My Rally Cry

I wonder what all contributes to impact which choruses make it into mainstream church and which ones are left for other contexts. For example, Passion-Jesus Lover of My Soul has a very similar theme to For the Sake of the Call, but Passion's the only one I've sung in church. For the Sake of the Call is my rally cry...

We will abandon it all for the sake of the call
No other reason at all but the sake of the call
Wholly devoted to live and to die for the sake of the call

Nobody stood and applauded them
So they knew from the start
This road would not lead to fame
All they really knew for sure
Was Jesus had called to them
He said "come follow Me" and they came
With reckless abandon, they came

Empty nets lying there at the water's edge
Told a story that few could believe
And none could explain
How some crazy fisherman agreed to go where Jesus went
With no thought to what they would gain
For Jesus had called them by name
And they answered...

We will abandon it all for the sake of the call
No other reason at all but the sake of the call
Wholly devoted to live and to die for the sake of the call
The sake of the call

Drawn like the rivers are drawn to the sea
There's no turning back, for the water cannot help but flow
Once we hear the Savior's call, we'll follow wherever He leads
Because of the love He has shown
And because He has called us to go
We will answer...

We will abandon it all for the sake of the call
No other reason at all but the sake of the call
Wholly devoted to live and to die

Not for the sake of a creed or a cause
Not for a dream or a promise
Simply because it is Jesus who called
And if we believe we'll obey

We will abandon it all for the sake of the call
No other reason at all but the sake of the call
We will abandon it all for the sake of the call
No other reason at all but the sake of the call
Wholly devoted to live and to die for the sake of the call
For the sake of the call

A Bird's Nest with a Cauldron

From the first pictures I saw of the Bird's Nest in Beijing, I wondered where the Olympic cauldron was though I didn't hear any commentators talking about it. When it appeared just in time, I wondered what went on behind the scenes and found this article.

Now I wonder if they had a backup plan if anything had failed.

A walker on my birthday

It seemed ideal, Missions Fest Lancaster and the Wings of Freedom tour were both scheduled for August 23-24 coinciding with my birthday. A weekend an airplane dreamer would love.

That all changed Friday morning when Dad inexplicably fell while at his daily day services program. With Dad's self-confidence to stand, let alone walk shattered and his right hip bruised, the weekend plans were altered. Fortunately, Dad's injuries aren't any more serious. Full of irony, on my birthday, Beth bought a walker!

I could never have predicted that this would've been the way I'd celebrate this birthday, but I enjoyed today in spite of it being God's plan for the day and not mine.

Four-fold Franciscan Blessing

One of the speakers at a conference I attended recently concluded his challenge with the following Franciscan blessing that I wanted to keep on file (I use my blog as a personal filing cabinet in addition to other uses).


May God bless you with a restless discomfort about easy answers, half-truths and superficial relationships, so that you may seek truth boldly and love deep within your heart.

May God bless you with holy anger at injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people, so that you may tirelessly work for justice, freedom, and peace among all people.

May God bless you with the gift of tears to shed with those who suffer from pain, rejection, starvation, or the loss of all that they cherish, so that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and transform their pain into joy.

May God bless you with enough foolishness to believe that you really CAN make a difference in this world, so that you are able, with God's grace, to do what others claim cannot be done.

And the blessing of God the Supreme Majesty and our Creator, Jesus Christ the Incarnate Word who is our brother and Saviour, and the Holy Spirit, our Advocate and Guide, be with you and remain with you, this day and forevermore.

AMEN.

Leaving talents on the shelf

I have a sincere question for which I am truly requesting your interaction. The question is, can you recall or find any scriptural foundation or an illustration from The Bible that supports leaving identified and known God-given talents/abilities/gifts on the shelf for a period of time?



There's profound evidence supporting the opposite of that question, that God strongly endorses the use of talents, and Christian leaders among many others, highly promote that range of thinking. If God's blessed with you a set of skills, even spiritual gifts, He's given them to you for a purpose and for them to be exercised. Not exercising said gifts, in many cases, could be classified as quenching the Spirit. Scriptural support for this line of reasoning can include the parable of the talents among others. Scripturally, it's solid. From a human perspective, it's a logical thought process that, frankly, stokes the soul.



God gave you the gifts to use them. Orient your life around them, leverage your spiritual gifts the way God has put them in your life.



The popularity of the notion raised the question in my mind as I don't recall hearing anyone else explore the opposite line of thinking. Is there any evidence in scripture that God equipped one of his children with multiple gifts which for some period of time intentionally remained on the shelf? And I'm not talking about undeveloped gifts, I recognize that God may have blessed an individual with a gift that has yet to show itself or be exercised. I'm talking about an identified gift/talent/ability that produced fruit that is conscientiously limited, shelved for a set period of time. Can you think of any scripture that would support such gift sabbaticals?


Even though I know my readers don't usually chose to comment I'm asking you this one time to step out of your comfort zone. I'd really appreciate your interaction by leaving a response, comment or answer to the question. I thank you in advance for your participation.

Olympic predictions

The TiVo is set and will soon be overloaded with Olympic coverage, even though we've dropped Cable TV. I'll leave you with two simple predictions...

1. Watch Spain during these Summer Olympic Games. Matt Laurer mentioned it during the coverage of the opening ceremonies, Spain's been on a roll this summer and it wouldn't surprise me if their success continues.

2. Though it won't occur during the next 14 days, I'll state now that I will be surprised if Rio de Janeiro isn't awarded the 2016 Summer Games.

Enjoy the games!

Drinking from a fire hose

I didn't realize it but Wednesday night of this week I managed to fit my mouth around a fire hose. That was a feat in and of itself. Mid-morning Thursday, someone snuck in and turned the thing on and it's remained on for two straight days. Whether actual water or figuratively for information, I have a lot to process.

For starters, there appears to be a movement of the Spirit that exceeds that which I've witnessed in my three-and-a-half plus decades on this planet. I've made such statements previously, that I sense God doing things I've never seen before. I do not write these words flippantly.

In several conversations with key individuals I've come to respect, admire and have sought to emulate a theme rapidly emerged today. To a person, each shared, without my prompting, collaboration, that their hearts and minds were being stirred in ways they were still trying to understand and comprehend. I too felt it.

When I correlate these conversations with people of influence with the resources God has placed in the storehouse of Grace Church, I believe we are on the cusp of seeing a calling of God unfurled.

Are we ready? Am I ready?

Decorating the children's wing

Since visiting churches during our trip to Creative08 that was hosted by Fellowship Church in Grapevine, TX, we've been talking and planning to redecorate the children's wing. The concept is a Noah's Ark theme with murals on the walls and identifying each room with a different animal. Each room would then have the animal at the door so each room is easily identifiable from the hallway.

Up until this week, we've been thinking of these concepts being applied in a Disney-esque style. Think The Lion King.

That was, until this week.

I had an epiphany that we're presented with an opportunity to go where few churches have likely gone before, based on the inherent creativity at Grace combined with the number of hunters. Instead of the flashy, commercially-over done Disney style, why not use the real thing, taxidermy-ed giraffes, monkeys, hyenas and the like adorning the children's wing hallway like an Elk Lodge or something?

:)

Don't let our teens survive re-entry

Sunday, our teens return from the Momentum Youth Conference. Like the many camp and spiritual emphasis weeks of my youth, they too will likely be coming off of a week of intense spiritual highs and will face the challenge of not riding the pendulum in the other direction. In that vein I found Josh Griffin's post today thought provoking in regards to ways we can engage our teens at Grace Church. While several of his ideas revolve around the weekend worship services, what if you applied them to your ABF, future small group or even your social groups (have families over for pizza, include the teens, and as part of the conversation, ask the teens questions about what they're learning, dreaming, etc.).

Let's not let the teens merely survive their return from Momentum, let's help them excel and keep moving closer to Christ!

Keep Up Momentum

It's not too late to keep up with the annual Youth conference, Momentum. Doug's blogging from Cedarville, OH on the Grace Student Ministries Blog.

Gym Renovations - No longer tracking the day

Though I regret I don't have any visual documentation, the floor has been glued down this week. Yesterday the subcontractors spent the day preparing the templates for the line painting and when you enter the building you can tell that the painting has been completed over the last 12-16 hours; the fumes are rather intense.

From what I understand, in addition to what will now be a full, regulation sized basketball court (it wasn't apparent at first glance, but the old court was a few feet short of a regulation sized basektball court), the floor will also be lined with two side-by-side volleyball courts and a center volleyball court.

It's unclear whether there will also be lines marking a tennis court, AWANA circle, badminton, water polo, indoor track/field, NASCAR short track, four square, Olympic-sized swimming lanes, crabwalk... okay, time to get back to work.

Bikes and Cadillacs

I've been tracking the 2008 edition of the Tour de France and wondered recently, when professional bike riders take a beach vacation, do they enjoy riding bikes with their family on the boardwalk or is the thought of getting in the saddle again repulsive?

On a completely different note my day today has consisted of finalizing the June 30 financial reports and searching the internet for a 1959 Cadillac... all official church business. Seriously, if it all comes together it'll make more sense come September.

Forget Church Softball, Grace Church Should Field a Football Team

While Manheim Central's football team has suffered through some "delayed successes" over the past two years (I know better than to use the slump word in these parts), the Warwick football program has been over-achieving. Several of the Warwick players regularly attend Grace. With that kind of talent, maybe we should enter a church football league instead of a softball league.

In fact, Warwick's feature running back was interviewed by LNPNews' Jeffrey Reinhart recently and featured on Reinhart's blog today.

Having trouble getting teenagers to talk to you? I do. But everytime Eric checks me out at Bombergers, I ask him about football. How's he training over the summer, when does pre-season camp start, or how I saw parts of the game on TV. I try to find something they're interested in and suprisingly find them very engaging in return.

Outdoor Worship

Photo courtesy of Tim Reedy

I just came in from the worship service outside under the tent. Recognizing that I was able to sit where I wanted, able to find a seat that would be in the shade throughout the service, able to locate myself on the edge of the tent to catch the breeze as it blew across the soccer field... acknowledging that I didn't have to preach for 30+ minutes or lead in singing... taking into account that it was the first service which started at 9 before the intensity of the day's sun had started to take hold... it was actually very delightful to be outside this morning. And it got me thinking that there are a lot of advantages to holding worship outdoors:

1. Anyone who has a complaint about the temperature, need not bother voicing such complaint on their Connections Card, for man has nothing to do nor any control over the day's temp.

2. Anyone who has a complaint about the lighting, too dark, dim, bright or otherwise, need to not take the time to voice their concern for it's beyond our control.

3. The electric bill of a church with regular outdoor services would be much lower than an indoor facility.

4. The cost of a tent as compared to the cost of bricks and mortar is much less of an expenditure.

5. It's almost impossible to run out of room in an exterior environment, so space is less of an issue.

6. Those neighbors who've never been in our facility to see what it is we all show up for every Sunday, got a firsthand taste of what it's like. In many ways, you could classify today as an informal, non-threatening evangelistic tool.

Of any church I know, I think Grace would be crazy enough to attempt a year-round outdoor service. Dress cooly in summer, dress warmly in winter. Think of the amount of resources that could be diverted toward other aspects of our ministry. Seasonly, we would embody Scripture as the Hot & Heaven Bound during the summers and the Frozen Chosen during the winters. Being in the controlled environment of a building affords many comforts, but this morning exposed some of the things we give up for those comforts.

Appointment Cancellations/Schedule Flexibility

I'm on a roll of late, in the span of two weeks, I've had three appointments postponed due to emergencies. Fortunately, all of the meeting topics were non-urgent making rescheduling easy and pain free.

I was to meet with someone to work on some items related to the addition of a third worship service, but a day or so before the meeting, I was notified that their father passed away unexpectedly and the meeting would have to be rescheduled.

My Dad was to have a Dr appointment yesterday, but the office called to reschedule because the Doctor had been in surgery most of the day throwing his appointment schedule all out of whack.

I was to have a meeting about health insurance this morning, but that got postponed yesterday because the father of the guy we were to meet with had a heart attack this week.

Three separate cancellations from three different contexts caught my attention and seemed noteworthy. One of the things I appreciate about church work, is the freedom we have in a life perspective. Our day to day work is important, but I'd much rather each of these individuals spend time with the loved ones in the midst of crisis than still maintain an appointment to discuss building signage or health plans. And though they're simply handling the logistic of cancelling an appointment, they don't realize they're activating a prayer line. Nothing outstanding about that, just a quick prayer as I think of them and what they might be experiencing. We'll eventually make up the appointments and keep the work of the church moving forward, signs, health plans and all.

Gym Renovations - Day 11

Thankfully, the glue arrived this morning and plans were already in place for Sunday's worship services to be held outdoors as there's no way the gym could be usable this Sunday.

The tent is up on the soccer field and the chairs are being set up this morning, all in preparation for the worship services on Sunday. Bottles of water will be available for hydrating.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the property, the sidewalk was extended from Fellowship Hall around to the Young Chapel entrances this week where previously you had to walk in the driveway.

Gym Renovations - Day 9

The flooring material arrived from Colorado on Wednesday. Unfortunately, the glue didn't arrive with the rolls of flooring, so the project's been in a holding pattern for the past two days and I don't have any pictoral documentation.

Gym Renovations - Day 8

DAY EIGHT

Flashing and holes for the volleyball net standards were drilled into the cement. Whereas formerly two volleyball courts were side-by-side, a center volleyball court in the middle of the gym is being added with the new floor.

Gym Renovations - Days 6 & 7

Following the Genesis example, on the sixth day, we rested and on the seventh, we worshipped.

Gym Renovations - Day 5

DAY FIVE

The floor was swept and vacuumed as best as possible before setting up the chairs for Sunday's worship services. As many discovered, there was still a lot of residual glue dust left on the floor.

Several people thought the cement floor looked beautiful and thought it was the finished product. I guess that reveals how bad the carpet looked.

Gym Renovations - Day 4

DAY FOUR

Floor joists filled and conducted moisture tests

Gym Renovations - Day 3

DAY THREE

The track for the curtain along the back of the room was extended out beyond the Mezzanine so it will enclose the bleachers that will be installed in a few weeks.

Gym Renovations - Day 2

DAY TWO

Once the carpet was removed, all of the old glue had to be sanded off to get down to the original concrete base. More about glue dust later...

The walls were primed for painting.

Gym Renovations - Day 1

Alas, I've been remissed in documenting the on-going facility changes around Grace Church over the past two weeks. So here's to catching up...

DAY ONE

The carpet was taken off the floor...

and promptly relaid on Rick Bernhardt's driveway

Practical Joking Accountants

It's financial audit week at the Grace Church office. For the next few days, the 12' conference table, that usually plays more of a decor function than practical function during the work day, is occupied by sometimes six accountants. The table is covered by laptops, printers, external number pads, external computer mice and cords everywhere. A prime setup for a practical joke.

So before the crew arrived this morning, I switched the external number pads by connecting them to the laptop opposite them so when they go to enter numbers, they'll be entering data on someone elses computer. Hee hee.

Pastor Young Returns Again

Some observations from another visit and sermon from Pastor Young yesterday...

Interesting that he seems to show up, sometimes planned, but this time by coincidence, for hallmark moments in Grace Church life... celebrating paying off the mortgage and yesterday, the Auditorium renovations.

I'm amused by the families that no longer attend Grace regularly but who return only on the Sundays when Pastor Young is preaching. Says something about their relationship with Grace and also about relationship with wherever they attend when Pastor Young isn't preaching.

Though the style of delivery is quite different than most other Sunday's at Grace, the content is always dead on and like the ace on a baseball team's pitching staff, a change-up can be equally effective to a fastball in hitting the target. Did you leave encouraged like I did to daily pursue active dependence on God instead of passive dependence?

I missed his introduction and beginning of his message, but I wanted to note whether Pastor Young received another standing ovation yet again. Email me if you can help me out on that one. Over the past four years I sense that our church body has changed substantially and that the balance has shifted. That today there are more attenders who never knew Pastor Young as Pastor than there are attenders who attended regularly under his ministry. Just my guess.

When was Scripture inspired?

Since God apparently didn't deem it newsworthy to include in His Word, it's irrelevant, but it crossed my mind recently...

I find some of my best inspiration for blog posts and other ideas occurs as I drift off to sleep, when I awake in the middle of the night or just as I awake in the morning. So much so that I'm often caught in a dilemma of determining whether attempting to clock more minutes of shut eye outweighs the benefits of capturing the thoughts my mind is generating at the time. Which, one evening or early morning in the past few days led me to contemplate...

I wonder when God inspired the authors of Scripture to record His Words?

Knowing You're Capabilities/Limitations

A component to my definition of maturity, is knowing what one is capable of. Not to say I personify my definition of maturity, I am aware of my capabilities or limitations in several areas. For one, I have limitations in the area of house projects. My bloodline in that department is strong, one of my grandfather's was a skilled woodsman and taught shop at Wildwood (NJ) High School for years. My other grandfather, an engineer by training, also possessed skills that would put any craftsman to the test. I unfortunately, have yet to uphold the family reputation.

While my lack of opportunity to hone such skills may be a light factor, I'm much better at the demo phase than I am at the building or finishing stages of any project. Last week, in an effort to address a toilet that would run constantly from time to time, I embarked on replacing the internals of the toilet tank. It was the second time in a year or so I tackled such a project, so I should've had the knack of it. As I learned the first time around, getting the rusty bolts that attached the tank to the base was the hardest part of the project. Unlike the first project, this second project literally went down the toilet when, in an attempt to dislodge the rusty bolt, the porcelain tank broke apart rendering the tank worthless. I'm just not made out for this type of stuff.

Likewise, I can tell that I'm getting close to crossing the threshold whence others will be better suited to take care of my Dad than I can. I know it, my wife knows it and Dad recognizes it. We've started the exploration process to assess what options are available. I have to accept my capabilities and my limitations.

You Don't Want To Be An Astronaut

I received the following annonymous response to my last post that I found intriuging...

You don't want to be an astronaut because of the no negativism allowed group think in NASA. The primary reason they have had so many failures is that dissent isn't allowed. You have to be really positive in that organization. Thus, when it was pointed out that a mostly oxygen atmosphere in the Apollo capsule was a fire hazard, it was ignored, until they barbecued three astronauts. Thus, they wouldn't believe that a major test of the Hubble mirror was important, until it's myopia blurred the stars. They wouldn't believe that independent systems integration was necessary until the Mars lander tried to fly below the surface, because it didn't occur to them to use a consistent system of measurement units (meters vs. feet). They couldn't believe that foam fragments flying off the shuttle tank could be a problem until they scattered Columbia all over Texas.

My Month in Space

My class' version of the Beloit College Mindset List would include, "Man has always visited the moon." Neil and Buzz's small steps and giant leaps occurred several years before my own earth landing. But from what I recall, I first became aware of space exploration in July 1979.

The occasion was the unfortunate demise of NASA's SkyLab. Living in a provincial town in the Philippines, my friends and their families were distraught that refrigerator-sized pieces of SkyLab would be falling from the sky and destroy their life's possessions. Though I didn't want anyone or thing to be harmed, I was VERY disappointed when my parents informed me that the debris field was limited to the Indian Ocean.

Other than such doomsday predictions we received no other information about the achievements in exploration, so my fascination was flying with the rockets when I was introduced to the Space Shuttle during home service. I was a Shuttle wanna-be through and through and have ever since Walter Mitty-ed through many a day making go/no-go decisions as if I were at the Flight Director's console in Mission Control or flipping switches and declaring "We're venting something into space" as a Command Module Pilot in full problem solving mode. Having dreamt of filling such roles, the past month of so may be the closest I'll ever come to space.

I pulled the book, Apollo 13 off the shelf for the umpteenth time back in March or April and after I got through a couple of chapters I decided to go find the accounts of other NASA personnel. I started with Gene Cranz's book, Failure Is Not An Option. That was closely followed by the Discovery Channel's series, When We Left Earth and then In The Shadow of the Moon. And just this week, I finished Michael Collins' Carrying the Fire. All of these accounts made the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo missions as real as the Shuttle missions I often monitor live via NASA TV's web stream.

Their reality contrasted with my fantasy exposed me for the astronaut God never intended me to be. And while weightlessness always sounded like a freeing sensation the few seconds I experienced it during a recent flight made it very apparent that I'm very comfortable with my feet on the ground and in the confines of a 1g environment.

It's been a fun month in space. From the early risk takers to seeing the latest module, Kibo, added to the International Space Station. I eagerly anticipate my next visit to the Air and Space Museum.

If Church was a Sesame Street Episode, Who Would the Pastor Be?

Based on this post, I'd suggest Count Von Count.

Facebook can create problems

Facebook, or any other social networking sight for that matter, can create problems for organizations that care for children. The neat thing about Facebook is sharing pictures with people - some you know and some you don't. And from the Facebook pages I've visited, many like to capture pictures of their regular activities, so when you work with children, it's logical that you'd post pictures of you and the kids you take care of.

In many cases, before any photograph can be published or distributed publicly, unless it's a large group photo, the individuals pictured need to sign a consent form authorizing the distribution. I think Facebook and other social networking sites get too close to that line of demarcation. One can argue that Facebook isn't a public distribution of a photo. We need to place ourselves in the shoes of the parents.

So while I won't state that it's definitively a problem, it's too close for comfort for my take on the matter. I think paid and volunteer staff should be trained that they need to be highly protective of the pictures they take while serving/caring for children, if they take pictures at all.

Anthems, pageantry and FOOTBALL!!!

For the past month, all of Europe, many soccer fans worldwide and apparently even Pastor Scott, have focused on the Euro2008 tournament which concluded today. It would appear, for many nations, their national soccer team is their primary outlet for showing their patriotism. Before each match the national anthems are played for both teams participating in the fixture. And while The Star Spangled Banner has become so routine those singing it at national events deem it necessary to add their own twist, the national anthems in international soccer are a study in national pride and pageantry.

The players all sing along with fervor. In fact, at the 2006 World Cup, one of the Italian players didn't know the words to The Song of the Italians and was publicly called out and ridiculed by the press. The fans, thousands strong, join the players, waving flags and raising scarves in the air. I must watch a lot of international soccer for...

I have a pretty good handle on the words to the Italian national anthem, though I've never looked them up, visited Italy or studied Italian. I've just watch soccer. Apparently a good number of matches involving Italy apparently.

I learned that Spain's national anthem is one of the few worldwide that has no words. That's fine for them, but it makes their soccer players looked kinda stupid during the pre-game ceremonies. The fans solution is to la, la, la-along with the tune so as not to be outdone by the opponent and their worded-anthem.

Every time I hear the Russian anthem it evokes inner pain, disappointment and the early stages of tears. I can only think it's routed in Olympic defeats, likely in ice skating, though I'm not sure why that sport in particular would cause such emotions. Whatever the cause, those feelings emerge each time I hear that particular anthem.

It was a great month of sensational soccer/fabulous football.

What is True and What is False?

The information I highlighted in this post turns out to be a hoax. Meanwhile, they've supposedly found a hard white substance under the surface of Mars.

Here's more on how the scientists concluded that what they've found is ice.

Empty Chairs

Empty chairs at a church service? Considered a bad sign
Empty chairs at a budget meeting? Considered a good sign

While I don't consider empty chairs at a budget meeting a bad sign, I don't necessarily view it as a good sign. If you have questions, contact me a the church office; I really do enjoy budget conversations.

A Sunday Observation

I observed something this Sunday morning that I'd never observed before. It's probably been there for weeks, maybe months and even years, but I only observed it for the first time today. Others have pointed out the volume of traffic at supermarket parking lots. And while that definitely is true of our community I've viewed it from a distance.

This Sunday, what was supposed to be a Q&A time about the proposed budget turned into a personal quiet time, but what was happening out the window caught my eye. Grace Church's neighbors were setting up their pool. It was more than a Kodak moment, for just capturing the images that my eyes observed would miss several other senses that contributed to the full effect of the moment.

For as my eyes saw the three children running around the yard performing their rendition of an open the pool dance with mom and dad methodically going about the procedures for pool preparation, emanating through the hallways and into Room 203 were the praise songs from the Auditorium. It hit me that probably every week, within but 100 or so feet, there's a family that presumably doesn't worship a Risen Saviour. A family who's name may or may not be on the wall, but are literally on the other side of it.

I'm not giving up on that family and the others that surround our property. Last winter Pastor Scott, Rick Bernhardt, John Kegarise and myself invited some of the families to have dinner with us, but we received but a few responses. I've suggested we personally invite the families to the upcoming Patriotic Service and family fun afterwards. I'm not giving up.

I hope some day I see a similar scene... the parents and the children eagerly anticipating going into a pool with praise songs in the background. Only this time it's their entrance is a public proclamation that they believe Christ died on the Cross for their sins.

Analysis of a siesta

I find solace in discovering others who suffer from analysis-paralysis, especially when it's a topic near and dear to my heart... http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/ideas/naps/

Descending the stairs

Though I have approached most days in my life with a anticipation of what God had in store, I never expected the uniqueness I experienced nowadays. Caring for a loved one diagnosed with dementia, I never know what awaits when I descend the stairs each morning. If it's a good day, he's ready to go out the door and wondering why I'm a minute late. If it's a less than good day, he can be in a general state of mass confusion, not confused about one thing specifically, just an overall pervading sense of disequilibrium that renders him unable to figure out even the simple things. It manifests itself differently everytime. I descend the stairs each morning wondering what hand we've been dealt.

Fuel prices

I wish Sheetz and the like would offer pricing options similar to those offered by heating oil companies - I'd love to lock in a rate for the next twelve months or even pay up front for a year's worth of fuel.

Computer programming into the wee hours of the morning

I enjoy learning about our nation's past space exploration and our current endeavors.
I've tinkered with and enjoyed mild amounts of computer programming since grade 6.
The current Mars mission combines both as this article describes.

Something about having to write code everyday to keep a spaceship parked on Mars running, with the pressure of just one bad command possibly rendering the ship inoperable, grabs my interest. Just the idea of transmitting code across millions of miles fascinates me.

With the Mars day spanning a half hour longer than ours, I'm assuming they've got the right people working on the mission. As I worked toward my AA degree in Computer Science back in college I bugged-out of the program at 3am one morning while working on the semester project. I've never regretted that decision, but I hope the folks working on Phoenix have a greater tolerance for programming late into the night than I did, or still do.

This is your brain; this is your brain on fast food

A former colleague of mine, who frequents fast food joints posted this recently.
I think it's an example, in the vain of the old anti-drug commercials, except the emphasis is the dangers of fast food and it's affect on one's temple.

No Party Worries with Grace Church Staff

A group of Grace Church staff attended last night's Phillies game. They had a blast. But judging by the state of mind of those who attended this morning, and it's clear who was out last night and who wasn't, any concerns that I might have had in regards to whether I work with a group of people who are out late night on a regular basis have been diminished.

An 11 Year Legacy

I had the privilege of attending a farewell party this morning. The health insurance broker that's helped Grace Church with our health insurance needs, since before I joined the Grace team, recently left the firm he worked with for 11 years.

The farewell breakfast was a surprise and at least some of the clients were invited, at least I was. Held at Lancaster Country Club, the setting was very nice, fitting for how much he meant to the firm and to his clients. Of course, my relationship was with the broker, so I didn't know anyone else in the room. In such situations, I like to head for a corner to observe before diving in, which is what I did. In the end an acquaintance showed up which made the morning much more comfortable. But all of that's not the point of this.

When I received the notice of his pending departure about a month ago, it was a shock. This man was our health insurance guru. I trusted him implicitly to give us good advice in picking the best plans for our employees. In a matter of minutes during our first meeting, he had listened so well that he had a firm grasp on my heart for our staff and what we were trying to accomplish. The news of him leaving the firm caught me off guard, but having worked together for the last ten years, I knew he had adequately prepared us for navigating the paths on our own. Those who spoke at the breakfast, his partners, his staff and even the person succeeding him at the firm conveyed similar sentiments. It was their way of closing a chapter on his life.

You'd think he'd been with the company for an entire career, something like Pastor Young's 33 years at Grace. No, this was the conclusion of 11 years with the firm. I was stunned by how much impact he'd made in 11 years, by how much fanfare had been generated by a decade's worth of partnership.

After only 11 years, he had already left a legacy.

Forget Mars, let's explore the Brazil/Peru border

I came across this story and accompanying photos this morning and couldn't help but see a strong resemblance to the photos of the Waodani from the 1950s. Two questions immediately came to mind:

1. I wonder who will be the first to attempt to make contact with this people group?

2. From the experience of Elliot, Saint, et. al., how will the contact attempts be different and what will be the same?


In light of yesterday's post, which do you think will be reached first, a human on Mars or outside contact with at least one of the 100 or so uncontacted tribes in the Brazil/Peru region?

Who needs pets?

When you have a yard full of animals, who needs pets?

Annually, the Robins build nests and lay eggs under the deck. Unfortunately for the family, the first one hatched in the middle of our Memorial Day picnic. And as we went to mow the lawn the other day, my wife discovered a small burrow with four or five newly born rabbits. I've checked on the bunnies every few days. I'm glad I didn't come into the world like a rabbit. Mom is rarely to be found leaving the bunnies huddled together in their common hole covered only with grass clippings for protection.

So why bother with having to clean up after a pet when you can just watch nature run it's course unattended in the backyard?

Is a Manned Mars Mission realistic?

In reading Cranz's Failure Is Not An Option, and I'm currently in Michael Collins' Carrying The Fire, the following appear to have contributed significantly to the ultimate success in putting man on the moon...

1. A popular President in JFK set a specific mandate

2. Though impossible to truly measure, it seems to me that JFK's assassination may have played an even larger role in motivating NASA to make good on the mandate

3. Everyone involved understood and accepted the inherit risks of exploring realms not conducive to human survival

4. Early on there was distinct pressure from the USSR that was also a key motivational force, though by the mid-60's that pressure was fading.

It took those four factors and a large group of brilliant minds to achieve the moon. And even with all of those strong forces aligned, a handful of lives were lost, not to mention the number of close calls and the objective was achieved with just several months to spare. Based on the accounts of Cranz, Lovell and Collins, the journey to Mars is a different ball game.

Since achieving the moon, for the past two decades NASA has struggled at times to get in and out of Earth orbit safely, exposing flaws in their decision-making processes. I was impressed by Cranz's account of the multitude of Go/NoGo decision points during a mission. That was just for a 3-day trip to the moon. I can't imagine number of such decision points for a 9-month trip to Mars. That said, I don't doubt man's ability to find a way, but I don't think the other factors are in place.

One, national leadership is lacking.
Two, as a society, in many ways we're less willing to invest lives for the sake of accomplishing an objective; unless you're an extreme sports athlete. And while I'm sure there are already astronauts lined up to board the first ship to Mars I don't think the public is willing to accept the risks involved.
Three, I'm unaware of any other entity pursuing a similar cause to create any sense of competition.

All of that said, as I watched coverage of the Phoenix mission which landed on Memorial Day, I wondered how long it will be before I'm watching a screen with images of a human taking the first steps on Mars.

Failure Is Not An Option

I picked up Apollo 13, the print version, for probably the fourth or fifth time recently. About a third of the way through the book, I went looking for the accounts of other Apollo team players. I came upon Gene Cranz's book, Failure Is Not An Option. Gene worked in Mission Control during the Gemini and Apollo missions. I enjoyed reading his accounts, especially of Apollo 11 and 13 and all you'll see from the excerpts that caught my attention, his analysis of the current state of the US space program was also noteworthy.

..."Failure is not an option." That was not true in the beginning of the space program. There had been many failures back then-because we hadn't learned enough about the perilous business in which we were engaged.

how long the flight took [from va to fl] on one of those old prop aircraft on any given day depended on the size of the bugs that hit the windshield and slowed it down.

As an American, I hated to see our nation second in anything-and I had no doubt we were second in space.

This [space] was a race we had to win and I wanted to be a part of it.

Mercury [America's first forays into space] worked because of the raw courage of a handful of men like Gordon Cooper, who sat in heavy metal eggcups jammed on the top of rockets, and trusted those of us on the ground. That trust tied the entire team into a common effort.

I had left behind a world where airplanes were flying at roughly five miles a minute. In this new, virtually uncharted world we would be moving at five miles per second. During a mission countdown, or even a flight test, so many things would be happening so fast that you did not have any time for second thoughts or arguments. You wanted the debate behind you. So before the mission, you held meetings to decide what to do if anything went wrong. You wrote down on paper the outcome of these meetings and this became what you needed for a launch, your personal list of Go NoGo's. There was no room in the process for emotion, no space for fear or doubt, no time to stop and think things over. A launch is an existential moment, much like combat. With no time to think about anything, you had to be prepared to respond to any contingency--and those contingencies had to be as fully anticipated as possible before you pushed the button. You also had to be thoroughly knowledgeable about the responsibilities of launch control and range safety. During a launch the only mission alternative to save the capsule was an abort, and we had to pick the points to act before the range safety officer stepped in to blow up the rocket and the capsule after launch if things went to hell.

...Apollo succeeded because at critical moments... the bosses had no hesitation about assigning crucial tasks to one individual, trusting his judgment, and then getting out of his way.

Success belonged to the team; failure was ultimately my responsibility.

When you turned loose the energy of a Saturn rocket, you simply had to have trust in your crew, your team, and in yourself. Through trust you reach a place where you can exploit opportunities, respond to failures, and make every second count."

A clear goal, a powerful mandate, and a unified team allowed the United States to move from a distant second in space into a preeminent position during my tenure at Mission Control

[In assessing the current space efforts]
...we stand with our feet firmly planted on the ground when we could be exploring the universe.

...we no longer try for new and bold space achievements; instead we celebrate the anniversaries of the past.

...President, John F. Kennedy, awakened us to our responsibilities and the opportunities we had to make our nation and our world better. Overnight it seemed we became a nation committed to causes... While we often moved to different cadences, our nation was alive with ideals. We were in motion. Violence was everywhere but so was conviction that we must somehow make this a better world.

We have become a nation of spectators, unwilling to take risks or act on strong beliefs.

Although NASA has an amazing array of technology and the most talented workforce in history, it lacks top-level vision. It began its retreat from the inherent risks of space exploration after the Challenger accident. During the last decade its retreat has turned into a rout.

The United States was not built by those who waited and rested and wished to look behind them. This country was conquered by those who moved forward... JFK


Tomorrow I'll correlate these thoughts with the dreams of putting a human on Mars.

A Contrast of Psalm 23

Two consecutive days, two separate events, at nearly identical times both evenings, Psalm 23 juxtaposed between them.

Thursday evening. One hundred or more family, relatives and friends gathered in the Auditorium. The atmosphere energetic, with multiple distractions. Some 50-70 children, ages 3-5 searching for those they know in the audience, waving to them exuberantly, singing, wiggling and doing all of the hand motions. Lots of color, each child in a colored t-shirt, bright red, green and purple. The Kindergarten students, reciting from memory, Psalm 23. The culmination of their year of schooling the commencement of their entry into first grade.

Friday evening. One hundred or more family, relatives and friends gathered in the Auditorium. The atmosphere subdued, reminiscent, focused. Largely comprised of adults, all but a handful on the stage. Those in the audience discreetly searching for those they know in the audience; there were many. Muted colors. One of the family reading Psalm 23. The culmination of a life remembered the commencement of her entry into heaven.

Psalm 23, the common thread.

Creative solutions to rising gas prices

5. Hitch a ride on a school district bus route

4. On skateboard, tag from bumper to bumper of the vehicles heading the way you need to go

3. Get an Amish scooter and build up your leg push muscles

2. Take the bus

1. Carpool

Two to three years later, I'm still beating the same drum trying to lobby others to join me in carpooling to work. With about seven of us living within a mile or two of each other, it appears to be a prime opportunity to conserve resources through ride sharing. I did up a quick cost analysis spreadsheet.

At $3.75 per gallon with a vehicle that's averaging 20 miles per gallon, the commute is costing those who live around five miles from the office roughly $2.00 per day round trip. A commute under three miles only costs around $1.01.

		Miles one-way	Cost per Day		Savings/Day	Savings/Month	Savings/Year
Employee 1		5.3	$1.99		$1.04	$20.75	$249.00
Employee 2		5.1	$1.91		$0.96	$19.25	$231.00
Employee 3		4.7	$1.76		$0.81	$16.25	$195.00
Employee 4		2.7	$1.01
One-way		17.8			7.6
Round Trip		35.6			15.2
Miles/Gallon	20			Gallons per trip	$0.76
$/Gallon	3.75			Cost per trip	$2.85
				Cost per Employee	$0.95

Within three miles, the savings trade off doesn't seem substantial enough to warrant carpooling. But for those who commute approximately five miles it seems worthwhile. Through ride sharing the cost per employee would dip to under a dollar per day with about an extra dollar of savings. In a year the savings would accumulate close to $200 in savings.

I know how you feel

My eye glasses prescription is grossly near-sighted. Since Grade 1, without glasses I might as well be blind. I remember trying to watch Star Wars: Return of the Jedi when I had recently broken my glasses. My friend had to read me the subtitles of what Jabba the Hutt was saying because I couldn't read them on the screen.

The same thing happens when I get my haircut. The glasses get in the way of the haircutting, so they're usually laying on shelf nearby. Meanwhile, I can't see a thing. I can't see the expression on people's faces, I can't tell how the haircut is going; I enter this serene lost world until the haircut is over. I sometimes even lose awareness that just because I can't see everyone else, doesn't mean they can't still see me with regular clarity! The best is when the barber asks me to assess my haircut without my glasses on.

A similar occurrence takes place when I need to pick out new frames. I have no perception of how the frames look because I can't see without having the mirror within inches of my face. That view is more conducive to assessing the status of my nose pores than it is in assessing how well a particular frame looks on my face. And in an extreme case of customer-service-neglect, every opthamologist I've ever been to has you try out new frames while your eyes are dilating for the inner-eye inspection. That has to be the worst time to be considering a style change when your vision is already limited!

The last time my prescription changed when I went to pick up the new lenses I immediately knew that something was off. My vision with the glasses was warped and very uncomfortable. I instantly informed the salesperson of the problem to which they replied, "Oh, you just have to adjust to your new prescription." Excuse me, I've been adjusting to new prescriptions since I was in Grade 1, I think I know when there's a problem. They still didn't believe me. Ultimately, I was proved correct. Due to a transcribing error, the axis on the left lens was rotated 90 degrees from what it should have been. I've since switched opthamologists.

The commonality among all of these individuals is they can't fully relate to what I'm experiencing. It's impossible for them to do so. They can empathize based on similar experiences they've been through, but they can't fully appreciate what I'm experiencing. Though I've been taught these principles in the classroom and experienced it firsthand, I sometimes struggle to apply that to the rest of life. I will never fully know exactly how you feel.

How observant are you?

The comments I've received all week have been amusing. They've spanned from those who've immediately observed a difference in my appearance to those who've second guessed themselves as to whether it's been that way for a week or more and they're just now noticing, to the one person who couldn't remember if I had even worn glasses previously.

How observant are you?

Freshly Popped or Pooped

I've become accutely aware of an occupational hazard working in a ministry with a daycare center. The daycare prepares popcorn for the afternoon snack each day, but it's becoming more difficult to distinguish which odor is eminating from freshly popped popcorn and which odor is eminating from a freshly pooped diaper.

Seriously, walk through the hallway some weekday afternoon around 3:30 and tell me you don't have the same problem!

Whether it's popped or pooped, one thing is for sure, it's fresh.

Another reason why churches shouldn't celebrate Mother's Day...

To protect forgetful fathers.

I've shared Mother's Day thoughts previously; here's a new reason. For the father(s) who may have awoken Sunday morning, having inadvertently forgotten the national day, it's not until they get to church that the error of their ways is exposed. And when compared to the curve-wrecker fathers whose mothers/wives are gushing about the pampering they've received, it can turn into an arduous morning.

Speaking of which, how come we accept Christmas shopping for loved ones all the way up until the last minute on December 24, but family members who are out at the last minute on the Saturday night before Mother's Day are looked up with disdain?

For the record, we celebrated Mother's Day with my Mom and Oma on Saturday evening. :)

Cost analysis: a tank of gas or a traffic ticket

I pity those who've been stuck behind me on the roads lately. With gas prices topping $3.50+ per gallon, I've made a conscious effort to see how much gas I can conserve per tank. I've been laying off the accelerator and coasting at every opportunity, sometimes even shifting into neutral to reduce drag. So far it's worked. Last week I increased my gas mileage by over 2 miles per gallon. But this exercise spawned a cost analysis exercise recently.

While traversing Kissel Hill by the Lititz Library every day, I've figured out you can coast well into town if you let the vehicle go. But with a posted 25mph speed limit, letting the car go gets it up to 45mph. That made me question whether the cost of gas has increased to the point that accepting the traffic ticket would be more cost effective then a tank of gas.

Penn State defeats Ohio State enroute to National Championship!

It may not be football, but a win over Ohio State and a National Championship are worth noting, especially since Volleyball doesn't get the national or Pastor's Email Update coverage it deserves.
http://gopsusports.cstv.com/sports/m-volley/recaps/050308aaa.html

Guarding internet connections - part 2

This is a follow-up to a post from last August. Since we implemented internet access at Grace Church, we've employed a content filter. For over a year we've been using St. Bernard's iPrism content filter. It serves us well. I'll say it forever, like a home security system, it's meant to deter and protect, but it's not a perfect system. Since the iPrism only protects computers accessing the internet at Grace Church, we had to find a different filter solution for our mobile machines that connect through the internet at other locations.

We use Covenant Eyes on our laptop machines so that when those users are on the road, or the local coffee shop their internet use is protected. It too has served us well. In addition to filtering content, Covenant Eyes sends a weekly usage report to an accountability partner. We have it setup that the reports go to the staff members supervisor. This setup has been serving us well too. That covers the Grace Church machines, but what about home use?

For home use I came across two free web-based filters, ScrubIT and OpenDNS a few months back in a post by Tony Dye. I've been using ScubIT myself. It was simple to install, in fact, they have an automated setup that didn't require me to do anything technical other than run it. Once it's up and running, any machine that connects through our home router is under the umbrella protection of ScrubIT.

I've been pleased with the service, in fact, I had sorta forgotten it was active until I was searching for a picture from the movie Men in Black last night. I was blocked from one of the sites that had the pic I was looking for. The URL of the site looked tame enough, but I'll trust the filter to have a valid reason for keeping me out. I made do without the graphic.

If you don't have a filter, seriously consider one of the two free options. They're easy to install and don't cost you a thing. Protect yourself and anyone else accessing the internet on your machine(s).

Responding to challenge through prayer

We've been facing challenges at Grace Church over the past few weeks. In addition to the extra activity surrounding our Easter activities (At the Hop, Easter Egg Hunt, Night of Worship and Easter Sunday), God has been putting us through some additional tests of our reliance and trust in Him. Such tests are common in ministry.

God seems to test us in waves and though we've never studied it, they seem to come in sets of three. Three families will experience some sort of hardship in a matter of a week or three members of the body will pass away in a short period. All in threes. Of the tests of late, I think we're on successive test number seven or eight, far more than we're accustomed to enduring. It's testing us individually and in most cases, further bonding us as a staff. Our leader/Pastor set the tone earlier this week through a fervent prayer study based on Acts 12 and Peter's imprisonment. I'll try to capture the highlights though since I was late for staff meeting and didn't want to disrupt the study, I listened in from the lobby. Fortunately, he projects well so I was able to follow 80% of the content.

The King Herod of Acts 12 was a ruthless guy who beheaded a lot of people
during his reign.

The original Greek word that's translated fervent in Acts 12:5 is a word they
used to describe physically extending a muscle.

Peter was so sound asleep that the bright light didn't even awaken him
requiring the angel to physically strike Peter awake.

My personal commentary on verse 10... this is the first record of an
automated gate system. We like to think that our electronic contraptions are
innovative, but God's been doing this stuff before the beginning of time.

The group gathered at Mary's house had been praying all night.

Though they were praying fervently, they didn't anticipate God to answer.
They didn't believe Rhoda (who, by the way, in her excitement, left Peter
standing outside the gate while she ran in to announce his arrival).

Thomas didn't believe until he saw the nail-scars; several years later the
prayer-warriors didn't believe until they saw Peter; now, over 2,000 years
later, I still struggle to believe - my commentary.

We are praying with exertion for those who are going through hard times at this very moment. We are praying earnestly that through the Easter activities, the people of Lititz would recognize and see who God is. We are stretching our prayer muscles unlike they've been stretched before that God would bind us together in stronger bonds as a staff and as a church.

Automotive therapy

At last year's Leadership Summit, Colin Powell shared his love and hobby of working on his vehicles. In fact, he tinkered with his Volvo at various times during Gulf War - Part 1 as a stress reliever.

Since entering car ownership, I've enjoyed changing the oil, adjusting the gaps on the spark plugs and other routine maintenance tasks on my vehicles. But by no means am I good at it. I get oil everywhere and the likelihood of reassembling the engine properly is slim (hmmm, why do I have three screws leftover?). With the ill fated blue van predestined for the recycling yard and the yards requirement that all fluids be removed from the vehicle, I've had the joy of disassembling a vehicle without concern for putting it back together.

What liberation! I've had a blast ripping into the engine with the fervor of opening a gift to get to the various fluid reservoirs. Hoses, wires and screws are flying everywhere. It's been so much fun, I've actually ripped out more than necessary. I've always enjoyed opening up machines to see how they work. There's the old CD/cassette stereo that I cracked open; only the radio works now. I can rarely put them back together right, so I don't indulge this aspect of my personality often. I am trying to restrain my desire to open the entire motor and pull out one of the pistons. Granted, I have little knowledge as to what I'm doing. I pulled out one hose only to be doused with antifreeze, so I quickly reattached that one until I can drain the radiator. I've been wondering which hose is the fuel line.

It's been good therapy for me this week.

I also want to thank the Mr. Smith's and Mr. Jones' of the world for protecting me from the scum of the universe.

Meeting people in the buff

The internet affords one the option of shopping in the personal comfort of one's home attired (or not) as one chooses. As you've probably heard, an individual recently went on a spree at Willow Valley and Darrenkamp Supermarket with the same approach, having forgotten the expectations of our society and the laws of the land. An unfortunate and destructive incident.

But I bring further attention to the event to highlight the actions of one Matt Irwin. He exemplified in an extreme case the Grace Church purpose statement, which was almost quoted verbatim in the article I'm referencing written by Cindy Stauffer and Tom Murse of the Lancaster New Era.

Irwin, didn't see Nicholas Hadzick as a naked guy who was running amok, he says. With God's direction, he says, he saw someone who needed his help. "I wanted to be his friend," Irwin says. "I think what he needed most was recognition that people cared about him, that someone was willing to meet him where he was at the time."

Nicholas was simply a common day version of The Woman at the Well. And in the spirit exemplified by Christ in that scene, Irwin reached out. Though I likely won't, nor do I wish, to encounter a naked man in public, I hope I reach out to those whose paths cross mine.

In that vein, I need to follow up with Terry tomorrow. Who do you need to contact?

A Vote that Counts, at least if you're a Democrat

The value of the Pennsylvania Primary Election was usually lost on me. During the Presidential races I can remember, the nominations were usually locked up by the time the PA Primary rolled around, so it was just a formality. The political climate this year has been quite different and the PA Primary means something, if you're a democrat at least. Though we'll cross our t's and dot our i's and stay away from endorsing any political candidates, we will be one of the polling locations as we've been for over a decade now.

What happens when someone isn't crossing T's and dotting I's

Someone has to fill the role at every church of making sure every T is crossed and every I dotted. If the role goes unfilled, problems eventually happen. Sure, 9 times out of 10, it's only a minimal impact, but that 10th time???

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120511457633523621.html?mod=hpp_us_whats_news

http://www.wtvynews4.com/news/headlines/16075777.html

Good to Great and the Social Sectors notes

Here are my notes from Collins' follow-up monograph specific to the social sectors...

All indicators are flawed, whether qualitative, or quantitative. p7

What matters is that you rigorously assemble evidence-quantitative or qualitative-to track your progress. p7

...not finding the perfect indicator, but settling upon a consistent and intelligent method of assessing your output results, and then tracking your trajectory with vigor. p8

Performance is defined by results and efficiency in delivering on the social mission. p8

...you always have power, if you just know where to find it. There is the power of inclusion, and the power of language, and the power of shared interests, and the power of coalition. Power is all around you to draw upon, but it is rarely visible. p10

The whole point of Level 5 is to make sure the right decisions happen--no matter how difficult or painful--for the long-term greatness of the institution and the achievement of its mission, independent of consensus or popularity p11

In the social sectors, when big incentives (or compensation at all, in the case of volunteers) are simply not possible , the First Who principle becomes even more important. p15

Final Hop Photos

Seeing all of this brings the Good to Great quote to mind, "What can we potentially do better than any other company, and, equally important, what can we not do better than any other company? And if we can't be the best at it, then why are we doing it at all?" I think it's safe to say Grace Church does large events well.

And to think in less than 24hrs time, we'll be back in 2008, hosting several thousand families for an Egg Hunt. There's a long night ahead.

Still more At the Hop Photos

More contraband photos

We interupt this broadcast...

I have to break in to update you on progress for tonight's women's event. Since men have specifically been instructed to stay away, I figured some contraband photos of what we will be missing might be of interest. Here's the state of things as of 12:30 Friday afternoon, 6.5 hours before the event.

More to come...

Good to Great quotes

During the course of my Master's work, I had the opportunity to read Jim Collins' Built to Last. I enjoyed it, but when I heard about his second book, Good to Great, I assumed it was merely a sequel. Were it not for Daryl Leisey, my assumption would never have been tested. At his prompting I read it and see a lot of ways it can position Grace for future greatness. Here are a few quotes that caught my eye.

You get the best people, you build them into the best managers in the industry, and you accept the fact that some of them will be recruited to become CEOs of other companies. p43

If you have the right executives on the bus, they will do everything within their power to build a great company; not because what they will "get" for it, but because they simply cannot imagine settling for anything less. p50

The purpose of a compensation system should not be to get the right behaviors from the wrong people, but to get the right people on the bus in the first place, and to keep them there. p50

The only way to deliver to the people who are achieving is to not burden them with the people who are not achieving. p53

When in doubt, don't hire - keep looking
When you know you need to make a people change, act
Put your best people on your biggest opportunities, not your biggest problems
p54-60

Lead with questions, not answers
What's on your mind?
Can you tell me about that?
Can you help me understand?
What should we be worried about?
p75



Engage in dialogue and debate, not coercion
Conduct autopsies, without blame
Build red-flag mechanisms

What can we potentially do better than any other company, and, equally important, what can we not do better than any other company? And if we can't be the best at it, then why are we doing it at all?
p97

Not a goal to be the best, a strategy to be the best, an intention to be the best or a plan to be the best. It is an understanding of what you can be best at. The distinction is absolutely critical.
p98

A hedgehog requires a severe standard of excellence. p100

consensus decisions are often at odds with intelligent decisions p116

Most companies build their bureacratic rules to manage the small percentage of wrong people on the bus, which in turn drives away the right people on the bus, which then increases the percentage of wrong people on the bus, which increases the need for more bureacracy to compensate for incompetence and lack of discipline, which then further drives the right people away, ad so forth... Avoicd bureacracy and hierarchy and instead create a culture of discipline. p121

1. Build the culture around the idea of freedom and responsibility, within a framework
2. Fill that culture with self-disciplined people who are willing to go to extreme lengths to fulfill their responsibilities. They will rinse their cottage cheese.
3. Don't confuse a culture of discipline with a tyrannical disciplinarian.
4. Adhere with great consistency to the Hegehod Concept, exercising an almost religious focus on the intersection of the three circles. Equally important, create a stop doing list and systematically unplug anything extraneous.
p 124

They hired self-disciplined people who didn't need to be managed, and then managed the system, not the people. p125

...budgeting is a discipline to decide which arenas should be fully funded and which should not be funded at all. p140

Mediocrity results first and foremost from management failure, not technological failure.
p156

thoughtless reliance on technology is a liability... p159

...when grasped as an easy solution, without deep understanding of how it links to a clear and coherent concept - technology simply accelerates your own self-created demise. p159

...they talked in terms of what they were trying to create and how they were trying to improve relative to an absolute standard of excellence. p160

Enduring great companies preserve their core values and purpose while their business strategies and operating practices endlessly adapt to changing world. This is the magical combination of "preserve the core and stimulate progress". p195






NEXT TIME: I look at the monograph Collins wrote specifically for non-profits specifically applying G-to-G principles in the non-profit/social sector