Was headed to bed the other night and flipping the channels when I got fascinated by a documentary on PBS called “Ferrets: The Pursuit of Excellence”.

The documentary followed a group of ferret owners at the Buckeye Bash Ferret Show.  These were not just any ferrets.  They were show ferrets.  Ferrets of the highest caliber who had been bred to compete and be judged.  

I started watching out of a bizarre wonder that people would spend that much time grooming, and thinking, and working, and daydreaming about ferrets.  

It seemed to me like a weird little community, but then I realized that is was just like every other sub-culture.  You can change the subject, environment, and lingo, but it’s the emotions that are the same.  

There is nothing different about the “Ferret people” that isn’t exhibited by a group of guys who are cheering on their favorite team, or people who are fans of a certain series of books, or folks like me who are hopelessly addicted to LOST.

We all have lingo and terms that are foreign to people who are on the outside.  Cover 2 and Mike.  Lothlorien and Hogwarts.  The Hatch and the Dharma Initiative.  These are all cultural shorthand within our respective sub-cultures.  Anyone who isn’t a part doesn’t understand.

These respective sub-cultures are made up of people who are looking to connect; people are wanting to be a part of something.  Where they are safe to share their passions and joys without the fear of ridicule.  

More thoughts to come on sub-cultures and how they might relate to the Church.  But first, what sub-cultures do you participate in?  College football?  Are you a Mac fiend?  Cars?  Shoes?

Whether we know it or not, we are all a part of some  sub-culture.

Heard this song just the other day in a service and was amazed at how fresh it was… Passion never grows old! It’s amazing what focusing on and meaning what you are singing can do to a song that many would consider old…

And the verse is what wrecked me…

I want to take your word and shine it all around.
But first help me to just, live it lord.
And when Im doing well, help me to never seek a crown.
For my reward is giving glory to you.

Let’s add intention to our ability when we worship.

Continuing some thoughts on permission and creating environments of innovation…

The “big news” of the weekend was Colin Powell’s endorsement of Barack Obama.  

I think there will be some Republicans who hear what the General has to say and will be influenced by it.  Certainly, some will join him and “convert”.  Not all, but some.

Colin Powell has broken the matrix.  He has stepped beyond what many dutiful Republicans see as very clear lines.  And in doing so, he has granted “permission” for others to do the same.

I believe that if you asked most people they would probably say they are pretty open minded.  We all like to think of ourselves as objective and logic based.

The reality, however, can be quite different.  

Most of us have constructed a mindset based on feelings, teaching, training and experience.  It is the feelings, teaching, training, and experience that create the boundaries of our thinking, and in fact, wall off our thinking.  

These walls often prove to be immovable and impenetrable.  Instead of confronting them, we shrink when we encounter them.  They act like mental bumpers. 

But very rarely, someone (or something) will come along.  Someone we have trusted or respected.  Someone we identified with and considered to be like us.  

And in viewing their journey beyond our carefully constructed walls, we will find freedom to think differently, believe differently, and live differently.

Their actions create permission that we grant ourselves to step into new possibilities.

The following is from a post from Tony Morgan. Consider what organizational permission can do…

Once upon a time in a far off land there lived a leader who supervised three little pigs. The leader was committed to excellence in his life and in his organization. He knew there was a direct correlation between the quality of the houses his pigs built and the success they had in protecting themselves from big, bad wolves.

The leader obsessed about every detail. He also made it clear to his team of pigs that they, too, needed to obsess about every detail. It didn’t take long for the pigs to realize that their interpretation of excellence might not be the same as their supervisor’s perception of excellence. Because of that, the pigs began to bring every decision about every detail to the leader. The pigs didn’t want to run the risk that they might not “get it right.”

Over time, the leader found himself in a challenging predicament. He was overwhelmed because he had to touch everything. And, he was frustrated that he was responsible for generating every new idea. For example, he was the one who originally developed the design for straw houses. His pigs built excellent straw houses. In fact, no one built straw houses any better. What they did, they did well. But, they were stuck.

“If you try to control things, that’s self-limiting,” said Michael Dell, chief executive officer of Dell. “The easiest way to think about this is that if all the decisions inside an organization had to roll up to the center of the company or to one person, it’s a massive bottleneck to progress.” (Check out the rest of the interview.)

In the end, the leader in this story learned that sometimes values collide. His commitment to excellence wasn’t the problem. Control was the problem. His obsession with getting it right became a roadblock to progress. He discovered the need to empower his team with broad responsibilities to fulfill the organization’s mission while still holding them accountable to the overall vision and values. He needed to let the pigs take risks…and sometimes fail.

Continue reading…

How often do you say “yes”? Not in the “Would you like cream and sugar” way, but in the “Try something different” kind of way.

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about creating “permissive” environments. Not places where anything goes, but, rather, places where people are free to adhere to a core set of standards and discover how they can be expressed through the prism of who they are.

I understand this doesn’t work in every circumstance. A Big Mac should always be two all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, onions, pickles on a sesame seed bun. I shouldn’t walk into McDonald’s one day to find bacon on my Big Mac.

But when you are talking about “Change the World” kinda stuff, do you really want the equivalent of a burger flipper? Do you want someone who can tell you what you already know? Are you willing to not only hear but also learn from those who share your worldview, but maybe not your execution?

More thoughts later…

I had a chance to pop in and join the discussions at the first Church Tech Camp in LA yesterday.

So what is Church Tech Camp? From the website…

#churchtechcamp is a localized unconference for people of faith to gather and share their own best practices and “in the field” insights. More simply put – it is a place where we all are the expert, everyone has something to share, and we all have valuable experiences we can learn from.

It was great to see so many folks I’ve come to know online (okay, maybe more like stalk online) gathered in one place.  And sharing collective wisdom and insights helps everyone become better. You can find additional thoughts from these great folks:

Tony Steward: http://www.tonystewardblog.com/

Robert Yang: http://www.kindlejoy.com/

Rich Kirkpatrick: http://www.richkirkpatrick.com/

Cynthia Ware: http://thedigitalsanctuary.org/

Matt Singley: http://mattsingley.com

Even better, if you weren’t able to take part, you can still catch the conversations by clicking here.  It’s well worth the time, so make sure to visit when you get the chance.

P.S.  I would love to connect to others in the North Florida/South Georgia area who might be interested in getting together for something similar.  If you would like to take part, you can email me.  Look forward to it!

One of the truly unique experiences I have as host of an internet-based church community is the interaction with people from all over the world.  It continually challenges my “set ways” of thinking about how I operate and interact with the world around me. 

On any given Sunday, it is not unusual for people from several different countries, and just as many time zones, to be joining us for worship.  I have finally gotten used to thinking of time as plus or minus UMT.   And let’s not even get into trying to figure out how to call internationally the first time…

So, as I started thinking about the upcoming Fourth of July weekend, I started to realize how irrelevant it will be to our members and friends living in Trinidad and Tobago, or South Africa, or any of the multiplied countries that we receive people from. 

Being global used to be such a badge of ministry expansion… Today it means simply using the tools that are provided to us.

Engaging people in countries and cultures other than your own really exposes the “set ways” of operating and thinking.

What has leveraging the web for ministry or being in multi-national ministry work exposed in your organization?  What have you done to become more neutral?

P.S.  Rec’d an email today saying that they have the Fourth of July in other countries.  They just don’t celebrate it in England… 

The family and I had a great dinner experience at the O’Charley’s on Atlantic Blvd in Jacksonville this evening. Special thanks to Ashley, our waitress, and Tracy, the kitchen manager, for making us feel so at home.  We really enjoyed ourselves and plan on returning soon. 

Just a couple of thoughts from my experience…
 

• We have lived within 3 miles of the restaurant for over 6 years and tonight was the first time we visited there.  The deciding factor was that kids eat free.  Actually two kids per paying adult.  When you are feeding a family on a budget, that is incredibly attractive.  As a church, we can never get into the rut of thinking that people know what we are about or that we even exist.  In a world of thousands of options, and even more everyday, there needs to be something that can distinguish you from the background.  It is just so easy to become part of the ambient noise.  Making the distinctions clear makes it easier for others to choose you.  

• Tracy really put our experience over the top by bridging the gap between the organization and my family.  He always spoke of the restaurant in terms of “we”.  Even as he spoke of the 25 year history and their way of advertising.  It was always “we”.  But when it came to making a difference for my family, he spoke about “I”.  This is an interesting distinction.  When it comes to the organization, “we” speaks to a sense of belonging or unity of purpose.  When it comes to impact, “I” am the one who is responsible.  Does my church give people a sense of unity of purpose but also emphasize their specific need to impact others?

I am sitting here this morning bouncing around online and something is abundantly clear.

WHAT A GREAT TIME TO BE A PART OF THE BODY OF CHRIST!

It is really amazing to see, hear, and read all that God is doing in all the various parts of His church. No one can deny that there has been a major shift away from “Lone Ranger” style of ministry to the local church. It is so encouraging to see all of the dynamic pastors that are committed to building local congregations and still addressing global issues.

And this emphasis on the local church is resulting in more and more people who are being mobilized to make a difference. It seems that the people who make up the church are taking the initiative more in ministry impacting their friends, family, and communities.

I will post again later on some of the churches, pastors, and planters that I have been following.

But I would love to hear from you on churches and ministries that are impacting their communities. Who are you following via blog, podcast, or twitter?

Average is not a word most of us would like used to describe us.  Certainly, we wouldn’t want to describe our church as “average”.

And yet, we will make plans or form thoughts based on an idea of the average person.

So many have limited themselves because they are unwilling to expect more than the average person.

The average person:

• does not want a service beyond xx minutes long.
• does not want to hear about money during a service and will not tithe regularly.
• will not commit themselves to serve beyond their own comfort level.

With those limitations, you will always be fighting an uphill battle.

When you focus on meeting the needs of the “average” person, you begin to neglect the needs of the “above average”.

If we could shift our focus away from thinking of people as an average, but begin to become aware of the unique elements they were bringing to the body, we would be better prepared to put them into action.

There is no such thing as an average body part.  Because I am dependent on them to function fully, they are vital and special.  My arms. My legs.  Mine.

The challenge is understanding that my needs and accommodations will be different from yours.

Imagine if Ford decided to build all of the specifications of their vehicles based on the average body dimensions of every person in the country.  It would be ridiculous.  In their effort to better serve the average, they would be disenfranchising the vast majority.  They understand more people require accommodation than fit the average.

Anything built with an eye for the average misses the fact that I am unique and special.  

Prepare for the unique and special.  Forego the average.