Changing the World for Better and for Worse

By e May 14, 2005 Geek Stuff, Jesus Stuff, Leadership and Management No Comments

Who doesn’t love this (unsourced) quote from Margaret Mead: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” It sounds so right, certainly something that we desire to be true, or is it?

Margaret Mead is certainly one of the most influential voices in 20th century American culture. Her “work”, along with the Bloomsbury Group’s ideas and Kinsey’s “research”, ignited the sexual revolution. (Yes, those are sneer-quotes.) Unfortunately, like Kinsey, Mead’s ground-breaking study has been determined to be not only incorrect, but fraudulent.

The frightening thing is not that a researcher would come to wrong conclusions or tweak results to match a preconceived conclusion. The frightening thing is that our media, with liberty consisting of the right to speak freely and the responsibility to report the truth, was not only eager to swallow their lies, but that even now they cling to them and to the values they espoused. Dr. Martin Orans, Professor Emeritus at the University of California, opens his book “Not Even Wrong” (Harvard University Press, 1983) with the sentence “Occasionally, a message carried by the media finds an audience so eager to receive it that it is willing to suspend all critical judgment and adopt the message as its own.”

In this case, a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens has indeed changed the world. Too bad it wasn’t for the better.

Consider, the impact of Martin Luther, Thomas Paine’s “Common Sense”, Martin Luther King Jr. and the Freedom Marchers, Gates and Allen’s “Microsoft”. Consider the impact of Jesus and His small group of thoughtful, committed citizens upon our world.

For better and for worse, this blade has two edges.

What’s going on here?

By e May 4, 2005 Euphemos Blog, Jesus Stuff 1 Comment

Matt Heard (http://www.woodmenvalley.org/) introduced me to Jamie Buckingham’s Plumbing Theology (at least I think that’s where it originated…). The idea is that at the core all of us are either a bucket or a pipe. Buckets are great. We fill buckets, carry things in them, sit on them, and can bang them to make neat noise. Pipes are better.

Jesus told us “Freely you have received, freely give” (Matthew 10:8), and “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” (Acts 20:35) A pipe is full, but not stagnant, it is constantly emptied and re-filled. Being a follower of Jesus means being a pipe. Christ-followers get so wrapped up in being filled with the Spirit and receiving His blessings, but the purpose of those things is not that we’ll be filled, but that we’ll overflow.

The Dead Sea is full. Galilee receives the Jordan River’s water on one end, gives it up on the other, and teems with life. The Dead Sea has no outlet other than evaporation, which leaves behind sediments. Those sediments comprise more than a quarter of the Dead Sea’s volume, and the sea is completely devoid of life as a result. If we don’t have an outlet, we may be full, but we can be just as dead as that salty sea.

I want to be a conduit. Jesus says “Give, and it will be given to you. They will pour into your lap a good measure–pressed down, shaken together, {and} running over. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return.” (Luke 6:38) That is a promise I intend to claim. The bulk of what I post will be blatantly “Jesus Stuff” because my life revolves around Him (except when I’m stupid). The principles of plumbing theology apply to all aspects of life, however, so I also expect to talk about “Geek Stuff”, “Leadership Stuff”, and whatever else is on my mind.

This is about being a pipe, not trying to pontificate or impress. This is juvenilia, and I welcome your comments, especially when I’m wrong. Click on the comments link under any article to view and add comments. If you’re interested in posting an article of your own either once or on a regular basis, email me using the link on this page.

I hope you visit often and agree that these are things worth thinking about.

e

Jesus Christ, Level 5 Leader

By e May 2, 2005 Jesus Stuff, Leadership and Management No Comments

I am fascinated by how well great truths mirror the teaching and examples in the Holy Scriptures. Cases where the modern-day teacher derives his or her thesis from scripture (e.g. Dale Carnegie) are interesting, but it is those cases where empirical data leads to the same conclusions as the teachings preserved as scripture that intrigue me most. One such example is Jim Collins and the concepts explored in his book Good to Great. Collins entered into his study of why and how some companies make the leap from a “good” company to a “great” company specifically looking for answers other than leadership. What he and his team found, however, is that the organizations that make the leap always did so with the guidance of a specific type of leader. The traits of this “Level 5 Leader” are remarkably unsurprising to anyone familiar with the life and teachings of Jesus Christ.

The Description of Level 5 Leaders found at the end of Good to Great Chapter 2 is: “Level 5 refers to a five-level hierarchy of executive capabilities, with Level 5 at the top. Level 5 leaders embody a paradoxical mix of personal humility and professional will. They are ambitious, to be sure, but ambitious first and foremost for the company, not themselves.” Collins goes on to describe the attributes of a Level 5 leader:

  • Level 5 leaders set up their successors for even greater success in the next generation…
  • Level 5 leaders display a compelling modesty, are self-effacing and understated…
  • Level 5 leaders are fanatically driven, infected with an incurable need to produce sustained results. They are resolved to do whatever it takes to make the company great, no matter how big or hard the decisions.
  • Level 5 leaders display a workmanlike diligence – more plow horse than show horse.
  • Level 5 leaders look out the window to attribute success to factors other than themselves. When things go poorly, however, they look in the mirror and blame themselves, taking full responsibility…

Jesus displays the qualities of a Level 5 leader, and the result of His work clearly demonstrate that He not only lead from Good to Great, but also that he Built to Last. It would also be interesting to consider how Jesus Christ took the “good” law, prophets, and traditions of His Jewish faith and transformed them into the “great” Christian faith, but everything hinges upon Jesus Himself.

Jesus set us up for success. In addition to promising that He will never leave us (Matthew 28:20), He promised to send us the Holy Spirit (John 14:26). Jesus made it clear that He must leave in order to send the assistance we need to succeed (John 16:7). He did not leave his disciples with “well, I hope you’ll make it without me”, but instead promised that we would do even greater things (John 14:12) than He.

Jesus did not cling to His position in heaven (Philippians 2:6), but came to show us how to live. God did not descend from heaven on a flaming chariot or lead an army through the streets of the Holy City. He chose to be born as a child, and not as king, son of kings, but as the (apparently) out-of-wedlock child of a working-class family. When rejected by strangers, Jesus declined to seek revenge for having been slighted, and humbly moved on to the next village (Luke 9:56). When rejected by his neighbors (Matthew 13:57) He did not force himself upon them. When deserted (Luke 22) in His darkest hour by His closest friends, Jesus not only forgave, He also entrusted them individually (John 21:15-19) and corporately (Matthew 26:16) with even greater responsibility.

Jesus was diligently focused upon the work He was sent to accomplish. From childhood (Luke 2:49), to the cross (Luke 23:32-43), and beyond (Luke 13-35) Jesus was driven to produce results. He set His face like flint (Isaiah 50:7) to complete His mission at the cost of His own life. He even chose the betrayer (John 13:18-30) required to complete His mission.

Jesus did not parade through the streets clamoring for attention (Isaiah 42:2). After healing the sick and blind, Jesus gave instructions to “tell no one” (Matthew 8:4), and instructed us also to “beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them” (Matthew 6:1). Jesus rejected the temptations (Luke 4:1-13) of “miracle, mystery, and authority” (borrowing the words of Dostoyevsky’s Grand Inquisitor in Brothers Karamazov) as the path to His goals. Jesus was no show-horse (Isaiah 53:2).

Jesus was free with praise and careful with blame. Over and over, He gave credit to the believer’s faith (Matthew 9:22, Matthew 15:28), and spoke of doing nothing on His own (John 5:19). When confronting an angry mob, Jesus gently suggested that they consider their own sins before punishing another’s (John 8:7). When things seemed to be going poorly, Jesus was quick to point out that He could call legions of angels (Matthew 26:53) to His defense, and was choosing not to. This (again, apparent) disaster was completely His responsibility.

Obedient to His Father’s will even though it meant death (Philippians 2:8), and yet a leader worthy of all praise, Jesus demonstrates the humility and will of a Level 5 Leader. Indeed, Jesus is the world’s only Level 6 leader. Only He makes His power our power; only He offers us the opportunity to be a part of an eternal kingdom.

Faith vs. Feelings – Remembering what we have heard

By e April 29, 2005 Jesus Stuff No Comments

My wife reminded me… “So we must listen very carefully to the truth we have heard, or we may drift away from it.” (Hebrews 2:1 NLT)

Funny enough, I was thinking about that this morning while I brushed my teeth. Even though I know that my doubts about an upcoming step were clearly addressed a few weeks ago, they creep back. Only remembering that He put doubt to rest at that time remains to keep me from doubting now. The feeling of reassurance fades, but the certainty that it was given remains and is sufficient.

Wrestling with Consolation and Desolation

By e April 29, 2005 Jesus Stuff 2 Comments

I am having a difficult time reconciling the concept of desolation as a tool in God’s hands and the promise of Jesus that we will never thirst. On the one hand, experience and the word of people who testify in words and in love that they are disciples of Jesus Christ speak of desolation as a valuable, and perhaps necessary, experience. On the other hand, the testimony of this same Jesus.

I know that the classical writers (John of the Cross), experienced periods of desolation and describe them as part of the maturation process.  Zaleski reference Mother Teresa’s fifty years of spiritual darkness. Teresa of Avila says that dryness and desolation of spirit may be better signs of progress than sweetness. Therese of Lisieux wrote “Do not believe I am swimming in consolations…my consolation is to have none on earth.” Jesus himself cried out in anguish at having been forsaken by His Father.

But Jesus said “…whoever drinks of the water that I give him shall never thirst…” (John 4:14) and “…he who comes to Me will never hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst.” (John 6:35). Furthermore, Jesus says “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish and it will be done for you.” (John 15:7).

I do not know how to reconcile this. Perhaps I misunderstand either the words of Jesus or of His followers (hrm… could be a translation issue… maybe suffer from thirst versus feeling thirsty?). Perhaps those who speak of desolation neglected to seek His presence or grieved His spirit in some way. Or, perhaps, having been in intimate contact with the the unbearable glory of God, everything else pales to such a degree that it can only be comprehended as darkness.

I need to read more about this (starting Ascent of Mount Carmel now) and welcome comments.