Author: Matt Musteric (Page 1 of 10)

Wages

How often should one be paid for the work they have done?

I have been thinking a lot about this after reading Gary Rivlin’s Broke, USA: From Pawnshops to Poverty, Inc. — How the Working Poor Became Big Business. I am intrigued also by the work of the Center for Responsible Lending.

It seems to me that paying an employee monthly, twice a month, or even every other week favors business owners and employers, those who pay the wages. Fewer paychecks is just simpler.

But what about for the employees and those who earn those wages? From that perspective, a weekly paycheck seems more just.

In the ancient world, daily wage distribution appears to have been the norm. There was even a monetary denomination, the denarius, that was equivalent to a day’s wages.

What do you think is most just?

Disastrous

I am an over thinker. So much so that I even second-guess decisions from the past, even though those cannot be changed.

But what if we could change the past? What if we had a time machine? I think, even then, it would be unwise to change the past. Or, to quote Doc Brown from Back to the Future, “the consequences would be disastrous!”

How are you making peace with the past?

YMOYL

YMOYL stands for “Your Money Or Your Life,” a book written by Joe Dominguez and Vicki Robin (revised 2018). It has continued to shape how I think about work, play, and money.

There are nine steps in the YMOYL process that help us rethink how we think about money and move us toward FIRE (Financially Independent, Retire Early).

I’d highly recommend getting the two-hour abridged audio book by Robin and then the full 10-hour audio book.

Podcasts

If you’d like to continue this conversation on surveillance capitalism and privacy, I recommend two podcasts:

The Privacy, Security and OSINT Show with Michael Bazzell and The Disentanglement Podcast, wherever fine podcasts are aggregated.

Bonus tip: I would recommend against listening through apps like Spotify, which are tracking your data. Find a good simple RSS reader or podcast app. I like Overcast.

Points

Episode 009: Points

I used to have an app on my phone that gave me points every time I made a purchase

“It’s not changing my behavior,” I told myself. “I like their food,” I told myself.

But now that the app is off my phone, I don’t go there much. Hardly at all.

Apps have turned our behavior into a game, but the joke is on us.

Every. Time.

Fast

I’m beginning another social media fast. They are somewhat predictable: jitters the first 10 days, followed by restlessness, followed by happiness and a sensation I can only describe as “coming back to life”… seeing “real” life for what it is: vivid and amazing.

I usually fast for 30-40 days at a time, enough to reset my mind and heart.

Give it a try.

Data

Episode 008: Data

Your data is raw material that is being mined by corporations, without your consent, then processed into valuable products and sold to whomever is willing to pay for it.

Are you ok with that?

In our next episode we’ll discuss smartphone apps with points.

Zucked

Episode 007: Zucked

Is Facebook secretly listening in to all of your private conversations and then using that data to craft ads specifically targeted to you?

Spoiler: Whether or not they are, they don’t have to be and can get the same result.

I read an article early this year (maybe in Wired?) in which the author argued that whenever you’re near another person, the data shared among apps on our phones is so vast that precision-driven ads can be created in seconds without Facebook ever having to listen in at all.

Yikes.

Whether or not you believe they are listening… they don’t have to.

In our next episode, we’ll discuss data mining.

Alexa

Episode 006: Alexa

Alexa has always scared me. The idea that we’ve given access to the most private aspects of our lives and homes to for-profit corporations still blows my mind.

At least with Alexa we have given some form of consent and have some degree of awareness that Big Sister is listening all the time.

In her book The Age of Surveillance Capitalism, Shoshana Zuboff (see Episode 003) writes about two human rights: the right to our future and the right to privacy.

In mining our data, these companies and stripping these rights away, one megabyte at a time.

In our next episode, we will discuss whether or not Facebook is in fact listening in through your phone.

Voice

Episode 005: Voice

I’m in the process of getting rid of my Google Voice number. I signed up for one to have a dedicated number for work-related calls, texts, and voicemail.

But I no longer trust Alphabet, Inc. (Google’s parent company) or any of its products.

It’s not that I’m worried that someone or some corporation has access to my information. It’s that they are using it, mining it, and combining it with other users’ data without our consent, and then selling it to whomever is willing to pay for it.

I’m beginning the slow and arduous process of extricating myself from the Alphabet soup of Google products. For email, that means the end-to-end encryption of Proton Mail. But it’s going to be a slow process.

In our next episode, we’ll talk about who is listening in (all the time).

Surveillance

Episode 004: Surveillance

As in “surveillance capitalism.” I’m currently reading Shoshana Zuboff’s book, The Age of Surveillance Capitalism. It is deeply troubling.

What I find most helpful about Zuboff’s work is that she argues that what we are experiencing in our modern data-mining-without-consent moment is neither inevitable nor a necessary outcome of the technology itself. These are choices made by human beings and corporations.

In other words, we can choose otherwise.

The section I’m currently reading is on all the spying and data collection that the parent company of Google has been doing on all of us. Getting rid of my Gmail accounts has just moved up my priority list.

If you’re interested in a more personal take on “how we got here,” I’d also recommend Anna Wiener’s Uncanny Valley: A Memoir.

In our next episode we’ll discuss why I’m getting rid of my Google Voice number.

Social

Episode 003: Social

Jaron Lanier has helped me think very differently about social media. The first book of his I read was Ten Reasons for Deleting Your Social Media Accounts Right Now.

My Twitter account disappeared on January 22. My Instagram account is scheduled to disappear on February 9. (None of these platforms lets you delete your account right away. They all have a 30 day “waiting period.” Guess who benefits?)

Facebook will be a little trickier for me, since I still have a few groups on that platform I find valuable.  On the other hand, it’s probably the worst offender.

What I find most objectionable about these platforms is that they are mining our data as raw material, often without our consent, and selling it to the highest bidder, usually an advertiser, but who really knows?

In the next episode we’ll talk about surveillance capitalism and Google.

Snowden

Episode 002: Snowden

A while ago I read Glenn Greenwald’s book, No Place to Hide, his story of how he broke the Edward Snowden story after meeting with Snowden in Hong Kong. The stuff will blow your mind.

My progressive friends distrust Big Corporations. My conservative friends distrust Big Government. I get concerned when Big Corporations and Big Government become intertwined.

The whole NSA / Snowden story is troubling enough, but what stood out to me is that the United States government has the capability to turn any cell phone or laptop into a listening device, even if it is powered off.

That’s just for starters. Read the book.

In our next episode, we’ll talk about Jaron Lanier and social media.

Matrix

Episode 001: The Matrix

Two films from the late 1990s that turned out to be prophetic for our present age are The Matrix and Enemy of the State.

I am increasingly troubled by the extent to which our personal information is being mined as raw material and sold to the highest bidder.

My plan is to write a series of blog posts (Can I call them “episodes”?) on my journey of awareness and action. I hope you find them helpful.

In our next episode, I talk about how the Edward Snowden story opened my eyes.

Yellow

I’m finishing Juliet Funt’s A Minute to Think. One of the insights she shares is the practice of keeping a “yellow sheet” for items you need to discuss with coworkers.

The idea comes from the color of the original iPhone “notes” app.

The process is simple. Instead of emailing or texting someone as soon as an idea pops in your head, add the item to your “yellow sheet” and discuss all the ideas in person or by phone when you next meet.

Pause

I’m really enjoying reading Juliet Funt’s A Minute to Think. I’ve always been impressed with her talks during the Global Leadership Summit.

One of the concepts she shares is that of a “strategic pause,” putting some time and space between and event and how we respond.

Where in your life might a strategic pause be helpful?

Five

I’m reading Cal Newport’s newest book: A World Without Email. He does a great job of analyzing how we got into the “hive mind” style of work as an unintentional consequence of email. He also charts a helpful way forward.

One suggestion he borrows from Andreea Ayers is that of the five sentence email.

Which got me wondering: How long could I blog in five sentences or less?

Frozen

I visited a church this past week that was literally frozen in time. It looked like about 25 years ago something happened that stopped things from happening.

That also might apply in our lives.

When did your creativity freeze?

When did you stop taking risks?

When did you stop dressing up for Halloween?

And why?

Barabbas

Most of us hate that Barabbas was released.

Because Barabbas is released, it means Jesus is condemned, scourged and crucified.

Barabbas, by all accounts, is the bad guy. The notorious criminal that is set free in the place of Jesus.

Is there anything good about Barabbas? (Can anything good come out of Nazareth?)

In Exodus, there is one part where God hides Moses in the cleft a rock while he passes by, because seeing God face to face would be too much for him. God comes surrounded by the weight of his own glory.

In one of Elijah’s most desperate moments, he’s hiding out in a cave on a mountain and God appears to him too. But the “preview” of God is cataclysmic: earthquakes, windstorms, fire. God comes surrounded by the weight of his own glory.

The same holds true as Jesus is unjustly condemned. God incarnate comes surrounded by the weight of his own glory. It precedes him and surrounds him.

So should we be surprised if this immense glory surrounding God the Son pardons a criminal in advance of the actual death of Jesus on the cross? Perhaps Barabbas is a “firstfruits” of sorts, a recipient of the glory of the Innocent One who comes to pardon us all. A undeserved recipient of the glory of Jesus.

But Barabbas? That dude? He’s an awful criminal.

Yep. And where sin abounds, grace abounds even more.

The Bible never says what happens to Barabbas. Maybe he continued in his sinful ways. Maybe he repented. I like to imagine him getting as far away from Jerusalem as possible, caught up in the goodness of the gospel, and telling his own story of being the first one that Jesus released.

For he is Barabbas, whose name means, “Son of the Father.”

Feast

I was going to take a social media fast beginning the day after Christmas. But then I remembered that Christmas time is feasting time, not fasting time.

The church, in her wisdom, has dedicated seasons of fasting and feasting. Fasting reminds us of our absolute dependence on God. Feasting reminds us that we are on this earth to enjoy it. Fasting reminds us that nothing on this earth is ours. Feasting reminds us that God has shared it all with us!

However, these rhythms of fasting and feasting don’t always line up neatly with the world.

For example, in our culture, Advent (more “pre-Christmas” in North America) is often a season of excess rather than preparation and fasting. In contrast, when our culture pressures us to box up everything and get rid of the tree a day or so after Christmas, the church proclaims that the season of Christmas, which begins in Christmas day, is a twelve-day long feast, culminating in the Epiphany of Our Lord on January 6. Some even extend that feast all the way until the Presentation of Our Lord (Luke 2).

What does all this mean?

1/ Leave those Christmas lights up as long as you want… until February 2 if you want to.

2/ You don’t need New Year’s resolutions or a great plan to be the best version of you in 2021. (2020 has made me seriously rethink the entire Goal Setting Industrial Complex.) You can simply celebrate… and continue that celebration during all of January if you’d like.

3/ If you are thinking of fasting (from social media… or from excess in any area), why not make detailed plans now but save them for Lent, which begins this year on February 17?

4/ Instead of joining the gym in January, why not use the 40 days between Christmas Day and February 2 as a season of delight and joy?

Cheers!

Advent

The Season of Advent has always been my favorite season of the church year. I love the haunting and anticipatory melodies of “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.”

I love the emphasis on hope that distinguishes it from the more penitential season of Lent. In fact, I think while Advent has often been co-opted by “pre Christmas” in the West, at least it has not been co-opted by the church in the way that Lent has been. (Another discussion entirely.)

Every year I see slogans like “Keep Christ in Christmas” and I think: Is this really a battle we need to fight? But if I could borrow from this for a second, I do hope we keep the “hope” and the “waiting” in Advent.

I cannot think of a better way to capture COVID and the year 2020 than, “… that mourns in lonely exile here, until the Son of God appear.”

Many of us are mourning in lonely exile here. Our family is doing so in a very personal way this year.

And yet I know there are others mourning loved ones who have died. I know there are health care workers who passed burnout several months ago. I know there are those out of work, mourning the shut downs and the loss of their job. So much grief. So much mourning.

And so little of this mourning is done with others. Instead it’s been lonely. So. Incredibly. Lonely.

So it seems out of sync when the next line of “O come, O come, Emmanuel” is “… rejoice, rejoice, Emmanuel shall come to you, O Israel.”

I don’t know about you, but I don’t feel like rejoicing.

At all.

But perhaps that’s the point. Sometimes it’s a cold and it’s a broken Hallelujah (H/T to Leonard Cohen).

Sometimes our rejoicing is defiance.
Sometimes our rejoicing is in *spite* of what is, not because of what is.
Sometimes our rejoicing is longing. Waiting. Hoping.

Not for a vaccine (though maybe that’s part of it).
Not for a particular election result.
Not for things to be “back to normal.”

But instead: for Emmanuel.
To come us us.
While we are mourning.
In lonely exile here.

Rejoice?
Rejoice!
Emmanuel…
shall come to you, O Israel.

Reflect

Rob Bell once said that when we experience things and don’t process them, our bodies still hold those memories. And sometimes they come back flooding all at once.

During this “in between” season, I’m finding a lot of value in processing things as regularly as possible.

Here’s my process. I should call it something like “Structured Reflection by Journaling in the Presence of God.” It combines a modified version of the Ignatian Examen (prayer practice) with journaling.

Step One: Quiet: I quiet my heart and mindfully place myself in the presence of God. This is easier to do if it’s one of the first things I do in the morning… after water and coffee, of course.

Step Two: What Happened: I take a sheet of paper and write down as many things that happened the pervious day. I write down as much as I can remember in roughly chronological order, sometimes noting how I felt or insights I gained. The main point here is the get down “what I did,” while also paying some attention to “what it means.”

Step Three: What Does This Mean: I write in my journal about the previous day, nothing connections, insights from God, and my own reflections on what I learned, how I grew, and how I struggled. I try to focus on gratitude and seeing things in the light of Christ, central parts of the Ignatian Examen prayer practices.

What do you think?

Are you willing to give it a try?

Resources for Digging Deeper

Pacemaker

What do Post-it notes and pacemakers have in common?

They were the new ideas that came out of failures.

Post-it notes were created following their inventor’s failed search for a strong glue. The “weak glue” gave us this marvelous invention.

The inventor of the pacemaker was building a device to record heart sounds when he pulled the wrong resistor out of a box. His “oops” gave us the pacemaker.

Hillary Clinton’s 2016 defeat in the presidential defeat inspired many other women to run for public office… and win!

What adversity are you facing that might bring into the world something amazing?

(I learned these insights and more from Emily and Amelia Nagoski’s book Burnout. I like what I’ve read so far.)

Peanuts

A year or so ago I received a fundraising letter from Doctors Without Borders. I love a good fundraising letter… especially one that inspires me to take action.

But what really impressed me was the cardboard insert: a business-card-size representation of the RUTF (Ready to Use Therapeutic Food) packets that the organization uses to help save lives by fighting malnutrition.

I actually carried it around in my wallet for weeks. And, not surprisingly, eventually made a donation to Doctors Without Borders.

To see what these packets look like and to read more, check out Edesia, one of the Plumpy’Nut partners in the United States that produces the RUTF packets.

When you consider all the needs of the world, what things have inspired you to take action?

Inputs

I’m reading a book on how the human brain works (Your Brain at Work by David Rock). It’s utterly fascinating.

It has me thinking about how the number of sensory inputs (social media, email, texts, basically anything on a smartphone) is affecting us and our moods.

Dialing all of that back generally makes me happier.

What do you think?

Where is Our Fearless Leader?

If you’re in a leadership role these days, chances are you’ve been criticized. People say some nasty things on social media, in the “comments” section of ANYTHING… and sometimes even to your face.

Leadership is hard. And leaders have feelings. No matter how much confidence we project, we get scared too… often because we feel deeply responsible for those whom we are called to lead.

So whether it’s been said to you out loud or not, chances are you’ve FELT people say, “Where is our fearless leader?”

The only fearless leader I know grew up in a small town. He was often the subject of criticism, especially by religious leaders. He was HUGELY popular with those everyone else had dismissed and discarded. He died far too young, gruesomely and publicly executed, as the A-Team theme song says, “for a crime he didn’t commit.”

In other words, by the world’s standards, a loser.

His name is Jesus… and he’s truly the only fearless leader I’ve ever met.

And even Jesus, EVEN JESUS, wanted to see if there was a way out of what his Father had sent him to do (Matthew 26:39, Mark 14:36, Luke 22:42).

In his time of trial, EVEN JESUS was looking for a way out.

So if EVEN JESUS didn’t want to, I think we can cut ourselves a little slack about being a little-less-than-fearless leaders.


So where IS our fearless leader?

On a cross, dying for the world he so deeply loves.

And on his way to Galilee, his post-resurrection meet up place for scared disciples.

And appearing in upper rooms with locked doors because of fear, showing more scared disciples his wounds.

And on a dusty road to another small town, talking with some clueless companions about all these things that had taken place.

There he is.

Social

A month ago I took a break from Facebook. I try to do this at least a few times a year, but this time it felt different, leaning toward something more permanent… or at least radically different.

Two books I read this year have had me rethinking my use of social media (and most things digital). The first is Cal Newport’s Digital Minimalism. Newport challenges the idea that we can simply “dial back” or “slightly reduce” our use of social media. He reminds us that we are up against billion-dollar corporations profiting from our distraction and attention.

Then I read Mark Boyle’s The Way Home: Tales from a Life Without Technology. Boyle doesn’t stop with social media; he goes without most technology for a year. Every once in a while you read a book that makes you stop in your tracks and question most of what you know. The Way Home was one of those books.

Here are some observations from my time away:

Life feels more spacious and much more clear. It’s not like I have more time, but the time I do have feels more like my own. I have more time and space to think. The clarity is harder to describe. It feels like getting a new pair of glasses; everything is just more crisp.

My life feels like it belongs to me again. Instead of broadcasting every thought or rant, I just think a thought and that’s that. If it’s particularly insightful, I might write it down on an index card or tell a friend, but mostly I keep it to myself. We even took a vacation and I had a really great time… without posting all the pictures.

I’m crowdsourcing my problems locally. I’m opting for more face-to-face conversations that are not mediated by anything digital. I’m remembering that we are wired for texture, tone and nuance.

I do miss some things, but not enough to jump back in all the way. I do miss some of the interactions that Facebook provides… but not that much. I’m channeling some of that energy into writing our annual Christmas letter.

I feel like I own my phone, instead of the other way around. My phone feels more like a tool that I can use instead of a distracting leash that calls for my attention. I’ve also turned off badges and most alerts for everything, including text messages, so I’m sure that’s helped too.

Quit

Author Bob Goff says that he quits something every Thursday.

I love that.

So I have it on my calendar, starting this week: Quit something.

We tend to add things to our schedules like packing clothes in our closets or dressers, without ever taking anything out.

What do you need to quit this Thursday?

Email

How often do you check email?

I was always sympathetic to those who say “rarely” or “only once a day,” but found that advice to be impractical for me. I also don’t like the practice of checking email every five minutes. (Don’t get me started on text messages.)

I like the suggestion in Michael Hyatt’s book, Free to Focus. He suggests checking email as part of your workday start up and shut down rituals. For me, that means 30 minutes in the morning and 30 – 45 minutes at the end of the workday.

If I need to send something out in the middle of the day, that’s fine, but I’m not working through my inbox then.

Breakfast

I just had breakfast with a great leader. He’s in a different industry. We talked about life, leadership and what we’re learning.

We do this several times a year.

These breakfasts were inspired by a story that Andy Stanley tells about one of his mentors, Charlie Renfro. When Andy Stanley was a young leader, Renfro would take him out to breakfast and ask him one question: “What big thing are you working on?”

It’s a question that spurs action, inspires greatness… and reminds me it’s time to have breakfast with another leader.

Who is your Charlie Renfro?

And what big thing are you working on?

Preaching Books

Thanks to the generosity of the Lilly Endowment and Calvin Theological Seminary, I get to lead a cohort of preachers this year interested in improving our craft.

Here’s the list of books we’ll be reading, in case you are interested:

Preaching Gospel, Essays in Honor of Richard Lischer, edited by Charles Campbell, et al.

Stumbling Over the Cross: Preaching the Cross and Resurrection Today by Sancken and Wilson

Giving Blood: A Fresh Paradigm for Preaching by Leonard Sweet

Classical Rhetoric and Its Christian and Secular Tradition from Ancient to Modern Times by George A. Kennedy

Rhetoric by Aristotle

Preaching: Communicating Faith in an Age of Skepticism by Timothy Keller

Communicating for a Change by Andy Stanley

Upright Citizens Brigade Comedy Improvisation Manual

P.S. I’m hosting a new workshop to help preachers engage their hearers without being too tied to their manuscripts. You can read more about it here.

Off Script On Point Preaching Workshop

Have you ever finished preaching and wished your hearers had been more, well, engaged?

Maybe you’re a little too tied to your manuscript (because you believe in great content).

Maybe you were taught (wrongly) that you have to memorize your sermons to be engaging.

Is there a better way?

Register Here

Many of you have had the chance to learn my C-A-B-I-I process for structuring your sermons for engagement and discipleship. I’m putting together a new workshop that takes engagement with your hearers to the next level. It’s called Off Script On Point.

Learn how to move from preaching from a manuscript… to preaching from an outline… to preaching with only notes in front of you (but not using them).

I think most of us fear one of two extremes:

  1. The “too tied to the manuscript” preacher who has great content, but the engagement is a little off mark.
  2. The “manuscript free” preacher who rambles on and on and never quite lands the plane. (No one is born to be a ramblin’ man.)

What would it be like for you, over time, to move from manuscript to outline to notes (that you don’t use) … and yet still have solid content mixed with great engagement?

In other words, what would it look like for you to preach off script, but on point?

I will teach you how—at least what worked for me.

Friday, June 8, 2018
1 pm – 4 pm

St. Mark’s Lutheran Church
315 S. College Dr.
Bowling Green, OH 43402

You have three options for this workshop:

$97: workshop and all materials

$147: workshop, materials and 6 “getting started” emails

$297: workshop, materials, 6 “getting started” emails, 2 private video chat consultations

Register Here

 

What Baseball Can Teach Us About Preaching

This week I’m going to challenge you write three sermons. I know. I know. Hang in there. (You’re probably thinking: “I don’t even have one sermon yet. Where am I going to find the time to write three?)

I don’t want you to write three complete sermons. I want you to have three in the works and begin a process of working ahead.

But first, let’s talk baseball.

In any given baseball game, whether your team is winning or not, the pitching staff always has at least three pitchers in various stages of readiness. There’s one on the mound (pitching). There’s one in the dugout. And there is often one warming up (in the bullpen).

So here are the three sermons I want you to write:

  1. One in the dugout. This is the sermon you’re going to preach in three weeks. I want you to read the text, sketch out a possible title and topic and do some quick research / Bible study. Write down any thoughts you have on a blank sheet of paper.
  2. One in the bullpen. This is the sermon you’re going to be preaching next week. In addition to the work above, you’re going to get this sermon to outline form. What’s its skeleton? Where is it going?
  3. One on the mound. This is the sermon you’re going to be preaching this weekend. It should be ready to go by tomorrow at the latest, fully outlined or written out with details. Ready to preach.

This week is going to be the hardest, because it’s not how many of us are used to working. But once you get this set up, it’s simply a matter of moving each sermon closer to being in play.

It turns out that working on three sermons at a time, all the time, is actually easier than staring at your computer screen on Saturday evening.

Or you could just keep doing what you’re doing.

52 Books in 2018

My goal this year is to read 52 books. Last year I fell short of my goal, so this year I chose an easy one to remember, one that coincided with the 52 weeks in a year. It’s also an easy way to see if I’m behind or ahead.

I will update this post as I read more books. (Note: Most are affiliate links.)

18. Smartcuts: How Hackers, Innovators and Icons Accelerate Success by Shane Snow

17. Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World by Cal Newport

16. The New York Four (graphic novel)

15. Cambodian Grrrl: Self-Publishing in Phnom Penh by Anne Elizabeth Moore

14. Oxen by Joseph Sangl

13. I Was Broke. Now I’m Not. by Joseph Sangl

12. What Everyone Should Know About Money Before They Enter the Real World by Joseph Sangl

11. Funded and Free by Joseph Sangl

10. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Book 7) by J.K. Rowling

9. The Tech-Wise Family: Everyday Steps for Putting Technology in Its Proper Place by Andy Crouch

8. This Change is Everything: The Hope and Future of Gospel Mission by Shane Sebastian

7. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Book 6) by J.K. Rowling

6. When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing by Daniel Pink

5. Becoming Steve Jobs: The Evolution of a Reckless Upstart into a Visionary Leader by Brent Schlender

4. Be Our Guest: Perfecting the Art of Customer Service by The Disney Institute

3. Your Best Year Ever: A 5-Step Plan for Achieving Your Most Important Goals by Michael Hyatt

2. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Book 5) by J.K. Rowling

1. Millones Cajones by Rob Bell

Life Hack: Focus

Another schedule hack I’m loving from Cal Newport’s Deep Work (affiliate link) is a trick for planning a fully-focused day.

The key is to “block schedule” your day on a single sheet of paper.

  1. Number the paper with your “working” / productive hours of the day every other line, so each line represents a 30-minute increment.
  2. Write down what you will do during each period of the day, drawing a block around each activity. The smallest increment should be 30 minutes.
  3. During your day, move through this schedule, keeping focused on what is on your schedule.
  4. The key is not to be rigid, but to be focused. If an activity that you thought would take 60 minutes takes 90 minutes, just cross out the first block and re-block the rest of the day. Pencil and eraser work too!

A few other additions:

  1. At the top the page, write down something you are looking forward to during the day. It could be an evening out or something as simple as a cup of coffee. I got this idea from Donald Miller’s Storyline Productivity Schedule.
  2. Since I have a million things floating around my mind on any given day, I use the left-hand side of the paper (about an inch) to write down other “to do” items that pop in my mind. That way they are out of my head and on paper, but not on my schedule. I love the layout of these legal pads from Levenger.

I experimented with this for a few days this week. Two days I used this schedule hack and two I just “went with the flow.”

Guess which days I got the things done that I wanted to get done?

Life Hack: Social Media

I recently read Cal Newport’s Deep Work (affiliate link) and it’s changing the way I think about a lot of things, particularly

  • what I focus on,
  • how I spend my time,
  • and what to do with my daily schedule.

The first schedule hack that I’m trying is taking a break from social media for 30 days. The key is not to announce it (guess I’m breaking that one). After 30 days, evaluate whether your life was better or worse without it.

That’s it.

Confession: I’m loving it so far.

Moai

Apparently many people on the island of Okinawa live longer than the rest of us.

One of the reasons might be community groups called “Moai”. It turns out that one of the keys to a long life is a support group.

Who are your people?

Who is in your tribe?

Who has your back?

LOL!

What do stand-up comedians have to teach us about preaching?

They get what it means to engage an audience and use their whole body to communicate.

When I attended a public speaking conference a few years ago, the event host encouraged us to watch some YouTube videos of some of our favorite comics and pay attention to these two things.

You don’t have a be a Jerry Seinfeld, but you might learn something from Jerry Seinfeld.

LOL!

 

Hands

A Meditation on the Hands of Christ
(an abbreviated version of what I shared with our conference pastors this past Thursday)

If you’re like me, you become “grumpy pastor” about 10 days or so before Holy Week begins. The more of a perfectionist you are, the earlier the grumpiness beings. Weary is a word that describes many of us.

Or maybe you’ve been wounded: by life, by “friends,” by the church. We are the walking wounded.

So what do we do… the weary, wounded ones?

We look for the hands of Christ.

In John, chapter 13, we read that the Father had given all things into Jesus’ hands. And what does Jesus do with those hands? He washes feet. Stinky feet. Dirty feet. Lowly work. Slave work. Servant work. The first thing Jesus does after all power and authority has been given to him is “low” work, menial work, slave work.

He washes the feet of of us, the weary ones.

Another place we see Jesus’ hands is in the garden. Jesus’ betrayers have arrived. One even kisses him. And then things get heated and even before Jesus can answer the question, “Lord, shall we strike with the sword?” someone chooses violence and cuts off a soldier’s ear. We choose blood and vengeance so quickly. But not Jesus. He says, “No more of this!” and reaches out with his hand to heal the soldier’s ear. Healing hands. Jesus’ hands.

He heals the bodies of us, the wounded ones.

And there are the crucified hands. (The ones we’d rather not remember.)

And in the upper room, crowded with fear-filled disciples, there are the risen (yet wounded) hands, offered to the denying, deserting disciples… and even late-to-dinner Didymus: Thomas, the twin.

Still with the wounds, the scars, as if to say: The foot-washing hands are the healing hands are the crucified hands are the risen hands.

When those who created American Sign Language chose a sign for Jesus, it wasn’t a cross or even the one for “Lord,” but one that evoked the marks in those open hands.

Servant hands.
Healing hands.
Crucified hands.
Risen hands.

For you, weary and wounded ones… for all of us.

Fundraisers

Wanna buy some cookies?

Girl Scout cookies are the quintessential fundraiser. Most people love the product, feel good about supporting a good cause, and like the idea of supporting budding entrepreneurs.

But how much of every four-dollar box of cookies goes to the Girl Scouts? (Turns out this is not easy to determine.)

  • What is the value of a fundraiser beyond the fundraising?
  • Why do we do fundraisers?
  • And how do we determine if they are worth it?

We all have fundraisers that make us groan. And yet there are others and cause us to light up with generosity. We can’t wait to get out our wallets.

How do you determine if a fundraiser is a good idea? What metrics do you use to determine the bang you get for your buck?

I’m assuming that most fundraisers want the best return with the least amount of work… in other words: leverage. It’s a fundraiser. The point is to raise funds.

So I’ve created this little matrix to determine if a fundraiser is worth it:

  1. Profit
  • What is the net expected profit from this fundraiser, given past experience?
  • Are there any downsides to unsold inventory, etc. or variables such as the weather?
  • What is the profit goal for this particular fundraiser?
  1. Volunteer Hours
  • How many total volunteer hours are required to pull this off? Assign an average hourly wage and calculate the “cost.”
  • Would it be better just to simply ask each volunteer, for example, for a $20 donation?
  1. Hassle Factor
  • This is the most difficult intangible cost to determine: How much of a hassle is the whole thing?
  • Do people groan even thinking about the fundraiser?
  • Does it involve counting pennies, keeping food refrigerated or coordinating the pick up of 1,000 items in 90 minutes?
  • Just assign a number between 1 (easy) and 10 (total hassle cluster).
  • Do you find yourself asking every year: “Can’t I just write a dang check?”

There’s not a neat formula for this, but I think the more we know the profit numbers, calculate the volunteer hours and consider the hassle factor, the better off we’ll be in deciding whether or not to do a fundraiser.

But it’s more complicated than that, isn’t it? Here are some other intangibles:

  1. Teamwork

Accomplishing something together as a team is a valuable life skills. Sometimes fundraisers achieve this end. I also think that sometimes this intangible gets too much play. Is the fundraiser actually achieving this end? Is it developing a cohesive team or is this just something we’d like to think it is doing.

  1. Entrepreneurship

I truly think this is also overrated. True entrepreneurship is developing something on your own, not simply selling someone else’s great (or terrible) product. How cool would it be to create something as your organization from scratch and sell that?

  1. Sales and Marketing Training

I do think fundraisers can be leveraged to teach creative ways of doing sales and marketing. But this only works if mentors in those fields (read: parents) are willing to teach those skills before the fundraiser begins.

What is the value of fundraising to you?

What metrics do you use to determine if it is worth it?

Hook

You probably have 15-30 seconds to “hook” your hearers at the beginning of your message or you will lose them.

That’s the bad news.

The good news is that there are many ways to do this. Here are a few:

  1. Tell a story that connects with something they are already thinking about.
  2. Contradict (even if for a moment) a widely-held belief or myth.
  3. Make a noise they are not expecting (A simple, “Woo! What Jesus just said is tough, right?” will do.)
  4. Ask a question that does not have a clear answer.
  5. Bring a new angle to a story in the news they may have heard in the past week.
  6. Name the awkwardness in the room.
  7. Name the weariness in the room (especially helpful the Sunday after Thanksgiving).
  8. Tell a joke (that is connected to your main point).

And some things to avoid beginning your message with:

  1. Formulaic greetings (e.g., “Grace and peace to you…”). If you’re going to do these, keep them very short.
  2. Stories about yourself unless there is a clear connection to the lives of your hearers
  3. The text / topic / Scripture you are preaching on
  4. Religious pablum
  5. Controversial topics on which people have already chosen sides
  6. Insults directed (even passively) to your hearers
  7. Awkward gestures such as mic tapping: “Is this thing on?”
  8. Warm-up filler such as, “How’s everybody doing today?”

Again, you probably have just seconds to engage.

Hook ’em or lose ’em.

Your choice.

But I imagine you’d rather have them listening. Better: listening and engaged.

What are your most effective hooks?

 

Try

Sometimes when you are trying something new (to you), it is met with the response, “We tried that.”

The implication, of course, is: “We tried that. It didn’t work. So it makes no sense to try it again. Don’t waste your time. We know how that will turn out.”

A great response? Let’s try it again now.

It might not work–like that time before.

But it might.

How will we every know–unless we try?

(What’s really at work here is our fear of failure or criticism.)

Let’s try it again… now.

i

Most of us unintentionally begin our sermon (and preparation process) with a little “i”:

  • I think this is important, therefore you should listen to me.
  • I have a story to share with you.
  • I am captivated by this particular aspect of the text.
  • I am here today to tell you about…

This is more implicit than explicit. Because, of course, we’re not that narcissistic.

Unfortunately, very few people are interested in what you find important. It’s not that they are that insensitive; it’s just that they have their own sets of wants, needs and schedules. They have their own lives to live.

Turn the opening part of your sermon from your “I” to their “you.” Enter the minds and hearts of your hearers and begin with what they care about.

(Don’t worry, you can eventually get to what you find compelling and what God has to say through the text.)

This Sunday, begin with your hearers. If you already do this well, sharpen it up a bit.

Energy Part 2: The Energy of Your Sermon

Last week I invited us to pay attention to the energy in the room that is present before we even begin to preach. This week I want you to pay attention to the ebb and flow of energy during your sermon.

  • It’s the panic that sets in when you know you have two pages to go and people are checking out four at a time.
  • It’s the joy you feel when a particular phrase comes out exactly as you intended and your hearers receive it graciously.
  • It’s the laughter you hear when a joke hits perfectly.
  • It’s the emptiness of crickets when you realize you are talking but you’re not sure anyone is listening.

It’s the energy of engagement and it can be your best friend or worst enemy.

Unofficial research (my intern) suggests that there is a natural dip in energy in a sermon at about the 11 minute mark if you don’t do something to actively engage your hearers. You can blame it on TV, YouTube or all the things contributing to a diminishing attention span, but there it is.

There are things we can do, however, to keep the energy level up and the engagement level high. Consider how magicians performing magic tricks have your rapt attention. Watch how the best stand up comedians captivate their audiences for extended periods of time.

It can be done; it just takes some practice. Are you willing to put in the time?

This week, watch a few stand up comedians on YouTube. Pay particular attention to what they do to keep the engagement level high. Then watch a few TED talks and do the same.

 

Energy Part 1: The Energy in the Room

Have you ever walked into a room and immediately felt that something was a bit odd? Have you ever entered a space and felt immediately terrified? On the other hand, have you ever walked into a place you had never been before and felt a sense of calm, joy and peace?

There is a certain energy to spaces and the groups that inhabit those spaces.

What does this have to do with preaching? A lot.

One of the things we do intuitively as preachers is take the mood and temperature of the room and the congregation. It is important to acknowledge that there is an energy, a feel to the room well before we begin preaching.

What does the energy in the room feel like the Sunday after Thanksgiving? The Sunday after Christmas Day? The first Sunday of summer vacation?

What does it feel like on Christmas Eve and Easter Sunday? During the Sundays of Lent? On an anniversary or special occasion for a congregation?

This week’s assignment is simple: Pay careful attention to the energy in all of the spaces and places you enter this week. What might preaching feel like in those places?

Five Sentences

Can you give us your sermon in five sentences?

At a conference I recently attended, the preacher at the service of morning prayer gave a deep, theologically rich homily in just five sentences. It was beautiful — and memorable.

Can you do it?

Better: Will you try it with a recent sermon — or with this coming Sunday’s message?

This actually takes way more work than a full manuscript. Because, in five sentences, there is no room for fluff, or meandering, or that story you love (but that’s ultimately) unnecessary.

Saying it in five sentences is a discipline of focus, sorting out what really matters from all the other clutter.

Story

The beauty of using a story in your sermon is that a story does two things:

  1. It focuses the hearer. (Think about how absorbed you get in a great movie or someone telling a great story.)
  2. It invites your other senses (touch, taste, smell, sight).

In other words, you can’t go wrong using story in an intentional way when you preach.

While you’re at it, check out the second episode of Donald Miller’s new podcast. It inspired this blog post.

Let It Go

What do you do with your sermons after you have preached them?

I once read that one of the Reformers used to destroy his sermons after preaching them. He was convinced that the sermons were for a particular people at a particular time.

Now this is a bit more complicated for us in the digital world, when we often have a paper copy of our sermon, a digital word processing document and perhaps even an audio recording. I’m not sure if we can (or should) destroy them all.

But I like the idea.

Let it go. 

Whether you rocked it on Easter Sunday or whether your sermon was a duct-taped piece of crap.

Let it go.

You preached it. Now let the Holy Spirit do the hard work of changing hearts and lives.

Foolishness

It’s Holy Week and you might just be freaking out a little bit.

The only preaching advice I have to offer this week is to read 1 Corinthians 1:18-31.

Pay particular attention to verse 26.

Then preach the only hope for us and for the world: Jesus Christ and him crucified.

You’ve got this.

Actually, you don’t.

But Christ does.

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