Month: August 2009

  • Is what the new who?

    who-a-what

    The last three or four years has seen a major technological leap that no one can ignore. With the rise of social media (marketing, tools, networking) there are a new set of rules and people who once found it impossible to become known for their competence now have a place to elevate above the people who are known for who they are. All of a sudden Robin Williams has to wonder… “if I’m not on Twitter, do I stop being a celebrity?” The mocking of the nerds on the internet stopped being quite so funny in the last 18 months, didn’t it?

    This isn’t the first time that the who apple cart has been upset by the what. The what’s of the industrial revolution become the who’s to take out when the automobile revolution took over. The who’s of the auto age where taken out by the what’s of the technology boom in the 1970’s. The who’s of the technology boom were taken out by the what’s of the software developers. On and on it goes. The what’s replace the who’s to become the who’s that’s taken out by the next round of what’s. The who’s desperately hold on, invest their billions to say “who matters” and “who’s still have it” while the what’s laugh as the transfer of wealth once again takes over.

    The obvious example of this is Microsoft’s Bing vs. Google. Microsoft is the who of the software boom. For 20+ years no one could touch Bill Gates. But now, next to the innovators at rivals like Apple, Google, Facebook, and even Twitter… Microsoft looks like the Ford, GM, and Chrysler at a congressional hearing. Microsoft is spending billions of dollars on Bing and all it does is remind people how much they love Google. People used to dream of working at Microsoft. Now if an up-and-coming software engineer, UI developer, or otherwise tech talent announces they are going to Microsoft… there is a certain snicker that goes around. “Couldn’t get a job at Facebook, eh?” Why is that? Unless you are turning Microsoft around, you can’t become a who by being a what at Microsoft.

    Being a what gives me hope. Let’s face it, I’m not a who. There aren’t many who’s out there. But I know that if I get really good at being a what, there’s hope. There’s opportunity for what’s. We’re in a transition time that comes around only so often when the apple cart is upset. And if you’re a pretty good what at what is new, you’ll do OK.

    Something even more encouraging. There isn’t just one set of who’s vs. what’s anymore. Right now there are so many who’s that the opportunities are unparalleled. You could become the next who of ____ if you make your what better than their what.

    More encouraging than that? In a transition time between who and what, money isn’t that important. Innovation is now cheaper than ever before. Becoming a what is easier. Becoming a what takes less time. And the amount of time you need to invest to become known as a what gets shorter every day.

    Tired of working for the who? Become a what. Worst case scenario… there’s always good work in convincing a who that they can become a what again.

  • Bring on College Football

    It must be August because I’m starting to think a lot about football. How will my favorite teams do? How dumb will the bowls look in January and why don’t we have a playoff yet? Will I get to see any good games this season?

    San Diego State– Let’s start local. Last year the Aztecs were horrid. After almost picking off Notre Dame in their second game things went downhill in a hurry. I watched a couple of games on TV and they looked fairly helpless. The off-season brought a change at head coach when Brady Hoke was brought over from Ball State. He helped turn the perception on them from BS-U to Ball State. I’m hoping they will at least be competitive in the 2009 season. I threatened to do this last year but their home dates didn’t work well with NYWC… but this year there’s only one game I’d miss so I did bite the bullet and bought a season ticket package. At something like $7 per ticket it ended up being about the same price as going to a high school game… so why not? Maybe I can convince Megan and Paul that football is worth watching in the process?

    Notre Dame– I’ve got the Irish in my blood. Growing up just a stones throw from campus I’ve always had a thing for Notre Dame. Last season brought some hope back for 2009-2010. With nearly the entire team back and a very weak schedule, they should have a nice season. I think they will be 8-4 or 9-3. With their toughest road games being Michigan and Purdue, they really have a shot to do something memorable. The USC game gets interesting over the next 2 season as the Trojans begin to fall from dominence just as the Irish start to rise again. It’d be nice to string together 2-3 years of beating USC. I think they will lose to Purdue, USC, Washington State, and maybe Boston College. But I’ve been wrong before. As of right now I’m planning to see them take on the Cardinal of Stanford during Thanksgiving weekend. That’d be a great place to claim their BCS bid, wouldn’t it? But if they have a rough year and go 6-6, it’s the end of the Charlie Weis era for sure.

    Michigan/Michigan State– I still have an affinity for the Michigan teams. Other than the weeks they play Notre Dame I’ll watch and cheer for them. I think Michigan State should have a nice year. I’d love to see them earn a Rose Bowl invitiation. They are very athletic and fun to watch. I think Michigan still has a long way to go. I have a feeling that if Michigan doesn’t get to 8 wins they will fire their coach and continue the downward spiral that Notre Dame started 15 years ago. If you want to see a friendly schedule, look at Michigan. The furthest they travel is to Iowa and they don’t even leave the state of Michigan until week six. The Wolverines have a tough schedule of opponents this year despite the friendly home stands, I just don’t think they can compete against Notre Dame, Iowa, Michigan State, Wisconsin, or Ohio State. I hope they do better than 7-5, but I don’t foresee it.

    All-in-all, I’m not expecting any of my favorite teams to be contenders. The script is written for Tim Tebow’s Florida, Oklahoma, and USC. OK, let’s face it. I just hate USC. It would make my football season if Notre Dame can pull off a miracle and defeat them on October 17th.

  • Two projects are now live!

    It’s well documented that I like managing projects… but I love finishing and releasing projects more than anything. In the last 24 hours, two little babies were released into the wild. I hope they both flourish.

    myguitar

    1. Myguitar iPhone app. This is the second application we’ve published from YS, with a few more deep in the process of testing and stuff. This one was fun for two reasons. First, it’s stinking fun to play guitar on your iPhone. My favorite feature is that I can play the guitar along to my favorite worship artist, David Crowder. My life would be complete if he would try it. Then again, my adoration for Mr. Crowder’s work is well-documented so that should be no surprise.

    loveinanorientation

    2. Love is in an Orientation. Speaking of adoration, I’ve also documented my admiration for Andrew Marin’s work in bridging evangelical and the GLBT cultures. More imporatantly, I’m lucky enough to count him as a friend. So when he asked me to help him get a “real blog site” I was happy to jump in and help out.

    I don’t want to sound obnoxious. But this is turning into a whale of a year for me. Lots of great projects. Lots of nice things said. And lots, lots more where this stuff came from.

  • Why I Stand Up to Bullies

    bullies-r-bad

    “What if you found out that the principal had denied access to the gay/straight alliance because of some technicality… a rule the Christian club broke all the time? Would you take a stand for the gay/straight alliance? They have the right to meet at the school under the same rules that give the Christian group rights to meet.“ I asked this question to a senior pastor friend of mine over a cup of coffee. The conversation got to this point when he asked me why I was always standing up for the little guy. I told him that our role as Christian leaders was to help others seek justice to which he replied, “Well, some things deserve justice and equality while others don’t.”

    And Christians wonder why some people hate them?

    Let me share a few reasons why I think more Christian leaders don’t stand up to bullies:

    1. They are wimps. Somewhere in all of our education we are taught to never fight the system, just to submit to the ruling authority, and smile at old ladies on Sunday mornings. I’ve met far too many church leaders whose only leadership skill is diplomacy. Diplomacy is great. But the desire to negotiate is worthless if no one takes you seriously. Just because you are a church leader doesn’t mean you have to be a pansy.

    2. They have horrible theology. In the above discussion you see it played out. That church leader was only interested in standing up for the Christian group. No one else in the community matters to him because they don’t directly benefit him. (Directly, meaning he doesn’t see the connection between justice and church growth!) You know, Jesus and his disciples only ever stood up for the religious folks, right? Just ask the woman at the well and that woman about to be stoned when caught having sex.

    3. They are afraid of their churches. Good Lord, imagine what would happen if the senior pastor actually stood up against injustice in his community! I mean, what would the board say? I mean… if I don’t do what they say I could lose my job! (See #1 & #2)

    4. Their worldview is jacked up. I could ask the pastor above if he was an absolutist or a graded-absolutist and he’d swear oaths to Josh McDowell that he was walking the absolutist straight and narrow. But based on how he answered the question above you’d see that he’s really a relativist. (gasp) He’d stand up for the Christian groups right to meet at a local high school because he agrees with them. But because he doesn’t agree with gay/straight alliance, he wouldn’t. Relativism in action. So what’s good for one group isn’t good for another, right pastor?

    5. Their priorities are out-of-order. The last cop-out I hear all the time is, “I’m so busy running the church.” Too many who work in churches are so worried about running the programs of the church that they forget their place in society. Think about it… most pastors make horrible neighbors. They are too busy to be a part of the community, they use their house as a meeting location, and they are preaching all the time that you should love your neighbor despite the fact that they don’t know their own neighbors names or love them one bit. It shocks me that the way evangelical churches operate that they are so out-of-balance with the community’s need.

    I know these are generalizations. And I know that people think that if they can dismiss one single point with a specific example they can dismiss all that I’m saying. Please don’t lose the point of the post by disagreeing with a single generalization. The point is that if you want to be a Christian leader in your community, you don’t need the title of pastor. What you need to do is look deeply at what’s going on, expose injustices, speak out for the weak and poor among you, and stand up to bullies. Whether that’s a school board, a government official, a nasty neighbor, a gang, the big donor at church pulling the strings, or even some bullies picking on kids as they walk to school.

    Jesus is a big fan of justice, are you?

  • What You Water Grows

    photo

    I took this picture in my backyard this morning. It illustrates this thought perfectly. In the middle is our healthy orange tree, to it’s left is a healthy grapefruit tree, if you could see more you’d see another orange tree, a couple peach trees, a mandarin, and lemon tree. And everything else is dirt.

    Being a Midwest boy now living in an coastal arid climate I’ve been fascinated by this simple principle: What you water grows. The rest of our backyard is dirt or dead, dried up weeds. Where I grew up this same effect would be impossible. Weekly rains would ensure that the dirt would become covered in in vegetation. But in our climate, if you don’t water an area… nothing will grow.

    In your life, what you water grows

    Followers of Jesus know this to be true in matters of the heart as well. Jesus said  this, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.” By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.We know that God’s written word is living water to our souls.” Practically speaking, those who spend time contemplating and meditating on Scripture grow– while those who do not, don’t grow. Later Jesus taught his followers why they needed to stay connected to the vine. [fellow believers] “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” The vine is the source of water and nutrients… stay connected to the vine and you live. Disconnect and you die.

    Are you watering the right things?

    In an arid climate water is a precious commodity. Here in San Diego we live under water restrictions as our fresh water isn’t natural to the area. It is all pumped in from other places! (We have a rainy season [Winter] and a dry season. [Spring, Summer, Fall]) We all have to make choices with the water that we have… what will we allow to grow and what will we allow to die? The same is true in our lives. Professionally, we know we can’t do it all… so what will we give water and see thrive and what will we not water and see die? In our families, we must chose things to water and things to dry out. In our ministries, we must chose which programs and people to water and which to allow to not grow or even willow. Individual believers chose, do I want to be connected to the vine… the source of nutrients and water… or do I want my faith to die by not connecting with other Christians?

    This water thing is pretty deep. After all, the Mediterranean climate is a coastal desert as well. It all ties into the parable of the talents as well, doesn’t it? We’re all given things to manage. And part of being a good manager is deciding what to water and what to let die. You can’t do it all! Chose wisely and water the right things.

  • Paul’s Birthday

    Hard to believe it, but our little baby boy just turned 6. Here are some pictures we took yesterday down by Point Loma Nazarene University.

  • Travelling to the edge of space

    This makes me so jealous. I want to go!

  • Football, Church, and polls

    bowdenAugust 1st arrives and I find myself drawn to coverage of football. I’m not really into baseball. With 164 regular season games I struggle to care between April and September. The NBA playoffs last almost as long as the regular season so that has never interested me. March Madness is fantastic, but it only lasts a month. And I can’t get into watching hockey on TV so that is out. College football is, by far, my favorite sport to get into.

    The Pre-Season polls are starting to come out. This is the one thing that truly irks me about college football. So much is determined about the outcome of the football season before the ball is kicked off in September. It simply makes no sense to me that you pre-rank teams before they’ve played a game knowing that the polls will eventually determine who gets ot play in the national championship game. The same 25 teams are in the top 25 each fall. It’s as though the script for college football has already been written. Tim Tebow, back for his senior season, will play either Texas or Oklahoma for a national championship… depending on who wins the conference championship game. A playoff is the only thing that will fix this. And even that will be effected by pre-season polls.

    church-rankingsA few years back I was hanging out with some friends and we were discussing setting up a fantasy church league. You know, put out church rankings based on attendence, power of sermon, quality of worship service. Add to the mix some Church Center replays and postgame talk… we could probably get enough interest to put out weekly rankings. “Late in the sermon it looked like Craig Groeschell was losing his audience. Heads dipped and the internet interaction started to slow. But then he threw in an unexpected hail mary altar call and brought it down! What a pro finish!” or “John Piper’s delivery was flawless on Sunday. His precision in slicing and dicing that passage, tying in the joy application, that was a thing of beauty. Church Center play of the week nominee, for sure.” But then we thought it’d make the whole thing just weird if it blew up and pastors started spiking Bibles and dudes started getting endorsement deals. Can you imagine a postgame interview from Perry Noble? “First off, I need to give all the glory to Jesus Christ. Second of all, I couldn’t have done it without my Pepsi Worship Team and the Tommy Nelson Gospel Choir. Without them, we wouldn’t have won today.”

    Thankfully, we came to our senses on that one. The last thing anyone wants is for megachurches to start lobbying supporters for all-star votes!

    Football wouldn’t be the same without rankings. Church wouldn’t either.

  • When life crushes you

    Awesome video. When I saw it I laughed and went “hmm” at the same time. Isn’t it ironic that the thing that cleans and refreshes us… in massive quantities crushes and destroys?

    As an introvert stuck in an extroverts world I often feel relationally crushed by human interaction.     For example, one of my biggest struggles in serving in ministry was the always on nature of events, retreats, and mission trips. I would ache for alone time to reflect on what was happening, but feel crushed by the urgent needs of my students. I’m ashamed that there were moments of imbalance where I would snap at an adult volunteer or student… not because of what they did or said but because they inhabited the space my introverted mind wanted to protect.

    What are the types of things that crush you with their goodness?

    What are some centering activities you do when you feel crushed by things that are meant to refresh and cleanse?

  • Gran Torino Discussion Questions

    Basic CMYKWalt Kowalski is a widower who holds onto his prejudices despite the changes in his Michigan neighborhood and the world around him. Kowalski is a grumpy, tough-minded, unhappy an old man, who can’t get along with either his kids or his neighbors, a Korean War veteran whose prize possession is a 1972 Gran Torino he keeps in mint condition. When his neighbor Thao, a young Hmong teenager under pressure from his gang member cousin, tries to steal his Gran Torino, Kowalski sets out to reform the youth. Drawn against his will into the life of Thao’s family, Kowalski is soon taking steps to protect them from the gangs that infest their neighborhood. link

    Discussion Questions:

    – Why do you think Kowalski stayed in his neighborhood when all of his neighbors had moved to the suburbs?

    – Perhaps the hardest part to stomach of Gran Torino is the repeated use of racial slurs. Do you think Kowalski was a racist?

    – The miscommunication between Kowalski and his sons was epic. Based on what is presented in the movie, what would be some steps the son could have taken to re-open the lines of communication?

    – What changed Kowalski’s opinion of his Hmong neighbors?

    – When confronted with the priest, Kowalski closed the door on his because he was too young to comprehend what Kowalski was going through. Should the priest have honored his parishner’s wishes, tried harder, or done the same as was presented in the movie?

    – Kowalski fathered Thao in a way that he didn’t his own children. Why?

    – The Hmong people celebrated Kowalski as a hero. Was he a hero, a vigilante, or a nutcase?

    – Which character was more righteous, Kowalski or the priest?

    – When Kowalski finally goes to confession, he confesses that he kissed a woman at a cocktail party and that he wasn’t a good father. Do you think there were other burdens that he needed to confess?

    – Kowalski’s actions helped one family in a tough neighborhood. What action could you take to make a change in your nieghborhood?

    – Ultimately, Kowalski embraced his Hmong neighbors, mentored the boy next store, and helped them seek justice where justice could not be found. What does that teach us about our individual responsibilities in the hood we live in?

    – Which character represented the person you’d like to be. Why?

    – Which character exhibited the type of faith you’d like to exhibit in your life?

    – What do you think happened in the neighborhood after the story ends?