Jeremy, Charity, and our little Autumn

This post from Dr. Thom S. Rainer was so strong, I had to re-post it here.  I plan on reading Steve Jobs’ biography in a few weeks, and Dr. Rainer’s analysis makes me want to read it even more.  Here are Dr. Rainer’s ten lessons in organizational leadership from Steve Jobs . . .

1. The leadership team of an organization must include nothing but all-stars. The key leaders of the organization set the tone and the level of expectations for everyone else.
2. Never stop asking “Why?” or “Why Not?” Jobs was relentless in insisting that the “impossible” could be accomplished.
3. Discover your top employees and cultivate them. Don’t assume that the best are always the highest-ranking employees. Jobs often discovered incredible people who were at entry-level positions.
4. Continuously ask questions of young leaders. They have much to offer, but are often overlooked because of their age.
5. The key brand issue is trust. If customers or constituents lose trust in your services or products or the organization as a whole, nothing good can follow.
6. Be a part of an organization that can change the world. As a leader, you must be able to articulate why and how your organization can change the world.
7. Too many organizations cut costs and quality. That is short-term thinking that leads to disaster.
8. Use meetings exclusively for strategy and brainstorming. Too many meetings include information that can be shared in emails. Also, Jobs hated the use of PowerPoint (or Keynote) in meetings, which he saw as a mental crutch that avoided talking about the important and strategic matters.
9. Intuitive decisions have a better track record than extensive approval processes. Jobs noted how many organizations take “forever” to make a decision as they go through several layers of bureaucracy. He saw this process as one that engendered slowness, lack of accountability, and ultimately, bad decisions. To his credit, Jobs’ intuitive and quick decisions were often right decisions.
10. Hire only passionate employees. The workers at Apple were not to see their work as mere jobs and a paycheck. They were part of the process to change the world. Jobs was quick to hire passionate employees and just as quick to fire those who weren’t.

Recently, I finished reading Mark and Grace Driscoll’s new book, Real Marriage. I’m not going to review it.  Why?  Shortly and simply, I don’t feel comfortable interacting online with my detailed thoughts of the contents of this book.  The tenth chapter, which covers some supposedly frequently asked questions, made me feel disgusting as I read it.  His eisegesis of Song of Songs to prove some sexual points were painful to read, but I don’t even want some of the words in his book to grace the page of my blog.  As strange as this is, I nearly felt like I was sinning just reading a book written by another pastor.

I know that just mentioning Driscoll’s name draws immediate division amongst Christians.  I’m not one of those people who is “against” Driscoll.  I watch his vidcast on my Apple TV most weeks.  He is a church planting genius.  He is a phenomenal communicator.  However, his desire to push the envelope sometimes transitions him from one from whom I enjoy learning to one I cringe to see on my twitter feed.

If you are looking for a solid book that discusses sex the way God desires it to take place (within the confines of heterosexual marriage), the best one I’ve read is Sheet Music: Uncovering the Secrets of Sexual Intimacy in Marriage by Kevin Leman.  I require every couple I counsel for pre-marital counseling to read this book one week before their wedding date.

One of my goals for 2012 is to read 52 books (one per week).  Below is my reading list for the first quarter of the year.  I know I won’t agree with everything written in every one of these books, but if I only read writings of authors with whom I agree 100% on tertiary issues, I would become myopic and dull.

I can’t promise, but will try to briefly review each book here on my blog.  If my schedule allows, I will do this to serve as a resource to you.  After reading a book, I always compile all highlighted sections and file them accordingly in evernote so I may use the information as a resource in the future with greater ease in my filing system.  I’ll post a couple of examples of how I do this . . . hopefully it will help some fellow preachers of the Word to become better prepared.

Jan 1–Real Marriage by Mark Driscoll

Jan 8–What Pastors Wish Church Members Knew by Denise George

Jan 15–Our Last Great Hope by Ronnie Floyd

Jan 22–When A Nation Forgets God by Erwin Lutzer

Jan 29–Evernote for Pastors by Ron Edmondson

Feb 5–Culture Shift by Al Mohler

Feb 12–Erasing Hell by Francis Chan

Feb 19–Leading On Empty by Wayne Cordeiro

Feb 26–Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis

March 4–Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson

March 11–Killing Lincoln by Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard

March 18–Sun Stand Still by Steven Furtick

March 25–The Great Emergence by Phyllis Tickle

If you’re looking for a new blog to add to your reader, constantly check-out Ron Edmondson for lessons on leadership and ministry.  Recently, he posted about ten secrets of many Senior Pastors.  Keep in mind that not all pastors experience all of these issues, but some pastors experience at least a portion of these things.  Here they are . . .

1. Leading from this position is overwhelming at times. We know Christ is ultimately in charge, but we also know it often seems everyone looks to us to have all the answers.
2. People tell the senior pastor all kinds of things about what is happening in their life or in the lives of others…many we would rather not know sometimes…and sometimes the weight of others problems we carry is enormous.
3. Most pastors walk with a degree of uncertainty, which keeps us in prayer, but also makes us question our abilities at times. It makes depression common for many senior pastors. (Need a Biblical example…see 1 Kings 19)
4. Many senior pastors fear the possibility of failing in their role, so they thrive on the encouragement and prayers of others.
5. Sometimes we allow insecurity to cause us to become overprotective of our reputation and our position.
6. We face the same temptations and occasional spiritual dryness as everyone else. This means we need accountability, but are often afraid to seek it.
7. Our spouse is sometimes the loneliest person in the church and often feels extreme pressure to live up to unrealistic expectations.
8. Loneliness can exist for all leaders and many pastors suffer from it.
9. We seldom know who we can trust, which is why we become guarded and appear hard to get to know. Most senior pastors have been burned by someone they once trusted.
10. We suspect the staff , church leaders and congregation sometimes talks about us behind our back.

For those of you who are not aware of my father-in-law’s (Dr. Tony Crisp) ministry, I strongly encourage you to check out his three websites: TLC Holyland Tours, Olive Tree Foundation USA, and True Life Concepts Ministry.

Recently, Dr. Crisp was made aware of the “Open Letter to America’s Christian Zionists” published by Fuller Seminary’s “Just Peacemaking Initiative.”  Some key leaders in Israeli-Christian leadership recently wrote a joint response to this disturbing open letter from Fuller Seminary.  The rebuttal was originally posted on the official website for the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem, and is pasted below.

October 26, 2011

 

 

We, the undersigned Christian scholars and leaders, wish to express our deep concern about the narrow theological and political perspectives that were expressed by two of our evangelical colleagues in their “Open Letter to America’s Christian Zionists’. While we appreciate the concern for the Palestinian people exhibited by the authors, we are disappointed that those who term themselves “just peacemakers” would make such a one-sided and simplistic portrayal of a very complex situation. Few situations in history have been as complex and difficult as the Arab-Israeli conflict and true peacemakers will doubtless decry injustice, inhumanity, and loss of life in both the Israeli and Palestinian communities.

 

The authors of the “Open Letter” demonstrated a lack of balance when they expressed their own uncritical support for the Palestinians while blaming Christian Zionists for “uncritical support” of Israel. Any analysis that does not recognize failed Palestinian leadership and the clearly antisemitic stance of most of their supporters is unacceptable. To bring Christian Zionists into this one-sided blame game obscures the real issues.

 

Not only do these scholars exclusively blame Israel for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict but they actually go so far as to justify Iran’s nuclear build-up and plans to annihilate Israel as being in response to “sinful” Israeli policies rather than a manifestation of sinful and antisemitic Iranian ideology. Then, they characterize evangelical Christians who support Israel as being sinful as well.

 

The authors of the “Open Letter” are right to be concerned for the justice of the Palestinian people, but they are clearly wrong to blame fellow evangelicals instead of the Arab leaders who are more committed to the eradication of Israel than to bettering the lives of their own people. Justice will only come to the Palestinians when their leaders lay aside their ideology of hate and negotiate peace with Israel.

 

Christians, particularly evangelicals, support Israel for a wide range of theological and political reasons while recognizing their role as “peacemakers” who are supporting the Jewish people whose ancestors experienced centuries of injustice and violence that was often supported and carried out by leaders and people who purported themselves to be Christians.

 

We, therefore, encourage our evangelical colleagues who authored the “Open Letter to America’s Christian Zionists” to undertake a truly academic study that is serious and balanced by engaging both sides of these historical, political and theological issues before issuing such one-sided attacks on both Jews and fellow Christians in public forums.

 

We also concur with the conclusions reached in the well-balanced “Response by the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem,” and we commend this document to all Christians.

 

Signed,

 

Dr. Tony Crisp

Executive Director, Center for Holy Land Studies

Tennessee Temple University

 

Dr. Kenyn Cureton

Vice President for Church Ministries

Family Research Council

 

Dr. George Giacumakis

Director, Museum of Biblical & Sacred Writings, Irvine, CA;

Professor of History, California State University, Fullerton

 

Dr. John D. Garr

President, Hebraic Heritage Christian Center

 

Dr. R. Hollis Gause

Professor, NT and Theology

Founding Dean and Director, Pentecostal Theological Seminary

 

Dr. H. Dean Haun

President, Tennessee Baptist Convention Pastors Conference

Executive Board, Tennessee Baptist Convention

 

Dr. Jack W. Hayford

President, The King’s University Los Angeles

 

Dr. Richard Land

President, Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission

Southern Baptist Convention

 

Dr. John Swails

Director, Center for Israel and Middle East Studies

Oral Roberts University

 

Mark Tooley

President, Institute for Religion and Democracy

 

Dr. Joseph Umidi

Professor of Practical Theology

Regent University School of Divinity

One of my favorite songs is “Never Once” by Matt Redman.  My wife, as a part of the Prestonwood Saturday night praise team, sings this song quite often.

I was reflecting this afternoon on having lost two heroes in my life in the last four months, both pastors in their 50s, and this song popped into my mind.  If you experience loss in your life, this song will encourage you.  You are not alone!

[HT: Looks Like Reign]