Friday, December 29, 2006

Part of something extraordinary

This is a quote from "The Secret Letter from Iraq" posted on the internet.

Some interesting observations in the letter, nothing earth-shattering, but very down-to-earth and touching.

One that caught my eye is here - the high re-enlistment rate among Marines. It just reminds me of how we all long to be part of something extraordinary. Where do you find it?

"Highest Unit Re-enlistment Rate — Any outfit that has been in Iraq recently. All the danger, all the hardship, all the time away from home, all the horror, all the frustrations with the fight here — all are outweighed by the desire for young men to be part of a band of brothers who will die for one another. They found what they were looking for when they enlisted out of high school. Man for man, they now have more combat experience than any Marines in the history of our Corps."

Saturday, December 09, 2006

Rising Tide Lifts All Boats

From Tom Peters' blog on Dec 8. He argues for promoting your whole industry, including your competitors, because it will benefit your business; and then differentiate yourself from your competitors through your work, not through badmouthing them.

"At the top of my business priority list, I want my overall market to grow by leaps and bounds. My market share will go down (It was about 100% after In Search of Excellence, when I was more or less the only public 'management guru'), but my revenue will soar—the 'bigger pie' axiom.

In short, I want my competitors to thrive. And I welcome their presence at my events. I go so far (see our 'Cool Friends' interviews, for example) as to enhance their careers!"

Tuesday, November 14, 2006

Is My Leadership Spiritual?

This brief article in Leadership Journal reminds us that spiritual leadership is really about communing with God. It is about letting him shape our character and vision, and then impacting those around us with his presence and purpose. The spiritual leader's first priority is time alone with God.

"Rather than leading from a place of frenetic, ego-driven activity, I am leading from a place of rest where I know what I am called to do and I am confident God will produce it. Rather than manufacturing ministry, I am leading from my own experience with God. Rather than being subject to inner compulsions of the self and outer demands of people's expectations, I am learning to respond to God's call upon my life."

Monday, November 13, 2006

Singapore, a new home for riches

From a Los Angeles Times story:

"Singapore, a new home for riches
The country, which has eased its banking laws, is touted as the next Switzerland. Its resort properties are luring wealthy foreigners."

If any wealthy foreigners are looking for a property investment in Singapore, my family and I would be glad to manage the place for you : )

Monday, October 23, 2006

The Shuffle Generation

Happy 5th Birthday, iPod!

Beyond our music-listening habits, the ipod and iTunes Store have revolutionized how we consume and control our entertainment.

"But to me, the iPod's biggest legacy will be the shift it symbolizes by its signature feature, the shuffle. In the simplest sense, this refers to the way iPod users can randomly reorder the contents of their music libraries to create instant radio stations stocked with music they chose. So although you don't know what song will come next, you know it's one you'll almost certainly like....

This reflects the experience that the Internet offers in other categories. Instead of buying an entire newspaper, you can cherry-pick articles from a vast virtual newsstand (shuffle the news!); instead of being stuck with the offerings in a department store or mall, you can engage in a focused global shopping spree in which even the most obscure goods are a mouse click away (shuffle the shopping!). And instead of being stuck in the covers of a book, or the contents of your local research library, Google promotes the prospect of typing in a few words in a search field and getting page after page or relevant results from books, videos, research reports and Web pages (shuffle all of human knowledge!)."

Saturday, October 14, 2006

The Power of Small

Years ago I read the classic book "The Ugly American" which teaches the power of personal action, appropriate technology, small development projects. It biased me against large capital projects in developing countries which seem to lend themselves to corruption, and which seemed to be the way the US government went about community development.

Today I read in Tom Peters' blog that that the so-called father of microlending won the Noble Peace Prize. I hope many more will take up this approach to development, which is the methodology which most of my friends in the Christian church and mission world are taking:

"Yunus is the father of microlending, one of the most potent tools of ours or any other times. Microlending was long dismissed by the powers that be (the World Bank among them) as being a peanuts idea. Big Loans for Big Projects was the ticket. Yup, big loans for big projects was the ticket for a few good things ... and an unimaginable amount of corruption.

Yunus started Grameen Bank in Bangladesh. A typical first loan is $15. After many a trial and many an error, Grameen ended up granting over 90% of its loans to women. (Women = Reliable. Men = Unreliable.) Lending primarily to women in a Muslim country was, to say the least, no mean feat. Yet Yunus persisted."

Thursday, October 12, 2006

Spiritual Formation

"Spiritual formation in a Christian tradition answers a specific human question: What kind of person am I going to be? It is the process of establishing the character of Christ in the person. That's all it is. You are taking on the character of Christ in a process of discipleship to him under the direction of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God. It isn't anything new, because Christians have been in this business forever. They haven't always called it spiritual formation, but the term itself goes way back."

- Dallas Willard

Wednesday, October 11, 2006

Thoughts on goodness and decency

From Dennis Prager:

"Indeed, much of the world is no longer capable of even identifying the indecent -- or the decent, for that matter. Moral relativism, multiculturalism and dividing humanity between strong and weak or rich and poor, as opposed to dividing it between the decent and the indecent, have all virtually paralyzed the human conscience.

The net result is that not only do the bad keep eradicating the good, but much of the world actually denies that fact, denies that we can even categorize any people as 'good' or 'bad,' and often opposes the best taking up arms against the worst.

Is the prognosis for good triumphing over bad therefore hopeless? Not yet. The good need to fight not only the bad but also the vast middle of humanity who can't tell the difference between the two. It is a daunting task."

Notes on Success

The ones who succeed are usually the ones who are not afraid of failure, and not deterred by failure. Which relates to a few of characteristics - courage to go for it, persistence to keep going for it, and vision to have something to go for.

"To put all of this in context, and before you start to vomit at my bragging, I must confess that I fail miserably about ten times for every one success. (That’s an accurate estimate. I’ve literally kept score.) But interestingly, the failures always involved activities that seemed entirely feasible. I was completely qualified for all of the things that failed. Ironically, I couldn’t even “keep my day job.”" [whereas his long list of successes involved areas way outside his competence, but where he had a premonition he could succeed]

Monday, October 09, 2006

The Biggest Mind-Flip in Business Today

This article reminds us that one smart person in the room is no longer enough. The most effective leaders are able to elicit and utilize the contributions of many people.

How are you at creating a culture of contribution?

"creativity is no longer about which companies have the most visionary executives, but who has the most compelling 'architecture of participation.' That is, which companies make it easy, interesting and rewarding for a wide range of contributors to offer ideas, solve problems and improve products? Ultimately, he argues, the companies that are most likely to dominate their business are the ones most adept at harnessing the collective intelligence of everyone with whom they do business."

Friday, October 06, 2006

Leadership for the "I-Cubed Economy"

I love the sound of this from one of my favorite writers. It's inspiring to me, and I would love to be "leaderful" as he describes it. But I'm a little skeptical about how this will really translate into our everyday lives, where people are comfortable with traditional authority structures.

"According to my recent research, we have entered what experts call the 'I-Cubed Economy' ... which stands for INTANGIBLES, INNOVATION, and INFORMATION. Knowledge assets (what people know and put into use), collaboration assets (who people interact with to create value), engagement assets (the level of commitment and energy of people) and time quality (how quickly value is created) are the four factors of production in this 'Intangible Economy' according to Wikipedia. 'They' also say this new era calls for new leadership ... 'post heroic' leadership which is based on 'bottom-up transformation fueled by shared power and community building.' Organizations that apply this leadership approach are referred to as 'leaderful' and assume that all of us have leadership qualities that can be pooled and drawn upon as needed.

Here's where this conversation gets juicy ... in a world that changes so rapidly, the gap between what we know and what we do has to close...leaders can't just know that command and control leadership doesn't work ... they actually have to DO a different kind of leadership ... NOW! The problem, as I see it, is that we lead from our rearview mirrors. We learn to lead from those who lead us, in an environment that supports old business practices and in cultures that reinforce old values and belief systems. If we learn from those before us ... are we not, in fact, followers? And, if we want to be great leaders, doesn't it make sense that we look to our 'followers' to learn how to lead? Imagine a future and live into it, rather than trying to just improve upon or change the past? We spend a lot of energy trying to capture and apply best practices ... but, in a world with so much change ... what is the shelf life of a best practice anyway?"

Wednesday, October 04, 2006

Countdown to 300 Million

The US population hits 300 million on Octebr 16th, up from 100 mil in 1915 and 200 mil in 1967.

Other interesting stats are mentioned in this LA Times article.

"Right now the formula is one birth per seven seconds, one death per 13 seconds and one net increase in immigrants per 30 seconds. With the number of deaths subtracted from the number of births, immigration accounts for about 40% of population growth."

Monday, October 02, 2006

Teaching Groups

Some thoughts worth considering for preachers, from Seth Godin's blog. In an increasingly selective world, how to make mass-delivered information interesting?

Make it emotional (preachers should get this one) and make it interactive (include time for personal reflection and small group interaction?).

I would also suggest making it enjoyable, which is perhaps part of making it emotional.

"Here’s my point: In our scan and skip world, in a world where technology makes it obvious that we can treat different people differently, how can we possibly justify teaching via a speech?

Speech is both linear and unpaceable. You can’t skip around and you can’t speed it up. When the speaker covers something you know, you are bored. When he quickly covers something you don’t understand, you are lost.

If marketing is the art of spreading ideas, then teaching is a kind of marketing. And teaching to groups verbally is broken, perhaps beyond repair. Consumers of information won’t stand for it....

If you teach--teach anything--I think you need to start by acknowledging that there’s a need to sell your ideas emotionally. So you need to use whatever tools are available to you--an evocative powerpoint image, say, or a truly impassioned speech.

Then, and this is the hard part, if you’re teaching to a group of more than three people, you need to find a way to engage that is non-linear. Q&A doesn’t work for a large group, because only the questioner is engaged at any given moment (if you’re lucky, the questioner represents more than a few, but she rarely represents all)."

Thursday, September 28, 2006

The Value of History

Here is another reminder of the importance of paying attention to what has gone on before. We can learn from our predecessors' experience and wisdom.

This article quotes John Ashcroft in a 9/11 memorial speech:

"Observation number two. The father of our Nation, George Washington, steamed open the mail in the fight for freedom. Abraham Lincoln suspended the writ of habeas corpus. Woodrow Wilson and Franklin Delano Roosevelt monitored all communications across our borders, and Roosevelt interned over a 100,000 people, a third of them that were citizens of the United States of America. Neither Woodrow Wilson nor Roosevelt suffered domestic casualties."

A Great Tribute

It is thrilling to read the tribute in this article about legendary golfer and follower of Christ, Byron Nelson.

Over and over people comment on the way he conducted himself and the way he was respected by others.

I especially like this summation: "the thing that defined the man was _______"

What kind of influence are you having on those who know you? If they summed up your character, what would they say defined you?

"'Byron Nelson was a man who was at peace, a man whose life and entire being was filled with joy,' Nantz said. 'If you were lucky enough to come into his area, he passed it on to you. For all his accomplishments, the thing that defined the man was his faith, his goodness and his joyful heart and spirit.'"

Tuesday, September 19, 2006

Customer Service - just don't say no

The Bible says: "Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them." (Eph 4:29)

It struck me that Jesus wants the default attitude of his followers to be positive, and to leave the critical responses up to him. (He tells us elsewhere not to worry, that he will judge.)

These are hard instructions for me to follow, because I am good at evaluating, and like to point out when others need correction. But he is the Boss, and I am just his counter worker - like this illustration about McDonald's from Seth Godin's blog:

"When I was in business school, we did the McDonald's case. Part of our preparation was to go to the nearby McDonald's with a stopwatch and clipboard. We walked in the door and stood just long enough to get noticed. Boy did those guys hop to attention. Then we went to another McDonald's and performed the following experiment (please, please do not try this at home, just take my word for it). We ordered a milkshake and a Big Mac. Ate half the Big Mac. Drank half the milkshake. We put the Big Mac remainder into the milkshake cup and went to the counter, 'I'm sorry, I can't drink this shake, there's a Big Mac in it.' They gave us a new one.

Why?

Because McDonald's didn't want counter people making decisions about who to say 'no' to. It was worth the expense of humoring idiots like my study group for the brand power of knowing that counter people didn't alienate people on a sliding scale."

Friday, September 15, 2006

What's the Matter with Liberals?

They don't like the marketplace decisions people make when they have economic freedom, so liberals want to force everyone to make the right decisions with their money. (Conservatives, on the other hand, focus on moral decisions.)

"Their campaign [against Wal-Mart] is liberalism as condescension. It is a philosophic repugnance toward markets.... Liberals, aghast, see the choices Americans make with their dollars and their ballots, and announce -- yes, announce -- that Americans are sorely in need of more supervision by ... liberals.

Before they went on their bender of indignation about Wal-Mart (customers per week: 127 million), liberals had drummed McDonald's (customers per week: 175 million) out of civilized society because it is making us fat, or something. So, what next? Which preferences of ordinary Americans will liberals, in their role as national scolds, next disapprove? Baseball, hot dogs, apple pie and Chevrolet?

No. The current issue of The American Prospect, an impeccably progressive magazine, carries a full-page advertisement denouncing something responsible for ``lies, deception, immorality, corruption, and widespread labor, human rights and environmental abuses'' and of having brought ``great hardship and despair to people and communities throughout the world.''

What is this focus of evil in the modern world? North Korea? The Bush administration? Fox News Channel? No, it is Coca-Cola (number of servings to Americans of the company's products each week: 2.5 billion).

When liberals' presidential nominees consistently fail to carry Kansas, liberals do not rush to read a book titled ``What's the Matter With Liberals' Nominees?'' No, the book they turned into a best-seller is titled ``What's the Matter With Kansas?'' Notice a pattern here?"

Thursday, September 14, 2006

NBC slices and dices "Veggie Tales"

Sad, but not all that surprising, to read about the anti-religious editing at NBC.

Veggie Tales is a very popular Christian children's cartoon which has sold more than 50 million DVDs. Network TV wants to get in on the bonanza, but having signed up the program, they want to strip it of what has made it popular - its biblical values.

"This is one of those moments where you understand that networks like NBC are only talking an empty talk and walking an empty walk when it comes to the First Amendment, and 'creative integrity,' and so on. They have told parents concerned about their smutty programs like 'Will and Grace' that if they're offended, they have a remote control as an option. The networks have spent millions insisting that we have a V-chip in our TV sets. Change the channel. Block it out.

But when it comes to religious programming -- programming that doesn't even mention Jesus Christ -- just watch the hypocrisy. Instead of telling viewers to just change the channel if they don't like it, or put in a V-chip for Bible verses, they demand to producers that all that outdated old-time religion has to be shredded before broadcast.

It's truly sad that this anti-religious hypocrisy would emerge. Today, no one in network TV fears what the children are watching -- unless it makes them think about God."

Wednesday, September 13, 2006

Americans' Four Visions of God

Although 91.8% of Americans say they believe in God, there is a lot of room for difference in what they mean by "believe" and by "God."

Baylor University has recently conducted the most extensive survey of American religious beliefs. They found belief in God falling into four views:

31% The Authoritarian God
24% The Distant God
23% The Benevolent God
16% The Critical God

"Still, says Baylor's Christopher Bader, “you learn more about people's moral and political behavior if you know their image of God than almost any other measure. It turns out to be more powerful a predictor of social and political views than the usual markers of church attendance or belief in the Bible.”"

Still, I don't like any of these labels for the God I worship, who is much bigger than labels.

Sunday, September 10, 2006

Family Movie Night

Here's a VERY favorable review of the new movie Lassie, along with a list of the some great movies for young viewers. Most of them I haven't heard of, but I now want to get them for family movie nights.

"Director Charles Sturridge has brought Lassie back to the screen, and it's likely that many moviegoers are rolling their eyes, writing it off as just another disposable kid-flick about wisecracking critters.

But think again. Lassie isn't just better than the other films currently being marketed for all ages. It's a rare work of substance, simplicity, and grace that deserves to be mentioned among the best features crafted for younger viewers in the last twenty years, including Mike Newell's Into the West, John Sayles' The Secret of Roan Inish, Alfonso Cuarón's A Little Princess, Agnieszka Holland's The Secret Garden, Carroll Ballard's Duma, and Andrew Davis's Holes. Some critics are using the word 'classic' even though it's only just arrived.

Sticking to the basic plot of Eric Wright's 1940 novel Lassie Come Home, this film returns Lassie to the context of the original novel, where her adventure leads her from the home of the Carraclough family in a Yorkshire mining town to a vast estate in Scotland."

Thursday, September 07, 2006

People Love Passion

We had a moment of silence on Monday for one of our heros, Steve Irwin. My family loved his shows and movie and were thrilled they got to meet him at the Singapore Zoo this year. We were stunned and saddened by news of his death.

We really couldn't believe it! How could he die? He was indestructable. He was an inspiration for all of us to be a little more adventurous. Now I guess we will all go back to playing it a little bit safer. Even Steve Irwin wasn't invincible.

What made him so appealing to us? He had tons of charisma and showed us adventures we didn't even dream about.

But I think it was how passionate he was about life that attracted us and millions around the world. Wouldn't you love to be half that enthusiastic half the time?

We'll miss the raw Stevo. Check out this article for a good protrait of him.

"'I can travel through life just being me. 'Cause, deadset, the secret of our success is just havin' raw Stevo.' "

Sunday, September 03, 2006

Gays must change, says archbishop

Glad to read these words by Rowan Williams, the leader of the world's Anglicans.

"The revelations came in a newspaper interview last week in which the archbishop denied that it was time for the church to accept homosexual relationships, suggesting that it should be welcoming rather than inclusive. 'I don't believe inclusion is a value in itself. Welcome is. We don't say 'Come in and we ask no questions'. I do believe conversion means conversion of habits, behaviours, ideas, emotions,' he told a Dutch journalist.

'Ethics is not a matter of a set of abstract rules, it is a matter of living the mind of Christ. That applies to sexual ethics.'"

Who's Paying Taxes

Interesting stats from the IRS:

"First, the new data show that the bottom 50% of Americans in income--U.S. households with an income below the median of $44,389--paid a smaller share of total income taxes in 2004 (3.3%) than in Bill Clinton's last year in office (3.9%). That 3.3% is the lowest share of total income taxes paid by the bottom half of earners in at least 30 years, and probably ever. The majority of American families with an income below $40,000 pay no income tax at all today, and many of them also get a welfare subsidy from the Earned Income Tax Credit that effectively offsets much of what they pay in payroll taxes."

Another interesting point, seemingly contradicting those who don't think the rich are paying their fair share:

Richest 1% earn 19% of US income, and pay 37% of taxes. In other words, twice their share.

The richest 5% earn 33% of US income and pay 57% of US taxes.

Thursday, August 31, 2006

The bacteria of stupidity

Summing up the world...

"the official spokesman of the Hamas-controlled Palestinian Authority, Ghazi Hamad....told his fellow Palestinians to dismiss Israel's responsibility for the growing state of anarchy and lawlessness in the Gaza Strip. He said it was time for the Palestinians to embark on a soul-searching process to see where they erred.
'We're always afraid to talk about our mistakes. We're used to blaming our mistakes on others. What is the relationship between the chaos, anarchy, lawlessness, indiscriminate murders, theft of land, family rivalries, transgression on public lands and unorganized traffic and the occupation? We are still trapped by the mentality of conspiracy theories -- one that has limited our capability to think.'


I pray for this man's safety after he said such a sensible thing in such a lunatic place. But what takes his comments beyond a brave, local wisdom to a shrewd global insight was his epigrammatic conclusion:
'We have all been attacked by the bacteria of stupidity.' 'We have lost our sense of direction and we don't know where we're headed.'


That seems to sum the world up pretty well. "

Crying wolf on the issue of evil

Bravo to Micahel Medved for pointing out the avoidance (on the left) and overuse (on the right), of labeling people evil

"Liberals regularly discredit themselves by their refusal to recognize the existence of evil in this world, and with their notorious reluctance to call that evil by its proper name. As conservatives, on the other hand, we occasionally undermine our cause by crying wolf on evil – imputing wickedness and malevolence to those with whom we merely disagree in ongoing debates on government policy."

Wednesday, August 30, 2006

There's gold in them there discs!

Interesting statistic here that reminds us how important the home video industry is to Hollywood studios.

"'Finding Nemo' is the all-time bestseller on DVD; it made $340 million at the U.S. box office and $537 million in home video."

Tuesday, August 29, 2006

Worldviews in Conflict

Dennis Prager makes a strong argument in this article for the moral inferiority of Islamic societies. Isn't Islam, if faithfully practiced, basically intolerant?

"No Muslim country treats non-Muslims and their religions anywhere nearly as decently as any Western non-Muslim country (including Israel) treats Muslims. That is why tens of millions of Muslims immigrate to non-Muslim societies and virtually no non-Muslim immigrates to any Muslim society. In every Muslim country, non-Muslims are either systematically persecuted at worst or treated as inferiors at best."

Worldviews in Conflict

Dennis Prager makes a strong argument in this article for the moral inferiority of Islamic societies. Isn't Islam, if faithfully practiced, basically intolerant?

"No Muslim country treats non-Muslims and their religions anywhere nearly as decently as any Western non-Muslim country (including Israel) treats Muslims. That is why tens of millions of Muslims immigrate to non-Muslim societies and virtually no non-Muslim immigrates to any Muslim society. In every Muslim country, non-Muslims are either systematically persecuted at worst or treated as inferiors at best."

Monday, August 28, 2006

Map Your Life

This looks like a lotta fun....I love maps, and I love nostalgia, so making a personalized map of my favorite places and memories sounds like something I could spend hours on!

"Built on conventional mapping data from services such as Google Maps, these sites let you add digital pushpins that link to personal descriptions of the locations....any visitor can peruse the contributions of others on these sites....

"Want to follow the virtual footsteps of Jack Bauer, protagonist of the TV show 24? Users can also post comments on other users' maps."

Thursday, August 24, 2006

Making What People Want

Note to those who are selling a product or service, but have no name recognition to launch from:

"I'm afraid we come back to something that marketers have been struggling with for a really long time--the best way to succeed is to have a really great product."

Tuesday, August 22, 2006

What People Want

We all want to be special while enjoying the comfort of the crowd.

"What people want

The same thing everyone else is having, but different.

A menu where the prices aren't all the same.

More attention than the person sitting next to them.

A slightly lower price than anyone else.

A new model, just moments before anyone else, but only if everyone else is really going to like it.

A seat at a sold out movie.

Access to the best customer service person in the shop, preferably the owner.

Being treated better, but not too much better.

Being noticed, but not too noticed.

Being right."

The War For China's Soul

Balanced view and interesting commentary on Chinese Christians in Time magazine:

"In the long run, though, government attempts to circumscribe how people practice their faith seem unlikely to succeed--and could well spark more unrest. It's telling that even in the face of such crackdowns, some Chinese Christians say they are confident that they will eventually win the freedom to practice their faith as they choose. Brother Chow (not his real name) is one. He is every inch the model of the modern Chinese Christian, a preacher who doubles as a businessman. Despite his pressed jeans, polo shirt and fancy mobile phone, he professes to believe in a deep, ancient faith, one that he says has carried many a Christian through persecution. 'Why don't I think it will be a problem? Because as time goes on, the government will get to know the Christian spirit and realize that God exists.' He smiles with the secret knowledge of a true believer. 'And then,' he says, 'they will become Christians too.'"

Islamic Fascists?

Helpful observations from columnist Charles Colson:

"The expression “Islamic fascism” is used in order to distinguish between ordinary Muslims and the perpetrators of terrorism. It serves also to make a point that our enemy isn’t Islam itself, but a particular kind of Islam that perpetrates terrorism and tyranny....

"That still leaves the question: Is it right to call the bin Ladens of the world “Islamic fascists”? The answer is “yes.” The president was right on.

"As Stephen Morris of Johns Hopkins recently wrote, fascism’s goal is to “achieve national greatness” through totalitarian control of both political and social life; it seeks to create an empire; and it “aspires to re-create a mythical past.”"

Monday, August 21, 2006

Renewing the Mind

In his book Renovation of the Heart, Dallas Willard quotes John Calvin, making a point from a Christian perspective similar to the one made by David Foster Wallace in my previous post on "Real Freedom."

For as the surest source of destruction to men is to obey themselves, so the only haven of safety is to have no other will, no other wisdom, than to follow the Lord wherever he leads. Let this, then, be the first step, to abandon ourselves, and devote the whole energy of our minds to the service of God." (Willard, p.63)


He goes on to point out that this has been the classic viewpoint of Christianity, following the teaching of the Bible which says, "let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think." (Romans 12:2)

Sunday, August 20, 2006

The Real Freedom That Comes From Education

Here's a fascinating commencement speech. The kind of stimulating thinking I don't hear very often.

"This, I submit, is the freedom of a real education, of learning how to be well-adjusted. You get to consciously decide what has meaning and what doesn't. You get to decide what to worship.

"Because here's something else that's weird but true: in the day-to day trenches of adult life, there is actually no such thing as atheism. There is no such thing as not worshipping. Everybody worships. The only choice we get is what to worship. And the compelling reason for maybe choosing some sort of god or spiritual-type thing to worship -- be it JC or Allah, bet it YHWH or the Wiccan Mother Goddess, or the Four Noble Truths, or some inviolable set of ethical principles -- is that pretty much anything else you worship will eat you alive. If you worship money and things, if they are where you tap real meaning in life, then you will never have enough, never feel you have enough. It's the truth. Worship your body and beauty and sexual allure and you will always feel ugly. And when time and age start showing, you will die a million deaths before they finally grieve you. On one level, we all know this stuff already. It's been codified as myths, proverbs, clichés, epigrams, parables; the skeleton of every great story. The whole trick is keeping the truth up front in daily consciousness.

"Worship power, you will end up feeling weak and afraid, and you will need ever more power over others to numb you to your own fear. Worship your intellect, being seen as smart, you will end up feeling stupid, a fraud, always on the verge of being found out. But the insidious thing about these forms of worship is not that they're evil or sinful, it's that they're unconscious. They are default settings.

"They're the kind of worship you just gradually slip into, day after day, getting more and more selective about what you see and how you measure value without ever being fully aware that that's what you're doing.

"And the so-called real world will not discourage you from operating on your default settings, because the so-called real world of men and money and power hums merrily along in a pool of fear and anger and frustration and craving and worship of self. Our own present culture has harnessed these forces in ways that have yielded extraordinary wealth and comfort and personal freedom. The freedom all to be lords of our tiny skull-sized kingdoms, alone at the center of all creation. This kind of freedom has much to recommend it. But of course there are all different kinds of freedom, and the kind that is most precious you will not hear much talk about much in the great outside world of wanting and achieving and [unintelligible -- sounds like 'displayal']. The really important kind of freedom involves attention and awareness and discipline, and being able truly to care about other people and to sacrifice for them over and over in myriad petty, unsexy ways every day.

"That is real freedom. That is being educated, and understanding how to think. The alternative is unconsciousness, the default setting, the rat race, the constant gnawing sense of having had, and lost, some infinite thing."

Saturday, August 19, 2006

'A More Practical Approach'

This thoughts in this article do not so much represent a new attitude by Christians in China as they represent a new kind of Christian in China.

Educated, urban professionals who have become Christians recently, and who became adults since Deng Xiaoping's reforms.

They have more progressive expectations for Chinese society than the less educated, rural Christians who have been believers longer and experienced persecution as a powerless minority.

This is an exciting development in China's move toward building a civil society. May God bless them and increase their numbers.

"As Yu Jie put it at the conference, 'Christians need to change from 'silent resilience' to a more practical approach. Christians have to change.' That more practical approach will require a shift in consciousness and terminology—from 'underground church' to 'family church,' said Yu Jie.

Yu Jie goes further. 'We want to bring changes to China through the love and justice of God, and through nonviolent means. God will raise great spiritual men like Martin Luther King and Archbishop Tutu who changed their countries by their faith.'"

Friday, August 18, 2006

Life Lessons through Failure

Years later, a former player realized that the difficult experiences on his college basketball team were what taught him the lessons that helped him succeed in business and family and life.

"'I look back at my days at UCLA and now realize it was the greatest experience any young person could have had.” Hill recalls.

“I discovered learning can’t always be pleasant. Sometimes the people who help you the most when you're young aren't necessarily the ones telling you everything is great all the time.”"

Thursday, August 17, 2006

God's Hall of Fame

This poem had a profound impact on me as a teenager when I read it in John Wooden's book "They Call Me Coach."

God's Hall of Fame

To have your name inscribed up there is greater yet by far,
Than all the halls of fame down here and everyone man-made star.
This crowd on earth, they soon forget the heroes of the past,
They cheer like mad until you fall and that's how long you last.

I tell you, friend, I would not trade my name, however small,
If written there beyond the stars in that celestial hall,
For any famous name on earth or glory that they share,
I'd rather be an unknown here and have my name up there."

Wednesday, August 16, 2006

Living Under a Rock

This reminder from marketing guru Seth Godin for anyone who is trying to get a message across:

"Never underestimate the ability of the public to ignore you. They can and they will."

Tuesday, August 15, 2006

Lodestars of Breakthrough Success

Worthy of some reflection and self-evaluation: how do you rate in your quotient of focus, curiosity, passion, and courage?

"Nothing of much significance has ever been achieved, and nothing of much value has ever been created, that wasn't, at some time the point of someone's single-minded focus, the object of someone's intense curiosity, the subject of someone's deep passion, and the product of someone's enduring courage."

Monday, August 14, 2006

Class envy

Observations from Abraham Lincoln that I think apply to modern-day terrorism: isn't it really class envy?

"You cannot further the brotherhood of man by encouraging class hatred.
You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich."

Sunday, August 13, 2006

"World opinion" is worthless

Dennis Prager comments on the value of "world opinion." As someone else said, it is doubtful if the majority has ever been right.

"If you are ever morally confused about a major world issue, here is a rule that is almost never violated: Whenever you hear that 'world opinion' holds a view, assume it is morally wrong.

"And here is a related rule if your religious or national or ethnic group ever suffers horrific persecution: 'World opinion' will never do a thing for you. Never.

"'World opinion' has little or nothing to say about the world's greatest evils and regularly condemns those who fight evil."

Saturday, August 12, 2006

Sharpest Manmade Object Ever: A Tungsten Needle

This is amazing. I don't think I've ever seen a picture of an atom before.

"The picture you're looking at on the left is the tip of a tungsten needle, which happens to be the sharpest object ever made by man. How sharp is it? Well, you see those red and black orbs? Those are ATOMS! And the tip of the needle? One single atom."

Friday, August 11, 2006

What LA Needs

On my recent trip to LA, the biggest change I saw from 2 years ago is how freeway traffic is now a daylong affair. No longer are the roads wide open from 10am to 3pm.

LA drivers need a m more sophisticated way to figure out where the congestion is. Of course, they also need more highways.

"If you want to understand what an Internet-map-powered world might be like, look to Europe, where there's a higher adoption rate of mapping technology. In the United States, for example, commuters get traffic updates from frenzied helicopter pilots shouting over muddled AM radio; it's literally a top-down model. Many European drivers enjoy a more elegant solution. TomTom, Europe's leading in-car navigation company, dynamically updates traffic conditions on the maps in users' GPS devices, including which roads are congested because of an accident or roadwork and even the location of speed traps, all with the help of its subscribers. In effect, travelers are forming instant communities to cooperatively learn about their environment."

The compassionate ones

This article points out that the overwhelming factor in determining a person's compassion level is not politics, but religion:

"conservatives have slightly more compassionate attitudes than liberals; for example, they are three percentage points more likely to say they have tender, concerned feelings for the less fortunate.

Far more important than politics, however, is religion: people who attend their house of worship nearly every week are 15 points more likely to say they have tender feelings toward the less fortunate than people who never attend worship services (or attend less than once a year). That difference persists even when grouping people by their demographic characteristics, such as age, race, education, sex, marital status, and income.

As we all know, talk is cheap. So even if religious people say they feel more compassionate, do they also act more compassionately?

They do. Religious people of all political persuasions are 40 per cent more likely to donate to charities each year than secular people, and more than twice as likely to volunteer. They are also more than three times more likely than secular people to give each month, and three and one-half times as likely to volunteer that often.

And those religious believers aren't just giving to their churches, either. Research on volunteerism and philanthropy shows clearly that people who give and volunteer for religious organisations are far more likely than others to donate time and money to secular charities as well. For example, a 2000 survey of 30,000 people around the United States shows that religious people are 10 percentage points more likely than secularists to give (and 21 points more likely to volunteer) to explicitly nonreligious causes and charities.

Perhaps it is unfair to conclude that secular people (even those who feel compassionate) are simply less generous than religious people. Secularists with compassionate sentiments may simply be more likely to favour non-private means to help others - say, by supporting higher taxes to cover government welfare pa"

Tuesday, August 08, 2006

Do You Need A Boss?

From Seth Godin's blog:

You don't realize how much you need a boss until you don't have one. Bosses don't always do the following, especially when they're not very good bosses, but here's what we know about good bosses:

Bosses organize your time for you.
Bosses decide what's urgent.
Bosses give you cover when you work on something stupid ('she told me to!')
Bosses pay you even when the client doesn't honor the invoice.
Bosses can be sued.
Bosses create deadlines, and stick with them.
Bosses make sure you show up in the morning.
Bosses pay for the Postits.
Bosses give you someone to complain about.
Bosses carve up the work and give you just that piece you signed up to do.
Bosses give you a role model. (Sometimes one to work against, but that's a different story).

The main thing a boss does, though, is give you the momentum you need to get through the stuff that takes perseverance. The main thing that ends the career of a Free Agent is the lack of a hand pushing on the back, someone handing out assignments and waiting for the deliverables. Who keeps you going when you don't feel like doing it?

If you don't have a boss, you may need to invent one."

Tuesday, July 11, 2006

06_crm_allstaff.jpg


06_crm_allstaff.jpg
Originally uploaded by crmphoto.
Our family had a great time at the CRM Worldwide Conference, connecting with colleagues from around the world who are building spiritual leaders. Our boys, especially, feel a great sense of connection being "CRM Kids."

Sunday, July 09, 2006

What Was the Point, Again?

I like this quote on the decline of American liberal Christianity:

"When your religion says 'whatever' on doctrinal matters, regards Jesus as just another wise teacher, refuses on principle to evangelize and lets you do pretty much what you want, it's a short step to deciding that one of the things you don't want to do is get up on Sunday morning and go to church."

Friday, June 30, 2006

What if They Built an Urban Wireless Network and Hardly Anyone Used It?

I'm sitting in a public library in southern California and enjoying the free public wireless internet connection that the city of Fullerton provides. It's wonderful for a visitor like me, who doesn't have internet access where I am staying.

But if I lived here, I would have broadband at home and at the office, and doubt I would go to the library to get on the internet.

Maybe it would be helpful if I am out somewhere and need to check the internet or email for some reason, but that would be on rare occasions.

"Yet as Taipei has found out, just building a citywide network does not guarantee that people will use it."

Monday, June 26, 2006

Family in Monterey



My boys fell in love with the California coastline on a trip to Monterey in June.

Friday, June 09, 2006

Shaq Blames Poor Performance on Brainpower

Shaquille O'Neal and the Miami Heat lost the opener of the NBA Championship series when "the three-time champion went 1-for-9 at the free throw line, leading Miami's abysmal 7-for-19 performance.

"'Throughout my career, I've known that for my team to win a championship, I have to step up at the line,' O'Neal said. 'I will. I was probably thinking about it too much.'"

Thinking about it too much?

Yes, sometimes we can over-analyze. Lots of times our intuition knows what our brains haven't figured out yet.

Have you been able to find that balance between your cognitive and intuitive strengths?

Thursday, June 08, 2006

A Sea of Sand Is Threatening China's Heart

Wow, read the staggering statistic from this article about the advance of the desert in NW China "...its precarious state threatens to accelerate the spread of barren wasteland to the heart of China.

The national 937 Project, set up to fight the encroaching desert, estimated in April that 1,500 square miles of land, roughly the size of Rhode Island, is buried each year. Nearly all of north central China, including Beijing, is at risk."

Could it be that the crucial commodity for China's future is not oil, but water?

Monday, June 05, 2006

Attention-Juggling in the High-Tech Office

"TECHNOLOGY is having a double-edged impact in the workplace, says Ed Reilly, president and chief executive of the American Management Association. It improves productivity, he says, but it may also be a distraction that prevents high-quality thinking."

I like the sound of that phrase: "high-quality thinking."

How important is high-quality thinking to my work and life, and what do I do to pursue it?

Certainly time-management is crucial. Also relating to people that stimulate my thinking, and putting myself in learning contexts. And carving out blocks of time for thinking rather than for action.

It reminds me of a phrase I read in a bok by Eugene Peterson more than 20 years ago. "When did the pastor's study become the pastor's office?"

And back then, we didn't even have computers in our offices. Or fax machines. Or cell phones! But I think even 2,000 years ago it was easy to let activity crowd out the "high-level" functions of thinking and spiritual formation.

"We apostles should spend our time preaching and teaching the word of God, not administering a food program." Acts 6:2

Sunday, May 28, 2006

New Friends from Down Under

We had a great visit with houseguests Rick & Marcy Paynter this week.

Rick is a pastor in Melbourne, and they are friends with my mate Steve. Check out their website. Marcy is a Creative Arts lover, so she and K!Mberly shared some drama. They introduced us to a great learning resource from Mars Hill Church in Michigan, USA, called Nooma.


Saturday, May 27, 2006

Zeroing In on a Hundred

UCLA has set the standard in US collegiate athletics, and are about to be the first team to reach the milestone of 100 team championships.

They were a relative newcomer when they won their first championship in 1950, more than fifty years after Yale won the first NCAA team title. However, since then they have passed up every other school by a wide margin.

"The Bruins are No. 1 in No. 1s and are on the cusp of a milestone.

The women's water polo team notched UCLA's 99th NCAA team title on May 14 — toppling USC in the championship game, no less. Stanford is second with 92 titles, and USC is third with 84, with a huge margin over fourth-place Oklahoma State, which has 47."

Monday, May 22, 2006

Coaching Your Best People

Here's some practical help from Marcus Buckingham's book, "First, Break All the Rules" on how to attract, retain and develop top performers.

"Gallup narrowed the material down to 12 questions that proved to be effective tools to measure the core elements needed to attract, focus, and keep the most talented employees. Here they are:

1. Do I know what is expected of me at work?

2. Do I have the materials and equipment I need to do my work right?

3. At work, do I have the opportunity to do what I do best every day?

4. In the last seven days, have I received recognition or praise for good work?

5. Does my supervisor, or someone at work, seem to care about me as a person?

6. Is there someone at work who encourages my development?

7. At work, do my opinions seem to count?

8. Does the mission/purpose of my company make me feel like my work is important?

9. Are my co-workers committed to doing quality work?

10. Do I have a best friend at work?

11. In the last six months, have I talked with someone about my progress?

12. At work, have I had opportunities to learn and grow?

According to the book First Break All the Rules, questions 1, 2, 3, 5 and 7 are linked to retention."

Sunday, May 21, 2006

The Fictional Defense

"It's just a story" say the movie makers, but they take the Davinci Code details so seriously.

"Given this kind of dialogue, it's impossible to take the filmmakers seriously when they say that their movie makes no historical or theological claims. Why did they feel the need to add details missing from Brown's book, or to correct some of its errors, if the historical claims didn't really matter? And would they have been just as pleased with a closing scene in which Langdon said Jesus is the divine Son of God who became man to show us how to become the fully human beings we were originally meant to be? Somehow, I doubt it."

Saturday, May 20, 2006

A Maniacal Focus on Talent

I love what this article has to say. Basically:

It's the people, stupid!

While most organizations may say they agree with this value (our people are our biggest asset), most don't actually act like it.

Perhaps it's because they don't know what to do. Finding and cultivating talent isn't easy. It's a soft science, which most of us aren't good at.

Or perhaps they don't really have the vision for it, assuming that top performers will develop themselves without corporate guidance. They may question whether the time and effort spent by organizations to develop their people really pays off.

But some companies like those studied in this article, have developed systematic approaches to finding and developing their top performers.

Who should be leading the way in developing people? Churches!

"All leading firms display this one obsessive characteristic: a maniacal focus on getting, developing and retaining the best talent. Their attention to human resources is pivotal to their performance: staff stay with them and grow to become great leaders, and good leadership leads to superior financial performance. A veritable mantra for success."

Friday, May 19, 2006

Laughable "Code" Kicks Off Cannes

Didn't anyone else feel this way about the book?

I can't understand how it became such a hit, except that people love a conspiracy theory.

Pedantic, polemic, arrogant, clumsy, plodding.

"Da Vinci's overreliance on exposition drew jeers on several occasions toward the end of the screening and even prompted a few walkouts, as it faithfully went through the motions of translating Brown's elaborate puzzler of a book to the big screen.

'At the high point, there was laughter among the journalists. Not loud laughs, but a snicker, and I think that says it all,' the Associated Foreign Press quoted Gerson Da Cunha from the Times of India."

Sunday, May 14, 2006

How to Become an Expert Performer

In a word, practice.

And a word of caution: If you're going to spend enough time practicing something to become great at it, you had better pick something you like to do.

Which is why people don't often become experts at things they don't like - they are not willing to spend the time practicing that is necessary to become an expert.

"Their work, compiled in the 'Cambridge Handbook of Expertise and Expert Performance,' a 900-page academic book that will be published next month, makes a rather startling assertion: the trait we commonly call talent is highly overrated. Or, put another way, expert performers — whether in memory or surgery, ballet or computer programming — are nearly always made, not born. And yes, practice does make perfect. These may be the sort of clichés that parents are fond of whispering to their children. But these particular clichés just happen to be true.

Ericsson's research suggests a third cliché as well: when it comes to choosing a life path, you should do what you love — because if you don't love it, you are unlikely to work hard enough to get very good. Most people naturally don't like to do things they aren't 'good' at. So they often give up, telling themselves they simply don't possess the talent for math or skiing or the violin. But what they really lack is the desire to be good and to undertake the deliberate practice that would make them better."

What Is the Best Work of American Fiction of the Last 25 Years?

This NY Times article lists 27 books. How many have I read? Zero. Most of the authors I've never even heard of.

Wow, it's a little sobering to realize how out of touch I am with what is considered great literature.

I read good non-fiction books, but the fiction I read is pure entertainment: John Grisham, David Baldacci, etc.

Maybe I should try a few of these for a stretch.

Universal Library

I remember reading in the 90s that the future was digital. This prfoundly influenced me to realize that what I had in digital format was useable, and re-useable.

But it was really in the 00s that Google led the way in teaching us that what was digital was searchable, making it useable to others also.

"When Google announced in December 2004 that it would digitally scan the books of five major research libraries to make their contents searchable, the promise of a universal library was resurrected. Indeed, the explosive rise of the Web, going from nothing to everything in one decade, has encouraged us to believe in the impossible again. Might the long-heralded great library of all knowledge really be within our grasp?

Brewster Kahle, an archivist overseeing another scanning project, says that the universal library is now within reach. 'This is our chance to one-up the Greeks!' he shouts. 'It is really possible with the technology of today, not tomorrow. We can provide all the works of humankind to all the people of the world. It will be an achievement remembered for all time, like putting a man on the moon.' And unlike the libraries of old, which were restricted to the elite, this library would be truly democratic, offering every book to every person.

But the technology that will bring us a planetary source of all written material will also, in the same gesture, transform the nature of what we now call the book and the libraries that hold them. The universal library and its 'books' will be unlike any library or books we have known. Pushing us rapidly toward that Eden of everything, and away from the paradigm of the physical paper tome, is the hot technology of the search engine."

Thursday, May 11, 2006

'Da Vinci Code' Now a Tool to Win Christian Converts

This article recounts some of the approaches Christian churches across the US are taking to dialogue and answer peoples' questions about the famous book and upcoming movie.

As I was listening to a good sermon about DaVinci Code last Sunday, I thought "Christians are going to learn more about the reliability of the Bible and early church history than ever before."

I also thought, this movie is going to separate the proverbial wheat from the chaff. No thinking person could be dissuaded from believing in Jesus because of the fabricated statements in the book - but it will give ammunition to people who are looking for an excuse not to believe.

"His sermon, like many on 'The Da Vinci Code,' was no fast-paced romp through the novel's intrigues. It presented historical, archeological and theological evidence about key elements of Brown's conspiracy theory: The Gnostic gospels, the Council of Nicea, the Roman Emperor Constantine, the Priory of Sion.

In recent years, evangelical pastors have shied away from such dense sermons, preferring to preach practical self-help messages instead. 'The Da Vinci Code' has prompted a renewed interest in basic theology — to many scholars' delight."

Monday, May 08, 2006

Let's Othercott Da Vinci

This writer makes a lot of sense to me.

While I applaud Christians' intent of engaging culture and using interest in DaVinci Code to talk with people about the historical facts about Jesus and the impact of his life, I don't want to contribute a cent to the success of the movie.

I threw the book in the rubbish bin and was sorry I had bought it.

"This film is based on a book that wears its heresy and blasphemy as a badge of honor, and I intend to stay far away from it."

Sunday, May 07, 2006

UCLA Wins Another Title

"Steve Klosterman and Damien Scott helped UCLA win its NCAA-record 19th volleyball title Saturday, leading the Bruins to a 30-27, 30-27, 30-27 victory over Penn State. "

The Suspense is Over!

We can now get back to work for another five years, as Singapore's nine-day election distraction has come to a resounding close.

"Final results showed Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's People's Action Party winning 82 of 84 seats in Parliament, including 37 seats it captured automatically before the election because the opposition did not contest them.

The breakdown of seats — with two for the opposition — is unchanged from the outgoing Parliament. The result was widely expected, but the percentage of votes won by the ruling party dropped to 66.6 percent from 75.3 percent in the last election in 2001, indicating that more Singaporeans want new voices in government."

Friday, May 05, 2006

Motivation of a Winner

Al Scates is the dominant presence in the US collegiate volleyball scene, having led his UCLA teams to NCAA championships 18 times in 43 years, named Coach of the Year 5 times, developed many of the greatest players in US volleyball, and won 1,100 matches.

What keeps him going after seemingly accomplishing everything there is to accomplish in his profession?

"'He takes pride in finding the perfect spot for each player so the players can have their optimum performance on the court, and makes sure the players are confident in their roles,' [UCLA assistant coach] Rofer said. 'He gets excited when the team starts to play well, and its great to see him do what he loves.' "

Now that's the definition of a great manager, and a great coach. He is motivated by bringing out the best in people, and creating the most effective team. What gets him excited is not the winning per se, but seeing the individuals and the team reach their greatest potential.

Monday, May 01, 2006

Singapore Record Falls

Which record, you ask? The World's Longest Chain of Bras!

Do you know how many records Singapore holds in the Guinness Book?

I'm not sure, either, but certainly more than our fair share. Last I checked, we still held those for largest Tea Party and Duck Race, and longest Line Dance.

But will this new development signal a downward trend? I'm sure the Government will think of something, so we can keep our place among the great countries of the world (at least among those following these kinds of records!)

"Their success will shove Singapore, which had held the record since 2003 with 79,000 bras, off the top spot in the Guinness Book of World Records."

Saturday, April 29, 2006

A Tale of Two Kids

Wednesday night I was driving my 13-year old son, Tyler, to guitar class, and we were admiring the small sports car next to us.

"Dad, have you seen the body shape of the Jaguar? It's really cool."

"Son, the only Jaguar you'll ever drive is your uncle's (the lawyer)."

Smiling smugly, "Just give me time, Dad."

Cameron Highlands

This morning my younger son, 8-year-old Cameron, was leaving for piano class with his mom. I was quizzing him on highlights of his week.

"What's your favorite thing to do?"

"Praise God."

"You mean like worship?"

"Singing, reading the Bible, praying."

Cameron Highlands

He's also the son that wants to go to work with me when he grows up : ) The older one wants to be an actor, or an artist, or a musician, or a Marine - thanks to his new favorite computer game "First to Fight," where he is learning all about warfare tactics and has a new admiration for soldiers.

Sunday, April 23, 2006

Laps Are the New Desks

Lovin' my laptop!

For 4 years now, my laptop has been my primary computer. For me, the reason is that I work from office AND home AND on the road.

This article gives a few other reasons why laptops have outsold desktop computers for the past few years. (starting in May 2003 or May 2005, depending on the source)

"This is due to three major trends: First, laptops have become more advanced, and the technology they contain finally rivals that offered by desktop PCs. Second, laptops have become dramatically cheaper over the past few years. Companies such as Dell and Hewlett-Packard are currently offering models for around $500, with rebates. But the third and probably most important reason laptops have been selling so well is the remarkable spread of wireless technology. Airports, hotels, coffee shops, college campuses, convention centers and almost anywhere business takes place or people simply have to stop and think, Wi-Fi is there."

Broadcasters Worried

This article doesn't proclaim the death of TV, but it does claim that attention is shifting to the internet for people satisfying their entertainment needs.

Will the internet one day replace broadcasting? On-demand instead of everyone at the same time?

As the choices in media explode, it certainly seems that the world is moving toward more and more tailored/personalized consumption of media content.

"It's not entirely clear yet they can cash in on the growing shift of advertising dollars and eyeballs to the Internet, but local broadcasters have no choice but to try."

Wednesday, April 12, 2006

The Gospel of Judas and Gnosticism

Pointing out the historical and theological inacurracy of "the Gospel of Judas" and the media manipulation of it's release.

"The Judas Gospel:

Suppose that sometime around the year 3,800 A.D., someone wrote a newspaper that began: 'According to a recently-discovered document, which appears to have been written sometime before 1926, Benedict Arnold did not attempt to betray George Washington and the American cause, as is commonly believed. Rather, Benedict Arnold was acting at the request of George Washington, because Washington wanted Arnold to help him create a dictatorship of the proletariat and the abolition of private property.'

A reader who knew her ancient history would recognize that the newly-discovered 'Arnold document' was almost certainly not a historically accurate account of the relationship between George Washington and Benedict Arnold. The reader would know that the terms 'dictatorship of the proletariat' and 'abolition of private property' come from a political philosophy, Marxism, which was created long after Washington and Arnold were dead. The reader would also know that the most reliable records from the 18th century provided no support for the theory that Washington or Arnold favored a dictatorship of the proletariat or the abolition of private property.

This Friday's coverage of the so-called 'Gospel of Judas' in much of the U.S. media was appallingly stupid. The Judas gospel is interesting in its own right, but the notion that it disproves, or casts into doubt, the traditional orthodox understanding of the betrayal of Jesus is preposterous.

In the March 2 issue of USA Today, ancient Egyptian documents expert James Robinson correctly predicted that the owners of the Judas Gospel manuscript would attempt to release it to coincide with the publicity build-up for 'The DaVinci Code' movie, but explained that the 'gospel' was part of a genre of pseudo-gospels from the second century onward, in which the authors simply made up the stories. In contrast, virtually all serious scholarship about the canonical gospels (Matth"

Tuesday, April 11, 2006

Gospel of Judas and Theology 101

My friend Randy writes about the media frenzy over "The Gospel of Judas." Nothing new there, and nothing true there, but a choreographed media story to create more attention, not to shed more light or truth.

"I personally find the interpretation of Judas' actions in the gospel really interesting. Wow, talk about a spin job. You can see the prefiguring of gnosticism in some of Plato's work, and in contemporary forms of Buddhism. The idea that the body, or the material world, as a prison, is a long and distinguished doctrine, but historic Christianity cut it off at the knees through the doctrine of the incarnation. In saying that God became material, became a part of the physical universe, Christianity redeems the material world, and all of the pleasures that go with it. This is why theology 101 is really important."

Friday, April 07, 2006

Learning Their Lessons

Failure can be a huge motivator. It can also be a trap. I once took a graduate leadership class in which all the students were asked to introduce ourselves by telling of one of our failures.

What really counts is how we respond to failure and success.

This article points out that UCLA's players and coach are taking the disappointment over their championship loss and funneling it into motivation for the hard work and dedication that will get them back into the final game next season.

That shows a lot of character. Great lessons that are helpful in all of life

"'We have to remember this hurtful feeling and learn from it,' Afflalo said. 'We're not going to forget losing this game. Experiences like this, I think, allow me to work hard and try to get better. This is going to be there for a while.'"

Friday, March 24, 2006

Gotta Believe

Wow! I don't believe it.

The UCLA basketball team had a great comeback win tonight. Trailing Gonzaga the entire game, by as many as 17 points, they scored the last 11 points to win 73-71.

Great team effort, reminiscent of comebacks last season of the football team.

In this tournament, one of the signs of greatness, destiny, is a team that wins a "miracle" game. Like the '95 Bruin buzzer-beater by Tyus Edney over Missouri. It shows heart. UCLA has been coasting until their close game with Alabama, now with a "miracle" win over Gonzaga, is their anything that can stop them from the championship?


Bruins (28-6)
On Court PTS REB AST PF
J. Farmar 15 0 7 3
A. Afflalo 15 2 1 4
L. Mbah a Moute 14 10 0 4
R. Hollins 12 7 0 2
C. Bozeman 4 4 4 3

Thursday, March 23, 2006

100 Most Influential NCAA Athletes

The NCAA is celebrating 100 years in 2006, and this article lists the most influential student athletes during that century.

Quite a legacy from my alma mater of not only oustanding athletes, but also outstanding people.

"UCLA heads the NCAA list with eight of the 100 Most Influential Student-Athletes in History. Two Bruins, Jackie Robinson and Arthur Ashe, rank No. 1 and No. 2"

Tuesday, March 21, 2006

The Power of Affirmation

I don't know if this story is true or not...but I know the principles are true.

We all crave affirmation, and what others tell us shape our own self-image.

In turn, our self-image shapes how we behave.

I'm a sucker for stories like this...

One day a teacher asked her students to list the names of the other students in the room on two sheets of paper, leaving a space between each name. Then she told them to think of the nicest thing they could say about each of their classmates and write it down.

It took the remainder of the class period to finish their assignment, and as the students left the room, each one handed in the papers.

That Saturday, the teacher wrote down the name of each student on a separate sheet of paper,and listed what everyone else had said about that individual. On Monday she gave each student his or her list.

Before long, the entire class was smiling. "Really?"she heard whispered. "I never knew that I meant anything to anyone!" and, "I didn't know others liked me so much," were most of the comments. No one ever mentioned those papers in class again. She never knew if they discussed them after class or with their parents, but it didn't matter. The exercise had accomplished its purpose. The students were happy with themselves and one another. That group of students moved on.

Several years later, one of the students was killed in Vietnam. His teacher attended the funeral of that special student. She had never seen a serviceman in a military coffin before. He looked so handsome, so mature. The church was packed with his friends. One by one those who loved him took a last walk by the coffin. The teacher was the last one to bless the coffin.

As she stood there, one of the soldiers who had acted as a pallbearer came up to her. "Were you Mark's maths teacher?" he asked. She nodded: "Yes." Then he said: "Mark talked about you a lot."

After the funeral, most of Mark's former classmates went together to a luncheon. Mark's mother and father were there, obviously waiting to speak with his teacher. "We want to show you something," his father said, taking a wallet out of his pocket. "They found this on Mark when he was killed. We thought you might recognise it?"

Opening the billfold, he carefully removed two worn pieces of notebook paper that had obviously been taped, folded and refolded many times. The teacher knew without looking that the papers were the ones on which she had listed all the good things each of Mark's classmates had said about him.

"Thank you so much for doing that," Mark's mother said. "As you can see, Mark treasured it."

All of Mark's former classmates started to gather around. Charlie smiled rather sheepishly and said, "I still have my list. It's in the top drawer of my desk at home. "Chuck's wife said, "Chuck asked me to put his in our wedding album." "I have mine too!" Marilyn said. "It's in my diary." Then Vicki, another classmate, reached into her pocketbook, took out her wallet and showed her worn and frazzled list to the group. "I carry this with me at all times," Vicki said and without batting an eyelash, she continued: "I think we all saved our lists."

That's when the teacher finally sat down and cried. She cried for Mark and for all his friends who would never see him again. The density of people in society is so thick that we forget that life will end one day. And we don't even know when that one day will be.

Remember, you reap what you sow. What you put into the lives of others comes back into your own.

May Your Day Be Blessed, And As Special As You Are.

I'm a Polished Arrow in the Hands of the Lord (Isaiah 49:1,2)

Friday, March 17, 2006

Criticisms of The Da Vinci Code

I started reading Da Vinci Code two years ago without knowing what it was about. Two-thirds of the way through, I threw it away, disgusted by its fabrications, arrogant tone, and poor writing. This wikipedia article lists 44 false claims in the book.

"Many of the complaints center around the book's speculations and sometimes deliberate misrepresentations of core aspects of Christianity and the history of the Roman Catholic Church, with many other criticisms being generated by the book's inaccurate descriptions of European art, history, and architecture."

Wednesday, March 15, 2006

UCLA Basketball peaking at right time

Wow, the Bruins are on a roll. They finished the season strong to win the Pac-10 regular season championship, then won 3 games in 3 days during the post-season conference tournament to win that championship.

They are playing their best basketball of the season right now, which is a good sign: a team that is improving in its play, not just coasting on its talent. A sign of teamwork rather than just good individual players.

This is what was lacking in the Lavin era - players and the team never seemed to get better as the season wore on.

Fun to see this team and these players develop. Now 26-7, they are a testament to good coaching by Ben Howland. Bravo!

Now three weekends of basketball to go in March Madness!

"The Bruins moved up six slots in the Associated Press poll to No. 7. It is their first appearance in the top 10 since Jan. 2002"

Tuesday, March 14, 2006

Americans' highest priority

That is the topic of this survey by the Barna Group. Check out the link for the complete article.

The following two sentences particularly caught my attention as the pollster tried to reconcile people's verbal affirmations of faith, then choosing other aspects of their life as more important when asked to rank them.

"It seems as if God is in, but living for God is not. Many Americans are living a dual life – one filled with good feelings about God and faith, corroborated by some simple religious practices, and another in which they believe they are in control of their own destiny and operate apart from Him.”"

Sunday, March 12, 2006

How to Read A Book

Thoughts from Mortimer Adler:

"Reading, if it is active, is thinking, and thinking tends to express itself
in words, spoken or written. The marked book is usually the thought-through book." "And best of all, your marks and notes become an integral part of the book and stay there forever." p. 127

"Reading a book should be a conversation between you and the author."
"Learning doesn't consist in being an empty receptacle. The learner has to
question himself and question the teacher. HE even has to argue with the
teacher, once he understands what the teacher is saying." p. 128

The Principled and Self-Aware Life

Insight from BOOK SAVVY by Cynthia Lee Katona:

WWID "What Would I Do?" "A strong sense of "What Would I Do" in any given situation is what is largely missing in many Americans' lives. People
scramble from crisis to crisis, without any self-awareness or rock-solid
principles to guide them." Where do such helpful principles and
self-awareness come from?" p. 20

Churches and good literature.

Saturday, March 11, 2006

The Best Picture Misses the Big Picture

This LA Times opinion piece facetiously thanks the Motion Picture Academy and makers of the movie "Crash" for opening his eyes to the real LA: a powder-keg of racial hatred.

In doing so, he points out how news and entertainment media tend to sensationalize social trends and paint society according to their point of view.

I'm looking forward to seeing the movie and wonder if I will have the same reaction.

"I used to think we could all get along, more or less. I believed that despite its many flaws and obvious divisions by race and class, Los Angeles was one of the more successfully integrated cities in the world. And so to me, 'Crash' felt like an artless, dated and manipulative morality tale on the evils of the sprawling metropolis, shot with a long lens from behind the bars of a gated seaside community."

Saturday, February 18, 2006

The Decline and Fall of Europe

Pretty strong words by a respected columnist.

The thing is, in the world we live in, where economies and politics are interrelated around the world, we all depend on each other to do well. Although economies compete with each other, we don't want the other countries to fail, because ulitmately everybody suffers.

"Europe is in deep trouble. These days we all talk about the rise of Asia and the challenge to America, but it might well turn out that the most consequential trend of the next decade will be the economic decline of Europe."

Wednesday, February 15, 2006

Helping the Healthy

Here are some insightful observations regarding the Prodigal Son and his Elder Brother. You know the story, right?

The Prodigal goes off and wastes his inheritance in wild living, then returns home repentant to be embraced and forgiven by his father. Meanwhile, the older brother, who has served his father faithfully the whole time, is angered by the injustice.

As in many of Jesus' stories, the point is about grace and a loving father. The point of Christianity is not to obey all the rules, but to love the Father.

Christian leaders need to look at those around us not as people needing to serve God harder, but in desperate need of his loving embrace - maybe especially the most responsible ones.

"Those who have not broken the rules may be farther from the Father's arms than those who've broken most all of them. Sin is anything that separates us from God, and nothing does that quite like not feeling the need for mercy. Again, the point isn't to be good. The point is to get into those arms, and grace is the only way there.

This means preachers are called to peel back the veneer of spiritual health in the elder brothers, and help them to see that beneath all of those years of careful living lies a soul that is as dangerously parched as that of the prodigals. Their right answers, dedicated volunteerism, beautiful families, and well-marked study Bibles can keep them away from the love of the Father just as much as the prodigals' wantonness."

Sunday, February 12, 2006

When lovable doesn't work

Someone told me today, "I have discovered that there are some people who don't like me. Even though I am so lovable. They don't like my lovability."

Most of us figure out styles that work for us. They may be extremely effective, but there aren't any styles that work all the time, even being lovable.

We need to recognize that our default styles can be helpful much of the time, but still not work some of the time. At that point, our own success can be a liability because we can get stubborn, insisting that this way ought to work. We cannot conceive there is something wrong with us, our approach. It must be them.

But we all need flexibillity and an attitude of constant learning. We need to understand and adapt to our situations and to others' cultures and styles.

After all, lovability is in the eye of the beholder.

Disappointment hits hard for Kearney

"She bit her lip and walked away, her goggles trying to hide the tears.

That was an Olympic moment, too. Sometimes, the medal contenders do not stand on the podium with smiles and tears of joy. Sometimes, tears of frustration, sadness and disappointment mark the day when years of hard work do not yield the desired result. There will be more athletes in Kearney's shoes than there will be athletes adorned in gold, silver and bronze. They had dreams, too."

So true. In all of life, when it seems things DO NOT go our way more than they DO, an essential skill is learning to deal with disappointment and defeat.

I think it is important to acknowledge the emotions, not hide them, then evaluate the situation - what should I LEARN from this, how do I adjust my understanding of myself and the world and God's perspective better, and then move forward with new insight and confidence in God's purposes for me

Saturday, February 11, 2006

Things People Said: Courtroom Quotations

Lawyer: 'Doctor, before you performed the autopsy, did you check for a pulse?'

Witness: 'No.'

Lawyer: 'Did you check for blood pressure?'

Witness: 'No.'

Lawyer: 'Did you check for breathing?'

Witness: 'No.'

Lawyer: 'So, then it is possible that the patient was alive when you began the autopsy?'

Witness: 'No.'

Lawyer: 'How can you be so sure, Doctor?'

Witness: 'Because his brain was sitting on my desk in a jar.'

Lawyer: 'But could the patient have still been alive nevertheless?'

Witness: 'Yes, it is possible that he could have been alive and practicing law somewhere.'

Friday, February 10, 2006

Christian Film Reviews

Here's an interesting site with hundreds of film reviews in the archives.

Thursday, February 09, 2006

Healthy Leaders Are Built in Community

The older I get, the more I realize that a leader's example is his most powerful tool. This seems obvious to us, but how many of us get caught up in spending our time working and trying to accomplish things instead of developing our character and building the people around us?

One area where we can see this disconnect is in the area of mentoring. We may believe in the importance of but still succumb to the temptation of outsourcing the mentoring of our followers to others (professionals), because the fact of the matter is that mentoring is time-consuming.

Yet how much impact will that mentoring have when the followers see that the leader doesn't have time for it himself? How important can it be? When you get to be the leader, it is not a priority?

Again, the truth is that lessons are more caught than taught. The example of the leader is his most powerful tool.

"existing leaders themselves must participate in the teaching and developing of emerging leaders. They should not merely delegate this role to others. Leaders must personally act as coaches, role models, teachers and mentors. They must share their lives with those around them – their mistakes as well as their victories. True leaders are builders of leaders."

Tuesday, February 07, 2006

Christians Fear Amid Worldwide Muslim Demonstrations - Christianity Today Magazine

In predominantly Muslim countries around the world, minority Christian populations are bracing for violence in retaliation for cartoons published in Europe that are offensive to Muslims.

Six Christians were killed by angry Muslims in the Philippines. In other countries like India, messages are being spread encouraging violence against Christians.

"Iraq's Christians are bracing for attacks on their ancient community, fearful that deadly bombings of their churches last month were linked to Muslim fury over cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad published in Europe (Reuters)"

Monday, February 06, 2006

Evolution of my exercize

In 2001, after nearly two years living in Singapore, I decided to start exercizing.

From '97 to '99 in China, I felt I lived a pretty healthy lifestyle. We ate fresh vegetables and no processed foods for just about every meal, and I walked a lot and rode my bike every day. We also lived on the fourth floor of a building with no elevator, so went up and down the stairs several times a day.

When we moved to Singapore at the end of '99, I still kept walking a good deal because we had no car and I used public transport to commute to the office everyday. Walk to the train station, walk to the office, etc. But we also began to eat more processed foods, and the weather was so hot and humid that I didn't want to do any other kind of exercize like sports.

I realized I was getting lethargic. I'd sit on the sofa in our living room feeling hot and lazy. At that point I decided I needed to start exercizing in order to spur my energy.

First Stage

At first I started going to the gym near our house two days a week to lift weights. I wanted to gain energy and strengthen my bones so that as I got older I wouldn't get feebler. I noticed two immediate benefits. First, my energy level did improve, and second, I didn't have backaches when I woke up in the morning.

Second Stage

In 2002 after pretty regular exercize for a year, I decided to up my regime to three times a week. In my mind I set a standard of twice a week meaning that I was staying even, once a week meant slipping backward, and thrice a week meant improving.

Third Stage

When I first started exercizing I went by myself. Along the way a neighbor started joining me, and at some point Kimberly started going also. It made it more enjoyable and gave me accountability and support for going. However, if they were not able to go, it also created an excuse for me to skip exercizing if I didn't feel like it. In 2003 I decided I couldn't depend on them to join me, I needed to decide when I was going to exercize and if they could join me, fine. But I wouldn't interrupt my routine if they were unavailabe.

Fourth Stage

In 2004 my physical checkup showed a high level of cholesteral for the first time. I made a couple of dietary changes, and also ddecided to start making aerobic exercize a higher priority than weight training. I really don't like aerobics. I've never been a jogger. I don't like it, and I have bad knees. Two surgeries on my left knee took out most of the cartilege and it gets easily swollen if I run on it. But our gym has an elliptical trainer, like a cross-country skiing thing, and that gave me a good workout without putting too much pressure on my knees.

Fifth Stage

After a year of aerobic, I started paying more attention to my breathing and decided to always breathe through my nose, keeping my mouth closed. That was hard at first, feeling I wasn't getting enough oxygen! But it gave me more focus and discipline in my exercize.

Sixth Stage

In late 2005 I decided to add stretching to my exercizing. I am so inflexible! Always have been. I hate stretching. I'm too impatient for it. But now I'm taking time after elliptical and then situps and backrises to do some stretching before weights for my shoulders and arms. Still aiming for Monday through Friday, 5-6pm.

Sunday, February 05, 2006

Name that stadium

One of my favorite tools is Google Earth. Amazing! Endless fun and somewhat educational.

With the Super Bowl coming up, here's a fun Google Earth trivia game. See how many of the stadiums you can identify.

Saturday, February 04, 2006

Anger Over Cartoons of Muhammad Escalates

Wow, I am hearing this interpreted as a clash of civilizations. What does it say about how these civilizations view the world?

The contrast is protrayed in the media I've read as freedom of speech v. religious zeal.

I see more contrast between individualism and collectivism.

Muslims cannot understand how western societies can allow denigrating portrayals of Islam. Westerners look at individual freedom of expression as integral to human rights, and cannot understand how individuals in collective societies can allow political oppression of those individual freedoms.

Could it be that exporting individualism is what the west means by spreading democracy?

And could it be that people in collective cultures are not willing to trade away the security and other benefits they enjoy in their societies for the freedoms of expression that westerners cherish and want them to accept?

"'Neither the Danish government nor the Danish nation as such can be held responsible for drawings published in a Danish newspaper,' Rasmussen said following the meeting with envoys. 'A Danish government can never apologize on behalf of a free and independent newspaper This is basically a dispute between some Muslims and a newspaper.'

The prime minister added there could be 'unpredictable repercussions' if the protests escalate.

The Egyptian ambassador to Denmark, Mona Omar Attiah, indicated that Rasmussen should do more to diffuse passions. 'I want the prime minister to speak with Jyllands-Posten about getting them to give a real apology,' she said after the meeting."

Friday, February 03, 2006

Digital camera revolution

OK, the revolution's over. Digital has won.

We weren't early adopters. In fact, we're probably early wannabes in everything, but too cheap to buy technology until it is widely accepted.

We got our fist digital camera three years ago. And it has totally changed the way we handle photos.

In that relatively short span of time, it's amazing to hear that companies are totally abandoning the film camera market.

"First, there's the astonishing collapse of the film camera market. By some tallies, 92 percent of all cameras sold are now digital. Big-name camera companies are either exiting the film camera business ( Kodak, Nikon) or exiting the camera business altogether (Konica Minolta). Film photography is rapidly becoming a special-interest niche."

Thursday, February 02, 2006

Happy Groundhog Day!

To celebrate, we watched on of my all-time favorite flicks, appropriately titled...Groundhog Day.

The main character goes through a profound transformation over the course of the film, and the key truning point in his life comes when he recognizes the virtue in a woman he's been trying to woo unsuccessfully. He stops trying to win her and starts trying to become like her, with dramatic results.

A funny film with a good moral and a great lesson about the power of a role model.

Wednesday, February 01, 2006

The Shrine Next Door

This review points to a book that looks very helpful in understanding Chinese religion.

For Christians, two aspects of particular importance:

One, we need to understand how other cultures perceive God and human relations with God. The Chinese understanding starts from a very different reference point from the Christian understanding.

It would be easy for a Chinese person to adopt the outward forms of Christianity because they see it working for other people, while at the same time their inner understanding of who God is and what he wants from them has not really been affected.

Understanding Chinese religion gets us to the inner motivation of how they perceive their relationship with God so that we can communicate the meaning of Jesus' life more effectively.

Two, learning about the history of religion and its practices in China will help us understand the Chinese government's attitude towards religion. My experience is that the government is not particularly anti-Christian, but is afraid of any kind of secret movement, and especially suspicious of religious ones.

"One stark continuity with modern China strikes those who have heard about the persecution of house church Christians: Government leaders have always feared popular religious movements. Not only because Buddhist- and Daoist-inspired uprisings have on several occasions nearly toppled the throne, but because local religion resists government control."

Tuesday, January 31, 2006

Christian Audio

"Thoughtful Christian Audio"

Just found this great website that offers a free Christian audio book download each month.

Thursday, January 26, 2006

Media Bias Is Real, Finds UCLA Political Scientist...

According to this article, there are some "surpirsing findings" here.

"there is a quantifiable and significant bias in that nearly all of them lean to the left,"

And they mean nearly ALL of them!

Of 20 outlets surveyed for their coverage over the past ten years, 18 were found leaning to the left, 1 centrist, and 1 to the right!

Now this is no surprise to me and my wife, who used to have the bumper sticker "I Don't Believe the Liberal Media."

Saturday, January 21, 2006

My Take on Broken Flowers

Kimberly and I saw this movie last night. It was my choice, I really like Bill Murray.

The ads for this movie made it seem to me like a blend between Lost in Translation and Sideways.

And it was. Slow, not much dialogue, kind of washed-out cinematography, a repetitive jazz track, very mundane. With no explicit moral.

I really liked it. Kimberly really didn't like it.

"Is that all? What's the point?!!" she wanted to know when the credits ran.

But the movie was interesting. It kept me wondering, what's going on inside his head? What is he learning from all this? How is he changing?

It's very understated, so you have to read between the lines.

Here's my take. It's a commentary on a life of dissipation. He's lived for himself, making no commitments or lasting attachments, and seems to not care about anything or anybody.

By the end of the movie, there's a kind of realization that he really wishes he had some connection. But he's wasted his life so far, and can't do anything about all of those years that he might have invested in building meaningful relationships.

His life is really shallow and uninteresting.

A great commentary on the value of investing in relationships, especially family, and a real indictment on the culture of me, that ultimately ends in emptiness.

Friday, January 20, 2006

End of the Spear Recommendation

A friend just wrote me with this recommendation -

A major film, called End Of The Spear, will be launched January 20. I believe God will use it in a big way. It depicts the effects of the grace of God in very powerful and spectacular ways.

The story begins in 1956, when five Christian missionaries (Jim Elliot was among them) gave their lives in an Ecuadorian jungle, attempting to bring the gospel to the Waodani stone-age people. At that time they were the most violent tribe on Earth -- and yet they became the most loving and peaceful!

The missionaries made friendly contact, but something went terribly wrong. The Waodani speared them to death. A tragedy? Yes, but God turns everything to good, for the blessing of many and for His glory, and this was no exception.

God used this tragedy to motivate more people to become missionaries than any other event in modern history -- perhaps ever. He also used two women to complete the work of the five martyred missionaries, bringing the Waodani to himself. So the deaths of those five men did more to advance the kingdom of God than their lives ever could.

God’s ways are so great!

But the story doesn’t end there. It seems God is about to use the tragedy that happened 50 years ago to help others know Christ in our day, using The End Of The Spear. It is a major motion picture (production cost $12 million) that tells the story of God’s grace from the perspective of the Waodoni.

Making it even easier, great resources are provided. A Google search for “End Of The Spear” will yield several excellent web sites, including www.endofthespear.com . Then there is a special web site for Christians at http://www.daretomakecontact.com/. It offers lots of helps to help us promote the film and make it a huge success. You’ll really get the flavor of the film by watching the trailer.

By the way, the producers of End Of The Spear is Bearing Fruit Communications http://www.bearingfruit.org/About/. They have more plans in the works to advance the gospel through similar means. Find them on their web site.

Friday, January 06, 2006

Words for the Year

No, not podcast (ha!).

The Lord has given me a couple of words for my life this year: organization and communication.

I'm a pretty extroverted person and most of my work involves building up people. I'm good at facilitating groups and coaching individuals.

However, my time with people could be more effective if I was better organized. And my communication would also be a lot more effective.

So I'm going to devote more attention this year to building my organizational foundation and increasing my communication so that I can be more effective in serving God and people!