Sweet Spots
Ideas and messages from Len Sweet.
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Fleeced
Fleeced Story Lectionary 17 April 2016 Jesus’ Post-Resurrection Appearances Rebekah Tricks Isaac into Blessing Jacob Instead of Esau By Touching Goat Skin (Genesis 27) Massah and Meribah (Exodus 17:1-7 and Numbers 20) The Story of Gideon’s Conversations with God and the Sign of the Fleece (Judges 6) Psalm 18: Praise…
Sync it!
Sync it! Lectionary 17 April 2016 4th Sunday of Easter Acts 9:36-43 Psalm 23 Revelation 7:9-17 John 10:22-30 Text to Life “Synchronicity.” Is that a great word or what? Synchronicity basically means that there are no coincidences, only connections. The person who popularized the word the most was Carl Jung,…
Gold Rush
In the mid 1850s the California gold rush was slowing down. Many miners moved their operation to Nevada to search for silver. The two Grosh brothers, sons of a Pennsylvania clergyman and trained as mineralogists and trained by the California gold rush, staked a claim in 1857. But all their…
Coloring Books for Grownups
It may be old news that coloring books for adults are in vogue again. And some believe it is due to nostalgia. Perhaps, but here are a few other possible reasons and their implications for communicators:
1. People are visual but they also learn more when writing and drawing. How many handouts describe ideas visually? In a “fill in the blanks,” word-centric teaching format, learning is limited. Walking on hot coals is a very different learning experience than writing an essay.
2. Learning often involves emotional engagement, and shared experiences are the stuff of which experiences are made. To the degree we allow others to co-create, and color outside the lines, we foster creativity and flow. “Think different” isn’t just a marketing strategy, it is the mindset of the spirit-led leader. Jesus said the door into spiritual life is seen with a child’s eyes. Beware the barrenness of the hood; adulthood that is.
http://www.vox.com/2016/4/7/11379952/adult-coloring-books
Wisdom Comes from the Heart and the Mind
We have neurons not only in the brain but in the gut (enteric nervous system). Thus the expression: Gut feeling. We also know the heart plays a role in wisdom. It’s fascination in that we deal with whole people and how we eat, connect with others and take care of ourselves affects our spiritual condition.
http://medicalxpress.com/news/2016-04-wisdom-heart-mind.html
Hail the Maintainers and the Invisible People
We all know how the unsung heroes do so much of the work in the church. I’m a big believer in big ideas, innovation and programming. But saying “yes” to anything is saying “no” to something else. Day-to-day maintenance (processes with follow-through, relational consistency) is where habit formation and all lasting change occurs. Sometimes the best approach to upping our game is making improvements to all that we are doing before half-tackling one more agenda item.
https://aeon.co/essays/innovation-is-overvalued-maintenance-often-matters-more?preview=true
Mistakes Are Gifts
We learn from our mistakes what we could never know from unbroken success. Google “Why are Christians…” and it auto-finishes, “So mean?” Which means thousands or tens of thousands of people associated meanness or unpleasantness with those who identify as “Christian.
It is important to make a distinction between sin and mistakes and between sin and going against cultural (or church) polity or paradigm. It is very easy to fall into the trap of creating religious systems that do no allow for the strange and embarrassing experiences that are–truth be told–common to all of us.
Let us champion the kind of daily living that invites the strugglers and the mistakers into a place of grace. The crazier the experience, the better the story. Mistakes are gifts and Jesus came to save sinners.
http://bigthink.com/robby-berman/we-cant-make-mistakes-on-purpose-so-we-have-to-take-what-we-can-get
Jesus, Rap Music, and Selena Gomez
Selena Gomez recently “lead worship” at a Christian event. Justin Bieber is regularly seen in church. Kanye West’s popular new album (Life of Pablo) features a black choir and several songs would fit nicely in a Pentecostal church service.
I know that Kanye’s wife (Kim Kardashian West) is known not only for her for church experiences (enough said). And I know that Kanye’s songs feature language that wouldn’t go over too well in most churches. There are plenty of judgments to be made, but there is a spiritual hunger here. When is the last time we listened to rap? Or read about the struggles of the young men and women who are influencing this generation? My son told me that the rap culture was one of the most honest scenes in music because the artists were speaking about the injustices of their times and the struggles of real people. As I always say, Jesus was a friend of sinners, not an acquaintance.
Cliff Notes World View
How often do we gauge the world view of our listeners? And how good are we at framing and reframing (in easily digestible ways) our redemptive worldview? We’re starting from scratch in this culture and adults–like the aged kids we are–learn by repetition too.
http://thirtysecondsorless.net/genesis-1/
“I love Jesus, But I Hate Church (or Christians)”
How often have we heard a variation of this theme? And what are we doing about it? Here is a great article title in the link below. It’s a reminder that we always have to be about the main thing and not all the plate spinning around the main thing. We have one job: To be alive spiritually by loving God and loving our neighbor as ourselves.
New Missions Approach: Don’t Think Country, Think City
“The 21st century will not be dominated by America or China, Brazil or India, but by the city,” writes Parag Khanna.
http://bigthink.com/strange-maps/the-city-states-of-europe
Herman Miller’s 12 Rules to Design By
These are so good for the church (building and programs).
http://www.archdaily.com/784690/herman-millers-12-rules-to-design-by
An Aging Planet
“When the global population reached 7 billion in 2012, 562 million (or 8.0 percent) were aged 65 and over. In 2015, 3 years later, the older population rose by 55 million and the proportion of the older population reached 8.5 percent of the total population.” Census
Many denominations, groups and pastors are feeling the weight of an aging population. What are you doing to reshape the conversation? What is your church or organization doing to engage older adults to keep learning, mentoring, growing and serving?
“When the global population reached 7 billion in 2012, 562 million (or 8.0 percent) were aged 65 and over. In 2015, 3 years later, the older population rose by 55 million and the proportion of the older population reached 8.5 percent of the total population.” International Population Report
http://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2016/demo/p95-16-1.pdf
No Van Gogh Without a Gauguin
Here is a hat tip to the Barnabas Blasters and Mentoring Men and Women. Greatness often manifest in the co-creative space of loving and grace-filled relationships.
http://www.vangoghgallery.com/influences/
Crucial Terms Every 21st Century Futurist Should Know
Because faith leaders are future-centric not fatalistic.
http://www.gizmodo.co.uk/2016/03/20-crucial-terms-every-21st-century-futurist-should-know/
“What did you say?” –preaching tip for 17 April 2016
“What did you say?” “I couldn’t hear a word the preacher said!” Those are common complaints among elderly in the church. Even if you have a voice that carries….even if you have a great phenomenal speaking voice, it’s a good idea to use a mic. It doesn’t matter if hand-held…
You Are What You Love
You Are What You Love:
The Spiritual Power of Habit
by James K.A. Smith
Do you think of yourself as a “brain-on-a-stick” or a “thinking-thing”? James K. A. Smith suggests this idea may be the prevailing view of what human creatures are thanks to seventeenth-century philosopher, Rene’ Descartes. In You Are What You Love: The Spiritual Power of Habit (Baker Publishing Group, 2016), Smith writes that Descartes’ philosophical proposition, “I think therefore I am,” still influences us today, particularly when considering the way we learn. Smith then poses this question: “What if education [and discipleship] weren’t first and foremost about what we know but about what we love?” read more…
Pastor’s Prayer –for 17 April 2016
“O that we may all receive of Christ’s fullness, grace upon grace; grace to pardon our sins, and subdue our iniquities; to justify our persons and to sanctify our souls; and to complete that holy change, that renewal of our hearts, whereby we may be transformed into that blessed image wherein thou didst create us.”
Amen.
–John Wesley
Introducing Daniel Johnson and His Storied Links!
1. The Mind of Christ: I Corinthians 2:16: “Who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.”
Edward Bernays
We think up to 60,000 thoughts a day. The Internet exposes us to more diverse views, information, ideas, and connections than any generation in the history. “We are not in Kansas anymore.” When we write and speak to others, we are attempting to shape minds that have consumed more information, been influenced by more marketing, and subjected to more snippets of viral content than any individuals in history. So how do we make an impact?
When we speak to persuade and convince, it is important to understand how popular opinion is shaped. Speaking spiritually–reflecting the Mind of Christ (MOC) is, ultimately, the power of behind spiritual enlightenment or transformation. But knowing the competition is the first step.
Someone who studied and mastered the art of persuasion was Edward Bernays. His long life was spent studying, influencing and shaping public opinion. Interestingly, his ideas evolved from those of earlier social psychologists and the work of his uncle, Sigmund Freud.
2. Sins to the third or fourth generation, love to thousands of generations
“I lavish unfailing love to a thousand generations. I forgive iniquity, rebellion, and sin. But I do not excuse the guilty. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children and grandchildren; the entire family is affected–even children in the third and fourth generations.” New Living Translation
“According to epigenetics…our life experiences may be passed on to our children and our children’s children.” Let that sink in.
3. We give people too much information and our presentations can be too long.
TED talks are 18 minutes long. And yet people are capable of simultaneous change. Tony Robbins and others argue for immersive experiences. Here is the latest research on achieving simultaneous multiple changes.
4. The 1% has been a hot topic over the past year.
Here is another 1% statistic: Half of the world’s population lives on 1% of the
land. How strategic are our outreach programs? There is something to be said for scattering seed, but planting is more focused and produces measurable results. Studies show people clustering more. What can we learn from this?
via metrocosm.com
5. Does money buy happiness?
Studies show that a certain amount of income (around $75,000 in the US) brings a measure of happiness. But beyond that, the satisfaction curve levels off. Here’s the challenge with having more money: “Researchers argue that because wealth allows people to experience the best that life has to offer, it ultimately undermines their ability to savor life’s little pleasures.”
6. Do we understand the culture enough to create language for it? Narraphors for this Youniverse anyone? (Sweet-isms)
7. Unlearning is as important (or more important) than learning.
Easy to write or say, but more difficult to do. It takes about 60 days to form a new habit. How much information do we dispense without observing (modeling and measuring) if any change is taking place?
As I Am A Witness
As I am a Witness Story Lectionary 10 April 2016 Jesus Post Resurrection Appearances God Creates Soul (Nephesh) from Body and Spirit (Genesis 2) The Story of Joseph (Genesis 37-50) Choose Life and Be Faithful to the Lord –The Universe Witnesses to the Choice Before You as Given to You…
Sounds of Resurrection
Not many artists, of any kind, have explicitly tackled the challenge of depicting the resurrection. Visual art, sculpture, music, poetry, prose, dance, theatre … there are expressions of the mystery of the imagined life after death in each of these genres, but not many. As I have contemplated this challenge, I’ve come to realize that the naming is not really the issue. While works that depict a programmatic representation of resurrection do exist, the naming is not the important part. The smell of the rose and the experience of rebirth are the determining factors. read more…