Well, if you read my blog tonight or early in the morning, I just called my local jamba juice and confirmed the rumor that I read on the internet last week is true. Free jamba breakfast between 6am and 10am on Tuesday, April 8th. I’m going with my boys in the morning before school. Hope the line isn’t around the block.
TRUE LEADERSHIP
April 4, 2008 by 1 Comment
I recently got a newsletter e-mailed to me form The Table Group– that had an article entitled “The Greatest Leader in America” by the highly acclaimed leadership guru/author- Patrick Lencioni.
THIS IS WELL WORTH THE READ. MAYBE EVEN TWICE.
I have been asked on a number of occasions, by journalists and curious clients, whom I believe to be the greatest leader in the America. And I usually respond with my own question. “Are you asking for the name of a famous leader?” This usually leads to a fair amount of confusion, until I explain that the best leader in the world is probably relatively obscure.
You see, I believe that the best leader out there is probably running a small or medium-sized company in a small or medium-sized town. Or maybe they‘re running an elementary school or a church. Moreover, that leader‘s obscurity is not a function of mediocrity, but rather a disdain for unnecessary attention and adulation. He or she would certainly prefer to have a stable home life, motivated employees, and happy customers—in that order—over public recognition.
A skeptic might well respond, “But if this person really were the greatest leader, wouldn‘t his or her company eventually grow in size and stature, and become known for being great?” And the answer to that fine question would be, “Not necessarily.”
A great company should achieve its potential and grow to the size and scale that suits its founders‘ and owners‘ and employees‘ desires, not to mention the potential of its market. It may very well wildly exceed customer expectations and earn a healthy profit by doing so, but not necessarily grow for the sake of growing.
Unfortunately, we live in a world where bigger is often equated with better and where fame and infamy are all too often considered to be one and the same. And so we mistakenly come to believe that if we haven‘t seen a person‘s picture on the cover of BusinessWeek or in a dot-matrixed image in The Wall Street Journal, then they can‘t possibly be the best.
Consider for a moment those high profile leaders we do read about in the newspaper and see on television. Most, but not all, of them share an overwhelming desire and need for attention. You‘ll find them in all kinds of industries, but most prevalently in politics, media, and big business. Look hard enough at them, and there is a decent chance you‘ll discover people who have long aspired to be known as great leaders. These are the same people who also value public recognition over real impact. And based on my experience, you might also find that they‘ll be more highly regarded by strangers and mere acquaintances than by the people who work and live with them most closely.
The truth is, our greatest leaders usually don‘t aspire to positions of great fame or public awareness. They choose instead to lead in places where they can make a tangible, meaningful difference in the lives of the people they are called to serve. The challenges and consequences of their decisions are no less difficult or important than those of higher profile leaders, even if they don‘t quite qualify for a cover story in TIME Magazine.
We’d all benefit from that wisdom. And many a church could read that as a staff devotional piece for a good gut check on their mission. Oh that I would be a leader like that! Well said Patrick. Well said!
TEST ANSWERS
April 4, 2008 by Leave a Comment
If you took this test, here’s the answers.
1. c
2. a
3. c
4 . c
5. b, c, e, d, a
6. b, e, a, c, d
7. d
8. b
9. b
10. d
11. c
12. c, e, a, d, b
13. b, c, d, a
14. b
15. d
16. c
17. a
18. c
19. e
20. a
If you want, you can comment on your score. I did not ace every test I took on the internet last week, but this one I did. Maybe seminary or my Bible reading is sinking in. Maybe.
SEXUALLY DYSLEXIC
April 4, 2008 by 1 Comment
That is how one neighbor described the fact that there is now in Bend, Oregon a dude who is pregnant. My wife and mother-in-law are right now watching a DVR recording of some Oprah interview of the following “couple”:
- A woman with a hysterectomy who thus can’t have a kid.
- And her “husband” who is a “dude” that is really a woman who had a sex change, but kept “her” uterus and now is pregnant via a tube and some sperm bank I presume.
So… um. I’m sorry. I’m good with a lot of stuff. But this is ridiculous. I just overheard Oprah say we are “evolving to a new level of diversity and that in a hundred years, this won’t seem as strange as it does today.”
Ok, I’m a prude. I think this is stupid. I have no idea what I would say to this kid when she turns 15 and comes to my youth ministry and says, “My Dad gave birth to me, and I’m feeling confused.” This seems to be a level beyond, I have two moms or two dads, and I’d have to just smile and say, “I’m confused too.”
On a theological level, what do we do with the phrase, “God knit me together in my mother’s womb”. How do you explain that to this kid? Does genetics mean that God is not responsible for creating this life? This crap makes my head hurt.
And on a physiolgical level, the question the doctors are curious about is, “How is this “woman’s” testosterone level (something that she takes pills for so she can have a man’s voice and chest hair and stuff) going to affect the development of this child, since children are shaped under the influence of a mother’s estrogen environment.” My guess: the kid is going to come out with enough hair to pass as a chimp.
TEST
April 3, 2008 by Leave a Comment
In light of my knowledge post yesterday, I decided to use it as our small group topic last night. If you google Bible Knowledge Tests- there’s about a million of them online. But I needed one to print and pass out.
So I found this one:
Gary Burgeis a Professor of New Testament at Wheaton College in Wheaton, IL. He gives a test on biblical knowledge annually to his first year students. Even though almost all of his students come from Fundamentalist or other Evangelical denominations, he finds that they average only 50 to 55% on this test. He suggests that the result show that we are now living in a post-Christian era. The test is below:
1. Which of the following names is not a book in the Bible books is not in the Bible?
- a. Nehemiah; b. Jude; c. Hezekiah; d. Joel; e. Song of Solomon
2. Who was the first king of Israel?
- a. Saul; b. Solomon; c. David; d. Samuel; e. Moses
3. In their later years, Sarah and Abraham had a son who they called “laughter.” What was his actual name?
- a. Samuel; b. Moses; c. Isaac; d. Jacob; e. Ishmael
4. Who of the following is not a prophet from the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament)
- a. Elisha; b. Elijah; c. Aaron; d. Isaiah; e. Joel
5. List the following in the order with which they appear in the Bible:
- a. the giving of the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai; b. Creation of the world; c. the fall of humanity; d. the Exodus from Egypt; e. the flood of Noah
6. Sort the following characters in chronological order:
- a. Moses; b. Adam; c. David; d. Solomon; e. Abraham
7. Which of these is the name of a book in the Christian Scriptures (New Testament)
- a. Judges; b. Malachi; c. Deuteronomy; d. Hebrews; e. Isaiah
8. Who wrote the book of Philemon?
- a. Philemon; b. Paul; c. Peter; d. Onesimus; e. John
9. According to the Bible, who of these was one of Jesus’ 12 apostles?
a. Paul; b. Matthew; c. Luke; d. Timothy; e. Silas
10. Who was the man who Pontius Pilate released during Jesus’ trial?
- a. Barnabas; b. Peter; c. Silas; d. Barabbas; e. Paul
11. How many temptations did Jesus endure in the wilderness?
- a. one; b. two; c. three; d. four; e. five
12. Sort the following events in chronological order:
- a. The Holy Spirit descends on believers at Pentecost; b. John has a vision on the Island of Patmos; c. Jesus is baptized in the Jordan River; d. Paul, Barnabas and Mark are sent out on a mission by the church; e. Peter denies that he knows Jesus.
13. Sort the following events in chronological order:
- a. The arrest of Paul in Jerusalem; b. Mary’s response to the Angel; c. Nicodemus’ conversation about rebirth; d. Peter’s denial of Jesus.
14. In which book of the Bible are the most commonly cited version of the Ten Commandments?
- a. Isaiah; b. Exodus; c. Genesis; d. Numbers; e. Matthew
15. In which book is the first Passover described?
- a. Genesis; b. Numbers; c. 1 Samuel; d. Exodus; e. 2 Kings
16. In which book is the prayer “Create in me a clean heart, O God” found?
- a. Proverbs; b. Ezekiel; c. Psalms; d. Deuteronomy; e. Luke
17. In which book is the Lord’s Prayer found?
- a. Matthew; b. Acts; c. Ephesians; d. Malachi; e. Isaiah
18. In which book is the phrase “in the beginning was the Word” found?
- a. Acts; b. Isaiah; c. John; d. Leviticus; e. Romans
19. Which of the following is the son of Elizabeth and Zechariah?
- a. Jesus; b. Samuel; c. Paul; d. Timothy; e. John the Baptist
20. Near which holy day was Jesus crucified?
- a. Passover; b. Hannukah; c. Tabernacles; d. Sabbath; e. Purim
I’LL POST THE ANSWERS TOMORROW. HAVE FUN. NO INTERNET CHEATING 🙂
Husband. Dad to 5. Student Ministry Pastor. Follower of Jesus. Yatta yatta.
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