The person who invented the first photocopy machine must have been a creative person. It is quite a thing to visualize and conceptualize and bring to life a machine that would impact literally millions of lives. Ironically, the invention of the photocopier has made it easier to duplicate than to innovate. You simply place your paper on the machine and it produces something that looks like the original. With newer technology, it might even look as good as the original -- but it is still just a copy. Photocopiers are not evil (except when they constantly jam and chew up paper). In fact, there are innumerable times when duplication is necessary, even beneficial. However, I’m thankful that when God responded to our sinful condition, he chose to incarnate rather than duplicate. God could have duplicated the systems that were already in place, the hundreds of laws passed down throughout Hebrew…
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If you interact with people at any level, there will be times that you will be misunderstood, misrepresented, and even maligned. Believe it or not, people will not always say nice things about you. Most likely, this revelation is not a surprise to you. As a younger man, I didn't always respond in the best fashion. It was easy to give in the temptation to join the other person in the gutter. That's often what they want you to do. But, as I remember my mom telling me, "Two wrongs don't make a right." So, what to do? Take the high road. Taking the high road means you won't wade into the sludge, slinging mud around. Taking the high road means that you won't shred the other person with the truth. Taking the high road means you won't feel the need to defend every misrepresentation or outright lie. Taking the…
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I was joking around with my youngest daughter earlier this week. OK, I thought I was joking around; she probably just thought I was being annoying. Two people looking at the same situation and seeing two different things ... Anyhow, at one point, she said to me, "You need to see a philanthropist." Before I started laughing, I readily agreed with her. "Yes, I do need to see a philanthropist." She then realized she had said the wrong word and tried to keep from laughing. It didn't work. "I mean to say, 'You need to see a therapist.'" "I probably need to see one of those, too. After I see the philanthropist."
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Here is a great article from Ed Stetzer about what it means to be a courageous leader. ********** Courageous Leaders, Bullies and Weasels by Ed Stetzer The other day, I talked about arrogant pastors — a problem that is all too common. As I had both expected and feared, there was quite a response across various forms of social media. People quickly identified with the issue. I've been thinking more about the issue of character. Even this morning, we see what the lack of courageous character can do as we watch government leaders fail to take action and the "sequester" takes effect. True leadership demands character. In ministry, that character has to be courageous character. My experience is that it is not celebrated enough and, to be honest, is sometimes lacking in ministry. Abraham Lincoln said, "Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character,…
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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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