Timing Is Everything

The Byrds sang that, "There is a season - turn, turn, turn. And a time for every purpose under heaven." The Bible affirms it in Ecclesiastes 3:1, "There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens."(although this passage is often misquoted to proclaim a time for even ungodly things.) Leadership experts affirm that even bad timing can ruin the best idea. This week I experienced one of those "timing" events.

But in order to understand the "timing," let me take you back to approximately 1994. I was 17 with an entrepreneurial spirit. I had attended a seminar where some millionaire was selling his instructional books and, yes, cassette tape series teaching greedy suckers like me how to buy stuff at public auctions and re-sell it all for huge profits. So after seeing an advertisement in the newspaper for a US Postal Service surplus auction, I attended. There were tables full of old computers, to which the geeky part of me was instantly drawn. By the end of the auction I had purchased 4 old laptops, each weighing about fifteen pounds, for about $17.50 each. I took them home and was able to get a few of them to boot up. But then I had to sell them. A classified ad in the newspaper would cost as much as the laptops. Plus, they were already very old. Why would anyone buy my laptops when they could buy a smoking-fast 386 processor running Windows 3.1? I found a store that allowed me to sell a couple of them on a consignment basis. But they never sold, the store went out of business, and I never got my laptops back.

I lost interest, moved away to college, and plowed into the future with the remaining laptops sitting in my old bedroom closet.

I went home for Thanksgiving and my mom gently asked me to do something with "those old laptops." I checked ebay for "Grid computer" and found a few over-priced listings, but no completed auctions. I took them home, cleaned them up, booted them up again, and decided to test the waters with a 10 day listing starting at $25. And just for kicks, I set a $100 Buy-It-Now price for some gullible or just plain old impulsive buyer. The next morning I discovered that someone had indeed purchased it during the night! Just today I sold the other 2 for even more!

Seventeen years ago these laptops weren't worth anything. Or maybe it was because ebay was not around yet, bringing a global marketplace of buyers to the stuff in my basement.

Timing. What a huge factor. In business, in life, and even faith.

There Is Always More To The Story

"Leadership is lonely." No kidding. That sentiment has been repeated so many times, we don't know who to credit with the quote.

A few months ago I read an article in Newsweek magazine that helped illustrate the lesson. (You can read it here) The article described the the leadership of George H. Bush (W's daddy). He was often described as a wimpy leader. The article attempted to refute such an accusation. One example of H's wimpy leadership surrounded the falling of the the Berlin wall and the subsequent fall of communism in Eastern Europe and eventually the Soviet Union. When the wall fell, many thought that the President of the free world should lead the celebration with the first dance in the street. He should have given a long-distance pep talk to the wall-whackers and a harsh scolding to the communist leaders. But he seemed to do nothing. The resulting judgment of his leadership: wimpy.

The author explained, however, that according to many sources close to the President, Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev had sent a message asking the United States, "not to take provocative action that might instigate a Tiananmen Square-like military crackdown in East Germany."  Gorbachev and other leaders realized that communism was falling, and they were allowing it to fall, but only naturally and without the intervention or provocation from other nations. President Bush complied with the request, remained quiet, and did nothing. That communication remains classified, even to this day.

If I were a conspiracy theorist, I might question whether or not such a message was ever sent. But I'm not, and that is not really the point of this writing, so I'll just go with it. Assuming it was true, it seems that the President took a hit, knowing that his actions might allow communism to fall, but at the expense of his perceived leadership.

I have learned at least this much about leadership: there is always more to the story than anyone knows. Every decision is always more complex that you or I think it is. It is only a simple issue when viewed from one perspective. Add a second or third perspective, and it immediately gets complex. Of course, most of us see life only from our perspective. The job of a leader is to see as many perspectives as possible and then make a decision, knowing that someone, if not everyone, will be disappointed.

As Americans who appreciate broad freedom, we don't like this "secretive" leadership.  "Why not just tell us the rest of the story or the other perspectives?" we ask demand. Well, for starters, we are often asked not to share one or more sides to the story. Sometimes the other perspectives involve deeply personal, private, and sensitive information that you wouldn't want me telling others and so they probably don't want me to tell you. So sometimes leaders are not allowed to share the "more" to the story. But don't fret- you will appreciate it when it is your "more" that is not shared.

So if you are struggling with the leadership of your pastor, your boss, your parent or your President, remember this- there is always more to the story than what you see or know.

Praying, Not Criticizing

The headline caught me, so I hovered over the newspaper stand at Wal-Mart, and read the first few lines of the article, while holding a replacement mum in each hand. First Family Church, in Overland Park is losing its 15 million dollar campus to foreclosure. Wow! Another mega-church bites the dust.

After planting my new mums, and doing a few other things, I grabbed my own newspaper and read the rest of the article. After a year of intense negotiations and refinancing rejections, the bank has requested that the property and everything in it be sold.

I am fairly familiar with First Family. I drive past it whenever I take the "back road" to Olathe. I attended one of their first launch services while I was in college. I sat on a blanket on their then-new property and listened to the testimony of a father of one of the Columbine victims. I listened to the frustration of two of my seminary friends who were re-starting a church in the area, grieving the loss of church members to First Family Church and another giant church nearby, churches that had "more to offer."

I have also heard the rumors of political upheaval and the accusations of financial mismanagement by the pastor at First Family. The newspaper article mentioned them, and noted the significant decrease in attendance.

It is easy to criticize from a distance. It is easy to become jealous, even for, no especially for, pastors. I disagree with Pastor Jerry in a lot of ways. Theologically, strategically, financially, etc. I am guessing some might say, "he got what was coming to him." Okay, maybe not out loud, but I am guessing that the thought has careened through the minds of not a few newspaper readers today.

But I am not going to criticize. I am guessing that Pastor Jerry and his team are hurting right now. He is my brother. He needs a hug and not a fist. So I am going to pray for Jerry and the church formerly known as "First Family." In fact, I am going to pray for them before I pray for my own church. Every day this week.

And if any of my brothers and sisters in Christ might read this, I ask you to do the same.

Faith and Trust

Last week we put our oldest child on a big yellow bus and waved goodbye as she rode to her first day of Kindergarten. Our little girl gone for eight hours, under the care of strangers. Would she be okay? What if she lost her way in the maze of school hallways? I imagined her wandering the halls for hours, crying and feeling all alone. It was a bit difficult to bear.

Faith is not easy for me. Trust does not come naturally. And that makes sense, since faith and trust are the same. The popular concept of faith often shows a blindfolded man, standing in the dark, preparing to leap from a cliff into the darkened depths. We often talk about "blind faith." But that is not how I understand my faith.

Sending my first-born to school was an indeed an act of trust. Much of it was blind. I did not know where she was and what she was doing every minute. I couldn't be sure that she made it to her class or onto bus 21 at the end of the day. Blindness, indeed. But I was informed. We toured the school on Monday night and discovered the gymnasium, the cafeteria, and Olivia’s classroom. She found her name tag taped to the table. We met her teacher and reviewed her daily classroom schedule. We double-checked her bus number. We asked, and learned that if she does not make it to class, the school would notify us early in the morning. I know that the school follows strict policies regarding teacher qualifications, credentials, and background checks. Finally, I have heard from the experiences of others that the school has a good reputation for caring for our kids. While I cannot know the future, I do believe that the best indicator of future behavior is past performance. I feel like I have enough information to form a solid foundation for trust.

And for me, that is faith. Faith in schools and teachers. Faith in others. Faith in God. Faith is rarely a blind leap. But neither is it a crystal-clear path. I don't have all the answers. But I have done some research. I have information. I have informed faith.

At 4:30 that afternoon, the doors opened and Olivia climbed down the giant bus stairs with a giant smile on her face, ready to tell us about her day.

Monet and the Bible

Yesterday afternoon Erica and I visited the Nelson-Atkins Art Museum here in Kansas City. The museum owns one large panel of Monet's famed water lillies paintings. The panel, however, is only one third of the complete paintings, with the other 2 panels owned and displayed at other museums around the country. This summer, the museum arranged for all 3 panels to be displayed together in one gigantic forty-two foot wide painting.

Like so many other people in Kansas City, I waited until the second-to-last weekend of the exhibit to visit. So, of course, there were tons of people. We stood in a long line waiting to enter the special exhibit. I stood back for a moment and gazed at the entire painting, but I saw more hairlines than brush strokes. We took a moment to look up close. I didn't want to stand in front of too many other art-admirers, so I made t quick. I stared at the brightest part of the painting- the red and yellow flowering Lillies at the bottom of the painting.

It was neat. I felt like I was able to get close to a piece of significant history. But there wasn't much detail, at least that I noticed. And the drab purples and greens looked very similar to the flowers my five year old daughter creates with her eight-color Crayola watercolor set. I didn't really get it. Honestly, not much wonder and not very inspiring to me. But I bet a friend of mine, the art history doctoral student, would have a different opinion.

I wonder if that is how it is for many people who open a Bible for the first time, looking for some great inspiration, having heard from friends, relatives and television preachers that God speaks through the Bible. So they crack it open and wait for the angels to sing. Or maybe they are long-time churchgoers who wonder how it is that their pastor gets so much out of a simple Bible story. They try it for themselves and are confused, bored and uninspired.

When it comes to art, I am ignorant. I really have no education or experience in art appreciation. I satisfied my fine arts credit requirements in college by singing in the choir for three semesters. But I know one thing. I didn't look at that forty-two foot painting very long. Maybe only five minutes. (That comes out to only seven seconds per linear foot). Had I sat on the couch in the back of the gallery and gazed at it for an hour I would have seen so much more. Had I crawled as close as the guard allowed and sat for 10 minutes, I might have been inspired.

After viewing the triptych, we walked through the accompanying display and learned about cross-section analysis and x-ray analysis. I discovered that Monet originally painted a detailed leafy lillie in one corner, and then covered it over with those mixed up purples and greens. Later in the day I learned about the history and theory of impressionist art. With this knowledge and background, a second look at the painting would yield more insight and appreciation. Of course, the ultimate would be to travel back in time and talk with Claude himself as he painted.

I think it is the same with the Bible. It is not easy for the first-time reader. There is a lot there and much of it is very confusing, even for theology doctoral students. You can't crack it open, read it for a few minutes and expect complete understanding, appreciation and grand inspiration (at least not every time). Some passages need to be gazed at for minutes and even hours. Education, training and tutoring will go a long way. The preacher who sees so much in one little story most likely has spent years reading, studying and talking with the author. If you really want to "get it" you will have to give your time, attention and your entire self to the Bible and, more importantly, to the God who inspired it.

Blue's Clues Handy Dandy Notebook

This is a rather random post. It has nothing to do with church, theology, the Bible, or anything of interest in my life other than my kids. And my desire to help others like me. So Easton is into Blue's Clues. I know, it is a 10 year old show that is no longer on television. But somehow he found one of our vhs tapes (we call them our DVR tapes just to make ourselves feel cool) and he discovered Blues Clues. His second birthday is coming up and we are doing a Blues Clues theme. By the way, put your leftover Wonder Pets cups, napkins and party favors in a big box, and write on it, "sell on ebay in 2021." Seriously, some crazy parent of an about-to-be-two year old will pay big money for it. No, seriously . . . I know they will. (At least I don't think I am that weird).

So anyways, my contribution to the Blues Clues themed birthday party is to buy or create the Handy Dandy notebooks for each partygoer. Since I am not into paying $10 each on ebay, I figured I would create my own. The cover is the hardest part. Image searches on Google produced nothing much, so I had to create one the hard way. So I figured I would share them. And this is the only way I know how to do it.

So if you are a dad who does not own photoshop and you find Microsoft Paint incredibly difficult to use, join the club! And enjoy. (And if you feel like it, send a few dollars via paypal to jmatters@juno.com) No just kidding, unless you really want to, in which case I am not kidding at all.

A Ridiculously Good Life

I tend to complain. Usually not about big things, but just little things. Lights not turned off. Slow drivers in front of me. Early mornings. But I have never complained about not having arms or legs. And now that I have read his story, I am not sure Nick Vujicic has either. By the way, his name is pronounced Voy-a-chich. Nick has reason to complain- he has no arms or legs. Yet he has surfed in the ocean, scuba dived a reef, beat up the school bully, and toured South Africa. I haven't even tried.

Nick's story and encouragement is found in his book, Life Without Limits: Inspiration For a Ridiculously Good Life. Nick was born without arms or legs, yet worked hard to keep up with his friends. He is an entrepreneur, motivational speaker, and evangelist. And motivational he is. He mixes his thoughts and inspiration with his life story.

I really enjoyed his chapter on fear. He describes Chucky, the biggest bully in his grade school, and tells about the day he took on Chucky on the schoolyard during lunch. He describes the fight, including his post-fight apology, and then talks about fear. Nick relates the acronym, False Evidence Appearing Real, and talks about how when we focus on our fears, they become real and then control us. His solution: rather than denying or discounting fears, we should let them motivate us. This is good stuff.

I tend to be a complainer. I think I need to read one chapter of this book every day. I could read it twice in one month. And I would be better for it.

Required Disclaimer: I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

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The Boy Who Cried Wolf, (The remix)

So I have been thinking about my post from the other day. We usually hear that fable from the perspective of the other shepherds. But how about it from this angle:

Once there was a young boy who was watching his father's sheep. The long and lonely days became too much for the boy, and on one particularly-long Monday, he decided to have some fun. The boy began to shout, "Wolf, wolf, wolf!" The sheep heard the call and began to run, hide, and try to escape the impending doom. After all, their short legs could only run so fast.

Other shepherds came running to help chase the wolf, but found the shepherd laughing hysterically. The scattered sheep were gathered, and the other shepherds returned to their own flocks, muttering something under their breath.

On Tuesday, the sheep again heard their shepherd shouting, "Wolf, wolf, wolf!" And again, wanting to protect themselves, tried to gain a head-start and protect themselves. But alas, no wolf.

On Wednesday, they heard the call, turned, scanned the horizon, peered into the bushes watching for movement, saw nothing and returned to eating, appointing one of the flock to serve as watch-guard.

On Thursday, the "wolf" call came while the sheep were napping in the valley. They heard the call, looked at each other, rolled their eyes, and went back to sleep.

On Friday, somewhere the call was sounded, but no one remembers hearing it. And then it was too late. A hungry wolf devoured the flock.

"Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him." (Matthew 24:42-44)

The Boy Who Cried Wolf (translated, "The World Is Ending"

According to broadcaster/preacher Harold Camping, yesterday was supposed to feature an earthquake and the rapture, leading up to a fireball finale this October. 24 hours later, I have yet to hear of a massive earthquake. Neither Billy Graham nor Pope Benedict disappeared. I think it is safe to say Mr. Camping was wrong.

I wonder how many preachers talked about Mr. Camping's prediction today? I wonder how many preachers cracked jokes and poked fun at the predictions. (Yes, I was one who participated in the latter.)

I think it was foolish of Mr. Camping to make the prediction. Unfortunately, too many people were fooled by him and are wondering how they will replenish their savings accounts. Too many people now feel justified in their distaste for Christians and organized religion in general. But here is what I am concerned about: too many people, Christians included, will scoff at any mention of the return of Christ, judgment, and all things apocalyptic.

You have undoubtedly heard the story of the shepherd boy who cried wolf? He became bored and lonely and cried out, "Wolf!!!!" Neighboring shepherds abandoned their flocks and ran to the rescue, only to discover they had been tricked. The boy laughed and enjoyed the prank. The next day the boy pulled the prank again, the shepherds again fell for it, and the boy laughed even harder. On the third day, when the shepherds heard the cry, they ignored it and refused to play the fool. Unfortunately, there really was a wolf this time. I don't think any storybook illustrator ever illustrated the final illustration: wool and sheep bones everywhere, a wolf licking his chops with an enlarged belly (and the shepherd boy probably didn't make it either).

I wonder how many people, refusing to be fooled again, will now listen to nothing about the return of Christ and the day of judgment. In the book of Matthew, chapters 24-25, Jesus speaks about his return. His essential message: KEEP WATCH and BE READY! (Matthew 24:42 & 44) Concerning the servant who is wicked and not ready, Jesus says that his master, "will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." (Matthew 24:51 (NIV)) Ouch, Jesus! But that is the reality of the return of Christ.

Read all of Jesus' words and you will find that the return of Christ is not something to be taken lightly! We cannot discount the day just because we do not know the date!

Some preacher cried wolf. He was either innocently misinformed or pulling a mean prank. We are still here: no earthquakes, no apparent rapture. But just like the fable, the return of Christ is real, and will occur some day. (But Jesus probably won't gobble up the sheep and shepherd boy.) Don't let some preacher cause you to discount the words of Jesus: keep watch and be ready.

Make Your Choice . . . but choose wisely

I am still thinking about values. If someone said, "Jason, do you value physical health?" I would say, "yes!" But how would I defend myself? Well, I don't smoke; I am not overweight; I don't eat too much junk food nor drink too much pop; I am not experiencing any pain or other symptoms of disease. Isn't that an interesting way of defending my supposed value? The evidence of what I value is found in what I don't do. You know why? Because when I look at what I do, I am not sure I truly value physical health. I think that if I truly valued physical health I would exercise or do something active. Mowing the lawn is the only extended physical activity in which I engage. And that is once per week for 7 months- not exactly an exercise regimen.

You know, I regularly think to myself, "I should go downstairs and exercise." I have a great exercise machine in the basement, and it sits in front of a big television. But I don't. In the moment, instead of choosing exercise, I choose rest, vegging out, or, to be really honest, comfort!

So here is what I am learning about values: I can make a list a mile long of my values. But then comes the hard part: putting that list in order. Every decision is a choice between two (or more) values. One will win. How often does that value beat out the other values? I have to be honest; I value comfort more than I value exercise. Ouch. Saying it out loud and typing it for the whole world to see is not easy. But it is true. So for every value I claim to live by, I have to ask myself if there is something I value more than that.

So what do you really value? Which values are at the top of the list? Stop talking about what you value. Talk about what you value more.

Your life is the result of your choices, which are values-choices; so your life is the result of your values.

No More Dreaded Mondays - a Review

If you are looking for work, and no one seems to be responding to your resumes, you need to read this book. If you hate your job, but feel stuck because why would anyone leave a secure job these days, you need to read this book. If you are thinking it might be time for a career transition, you need to read this book. If you think you will never make more money until you get your degree, you need to read this book. I fit none of those categories, and I loved it!

What do you love to do? Dan will spur you on to think of creative ways to make money doing what you love. From guys who traded in corporate life for chainsaw art to the guy who made a million dollars selling the "pet rock," this book of full of stories. Did you know that Steven Spielberg's application to film school was denied- 3 times? Of course, after he was successful, one of those schools awarded him an honorary degree. Did you know that 69% of business start-ups required less than $10,000? Of course, if you have nothing, that is a problem- until you read that 26% of startups required NO MONEY!

Dan Miller is a creative thinker, a therapist, life coach and career coach. He is also a successful businessman. He is a decent author, too. In this book, Dan takes a look at the reasons we give for working jobs we hate. He then successfully deconstructs all of those reasons. But I love Dan because he doesn't leave his readers in a pool of despair. He shares story after story of people who made lots of money doing what they love.

If you read this book, two things will happen. First, you will be offended in every area of your life ruled by laziness and complacency. Second, you will be motivated, inspired, and given guidance in the areas of your life where you are open to change and experience success!

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review. And if you are a personal friend of mine, I will let you borrow it- but you have to give it back because this one is staying on my shelves.

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My Life is the result of my values

So I have been thinking a lot about values recently. After Easter I am planning on a teaching series at New Vision that will draw heavily from this concept. I find myself constantly asking, "what do I really value?" Or I can ask, "what do I really believe in?" Obviously I don't really believe in physical exercise. I am afraid to make such a claim- for my elliptical machine might sprout legs, hunt me down, and expose my lies!

Organizations talk a lot about core values. We talk about aspired core values (the values we want to be present) and actual core values (the values we truly value- as evidenced by how we spend our time, money, and other resources). It is an important exercise, based in honesty, to determine what I truly value versus what I want to truly value. The same is true personally. Since we as humans are really good at lying to ourselves, we often tell ourselves that we value something, but our actions betray us, and our lifestyles point out what we truly value. In other words, I might think that I value family, but if I work 80 hours every week and play golf twice every weekend, I really don't value family.

So how do I know what my true values are? Well, I start by looking at how I use my time. Then my money. What do I talk about the most? An honest evaluation will reveal my true values.

But how about this. We are often told that our lives are a reflection of our values. I think we need to go deeper. My life is the RESULT of my values. This life I have built for myself I built from my values. The car I drive, the food in my fridge, the color of my fridge, the color of my hair, why I am typing this blog at 11:31 PM, everything is a result of my values.

"Wait a second," you say, "your hair color?" Yes. While I had no control over the DNA sequence that controls my natural hair color, I could choose to change it. I have always wanted to have blond hair. Why don't I change it? Because I value thriftiness over physical appearance and I won't pay to change my hair color. I also value sleeping-in over salon-chair-sitting, so I don't spend my time getting my hair colored. You see, my values influence what I do as well as what I don't do.

What do you think? Your life is more than a reflection of your values. Your life is the result of your values. So take a look at the details of your life- what do you truly, honestly value? Are you surprised?

The Dark Side of Baptism

Baptisms are one of my favorite ministry privileges. Helping a person demonstrate their inner faith with an outward sign, dunking them under water, looking out at the sea of family and friends gathered to celebrate the day with them- it is just fun. I don't take baptism lightly. I tell everyone who wants to be baptized that, "anyone can put a gold ring on their left hand- but that doesn't make them married. And so it is with baptism. Baptism is a sign of nothing if there is no inner faith preceeding it." Here at New Vision Church, we also create video testimonies of each of our baptizands. It is good for all of our members to hear a story of faith. It is good for their family and friends to hear their story. And it is a good exercise to verbalize your own story of grace.

So where is the dark side to all of this? Well, it came a couple of months ago, when, after watching two baptisms at our Christmas Eve service, our daughter told us that she wanted to be baptized. Erica carefully explained the story of salvation and drew an excellent bridge illustration. Olivia understood it, but it was evident that she was more interested in the act of baptism. And I don't blame her- it looks like fun- the attention, getting dunked in the church hot tub- I would probably want it, too. But therein lies the dark side of the sacraments. They are physical, doable, and intriguing. It is possible to participate without the accompanying faith. And baptism is supposed to be a one-time deal.

So right now we are trying to figure out how to perceive the faith of a five year old. I know that even the smartest among us do not fully understand salvation, but I want her to have true faith. I want her to remember her baptism, and know that it was a meaningful symbol of inner faith. But I don't want to put down her faith and make her wait too long.