LeadershipConneXtions

The World is Changing

 

You already know this, but are you actually living, learning and leading in light of this reality?

Here is an illustration (maybe a metaphor) for the radical, discontinuous change we are experiencing.

In 2002 (ten years ago) 50% of humanity never used a phone!

In 2012 - 77% of humanity has a cell phone!

 

I just uploaded books, music, magazines, power point presentations, articles I am working on to my iPad. 

It is amazing!

When I travel, I don't need a computer any longer - this iPad machine can do everything I need (and actually, I only use a fraction of its capacity).

Imagine if you can (and you probably can't) if you could go back to 1992 (20 years ago) and show people the iPad. It would be inconceivable. Take your iPhone along as well.

These things are so ubiquitous in our daily lives, so normal that we take them for granted. But for twenty years ago - the iPad and iPhone (okay, and their equivalents no matter the brand) would be like science fiction. 

Now, think about what is coming our way in ten, fifteen and twenty years.  May I suggest we can't really imagine it. 

 

Everything is changing.

• Rapidly.
• Massively.
• Continuously.
• Disruptively.

 

This is the brave new world. Or maybe it is our confused, uncertain, scary new world.

Either way, this is the world we are called to lead in the name of Jesus.

I don't know about you, but I think my prayer life could be a little stronger.

 

Brian K. Rice  
Leadership ConneXtions International
www.lci.typepad.com 

 

 

Books I've Recently Read on Emerging Paradigms and Our Changing World

I teach this course about once a year and every time I teach it, I do another round of reading to refresh my thinking and get psyched for teaching these themes once more.

Here are the books I read in preparation for this time around with super brief comments. You may be interested in them. 

 

Missional: Joining God in the Neighborhood by Alan Roxburgh. Roxburgh is one of the fiercest critics of the established way of doing church. He is a missiologist, a futurist, an entrepreneur... and he is fundamentally concerned with the future of the church in our post-Christendom world... for which we are ill-prepared. This is a nice, accessible recommendation for how we can move away from attractional models of church to incarnational models.



 
 

Missional Map Making: Skills for Leading in Times of
Transition by Roxburgh. This is the third book Roxburgh has done on missional leadership. But it is not a retread of previous topics, although there is great congruence. Here Roxburgh makes his best case (to date) that a radical new way of leadership is necessary for those who lead the church... and that the existing models are in disastrous shape.




 

A Whole New Mind by Pink. This is a left brain, right brain book where the author says that left brain thinking will not be sufficient to move us through these challenging times and into the emerging world. It is a very easy book to read, and loaded with insight and tons of practical guidance. This is not just for leader. It is for everyone. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.



 

 

Age of the Unthinkable by Joshua Ramo. This was probably the most "in your face" book I read, but at the same time, it was delightfully challenging, great stories, a major critique of the failure of our current leadership models, political models, economic models (and again, those who are leading the way in this). In one sense, Ramo is giving us painful examples of how the old ways of thinking are disastrous and showing that new ways of thinking (A Whole New Mind) are vital if we are to survive the coming crises. I find myself wishing we had more Christians who were thinking and leading like Ramo is providing for the world of politics and economics. Brilliant. Readable. Provocative. Must Reading... but you will have to "work a little to do this."  Worth it... Get it...



 

Culture Making by Andy Crouch. I re-read this book in preparation for Emerging Paradigms. I don't think this is the best book on the subject of culture and the role of the Christian (and the church) as agents of culture... but it is a good one. Crouch is a good writer and a story teller. If you have never read anything about your vocation as a creative and an artisan and a cultivator of God's world - this is worth reading. And then figuring out how to make your way in the God's work of building culture.



 

Viral by Len Sweet. Sweet has long been one of my favorite authors. I read everything he writes. This is his attempt to explain what the emerging world is like in terms of its radical, social networked, internet-essential, googled citizens. And they are indeed differnet from their Gutenberg generation before them. Sweet is good, funny, clever, creative... but not quite as persuasive in this offering as he is on other things. Still, for the emerging world, those who are citizens of the Age of the Book are strangers in a new land of the Internet World. Life is becoming fundamentally different. New strategies and skills are needed for survival, much less "thrival."

 

 

 

Brian K. Rice  
Leadership ConneXtions International  
www.lci.typepad.com

Missiological Leaders (We Aren't in Christendom Any Longer)

 

Kansas is Going, Going, Gone...

And it isn't coming back!

 

Here are two great lines. The first is from Dorothy to Toto.  "Toto, I have a feeling we're not in Kansas any more."

Here is the second one, from the Matrix, when Cypher says to Neo, "Buckle your seat belt Dorothy, cuz Kansas is going bye bye."

Kansas has long ago gone bye-bye. And in this case, Kansas is Christendom. 

Christendom is the condition that exists when Christianity has a privileged and powerful position in the culture. It is when Christianity is in the air, it is the values, the ethos, the norms, the way, what is natural and comfortable.

For many centuries, Christendom was the way of life in Europe and then in North America. The only real question is - what version of Christendom. Would it be the Roman Catholic version or a Protestant variety? In Europe, the issue was often determined by those who lead in the various regions and countries.
 

In North America, which received vast numbers of immigrants who intermingled in the areas where they settled, denominations sprang up in every town square and village green. They occupied the main streets of culture. They migrated out to the suburbs when people spilled out past the boundaries of the city.

Seminaries trained their clergy to be pastors of congregations (kind of a chaplain who presided over the transitions and seasons of life) and to be preachers of the specific theological doctrine affirmed by the denomination. (Really, convincing the congregation and visitors, that's its way was the best way to understand the Christian faith.)  This was the pastor-teacher who often had a secure and respected position within Christendom. 
 

But Christendom has gone bye-bye and there were far too many of us who did not have our seats buckled.

In the emerging order and the not so brave new world, the religious leaders of communities MUST BE missiologists. That is, those who interpret the culture, who discern the times and who know how to speak, not just to the church dwellers who know the language of Zion, but to the much larger numbers of people for whom the Bible is an ancient and archaic book and to whom the ins and outs of Christianity are strange indeed. 

The pastor as missiologist knows the truth of Hebrews 11. We are sojourners, stranger in a country we don't understand. And we who want to sing songs of lament (Psalm 137), instead, God has called us to the work of Jeremiah 29.

This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce Marry and have sons and daughters, find wives for yoru sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughers. Increase in number there; do not decrease. Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, becaues if it prospers, you too will prosper.  Jeremiah 29:4-9

 

This is the work of emerging leadership which we spent our week discussing. This is the new vocational calling of Christian leaders. Missiological entrepreneurs who know how to architect new communities of missional friends of Christ.

This is what we spent our week pondering over, praying baout and preparing to go forth as a new kind of leader.
 

Brian K. Rice  
Leadership ConneXtions International  
www.lci.typepad.com

"Here Be Dragon" Times

 

 Disruptive Change,  
a Dangerous Era
And called to lead...

One of the core ideas we work with in the Emerging Paradigms class is the rapidly and massively changing world around us. The world is exploding with change, at almost frightening levels. Change is happening faster, more often, more widely and more disruptively than ever.

A Church That is No Longer Relevant.
I have a friend who use to say, "I was trained to do ministry in a church that was no longer relevant, in a world that no longer existed, using methodologies that no longer worked." That is a fact in our emerging world. The old ways no longer work. Christian leaders have to face this.
 

Best of Times... Worst of Times.
I find the quote from A Tale of Two Cities is always powerful for leaders. Dickens opens his book about the French Revolution and the general turmoil within Europe with these words:

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness... it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to heaven, we were all going direct the other way...

This is our situation also. Best of and worst of times. Exciting opportunities and enormous challenges at the same time.

Serious Times.
I use the quote of John Adams to his friend Thomas Jefferson, describing the revolutionary times in which they had been called to lead. "My friend, you and I have lived in serious times." Yes indeed -- the times are serious. Our times are very serious.

Here Be Dragons Times.
I use the idea of "Here Be Dragons" kind of times. If you look at some of the very old maps, when they were poorly drawn, when the terrain was not very well known and when it was risky to sail in to these largely uncharted waters, map makers would put on the boundaries of the map, sea creatures and the words - Here Be Dragons. It was symbolic of the dangers that lay beyond the known world.

I borrow this idea and say that we live in the time when all the cultural maps (religious, moral, spiritual, political, philosophical, etc.) are literally being redrawn. We do not yet know what this emerging world will look like. But it will be risky and dangerous. The temptation will be to stay safe in the known harbors.

Inbetween the Times.
Finally, I use the theme of "Inbetween Times." I borrow this from Drucker who said:

Every few hundred years in Western history a sharp transformation has occurred. In a matter of a few decades, society altogether rearranges itself - its worldview, its basic values, its social and political structures, its arts, its key institutions. Fifty years later, a new world exists. And the people born into that world cannot even imagine the world into which their parents were born.

This too is our situation. We are living in about the middle of one of those times of great transformation and upheaval. Everything is changing. We are not yet sure what the end result will be. But in another 25 or so years - everything will be radically different than life that we experienced in 1980.

A new world is emerging. 
A new kind of leadership is necessary.

This establishes the motivation as well as the urgency to consider these matters. That is what we spend our week probing, arguing, debating, exploring and trying to discern... as did those sons (and daughters) of Issachar who also lived in paradigm changing times.

Brian K. Rice  
Leadership ConneXtions International  
www.lci.typepad.com

Whistleblowers

 

Dangerous Secrets
& Vital Lies

And those who let the cat out of the bag.

 

 

I recently read an essay by James O'Toole, Speaking Truth in Power, in Transperancy: How Leaders Create a Culture of Candor ... that was simply magnificent. 

By the way, I am going to start to read everything I can by this guy. I LOVED him. Check him out at his HOME PAGE.

It sparked considerable reflection on my part and will give rise to a number of posts in the next few weeks. One of his topics was on whistleblowing.

Whistleblowing is when an insider reveals damaging secrets an organization does not want revealed. Here are a few of my thoughts that summarize his argument. (Which he copiously illustrates with examples from politics, military and business.)

 

(1)  It is a fact that organizations do not always (or even often) serve the public good or the greater good. Nor that they believe their mission is to do that. For most organizations, the bottom line is to be profitable (at all costs).

(2)  It is a fact that organizations have dangerous secrets and that they vital lies so they can ignore what is wrong, hide what is unethical, ignore the facts and continue doing business as usual.

(3)  It is a fact that many of the most highly positioned leaders are not deeply ethical, moral leaders. The entire system of leadership training in our most presigious universities has been seriously lacking in fostering ethical leadership.

(4)  It is a fact that few organizations have good systems in place for rigorous debate, to challenge unquestioned assumptions, to argue against senior leaders . . . and for those who do, there are almost always consequences.

(5)  It is a fact that within every organization are individuals who are more moral than its senior leaders, whose conscience burns when it sees wrong-doing and who are stuck between a heavy rock and a crushing hard place.

(6)  But those individuals have an EXTREMELY HARD TIME calling attention to what they system wants to ignore and what has already been "spun" differently. In most cases, there are few mechanisms for "truth telling" in organizations, and even fewer for "speaking truth to those who lead."

WOW.... think about that one for a while.

With options for truth telling and open dialogue squashed and squelched, frustration builds as the problems grow severe and finally, "a few" whistleblowers can no longer be quiet. They go public with what they see and know.

 

**********
It is a fact that whistleblowing is almost always a HUGE RISK for the whistleblower.

First, because they are labeled by the organization as disloyal, angry, uninformed, vindictive, etc. Slander is one of the favorite tools from the regime. And it tends to work.

Second, because the public generally does not like whistleblowers. This one surprised me. But O'Toole has the stories and the research to back this up. He had a list of names and situations of whistleblowers who suffered for speaking up and telling the truth. (By the way, he also illustrates is nicely from history and literature, as well as contemporary times.)

Third, even when they are believed, they lose. They lose jobs, future opportunities, livelihood, friends and respect. 

(Found on the website listed in the next paragraph)

It is tough being a whistleblower. It requires a robust character and a strong moral system. It requires emotional intelligence. It requires a willingness to suffer.  (Be sure to check out this brief article on Myths of Whistleblowers) by a leadership professor who specializes in this topic.

*********
And how about this? It is often WOMEN who are those who are the whistleblowers. O'Toole has some fascinating thoughts about why women are willing to do this. He affirms our great need for the leadership strength of women. 
 

*********
How about you?

If you are a leader, are you creating mechanisms for truth telling on your team, in your department, in your organization?

If you are a leader, how do you receive bad news and counter-arguments against your personally held positions? What do you do when you are challenged and your positions are criticized?

If you are a follower, what truth are you not speaking, because it is too costly to tell the truth?

Brian K. Rice  
Leadership ConneXtions International  
www.lci.typepad.com

Work and Leisure: It's Not What It Used To Be!

 

Work, Leisure and Rest

Let me stir the pot without telling you
how to move forward on this. 

 

We ALWAYS have to remember how culturally situated and biased we are in our interpretation. For today's post I want to talk briefly about leisure time. And soon (in a few days), look at the issue of retirement.

One of the ways we come to know how conditioned and biased we are by our cultural settings, is to go outside our culture.

There are a few ways to do this.

One is by going cross-cultural and visiting other cultures and discovering just how different other cultures are. Those differences can be jarring and jolting as they introduce some "disequilibrium" into our thinking.

A second way is by immersing oneself in a previous time in history (another way of going cross cultural) to see how other times experienced and thought about the issues we deal with today.

We must have a deep cultural and chronological HUMILITY and resist thinking that our particular culture is best and our particular time in history is advanced.

 

I recently came across some statistics about work time and leisure time that ROCKED my thinking. Here is a comparison of the "work hours" of the average American in the mid 1800s and the average North American living today.

150 years ago,
the working (man) spent 70 hours per week on the job
and lived about 40 years.
 

Today,
the working (peson) spends 40 hours per week on the job
and lives about 70+ years.
 

Depending on your retirement, you have 20-30 more years of non-working time on your hands. You have 30 more yeas of life than they did.

We have 30 more years of life than our peers did in 1850.
We have 30 less hours of work every week than they did. 

In other words you have an extra 1500 non-work hours of time per YEAR on your hands than did your peer 150 years ago. And you have a lot more years than they did.

This is a stunning development.

It provides perspective for those of us who think 50 hours of work is excessive. Really? By whose perspective?

In fact, our idea of "leisure" time is really a phenomenon of relatively late modernity and Western culture.

So is the "way" we think about vacation.

So is the way we complain about how busy we are and how much we work. I continue to read authors who complain about the active life, how busy they are, how much God has taught them to slow down... and ironically, one who I just read, is EXTRAORDINARILY busy and constantly on the run with seminars, conferences, and retreats... helping people slow down.

I believe the way we have created a dichotomy of work and rest, of activity and spirituality is fundamentally unhelpful and not the way forward. The way forward is to learn how all our activity is filled with the Presence, Work and Word of God in ways that are transformative and sustaining. 

I am struck that Jesus said his very sustenance, his nourishment, his food "is to do the will of Him who sent me" (see John 4:34-35). For Christ, activity was spirituality! It was not draining. 

Many of us would do very well to revisit the themes of work, leisure, rest, service and making the most of our time. (Remember, I said I am not mapping the way forward, just pointing out a general direction to head.)

If you have a few minutes today (and I hope you will) turn to Psalm 90 for a time of reflection, discernment and prayer about your years of vocational service as a steward of God.
 

Teach us to number our days aright,
that we may gain a heart of wisdom.
May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon us;
establish the work of our hands for us-
yes, establish the work of our hands. 

Psalm 90:12, 17 

 

Brian K. Rice
Leadership ConneXtions International  
www.lci.typepad.com

 

 

A Strong Word, a Good Word, a Needed Word (check it out)

 

Not Quite a Jeremiad

But if we don't listen,
that is what we'll need next.

If you don't know what a Jeremiad is, see the final note. 

 

On this Lord's Day, it is worthwhile to read this pastoral exhortation and plea from a wise leader in the evangelical world today, James Emory White.

White is one of the most skilled, thoughtful and loving sons of Issachar who know how to "discern the serious times in which we live" and know what "the church should do."

I am struck that his words are as equally so for the modern and post-modern follower of Christ. For the post-modern emergent leader struggles with these temptations as strongly as does the modern evangelical leader... and maybe, if another post-modern cultural observer, Mark Sayers (in The Trouble With Paris) is correct - they struggle even more so.

 

It will take you about two minutes to read this. It could lead to hours of reflection and prayer.

The recent blog by James White on Church and Culture.

 

A sincere thank-you for the wisdom of this post.

Brian K. Rice  
Leadership ConneXtions International  
www.lci.typepad.com

Jerry Sandusky, Joe Paterno, Penn State (A Sad, Sordid Story)

Part of me has not wanted to blog about this.

There is too much evil in the world. Too much junk. Too much sadness and brokenness.

This is about as bad as it gets (if you read the Grand Jury report. found here).

Two qualifiers.

One, Sandusky is only indicted and not convicted, accused but not found guilty.

Two, deep sympathy for all the victims and prayers for their healing should come from all of us.

 

But the focus of this post is on leadership and brief observations.

1.    There is a tendency on the part of the very positioned and powerful to think they are so positioned that they can ride out a storm, they can escape the consequences, they can bypass the bad stuff.  There were a lot of people in positions of authority that knew what had happened and either lied outright, distorted and misled, fudged . . . and apparently - thought they would get away with it.

2.    Leadership sin eventually is exposed. You may get away with it for a time, maybe even for years. But not forever. It comes out. In biblical terms, God exposes sin. In contemporary terms -  a leader is verging on insanity to think you can get away unscathed these days.

3.    Being realistic - the earlier you get help with serious sin - the better. The longer you play around with sin patterns, the deeper they go, the stronger they get, the more depraved the experiences are and the greater the damage you cause.

But here is what leaders think. "I can't talk about this sin now. It will ruin me. I'll lose my job." Listen, that kind of thinking is pure self-centered thinking. Your sin is not about you losing your job. Your sin is about God's glory being diminished, other people being hurt and EVENTUALLY, even more people being hurt when your now much deeper, uglier sin is exposed.

Get help NOW...

4.    Why in the world do leaders and organizations think they can get away with "covering up sin?" Well, because, for a time they can... And the consequences always seem too severe to come out and confess what is going on. 

Think about the Sandusky-Paterno-Penn State situation. As soon as Sandusky's problem was known, it should have been SEVERELY dealt with by the highest officials. There still would have been repercussions... but today... the repercussions are far, far worse. Because now, a "COVER-UP" makes this even uglier. 

5.    If you know something is going on, dont just report it and think you have done your job. Follow up and make sure those to whom it has been reported are doing their job. I bet Joe Paterno wishes now he had been more responsible in making sure action was taken.

And I find myself wondering... after having reported the problem to the administration... what did he do after that? Thought, "no longer my responsibility?"

Authorities have said that Paterno, who testified in the grand jury proceedings that led to the charges, is not a target of the investigation. But the state police commissioner has chastised him and other school officials for not doing enough to try to stop the suspected abuse.  (FoxNews.com, November 8, 2011)

The BUCK ALWAYS STOPS ON THE LEADER'S DESK. Of course he is responsible. 

6.    Sandusky's lawyer said he is depressed, that  Sandusky is going through a lot! So are thousands of others who are directly impacted by Sandusky. Think of how many people this is hurting... The initial victims... their families... Penn State football... Penn State leadership/administration... Penn State University...  Be depressed about everyone who your sin has hurt... not for yourself.

7.    Legacy Lost. Isn't it terrible that JoePa's legacy, which less than two weeks ago was this:

JoePa holds the record for the most victories by an FBS football coach with 409 and is the first and currently only FBS coach to reach 400 victories.

That was his legacy. Now the Sandusky sex abuse scandal and (probably) being terminated - is his legacy.

Ugghh.

 

Brian K. Rice  
Leadership ConneXtions International  
www.lci.typepad.com

The Great Tech War of 2012

One of the core leadership courses I teach in Latin America is called:

Emerging Paradigms of Leadership.

The premise is this: In the age of modernity, a certain kind of leadership philosophy/way developed that reflected the ethos and environment of that time. We now are in the inbetween times as modernity is fading and something else is emerging. 

In our course, we talk about the modern age (and its characteristics) and the kind of leadership that seemed suited to that age.

We then talk about the characteristics of the emerging cultural age and consider the kind of leadership needed for faithful, fruitful influence for Christ in this new way of life.

We have a great time talking about these things. 

To be sure, one of the irrefutable features of the emerging world is its global inter-connectedness around the ubiquitious internet. And since the Internet is so central and vital, those massive companies who rule the internet are positioned for the greatest impact.

Here is a great article from Fast Company, October 19, 2011 on Apple, Facebook, Google and Amazon and who is going to "win the battle" (talk about a modern metaphor!) for the future of the innovation economy.

This is a substantial article (nine pages), which I downloaded in a pdf format from Fast Company. Please check out their site for this on line at:
Fast Company Web Link for the Article
 

And here is the pdf.
Download The Great Tech War Of 2012 | Fast Company

As John Adams said to Thomas Jefferson, "My friend, you and I have lived in serious times."

Charles Dickens, describing the French Revolution in A Tale of Two Cities said, "It was the best of times and the worst of times . . ."

However - they are OUR TIMES. 

Leaders need to be savvy and understanding as were those of the tribe of Issachar (1 Chronicles 12:32, 38). That means reading and careful thinking as the necessary preparation for wise action.
 

Brian K. Rice  
Leadership  ConneXtions International  
www.lci.typepad.com

John Stott Has Died (Christianity Today Editorial)

I wanted to pass on to you that a very significant evangelical leader has gone home to be with the Lord. 

While many of the younger generations don't know much about John Stott, he was one of the most influential evangelical leaders and teachers of the last century and into this one.

His many books were of enormous influence in my life.

I find myself thinking that slowly, a great generation who made extraordinary contributions to the Kingdom of God are passing on. Who will be the emerging leaders of great love of Christ, great knowledge of the Scriptures and great missional energy for the church who will take their place?

Here is a post from Christianity Today about John Stott passing:

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Editor's Note: John Stott died today at 3:15 London time (about 9:15 a.m. CST), according to John Stott Ministries President Benjamin Homan. Homan said that Stott's death came after complications related to old age and that he has been in discomfort for the last several weeks. Family and close friends gathered with Stott today as they listened to Handel's Messiah. Homan said that John Stott Ministries has been preparing for his death for the past 15 years. "I think he set an impeccable example for leaders of ministries of handing things over to other leaders," Homan said. "He imparted to many a love for the global church and imparted a passion for biblical fidelity and a love for the Savior." Billy Graham's spokesperson released the following statement from the evangelist: "The evangelical world has lost one of its greatest spokesmen, and I have lost one of my close personal friends and advisors. I look forward to seeing him again when I go to Heaven." This story will be updated as more information becomes available.

via www.christianitytoday.com

Also see this link.

Brian K. Rice  
Leadership ConneXtions International  
www.lci.typepad.com

 

But This Language of Customer and Consumer Sounds So Unspiritual . . .

Including the original post that launched these thoughts on customers and consumers, this is the fourth post. For previous posts click on the following:

What Does Our Customer Truly Value and then scroll forward to find others.

This post deals with one of the most common concerns and objections:

But this language of customers and consumers just sounds so "unspiritual." Jesus didn't talk about customers and consumers. He talked about followers and disciples. So why make things more complicated by using such worldly concepts.

This is a gut level reaction and a very understandable one.

So let's take a few minutes today to talk about the use of this language.

This great image is found on this site about language (worth looking at).

 

I would, briefly, admit that language is supremely important and the language we use both reflects and shapes our mental framework. Careless use of language will have consequences. Using the wrong (or inadequate) language will have consequences as well.

So with that caution, here are a few thoughts.

The Church:
The church has always used the language of its culture to understand and communicate biblical ideas.

Just about every theologian ever, is shaped by some philosophical viewpoint and that philosophy is revealed in the language. Whether Aristotelean logic, or Scottish Common-Sense Realism, or Hegelian Dialectics, or _____ and I won't bore you with any more technical examples . . . we never do our thinking in a vacuum. We are always shaped by the intellectual currents of our time.  In fact, those of the Reformed faith are among those who take these issues most seriously.

The early church discussions about the nature of the Trinity and the divine-human nature of Jesus borrowed from the philosophy of its day to try and express the meaning of Scripture.

The contemporary evangelical church of the last 50-60 years has borrowed heavily on the models and language of hermeneutical theories (ironically which were based on Enlightenment modernity with all its unbiblical presuppositions) to guide us in how we interpreted the plain meaning of biblical texts. Most of the language and the models are not found in the Bible at all! But we don't hesitate to borrow this language and models for our work of interpreting the Bible.

Now, instead of the language of philosophy, in this case I am referring to the language of the marketplace.

 

Just Doing What the Bible Does:
And by the way, the language of the marketplace is also found throughout the Bible, including Jesus who uses it rather often. Why just in the Gospel of Matthew Jesus uses economic, marketplace, business language:

buying a field to make a profit (13:44)

a pearl of great price, worth giving up everything else to obtain (13:45)

the fishing industry to talk about true and pretend believers (13:47-51)

owners and treasures to talk about teachers and their teaching (13:52)

the story of paying temple taxes (17:24-27)

debts, paybacks, forgiveness, wicked servants, God's judgment (18:21-35)

the rich young man and rewards in heaven for following Christ (19:27-30)

the unfair payments of workers in the vineyard and how God's kingdom works (20:1-16)

landowners and tenants (21:33-46)

paying taxes to Caesar (22:15-22)

foolish virgins who don't have enough oil for lamps and must buy some (25:1-13)

the story of talents and faithfulness and reward and punishment (25:14-30)

and more, like shrewd servants who are commended and the intelligence of counting costs before building towers, etc. could be added from the other three Gospels.

It is really quite striking how much of Jesus' teaching used marketplace ideas of his day.

In these cases, the Bible (and Jesus) gives us the example of borrowing the language of every day, common experiences to understand and make sense of spiritual realties. When we do this we are using language in metaphorically (and in parables, similes and symbolically).

 

Missiologists:
When we do this, we are also working as missiologists (sociologists and anthropologists) who study the culture, interpret it and then speak of it in contextually relevant ways. The church exists rooted and embedded in culture.

Sometimes, I think some of us are rather docetic when it comes to using "earthly, contextual language" to talk about faith.

Docetism was the early church heresy that denied the humanity of Christ. Jesus only appeared to be human. In reality, he was only divine. Some of these early leaders were uncomfortable with the humanity of Christ. Many of us tend to be uncomfortable with the earthiness, the embeddness, the Word made flesh 
-edness of the spiritual life. 

So we frown on any such language as "unspiritual."

I"d suggest that Christ, the Word made flesh was the most "earthy," rooted, contextualized communicator ever. Just skim through the gospels and see how Jesus borrowed ideas from every part of daily life to talk about spiritual truth (not just the language of the marketplace).

In one sense, all I am doing with the language of customer, consumer, products, services, branding, marketing, etc. is what Jesus did. Using the language of the day as a vehicle to talk about spiritual realities.

So, don't have an over-reaction to the mere use of this language. In using it, I am NOT making any claims that this is the only way to talk about these things. NOR even the best way. But simply ONE of the ways that may be helpful to understand the cultural climate and realities in which we live and must faithfully minister the gospel of Christ.

If you can find a more useful language that talks about how individuals live and make choices about church, theology, preaching, worship, programming, etc. because of their needs, wants, biases, preferences, tastes, desires, expectations - then use that language. I am hard pressed to find a more useful language at the moment.

This is useful missiology and apologetics..

 

The Tension:
In one sense, I am talking about the Disciple as Consumer and Customer.

Now - should disciples be consumers and customers? That is a great question.

Is it even possible for a person "not be be" a customer and consumer?

Is it perhaps a matter of becoming the right kind of consumer and customer?

Does the gospel deliver one from being such a person and turn you into something else?

Or is it a both/and reality we have as followers of Christ?

I have tensions as I think about being a faithful, fruitful leader for Christ in our cultural era of history.

And I don't mind stimulating a certain amount of tension in you as well. In the final post in this series we'll name that tension and our map out our struggle to be faithful in that tension.
 

The next post on this theme: 
Consumers and Their Preferred Church "Brands" (We All Have Them)

 

Brian K. Rice  
Leadership ConneXtions International  
www.lci.typepad.com 

More Thoughts on Customers, Consumers, the Church and Christ

I think our series on I Love the Church got me thinking about how people think about the church, AND how the church thinks about people.

During that time I was reading some stuff on leadership and business that focused on customers, consumer needs and interests, branding, marketing… I was doing this mainly as I am thinking about Leadership ConneXtions and our work… but I found myself applying this to the church as well.

So about a week ago, I posted some thoughts on the nature of living in a consumer world where you and I are inevitably customers, and how this affects how we engage church and the Christian life.

That post had a variety of responses (all thoughtful, but some quite critical) and I decided to give some more thinking to this issue. By the way, many of the comments were on Facebook where the post appeared.

So, over the next few weeks, there will be a series of posts on Church Customers and Spiritual Consumers. I am not going to run them back to back because not everyone is interested in that topic AND I have other themes I want to talk about.

 

Today, especially in light of the comments given, I want to set forth a few perspectives that will shape this series.

ONE:
I want to provoke you (at least a little), stimulate your thinking about these things, and challenge your existing perceptions. So, I'll make some strong statements and every now and then be a bit prophetic (or irritating, depending on how charitable you are towards me).  
 

TWO:
I want to state up front that I stand in the evangelical and Reformed traditions of faith, with a generous orthodox sampling of many other theologies and spiritual formation approaches within Christianity. 

I am absolutely committed to:

• the supremacy of Christ our King in all things,
• the responsibility of faithful following of Christ by those who name Him as our Savior and Lord,
• the centrality of the Scriptures as shaping our theology, spirituality and faith practices on all things.

 

THREE:
I am in process on my thinking about this and as all bloggers (and in fact, all authors everywhere should do) reserve the right to change my mind as I continue to think on these things.

One of the recent books I read talked about the value of an open mind in life long learning. I hope we can all dialogue on this with that vantage point - what can I learn, how can I think more fully about this topic.

I also want to mention that I really struggle with these things and that I personally think I am very much "out of sync" with the prevailing culture. I posted my personal LAMENT on these things and you can read that lament here.

So what I hope is that you won't casually accuse me if being unfaithful as a disciple of Christ or having inappropriate motives of watering down the gospel as I talk about some of these themes.

 

FOUR:
This blogsite is especially written for leaders who are thinking about leadership, spirituality, church, culture and mission. I think leaders really need to be on top of this subject, for we are leading in the age of what I (and others) call "The Age of Homo Consumerus / Customerus" or the human as consumer and customer. It is an inescapable part of our cultural landscape. To ignore this is just being foolish. 

Good missiology and good apologetics wrestles with culture and seeks to understand it as fully as possible. I think the lack of missiological training for most North American pastors is a serious weakness and "one" of the reasons for our general inadequacy in providing a meaningful witness to our culture.

I have zero intention on watering down the gospel. Far from it. I just want to understand my culture and I want to understand how my culture approaches faith and spirituality so I can be a more faithful and fruitful witness in that culture.  

Here is one website devoted to missiology.

FIVE:
The following posts will look at themes like:

• Consumers in the Church (and You Are One of Them)
• Don't Object to the Language (and Here is Why)
• Branding (We All Have Them Even if We Don't Recognize It)
• Loyalty to Your Particular Brand of  Church (Going, Going, Gone . . . )
• The Leader as Chief Brand Agent
• How the Church Can Learn Some Lessons From the American Car Industry (More Appropriate Than You May Think)
• Jesus Lost Customers (Crowd and Disciples) and So Will You (and That's OKAY)

 

************

I know you'll feel free to offer your comments.

Feel free to vigorously disagree with what I say.

I'll feel free to disagree right back.

But let's not allow heat to get in the way of light.

And maybe along the way, we'll all find some more insight and perhaps even wisdom on these urgent matters.

Brian K. Rice  
Leadership ConneXtions International  
www.lci.typepad.com 

You Are NOT a Good Multi-Tasker

I love the Internet, but . . .

Give me three to five minutes of your time and attention and permission to annoy you a bit, perhaps stimulate your synapses and even provide a bit of perspective.

**********
Part One:  The Urban Myth/Legend. 

We've all heard of Urban Myths.

Those fictitious stories that are told so often and by so many that we simply assume they are true. Their volume and frequency (and sensationalism) are just accepted as so.

But an Urban Myth is, well, a myth... not true... in fact - made up... actually False.

It is also easier than ever for Urban Myths to spread like wildfire thanks to the Internet. But give an anthropologist/sociologist a little time and they will track these myths down and back to their originating sources (or real close).

Here is an URBAN MYTH of sorts. 
It is one you have repeated.
It is one you believe.

Urban Myth #1:  We are getting better and better at multi-tasking. The advent of the internet age and communication technologies in general has created a new generation of multi-taskers unlike anything in previous history. 

Urban Myth #2:  I (fill in your name _________) am good at multi-tasking. I can surf the net, chat with a dozen facebook friends, IM to half dozen friends with my phone, even talk to one of them, while I listen to my iPod... etc.

I like to call this an Uber Urban Myth.
Ubiquitous and False.

You are not a good multi-tasker. You are not even a multi-tasker. Brain research and studies of cognition, learning, memory, etc. show that the brain does not multi-task.

Your brain does not multi-task.

Now, let me annoy (even irritate) you for a moment. Research consistently refutes your biased and wrong interpretation of your personal anedoctal experiences. No matter what you think about what you are doing (and how well you are doing it) you are not the rare exception. In fact, to be honest, you are just one of the crowd, just like everyone else.

You can't escape your physiology . . . or what culture is doing to it.

You are not a good multi-tasker!

 

*********
Part Two:  Switch-tasking. 

That is what your brain actually does. It doesn't work on things simultaneously, it works on them sequentially. Your brain is constantly switching things from the environment that is presenting itself to you, into your actual Working Memory. You switch your focus and attention from one thing to the next.

But, the news is not so rosy on Switch Tasking. Again, research is consistently showing that:

(1)  Your brain has the capacity to switch between fewer tasks than originally thought. Probably 3 or 4 is the number... and some think that is generous. That is all the working memory can hold or better, switch back and forth between.

(2)  You pay a "switching cost" every time you "switch tasks" from one thing to another. In one sense, your Working Memory has to reload or reorient. The brain needs time to change goals, to remember the rules needed for a particular task and to block out cognitive interference.

(3)  Too much switch tasking impairs brain functioning and literally, short-circuits understanding, which means learning is diminished, memory is lessened and of course, reforming of one's way is minimized.

Today, our world is an endless experience of switch-tasking, in greater frequency than ever. In fact, it is virtually non-stop. And, contrary to Urban Myth, you are not getting better at it, you are not taking the next step up in evolutionary cognitive development. Actually, you are regressing in important ways.

 

**********
Part Three:  Tag Lines to Ponder

Now, here are some great one-liners to consider. They all come from researchers who are describing what our internet world is doing to us. (They can all be found in The Shallows or in Distracted.)
 

The Internet is a "concentration fragmenting machine."

The Internet is an "interruption system for dividing attention."

The Internet is an "ecosystem of interruption technologies."

The Internet has taught us to be "skillful at being superficial."

The Internet "seizes our attention only to scatter it."

"We are training our brains to pay attention to crap."

"We are relentless seekers of irrelevance."

We live in a permanent condition of "continuous partial attention."

"We are devolving from being cultivators of personal knowledge
to being hunters and gatherers in the electronic data forrest."

 

**********
Part Four:  Me Personally . . .

Am I against the Internet?
Selectively not!

Am I concerned about what the Internet does to us and our lack of awareness of what it is doing?
Sincerely YES!

I use the Internet a lot. It is a vital tool. I don't ever want to even remotely go back to pre-Internet times.

But, I spend several hours a day:

in reading, study and learning;
in prayer, reflection and discernment;
in personal journaling and professional writing; 
in meaning making and soul shaping . . .

and all of that is apart from the Internet or the larger ecosystem of communication technologies.

Out of those above activities emerges a LIFE that is primed for ACTION, Missional Engagement with our world. A life, that I trust will be responsible, authentic, meaningful and ultimately fruitful and pleasing to Christ.

I am fully concerned about the growing disappearance of those activities from our Networked New World.

Therefore, I am just as concerned about whether, we as a community will sustain faithful, substantial lives who bear the Image of Christ in that world. 

Brian K. Rice  
Leadership ConneXtions International  
www.lci.typepad.com

 

 

 

 

"F" Reading on the Internet

This post is what is called an "internet page."
Do you know how long the "average view" of any internet page is?

10 Seconds !!!

So, if you are like most people, then you will give ten seconds of your time to reading this post.

And how you read material on the internet is different from how you read a book. They call it:

F Reading.

It is F reading, because the letter F is the pattern for how your eyes move through internet presented information.
 

We know this: You don't read internet presented information in a way that is methodical and comprehensive. 

You don't read line by line.

Instead, you skim and scan, quickly, through text.

You skip and dip down the page.

You glance across the first few lines entirely.

Then your eyes drop down the page. You scan about halfway across a few more lines.

Then you drift down the rest of the page, catching only a few of the first words.

 

Get this . . .

For every 100 words of text, you spend 4.4 seconds reading them! 

18 words in 4.4 seconds!

That's what accomplished (really good) readers can read

That means your internet reading engages less then 20% of the content of a page! And this is a very generous overstatement of how much you get.
 

Net Reading is actually a misnomer.

Internet reading is not reading as the word has been defined.

Even less is it reflective and contemplative of what is being read.

Let's call it what it is.

Net Browsing.


 

Let's mourn what is lost in the act of browsing . . .

*  Comprehension . . .

*  Enlightenment . . .

*  Integration . . .

*  Transformation . . .

Whatever else we may gain from Power Browsing and Net Reading, I'm not sure it is worth the exchange!

Brian K. Rice 
Leadership ConneXtions International 
www.lcitypepad.com

 internet surfing image found here

power browsing image found here

 

The Transitional Time in Which We Live

This past Sunday I spoke on The New Thing God is Doing. We spent time talking about the dangerous, serious, "here be dragons," inbetween the times of transition, "Kansas is going bye-bye" times in which we live.

Here is a chart that is out of one of Alan Roxburgh's books... I forget which one. I think it is from, The Sky is Falling.

Brian K. Rice  
Leadership ConneXtions International  
www.lci.typepad.com

In Layman's Language: An Understanding of Japan's Nuclear Power Plant Crisis

 I wanted to give you a really good explanation of what is going on with the Japan nuclear reactors. If you are like me (a layman on issues of nuclear energy and what actually goes on) you'll find this explanation really helpful.

It is from a friend of mine who works in that industry. I asked him if I could post it and he said yes.

And please pray for the people of Japan in this time of disaster and crisis.

Brian

***********

Friends,
  
In case you are wondering what my take is on the nuclear crisis I have tried to capture what I believe the situation is in the following letter.  But please understand I am not an expert I just know enough to be dangerous.  AND this isn't intended to be a press release, just the opinion of someone who, for nearly 30 years, has worked at a nuclear plant similar to the one's that are in trouble in Japan.
 

First let me assure you that this crisis isn't going to affect us directly at all - not that you are, but you don't have to worry, even if you would live on the west coast.

However, they are in a very, very bad situation over there.  I obviously don't know exactly what is going on, and what they are planning, but just hearing that the spent fuel pool at the one reactor has no water in it, is a huge deal. The spent fuel pool is where the old fuel is stored after it is taken out of the reactor.  The spent fuel gives off a hellacious dose rate.  The water acts as a shield, actually water is very affective as a shield.  

So when there is no water in the pool the super high dose rate given off makes the pool, and really the surrounding area, unapproachable.  With out any shielding, like vertically above the pools, I'm talking within 100's of yards, can be deadly. That's why the helicopters had to stop flying and attempting to dump water.  Horizontally it wouldn't be as bad due to the thick cement walls. Non-the-less the plants are virtually uninhabitable.  

And the issues of cooling the fuel pool is still a major problem - at least at the one plant.  The decay heat given off by even spent (used) fuel has to be dealt with.  And since they didn't have any way to cool the water the water evaporated (boiled)out of the pool.  And they still are having issues with cooling the reactors, which is the major concern, though the fuel pool situation is dire.
 
It helps if you understand several things when you hear them talk about radiation on TV: 

1) When they say the radiation levels have increased 100 times it is a relative term.  Generally the ambient radiation levels are so low that even at 100 times normal radiation levels the dose rate might only be 1 or 2 mR/hr which is not an appreciable health risk. 

2) The high dose rates coming off of the fuel is a very local issue (plant site, and surrounding neighborhood). 

3) Airborne contamination is caused by very small radioactive particles that can be in dust or ash as in the case of Chernobyl, which was much worse as far as an environmental disaster due to the fire which created a radioactive smoke carrying the contamination up into the atmosphere.  Airborne contamination is a concern because the particles can be ingested into your body by breathing or eating contaminated food which can cause latent affects (affects years later).  

4) And gases such as Iodine, Krypton, Xenon.  These gases are formed in the fission process in the reactor.  The airborne contamination and gases, when released from a plant, form what is called a plume.  The plume is of concern to those down wind of the release.  This can be a big issue depending on the concentration and mixture (what specific isotopes are actually in the plume) of radionuclides.  The plume will be so diluted when it even gets to Hawaii that it won't be an issue.  The fact is every running nuclear plant in the world is, by necessary design,  releasing low levels of radioactive iodine and other radionuclides every second, much like your car, by necessary design, gives off carbon monoxide.  What is released is regulated and monitored very, very closely and reported to the NRC.  We (Peach Bottom) release less than 1%, in any given time period, of what we are legally allowed to. 

 
Iodine Tablets:   I'm sure most of you know that the iodine tablets are something that should only be taken when instructed by a doctor or the state.  The are not a "anti-radiation pill" they only saturate your thyroid with "clean" iodine to prevent radioactive iodine from concentrating there.   The side affects from taking the tablets are not pleasant and can be dangerous.

As far as the Japanese plants go - I really don't know what they are going to do.  It's very bad.  Understand that the events leading to this were so unimaginable it is a true testimony to the engineering that it isn't much much worse.  The plants that are affected are the same genre as Peach Bottom, in fact they were designed by the same company (GE) and under construction at the same time.  I think they are very similar.  

And I can honestly tell you that even though we live close to Peach Bottom I am not concerned for my or my families safety at all.  The tsunami was the killer.  Even though the earth quake was much worse than the design base (what they anticipate could possibly happen and design for) it did little damage other than knocking out their off-site power supply, which is bad because that is what powers the plant and the vital equipment,

BUT that is taken into account when the plants are built and every plant has large diesel generators (Emergency Diesels) that come on in seconds (<10 seconds) and pick up the power load - which they did.  However, the tsunami was also much worse than they anticipated.  It is my understanding that they had designed contignecies for a ~ 25ft high tsinomi, but, as we know, the wave was ~ 30 ft high and when the wave hit it took out the fuel tanks for the diesel generators, and so they lost their back up power supply, at that point it was a nightmare.  Bottom line is you have got to be able to move water to run a steam plant, especially a nuclear plant,  just for the cooling if for nothing else,  and without electric and pumping capability it's virtually impossible.  It will be a huge victory when they get power restored with the emergency electric line they are trying to get operable.  
 
Let me close by saying that the people who design and operate these plants are incredably smart and resourseful - I know because I see it first hand.  They have an international team of the best of the best working to correct the situation and I have every confidence that, in a short time, it will be stabalized and recovery will be underway.

I have greatly simplified some of this, but it's the truth the best as I know it, and as easily as I can relate it.  Please forgive me if you find I've given erronious information.

 

 

Leadership Lessons from Egypt

Here is a list of leadership lessons that can be learned from the Egyptian revolution.  These were sent to me from a friend in Latin America and they went through Google Translation from Spanish to English.

 

1. You are not the masters of the country, government or church.

2. You can not control everything, even by force.

3. The decision to end is as important as starting.


4. Nothing and no one lasts forever (presidents, senators, ministers ordictators)

5. You can not keep people quiet or oppressed for life.

6. Listen to people.

7. Do not cling to power. Do not let that this "drug" consume you and destroy you.

8. Do not expect circumstances dictate your steps.

9. Make decisions based on what is truth and right, not what suits you.


10. Better late than never. Be recalled more for positive action at the end of your career, that years of mistakes and negligence over it.

11. It's not about you, but something much larger.

12. You should not underestimate the social networks.

 

Leaders, if you have spent time following this historic uprising - what additional lessons do you take away from this?

And (tongue in cheek) I wonder if any other leaders can learn a lesson or two about popular uprisings against unpopular policies? 

This blogsite has no political agenda... just a leadership one.   

Brian K. Rice  
Leadership ConneXtions International  
www.lci.typepad.com

 

Guess what 40th Anniversary we are Celebrating?

Wow!  Do I ever feel old. 

Does anyone remember when the ground-breaking, breath-taking, anxiety-making book - Future Shock by Alvin and Heidi Toffler came out?  It was 1970 when this book came out. It is the 40th anniversary of THIS BOOK!

I pulled mine off the shelf and the pages are yellow with age.  This was one of the early books in the genre of books produced by futurists. Other best sellers in that genre was Mega-Trends by John Naisbitt and The Emerging Order by Jeremy Rifkin.

There was a special, by invite only 40th anniversary celebration of this book and its authors. At that celebration, the Tofflers talked about "new" future shock that is already here and coming our way. They have coined two words that I found interesting. They use these words concerning the problems of national security, but I think they have a much broader usage.
 

The first word is "Cyberdust." Cyberdust is what data gathers while it sits on the military and intelligence agency servers, but is unanalyzed. It is not analyzed because there is such a glut of data. That's the broader application. We are inundated, overwhelmed, flooded with a GLUT of DATA. So much of the information we have - is just ignored by us.  

How many messages do you have in your in-box?

How many messages do you have filed away?

How many blogsites do you have marked as a favorite?

How many unread pages?

How many unvisited sites are kept in your browser folder?
 

The second word is even more significant.  It is "Obsoledge."  The Tofflers describe obsoledge as knowledge that is obsolete and say this is a growing reality and problem as the pace of life accelerates. 

We know now, that change itself has changed. Change has changed in intensity, frequency, rapidity and extent. So, what you know today is out of date tomorrow.

Of course this begs the question… how do I overcome the problem of my obsoledge when I can't begin to handle the cyberdust, or more general "data-dust" that fills my life?

Brian K. Rice  
Leadership ConneXtions International  
www.lci.typepad.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some Thoughts on Haiti: Robertson, Miller, Metzger and Annan

We have all been hit by the terrible tragedy of the earthquake that hit Haiti. I want to mention two things here.

Many of you have already heard Pat Robertson's comments about God judged Haiti for a pack it made with the devil many long years ago.In one sense, Pat's comments don't even dignify a response. What we need to do is ignore Pat Robertson and his ministry and let it go into its inevitable decline. However his comments make Christians look bad and so a thoughtful response to this is useful. And Don Miller (Blue Like Jazz author) has written a good essay on this.

Don's Essay on Pat Robertson in Relevant Magazine.com

Now a second item of interest is the incredible magnitude of Haiti's poverty. This is a country that has severe problems. The earthquake has amplified their crisis many times. And, as much as they need immediate help, there are deep systemic issues that keep that country poor. Simply throwing money and help their way will prove futile unless deeper change occurs. Here is a very thoughtful essay that broaches this issue of how does one change a culture of poverty and does the church have anything to say about this.

Helping Haiti by Michael Metzger

And finally, here is a book review by Byron Borger on a timely book about Haiti, full of stories and biblical reflections.  If you go to his blogsite and you do not see it immediately, just scroll down to January 17... it is right there.

Review of Following Jesus Through the Eye of the Needle

Brian K. Rice
Leadership ConneXtions International
www.lci.typepad.com

Madonna and the Horrible Feeling of Inadequacy

Here is a striking statement from Madonna, which Tim Keller provides on page 72 of Counterfeit Gods.

I have an iron will, and all of my will has always been to conquer some horrible feeling of inadequacy. . . I push past one spell of it and discover myself as a special human being, and then I get to another stage and think I'm mediocre and uninteresting. . . . Again and again. My drive in life is from this horrible fear of being mediocre. And that's always pushing me, pushing me. Because even though I've become Somebody, I still have to prove I'm Somebody. My struggle has never ended and it probably never will.

With these words from Mandonna, Keller launches off on the idol of Success. I thought this was a powerful chapter and one that all leaders need to pay attention to. 

For that matter, I think most leaders struggle with most of the idols Keller describes in his book. For most of us, there are dark things deep below the water line that influence us more than we care to admit.

Drivenness!!!  Driven to prove you are Somebody... worthwhile... who has value... who can be loved... appreciated... admired... needed...

For any of you who are Type-A, over achieving, High D, can't relax, win at just about any cost kind of leader - get this book now. Block out a day and read through it and start a new journey of transformation.

Brian K. Rice
Leadership ConneXtions International
www.lci.typepad.com

What Matters Now

Hey, this morning I had a GREAT post from Seth Godin. There is a free PDF document called:

What Matters Now.

It is about 85 pages of thoughts on a wide range of subjects, written by some of the smartest people there are. And, it is very readable and accessible.

Go to this Squidoo site to get it.  

And, if you scroll down, you are going to see a very impressive reading list. Here is what hits me about that reading list.

If that doesn't work, go here to Seth's blog. Find the paragraph that begins, "Here's the deal..." and there is a link to the download. 

The smartest leaders and thinkers of our day are reading... they are reading a lot... and they are reading a lot of good and varied books.

I think Christian leaders should be right up there with that group.

So, as you scroll down through that list, just observe if you have read ANY of those books listed. These are the influencers of our time. We need to be reading these things.

Brian K. Rice
Leadership ConneXtions International
www.lci.typepad.com 

Tiger Woods! A Tragic Case Study of the Dark Side

 I was going to post about Tiger Woods when the story first broke, and I am glad I didn't. As some days have gone by, more and more details have emerged. It will not be long at all, until we begin to see the first books appearing about Tiger Woods.

Does anyone want to wager . . . when the first book will be published? I think there will be something on the stands by mid-January AND MAYBE earlier.

This is not a depth analysis, just a few "stepping stones" for reflection.

  

(1)  I have had little interest in Tiger Woods, since I don't care for golf that much. But, I did respect the fact that Tiger is (still is) one of the greatest and most dominant athletes of any sport ever. And I kind of rooted for him to go as far as possible in excellence, since I appreciate excellence and the hard work it takes to get there.

(2)  Now, think about our celebrity culture and how obsessed we are with Tiger Woods and the revelation of his dark side. In one sense, this obsession points to the disease in our own culture. We are much more interested in the sex life of a "fallen" sports celebrity and much less interested in (well) just about anything of real significance going on around the world.  

 

 

  

(3) Money, power, fame. The Scriptures and the long centuries of spiritual reflection on these themes have provided us with wisdom on these matters. Here is one little piece of that wisdom. Any one of those things is a danger. The more you have of it - the greater the danger.  And Tiger has about as much as you can get of all three. He has about a billion dollars. He is one of the most famous celebrity athletes EVER. And his presence radiates power. If any one of them is dangerous, can we even imagine how dangerous all three of them are.
 

 (4)  Sex and intimacy. Oh yes, and Tiger has one of the world's most beautiful women as his wife and the mother of his children. You just start to wonder - why? And how? 
 

(5)  What makes this even more striking is that Tiger presented an image of a "good guy." A noble character, a healthy human being. Oh do our heros have feet of clay.
 

(6)  I am certainly disappointed, but am I surprised at his fall? NO! In fact, to be honest, I'd be much more surprised if he didn't fall. Again, money, power, fame, sex --- how does one guard the heart against all these powers? And against the CONSTANT temptations that come his way to misuse them. We much lesser mortals struggle with our own attempts to be faithful to God and our temptations are of much less magnitude. 
 

(7)  It also comes as no surprise that Tiger is an addict. With the details of his encounters becoming more known (and let's assume there is even some exaggeration in the details), it is obvious that Tiger is a sex addict. His choices are just irrational. And dangerous. But all addicts know that.
 

(8)  May we all pray for Tiger Woods and those he has hurt and used, that grace would somehow penetrate into this horrible mess and bring redemption and healing.
 

 (9)  May we also become wiser and be alert. Those of us who think we are standing, take heed less we fall. For there is an enemy who hates us with a vengeance and who delights in our misery.  I would highly recommend Tim Keller's new book, Counterfeit Gods, which I reviewed in this post (click here).
 

Brian K. Rice
Leadership ConneXtions International
www.lci.typepad.com

A Pretty Angry Commentator and how he views Conservative Christianity

I have a pretty provocative video clip for you on this post, sent to me from my friend Lisa... who got it from a friend... who heard it somewhere...

I want to set the stage for just a minute. 

(1)  This is a perfect illustration of what I talked about in my sermon last week. For the readers of this site outside LWCC, the theme was on the Subversive Jesus who broke all the rules by eating with tax-collectors and sinners.  I spent some time talking about the heart of the Pharisee (alas, it is our heart as well) that discriminates, separates, categorizes, ranks, judges, condemns and so on... and contrasted that with Jesus eating with the "sinners" of the world.

(2)  The "expert" being consulted is Frank Schaeffer, the son of the late Francis  Schaeffer, the famous apologist and founder of L'Abri. Frank, originally Franky, was much more right wing than his father in terms of politics and eventually enlisted his dad in some of the moral causes of the religious right. Eventually, Frank (the son) became disillusioned and angry with the religious right, as well as his own family and he has moved to an extreme position of a hostile critic of conservative Christianity.

(3)  I want you to notice a few things. First, notice the incredulity the TV host has about the issue under discussion and that is the percentage of conservatives who think Obama is the anti-Christ!  Then, notice the harshness of Frank Schaeffer as he can hardly be critical enough. One has the sense that if he could curse the people he despises - he would.

I'd love to hear your comments.  The video is about six minutes, but it goes quickly.

It kind of makes you wonder who the real crazy one is... doesn't it?
Can you imagine having such a person on insulting any other population segment in our country?
Interesting times... to put it mildly.

If you have time, visit this website to read an outstanding review by Os Guinness who is not only addressing the arguments Frank Schaeffer has, but addressing the heart behind the issues.

Brian K. Rice
Leadership ConneXtions International
www.lci.typepad.com   

Consumption as a Way of Life (and Faith): Part Two

How many advertisements do you think you are exposed to every day? The New York Times reports that every day, every American is exposed to 3,500 "desire producing advertisements."

We live in a culture that seeks to stimulate our desire to have things we didn't know we needed or wanted. The world of advertising/marketing strives to stimulate your desire to buy, by stirring up our unhappiness and inciting dissatisfaction when we realize we don't have something.

And of course, tied with every product is the promise of enjoyment and happiness (when you own that product or experience).

Hand in hand with this cultural way, is an economic system of buying now what you can't afford through the use of credit cards and delayed payment. We delay payment so we do not have to delay gratification. This comes with an inflated cost due to compound interest and an eventual burden of debt that makes us unhappy which then fuels our need to buy something else to cheer us up. 

Jethani says, "Although lack of self-control has always plagued humanity, for the first time i history an economic system has been created that relies on it."

Consumption is a way of life.

After 9/11, we were encouraged not to let the terrorists win. They would win if we changed our spending, shopping habits. President Bush proclaimed to the terrorists that Americans would continue to "fly and buy."

In our current economic crisis, the last thing the powers that be (i.e. principalities of business and government) want us to do is cut back on our spending. Our economy needs jump-started with a new wave of spending.  (Excuse me - isn't that what got us in this bind in the first place?!?)

Remember, from yesterday, that I said it is not that being a consumer/customer is wrong. What is wrong is the way we are now engaging in those activities.
 

And the world of faith and church has not been immune.

Here is what every Christian leader knows (or should know:

(1)  Whether we like it or not, the person sitting in the pew is a customer/consumer and they expect the church (or para-church, or whatever) to provide what it is they are looking for.

(2)  We know that if we do not provide it, there are others who will. And as in most things, you can take your "spiritual business" elsewhere.

(3)  We also know you want and expect the latest and the best. We know the customer is naturally a critic.

(4)  And if we are really good at all this, we figure out how to "brand" our product so it is even more recognizable, marketable and profitable.

Our strategies may vary widely.

We may decide that we don't care what you think you want. We will give you what we think you need.

We may decide that we must work very hard to change you as the customer/consumer so that you come to want, what we are providing. 

Or we may just give in and cater to things the way they are and give you want you want.

There may be other options, but these are the ones that come to mind right now.

What I believe is that this reality is true for the church of modernity and post-modernity.  It is true for the evangelical church and the emerging church.

Rob Bell knows exactly what his customers want. So does Brian McLaren. So does Bill Hybels and Rick Warren and Andy Stanley and Joyce Meyers and John Maxwell and Benny Hinn . . .  And so do the people who market their products! You can also bet that each of those individuals gets regular reports on how well their products sell... how large the numbers of customers are at their events..

Every individual I mentioned, even though they each have strong personal convictions about what is right and true, also know their audiences have expectations and wants. And they design their offering to provide what is wanted. Then the world of Christian marketing and merchandizing kicks in to both promote and deliver that product, not to mention, make a profit off of it.

At what point do we lose our soul to the machine of Christian commerce?

By the way, it is more than a little ironic that SKye Jethani, who launched this conversation for me (and who had some profound things to say about it), is right in the center of the Christian marketing enterprise with his role at Christianity Today. For example, just click here to go a blog he does and see it surrounded with a plethora of advertising... all designed to appeal to (OR) stimulate your needs.

Hmmm.... this is starting to sound like a Rant and Rave, and I try to do those only occasionally.

As you can tell, I don't pretend to have good answers to this. I'm just glad if I can be one of those spreading a little more awareness of the situation/problem.

Hey, this is one issue I would love to hear some of your thoughts.

Is the church becoming too consumerist?
Are Christians becoming just like the culture around us?
How are you doing on these things?

Brian K. Rice
Leadership ConneXtions International
www.lci.typepad.com

Consumption as a Way of Life (and Faith): Part One

A few weeks ago, I followed and contributed to a discussion on consumerism in the American church. It was a fascinating discussion that Scott McKnight initiated on his blog, JesusCreed. Out of that discussion, I picked up  The Divine Commodity: Discovering a Faith Beyond Consumer Christianity by Skye Jethani.

I think the issue of consumerism and how it has fundamentally shaped how we understand and practice our Christian faith; and how it has done the same to how we "do church" is an important discussion that should be on the front burner.

Here is an old saying from Richard Halverson.

In the beginning the church was a fellowship of men and women centered on the living Christ. Then the church moved to Greece, where it became a philosophy. Then it moved to Rome, where it became an institution. Next it moved to Europe, where it became a culture. And finally, it moved to America, where it became an enterprise.

That quote is worth reading a few times and some good reflection as well.

For now, the point is, in America, church, faith, religion and all things associated with it - are an enterprise.  A business . . . with customers who are insatiable consumers and picky choosers, always asking - what is in this for me?

If you can understand just one fact, it is this: You and I are CUSTOMERS and CONSUMERS. This is an inescapable reality. We can protest all we want, but the reality remains unimpressed, unchanged and not at all threatened.

First I must say that there is nothing wrong with being a customer/consumer. It is a part of what it means to be a human being. We have needs and interests. We have longings of the heart. We want to satisfy them. We are fortunate when we have options to investigate and the freedom to choose one that is attractive to us.

However, our American culture is morphing us in some dangerous ways in this matter.

• We are becoming out of control customers and consumers.
  
• We are becoming obsessively self-centered customers and consumers.
  
• We are becoming pampered, "sense of entitlement" customers and consumers.
  
• We are becoming massively debt-ridden, incapable of delayed gratification customers and consumers.
  
• And this shows no sign of abating, even in our current economic climate.

So, while there is nothing wrong in being a customer/consumer, there is something very wrong and deadly in the kind of customer/consumer we have become.

And this problem/challenge is only going to get worse.

More on this theme tomorrow and especially, how it affects the church.

Brian K. Rice
Leadership ConneXtions International
www.lci.typepad.com