Coram Deo ~

Looking at contemporary culture from a Christian worldview

Monthly Archives: August 2015


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4 Ways in Which Conflict Can Be Your Friend

Patrick LencioniI used to regularly get feedback indicating that “Bill doesn’t like conflict”. Well, I’m not sure many people really like conflict, but I do know that if you avoid situations because you don’t want to deal with conflict due to a lack of leadership courage it can result in other problems. In fact, Patrick Lencioni has written that the fear of conflict is almost always a sign of problems.

On the other hand, healthy conflict can be a good thing. I’ve been helped in this area by Lencioni and his books The Five Dysfunctions of a Team and The Advantage. These are two of the most helpful books I’ve read (and re-read), and discussed with others, and I refer to them often.

A trait of a cohesive leadership team (and any team), according to Lencioni is that team members regularly engage in productive, unfiltered conflict around important issues.

Although we have a natural tendency to avoid conflict, here are 4 ways in which conflict can actually be your friend:

  1. It drives us to better results. We have to start with trust. We need trust to have healthy ideological conflict, or conflict around ideas, as opposed to unhealthy and unproductive personality driven conflict. Lencioni has written that if we don’t trust one another, then we aren’t going to engage in open, constructive, ideological conflict. However when there is trust, conflict becomes nothing but the pursuit of truth, an attempt to find the best possible answer. Having healthy conflict around ideas, proposals, direction, etc. will help insure that we ultimately arrive at better solutions. Have you seen better results when you engage in open and healthy conflict around ideas?
  2. It builds stronger teams. I’ve been on teams where ideological conflict was seen as disloyalty as the leader was trying to build consensus with the group. This leads to what Lencioni refers to as “artificial harmony”, and he says that this is particularly seen in churches where people have the misguided idea that they cannot be frustrated or disagreeable with one another. He writes that what team members are actually doing is confusing being nice with being kind. Instead, we should feel compelled to respectfully disagree with one another when we see things differently. If done properly this will lead to team members having greater respect for each other, and help to avoid destructive conflict later on if the discussion doesn’t take place. Have you had experiences where teams have become stronger as a result of engaging in healthy conflict?
  3. It results in greater commitment to decisions. Lencioni has written that conflict is so important that a team cannot achieve commitment without it. He tells us that when there has been no conflict where team members can express their different opinions it becomes nearly impossible for team members to truly commit to a decision. Have you been involved in situations where team members appeared to agree to a decision in a meeting, but then didn’t support the decision later? Lencioni refers to this unhealthy behavior as “passive sabotage”.
  4. It helps leaders to grow. I often tell people that I am rarely the smartest person in the room. I’m not being humble when I say that. I work with very talented people, and I respect the knowledge and experience they bring to the team. A leader needs to demonstrate vulnerability and create an environment in which ideological conflict is encouraged. For example, the leader may have to break a tie if the team can’t come to consensus on a decision, but a mature leader should let all team members provide their input before that takes place. That takes maturity and someone who is not on a power trip. Have you grown as a leader by letting your team engage in conflict around your ideas?

Do you agree that healthy conflict around ideas is a good thing? What are some examples of healthy conflict that you have seen?


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Movie Review ~ The Gift

The GiftThe Gift, rated R
*** ½

This psychological thriller stars Jason Bateman as Simon and Rebecca Hall as his wife Robyn. They have just relocated from Chicago to Simon’s hometown in Southern California where Simon has accepted a promising new job with a security systems firm. They purchased a new home with a beautiful view as they hope to leave the sadness of Robyn’s miscarriage behind in Chicago and get a fresh new start. Robyn struggled with addiction to prescription medicine after the miscarriage and is fragile emotionally.

As the couple is shopping for their new home they run into Gordon, or ‘Gordo’, played by Joel Edgerton (The Great Gatsby), who also wrote and directed the film. Gordo and Simon went to high school together, but Simon doesn’t appear to remember him in an awkward scene. Gordo overhears the couple’s address in the store and shows up at their home uninvited when Simon is at work. Each time he shows up at their home he leaves a wrapped gift at the front door. Robyn is kind to him and invites him to have dinner with them. Gordo seems socially uncomfortable but returns the favor, inviting them to a dinner party at his home.

Jason becomes increasingly irritable around Gordo, and tells Robyn that they used to call Gordo “Weirdo” (the original working title of the film), in high school. He decides to set boundaries with Gordo, telling him he doesn’t want him to stop by their home any longer. That changes the relationship between Gordon and Simon.

But Robyn, still struggling with the effects of the miscarriage and the addiction to prescription medicine is afraid to be in the home by herself during the day. Her only friend is neighbor Lucy (Allison Tolman). Alone by herself during the day Robyn hears noises. Is someone in the house? Cinematographer Eduard Grau effectively gives us Robyn’s view of the hallways of the empty home as we sit on the edge of our seat waiting to see if someone is indeed in the house. And now their dog Bojangles (named after the song “Mr. Bojangles”), goes missing. What is going on?

As time goes on, Robyn suspects that Simon and Gordo have more of a history than Simon is telling her. What she finds out drives her further away from Simon. What else isn’t he telling her? Does she even really know him? And there seems to be little Simon won’t do to advance his career at his new firm.

The film is rated “R” for a significant amount of adult language, including the misuse/abuse of God’s and Jesus’ names several times. It features themes of fear, bullying and revenge. The Bible passage Psalm 7:14-15 plays a role in the film. Edgerton, Bateman and Hall are all excellent in their roles. Edgerton’s writing is sharp, and it’s hard to believe this is his first major film as a director.


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Movie Review ~ Ricki and the Flash

Ricki and the FlashRicki and the Flash, rated PG-13
**

If Meryl Streep isn’t the greatest actress of our generation, I don’t know who is. The 66 year-old three-time Oscar winner returns as the leather-clad Ricki Rendazzo (formerly Linda Brummel), who abandoned her husband, daughter and two sons years ago to pursue her dream of rock and roll stardom.

The film is directed by Jonathan Demme, who won the Oscar for directing 1991’s The Silence of the Lambs. The film is written by Diablo Cody, who won the Oscar for Best Writing, Original Screenplay for 2007’s Juno. The story is loosely based on Cody’s real-life mother-in-law who has been singing rock and roll for many years.

The film also stars Kevin Kline as Ricki’s ex-husband Pete, who won the Oscar for Best Actor in a Supporting Role in 1988’s A Fish Called Wanda. While the film includes plenty of star power, it doesn’t add up to a great movie.

Ricki has not been a part of her children’s lives for years. She is fronting a bar band – Ricki and the Flash – featuring guitarist and sometime boyfriend, the likeable Greg, played by rocker Rick Springfield. She works as a checker at Total Foods in California, is broke and has declared bankruptcy. She is called home to Indianapolis by Pete (now remarried to Maureen, played by Audra McDonald), when daughter Julie (Streep’s real-life daughter Mamie Gummer) is dumped by her husband for another woman. Julie is depressed and suicidal when Ricki re-enters her life. Although Julie accepts Ricki’s re-entry into her life fairly quickly, her sons are not so welcoming. One son is engaged to be married and was not planning to invite his mother to his wedding, and the other son, the obligatory gay character in the film, is not at all happy to see his mom.

The film contains far too much of Streep singing with Springfield and the rest of the Flash. It’s not that her singing is bad, it really isn’t. But there is far too much of it included in the film. Overall, though the film has some good messages about the importance of family despite making bad decisions, it is mostly a downer and overall disappointing.

The film contains some sexual activity outside of marriage and adult language, including the abuse of God’s name several times.

Note: Streep and Kline previously appeared together in 1982’s Sophie’s Choice, while Streep was pregnant with daughter Mamie, who portrays Streep and Kline’s daughter Julie in this film.


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CONCERT REVIEW and MUSIC NEWS

Jim GaffiganConcert Review ~ Jim Gaffigan at the Peabody Opera House in St. Louis (August 2, 2015)
****

On a hot Sunday evening in downtown St. Louis, comedian Jim Gaffigan played two shows on his Contagious tour at the beautifully renovated Peabody Opera House, which is located next to the Scottrade Center (located on the site of the old Kiel Auditorium, which was part of the facility that included the Opera House, which opened in 1934), and near the historic Union Station. We attended the second show at 8:00 pm, which was played to a packed house of all ages in the 3,500 seat venue.

Opener Ted Alexandro opened with a 15 minute funny set and Gaffigan performed for about 65 minutes. Known for jokes about himself and his five kids, his being fat and his love of food,   Gaffigan gave us all of that and more in a performance of mostly all new material. I sat in my seat with a big smile on my face the entire evening.

A few of the jokes I remember were:

  • Guys with pick-up trucks who never seem to be picking up anything.
  • He’s not a man’s man because he doesn’t know anything about cars or how to fix anything.
  • His hometown in Indiana in the winter resembles Siberia.
  • How he uses a belt to make himself look less fat, kinda like Santa.
  • “Fatting out” of clothes and keeping all of them in your closet.
  • Speaking in English, like Jesus did.
  • Jesus’ miraculous multiplying of the bread, though at times he created unpopular flavors like pumpernickel.
  • Binge watching television programs.
  • And some new jokes about Hot Pockets.

Gaffigan is sometimes referred to as the “clean comedian”. He is funny without resorting to adult language, a rarity today. Check out his new television show on the TV Land network, The Jim Gaffigan Show.

 Song of the Week

Brother by NEEDTOBREATHE

This week’s song of the week is from one of my favorite bands NEEDTOBREATHE. “Brother” was originally included on their excellent 2014 album Rivers in the Wasteland. This version features guest Gavin Degraw.

Ramblers in the wilderness we can’t find what we need
Get a little restless from the searching
Get a little worn down in between
Like a bull chasing the matador is the man left to his own schemes
Everybody needs someone beside em’ shining like a lighthouse from the sea

Brother let me be your shelter
I’ll never leave you all alone
I can be the one you call
When you’re low
Brother let me be your fortress
When the night winds are driving on
Be the one to light the way
Bring you home

Face down in the desert now there’s a cage locked around my heart
I found a way to drop the keys where my failures were
Now my hands can’t reach that far
I ain’t made for a rivalry I could never take the world alone
I know that in my weakness I am strong, but
It’s your love that brings me home

Brother let me be your shelter
I’ll never leave you all alone
I can be the one you call
When you’re low
Brother let me be your fortress
When the night winds are driving on
Be the one to light the way
Bring you home

And when you call and need me near
Sayin’ where’d you go?
Brother I’m right here
And on those days when the sky begins to fall
You’re the blood of my blood
We can get through it all

Brother let me be your shelterBrother by NEEDTOBREATHE
I’ll never leave you all alone
I can be the one you call
When you’re feelin’ low
Brother let me be your fortress
When the night winds are driving on
Be the one to light the way
Bring you home

Brother let me be your shelter
I’ll never leave you all alone
I can be the one you call
When you’re low
Brother let me be your fortress
When the night winds are driving on
Be the one to light the way
Bring you home
Be the one to light the way
Bring you home

musicnewsSweet Victory. Trip Lee has released a new video for his song “Sweet Victory” from his Rise album.

  • This is Not a Test. Toby Mac performed the title song from his forthcoming (August 7) album at Alive 2015.
  • Angel of Harlem. Jimmy Fallon and the Roots Join U2 on stage at Madison Square Garden on July 22.
  • Shed a Little Light. On July 29 at his Columbia, South Carolina concert, James Taylor was joined onstage by the Charleston choir Lowcountry Voices. Together, they sang “Shed a Little Light” in memory of the victims of the Charleston shooting and their families. The entire audience stood in support. Watch this moving video.
  • Lip-Sync Battle. Did you see Tom Cruise and Jimmy Fallon in this epic lip sync battle recently on The Tonight Show?


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BOOK REVIEWS and NEWS

Book Reviews

John Newton - From Disgrace to Amazing GraceJohn Newton: From Disgrace to Amazing Grace by Jonathan Aitken. Crossway. 2007. 400 pages. Audiobook read by Jonathan Aitken.

Before reading this book I didn’t know too much about John Newton. What I did know was that he was the author of the much-loved hymn “Amazing Grace” and that he was a friend of William Wilberforce, who led the effort to abolish the slave trade in England.

The author of this book is a former Member of Parliament. After he pleaded guilty to perjury he went to prison where he was converted to the Christian faith. In some ways you could say the author has also led a life of disgrace to amazing grace. He was once considered a possible Prime Minister, but he fell into disgrace with prison, divorce and bankruptcy. In prison he was assisted by Chuck Colson, who was also converted in prison.

Aitken tells us that Newton had an unhappy childhood. His mother Elizabeth died of consumption when John was only 6. His strict father was largely absent at sea. His mother loved Reformed Theology and wanted her son to become a minister. After his mother’s death his father quickly remarried and kept John at a great distance. John was sent to boarding school and his formal education would end at age 10 when his father decided he would go to sea.  Throughout the book the author recounts events in Newton’s life that Newton would attribute to divine providence.

Newton’s early life was one of blasphemous bad behavior. A press gang found him and forced him to serve in the Royal Navy when he was out for a walk. Although he was given a promotion, he lost the favor of his captain because of his bad behavior. He deserted the Navy, which was punishable by the death penalty. He was stripped and whipped, degraded in rank and moved to the lower deck with the men he had treated so poorly when he had a higher status. During this time he had thoughts of suicide. He was eventually dismissed from the Navy and got a job on a ship with someone his father knew. But he mocked the captain and was described as being exceedingly vile.

He then went to work on a slave trade ship to Africa. He was falsely accused of stealing from the captain and punished severely. As a result, he was treated as a slave himself. He was then hired by another slave trader. There was sexual promiscuity with the African women. His father asked a friend to rescue him. On the trip home Newton read The Imitation of Christ by Thomas a Kempis and the Bible, though he was still a blasphemer. When he returned he began to believe the Gospel and attend church, but reverted back to his old ways within a few months. He would never see his father again.

Newton, who had long desired to marry Polly, then took a job on a slave trade ship. He received a positive response about marriage from Polly before leaving on the ship. When he returned he married Polly and became a slave trade ship captain. Newton would always be concerned about his love for Polly becoming idolatry. He would continue to fight against his lust for African women. On the ship he would begin reading works of theology. He also would implement worship services on his ship on Sundays, before having to resign as a captain due to health issues.

He would be mentored by George Whitefield and John Wesley, and accepted a good position as Surveyor of the Tides in Liverpool, the busiest slave trade port in England. As others had done, he would receive gratuities from ship owners, stopping this practice after reading Wesley’s writings.

Once Newton felt the call from the Lord to become a pastor, he faced six years of rejection trying to be ordained by the Church of England because he was a Methodist. He would write his autobiography – An Authentic Narrative, which would become a best-seller and is still published today. It was part adventure story, love story and spiritual story. He was at last ordained by the Church of England and would become the Curator at Olney, where he would serve for sixteen years. It was here that he would meet William Cowper, one of the greatest poets of the 18th century. Cowper would be one of his closest friends and partners in ministry. The two wrote the hymns included in the Olney Hymns. Newton was a dear friend to Cowper who battled with depression and multiple suicide attempts.

The author spends a good amount of time discussing Newton’s famous hymn “Amazing Grace”, which was written to supplement a sermon he preached. Newton wrote the words to the hymn. The music was called “New Britain” (author unknown). William Walker put the lyrics and music together.

The final verse, which begins “When we’ve been there ten thousand years….” was not written by Newton. It first appeared in Harriet Beecher Stowe’s book Uncle Tom’s Cabin. The song is special to many, and especially to my family as we sang it holding hands around my mother’s hospital bed as she was removed from life support in 1996.

Newton’s influence – due to his books and Olney Hymns – would extend his influence and popularity well past his Olney congregation. As his influence outside of his church grew, it diminished inside his church, as many began attending other churches. He received many offers to leave Olney, eventually accepting a position at St. Mary Woolnoth in London. In London, he would help to found the Eclectic Society, a discussion group. He received some criticism as he got involved in political issues. He criticized the British actions against the colonies.

He and Polly would adopt their 5 year old niece Betsy as their own daughter when Newton was 50. Polly, suffered from health issues during most of their marriage. They would also adopt Elisa, a niece dying of consumption. Elisa lived with them for two years before dying at age 14.

Some wanted to call Newton a Calvinist, a Methodist or a Puritan. But he didn’t like labels. He would serve as mentor and pastor to William Wilberforce. He convinced him to stay in politics and make a difference there, rather than going into “full time Christian work”, a great example of someone integrating their faith and work. He partnered with Wilberforce on the movement to abolish the slave trade in Britain.

Toward the end of his life his lost Polly to cancer, as well as his friend and benefactor John Thornton. He would also preach the funeral of long-time friend Cowper. Adopted daughter Betsy and her husband would provide care for Newton, who preached until his mind no longer permitted it.

Some of Newton’s last words were: “Although my memory’s fading, I remember two things very clearly: I am a great sinner and Christ is a great Savior.”

I highly recommend this well written book on the life of John Newton.

Book News

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THIS & THAT and Favorite Quotes of the Week

this.n.that-small              CHRISTIAN LIVING:

  • A Joy Bigger Than the Issue of Our Day. In less than two minutes, Russell Moore talks about the importance of joy for our Christian witness in America today.
  • The Key to the Christian’s Joy. R.C. Sproul writes “The key to the Christian’s joy is its source, which is the Lord.”
  • One Simple Way to Encourage Your Pastor. Kevin DeYoung writes “So sometime this month–if there is something worth commending in your pastor’s sermon–go ahead and commend it.”
  • Whom Do Tim Keller and D.A. Carson Look Up To? Ivan Mesa writes “It’s not every day that the The Gospel Coalition’s co-founders, Tim Keller and Don Carson, take the opportunity to offer a foreword and afterword for a slim, easily overlooked book on “loving the Old Testament.” While many today rightly esteem and look up to Keller and Carson for their biblical insight, ministry experience, and proven faithfulness, do you ever wonder whom these men look up to?”
  • Pride is Your Greatest Problem. Josh Squires writes “While the presenting problems vary widely, the problem, which all too often muddles counseling from the very outset, is pride — and the answer is Holy-Spirit-enabled, Jesus-centered humility.”
  • Is Yoga Sinful? John Piper addresses this question on his “Ask Pastor John” podcast.
  • Four Promises for Our Breakups. John Piper addresses the issue of relationship breakups in this recent “Ask Pastor John” podcast episode.
  • When Tempted to Give Up, Throw in the Towel and Run Away. Here’s another wonderful prayer from our friend Scotty Smith.
  • Don’t Waste Death. Phillip Holmes writes “When death comes knocking, don’t waste it. Ponder its implications and allow your heart to long for the time and place when all wrongs will be made right. The true Christian longs to be with Jesus. Christ has defeated death, and he’s able to comfort us in the pain. Cry out to Jesus — our death slayer.”
  • A Call to Teenagers to be Free. John Piper writes “I am writing for the liberation of teenagers. I write to challenge teenagers to “live as people who are free” (1 Peter 2:16). Be wise and strong and free from the slavery of culture-conformity. To put it another way, I am calling teenagers to a radical, wartime lifestyle.”
  • Guarding Sexual Purity. John MacArthur writes “Today’s culture is obsessed with sex more than ever. There’s no discretion any more when it comes to sex—every new perversion and deviance has to be publicly celebrated, promoted, and explored.”
  • The Dangerous Calling of Christian Missions. Albert Mohler writes “Let us make our convictions clear and commitments firm, even in the face of hostility and danger. Evangelical Christians must take our stand for the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, who alone has made atonement for our sins. In a day of hostility and danger, we must point to the only gospel that offers salvation. We must learn again to define the true gospel in terms of justification by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. This is the sum and substance of the genuine gospel — and the true gospel is always a missionary gospel — and a gospel that is active even in the world’s most dangerous contexts.”

CHURCH LIFE:

  • What Do You Think Happened to the Emerging Church? Michael Patton writes “One thing is for sure, at least the “name” emerging church is no longer a threat to conservative evangelicals and no one is publishing anymore about it. This is to say that the emerging church as a “movement” has passed. Why is that? What happened to the emerging church? Let me give you a few reasons why I think it has passed.”
  • Millennials Have Turned Away From “Cool” Christianity, But Traditional Churches Are Making a Comeback. Grant Mishard writes “18-to-35-year-olds are still leaving mainline pews in ever-increasing numbers and some are leaving the faith entirely. But many are leaving in search of a different kind of church — a church that is traditional, reverent, and decidedly uncool.”
  • The Podcast Pastor. John Piper writes “How should we encourage these same Christians, who are benefitting from podcast preaching, to orient themselves toward their pastor(s) in the local church?”
  • Three Important Stats about Our Cultural Context. Eric Geiger writes “Last year, Ligonier Ministries enlisted LifeWay Research in an effort to determine what Americans believe about God and six other essential doctrines. The results were recently published by The Gospel Project in a new eBook called, The State of American Theology: Know the Truth, Loving the Church, Reaching Our Neighbors. While some of it is encouraging, much of it is sobering and warrants our attention.”

CURRENT EVENTS:

Same-Sex Marriage

  • SCOTUS: Too Much and Too Little. Rosaria Butterfield writes “The root of the tragedy of the SCOTUS decision is that sexual orientation as a category of personhood is both too much and too little all at once, too weighty for the soul to bear and not capacious enough to portray God’s power to redeem, transform, lay down his life, and live again in and through His people.”
  • Pastoral Reflections on Gay Marriage: A Series of Five Short Videos. Randy Alcorn writes “Much has been said presenting a Christian response to same sex marriage. I’ve posted in previous blogs some excellent perspectives from others. But I haven’t heard anything better than the five brief videos below from Dan Franklin, Pastor of Teaching at Life Bible Fellowship Church in Upland, California. The videos average seven minutes or so each. Watch them one at a time and ponder them, or view them in succession for a total of about 35 minutes. Consider watching them in a class or group and discussing them one by one.”
  • The Bible and Same-Sex Marriage: 6 Common but Mistaken Claims. Darrell Bock writes “This article is designed to engage those who say the real thrust of the Bible is to joyously enter our brave new world with open arms and hearts. I’ll discuss various claims arguing that Scripture either doesn’t clearly address our specific contemporary situation or that Scripture is open and inconsistent enough to allow room for a category previously rejected.”

Abortion

Courtesy of World Magazine

Courtesy of World Magazine

  • Some Thoughts on Life – What We Are And What We Were. Kevin DeYoung offers several helpful questions on the unborn.
  • 10 Quick, Important Developments on The Planned Parenthood Scandal. Mollie Hemingway writes “Whether or not the story generates major media attention, the Center for Medical Progress’ expose of Planned Parenthood’s participation in the harvesting and sale of fetal organs continues to feature major updates. Here are 10 of them.”
  • Meet the Filmmaker Exposing Planned Parenthood. Christianity Today interviews David Daleiden, 26, Executive Director of the Center for Medical Progress (CMP), the pro-life nonprofit that produced the videos. He’s a former director of research for Live Action, a pro-life group that specializes in undercover abortion clinic videos.
  • The Planned Parenthood Expos Takes You Into a Lab that Procures Baby Parts. Justin Taylor writes that “The third video (Human Capital – Episode 1: Planned Parenthood’s Black Market in Baby Parts), from The Center for Medical Progress released this morning, shot in more of a documentary style with interviews to go alongside the secret recordings.”
  • Culpable Ignorance: You Have No Excuse for Not Knowing What Abortion Is. Denny Burk writes “The third video exposing Planned Parenthood was just released today (see below). It is the worst one yet as it depicts the actual carnage of abortion. It is difficult to watch, but everyone who supports the legality of this barbarism is morally obligated to watch it.”
  • 4 Videos That Show How Planned Parenthood Harms Women. Joe Carter writes “Because the ministers of the Planned Parenthood Clergy Advocacy Board don’t care about defending the most vulnerable humans—those in the womb—it’s not surprising they shrug at the horrors revealed in the four videos produced by the Center for Medical Progress. But how do they dismiss the following four videos which provide a sample of Planned Parenthood’s established pattern of harming women?”
  • Now is the Time for Outrage. Todd Pruitt lists corporate sponsors of Planned Parenthood in this article. He writes “I urge you to find ways to boycott these companies. Write to them. Encourage your friends to do the same. Remember, money is the lifeblood (pun intended) of Planned Parenthood’s ghoulish existence. Let us band together to make it impossible for them to ply their wicked trade. We may never have another opportunity quite like this.”
  • Is Our Stance on Abortion Too Flimsy? Jonathan Parnell writes that in regards to abortion, evangelicals need to deepen the conviction, have the conversations, and love. What Happens Month-by-Month Within the Womb? Justin Taylor shares this article from Francis Beckwith, author of Defending Life: A Moral and Legal Case Against Abortion Choice, about what happens in the womb throughout a pregnancy.
  • Nothing to See Here? Eric Metaxas tells us why Planned Parenthood will never be transparent.
  • “A Person’s a Person, No Matter How Small.” Dr. Seuss
  • This just in- Planned Parenthood Regains Public Favor by Refusing to Sell Parts of Cecil the Lion. “We have standards.” R.C. Sproul Jr.
  • “In Zimbabwe, if you wrongly kill a lion it’s a $20,000 fine and up to 10 years in prison. In the U.S., if you kill unborn babies the government gives you $500 million in funding.” Steve Camp

Favorite Quotes of the Week

  • The ungodly are not half so restrained in their blasphemy as we are in our praise. Charles Spurgeon
  • We are too prone to engrave our trials in marble and write our blessings in sand. Charles Spurgeon
  • There is nothing that will keep a person from Christ like a good opinion of himself. Charles Spurgeon
  • Great grace and small gifts are better than great gifts and no grace. John Bunyan
  • When God says something, the argument is over. R.C. Sproul
  • Of course God will give us more than we can handle. That’s what drives us to Jesus, which is the best thing that can happen to any of us. Scotty Smith
  • You can’t confuse childlike faith with childish thinking. John MacArthur
  • Settle this in your heart. Life is a gift from God. He owes it to none. He may take it at any age, any time, and do no wrong. John Piper
  • Flattery is saying something nice in order to help yourself. Encouragement is saying something true in order help someone else. Kevin DeYoung
  •  The less time you spend with truth the easier it is to believe lies. Lecrae
  • Prayer is the means that God has ordained for the supply of grace that is necessary to be joyful in hope. Alistair Begg
  • Christians don’t believe that goodness gets you to heaven. Christians believe it’s exhausting to rely on your own goodness to please God. Tim Keller
  • Worry is not believing God will get it right, and bitterness is believing God got it wrong. Tim Keller
  • Everyone says they want community and deep friendship. However, because it takes accountability and commitment we run the other way. Tim Keller
  • Lukewarm people don’t really want to be saved from their sin; they want only to be saved from the penalty of their sin. Francis Chan
  • It wasn’t Luther or Calvin that reformed the church. It was the Word of God that reformed the church. Robert Godfrey
  • In the race of faith, stay focused upon Christ, not the other runners, nor the spectators. Steven Lawson
  • We discover the will of God by a sensitive application of Scripture to our own lives. Sinclair Ferguson
  • The truest spirituality comes thru ordinary means. Scripture, prayer, worship, sacraments, community. Leave it to Jesus to be spectacular. Scott Sauls

Just for Fun

  • August 1? Hey Summer where you running off to? Dave Ramsey
  • Who was the first person to walk into a harbor and say, “Whatever that horrible smell is I want to eat it.” Jim Gaffigan
Doug Michael Cartoon

Beyond the Ark by Doug Michael


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FAITH AND WORK: Connecting Sunday to Monday

connecting faith and workInteresting Links about Faith and Work

  • Finding a Job that Fits. Listen to this message from R.C. Sproul.
  • 7 False Assumptions Made about Introverts. Ron Edmondson writes “There are a lot of false assumptions made when someone is introverted.”
  • 10 Things We All Want from Our Leaders. Dan Rockwell is one of my favorite leadership bloggers. He has the gift of being able to deliver helpful advice in posts of 300 words or less. Here he shares 12 things we wish our leaders would stop and 10 things we all want from our leaders.
  • Great Leaders Walk the Talk. Mark Miller writes “When we do what we say we’re going to do, when we walk the talk, this builds trust and confidence in our leadership. When we fail to Embody the Values, we erode or destroy our opportunity to lead. As leaders, we must be adept at building trust.” He shares 3 steps to embody the values.
  • Authenticity. In this “Minute with Maxwell”, John Maxwell discusses what it means to be authentic.
  • 13 Key Points on Being an Authentic Leader. Brad Lomenick writes “Here are 13 points on the importance and practice of being Authentic as a Leader. You might consider these “Authenticity Rules.” And in today’s leadership culture, it’s true that “Authenticity does actually rule.””
  • Cut it Out: The Secret to Winning. In this “Tuesday Tip”, Dr. Alan Zimmerman writes “If you’re a leader or a manger that means you’ve got to keep on training your employees. And if you’re an individual contributor, you’ve got to recognize that school is not out and it never will be.”
  • 13 Points on Being an Authentic Leader. Brad Lomenick writes “Here are 13 points on the importance and practice of being Authentic as a Leader. You might consider these “Authenticity Rules.” And in today’s leadership culture, it’s true that “Authenticity does actually rule.”
  • Preacher with a Skate Shoe Named After Him. Bethany Jenkins interviews Brian Sumner, a professional skateboarder and evangelist pastor originally from Liverpool, England. In 2013, he produced a short film, Foolishness, which John Piper called “the fullest 60-minute gospel word I’ve heard.” Sumner currently serves as city pastor of Rock Harbor Church in Huntington Beach, California, where he lives with his wife and their three children.
  • Evangelism in the Workplace: Is Sharing Your Faith Ever Appropriate? Bill Peel writes about whether evangelism in the workplace is appropriate.
  • Three Reasons Leaders Must Constantly Ask “Why”. Eric Geiger writes “Wise leaders constantly ask “why.” Not because they find joy in questioning everything but because they want to ensure the thinking beneath the decisions is sound and the motivations beneath the actions are pure. Instead of mindlessly executing, they think deeply about what is beneath the execution. Instead of simply implementing, they care about the theology and philosophy underneath the implementation.”
  • Mentorship. In this “Minute with Maxwell”, John Maxwell encourages us to reach out to multiple mentors.
  • A Heart Transplant. Mark Miller writes “To become a leader people want to follow is primarily an issue of the heart. The truth is, if your heart is not right, no one cares about your skills.”
  • Seeing Seamlessly. Steven Garber, who gave the commencement address at my graduation from Covenant Seminary, writes “Every vocation at its truest is a call to see things as they really are, to understand the reality of the world that is really there. In science, in art, in economics, in education, in politics, in law, at home and at play, in our work and in our worship, from the most public of our responsibilities to the most personal of our relationships, we are called to the vocation of seeing seamlessly.”
  • Business as a Moral Community. Drew Cleveland writes “Integrating faith with the demands of work is a challenge many Christians face.  Two men with a lot of insight on faith, business ethics, integrity, and leadership recently sat down to discuss this challenge: Al Erisman of Seattle Pacific University and Bill Pollard, retired CEO of ServiceMaster and professor emeritus at Wheaton College. They recorded a video conversation about the God-honoring business model, thoughts on Peter Drucker, and the struggles of godly leaders in corporate management.” 
  • 5 Leadership Questions about using Profiles and Assessments to Build a Team. This episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast looks at the best ways to use profiles and assessments (think Strengthsfinders, Myers-Briggs, etc.) to craft the best team.
  • Seven Signs Success Has Outgrown Your Character. Eric Geiger writes “When a leader’s competence outpaces a leader’s character, implosion is imminent. When skills surpass the process of sanctification, the trajectory is downward though everything looks great on the outside. It is often easier to see the speck in someone else’s eye than the plank in our own, so here are seven signs your success is outpacing your character.”
  • Top 30 Must-Read Posts On Leadership/July 2015. Paul Sohn shares this helpful list of articles.
  • The Top 10 Ways Leaders Erode Trust. Randy Conley shares this helpful list.

Quotes about Faith and WorkNo one wants to follow people who are constantly impressed with themselves. Andy Andrews

The world is full of leaders with impressive credentials who people choose not to follow. Mark Miller

Success is not counted by how high you have climbed but by how many people you brought with you. Coach K

  • Don’t tell me what you start. Tell me what you finish. Dan Rockwell

Toby Mac

The Conviction to Lead by Albert MohlerThe Conviction to Lead Book Club ~ Won’t you read along with us?

The Conviction to Lead: 25 Principles for Leadership That Matters by Albert Mohler

We’re reading this excellent book on leadership principles from a renowned agent of change, Albert Mohler. It is one of the best that I’ve read on leadership and is broken down into 25 relatively short chapters. Won’t you read along with us? This week we complete our overview of the book by looking at

CHAPTER 25 – The Leader’s Legacy

  • The leader unconcerned about leaving a legacy is a leader who will leave the job undone.
  • Every leader must understand that whatever we contribute, build, and dream can be lost more quickly than we can imagine.
  • The leader’s central concern with regard to legacy is the perpetuation of conviction.
  • The convictional leader strives to the end to see fundamental beliefs taken up by others, who will then join in the mission that grows out of those convictions.
  • The evidence indicates that most leaders are not very good at managing succession and most organizations do little more than hope for the best.
  1. The leader’s first task is to make certain that the organization’s core commitments and convictions are shared by those who will hire the new leader.
  2. Second, the leader bears the responsibility of building a leadership team of outstanding individuals who fully share the leader’s convictions and vision.
  3. Third, the leader must communicate these convictions to the organization’s various constituencies, laying a solid foundation for a healthy succession.
  4. Fourth, the leader should strive to drive the convictions and beliefs so deeply into the culture and ethos of the organization that alteration or abandonment is seen as betrayal.
  5. Fifth, this means that every hiring decision is a legacy decision.
  • The ideal of retirement seems to be a life of leisure and ease, occasionally interrupted by travel and entertainment. That is a fundamentally dangerous concept.
  • For Christians the issue should be redeployment rather than retirement.
  • John Piper puts this new vision of our lives into clear focus when he writes, Finishing life to the glory of Christ means resolutely resisting the typical American dream of retirement. It means being so satisfied with all that God promises to be for us in Christ that we are set free from the cravings that create so much emptiness and uselessness in retirement. Instead, knowing that we have an infinitely satisfying and everlasting inheritance in God just over the horizon of life makes us zealous in our few remaining years here to spend ourselves in the sacrifices of love, not the accumulation of comforts.
  • The legacy I aspire to is the perpetuation of conviction and the furtherance of a worthy mission—nothing less.
  • Your legacy is all that remains when you are gone. Do you have any idea what that legacy will be? Answering that question honestly is part of what it means to have the conviction to lead.


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My Summer with “The Doctor”

Lloyd-JonesI first heard of Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones when my wife Tammy studied his Studies in the Sermon on the Mount in a Bible study group back in the early 1980’s. The book made a profound impact on her, particularly in her understanding of Reformed theology. My first Lloyd-Jones book The Puritans: Their Origins and Successors, was given to me by my pastor as a birthday gift nineteen years ago this month.

One of Lloyd-Jones’ most popular books is Spiritual Depression: Its Causes and Its Cure, published in 1965 and comprised of sermons he delivered at Westminster Chapel in London. In 2011, Granted Ministries reprinted the hardback edition of the book and also included an audio disc of sermons Lloyd-Jones preached from his Spiritual Depression series. The book includes 21 sermons, 7 of which do not appear on the disc. The disc includes 24 sermons, ten of which are not included in the book. Since the recordings are very old, some are difficult to listen to. However, the effort is well worth it, as these sermons are pure gold.

Since I read my books almost exclusively on my Kindle device, I had waited for Spiritual Depression to be available in an e-book edition. However, prompted by watching the trailer of the new film about Lloyd-Jones Logic on Fire at the 2015 Ligonier Ministries National Conference, I decided to read the hardback edition of the book and also listen to the sermons this summer. And what a joy it has been!

You can read my review of the book here. I’ve so enjoyed my time while going to and from work over the past several weeks with “the Doctor”, listening to him preach these sermons (and also reading the printed versions). He begins almost every sermon by “Calling our attention to” the passage he was preaching on. What did I learn? That Scripture is sufficient for the whole of life, to be practically applied to every area of our lives.

As I’ve talked to people over the past weeks about Lloyd-Jones, I’ve found that most do not know anything about him. That’s understandable, as he died in 1981. I would highly recommend that you read Lloyd-Jones for yourself as well as check out his sermons, 1,600 of which are available free at the MLJ Recordings Trust site and podcast.


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6 Lessons from Failure

Michael Jordan QuoteA few years ago I was excited to be a part of a professional learning organization that was bringing John Maxwell into our community for a speaking engagement. I was very active in promoting the event, including placing an article in my department’s newsletter at work. However, in doing so, I had overlooked the impact that hundreds of people attending the event would have on my department’s budget. I was too focused on publicizing the event to see the big picture. After being questioned about that by a senior leader, being told to come up with a plan and then discussing it with her, she stated, “Well, I hope you learned something from this.” That was quite the understatement.

We all make mistakes and fail from time to time. I have struggled with a fear of failure for as long as I can remember. A few years ago I read Dr. Alan Zimmerman’s book Pivot: How One Turn in Attitude Can Lead to Success with a team member. I remember joking as we started the book that it was funny that two positive people with good attitudes were reading a book about attitude. However, as it turned out, Dr. Zimmerman included chapters about worry and failure in the book. I have to admit that I worry about failing. My wife can tell you that I tended to stress about each new class at seminary after receiving the syllabus. After looking it over and feeling overwhelmed before class even started, I thought there was just no way I was going to be able to do it.

Since we all fail, the key is what we do with those experiences. I’ve been helped in this area by John Maxwell’s books Sometimes You Win, Sometimes You Learn and Failing Forward. Maxwell has written that the major difference between achieving people and average people is their perception of, and response to, failure.

Here are six lessons from failure:

  1. Failure is difficult, but worth it. Anyone who has tried something and come up short (and that is all of us!) knows that it can be painful. Think of a child learning to ride a bike. There could be some skinned knees and elbows experienced before success is achieved. John Maxwell has written that those things that hurt, instruct. Can you think of failures that have been painful but well worth it in retrospect?
  2. Failure isn’t necessarily bad. We can be so afraid of making mistakes that we never take any risks, and just play it safe. As a result, we aren’t innovative or moving our organizations forward. Instead, we hold back and never achieve results that we could have. John Maxwell has written that if you succeed at everything you are doing then you are most likely not taking enough risks and not really moving forward. Are you so afraid of making a mistake or failing that you don’t take any risks?
  3. Don’t make the same mistake twice. Mistakes are going to happen. The key is to learn something from them and not make the same mistake again. If you do make the same mistake over and over, then you haven’t learned anything and there will have to be consequences. However, if you learn from your mistakes and don’t make them again, that can be a positive experience. What is a mistake that you learned from?
  4. Share your experiences with others. I have shared the story that opened this article with many people since it took place about eight years ago to encourage others to learn from their mistakes. John Maxwell has written that mistakes are painful when they happen but years later a collection of mistakes is what is called experience. Share your experiences with others so that they can learn from you.
  5. Practice makes perfect. Think of something you’ve worked hard at to master, such as playing the piano, hitting a golf ball or making a presentation. Chances are your early efforts to learn these new skills were embarrassing, but they helped you to grow and develop those skills. Malcolm Gladwell talked about the “10,000 hour rule” in his book Outliers to illustrate his point that achievement is talent plus preparation. What is something that you failed at for some time but now are proficient at?
  6. Be motivated by failure. I worked with a summer intern a few years back who told me that she was stirred up when someone told her that she couldn’t do something. That made her all the more motivated to prove them wrong. Another team member demonstrated to me on several occasions that he could take feedback, sometimes hard to hear and disappointing, and turn it around and use it for something positive. Make failure your friend and be motivated by it.

These are just a few examples of lessons from failure. There are many, many more. What lessons do you have that you could share?


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MOVIE REVIEW ~ Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation

Mission Impossible; Rogue NationMission Impossible: Rogue Nation, rated PG-13
****

The fifth film in the Mission Impossible series over nineteen years with Tom Cruise is also my top film of 2015 thus far. It is an exciting, well-made film right from the incredible opening scene, which will remind you of an opening sequence from a James Bond film. The film includes deception and betrayal, action scenes featuring car and motorcycle chases, a fight high above the stage of an opera, a scene underwater, beautiful scenery from London, Vienna, and Casablanca, a strong cast and a score featuring the familiar Mission Impossible music.

Cruise, who looks great and shows no sign of aging at 53, returns as Ethan Hunt. He and the IMF (Impossible Mission Force) team – Jeremy Renner as William Brandt, Simon Pegg as Benji Dunn and Ving Rhames as Luther Stickell – continue to pursue the Syndicate, an international rogue organization. In the opening scene Tom Cruise as Ethan climbs on the outside of a flying airplane (an Airbus A400M) without the use of special effects or a stunt double. At times he was suspended on the aircraft 5000 feet in the air. Cruise who tends to do his own stunts was injured 6 times during the making of the movie.

But back in the United States, the IMF is shut down by CIA Director Hunley (Alec Baldwin). Brandt then becomes a part of the CIA. Ethan is in London pursuing Solomon Lane, played by Sean Harris. This will be the last IMF mission, as Hunley is now pursuing Ethan. Rebecca Ferguson plays a major role as the British Ilsa Faust. Throughout the film you don’t know whose side she’s on. She’s working for Lane, but seems to help Ethan at times. Can she be trusted?

The film is written and directed by Christopher McQuarrie, who won an Oscar for writing The Usual Suspects in 1995, and has worked with Cruise in last year’s excellent Edge of Tomorrow, 2012’s Jack Reacher and 2008’s Valkyrie. The previous film’s (Ghost Protocol) director Brad Bird turned this film down to direct the boring Tomorrowland (big mistake). In fact, each of the five Mission Impossible films have had different directors.

The film earns it’s PG-13 rating from the violence you would expect in a Mission Impossible film. There is no sexual content and minimal adult language. It’s the perfect summer film to enjoy. Highly recommended!