BookPastor >> "Liturgy of the Ordinary" (Tish Harrison Warren)

This review was first published at Panorama of a Book Saint on Jan 3rd, 2017.

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TITLE: Liturgy of the Ordinary: Sacred Practices in Everyday Life
AUTHOR: Tish Harrison Warren
PUBLISHER: Downers Grove, IL: IVP, 2016, (192 pages).

Spirituality is not just something for the clergy or the spiritualists. Neither is it reserved only for the retreat centers and extraordinary circumstances. It is in fact very practical and can be implemented in ordinary spheres of life. It does not have to be difficult in terms of complicated rituals or requiring great theological training. Covering a 24 hour cycle, author Tish Harrison Warren shows us the way to instilling spiritual sensitivity through our daily activities. She helps us turn work into opportunities for worship. In doing so, she helps us avoid dichotomizing the sacred from the secular. She gives us eleven ordinary activities that we do going through the 24-hour clock framework. We begin with waking up in the morning after a night's sleep. She compares this with the act of baptism, how we are birthed from old to new. Each morning begins with dew of freshness. We see the world from this perspective and to realize that God is constantly forming us as new people each day to see fresh perspectives amid the routine and mundane. We avoid the tendency to cut out life and focus only on the exciting and sensational. Warren is convinced that theology practiced in the ordinary is essentially what the Christian life is about. Our ritual of making the bed reminds us that the things we do so regularly are habit forming. Just like many people whose lives have been changed by technology. They wake up and the first thing they check is their social media updates; their emails; or their messages from various apps. While convenient and fast, such digital devices have subversively lowered our tolerance for boredom. Just today, I read about the talk of a new law in France that gives workers the right not to connect or be contacted by their bosses during their break time. I think there is increasingly a need for some of us who tend to hog the digital waves. In brushing teeth, we learn about maintaining cleanliness and the way Christianity teaches the importance of caring for our physical selves. As we prepare to leave our houses, many of us drive. In our rush, there is always a chance of losing something such as our keys. We retrace our steps. We blame our carelessness. We get frustrated when the search is prolonged. Then and only then do we embark on prayer. It is a powerful reminder of how we take God for granted, leaving God out until we most desperately needed Him. We have such a patient and magnanimous God!

BookPastor >> "Rising Above a Toxic Workplace" (Gary Chapman, Paul White, and Harold Myra)

If there is one word to improve any work culture and relationships in the workplace, it is summarized in one word: "Appreciation." This review was first published on August 12th, 2014 at Panorama of a Book Saint. 

conrade

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TITLE: Rising Above a Toxic Workplace: Taking Care of Yourself in an Unhealthy Environment
AUTHOR: Gary Chapman, Paul White, and Harold Myra
PUBLISHER: Chicago, IL: Northfield Publishing, 2014, (160 pages).

Ever encountered the boss from hell? What about irritating colleagues who absolutely ruin our day? Maybe, there is a negativity so heavy that going to the workplace no longer seems fun or exciting anymore. The fact is, there are many places that have a toxic environment that can discourage and turn off ordinary workers from discharging their best. According to a Gallup poll, seven in ten people work in toxic workplaces. A bad workplace also leads to stress and reduced productivity. Class tensions create divisions within organizations.

Then there is the toxic boss from hell. They cannot take no for an answer. Not only that, they can make life miserable for subordinates who are desperate to keep their job. Some bosses are so abusive that standing up to them may very well be worse off. Greed and envy are the toxic fumes in any workplace. Even those companies that shot to fame based on their ranking in "Best companies to work for" are not immune from toxic workplaces. For what is wonderful for now is no guarantee of the future.

Midweek Meditation: "Inspiring Others" + "Opportunity"

Here is a gem from the late Stephen Covey.

"I have always taught that the first imperative of a leader is to inspire others. When you realize that 'inspire' means to breathe life into another's dreams, and that the opposite, 'expire' means to cease to breathe, those words come to life. By learning to use words that inspire, you enable others to achieve their dreams. Conversely, by using words that expire, you disable others' hopes and aspirations.

Another example is 'opportunity.' I believe that effective people are not problem-minded; they're opportunity-minded. The root of opportunity is port, meaning the entryway by water into a city or place of business. In earlier days, when the tide and winds were right and the port opened, it allowed entry to do commerce, to visit, or to invade and conquer. But only those who recognized the opening could take advantage of the open port, or opportunity." (Stephen Covey writing in Foreword of the book by Kevin Hall, Aspire, New York, NY: William Morrow, 2010, xii)


conrade

Happiness is Feeling at Home

Two years ago, I met a couple of Coca-Cola Consolidated executives, the largest marketers of Coca Cola company products. They are the brains behind many marketing programs. What struck me in my visit was one small group of people seeking to live out their faith in the marketplace. This video reminded me of that visit.

From my interactions with Filipinos, they are one of the most relational, and family-minded communities in the world. Thus, for them to leave home, to earn money abroad in order to send money home to their loved ones, is a great sacrifice. This video clip demonstrates that it is possible to make money on one hand, and to share it generously in giving back to the community.



Have a Coke today!

conrade

Old Old Story in a New New World

"It's a People-Driven Economy, Stupid!"

(Credit: Social Media Titans)

This quote by Erik Qualman sums up the new environment. The new future is social media networks. According to Qualman, winners will be companies that are able to deliver valued products, develop team players, responsible to societal concerns, practice democratic styles of management, provide generous referrals, engage recruiters, and connects with consumers with the help of consumers. On the other hand, losers will be those companies that still rely on traditional marketing to sell their goods and services, employ undisciplined people that refuses to listen to popular choices, that procrastinates in developing a social network influence, that fails to hire the middlemen, that neglects the use of search engines, that essentially refuses to adapt to the new changes happening in social environments.

A) The New World

It is no longer just the economy that is driving the world, like what James Carvilled coined in 1992. The new normal is described by Eric Qualman:

"It's a People-Driven Economy, Stupid!" (Erik Qualman, Socialnomics, Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley, 2009, xvii)

What is socialnomics? For Qualman, it is a 'massive socioeconomic shift.' The new 'king' of influence is not traditional marketing but digital word of mouth. For example, with the pervasiveness of cell-phones, people text each other more frequently, and in greater details. Using the new cell language is not just quick, short and sweet, it brings a certain level of intimacy. It is a rise of a new messaging and twittering language.

• LOL - lots of love / laughing out loud
• ROFL - roll on the floor laughing
• K - ok
• ^5 - High Five
• 143 - I Love You
• 182 - I hate you
• ? - I don't understand
• ?4U - Question for you
• <3 - broken heart
• idc - I don't care

The list goes on. There have also been linguistic studies at a graduate level on such new mode of communications. The point is, technology and the use of it has shaped the way people communicates with one another. In response, technology companies have even incorporated in their cell devices, dictionaries that can interpret some of these short forms as valid words! Companies need to become more personable, and the best way is to let friends 'like' them on Facebook, 'tweet' them on Twitter, and to gain sufficient mindshare so that people will naturally 'google' them. However, digital word of mouth marketing is only the beginning. It is the consistent connection with people and their friends that will make the difference. Qualman's key thesis is this.

"We no longer search for the news - it finds us." (9)

B) The New Ways

The corollary is to then build mechanisms to ensure that our news finds its way to potential target audiences. Through the new media: Social media. Examples are:

• For newspapers, it is no longer viable to maintain news feeds through traditional print and subscriptions. The multitude of unpaid bloggers easily trump the few paid reporters.
• For news, traditional news collecting, editing, printing, and distributing has been short-circuited by people who self-publish news on the fly.
• For dissemination of news, it is no longer just linking to other websites apart from your own. Sharing, forwarding, and re-posting information has become far more influential than information on one page.

All of these proves that social media is about people connecting with other people based on people's interests. After all, referrals from friends are more credible. The big few is losing out to the small many. Traditional news medium travels fast. Social news networks makes news travel faster. CNN is losing out to Twitter, big time. The recent tsunami in Japan, riots in the UK, and many major news events are prime examples of how people are turning to Twitter for the latest updates. 

C) The New Implications

1. Social Media is the new normal. This essentially means that if you are not connected, you are essentially out of touch with society. If you do not have a Twitter account, get one. If you are not on Facebook, make sure you are on it. If you continue to maintain traditional media, you will realize that your emails are increasingly used less by your friends and more by spam robots sending all kinds of electronic junk into your mailbox. For instance, the large French IT company ATOS has started a plan to be 'email free' in three years! One of the reasons is that they get more and more junk, and less and less legitimate emails.
2. It is More Difficult to Contain Untruths. Social media is essentially word of mouth communicated digitally.
   
   In the old days, news are regularly checked and double-checked so that there is no plagiarism, no untruths, and that it falls within ethical boundaries of publishing and news organizations. With the rise of social media, what is private today becomes public property tomorrow. One example is the famous Apple logo with a silhouette of Steve Jobs which has gone viral. Initially credited to a Hong Kong student designer, there has been lawsuits and counter-suits about the rights to the design. Who is right? It is difficult to tell.
3. New Ethics Needed. In a social media environment, the feeling of 'everybody-thinks-they-are-right' is raised a few notches. For every argument, there is a counter-argument. For every thought, there is a different point of view. As each person asserts his/her rights, it is no longer a straightforward exercise to determine truth. What is 'true' to one is not true to another. Like beauty is to the eyes of the beholder, truth is true to the eyes of the beholder. This calls for a renewed need for ethical considerations. We need to teach good social network behaviour. We need to cultivate a group of positive influence that uses the new media well, to increase its positives and to decrease the negatives. At all times, truth needs to be upheld. 

May I suggest then, that Christians be actively engaged in this new social medium environment. Let me offer three suggestions.

D) The Old, Old Story

Firstly, learn the language and etiquette. This is your passport to the new social media world. Learn from the young. Learn to text. Learn the language on smartphones. Know the limits of electronic communications. 

Secondly, know your own limits. If you are not sure, ask. If you are not able to, seek help. It is tempting to spend hours on the computer, tablets, or your cell phones just communicating mundane stuff that do nothing more than to create buzz. When that happens, it is like a hamster running on a spinning wheel. Lots of action but no movement.

Thirdly, grow a biblical mind first. Do not let social media influence your view of the Bible. Let the Bible help you to interpret, to size up, discern, and to speak truth into the world of social media. 

"Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God." (Col 3:16)

Christian, let the Word of God speak into our hearts. Let the Word of God guide us in all wisdom. Let the Word of God empower us to speak up boldly, and speak out truthfully in the age of the social media network. May each 'follow' on our Twitter network reminds us, that we first follow Christ.

conrade

What Occupying Actually Accomplishes?

Today is October 15th, 2011. It is a day where the organizers and activists of "Occupy Wall Street" moves from New York City to the rest of the world. Called a 'Global Day of Action,' it is a call for all concerned individuals to physically occupy strategic financial districts in every major city to fight the top 1% of greedy and corrupt business people who are siphoning away most of the money. According to their website, the organization describes themselves as follows:

"Occupy Wall Street is leaderless resistance movement with people of many colors, genders and political persuasions. The one thing we all have in common is that We Are The 99% that will no longer tolerate the greed and corruption of the 1%. We are using the revolutionary Arab Spring tactic to achieve our ends and encourage the use of nonviolence to maximize the safety of all participants."

Noble intention. Impressive media attention. Inadequate comprehension. Problematic implementation.

These four sentiments sum up my thoughts about the Occupy Wall Street movement. As many cities watch nervously, with heavy police and media presence, individuals from the '99%' of the population are urged to gather at the heart of the financial districts. Vancouver is no exception. As one of the forerunners of free speech and democratic expression, Canadians in Ottawa, Toronto, Montreal, Winnipeg, Victoria, Halifax, Vancouver, etc, will be gathering to make known their frustrations with the world financial system. They claim that the reason why the world is in such a financial mess is due to the 'greed and corruption' of Wall Street, and those whose wealth are a result of the financial system of Wall Street. The solution is to 'occupy wall street' or its equivalent so as to make a statement that enough is enough. The 'top 1%' must stop their greed and corruption, for the sake of the 99% of the world population.

Bruce Wydick, in his article, "Prophets Against Profits? What Occupy Wall Street Misses - The problem doesn't lie with the 1%. It's with us."essentially argues that the movement misses the true mark. He takes the position that the problem is far more complex than the Occupy-Wall-Street movement suggests. More crucially, the main problem is the human condition. Wydick goes on to say that the movement is better 'at identifying something that is wrong than identifying a way forward that is right.' Good observation. He blames the 'lax' financial structures, and 'both' sides of the political powers. He blames the general culture of 'entitlement' that has led to the nation's current debt condition. He then makes a summary judgment that 'we are all to blame,' and we all need to 'repent.' He even says that Christians are not allowed to participate in events like these. Unfortunately, for his brilliant analysys, Bryce too commits the same fault at diagnosing something right, but prescribing a solution that lacks specifics. He writes:

"We must turn away from this spirit of entitlement toward an ethic of frugality, honesty, and transparency in our individual lives and in the design of our institutions. This is our country's best hope for creating a foundation for optimism about our collective economic future."

A) Noble Intention

The world is in great economic uncertainty. America is currently grappling with its domestic problems, thanks to the subprime lending crisis and financial bailouts of large corporations with public money. It is indeed correct for the general man in the street to be angry, and to ask what happened to all the money. It has not translated into more jobs. Neither has it led to an improvement in market conditions. Instead, layoffs are rising. Businesses are not hiring as much. With mounting bills, people are struggling to make ends meet, while the rich and the powerful continue to live lavishly. The system is broken. The top 1% is perceived to be nonchalant about the rest of the 99%. By exercising their right to democratic expression, the organizers are indeed credited with starting a movement to make their voices heard. After all, is there any other avenue for them to do so? Will CEOs grant interviews to non-profits or those who claim to speak for the poor? Will the rich take notice of the lower echelons of society?

B) Impressive Media Attention

One of the main objectives of the Occupy Wall Street movement is to gain maximum publicity for their 'plight.' News media all over the world are giving lots of attention to the public protests. Of course, sensational events like pockets of violence and other 'news-worthy' incidents are given relatively greater prominence. In some countries like Singapore, the presence of media and plainclothes policeman, is enough to quell any gathering of people. Together with police warnings about illegal public gatherings and the general sense of fear in a country known for its draconian laws, the movement dies even before it starts. That said, the occupy financial districts have been mostly peaceful in many other cities in the developed world. Lots of noise, that even key political leaders have taken notice. Of course, for political correctness, most of the politicians and public figures have voiced some level of 'support' for the 99%.

C) Inadequate Comprehension

I agree with Bryce that the financial system in the world is far more complex than perceived. One thing leads to another. Credit is both a boon and a bane. For something that has grown unwieldy over the decades, it is impossible to find a silver bullet that can resolve all the issues. If it is so easy, Obama and all the top economists of the world will have already resolved it. For that, I feel that the OWS movement tends to harp on a simple idea that is not actually the solution to the problem. Worse, it presents a kind of picture that uses a wrong tool to solve the wrong problem. Inadequate comprehension may even lead to erroneous expectations among the general public. If one is a hammer, everything looks like a nail. This is unfortunately true of OWS.

D) Problematic Implementation

Mass movements exhibit two key characteristics: loud voices and sensational speeches. In speaking to large crowds, loudness is a virtue. Loudhailers and booming speakers fill the airwaves. In order to win public sympathy, quiet reasoning succumbs to loud shouting. The voice of rationale is subdued by the rhetoric of emotional outbursts. Not only that, anger and physical violence hang delicately on a short fuse. This is why police frequently have to assure shop owners in the downtown districts of protection. Whenever there is a mass gathering, the mob mentality is never far away. It is like pouring gasoline peacefully on the streets, and warning the police not to ignite any spark. When loudness of speech becomes the main primary staple of the movement, the voice of reason takes a secondary position.

In summary, I am sympathetic to the concerns of the OWS movement. I am also angry at the helplessness of the public against the current financial system. That said, the system is the best that we have at the moment. There is no quick fix. There is not enough time for anyone to re-invent something within a short span of time. It needs concerted effort from all to be honest in their dealings, to live sacrificially, to be concerned for one another, their neighbours etc. There is no magic bullet. In order to communicate the need to be more urgent about the problems in the economy, we need to unturn every stone, starting with our own. Acknowledge that by ourselves, we are helpless. We need one another to work toward common goals. We need to be faithful in our work, and at the same time, be actively involved in our respective communities. There are pockets of poor and vulnerable in every corner of society. We do not need to look far. Just open our eyes to see our neighbourhood. Volunteer yourselves in the community. Give. For Christians, pray hard and also work sacrificially. Do not wait for OWS or any of its variants become the be-all and catch-all in our civic awareness. There is something more than the 1% accused of greed and corruption. Ask ourselves honestly. What if we are the so-called 1%?

Christ did not come to die only for 1% or the 99%. He died for 100% of the world. It takes 100% of us, 100% of our efforts to reach 100% of the world. The task is monumental. Nearly impossible. Yet, unless we start somewhere, we will be farther and farther away from that ideal state of completion. Occupying Wall Street etc, if it is only a temporary drumming up of emotional and street appeal will not go far, if hearts are not moved.  Rhetoric and boisterous speeches can only achieve a little. Eventually, we will all need to work with the respective powers and authorities to try to make things work. One more thing. The power of the people need not be spent just on rallies and movements like OWS. There is the ballot box for choosing the next political leader. There is the power of not buying the service or product of the corporations accused of greed and corporations. If any of us are so convicted about the financial systems and its players, we can choose not to support them. When we vote with our wallets, or the ballot box, that is perhaps the surest way to send a strong message.

conrade

Book Review: "Doing Virtuous Business"

TITLE: Doing Virtuous Business: The Remarkable Success of Spiritual Enterprise

AUTHOR: Theodore Roosevelt Malloch
PUBLISHER: Nashville, TN: Thomas-Nelson, 2008.

Spiritual capital is not only profitable in the long run, it is vital for the survival of any organization. In this book, the author makes a strong case for a kind of business culture that is more than mere profit-making or stockholder-pleasing. At the core of the book's argument is that the goal of business is to bring about both material prosperity as well as a flourishing of the human quality of life. Strongly in favour of capitalism over socialism, what is needed is not to discard capitalistic ideas too quickly, but to cement it with a strong layer of social and spiritual capital. In fact, spiritual capital or enterprise is the way to bring out the best of capitalism.

About the Book
This book is filled with lots of stories from the business world, coupled with multiple descriptions of virtues, philosophy of life, and the meaning of spiritual capital. Spiritual capital is "the bold idea that the creation of wealth by virtuous means is the most important thing we can do for ourselves and others, for our society, and for the world at large." (5)

Money over Morals - Bizzare lawsuit Against HP

Hewlett-Packard is in the news again, but for the wrong reasons. Back in 2005, Carly Fiorina, the then-CEO of the technology giant was unceremoniously dumped, due to differences in policy making. Enters Mark Hurd, the non-nonsense goal-getter operations guru who prefers a low-key low-profile management style. Thankfully, the company turns around strongly. The way Hurd manages to integrate EDS into the company appears less problematic compared to the tumultuous HP-Compaq merger under Fiorina. Unfortunately, Hurd ends up leaving the company too under dire circumstances. The media says that Hurd was asked to leave. HP is now looking for a new CEO. Today I read about a lawsuit filed against the HP Board of Directors for causing a US9 billion drop in market capitalization. I ask, "Is this real?" Is this a "Money more important than morals" mentality at play?

Frankly, I am embarrassed by this lawsuit. The speed in which Hurd has resigned is in itself credible.

• Hurd admits to wrongdoing, and sees no more moral authority to lead. Isn't that good leadership?
• The Board of Directors has been fair to Hurd by giving him the severance package due. In fact, they have been gracious to downgrade the accusations to a breach in Standards of Business Conduct, rather than sexual harassment which is criminal. For this, I think the BOD has done an excellent balancing act. This to me is professionalism, given the circumstances. There is no point for HP to prosecute Hurd any more, as long as the former CEO learns his mistake.

The HP Shareholder who sues the BOD causes me to question: "Is money more important than morals?" Don't get me wrong. I am not speaking on a platform of moral superiority. I am talking about doing the right thing, under the circumstances. Is the right thing according to the shareholder (Brockton Contributory Retirement System) in terms of money? Are they saying that HP BOD is wrong to quickly ask for the resignation of Hurd? Is it more significant for this shareholder to wait for the right time according to money dynamics? If instead, the HP BOD waits and does not take immediate action, would they not be sending a wrong message instead?

As an ex-employee of HP, I still look highly on the top management there. From Bill Hewlett to David Packard; John Young to Lew Platt, and to some extent Carly Fiorina, HP has always been blessed with strong leadership with credible leaders. By and large, I think they have generally been fair. While making money is important, the venerable HP Way is still one of the best standards in the industry. I think back fondly to the days where the HP Way was meticulously practiced. Unfortunately, I can testify that after Lew Platt, the HP Way was never really the same. This is why many ex-colleagues of mine have said that after the departure and deaths of the two founders, Dave and Bill, the HP Way has been diminishing throughout the company. Some even say that it is forever gone.

This latest episode encourages me because of the prompt action of the BOD to sack Hurd. It is leadership at its best. Decisive. Firm. Considerate of most, if not all parties. At the highest level, moral credibility is a non-negotiable. Do not let money matters cloud out any judgment on moral authority. Better to suffer short-term than to let the problem rot and decay long term. Concentrate on not only what works but the kind of workers the company has. I quote what Hurd himself said:

“It would be difficult for me to continue as an effective leader at HP and I believe this is the only decision the board and I could make at this time,” Hurd, 53, said in a statement. “I want to stress that this in no way reflects on the operating performance or financial integrity of HP.” (Businessweek)

Kudos HP. May you get a good leader soon.


conrade

CNN: "Why Amish Businesses Don't Fail"

This article from CNN is based on the latest book by Erik Wesner entitled, "Success Made Simple: An Inside Look at Why Amish Businesses Thrive." In a comparison of Amish businesses with non-Amish ones, Wesner discovers that Amish businesses register a 95% success rate in terms of a business staying open after 5 years. The survival average for a typical American business is under 50%. This begs the question, why?

Firstly, there is the culture component like 'hard work' and 'cooperation.' Secondly, Amish people stick with their core skills, and play to their strengths. Thirdly, Amish are remarkably humble about their achievements, choosing to focus on others instead of lavishing self-praise. Above all, the work of Amish businesses has an underlying conviction: Faith in God; Faithfulness for God. Eventually, Wesner focuses on the values that Amish people adopt. This is essentially the same management teaching that MBAs and management gurus highlight most of the time. For any business to survive, one cannot afford to surrender core values in exchange for a ravaging win-at-all-costs mindset.

My Comments
If I am Amish, I will be uncomfortable about being given such an attention and the apparent target group for a book like 'success made simple.' In fact, any inside look will be frowned upon, for good reason. People who are faithful in God typically prefer a quiet faith. For any businesses wanting to emulate the Amish style of business, they cannot afford to go alone. They need a corporate network of like-minded cultures. They need to be able to share core values and be prepared to give more than to receive.

As a simple analogy, for businesses trying to surface some 'business gems' from Amish businesses, it is like trying to make processed food by extracting the vitamins and minerals from natural foods. Eventually, we get a cereal-box of management principles, with the values of thrift, hard-work, cooperation and various cultures as a sub-percentage of the overall business in a cereal-like box. As we all know, processed food is no match for natural ones. Wesner's book is helpful to remind any business of the need for core values. However, if one is solely concerned about profits and worldly success, the Amish model is unsuitable simply because, Amish businesses are not conducted purely for profit-making. It is based on a call, a very divine one.

conrade

Book Review: "The Leadership Pill"

The Leadership Pill: The Missing Ingredient in Motivating People Today
Authors: Ken Blanchard and Marc Muchnick
Published: NY: Free Press, 2003.

This is an entertaining fable filled with snippets of leadership insights from a master story teller. The main idea is that leadership is not a short-term magical pill to be swallowed, but a long-term sustained discipline to be followed. It contrasts a Leadership Pill (developed by LPI) and a Secret Bland (advocated by an Effective Leader) via an entertaining competitive game. One group is lead by a leader who practically pops pills to get work done. The other group is led by an 'Effective Leader' who spends much time motivating, coaching, mentoring and supporting the team members. So we have the Pill-Full team vs the Pill-Free team.

The judges will measure both teams based on a Triple-Bottom Line, which comprises of being recognized as a 'provider of choice,' 'the employer of choice,' and 'the investment of choice.' (29)

The provider of choice is a measure of how well customers' expectations were met. The 'employer of choice' represents how good is the work morale and team performance. The 'investment of choice' is about financial profitability over the long haul.

The LPI team touted their special pill:

"The Leadership Pill enhances your ability to lead. When you take the Leadership Pill, you become more task-focused and action-oriented. Your ability to direct others and ger results increases. Ultimately, the Leadership Pill works fast, putting you in control as a leader. There's nothing quite like it." (9)

Meanwhile, the Secret Bland promises four components, namely integrity of the leader, partnership of all members of the team, bidirectional affirmation between leader and team members, and continual efforts to perfect these three.

The bulk of the book deals with how the Effective Leader turns a group of unmotivated, skeptical and dismissive people into a highly motivated, hopeful and enthusiastic learners.

My Comments
This book is simple but its ideas are never simplistic. It teaches leadership through an easy fable, using simple formulas such as 'Triple-Bottom Line,' Secret Bland,' as well as catchy snippets of leadership wisdom. It tells the reader the following:

• There are no shortcuts to good leadership;
• Trust and respect needs time to develop;
• Short-term solutions seldom lead to long-term results;
• Working with people is more an art rather than a science;

Below are three of my favourite quotes:

• "Leadership is not something that you do to people. It's something you do with people."
• INTEGRITY: "Leading with integrity means being the person you want others to be."
• PARTNERSHIP: "The key to effectiv eleadership is the relationship you build with your team."
• AFFIRMATION: Leadership is the process of getting everyone to the place they are supposed to go."
• "The highest achievement as a leader is winning the respect and trust of your team."
• "Profit is the applause you get for taking care of your customers and creating a motivating environment for people." 

Some Reservations
While the story has a predictable end, it is still after all a fable. While the authors view of the Secret Bland appears to be a runaway success, real life is never that successful. There are setbacks that can bring the most optimistic leader to his knees. In some cases, even the best application of the Secret Bland is only something that is internally controlled. What about external factors? What about competitors who have BOTH the secret pill AND the Secret Bland? I guess that is where the helpfulness ends. The main purpose of the book is to jolt short-termers to realize that leadership is an art that needs time, and sustained attention. It is not a scientific formula that can be readily used for immediate success. All leaders will benefit to learn this well.

This book can also be used as a coaching guide.

Rating: 4 stars of 5.

conrade

BC Prayer Breakfast 2010

I was at the BC Prayer Breakfast yesterday morning. Thanks to a brother in Christ who invited me. It was in a word, worthwhile. I was early at the Westin Bayshore, basking in the cool sunshine that blanketed the Stanley Park horizon. At 7am, people in cool business suits start to pour into the Westin conference center. Soon, I felt I stick out like a sore thumb. In contrast to the tuxedos and well-presented suits, I was wearing a simple warm hoodie, and casual pants. Gone were the days where I dress myself up to meet CEOs and executive leaders of businesses. This time, I was caught unprepared. I didn't know that a simple thing like a Prayer breakfast could attract dignitaries like the BC Premier Gordon Campbell, the Mayor of Vancouver Gregor Robertson, CEOs from reputable businesses in Canada, as well as political leaders from Ottawa and the Opposition. They were seated at the head table in front of us. Among the 1000 over people in the conference room were pockets of newly elected leaders for the province of British Columbia.

I should have known. BC Leadership is exactly that: Leaders in British Columbia Canada. I read the printed program on the table. There was a prayer for each person in the room to pray together. It was about praying for the province and the nation. Straightaway, I noticed that while there was a prayer to God, there was no reference to the other members of the Trinity. I suppose such a prayer will be more palatable to the Unitarians (those who believe in God, but not in the Trinity), the other theistic religions like Hinduism, Islam, and Judaism. Despite this omission, I think that is still okay. After all, the Prayer breakfast is not just for evangelicals. Even the guy sitting next to me on my table does not attend any church. It is meant to bring community leaders together to pray for a common cause: Leadership in the beautiful province we live in.

The emcee, Glenn Wong did a marvelous job in guiding the whole event. His masterful use of humor lightened the occasion and brought about a warm hearty atmosphere. The keynote speaker, David Bentall, President of Next Step Advisors gave a talk that addresses the needs of leaders in general. Beginning with a rousing flashback to Canada's amazing gold medal game at the recently concluded Olympics, Bentall gave the audience a real treat about "I Believe." He honestly shared his thoughts about the need for 'belief' in order to attain great heights. Yet, at the same time, he was honest about the fickleness and skepticism about whether 'belief' can bring about a positive change always. After all, not all of Canada's 240 plus athletes won a medal at all. Everyone of them claimed to believe, yet only a handful were rewarded with medals. So what exactly ought we to believe in? Warmly, Bentall shared about his business struggles with balance of work and family. He struggled with belief, when he saw that believing does not always work 100%. He experienced disappointment. Only when he is able to see belief in the new perspective, he is able to bring some faith back into "I Believe."

Three Aspects of "I Believe"
1) Believe in Human Relationships: Forgiveness
In forgiveness, he recognized that work can bring a tremendous toll to people with families. His wife nearly walked out on him. Fortunately, he was able to survive his marriage through the willingness to seek forgiveness.

2) Believe in Commitment: First Things First, the Family
Never give up on what one believed in. This is the key that unlocks the potential inside. He talked about his trauma about being retrenched from his top job. Others would have considered suicide at that time. Not him. He knew that life is more than a job. He knew that there are more important things to care for. 

3) Believe in the Future: Do Not Worry
This is such a common disease. There was a reading of Matthew 6:25-27 during the Prayer Breakfast, that speaks to us about worry. Why should we worry about things of the future, especially those that is outside our control. We can only control so much. Why worry about things outside?

My Reflections
Leaders are people who believe in a goal bigger than themselves. In fact, leaders are ordinary people who just have that additional difference: Faith. In order to be a leader, we need to have faith. Faith in something. Faith in following a purpose. For me, it is that faith in God. Without this faith, we will not go. We will not grow.

The talk is a simple one. It needs to be, especially when the audience comprises not only business leaders of old, but budding ones of new. Leaders are called to a higher purpose. They are selected out of a few, to represent the many. They are there to serve, not to be served. In a Prayer breakfast like this, I think it can be a humbling experience to know that amidst the power leaders hold, and the attention they receive, lies a very temptation of pride. In prayer, we put aside such pride that threatens to stumble us. We approach people with humility, knowing that we serve not based on our own abilities or strengths, but utterly dependent on Someone else greater than us. It is not the people of the communities we represent. No matter which way we look, it is God we serve.

conrade

Busyness As Usual?

I am starting a series which I call the "Anti-Busyness Campaign." I have not decided how many articles as yet. This will be the first which talks about work.

---

Here I am again, talking about one of my favourite things to bash. It is the face of busyness. Signs can be intriguing. Sometimes, while construction is going on within part of a shop, the owners will put a prominent sign to tell customers that they are still in business. In other words, despite the ongoing construction, business will be as usual. I want to contend that no matter how we look at the word 'busyness,' it is not the normal state for the human being. In other words, man is not created to be busy 7 days a week.


A) Busyness As Usual?

We live a busy lifestyle. One major factor is survival related. We have bills to be paid. Without a job, one can ill-afford the monthly mortgage for the house, the preferred car or the dream vacation to an exotic destination. We push ourselves to meet the quarterly targets, and to reap our financial rewards. We push ourselves to meet deadlines, and to accomplish an important milestone for a significant business project. We push ourselves to get things done, to stay ahead of the competition that threatens to eat our lunch. We become pushy people. We push the authorities. We push for our voices to be heard. We push others. We push ourselves. Busyness is a continued state of pushing without pausing.

For some, every meeting we attend seems to conclude with a longer than before to-do list. In a culture of cost-cutting and retrenchment, having more things to do, is better than having nothing to do. What is the cost to our inner souls? Can we continue to push and push without harming ourselves inside? Caffeine can only perk us up to some extent. Our bodies are never meant to run non-stop. They are not meant to be in a ‘busy’ mode all the time. In our regime of continual pushing, caffeine perks the mind while tobacco soothes the nerves. Alcohol numbs the worries. Sleep makes us forget our problems, at least for a while. When the alarm sounds in the early morning, the busyness cycle returns, and some of us restart our routines like a headless chicken. Busyness as usual?

Another factor behind our busyness is because of our search for identity, via success. This reminds me of a story of a man who worked his head off in his job, spending so many hours in the office in order to own a nice bungalow, a beautiful car and a large swimming pool. He hires a domestic maid to take care of his property whilst he worked. After calculating the hours, it appears as if his domestic maid spends more time living in the bungalow, polishing his car, and enjoying the garden and swimming pool more than he does. That is quite ironical. The one who owns the properties end up letting others use it. That is so true for people struggling to maintain a vacation home, a time-shared overseas property or a country club membership. When people gets so busy, all these rewards seem to go to somebody else. Perhaps, the satisfaction behind the hard work is the ‘thought of owning,’ not the actual using of the assets concerned. The writer of Proverbs reminds us to pursue wisdom. Otherwise, all of our hard-earned efforts and results will be given to someone else who did not even work for it. We cannot retain our possessions forever. However, we can share our wisdom, and allow our wisdom to guide us in our quest for success.

B) Idolatry Becomes Work
Some of my readers will be quick to point out that nothing is new. Everyone knows we live in a busy lifestyle. So what is new? That is true. There is nothing new in saying we are smack right in the middle of a busy society, where busyness is the norm, and unbusy is unthinkable. My question goes beyond the recognition of busyness. It is summed up:

“What are we going to do about it?”

Yes, we all know we are busy, but what active steps can we take to address this? Unless of course we are all too happy being busy now and empty later. What about a rhythm of intentional busyness and purposeful unbusyness? The writer of Ecclesiastes calls the reader to wisdom, that there is a time for everything.  Robert Levine, in The Geography of Busyness describes busyness as essentially having two parts. The first part is the activity itself. The second part is the speed of doing that activity. These two components form the ultimate subjective feeling of feeling important because of our activities, and because of our SPEED in accomplishing such activities. In other words, the reason for busyness is the way it makes us feel important.

The trouble is due to our over-emphasis on good works. One good deed leads to many more. We sometimes forget that the key to good works is not the work per se, but the 'good' a person has that is lived out via good works. In other words, it is because of the good in us, before we can authentically do the good works. If we fail to let our hearts be in sync with our hands, we will feel dissatisfied, no matter how altruistic our works are.

Soon all that remains is a busy person frantically working in such a way that work itself becomes a god. When work becomes an idol, busyness is simply another way of justifying our worship of work. We work the activities as if our whole life depends on them. We work hard so that we find a sense of fulfillment. We work feverishly as if our identities depended on it. That is why when unemployment climbs, depression and identity crisis situations climb as well. However, all is not lost. We have wisdom from the Bible.

C) Toward A Rest Day of UN-busyness
The Word of the LORD has a unique prescription for mankind. It is enshrined in the Ten Commandments.

"Six days you shall labor, but on the seventh day you shall rest; even during the plowing season and harvest you must rest.” (Exod 34:21)

The Sabbath is one way to halt our own factory that manufactures idolatry of work. Once a week, we do something different. Once a week, we say to the work-idol, ‘I do not need you to define me who I am.” Once a week, we proclaim again, that we live not to work, but to worship God. Once Martin Luther had a friend called Melanchthon. They regularly have debates and discussions over theology and the wonderful things of God. On the Sabbath, Melanchthon was eager to continue his discussion of how God governs the Universe. Instead of agreeing, Luther tells Melanchthon that he is more interested in fishing, and to let God deal with the governance.

It is important to set limits even to the things we enjoy doing. Once a week is a good start. Do something different. It will bring a much-needed respite from a busy world, using ‘busyness as usual’ as a cloak to mold into a workhorse, that knows how to work, but not know how to rest.

“ The really idle man gets nowhere. The perpetually busy man does not get much further." (Sir Heneage Ogilvie, British Physician, 1887-1971)

Indeed, work can be an idol. It feeds on busyness. It makes us feel important in a false sense. Thus we need to regularly take stock of our lives.  The Sabbath will bring some sensibilities to our culture that worships "Busyness As Usual."

conrade

Thought: Are we defining ourselves based on the activities we do, or are our activities based on our identity in Christ?

Book: Chaotics

Title: "Chaotics - the business of managing and marketing in the Age of Turbulence"
Authors: Philip Kotler and John A Caslione
Published: NY: Amacom, 2009, (208pp).

This is an updated business book for the new age of turbulence and uncertainty. Marketing guru, Philip Kotler, most famous for his marketing classic, "Marketing Management," has updated and applied marketing concepts for the new environment. Taking a leaf from Alan Greenspan's voluminous work (The Age of Turbulence), the authors assumed turbulence, rather than questioning it. Essentially, the authors seek to call businesses to recognize the age of turbulence as the 'new normal.' They urge businesses to exchange old paradigms for new ones. They propose a new system called the 'Chaotics Management System.' In this system, the authors teach the need for 3 Rs:

• Responsive to the 'new normal;'
• Robustness of their responses and strategies, designed toward tackling the challenges of a rapidly changing environment;
• Resilience of the business organizations.

A) The New Normal
In a passionate plea for companies to recognize that turbulence and uncertainty is going to be the 'new normal,' the authors argue convincingly that old strategies are unhelpful, even fatal. Economic cycles are no longer present. Booms and recessions are no longer predictable. Potential losses are high. More investors are becoming more cautious and risk averse. Customers are increasingly insecure and they prefer options that enable safety and security. The authors further comb the landscape and identify the factors that lead to chaotic situations. Factors like:

• Technological advances and Information Revolution;
• Disruptive technologies and innovations
• Impact from the small guys
• 'Hypercompetition' that makes competitive advantage unsustainable
• Sovereign wealth funds
• Social concernsand,
• customer empowerment.

B) The Chaotics Management System
This model is specifically geared toward managing vulnerability inside, and maximizing the use of opportunities outside. There will be chaos and companies must do more than simply recognizing it. They need to make decisive strategic plans and steer the company with focus and resilience. The authors put it very well:

"Today and into the future, it may not be as critical to ask what businesses own and produce as it is to ask about their ability to detect turbulence, anticipate chaos, and manage risjs. Identifying and managing risk is far from straightforward. Constructing scenarios and strategies to deal with anticipated risks, and conversely, exploiting opportunities, requires business leaders to instill new strategic behaviors and disciplines in the organization. . . . . And when these new and necessary behaviors are instilled in the daily decision-making processes, it creates a momentum and a culture that systematically overcomes turbulence's chaos and routinely beats the competition. Such companies will succeed in the Age of Turbulence, despite the turbulent gale-force winds blowing forcefully against them." (100)

In a nutshell, the CMS proposes the following

• When approaching turbulence, be prepared to change organizational behavior;
• In confronting turbulence, broaden one's strategic resources rather than blindly cutting resources across the board;
• When coming out of turbulence, maintain a steady stream of focus, to pick up speed when necessary.

My Comments
At one look, the reader may be tempted to dismiss Kotler and Caslione for adding fuel to the fire of panic. I will hesitate to do that. I think the book does exceptionally well to remind all that 'the new normal' has come. We must not behave like ostriches that stick our heads into the sand of old thinking and archaic paradigms, while the world screams for a wise response. If one does not embrace the opportunity, it could mean the end of one's business. I like the way the authors instill the idea of change that is broad-based throughout the organization. With attention to detail, the authors apply the strategy to all parts of the company, like Human Resources, Marketing, Sales, Technology, Management teams etc. This represents a desire to build resilience to all parts of the organization. The points brought up are easy to understand and should provide fodder to stimulate thinking rather than supplying ready made answers. Strategic management is never one that can be canned like processed food for consumption. It involves hard work and a clear recognition of the culture and identity of the company's mission and vision.

However, my main gripe is that it is still very North American focused. One can argue that it is primarily written for the American audience. Though there are some references to international matters, I think this American-centric presentation will limit the usefulness of the book at an international level. Moreover, this book will be less impactful due to the limited examples, compared to the classic 'Marketing Management' which contains frequent illustrations and anecdotes of real businesses.

I guess, this is because of the nature of the 'new normal,' we cannot rely too much on examples as they would have become irrelevant by the time the book is printed. Sigh. Welcome to the new normal.

conrade

Book - Business of Changing the World

Title: The Business of Changing the World
Author: Marc Benioff & Carlye Adler
Published: NY: McGraw-Hill, 2007.

This is a book that contain voices of 20 prominent leaders of business organizations. They share one thing in common: they practice generous philanthropy. They consist of companies in a wide range of industries like technology, food, pharmaceutical, financial, human resources, transportation and many others. There are several observations:

• All try to make a difference in the communities they are in;
• they are large firms with a well-known brand name;
• Most of them are North-American based;
• Giving money is a big part of their philanthropy.
• They think more long-term, which is exactly right as the fruits of philanthropy are in many ways, long-term in nature.
• The CEOs take initiative and leadership;
• Most of them are in the private sectors.

About the Book

This book reminds us of the size of the non-profit industry. With corporate businesses pouring US$30 billion each year to this industry, it is certainly one that deserves more attention. Each person give a brief background of their company. They almost always describe philanthropy as giving to various causes. They describe their company philosophy, with philanthropy as an integral part of their business strategy.  They state their primary philosophy at the beginning of their chapter. The common thread in the book is described as:

We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give." (Winston Churchill)

Many of the chapters are packed with personal testimonies of stories about how they become passionate about philanthropy. Their toughest challenges remain on how to spread this message to the rest of their organizations. Some of them establish trust funds, or foundations. Many integrate the giving philosophy in their company credos.

My Comments
Philanthropy is something evolved into, not designed upfront. Many of them are still in the process of formulating and learning about how to give more effectively. All of them gives out of what is meaningful for them in the first place, that is, out of who they are. For example, Cisco by virtue of their networking business, translates this into building a community that is able to humanly network with each other. GlaxoSmithkline helps tackle world health problems.

While some people may accuse them of either showing off, or trying to use their philanthropy efforts as another attempt to expand their business empire, I think we should learn to show more grace to what they are doing. After all, if they do not practice what they preach, it will be a matter of time before the truth catches up on them. For me, I take the optimistic approach. It makes business a lot more meaningful and a lot more humane. Any success that cannot be shared is downright pitiful. Thus, being human is really learning to share our successes. Our world is much better off with more interdependent initiatives instead of independent narcissistic endeavors. The former builds up prosperity for all. The latter accumulates riches for self-consumption and self-gratification.

This is an uplifting book. Read it if you want to know the brief background of the 20 humble beginnings to current success stories.  Some businesses struggle for survival. Other businesses constantly seek more success and profits. For all businesses, success is not everything. Leaving a meaningful legacy is more important. May the philanthropic examples in the book show the various industries the way to go, that businesses will not be caught up in profit-making to the detriment of forgetting the very society that allows them to be where they are in the first place. Indeed, true business is not only about counting how much money we make in our hard work. It is making those money count for us and our communities. Pick up this book and read.


Rating: 3.5 stars of 5

conrade

Book - "Five Minds for the Future" (Howard Gardner)

Title: Five Minds for the Future
Author: Howard Gardner
Publisher: Harvard Business School Press, 2006.

This book is not exactly ground-breaking. It is an extension of Howard Gardner's famous theory of Multiple-Intelligences proposed in 1983. MI theory essentially talks about the flaws of conventional thinking surrounding the definition of intelligence. Every person is different and has various levels of intelligences in different areas. Gardner summarizes his MI theory as:

"According to MI theory, all human beings possess a number of relatively autonomous cognitive capabilities, each of which I designate as a separate intelligence." (Howard Gardner, Five Minds, p4)

This book attempts to build upon this theory by making it more futuristic , rather than mere diagnostic.  The five minds essentially are:

1) Disciplinary Mind: where one masters the major schools of thought (like history, science and maths) PLUS one main craft-skill.

2) Synthesizing Mind: In a world of increased information flow, and data glut, it is highly essential to be able to make some sense out of it all, by processing the disparate bits of information into a meaningful whole.

3) Creating Mind: This is the ability to bring new ideas and new thoughts into conventional ways of doing things, and to invent and innovate.

4) Respectful Mind: This distinguishes humans from computers, and encourages people to learn to respect one another's differences.

5) Ethical Mind: Without ethical considerations, we cannot become responsible workers and citizens in the world we live in.

The Book's Main Idea
Gardner writes this book to encourage new levels of thinking for the future. In contrast to his previous work on MI Theory, which is more descriptive, this book attempts to be more prescriptive. Without developing these minds, people will be left unprepared for the future, and will be swamped by events, information and all kinds of unanticipated happenings. By cultivating these new mental habits, one can live more purposefully in the present, and more hopefully in the future. In other words, external changes of the future world requires internal adaptations of the inner world in us.


My Comments
When I first read it, Gardner's arguments are quite convincing. No doubt changes are constantly happening all around us. It is logical that external changes require us to have a changed mindset as well. His first three 'minds' are more cognitive and personal in the sense that it can be comfortably conducted alone. The other 2 minds are more relational, and goes beyond personal skills or brilliance. I was curious to find out why Gardner selects these 5 out of so many others. His answer is in saying that his five minds is more about 'policy' rather and 'psychology,' and that each mind is a combination of the various aspects of human intelligence (4). It is more an exhortation to cultivate such minds, rather than a clinical device to produce such thinking. 

I like Gardner's emphasis on the need to link development with human values. In other words, education cannot become an end in itself. It must lead to something more. Something bigger and better.

“Education is inherently and inevitably an issue of human goals and human value.” (13)

My Critique
1) Limited: Not everything in the future can be covered by these 5 minds. What about the spiritual domain? What about faith? What about relationships that not only needs to be respected but to be loved?

2) Cross-Minds? While it is useful to see the individual minds as a separate entity, what about combinations among them? For that matter, what about discerning which mind to use under different contexts? For example, can we use a 'disciplined' mind to deal with an 'ethical' issue? How do we know which to use? Sometimes, there are more than one minds that are at work in any one situation.

3) Oversimplified: The last two minds tend to be oversimplified to the point that human dealings can have a scientific formula. For example, Gardner recommends that it is important to hire a respectful and ethical person in the organization. Often, at the interview process, we do not really know whether a person is ethical or not, until he/she gets exposed to a real-life situation. When that happens, it might be too late. (166)

4) Respectful as 'Tolerance': Gardner's first 3 minds are stronger as it is more easily measured, more objective. The other two is more difficult to deal with, as it becomes a lot more subjective. For example, as far as one needs to be 'tolerant,' we need to understand who is defining it? Different people has different degrees of tolerance.

5) Communicative Aspect of the minds needs to be included. Part of being human is communication. Gardner's book focuses too much on individual minds or intelligences, that I think it lacks the web of connections and communications to bring all of these intelligences together.

6) Order: Which mind should be cultivated first? This depends on the stage any one person is in. Thus, rather than applying the minds thoughtlessly, it is still an essential exercise to know oneself, prior to using any such models.

7) Culture: This is a huge gap the book did not really address. Culture alone can swallow up the best frameworks and render them ineffective. Thus the need to understand culture is key, and this book is too narrowly focused on a particular form of culture. This means the scope and application of the book remains extremely limited. Unless the whole world changes to become like the world Gardner lives in. Can that happen in Africa, hungry poor third world nations? I doubt it. People will not spend much time on their minds when their stomachs remain hungry.

Summary
This is a good book with a rather convincing theory upfront. It can be used to guide the educator toward designing a more holistic educational curriculum. It gives us a good framework for preparing for the future of information, to help us deal with the fast changing environment which is increasingly more data driven and information dependent. The first three minds are great skills to cultivate. The other two are also important, but need more specifics. Perhaps, Gardner needs another author to improve this five minds. What about the "Five Hearts for the Future?" That will be a perfect complement for the Five Minds. I like the book's simple idea and brave proposal. I will like it even better if it has been tested in the marketplace with positive results.

conrade

Justifying One's Existence

JUSTIFYING ONE's EXISTENCE

It happened to me before when I was working for an IT firm. After a particularly bad quarter, my superior will somehow indicate to me with a wink: "Justify your existence." This essentially means the following.

"Conrade. You know the company is not meeting its targets for the past two quarters. Can you show me the reasons to keep you? Can you help me justify your continued employment in this company?"

The statement flows softly, but bellows loudly through my ears. It pierces my heart to think that even the boss that I trust can be so cold and business-like. Maybe he is just doing his job. Maybe he needs to protect his position as well. Maybe I am simply not up to his expectation. Maybe he sees it as a way to spur my performance.

Justify your existence in the company.

This past year, I have also witnessed layoffs and retrenchments happening in non-profit organizations. A pastor friend of mine was laid off recently. The setback is not just the job, but a tremendous loss of self-esteem. Ministers of God's churches are still human. They need to feed their family. They need to exercise their training and gifts. They need to be faithful to the calling they have received. A retrenchment is like a slap on that original sense of calling. When one can no longer justify one's existence in any organization, it is time to say goodbye.

The Calm Before the Storm
In profit-based corporations, successive poor financial performances only mean one thing: Retrenchment is coming. Amid the hive of activity lies an arduous mood of gloom. One starts to wonder how long one can continue to justify his or her own existence in the firm.

In non-profit companies, like churches and charitable organizations, a hint of worse times to come appears through 'innocent' questions. For instance, one of the dreaded questions to ever ask any minister is this:

"How much time do you spend in preparing a sermon?"

When the funds are low, the board members, or the person holding the purse strings will tend to ask questions like these. It can make a preacher felt threatened, or left scrambling for numbers to 'justify his own existence.' When a church wants to cut costs, or manage spending, this question can be deadly to the joy of serving in the ministry of preaching. In an insightful article "Why Pay the Preacher?" by Dan Hotchkiss, the writer brings us to appreciate the inner rumblings of the preacher upon hearing about connecting hours to sermon preparation time. I loved the humor in it.

"Last week's sermon about aging took me sixty years."

We can laugh at it, but not all treasurers of finance board members will find it funny. They are dead serious that we justify the amount of money the church pays its pastors and preachers. In good times, where church members are regularly contributing, preachers need not 'justify their existence.' In lean times, where the money is tight, this is when faith gets tested, financially.

My Idea on Preaching
For me, I think preaching is a calling that cannot be easily quantified into hours and minutes. There are weeks in which it takes just a couple of hours to put together a moving sermon. There are also times in which even 3 full continuous days of preparation draw a blank. Preparing a sermon is not a task but an attitude. It is an attitude that stems from a living relationship with Jesus. It is an aptitude that grows from a loving relationship with people. It is one's inner gratitude to God and neighbour that enables one to preach faithfully and truthfully in God, to the people of God.

Preaching is very much my passion. I wrote an article this week about it on SabbathWalk. In it, I maintain that preaching is not an act but an attitude. Likewise, because it is an attitude, while we can try to quantify them, remember that the Spirit of God cannot be quantified into chronological time. On the question, "How many hours do you put to prepare a sermon?" let's put out 2 hands. The first hand is to put down the numbers to give board members an idea. Be honest about the challenges and the topic. Certain topics require greater number of hours. Others less. The second hand is to be constantly aware of the Spirit's leading. Finally, put these two hands together in the shape of a praying hand. Preaching must begin, not with books or sermon materials first. Preaching being an attitude needs to begin with God, who shapes this attitude.

As we pray more, as we preach more, as we trust God more, we will strangely find that 'justifying one's existence' no longer becomes as fearful as it sounds. Trusting God is a strange discipline. Often, we feel like we need to take the first leap of faith, thinking that if we don't initiate, nothing will happen. Yet, have we ever wondered that God has already made that first move. We simply needed to keep in step with the Spirit. So our 'leap' of faith cannot measure up to the LIFE of faith, Christ has fully given to us more than 2000 years ago. God, in Jesus has already justified our existence for all eternity. Why are we still afraid? Perhaps each time we approach the threshold of fear, it simply means we have spent too much time worrying and not enough time praying.



conrade

A Comment on the New Disney Movie

I love this post by Wesley Lowe, a film producer specializing in inculcating more Asian content in a media industry dominated by white-only. This post is brilliant especially this quote:

affirmative action is much better than what we have now – “unaffirmative inaction.”

In the current hit, the The Princess and the Frog, Disney decides to cast a 'black' as the heroine. From the many cartoon movies so far, this is unprecedented. This is especially when the original author of the fable is writing to a largely white readership base. Again, I have a small critique. Asians HAS been represented in cartoons. Think Mu Lan.

I know that cartoons such as MuLan already has a Chinese face to the lead figure. Yet, I concede that the context is that the story is written by a Chinese author, and the name itself is very Chinese.

Finally, my response to Lowe's post is not simply agreeing for a more ethnically diverse representation in Hollywood. I am also hoping that the day will come, whether white, black, Hispanic, Asian or whatever ethnicity, people will see each and everyone equal.

You can read Lowe's excellent comment here.
conrade

Book Review - "Cash Values" (Craig Gay)

Title: Cash Values - money and the erosion of meaning in today's society
Author: Craig Gay
Published: Regent-College Publishing, 2004.

How do we avoid becoming a society that knows the price of everything but the value of nothing? Well, if we see life as a race to accumulate money and stuff, capitalism is remarkably productive. If we see the problems and negative sides of capitalism, chances are we will rebel furiously against it. Gay convincingly argues that if we approach capitalism with a uncritical mind, chances are we may see an 'erosion of meaning' in modern society.  The key is to see with redemptive eyes.

Gay's book is a welcome effort to correct any modern society that tends to know the price of everything but the value of nothing. It argues cogently that, capitalism for all its power to generate money, is ill-equipped to produce meaning. Without throwing away capitalism totally, Gay helps us look at it redemptively via an 'economy of shrewd stewardship.' He concludes by urging the reader not to be 'overly critical' of capitalism for its ills, nor 'overly concerned' about defending it. His proposal:

"I believe we should use modern capitalism for the sake of our fellow servants, showing them grace, forgiving their debts, unexpectedly lightening their burdens, employing whatever wealth we have - wealth that we know we cannot keep for long - in the service of fellowship and friendship. And we should place our hope in the goodness and above all in the graciousness of God, the God for whom all things are possible." (99)

Overall, this is an intelligent book, well grounded in scholarship and full of wisdom for a world that fanatically believes that money makes the world go round. No. it is the wise use of money that makes the world sound.

conrade