Alcoholics Anonymous (AA)has a long history of helping people win the battle with alcohol. Within AA exists four paradoxes, four principles that on the surface seem to make no sense at all but actually make all the sense in the world. They are ... We surrender to win. We give away to keep. We suffer to get well. We die to live. From a human perspective, no one ever wins by surrendering. The one who surrenders is the one who has lost the battle and given up. How can you keep what you give away? Who wants to suffer? Isn't that the opposite of feeling good? Could it be that feeling good is not necessarily the same as getting well? If you die, how can you still be very much alive? For someone who has gone through the AA process and found sobriety, these paradoxes make sense. They also should…
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As I've been preparing for my Palm Sunday message (I don't actually call it my Palm Sunday message but that sounds much more official), I've been pondering this idea of giving versus getting. Or, to put it another way, giving or taking. As the gospel narrative approaches the cross, it becomes obvious that Jesus was more concerned about giving than getting. He tells his disciples that he came to "give his life as a ransom for many" (Mark 10:45). Even when he prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, he gave up his right to get his way. Generally speaking, there are two types of people in this world: people who give and people who take. A giver looks for ways to add value. A taker drains away resources. A giver asks, "What can I do for you?" A taker asks, "What are you going to do for me?" A giver…
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OK, if you don't know what a barista is, you might not get the full impact of this post. A barista is the person who makes your coffee. For you luddites and male chauvinist pigs, I'm not talking your wife. And the guy behind the counter at McDonalds doesn't count either. A true barista is one who understands coffee and knows how to make it right. A true barista is one who recognizes you and remembers your drink. The good baristas are worth their weight in gold, which is about the price of a pound of coffee. Since I drink a fair amount of coffee, I've met a fair amount of baristas. More to the point, I've seen how people treat the baristas. For the most part, they treat them well -- more so if the person is a regular. But every now and then there is the person who…
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In my reading selections, I try to read from disciplines outside of preaching and theology. Every now and then, I go on a reading binge and get hooked on a particular topic (neurology, cults, prisoners of war, simple things like that). For many years I have been a consumer of business books. My typical approach to any reading material is to read it and "baptize" it. In other words, I'm always thinking, "How does this apply to the church world?" Each year, I will plow my way through several books on leadership. Most of these are written from a non-Christian perspective. Good ones have Christian principles embedded within them, even if the author's don't recognize them as such. Books on "servant leadership" are a good example of this. Back in the early 90's (that's 1990's for the younger generation), I bought a copy of "Jesus CEO" by Laurie Beth Jones.…
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For anyone in a leadership position, it is easy to believe the lies of your critics. It is just as easy to believe every good word ever said about you. Neither of which might actually be true. Norman McGowan in his book, My Years With Winston Churchill, tells the following story. Winston Churchill was once asked, "Doesn’t it thrill you to know that every time you make a speech, the hall is packed to overflowing?" "It’s quite flattering," replied Sir Winston. "But whenever I feel that way, I always remember that if instead of making a political speech I was being hanged, the crowd would be twice as big." Don't believe every critic. Don't believe all the applause.
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