I am realizing that I would much rather work with people than technology. I get that technology is necessary—even essential—in reaching people.  This is not a new, or even original thought I’m sure!  Yet, sometimes I need to be reminded that technology is not an end to itself!

It is perhaps the most powerful tool the Church has ever had access to. However, we must be purposeful and intentional about how we use it; and be sure we focus on outcomes that have real value and not just numbers, followers, or being connected to the right people.

1. Our online outreach should be an outgrowth of our personal outreach.
2. Technology should always move us toward something of real value.
3. Everything we do should deliver something of value to others.
4. Technology is the TOOL—people are the purpose; NOT the other way around.
5. The internet is a legitimate connecting point; but it should not be the only connecting point if we want to build real relationships.

What does it mean to be faithful? I work in an organization where people have served 10…15…20…even 28 years! We have a reputation for becoming “lifers” here. This got me to thinking, will I be one? The answer is, IF God calls me to stay.  I pray I won’t stay simply out of convenience or in the name of faithfulness. It would be scary to leave, but I want to be faithful for the right reasons.

The ability to persevere is admirable; the inability to continue moving forward and embrace new seasons and new frontiers in life is not.  Sometimes we admire someone’s faithfulness, when in reality they are mostly fearful of letting go and taking a step toward something new. How can we tell if we are acting out of faithfulness or fear? This is really the question… Read the rest of this entry »

“If faith is the foundation of a belief system, then religion is the façade and the landscaping. It’s easy to get caught up in the foibles of corporate culture and the systems that have been built over time, but they have nothing to do with the faith that built the system in the first place. When you fall in love with the system, you lose the ability to grow.”

“Some tribes are engaged in change. Many are not. And it doesn’t matter whether it’s a church or a corporation, the symptoms are the same. The religion gets in the way of faith. Static gets in the way of motion. Rules get in the way of principle. “

“Soon enough the new thing will be better than the old thing. But if you wait until then it will be too late. Feel free to wax nostalgic about the old thing, but don’t fool yourself into believing it’s going to be here forever. It won’t.”

These are a few of the gems I’m absorbing from Seth Godin’s book, Tribes. I got this book thinking it would be about one thing (growing an online following and developing better connections through social media); come to find out it’s about something entirely different (challenging the status quo from where I am and being a unicorn in a balloon factory).  It’s a surprising, challenging, and compelling read.