Which is Easier? Lead or Serve?

Back on the issue of what seems to have taken center stage in the Christian ministry world. By way of recap, there seems to be an inordinate amount of leadership gatherings, webinars, seminars, blog posts, etc., especially when compared to what's out there dealing with the area of living the life of a servant.

Sadly we live in a culture that has pretty much infiltrated the church, hence the allure to position, posture and stature. Of course every organization needs great leadership, but what seems to be happening is that we have developed a mentality within the Christian organizational world that says, if you're not a leader then your pretty much not anything at all.

It's kind of like freshman playing high school football - every kid wants to be the quarterback. The sad truth is, if 50 kids go out for the team there might be two or three that have the aptitude to play that particular position. But, quarterback is the glory position so everyone thinks that that's the position to play. Not unlike the church - most people see the person who speaks from the platform as the "key" person in the church, so many of the incoming staff have that position in their sights - everyone thinks that is the place to play.

All the while, any emphasis on promoting the important role of servant, is pretty much left on the sidelines. So what do we do if we continue down this path of glorifying leadership and ignoring the role of servant?

Hopefully I'll have more on this tomorrow - but for now, keep serving and keep bringing the Kingdom to the least of these.

So Many Words . . . So Little Communication

Being a writer and communicator, I spend a lot of time reading and listening to other people. I especially enjoy learning from others as I read their work and listen to their oration.

One thing I've noticed that runs contrary to the desires of most people who find themselves in a conversational exchange is that the majority of people would rather talk than listen. It's such a simple rule of great conversation, yet it's so often disregarded . . . listen more than you talk.

I have made a living by being willing to listen far more than I speak. The dividends of being patient enough to be an interested listener are huge. Not only do you learn far more than you ever dreamed possible, but you also win the goodwill of the people to whom you were willing to listen.

If you ever take time to read through the Book of Proverbs (Bible) - you will be amazed at how often, and how pointed, the references to speech, to conversation and to attitude within conversational exhanges are.

Reading Proverbs would be a very good starting point for anyone who is seriously interested in becoming a great interpersonal communicator - take a few hours and have a look - I guarantee you won't be disappointed

The Art Fair

This afternoon my wife and I went a few miles to the west to join in the festivities at the Lake Country Art Festival in Delafield, WI. I have to say the one thing that stood out to me the most was the collection of people that make up the artist community. It was somewhat humorous for someone like me who sees things through a cartoon imagination most of the time.

It was probably just me, but I could have sworn that the artists and the art that they were displaying started to look like one another. Sort of like the old notion that people and their pets begin looking like one another after a time.

As I turned my attention from the artist community, I began noticing the other people around the festival grounds - the people who were there just like me, simply to see the show. I couldn't help but notice how the faces of the people passing by so clearly reflected the affect of their body language and the conversation or lack thereof with the people in their company.

The entire exercise in observation was entirely unscientific and purely subjective, but even an untrained eye can tell the difference between overt joy and barley able to hang-on to the day.

The sad summation of this whole experience is that even within a festive event, there are so many people that look like the last thing they really want to do is to cope with another day of what it is that life keeps bringing their way.

So herein is my question to the church. How many people walk through our churches with the same look of desperation that I saw today at the art fair? What do we do to speak life and hope into their lives? Or, do we let them walk through the church just like the fair goers walked through the festival grounds - they came and they left with same feeling of discouragement and despondency that they have been carrying around for . . . who knows how long.

I just know that there is something wrong with me when I see someone that needs a friend and I make no attempt whatsoever to become that friend. I guess I have a long way to go in the quest to be like Jesus.

Organic Church

If you haven't stopped by the Organic Church website, you really owe it to yourself to have a look. I mention this site because of its great content but also because of the increasing number of people that I am talking with that have an interest in learning more about non-traditional expressions of church.

Fresh Start

I have had two other blogs that I've chosen to abandon. I wanted a fresh start on a more focused venue. There is so much to cover when considering the church and all those who consider themselves part of the church, I just couldn't resist creating this new blog.

I work with the church and its' pastors for a living. I love what I do and hope through this blog to provide information to those who stop by that will be helpful to them in their journey as a Christ Follower.