Thanks to those who shared their personal axioms with us. For those that did not, keep working on them. It's a worthwhile effort for two key reasons.
First, axioms allow you to clarify your convictions. Most people have general ideas about how to approach life, but these ideas are rarely concretized. Usually some nebulous mass of thoughts hover out in the nether world and, because there is no clarity, these thoughts are often pushed aside by the hasty demands of the moment. But when I say, "Work from your rest," I am acknowledging an important conviction that I best function when I am regularly recharging my body and my soul with down time. Just this statement helps me be clear that I am not supposed to work continously like a marathon runner. We work best when we work in a cycle of sprints interspersed with rest.
Second, axioms enable you to pass on your principles. From the perspective of influence, this is crucial. When you develop compact, memorable proverbs, it enables you share your values with those around you. If your axioms connect with the hearts and minds of those near you, they will be adopted. It also gives the people in your organization a common language around which to build a unique culture. When I say "we're made for community," most of the young singles I serve know what I mean. Those words are like a short-cut to the often recalled passage in Acts 2:42-47 about what the first church experienced, and how it is God's plan to work through a community of faith to fully express His love to the world around us and to live in connection with one another.
So, here's another chance. Develop your own personal axioms. Clarify your convictions; pass on your principles. We'll be waiting on you.
Monday, April 13, 2009
Monday, April 6, 2009
Personal Leadership Proverbs
In his 2008 book, Axiom, Bill Hybels encourages pastors and all leaders to formulate some of their convictions and guiding ideas into axioms- personal proverbs that can be recalled at a moment's notice. I've had a few months to reflect on my own thoughts and some of the language that I tend to use when carrying out my duties, so here are my own axioms.
1. If you're the one pulling the trigger, be sure you like where the gun is pointing. Most of us are put in a position at some time or another where we must make a key decision that will affect others. When this happens, we often find multiple voices in our ears trying to persuade us which choice to make. Though it is always important to listen to those around us, we must not yield the responsibility of our decision to satisfy the demands of others. Simply put, if you're the one who makes the decision, then be sure that you make the decision that is comfortable to you.
2. Challenges are opportunities for greatness. It's easy for people to get down and discouraged when things start to get hard. They see struggle and the possibility of failure around every corner. In reality, it is when we face challenges that the possibility of great success first appears. If there is no challenge, then there's nothing great about success; if it's easy, then who cares?
3. It's about people. In virtually any given situation, people get priority over anything (other than God!). When this starts to slip or get fuzzy, problems are soon to follow.
4. Isn't this fun? When I'm involved in doing God's work, especially within a group of friends, I'm often struck by how much I enjoy it. I love that we get the privilege of doing stuff that matters. I love getting hear stories of how God is at work all around us, blessing our activities and efforts well beyond our understanding. When I get tired, or when I've been through an intense time where God has done amazing things, I like to remind myself and those nearby, "Hey, isn't this fun?"
5. Sharpen the blade. Everything, from programs to systems to strategies, needs to be improved from time to time. For this reason, we must all regularly engage in re-examining and retooling components of life around us. We don't live in a static world; we must never assume that once we create a strategy that we will never again need to solve that particular problem. Even the best blades need to be sharpened occasionally.
So, what are some axioms you've developed? Let me kindly request that everyone who reads this post submit at least one, and then I'll post a further summary and comment at the end of the week.
1. If you're the one pulling the trigger, be sure you like where the gun is pointing. Most of us are put in a position at some time or another where we must make a key decision that will affect others. When this happens, we often find multiple voices in our ears trying to persuade us which choice to make. Though it is always important to listen to those around us, we must not yield the responsibility of our decision to satisfy the demands of others. Simply put, if you're the one who makes the decision, then be sure that you make the decision that is comfortable to you.
2. Challenges are opportunities for greatness. It's easy for people to get down and discouraged when things start to get hard. They see struggle and the possibility of failure around every corner. In reality, it is when we face challenges that the possibility of great success first appears. If there is no challenge, then there's nothing great about success; if it's easy, then who cares?
3. It's about people. In virtually any given situation, people get priority over anything (other than God!). When this starts to slip or get fuzzy, problems are soon to follow.
4. Isn't this fun? When I'm involved in doing God's work, especially within a group of friends, I'm often struck by how much I enjoy it. I love that we get the privilege of doing stuff that matters. I love getting hear stories of how God is at work all around us, blessing our activities and efforts well beyond our understanding. When I get tired, or when I've been through an intense time where God has done amazing things, I like to remind myself and those nearby, "Hey, isn't this fun?"
5. Sharpen the blade. Everything, from programs to systems to strategies, needs to be improved from time to time. For this reason, we must all regularly engage in re-examining and retooling components of life around us. We don't live in a static world; we must never assume that once we create a strategy that we will never again need to solve that particular problem. Even the best blades need to be sharpened occasionally.
So, what are some axioms you've developed? Let me kindly request that everyone who reads this post submit at least one, and then I'll post a further summary and comment at the end of the week.
Friday, March 20, 2009
Loss of a Hero
Yesterday I received word that Mickey Sampson, a friend and our main contact in Cambodia, died unexpectedly of a heart attack. He was one of my heroes of the faith, a brilliant scientist who used his abilities to bring holistic change to the poverty of Cambodia and who was then able to share the hope of Christ to the hungry hearts of those he served. The scope of his influence for the Kingdom is hard to overestimate.
In 2006, his organization produced over 25,000 ceramic water filters for use in Cambodia, saving the lives of thousands of Cambodians. (1 in 5 Cambodian children die before the age of 5 due to water impurity issues.) He also oversaw programs to improve health and hygene, education, agriculture, and farming. He began using Karaoke videos to educate the culture about various safety and life matters. He even developed an educational television program that became the top-rated children's show in Cambodia. Just over a week ago he was one of the key note speakers at a conference in Atlanta for the Center of Disease control on his work in Cambodia. And just last week he was working on the finishing touches for a portable, ceramic water filter factory with the intentions of sending it to Sudan to help the refugees of Darfur.
Please pray for his wife and their five children. Please also pray for God to use this to bring salvation to the hundreds of thousands of Cambodians who have been impacted by Mickey's work.
In 2006, his organization produced over 25,000 ceramic water filters for use in Cambodia, saving the lives of thousands of Cambodians. (1 in 5 Cambodian children die before the age of 5 due to water impurity issues.) He also oversaw programs to improve health and hygene, education, agriculture, and farming. He began using Karaoke videos to educate the culture about various safety and life matters. He even developed an educational television program that became the top-rated children's show in Cambodia. Just over a week ago he was one of the key note speakers at a conference in Atlanta for the Center of Disease control on his work in Cambodia. And just last week he was working on the finishing touches for a portable, ceramic water filter factory with the intentions of sending it to Sudan to help the refugees of Darfur.
Please pray for his wife and their five children. Please also pray for God to use this to bring salvation to the hundreds of thousands of Cambodians who have been impacted by Mickey's work.
Monday, March 9, 2009
25 things
I know this is a Facebook thing, but if I write it, it should count toward the blog.
25. I tend to be either a part of the "late majority" or a "laggard" when responding to current trends, fads, or fashions. This explains why everyone else has done this but me.
24. While I hold a fairly wide interest in a number of topics, I almost always have one particular thing that I'm really intrigued by at the moment. Some examples include: Baseball, The Dukes of Hazzard, Muscle cars, football, etc.
23. One of my positive addictions is weightlifting. Since I began lifting in seventh grade, the longest break I have taken is three months one summer.
22. I am most energized when I have a good balance of time with close friends and time alone.
21. I am extremely grateful and proud of my family, especially my Mom and Dad.
20. I used to get into quite a few fights when I was child. The only one I ever lost was with one of my best friends. Isn't that right, Andy?
19. I've been pulled over driving (for a variety of things) 9 times. At the moment, I've received only 2 tickets.
18. After being pulled over for the 8th time, you no longer get that nervous feeling in the pit of your stomach.
17. I was taken to the police station (in the backseat of a squad car) for "disturbing the peace and disorderly conduct." I had blown a musical horn I had installed in my truck.
16. I love deer and duck hunting with family and friends. One year I shot a 7 point buck on Saturday right-handed, and an 8 point on Sunday left-handed.
15. Despite going duck hunting more often, I killed more deer this year than ducks. Oh yeah, I killed one deer.
14. I love traveling with my wife, Rebekah. We've been to Israel and Cambodia together, and we hope to see more in the years ahead.
13. I can trace my ancestry back to Scotland on both my father's and my mother's side. If you're ever in Newtonmore, Scotland, be sure to check out the MacPherson clan museum.
12. I married the most beautiful, most brilliant, most fun girl in the world.
11. However, we are both first-borns in our family. Guess what that means.
10. While I can't seem to remember certain things I'm asked to do around the house, I can remember tons of useless junk. Ex. my high school football locker combination:10-12-17, my phone numbers from college: (870)245-4019 fresh, (870)245-4866so & jr, (870)230-8532 sr year.
9. I love my job and the men and women with whom I work.
8. I have been privileged to be mentored by several awesome men. Special recognition to Dick Bagwell, and the late Roy Buckelew.
7. Of all the different parts of the Bible, Paul and his letters are the parts that I have studied the most in-depth.
6. One day I would like to write a book about my friends, Nathan, Andy, Charlie, Matt, and Craig and the trouble we got into. I'm waiting until the statute of limitations runs out.
5. I am becoming a coffee snob. I got a coffee grinder for Christmas 2007, and I no longer drink instant coffee unless it is an emergency.
4. I split my brother's tongue down the middle on a family vacationone time, but they sowed it back up. It was the most quiet trip we ever took.
3. A few years later, my brother punched me and chipped my tooth.
2. As my brother and I have gotten older, we have become very good friends. We frequently talk over issues and challenges in our lives.
1. I love to read. If you have made it all the way down here, apparently so do you.
25. I tend to be either a part of the "late majority" or a "laggard" when responding to current trends, fads, or fashions. This explains why everyone else has done this but me.
24. While I hold a fairly wide interest in a number of topics, I almost always have one particular thing that I'm really intrigued by at the moment. Some examples include: Baseball, The Dukes of Hazzard, Muscle cars, football, etc.
23. One of my positive addictions is weightlifting. Since I began lifting in seventh grade, the longest break I have taken is three months one summer.
22. I am most energized when I have a good balance of time with close friends and time alone.
21. I am extremely grateful and proud of my family, especially my Mom and Dad.
20. I used to get into quite a few fights when I was child. The only one I ever lost was with one of my best friends. Isn't that right, Andy?
19. I've been pulled over driving (for a variety of things) 9 times. At the moment, I've received only 2 tickets.
18. After being pulled over for the 8th time, you no longer get that nervous feeling in the pit of your stomach.
17. I was taken to the police station (in the backseat of a squad car) for "disturbing the peace and disorderly conduct." I had blown a musical horn I had installed in my truck.
16. I love deer and duck hunting with family and friends. One year I shot a 7 point buck on Saturday right-handed, and an 8 point on Sunday left-handed.
15. Despite going duck hunting more often, I killed more deer this year than ducks. Oh yeah, I killed one deer.
14. I love traveling with my wife, Rebekah. We've been to Israel and Cambodia together, and we hope to see more in the years ahead.
13. I can trace my ancestry back to Scotland on both my father's and my mother's side. If you're ever in Newtonmore, Scotland, be sure to check out the MacPherson clan museum.
12. I married the most beautiful, most brilliant, most fun girl in the world.
11. However, we are both first-borns in our family. Guess what that means.
10. While I can't seem to remember certain things I'm asked to do around the house, I can remember tons of useless junk. Ex. my high school football locker combination:10-12-17, my phone numbers from college: (870)245-4019 fresh, (870)245-4866so & jr, (870)230-8532 sr year.
9. I love my job and the men and women with whom I work.
8. I have been privileged to be mentored by several awesome men. Special recognition to Dick Bagwell, and the late Roy Buckelew.
7. Of all the different parts of the Bible, Paul and his letters are the parts that I have studied the most in-depth.
6. One day I would like to write a book about my friends, Nathan, Andy, Charlie, Matt, and Craig and the trouble we got into. I'm waiting until the statute of limitations runs out.
5. I am becoming a coffee snob. I got a coffee grinder for Christmas 2007, and I no longer drink instant coffee unless it is an emergency.
4. I split my brother's tongue down the middle on a family vacationone time, but they sowed it back up. It was the most quiet trip we ever took.
3. A few years later, my brother punched me and chipped my tooth.
2. As my brother and I have gotten older, we have become very good friends. We frequently talk over issues and challenges in our lives.
1. I love to read. If you have made it all the way down here, apparently so do you.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Reviewing The Shack
Plot Summary: Mack's youngest daughter is abducted and killed. Though her body is not found, evidence of her death is found in an abandoned shack in the forest. Some time later, he receives a note from God to meet Him at the shack. What transpires is one man's struggle with life's heartaches and God's role in this. It is one of the most popular examples of narrative apologetics in recent days. (Spoiler warning!)
General Analysis: I found The Shack to be a captivating read, particularly once I had gotten through the first few chapters. It nobly attempts to address and often answer some of the most difficult questions of depravity, liberty and God's power over all. What I found particularly refreshing is that the author did not shy away from the tough questions, nor did he simply regurgitate overly-simplistic pat answers. This boldness has caused a number of readers to recoil with alarm, but I believe such courageous attempts should be thoughtfully considered and critiqued. Hence, this review.
Objections: I try to be generous to those who thoughtfully wrestle with understanding the faith, but I found two issues that ought to be called out. First, one of the more controversial features of the story is that God is personified as an African-American woman. This is explained as God's choice to reveal Himself in this way to Mack, to shatter his preconcieved ideas about God, formed by tradition and not by Scripture (in particular, that God is an old white guy). The author rightly notes that God is not simply male nor female, but that both together bear the image of God (Gen. 1:27). While this alone might could pass, it does cross the line of orthodoxy in the next frame. The book shows the full Trinity interacting with each other, talking together and so on. Here's the issue: the relationship between God and Jesus is revealed in the Bible exclusively as that of God the Father and God the Son. Jesus always refers to God as Father, and portraying their relationship to one another in any other way ventures into bad theological waters. It changes the way that we view the relationship between the first and second person of the Trinity, a relationship that the Gospels spend a decent amount of time discussing.
Second, the claim is made that their is no "boss" or authority among the Trinity. While it is true that no member of the Trinity is of less worth or power than the others, there is an authority structure or role for each member of the Trinity. "Now I want you to realize that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God" 1 Cor. 11:3. (See also John 16:12-15) God has established authority and order in His Creation, not as a demeaning thing, but as an opportunity for submission and love. The Shack shows a misunderstanding of the idea of authority, possibly even contempt toward it, missing the Bible's approach by a fair margin.
Commendations: Despite the issues above, I found quite a bit of the answers given in this book to be well-developed and acceptable. While the negative issues have received much of the attention, the good deserves more recognition. Solid, biblical truth is affirmed repeatedly, and often it is the extra-biblical traditions that are rightly attacked and corrected.
Most importantly, however, is the central idea of the story: God is love, and He desires to have a real, loving, and personal relationship with every person on the planet. He is not a distant redeemer, but One who is willing and available to be known by His people. This truth redeems all the short-comings of The Shack.
At least, that's my opinion.
General Analysis: I found The Shack to be a captivating read, particularly once I had gotten through the first few chapters. It nobly attempts to address and often answer some of the most difficult questions of depravity, liberty and God's power over all. What I found particularly refreshing is that the author did not shy away from the tough questions, nor did he simply regurgitate overly-simplistic pat answers. This boldness has caused a number of readers to recoil with alarm, but I believe such courageous attempts should be thoughtfully considered and critiqued. Hence, this review.
Objections: I try to be generous to those who thoughtfully wrestle with understanding the faith, but I found two issues that ought to be called out. First, one of the more controversial features of the story is that God is personified as an African-American woman. This is explained as God's choice to reveal Himself in this way to Mack, to shatter his preconcieved ideas about God, formed by tradition and not by Scripture (in particular, that God is an old white guy). The author rightly notes that God is not simply male nor female, but that both together bear the image of God (Gen. 1:27). While this alone might could pass, it does cross the line of orthodoxy in the next frame. The book shows the full Trinity interacting with each other, talking together and so on. Here's the issue: the relationship between God and Jesus is revealed in the Bible exclusively as that of God the Father and God the Son. Jesus always refers to God as Father, and portraying their relationship to one another in any other way ventures into bad theological waters. It changes the way that we view the relationship between the first and second person of the Trinity, a relationship that the Gospels spend a decent amount of time discussing.
Second, the claim is made that their is no "boss" or authority among the Trinity. While it is true that no member of the Trinity is of less worth or power than the others, there is an authority structure or role for each member of the Trinity. "Now I want you to realize that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God" 1 Cor. 11:3. (See also John 16:12-15) God has established authority and order in His Creation, not as a demeaning thing, but as an opportunity for submission and love. The Shack shows a misunderstanding of the idea of authority, possibly even contempt toward it, missing the Bible's approach by a fair margin.
Commendations: Despite the issues above, I found quite a bit of the answers given in this book to be well-developed and acceptable. While the negative issues have received much of the attention, the good deserves more recognition. Solid, biblical truth is affirmed repeatedly, and often it is the extra-biblical traditions that are rightly attacked and corrected.
Most importantly, however, is the central idea of the story: God is love, and He desires to have a real, loving, and personal relationship with every person on the planet. He is not a distant redeemer, but One who is willing and available to be known by His people. This truth redeems all the short-comings of The Shack.
At least, that's my opinion.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
I admit it...
I've gotten out of the blogging habit. Sorry for letting you all down.
I have, however, been developing some new stuff to post, and I think it will make up for the time away. Next post, I'll be reviewing the controversial novel The Shack.
No, it's not about the house I lived in during my senior year of college.
I have, however, been developing some new stuff to post, and I think it will make up for the time away. Next post, I'll be reviewing the controversial novel The Shack.
No, it's not about the house I lived in during my senior year of college.
Monday, February 9, 2009
Grief and Hope
Many of you noticed my absence over the last month or so before my previous post. Let me share the cause. On December 10, I got one of the worst phone calls of my life, as I learned that Becky Burns, one of the leaders in our singles ministry, had passed away unexpectedly. It rocked me, and it rocked our singles ministry. It was one of those tragedies that we all know is a part of life, but we try to avoid at all costs.
The days following her passing were paradoxical. On the one hand, it was one of the most stretching times of my life, as I tried to minister to the family and to our church while dealing with my own grief. On the other, it was so inspiring to see how our singles ministry rose up and met the crisis with unbelievable grace. The group ministered to the family by providing food, cleaning the house, helping to plan the memorial service, composing the service order, and putting together a slideshow for the reception. All this, along with countless emails, phone calls and text messages ensured that care was given in every possible way. It was nothing short of remarkable, truly the closest experience of "Acts 2" church as I have known.
I was honored to be asked to bring the message at Becky's service. It was, however, the hardest thing I have had to do in ministry. I don't know that I have had such an intense sense of dread about anything ever before. Yet, God's grace carried me through, just as it had for us all in the preceding days.
Now that several weeks have gone by, God is continuing to heal me along with the rest of our folks. We are not completely different than we were before our loss; in many ways the singles ministry is the same as before. At the same time, we have all been changed by this experience. We have experienced in a new way the concept of "community." We have learned together how to be vulnerable in our times of weakness, and to be strong in the face of intense difficulty. Most of all, I think we have learned a deeper truth of the Christian faith, that we do not"... grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope." Praise be to the everlasting God, who comforts us in our time of trial.
The days following her passing were paradoxical. On the one hand, it was one of the most stretching times of my life, as I tried to minister to the family and to our church while dealing with my own grief. On the other, it was so inspiring to see how our singles ministry rose up and met the crisis with unbelievable grace. The group ministered to the family by providing food, cleaning the house, helping to plan the memorial service, composing the service order, and putting together a slideshow for the reception. All this, along with countless emails, phone calls and text messages ensured that care was given in every possible way. It was nothing short of remarkable, truly the closest experience of "Acts 2" church as I have known.
I was honored to be asked to bring the message at Becky's service. It was, however, the hardest thing I have had to do in ministry. I don't know that I have had such an intense sense of dread about anything ever before. Yet, God's grace carried me through, just as it had for us all in the preceding days.
Now that several weeks have gone by, God is continuing to heal me along with the rest of our folks. We are not completely different than we were before our loss; in many ways the singles ministry is the same as before. At the same time, we have all been changed by this experience. We have experienced in a new way the concept of "community." We have learned together how to be vulnerable in our times of weakness, and to be strong in the face of intense difficulty. Most of all, I think we have learned a deeper truth of the Christian faith, that we do not"... grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope." Praise be to the everlasting God, who comforts us in our time of trial.
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