A Piece of Encouragement for Millenials (FB)

Your heart cry for spiritual mothers and fathers has not fallen on deaf ears.  Please be patient.  You see, the generation that pointed you toward craft beer and quinoa if full of so much more.  Don’t worry, they aren’t asleep, they’re just busy…and bored.  But the boredom – it’s the boredom that they can’t stand and will cause them to rise up when it’s time to roll.   You see, something happened to them – something wonderful and miraculous and somewhat unprecedented.   They experienced a move of the Holy Spirit that touched and changed everything.  But sometimes it’s hard to see a movement when you’re in it- you just call it life.  But it was a move.  There was real life – there was power-  there was a sense of purpose.  And unlike generations before them that were offered the invitation and squandered it for treasure – the mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers who are now in their 30’s and 40’s never bowed to Baal.  Their error was more subtle, more salvageable – though their cost of freedom will be civil war.  The error was in believing their fathers and mothers who told them to use the gifts, the presence, the move to build programs and pulpits and conferences and celebrities and camps and content and gatherings and networks.  But they actually tasted something real – and a few of them will soon begin to taste again – and they’ll have the courage to lead.  And yes, it will cause civil war but don’t engage  - it’s between them and their fathers.  Follow the leaders – and here’s how you’ll know them.  They won’t call you to their thing – they’ll release you into yours.  They will invite you into family and will introduce you to power and, in the end, you will say “the mothers and fathers wouldn’t allow us to settle for any less that the life of Jesus – and it has made all the difference.” 

Finishing Well (fb)

I received the following email from the organization that sponsors my favorite organized cycling event.  They have hosted the most successful event in OKC for 17 years and they have decided to call it quits.  And it isn't like they're quitting after years of deteriorating participation and sponsorship and participant experience.  No, they're quitting at the top of their game - the height of popularity.  Why?  Because someone had the guts to say - "this is no longer the thing we are supposed to spend energy on given our vision."  That is so courageous.  I can imagine that there are people whose livelihoods depend on this event.  There are probably people who will lose much of their identity when this event ceases.  "The cycling community loves it, the community loves it, the sponsors love it...everyone will be so sad, so upset..."  I've never been more proud to be associated with these people - good for them.  Most organizations don't have the courage to end things that no longer serve the vision.

Can't stop thinking about... (fb)

Three things keep coming back to me daily over the past couple of weeks - wish there was time to unpack:


1.  People need to be encouraged


Loving encouragement is like finding water in the desert - it lifts and blesses.  How can I be a great encourager to the people I have the privilege of relating with?


2.  His capacity was 12


Vision for the Church, for the church, for multiple businesses, social entrepreneurship, city transformation, neighborhood development, racial reconciliation, local food, marriage, kids, maintaining relationships, develop young leaders, Africa, marginalized women, urban core, suburban edge, Young Life, endurance lifestyle, connect, train...  Jesus never came up with a program, didn't hold conferences, left once it became a crowd, didn't build an organization or a building, didn't need a facility or a staff, didn't spend energy building a network, collecting friends, or building buzz.  He had the greatest capacity, skill, gifts of any human that ever lived and had a vision to change everything forever.  His method was to invest relationally, as a lifestyle,  in 12 people- and one of those twisted off.  In a "hit" culture am I willing to live in the reality that the way to change the world is to invest in a few?  I've been given a wife, two kids, and a handful of young men and women who seem blessed when I serve them.  The people who do that well change the world.  How can I do that better and be satisfied in it?


3.  Living in "vision-realized" and too happy to notice


Moses, David, John, Paul... It begins with vision and destiny.  Suffering and desert bring intimacy with God.  At some point they begin to walk in "vision-realized" but by then He is the vision and a sense of His nearness makes the strivers dream irrelevant.  Lord, I want to stand in the middle of a raging revival of city transformation and have that pale in comparison to the raging fire happening in my own heart from a sense of nearness to you.  

Healing by Community (fb)

A recent Wall Street Journal article told the story of Lance Corporal Seth Voie- how he watched his best friend killed by a mine- how he dealt with the incredible loss- how the Marines are rethinking emotional trauma and how to best help men like Lance Cpl. Voie.

The devastation experienced by Lance Cpl. Voie in Afghanistan takes place in hearts and lives every day- the unexpected death of a loved one, the betrayal of a spouse, financial ruin.  Things that involve loss – loss that feels like total loss of everything.  How does one begin to rebuild, replace, relive…re-live…live again?

I wouldn’t pretend to know how most people, most cultures handle heart trauma- but have watched one particular people-group enough to have noticed a pattern.  They tend to linger in denial, over-spiritualize, retreat, isolate, and seek specialized individual treatment- usually in the form of paid counselors.  Sometimes there is an initial reaction of generosity in the form of food and cards, but by and large, the community tends to give space- content to wait until the grieving one reengages at their own pace, in their own way, if ever at all.  There is a general sense that healing is best left to trained professionals.  It’s not surprising, since this particular culture has generally embraced paid specialists for many of the significant parts of community life.

So what did the Marines do with a heartbroken Lance Corporal Voie?   “Sgt. Tippett and his men rallied around Lance Cpl. Seth Voie…There was no formal therapy, no group intervention, just casual conversations.  They shared stories of lost friends and gruesome moments.  They let him mourn, but refused to let him wallow in “why-him?” and “what –if?”  They kept him fighting.”  The Marines have been studying mental-health issues intently, referring to research that the Israeli military did in the 1980s.  “The latest research suggests troops handle battlefield stress better, and avoid post-war problems more often, when they heal among their comrades.”  “The closer they are to their buddies, and the company they trained and deployed with, the better chance you have of returning them to combat.”  The Marines are finding out that soldiers’ hearts heal best when they are quickly connected to their community and reengaged in their mission. 

All of the biblical material that describes this global community called Church jibes with the following in regards to trauma and healing:

-       Expect regular trauma at a deep heart level as a result of living in the “now but not yet”- we are an army at war and there will be casualties

-       Much of that trauma is relational and some can be avoided with an intense commitment to healthy relationships and aggressive conflict resolution “in the family”

-       The most dangerous thing a wounded person can do is to become isolated from their community

-       Healing should primarily take place in the context of community and mission.  Community is a group of people who do life together.  Mission is the lifestyle of the community called Church – it isn’t a meeting or an activity, it certainly isn’t formal “ministry.”  Under no circumstances should something involving a stage or a title be confused with mission- generally those things are hindrances to healing.

The Marines are discovering principles that a Creator built into our communal DNA.  Perhaps the next generation of American Christians will have the courage to love our wounded differently.

*  All quotes are from the article “Rx for Combat Stress: Comradeship”  Wall Street Journal April 2, 2011.

No fail weight loss strategy (fb)

Listening to an NPR interview with the authors of the Longevity Project - an 80 year project studying the factors that contribute to longevity or the lack thereof.  A caller asked the question on everybody's mind, "You have stated that the key to longevity is the lifestyle choices that we already know about - eat lean meats, lots of veggies, portion control, exercise, etc.  But did you discover the best way to implement that lifestyle?"  The author answered with no hesitation, "Fantastic question - yes, we discovered that there is one factor that virtually guarantees success in starting and/or maintaining a lifestyle leading to longevity."  His enthusiasm had me riveted to hear that answer.  Books, videos, programs, places, and people bring in bajillions every year selling things that claim to provide the answer to the question - but this guy was claiming the one surefire thing - free- on NPR.  "The key to a healthy lifestyle is to hang around healthy people."  


Of course it is.  The key to any lifestyle change is to be in community with people who value the things you value.  It is the way Jesus modeled how to teach one-another to live in his Kingdom.  You hang out with people who value the things Jesus values - the things he modeled and taught in places like Matthew 5.  You don't do discipleship via book, program, study, class, or creed.  You get discipled by doing life with disciples.  Figure out who you want to be and then hang out with people who are more like that than you are - or at least are heading in the same direction.


I experienced a moment on Thursday.  Four men that I want to be like spontaneously showed up at the same place at the same time.  We laughed and made small talk.  That moment filled my sails with a mega-dose of faith.  


Want to be synical and bitter?  Hang around the bitter synics.
Want to be a lush?  Hang with lushes.  
Want to be a health freakazoid?  Hang around with people who are obsessed with their bodies.  
Want to be a go-kart racer?  Find the go-kart racers.  
Want to sit and listen?  Connect primarily with the sitters and listeners.  
Want to be a fearful parent?  Hang around fearful parents.  
Want to be proud?  Hang with the proud.  
Want a humble heart characterized by dogged dependence on the presence and power of the Holy Spirit - driven by heartsick gratitude for one who would call us beloved?  ...  You will find them in a place that is guaranteed to make you uncomfortable - and once you do - accept the invitation to the table- and stop believing you don't belong.

Preparing our kids for life on Mars (fc)

About three years ago Stacy and I had a conversation on the beach at Isle of Palms, South Carolina.  We were talking about globalization and a changing world and skills that kids will need in the future.  I came home and started a list I never finished.  A list that really is unfinishable - but here's the start of an interesting conversation- feel free to add to it.

Skills my kids need in order to thrive in their generation that they won’t learn in school:

Fluency in at least one, preferably two languages other than English

How to lead a cross-disciplinary team confronted with a specific challenge or project.

How to quickly garner as much empathy as possible for a new person or people group.  In other words, how do you “walk in someone else’s moccasins” intentionally, as quickly as possible?

The ability to thrive in cross-cultural situations.

The ability to assimilate and synthesize large quantities of information quickly.  How to get to the most relevant facts.

Travel savvy- especially in navigating internationally and in mega-cities

Mega-city savvy- generally- especially transportation and communication

The appreciation of culinary diversity- an adventurous palate. 

An astonishing work ethic

The ability to speak the language of working people and of intellectual elites for the purpose of gaining respect at first impression.

A genuine excitement about learning and applying new technology

The ability to cultivate food- basic horticulture and animal husbandry

A working understanding of financial instruments and markets including barter and insurance.

An appreciation of the arts and their importance in culture and community building

What really changes things? (fb)

Do things need to change?  What things?  …poverty?  Racism?  Systemic injustice?  Ugly buildings?  Vulnerable communities?  The availability of Orange Julius?

What really changes things?  Government?  Getting better at getting more people to come to more meetings?  Political leaders?  Grassroots movements?  Ideas?  Technology?  Love?

Just returned from a few days in NYC spending time with guys in business, church, and non-profit who dream of transformed cities- guys who think lots about what really changes things.  And it’s so fun to be with people like that – people who don’t just think about it but are doing things about it.  They are doing amazing things in their worlds. 

A couple of editorial thoughts upon reflection…

First, the structures that are in place are massively inadequate to sustain real change.  What do you mean?   Well…like….what we call “church” for the most part wouldn’t know what to do if tens of thousands suddenly said Yes.  But the same is true for all of our structures – banking, health care, education, government – most of our institutions are totally incompatible with the change we long for and we should keep working like dogs to change those things.

Second, the only thing that will change cities is…one man, one woman who has an encounter with God.  An encounter where the immense power of God and his outrageous compassion become real in a way that that man or woman feels as if they might be alive for the first time- becomes so real that they can’t help but gather a few other hungry hearts – hearts who are overjoyed at the simplicity of listening and responding to a voice that, once so far away, is suddenly so near.

My hand is to the plow of structure, my heart aches for more hungry hearts- for my own heart to be more and more desperate for more and more of God’s presence.  

But from there you will seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul.  Deuteronomy 4:29

If you want it here it is come and get it  - Paul McCartney

Fresh wind for our movement (fb)

I am proud to be a part of a world-wide movement that traces its roots back thousands of years.  I joined in high school, but had watched with curiosity and attraction for years.  Having no sense of the movement's history I couldn't have understood that I got connected at the beginning of a major downturn in our movement's popularity- at least in America.  The fact is that our movement has mostly fallen off of the radar of relevancy in our culture.

Prior to the 1940's the movement was primarily about professionals or the wealthy - but three things combined to create an explosion - making it accessible and desirable for millions of Americans.  First, a picture.  In 1953 Time magazine profiled John F. and Jackie Kennedy sailing small boats off sandy beaches off of Cape Cod.  The images told a story that included sailing in a life of romance, leadership, family, and citizenship.  The demand for sailing caused small communities of sailors to begin organizing.   These clubs were member owned and managed and existed to connect families with the opportunity to use free time sailing together.  The third factor was technological- in 1943 the Owens Corning company developed fiberglass, making boats both durable and affordable.  When Todd Little and I became 50-50 partners on a 16 foot Sidewinder racing sloop there were 10 million middle-class Americans that were part of this movement called "sailing."  In the last decade participation in sailing has declined by 40%.  Why?

First, the clubs built expensive water-front club houses during the boom years.  They began to hire staff, develop programs, include restaurants and bars, and generally forgot the core principle that they started with - "make it possible for people to sail."  The clubs that are currently thriving have no paid staff, still share resources, are intergenerational, and require that everyone give some of their free time for the sake of the club.  Todd and I got the guts to buy our boat because of a club at Lake Hefner that offered hourly rentals.

The "partners" tuning up Chastity in the driveway

Second, sailing became dominated by professionals and lost its connection to family life.  "The organic vitality of an activity can be measured by a ratio of amateurs to professionals active in it...when too many pros tax too few amateurs, some amateurs will start to wonder why they are in it."  In 2008, five percent of sailors were paid for it in some fashion.  Compare that with music, where one in 300 musicians are paid. The pro/amateur imbalance means that sailing has become a "crutch for some and a whim for others" rather than a lifestyle of the devoted.

Stacy and I bought "Dixie"- a 23' cruiser with a cabin- when our kids were four and six.  Sailing for us was about family and friends sharing experiences together.  It was a place of prayer, mentoring, laughter, and adventure.  It wasn't easy, but it was so worth it.

Third, sailing isn't simple - it is both art and science - quite complicated- the kind of thing that requires a lifetime commitment.  In the last 20 years our culture has abandoned "lifetime pursuits" in favor of paid entertainment in small time increments.  It is much easier to pay for a two hour movie than to head to a lake, rig a boat, read the wind, face a new challenge then take it all down and put it away.

Fourth, related to the former point, families aren't sailing together and the sailing industry promotes a generational disconnect.  "Find a culture where kids and adults are segregated and you'll find a culture on life support."  The decline of sailing in the last 20 years is directly correlated to the rise of kids "programs." We have taught a generation that sailing is primarily something to be done for kids, by kids, as kids in summer programs.  It is something to grow out of, not grow in to.

Finally, the focus on competition has brought division in sailing.  The professionals promoted sailing as a sport to compete in rather than a pastime to enjoy.  It is much easier to sell things to people who believe they need the latest and greatest, lightest and fastest.  The emphasis on racing created massive division among sailors competing to promote their race, their rules, their events, their class of boats as THE standard.  Each group has their own organizations, rules, publications, heroes and gurus.  For the average Joe that might be interested in sailing- this all seems like one big complicated mess.

What can we do about it?  What would it take for sailing to again become a lifestyle about shared adventure?

"Sailboats are flatly not family friendly in the popular sense.  On sailboats people argue, swear, and shout.  On sailboats, people fear, cry and celebrate.  On sailboats people fart, burp and vomit.  All out in the open.  But on sailboats, people, even children, learn to trust and understand each other, even when mistakes are made or common-sense lines are crossed...When sailing finally includes whole families and their networks, then sailing will gain in popularity again because it will matter again."

1.  Focus on mentoring

Jake about to take the helm as we motor out of Lake Hefner's East Bay

Real sailors are passionate about an idea: "that sailing is a better way to live than not sailing."  "...it is very difficult to spread one's passion into a pastime for the masses.  In fact, avidity usually develops one on one, or one to a few."  Mentors carry "authentic, contagious enthusiasm" for sailing- they are the key to its reemergence as a viable "Life Pastime" in the next generation.  "Mentoring en-masse is inevitably inauthentic.  And it fails when mentoring is confused with a place, a curriculum, philanthropy or a social program by well-meaning organizers."  Mentors are motivated by progress in their apprentices.  They don't waste time on just anyone- they look for apprentices willing to "commit, recommit, and recommit again even if it hurts."  "This can only happen in small groups of the same people over substantial time...everyone must participate."

2.  Raise the bar
"If sailors hope that sailing will survive and grow, they won't try to convince others that it is easy.  They will rightly call sailing what it is: difficult, time-consuming, evolving, sometimes risky and always worth it."

3.  Connect it to community, including women and girls

Em chillin' on Dixie

"Today, for every seven sailors on a boat, only one is a woman and almost none of these are active mothers."  Sailing has traditionally been the pastime of men and boys.  For sailing to begin growing again it must be about community, connecting families and generations to a shared lifestyle.  This requires a community commitment to create "overlapping free time" to spend together.

4.  Refocus sailing organizations around simple things-
"Define "family friendly" not as something sanitized or segregated, but as a thing purposely built for active family use."
Help mentors find apprentices and vice-versa
Focus everything around the idea of spreading a passion for sailing to as many as possible

Dad and Jake on Eufaula.  "I'll drive, you trim sails"

Finally- some things to avoid:
1.  "Don't focus on making entry easy; instead create open access and let the benefits pull those who choose to participate."
2.  "Don't encourage sailing, or for that matter any Life Pastime, to be a spectator sport.  It's bad for sailing and for spectators."
3.  "Never outsorce leadership.  Leaders are a product of time invested and shared experiences.  So invest time and share experiences among leaders and potential leaders."
4.  "Don't think that schools or programs or clubs and do what parents and/or mentor should do.
5.  "Never separate families and friends."
6.  "Never limit access to the water or deny someone time on a sailboat."

I recently finished reading Nicholas D. Hayes' Saving Sailing - all of the quotes and most of these ideas are direct lifts from that book.  If you, like me, are a student of leadership and community you should read this book.

I am a part of another movement that has declined with eery parallels to sailing in recent decades.  I love sailing, the other movement is my Eternal Past Time- why has it declined and what will it take to see it revived in America? - re-read the above with your Church glasses on - and be of good cheer - the breeze really is freshening from the east!

Something to grieve, something to own (fb)

Something significant happened in the family called Church last week- maybe you missed it.  Early last week John Piper announced that he is taking "an eight-month leave of absence to address unspecified "sins" that have "taken a toll" on his marriage."  (http://blog.beliefnet.com/news/2010/03/author-piper-takes-leave-to-ta.php) John Piper happens to be my favorite modern preacher and teacher.  Back when he started Desiring God Ministries I was on a first name basis with The person that you called to order preaching "tapes."  Until a few years ago I read everything he wrote- including his exposition of Romans 9!  I just love this guy so it's understandable that this would be huge news for me.  But here is why I think it's huge news for "you" and especially for "us."


The Western church, especially the American church, has embraced a structure that is found nowhere in the New Testament, burns out leaders, and generally hinders the mission for which this family was gathered.  I don't know the "sins" to which Piper refers to but I know this.  John Piper walking away from everything for 8 months is a radical step to address radical problems.  This is not a guy who is just tired.  He doesn't just need a sabbatical - he's had lots of those through the years- mostly used for writing.  Fortunately his problems will likely not disqualify him for future leadership in the Church.  But over the last few years I've watched several high profile Christian leaders and several low-profile leaders fall under the weight of a system that is not sustainable.  Specifically, I talked to a couple of guys a year over the past ten years that needed to do what Piper is doing- step away- but wouldn't, couldn't.  


When I was in seminary, the statistic quoted was that the average length of time in vocational ministry for seminary grads was 7 years.  I'll bet that number is less now.  The typical senior pastor is relationally isolated - meaning they have no close friends to share heart-level intimacy with.  Most are also relationally isolated from their wives and families- who often resent continually playing second fiddle to the "church family."  I've never met a senior pastor who didn't say that wife and family are "first" - neither have I ever met one that was at peace with the way that value practically is worked out in the rhythm of life.   The senior pastor carries the weight of maintaining balance in a "provider-client" system that rewards an incremental increase in maintaining the status quo.  Every social invitation becomes a "should," every request for meeting is accompanied with fear.  Mostly fear of inadequacy- inadequate to give that perfect word of wisdom, encouragement, counsel, or affirmation that is expected.  Each time the senior leader rises to proclaim God's word it is with the knowledge that the performance will be judged  in every car and at every lunch table.  Our senior leaders are the brand, they are the franchise, a part of our identity.  In an adolescent culture obsessed with the next hit, they are Christendom's rock stars.  In short, the senior pastor is asked to be Prophet, Priest, and King...Apostle, Pastor, Teacher, and Evangelist.  But why does that matter?


It matters first because my bible tells me that in Christ we are one- we are connected, we share the same spiritual dna, everything that a brother or sister does affects all of the brothers and sisters.  If John Piper is hurting I'm hurting.  If Ted Haggard flames out...we flame out!  It's not "him" it's "us."  We are a covenant people - one in Christ and one with each other.  We are a body, a house, an army, a temple, a bride.  We are watching our leaders walk up onto a stage as a lamb to the slaughter, then we turn our eyes as they fall away.  We wish them well, pray for them, say what a shame it is, point out their flaws, then prop up the next guy.


It matters also because my bible tells me that leadership in the church is not connected to titles but to discipling people.  It is to be done by a diverse group of amateurs that are radically dependent on the Holy Spirit for ... everything.    There is not one description of Church in the new testament that looks anything like what we call "church."  You won't find one senior pastor in the new testament.  What you find is groups of people in cities, in community with one another, radically committed to love their city towards Jesus and His Kingdom.  They meet in small groups a lot more often than they meet in large groups.  The one description of a gathering that we are given in the bible shows a group of people waiting on the Holy Spirit- one has a word, another a song, another a prayer- everyone gets to play- everyone has to play.  Church is the lifestyle of a community on mission together, not a place you go or a meeting to attend.  If you go to a place or attend a meeting it should be for the purpose of equipping and encouraging you to live the lifestyle, or... it should be a worship and prayer throwdown for the ages that serves as a tangible expression of who we are and who God is.  


So what do we do about it?  Radical problems require radical solutions.  Senior pastors will continue to fall under the weight of "ministry" unless the body "be's" the body by taking that weight onto itself.  That will require:
- a fresh dose of grace- where we begin to grasp in our hearts how loved we are and how free we are
- a fresh vision of Kingdom transformation- a heart cry to see our friends, families, cities, and nations loved toward a reflection of "on earth as it is in heaven" 
- a biblical view of Church and church leadership- an army of amateurs committed to encourage one another to go for it in every sphere of culture
- a dependence on the Holy Spirit that we have not experienced in this country since the frontier revivals- we probably will have to be taught by African, Indian, Asian and Latin American brothers and sisters
- a structure that empowers Church as a lifestyle and makes "church as a meeting" a thing of the past


Where can we start?  The local church community that my family is connected to is taking radical steps in the right direction- steps that don't feel radical to most people- which means people are much more willing to embrace change.  Here are a few of these steps that we are embracing:


1.  Multiple preachers and teachers- there is no one that is the visible senior leader
2.  Paid staff are all part time, bi-vocational leaders - this keeps people grounded in real-life and also makes it impossible to load them down with burdens that should be carried by us all
3.  The weekly gathering is appropriately de-emphasized and life-together outside of the weekly meeting is celebrated
4.  The theology of the Kingdom is preached again, and again, and again, and again...
5.  There is almost an "open source" sense of place and mission in regards to the Church in our city, it's mission, and our necessary connection to all of our brothers and sisters in the city, regardless of their label


So let's pray for John and Noel Piper- let's fight for and with them.  And let's listen to what the Spirit is saying to the Church- taking ownership for our own contribution to the repeated crash and burn of our leaders.  Everyone gets to play, everyone has to play.  Finally, we know the end of the story and are full of faith - the Bride will be the beautiful, world-changing girl she was made to be and all the created of all time will marvel at her glory.

My kids are going to space (fb)

Today was the maiden voyage of the first commercial spacecraft by Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic.  It was only a test, and it never got into space but...it will- not 50 years from now but in the next two or three.  This makes me giddy with excitement, not because of space but because it is such a brilliant example of how quantum change really happens- it isn't linear it's reactionary.

If we polled 100 people and asked them "when will commercial spaceflight happen and what will it look like?" ninety plus percent of them would say something like..."It will be decades if it happens in my lifetime and it will be in some big spaceship that looks kind of like the space shuttle, with a blast off and everything."  Leave it to Richard Branson to find the guys that are thinking radically different.  The current model of spaceflight was built in and for the industrial age:

Massive organizations
Thousands of specialists
Rockets required to launch the craft from ground into outer space
Extremely infrequent launches
Large space craft requiring large structures and propulsion
Only the largest and wealthiest governments can afford to participate
Government sponsored space "programs"
Passengers are physical and intellectual elites that have gone through years of training

But here is how Virgin Galactic saw the future:

Smaller organizations
Less specialization and more borrowing from a variety of technologies and industries
Planes perform the final launch from 60,000 feet
Frequent launches
Small craft requiring small structures and propulsion
Thousands and eventually hundreds of thousands able to participate
Private "firms"
Passengers are normal Joes (that have a lot of money- at least at first!)
Training takes three days initially (I'll bet they get that down to one day within the first 5 years)

Wired magazine makes the point this month that the Apple ipad will forever change personal computing- no more mouse or keyboard or clumsy case.  Today the Church in America is Commodor 64, but it will be iPad, not iMac.  It won't be more and better of what we currently think of as "best practice."  It will be  different- quantum different.  I'm a Church lover- I don't know what you love.  But if you're a pioneer, avoid the trap of thinking linear change and train your mind to think quantum, which normally begins by changing all the questions.  And if you're a settler- don't stress out- just enjoy the ride and let the pioneers lose sleep about space travel, smart homes, communication technology, sustainability, urban planning, local food... And while we're glancing out the window wondering what the first moon village will be like you'll be full of joy, in the moment, awed by the vastness of space:)

To the sent ones (fc)

You are part of the most exciting generation in the history of the Church.  A generation set apart to be sent out into every network, neighborhood, and nation.  There is nothing special about you- in fact- it’s your ordinariness that is compelling.  Like the army in the book of Joel, the nations are shaking but they don’t see you they see Him.  Cities will be changed from the inside out, from the margin to the center.  No person, no church, no organization, no country, no leader gets the credit- a.k.a. the GLORY.  That will be reserved only for Him.  But where the sent ones are, EVERYONE will want to be.  If you want it you can have it- AIDS, Africa, human trafficking, extreme poverty, the marketplace and the arts- but it will cost you everything, beginning with your reputation.  History says you’ll quit.  If you make it it will be because you accepted the journey of character, courage, and community for a lifetime.  The good news?  You’ve got it- everything you need to go the distance.  You lack…nothing.

High school for life (fb)

High school orientation for Jake last night.  The band, the choir, the athletes, the speeches, the hype, the clubs- holy cow.  The sun club promotes recycling and organic gardens.  The kids jamming in the corner are promoting the guitar club.  The latin club kids seem the most enthusiastic.  Enrollment forms due tomorrow.  A/P or no A/P?  Woodworking or Intro to Business?  How many sports?  Which sports?  So many decisions, so many options.  So I'm pondering.  I think these four years are probably the most important four years of your life.

Why?

You solidify your values while you're still living at home.  Who you are in high school, from a value stand point, is pretty much who you are for the rest of your life.

It determines where you go to college- which has a huge impact on your career, who you marry, what part of the country you settle in...

It can determine your lifelong friends.  Even if you don't stay in touch with your high school friends I'll bet you still hang out with the kind of people you hung out with in high school- and who you hang out with determines who you'll be.

It locks in the self-image you carry with you for the rest of your life.

I think...do you think so?  What do you think?  Is high school the most important time of your life?

Why I am a runner (fb)

I watched the sun rise this morning over the Sorghum Hills on a ten-mile run.  It was beautiful and everything felt right.  I felt like a runner…I am a runner – so started thinking about why.

I am a runner because Stephanic Fischer spoke destiny over me.  She walked up to Stacy and I after church one day, looked at me and said “I see you as a runner.”  I hated running, looked like anything but a runner, had no plans to run.  But her words were powerful- words are powerful.

I am a runner because I started running.  Four years after Stephanie’s comment I took it with me and headed out the door for my first run.  I ran one minute then walked one.  Eventually I ran two minutes then walked one.  Then I ran ten minutes and walked two.  Eventually I ran a mile without walking.  I was happy with little victories and pathetic baby steps but I stayed…I ran.  You can’t be a runner if you don’t run.

I am a runner because of Eric Mixon.  He is my training partner and even though we don’t often run together I think about him every time I train.  He keeps me accountable to live the life I want to live.  I wouldn’t run without Eric.  You can’t run without accountable community.

I am a runner because I speak the language, I’ve had the experiences.  If I was injured tomorrow and never ran again I am forever part of the running family.  I have run for years not months.  I have experienced pain and suffering and victory.  It is a lifestyle not an event.

I am a follower of Jesus.  Destiny was spoken over me, I responded with a smidge of faith and started running towards Him, running with Him.  Accountable community keeps me running but, regardless, I am a part of a spiritual family forever.  I’ve had the experiences, I’m learning the language of Kingdom.  I want to help others run.  The family is supposed to be bigger.   Everyone is invited.

How the Community Communicates (fb)

Some thoughts about how comm tech is accelerating change in the Church:

A biblical theology of community says that we’re all connected- now a spiritual reality is becoming tangible to everyone.  I am connected to Nancy in Kenya via Facebook but, more broadly, we are aware of how the food we purchase in OKC impacts the rice farmer in Thailand.

New communications tech is fundamentally changing the way that community functions- you change the way community communicates... you change everything (credit Clay Shirkey’s great explanation of this principle in Here Comes Everybody).  For instance, hierarchy becomes unnecessary when everyone can talk to everyone.  This afternoon, via Twitter alone, we can muster an army from multiple churches to remodel a housing unit for a single mom at Tapestry- we don’t need anyone to plan it, publicize it, resource it, communicate it, connect us to it, educate us about it, train us for it.  In short- we don’t need a hierarchy to manage us.

The ability to pursue a vision together, with our community,  without relying on an organization means that we are fixin to see a humongous jailbreak of lay people (a.k.a. amateurs) taking over the leadership of this movement called Church.  Our theology says “everyone gets to play” but our paradigm says that’s not really true.  Now we see that one amateur with a heart to put tents in Haiti can git r done- that’s really exciting.  Effectiveness no longer requires professional management and organizational support.

The idea that our missional energy should be directed exclusively through organizations (local church, parachurch) that we belong to will seem increasingly silly.  The opportunity for missional community to form around “networks and neighborhoods” will increasingly unite people across denominational, theological, sociological and local church tribes.

As we become more aware of opportunities to “be the church” and “live as church,” in a manner that fits our vision, call, gifts, personality, networks, dreams, and the Kingdom worldview; we will become less willing to pay a subscription fee for participation in spiritual organizations (salaries, buildings, and programs).  Instead, we will choose to use our “giving” for fighting human-trafficking, projects we’re directly involved with, and people we’re directly connected to.  We will become better stewards of our giving resources, demanding more accountability and giving only to those projects that provide us the greatest Kingdom return on our financial investment.  This will further erode the current economic model of western “Church.”  What am I talking about?  I’m saying it will no longer be cool with us to pay to build buildings that go unused most of the week or pay for Mrs Johnson’s grandson, who plays the guitar, to sing Passion songs for the Sunday morning youth service; or to pay for Johnny Tightshirt to hang out at the church coffee “lounge” as a paid intern ‘cause it’s funner than funemployment.  Side note:  so is there anything in the current system that we’ll still be willing to pay for?  Yes, but it will have to be a clear value, characterized by excellence.  So we’ll pay for super excellent worship celebration, teaching, inspiration, and resources- …but not every week:)

Get ready for wiki-theology.  For the past 100 years we’ve been taught to fear incorrect doctrine.  Our ability to interact with “them” and “their” ideas will actually result in the Church starting to love the Church.  The main and plain will become mainer and plainer and we’ll no longer be afraid- when you’re not afraid you’re free.  Look for the language of Kingdom and discipleship to become the glue of a global, shared language of Church.

What an amazingly, exceedingly wonderful time to be a part of this 2000 year old, world-changing community called Church.  Ooooo I love tech-no-lo-gy, but noooooot as much as you you see…

Berry's Manifesto (fc)

 Love the quick profit, the annual raise,

    vacation with pay. Want more

    of everything ready-made. Be afraid

    to know your neighbors and to die.

    And you will have a window in your head.

    Not even your future will be a mystery

    any more. Your mind will be punched in a card

    and shut away in a little drawer.

    When they want you to buy something

    they will call you. When they want you

    to die for profit they will let you know.

    So, friends, every day do something

    that won't compute. Love the Lord.

    Love the world. Work for nothing.

    Take all that you have and be poor.

    Love someone who does not deserve it.

    Denounce the government and embrace

    the flag. Hope to live in that free

    republic for which it stands.

    Give your approval to all you cannot

    understand. Praise ignorance, for what man

    has not encountered he has not destroyed.

    Ask the questions that have no answers.

    Invest in the millenium. Plant sequoias.

    Say that your main crop is the forest

    that you did not plant,

    that you will not live to harvest.

    Say that the leaves are harvested

    when they have rotted into the mold.

    Call that profit. Prophesy such returns.

    Put your faith in the two inches of humus

    that will build under the trees

    every thousand years.

    Listen to carrion - put your ear

    close, and hear the faint chattering

    of the songs that are to come.

    Expect the end of the world. Laugh.

    Laughter is immeasurable. Be joyful

    though you have considered all the facts.

    So long as women do not go cheap

    for power, please women more than men.

    Ask yourself: Will this satisfy

    a woman satisfied to bear a child?

    Will this disturb the sleep

    of a woman near to giving birth?

    Go with your love to the fields.

    Lie down in the shade. Rest your head

    in her lap. Swear allegiance

    to what is nighest your thoughts.

    As soon as the generals and the politicos

    can predict the motions of your mind,

    lose it. Leave it as a sign

    to mark the false trail, the way

    you didn't go. Be like the fox

    who makes more tracks than necessary,

    some in the wrong direction.

    Practice resurrection.

     

Manifesto: The Mad Farmer Liberation Front" from The Country of Marriage, copyright © 1973 by Wendell Berry, reprinted by permission of Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Inc.