Living with the Asterisk

The asterisk is the little guy in the corner who gives you your first warning that the statement you’ve just read may not be as simple as the statement you’ve just read. He is your gateway, your Looking Glass, into an entire world of fine print and legal jargon. All for the purpose of allowing two competing mindsets (marketing vs. legal) to occupy the same space.

Marketing wants to tell you all of the AMAZING things that will happen once you buy-consume-read-attend-clickon-watch-etcetera their item. Legal wants to tell you that it’s not their fault if it doesn’t really happen.

And, the reality is, whether we see it or not, we’ve all become accustomed to adding asterisks to what we see in our lives. We’ve been trained as consumers since we were small children to see between the lines of marketing and legal.

Remember, opening a Cracker Jacks box for the first time? There was a PRIZE inside!! OMG! Never once did I stop to think about what kind of prize could actually fit inside a Cracker Jacks box. All I knew was there was a PRIZE inside!! A prize that you couldn’t just go buy at the store. No, my friends, this was a prize that you could only find if you were fortunate enough to have the very same box of Cracker Jacks that I had. But you weren’t.

And opening it to discover the teeny baseball card, or tattoo, or whatever prize from the Island of Misfit Toys had found it’s way into my box left me a little deflated. But I knew from then on, I knew that Mr. Cracker Jack’s definition of prize and mine were not the same.

It becomes so easy to apply the same asterisk thinking to faith. Sure, we know that Jesus said to love your neighbor, to turn the other cheek. We know He said to take up crosses and follow Him. But, I mean, that’s not really what He meant, right? Where’s the legal fine print to tell us exactly what the terms and conditions of our love, sacrifice, and discipleship are?

We’ve read John 10:10 about Jesus offering us life and life more abundantly. To the full until it overflows. Or that God promises to heal, to save, and to redeem. But, surely, that’s just marketing talk to get me to become one more church consumer, right?

Maybe they didn’t have the asterisk in 6 AD.

Pulling Our Boats: When Culture and Technology Hinder

I was watching PBS recently (as always) and saw a great episode of Nova titled “Arctic Passage“. It detailed the failed Franklin Polar Expedition from the 1850’s.

Outfitted with the best 19th century technology, Sir John Franklin set out on a journey to navigate a northwest passage through the Arctic waters north of Canada. It was a journey with a thousand horrible decisions and even worse outcome.

As the ships were crushed under the immense pressure of the surrounding ice, Franklin and his men decided to abandon them and set out on foot to safety. They were able to convert the dingys into sleds which they used to haul their gear and belongings. One of these sleds was actually recovered by archeologists.

What might you expect to find in a sled of polar explorers making their way overland to safety? How about brass buttons, button polisher, books, and silver plated silverware? Rather than focus on the things needed to survive in their new environment, they continued to hold on to the trappings of Victorian England. So much so, that archeologists estimate that each of the sleds weighed more than 1400 pounds.

But there fate was almost officially sealed before they even left port. Their choices of provisions reflect the popular tastes of the time, but were grossly unable to sustain the men in their time of need. Among the provisions were 9450 pounds of chocolate, 3684 gallons of concentrated spirits, 7088 pounds of tobacco. All things to be enjoyed and make life better, but not able to fuel a crew of men pulling 3/4 ton sleds across arctic wilderness.

If this was not bad enough, the literal killer was found in the technology that they thought would actually be their life saver. Included in the provisions were 33, 289 pounds of tinned meat. The revolutionary canning method would allow meats to be transported without spoiling and guarantee the men sustenance in the gravest of conditions. With one major drawback.

Forensic testing found that the men did not only die of exposure to the Arctic weather, but that most of the men were struck with severe lead poisoning. Studies proved that the food they had consumed had been tainted with lead. The lead came from the tinned meats.

The cans would be soldered closed and the soft metal used to seal the cans would taint the meat with lead. The men were already poisoned and sentenced to death before the ships were ever encased in ice.

I watched in amazement at the thought of trying to tackle foreign environments and situations from a traditional, cultural mindset. Sitting in London, the answers to their needs would be easy to solve. Faced with frostbite, scurvy, and lead poisoning, they quickly found that the culture of London did not translate to the Arctic.

It’s easy to scoff at the idea of dragging 1400 pound sleds full of novelties and trinkets across the frozen ground, but I wonder if we don’t often do the same thing? Why do we burden ourselves with so many needless weights when we are trying to survive in a new culture/environment?

How much of our own cultural irrelevance is found simply in the fact that we refuse to stop pulling our boats?

Ferret People & Sub-Culture

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.

Permission and Mindset

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.

Independence Day in a Multi-national World

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… 

Facebook? Twitter? Why?

 

Over the last several months, I have slowly entered the world of online community. First with Facebook, then blogging, and now Twitter. 

The big question/objection I’ve received from others when it comes up is either:

1. “Don’t you have anything better to do?”
2. “I don’t have time for that…”

My reasons are simple.

In an increasingly technology driven world, I believe it is irresponsible not to take advantage of opportunities to engage and interact with others.

You find the time for the things of value.  

And, for me, the commitment is not so much to the technology.  I am not married to any particular way of doing things.  My commitment is to remaining relevant within the culture I am serving.  

Aspiration of Art within the Church

Continuing thoughts on artistic expression within the church…

Every culture has a form, style, or place of prominence that its members aspire to. They are the standards by which everything is measured.  And much of what we do, whether intentional or not, is informed by these external forces.

And the church is no different.

In most churches on a Sunday morning, the place of prominence is the pulpit.  Most of the time is centered on pulpit activity; either Bible reading, teaching, praying, singing.  Church culture informs us that the pulpit is the penultimate place of public focus.  And that to occupy that space, you should mirror it in approach and style. This attention has the unfortunate consequence of suggesting that the “highest” form of expression within the church takes on specifically liturgical or “pulpit-y” tone.

I believe this is why so much of the artistic expression (yes, even blogs…) tends toward being overly preachy or sermonic.  

However, if art can be freed from the context of a Sunday morning service, and can truly be a reflection of the life lived by the artist, it will find its own expression and its own form.  

Instead of pawing after a place of acceptance and public adulation at the cost of originality and honesty, we can begin to release the story of our walk with God in a personal way that can deeply impact others.

What does your art aspire to?  Why?

Fans

Fans are the one of the most sought after elements of every sports team.  They buy tickets and fill stadiums.  They cheer victories and mourn defeats.  They so closely associate themselves with their teams that joy and heartache can be found in every snap, every pitch, and every shot.

Fans create culture.  From specific cheers to tailgating traditions, fans are able to make the game time experience more than what takes place on the field. 

Fans create community.  Complete strangers will instantly connect simply by the colors they wear.  Clear lines are drawn between friends and foe.

The catch?  Teams cannot create fans.  They can market.  They can win.  But they cannot create the emotional bond that takes place in the hearts of fans.  It’s that bond that keeps people coming back even in the longest of droughts.  That’s what makes true fans so valuable.

Can you identify the fans in your ministry, church, or organization?  What can you do to reflect their value?