BookPastor >> "Love Without Walls"

This review was first published on 28 June 2012 at my book blog, "Panorama of a Book Saint" here.

conrade

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TITLE: Love Without Walls: Learning to Be a Church In the World For the World (Leadership Network Innovation Series)
AUTHOR: Laurie Beshore
PUBLISHER: Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2012, (160 pages).

This book tears down vertical walls and builds horizontal bridges. It erases the mental barriers of "I can't" by replacing them with "In God, we can." Instead of trying to make needy people feel needier and dependent on handouts, Beshore argues powerfully for a change of "giveaway" mindset toward an empowering mentality. Far too many churches have adopted a "giveaway" culture that essentially disempowers the poor and the needy from helping themselves. The major disconnect is often the helpers, despite their good intentions, seeing people as problems to be solved rather than as people to relate with. This is the crux of a walled outreach. Such outreaches more often than not puts one's ministry and one's mission primary, and everyone else becomes secondary.  As a result, many church outreach programs feed into a "culture of poverty" which unfortunately causes a "lack of a sense of self-fulfillment, and a lack of a sense of hope or a sense that things can get better." Thankfully, Beshore goes on to provide renewed understanding of how outreach can make sense to the helpers and the people to be helped. One such initiative is the four-step "development funnel."

The first step is "Expose" where volunteers are need to take a fresh look at the usual excuses for not doing any outreach. When the convictions are there, busyness is not an excuse. Neither is lack of qualifications, or uncertainty about what to do. When one knows the whys, one will creatively find out the hows.

The second step is "Enfold." This means partnering with a member of the people we are trying to help. Not only is it able to help churches and ministries gain a deeper first hand understanding of the real needs and solutions, it gives churches a chance to build relationships and disciple the leading members of the community.

The third step is "Engage." This means that volunteers learn how to engage and when to disengage. When engaging, one learns to take ownership in learning and in relating. In disengaging, one learns how to let the people learn to help themselves. Through encouragement and engaging, one connects with the community meaningfully.

The fourth step is "Empower." This remains the key purpose of any outreach program. We cannot simply sit back and relax after firing a bullet of goodwill. We cannot behave like bombardier pilots who instead of "Bombs away," call out "Food and clothing dumped away!" Empowering people requires a sharing of biblical principles of why we do what we are doing. It is a process of learning, of giving, and of sharing.

My Thoughts

I am all praise for this book. It is small enough to read through quickly but my advice is "Don't." The book is soaked with much painful experience and valuable tips for outreach that we need to spend time soaking in learning experience. Patience is needed to understand the communities we are trying to help. Leadership is needed to navigate the highs and lows of outreach efforts, of recruiting people, and of training future leaders.

The constant refrain I am hearing is this. Outreach is not about programs. It is about people. That is why we must place relationships before any giveaways, involving people up close and personal instead of isolating them as Me-Giver, You-Receiver relational dichotomy. It takes a change of attitude to say that we, the potential givers, are actually the biggest beneficiaries of outreach. This ought to humble us to build more bridges, and at the same time tear down our walls of isolation. Only then, can we truly say our love is true. Outreach is about building bridges with planks of love. We cannot look at the gulf before us and get discouraged into non-action. Instead, we need to realize how deep God's love is for miserable old me, so that we can share the love of God, as one beggar showing another beggar where to find food.

Beshore's book needs to be read by anyone interested in outreach. For that matter, if a Church is made for the benefit of others, I believe it is required reading for anyone who is a leader in any Church. My praises for this book are not only filled to the brim, it is overflowing with gratitude to Beshore and the powerful ministry of Mariners Church.

Rating. 5 stars of 5.

conrade

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This book is part of a blog tour with EngagingChurchBlog that runs from 25-29 June 2012, and is provided to me free by Zondervan without any obligation for a positive review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.

Catching the Snakehead

The big news yesterday was the catching of the ferocious top predator, the Snakehead fish. Since putting the video more than three weeks ago, on Youtube about this invasive "Frankenfish," many in the lower mainland have expressed fears of how this fish can potentially decimate the entire fish population in Burnaby lake. If this fish breeds and swims to rivers and other parts of the water channels, it will wreak havoc on the entire ecosystem, not just the precious salmon population. For nearly 27 days, park officials, researchers, and volunteers, comb the entire lake (or some say lagoon), using nets, partially draining the lake, to catch this elusive fish. At one point, many have said the video was a hoax. Yesterday proved that it is an authentic video. There is really a snakehead on the loose. It has been captured. Here's the proof.

Captured 8 June 2012, (Photo Credit: ctv.ca)

Deemed a top predator in North America, this foreign fish from Asia and Africa, eats up literally anything smaller than itself. When in their natural habitats, the alligators, crocodiles, sharks, and bigger fishes, can easily gobble them up. Unfortunately, in North America, snakeheads reign supreme, which is why park officials and environmentalists are especially concerned. The only way this fish ever existed in the lake is due to irresponsible individuals releasing them illegally. Popular among some Asians, the snakehead fish is a delicacy, often sold in local Asian supermarkets. For some reason, someone has decided to buy it alive as a pet, and then release it in a public park.

I believe this incident has taught us how fragile our ecosystem is. Mess with it and we are in for big trouble. It is time to call for a ban on any live imports of such fish. The only good snakehead fish in North America is a dead one.  I love my salmon.

Three lessons from this Snakehead saga

Firstly, I marvel at the power of social media. Put on Youtube, the social media spreads the news far and wide. This is an excellent example of how social media can be used for good. Thankfully, the response from the authorities is quick.

Secondly, catching the fish needs teamwork. This also means leadership. I believe the BC authorities have learned a lesson from their counterparts in Maryland down South. They have had a devastating experience with the Snakehead on the loose. It was so bad that they had to kill everything in the waters just to rid the snakehead. Even then, there is no guarantee they have eradicated the problem completely. Leadership comes from being humble to learn from others, be open to consider appropriately the facts brought to attention, and then to do something about it. Thankfully, this fish was caught even after adopting a host of methods and patience to catch it. Sometimes I wonder, if the fish is smart enough to evade capture for another month, perhaps, it can slip away unnoticed?

Finally, things brought to attention normally get the most attention. Left untouched, unreported, it will simply be left alone to do the damage while we are all sleeping. This snakehead is a dangerous fish and rightfully it needs to be captured urgently. What about sin in us? Do we need to bring it to attention? Or are we content to let it fester, uninterrupted, simply because it is hiding under the covers of normalcy?



 


One snakehead launches a torrent of visitors and officials to the lake. Thanks to the quick action by the authorities, this invasive fish is caught before further damage is done. Bye snakehead. Outgunned, outmanuevered, outplayed, the snakehead has no chance. Lest it has laid eggs.

conrade

Behind Every Digital Facade is a Person

TITLE: BEHIND EVERY DIGITAL FACADE IS A PERSON
DATE: 2 Dec 2011
Written by: Conrade Yap

"So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" (2 Cor 5:16-17)

The world is changing. Everyone knows that. The world is changing fast. Most people know that. The world is changing us too. How many of us know that? Most importantly, in a world where people are increasingly becoming virtual, we can easily forget that behind every digital presence is a person that Christ died for. Before I get into that, let me address how the digital new has come to dominate the conventional old.

A) Changing Technological Landscape

The new has come. The old has passed away. Those who pooh-pooh away mainframes and open systems by trumpeting the rise of the PCs, are now grappling with the rise of a new tablet and smartphones era. Those who swear by Microsoft 10 years ago, are biting their tongues as they see Google sweep the search engine crown. Companies that rely heavily on traditional modes of marketing are doing catch-up to the rise of the new social network environment that is fast changing the way people do business. What is new yesterday is commodity tomorrow. What is breakthrough today will be ancient within the next few days. Social media is changing the world. More particularly, it is changing our lifestyles, and even us personally. In a changing technological landscape, we need to be on our guard, that when we try to get into the world of digital breakthroughs, we do not lose ourselves. We do not let the new technologies define who we are. It is God who defines us, not us.

Implication: It used to be man trying to make technology behave like man. Now the tide seems to be reversing. Loving God means letting God define who we are. Not technology.

A) Changing Language

We speak in a language that is also changing rapidly. A three-word 'I love you' has been replaced by a three-letter 'lol' (lots of love, in short).  A 140-word email has been outgunned by a 140-character Twitter message. What is paid subscription yesterday, is free today. Take a look at the people who are catching up on news. The elderly, the older adults read printed newspapers. Younger ones read news feeds on their smartphones, tablets, or portable computers. The old takes time to read, to enjoy, and perhaps to reflect their thoughts on what they read to their buddies sitting opposite them. The young zips through their reading by scanning, by rushing, and by quick forwarding to all their friends digitally to their buddies sitting halfway across the world. As our world becomes more digital, more Internet-driven, people becomes more virtual in their interactions, and perhaps more driven to discover the next big thing. A decade ago, there is this popular phrase: "We live in a world where it is no longer the big that eats up the small but the fast that outruns the slow." Even the venerable face of the Internet, the EMAIL, is now being threatened into extinction by Facebook and Twitter.

Implication: Loving our neighbour means learning to speak the language of our neighbours.

B) Changing Influence Mediums

With the rising popularity of the social media networks, even this phrase has changed. It is no longer the fast that outruns the slow, but the ones with the largest following, the most connected, and the most read that are marginalizing the strong, the fast, and the powerful. It is no longer a world of relationships, but a world of NETWORKS of relationships. Welcome to a viral world. It is a world where traditional boundaries of command, control, and conquer disappear. It is a world where what is private today becomes public tomorrow. It is a world in which both truths and untruths are disseminated at such an alarming scale and rate, that both are tolerated in a crucible of free speech and liberal expression.

The catchphrase used by Vegas marketers, 'What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas,' has been replaced. What happens anywhere is now distributed speedily and staying indelibly in cyberspace.  Lady Gaga and Justin Bieber are more popular (based on their follower numbers) in the social network than the most powerful President on planet earth.

Implication: Do not be distracted by the lack of followers on your Twitter or too few friends on your Facebook account. A few good friends who know you are more invaluable than thousands of faceless individuals.

C) Changing Method of Engagement

I believe that the Christian community needs to be aware of the changing climate. The new name cards are becoming less of 'telephone/fax/address/email' but more of 'Facebook-Twitter-cellphone' social media instead. While the methods and networks are changing, people are not. Though people's communications pattern may alter, their personality and basic needs are not. After all, it is one thing to grow your cow population in Farmville. It is yet another to bite into a real, beefy, juicy hamburger complete with lettuce on a sesame seed bun, tomatoes, and mayonnaise. It is one thing to silence computer speakers. It is yet another to try to keep our lit on our current emotional state. Regardless of how fast the world is changing, humanly speaking, our needs are the same. We need friends. We need hope. We need love. No amount of digital connectivity can claim to be the do-all, be-all, and become-all. Hug a computer and you will see what I mean. The warmth that you can may be due to the radiation from the computers, but that contributes nothing to emotional intimacy. The key to being intimate is in Christ.

Paul writes to the Corinthian Church, all pumped up about his new identity in Christ. It is a transformational experience too good to keep to himself. In 2 Corinthians 5, Paul tells of his hope in the heavenly kingdom. He speaks of being clothed and readied for a heavenly dwelling It is God who guarantees what is to come. This is the essence of hope, a hope in God. It is this hope that causes him to be willing to let go of the old selves, and to take on the new person, in Christ. The new has come. The old has passed away. This kind of newness can never be outlived by the digital titans of the world. Chances are, technologies will be outgunned by one another in a never ending race of being better so as to survive a little while longer. In a digital world, the stark fact is this. Stop development and your work will die. Maintain development and your work will not die so quickly. Continue innovation and perhaps your work will live a wee bit longer. The point is, the things of this world will die. They will pass away.

Implication: We live in a world where technology is rapidly outlasting itself. We are in the digital world but not OF the digital world. God will always outlast anything, even technology.

D) Behind the Digital Facade....

Not the things of God. Not Christ. Souls are of bigger concern to God. That is why Jesus came. That is why God continues to keep His Promise, His Covenant. In a digital world, this has not changed.  Behind every Twitter account is a person. Behind every Facebook address is an individual. Behind every presence on the Internet is a person that Jesus has died for. Forget about those electronic robots and spam spiders. Do not be distracted by those Internet marketing gimmicks and messages. Even behind these innovations, there is a human person just like the rest of us. Behind the digital facade, the needs have not really changed. Knowing that behind every digital facade is a person reminds us that loving our neighbour extends also to the digital platform. Technology may change fast. People do not change as fast. Technology may become obsolete. Not people. Technology may be new, but there is something that is newer every morning. It is the steadfast love of the Lord. It is the love that is newer and better than any social media network or technological brilliance. Looking with eyes of love is better than loving the eyes of technology.

May we all remember that behind every digital facade, there is a person. We may always be called to invent new technologies. We are always called to love people, both in the real world, and in the digital world. Let me close with John Ortberg's words, from his book, "Everybody's normal till you get to know them" simply because everybody is weird, one way or another. More importantly, everyone has a common need as follows:

"The yearning to attach and connect, to love and be loved, is the fiercest longing of the soul. Our need for community with people and the God who mad us is to the human spirit what food and air and water are to the human body. The need will not go away even in the face of all the weirdness." (18)

Do not just read the person's digital profile, or Facebook page. Know the person personally. Do not just twitter to the thousands of faceless individuals. Talk with people to know them more.

Turn off your computer once in a while. Have coffee with a friend. Buy lunch. Chat without your computers or phone. Be available offline as you disconnect online on a periodic basis. That way, we remind ourselves on a regular basis, that behind every digital facade is a person who needs Christ. Like us.

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)

Light Up the World

This amazing story is about how the simplest solution can solve one of the most pressing problems. In the Philippines, millions of people struggle with the lack of light inside the house. Even on a bright and sunny day, the inside of the houses tend to be dark. This is because many people do not have the latest electricity infrastructure, or money to buy batteries for modern lamps and electrical devices. Enters the 'solar water lamp' where a simple plastic bottle, water, bleach, and some creativity brings light into a world of darkness. Watch the video clip here and be impressed. Apparently, I understand that this idea has an MIT connection.



There is currently a project to light a million homes in the Philippines by 2012. For more, you read read here.

conrade