In my last post, I talked about the power of asking someone else, "Why?" You might want to read that one first. But what about the power of asking yourself this question? How often do we believe things or do things without understanding why? When I was a child, like most, I asked lots of questions. It wasn't enough for me to know WHAT or HOW I should do something, I had to know "WHY?". Although I've become a little less demanding, that question still drives me today. In his presentation at TEDx-Puget Sound, Simon Sinek talks about how the power of WHY is a complete game changer.
"How do you explain when others are able to achieve things that seem to defy all of the assumptions?" - Simon Sinek
Although he is talking about innovation and commerce, as I watched this video I immediately thought about the Church and how we communicates God's truth. Most often, Christians go straight to the WHAT & HOW, rather than humbly and patiently helping people wrestle with the WHY. I've recently been challenged to better understand and communicate the WHY in every aspect of the my faith. Whether it be a simple presentation of the Gospel, an admonition to love your neighbor, or a rebuke against grumbling and complaining, someone understanding the WHY can make all the difference in the world. In the very first chapter of Isaiah, we see God having this conversation with the rebellious nation of Israel. “Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool."(Isaiah 1:18) "Come now, let usreasontogether..." The fact that Almighty God would want to "reason" with us (in order to save our souls!) is an idea that I find hard to comprehend. Perhaps this is why I do such a poor job of having that same patience and humility with those who question what I believe. I'd encourage you to do yourself a massive favor and take 18 minutes to watch this video, then take a little more time to ask yourself "why?". "Why do I do what I do?" "Why do I believe what I believe?" "How can I better communicate that with others?"
If you're like me, when you're walking through those tiny model apartments at Ikea you think, "I could actually DO this!" Well, Graham Hill at Life Edited takes it to another level with this 420 square foot apartment in Soho. One fascinating thing about this place is that the design was "crowd sourced" through over 300 entries, a growing trend in the design world today.
Graham says, "I think that simplifying your life... might actually make you a little happier." I couldn't agree more. He expands on this idea athttp://www.lifeedited.com
Since 1950, the average American consumes 6 times more energy and carries 24 times more personal debt. He uses 3 times more living space, but still doesn’t have enough room to store his stuff, a fact made clear by a $22B personal storage industry. Despite this excess (or perhaps because of it), we find ourselves no happier than we were 60 years ago. Most of us realize it’s relationships and experiences–not possessions–that make us happy. Why don’t we design our homes, products and lifestyles accordingly?
Ready for the amazing 420 square foot apartment?
This 20 minute video shows the entire building process from demo to completion, and a more in depth look at the space.
Life Edited's motto is "Design your life to include more money, health and happiness with less stuff, space and energy". I'm in, who's with me?
If you've never seen a live performance of "Pride, In the Name of Love", U2's tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., then congratulations, this is your lucky day. Below is their classic performance from the film Rattle and Hum, a documentary of the The Joshua Tree tour. #urwelcome
I took my parents to see Les Miserables a couple of nights ago. Dad fell asleep twice, I did once, and Mom wasn't sure what to think. Needless to say, our ride home looked nothing like the video below, but if you haven't seen it yet, you must. This is AWESOMAZING!
There was crying in our theater, however, it came from me when I realized that they weren't going to talk between the songs. Isn't that what normally happens in musicals? They speak, then burst into a catchy song about their favorite things or sweeping chimneys or a really fast car, then they speak some more as if that is normal behavior. Look, I saw The Sound of Music, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang AND Grease. I KNOW musicals! About two minutes into this movie I thought, "Seriously? They're going to sing this whole thing? For nearly three hours? REALLY?" When people sing for three hours straight, mostly lines that do not have a melody or rhyme, isn't that called an opera? I know that this isn't the popular opinion. Everyone is raving about the beauty and the grandeur and this timeless story. Based on what I've been seeing in the blogoshpere, I should be writing an article on how the message of redemption is magnificently displayed in this epic production, then tie the whole thing into the gospel. SPOILER ALERT: That's not gonna happen here.
Now before I get any hate mail, let me clarify that I'm not calling any of that into question. I can appreciate it all. However, personally, I was too distracted by the mode of presentation(or medium) for my heart to deeply be touched by the message. I freely confess that this is largely due to my failure to appreciate some of the finer of the fine arts. Ten minutes into my first ballet I asked, "Are they really just going to just dance the whole time?" Fortunately I'm not alone in my cultural depravity. Particularly here in East Texas. On a broader scale, I know that many people have a similar problem when watching foreign films with subtitles. For them, there is simply a disconnect in the method of communication that they cannot overcome. Which led me to this question: "How often do people fail to hear the gospel, the greatest redemption story of all time, not because the story is lacking, but because the presentation doesn't connect? Maybe it's culturally irrelevant to them. Maybe it seems like they're hearing it in a foreign language. Maybe it's just bad storytelling?
I've heard it said of gospel presentations, "The medium may change, but the message stays the same." I completely disagree. This notion flies directly in the face of what media genius Marshall McLuhan said nearly a decade ago when he coined the now-famous phrase, “The medium is the message.” Point being that how we communicate something plays as much a role in it's impact as what we are trying to communicate. If people don't "get it," our presentation may be more at fault than the state of their hearts. As believers, it is much easier to blame hard hearts or credit a sovereign God than to scrutinize our own efforts. I would go one step further and say that it takes much more creativity, investment, effort and research to present a message that connects well than one that does not. As a pastor who has prepared many sermons, I can certainly attest to this. It is much more expedient to just rehash something you've done before, or another church did, or possibly worse, recreate a low budget Christianized version of something the world did five years ago. And when I say research, I don't just mean of the scriptures, but also of the people we are trying to reach with them. In ministry we rarely, if ever, do any research or follow up with our target audience in order to discover how well they comprehended our intended message, why they did or didn't like it, or how they think we could present it better. I'm not talking about changing the message to appeal more, I'm talking about changing the presentation to communicate better. We could easily believe that something is amazing and heart touching because that's how WE perceive it, while all the while it has little to no impact on those who need to hear it most. In the commercial sector, Research & Development is often one of the largest budget items. Products are tested, revised and retested. Movies are screened multiple times, rewritten and reshot, often at a massive expense, based on audience interviews. Have you ever heard of a church with an R&D department? Have you ever heard of Community Research as a line item in a ministry budget? I can tell you this: if it's not in the budget, it's not important. Your budget says more about your values and mission statement than your website. Why is it that we, who believe that our "customers" have the most to lose, spend little to no time or money researching how well we're connecting with them? How can we do this better? I'll be digging in to that and more on Monday. Until then, enjoy your weekend, and maybe even go see Les Miserables if you haven't. But don't say I didn't warn you. They sing for the entire movie... almost THREE HOURS!
The Golden Gate Bridge has always been famous. It was the world’s longest suspension bridge when it was completed in 1937. Since then, it has become an iconic landmark of San Francisco and, tragically, one of the most popular places in the world to commit suicide. Few know this better than Kevin Briggs, a sergeant with the California Highway Patrol who has talked hundreds of people out of jumping.
I couldn't help but think about what it means to be a "guardian" of the gospel. Seargent Briggs' focus, dedication and determination convicted and inspired me. "How often am I living completely focused on the mission, the Great Commission, that I have been given?" "Am I on the lookout for people around me who need to be rescued?" "Am I sacrificial, committed and patient with them, unwilling to just let them go?"
"When I talk to someone, I try to dig into them and see whats going on." "I try to get them to raise their head up." "I actually went down on my knees and said, "Look, I got nothin'."" "I tend to talk about my life, because I've been through a lot." "Hey, I've been through some of this also." "I like to lead them with dignity." "That's what we do, that's why we're here." "What was it, after all those hours, that you finally decided to come back?" "Kevin wouldn't give up."
"To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some." 1 Corinthians 9:22
"Be merciful to those who doubt; snatch others from the fire and save them; to others show mercy, mixed with fear—hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh." Jude 1:22-23
"This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers." 1 John 3:16
