in Latin America i practice Spanish again. By the end of a week, I am feeling better about my Spanish... and then I leave and I revert... Oh well. I practice Spanish, the students practice English, we do a Spanglish Thing and have fun.
NINE: Since my son is a drummer, every now and then I see some amazing YouTube videos of drummers. Here is just one of them.
Plus, there has been a lot of really good drumming with all the marching band shows we have seen during the last month.
TEN: Movies... the drought continues... too little time...
ELEVEN: I was down in Charlotte, North Carolina for a day this past month visiting with a friend who is leading a missions organization. What a nice area. Friendly people. Great weather. I am always on time for flights. This time I miscalculated the traffic around the beltway and I was running so late, I had to park in the hourly garage and run to the terminal. I made it with about two minutes to spare and the plane door closed.
TWELVE: We are having a good time in the Ancient-Future Faith course studying Ephesians. There are just so many powerful themes in Paul's letter. We are gathering around some of the great things that matter the most and seeking out the implications for our lives. I hope you have a section of the Scriptures that you are diving into, both for study and for lectio divina reflections.
THIRTEEN: I am continuing to read widely and deeply about the Jesuits and Ignatius and the spiritual formation approaches that arise out of this. I have a new blog where I post once a week. For anyone who is interested in learning about this, you can check it out at either:
Evangelicals on the Ignatian Way
Evangelicals on the Ignatian Road
It is the same posts, but the one on Typepad and the other on Blogspot. The Typepad site also has a bibliography I am doing.
Brian K.Rice
Leadership ConneXtions International
www.lci.typepad.com