business model

friday was my wife's holiday party for work. i had been looking forward to going for weeks, mostly because i didn't know many of her co-workers. i didn't expect it to be a learning experience. my wife's employer is small (5 employees), but all world-class in what they do. there is an astonishing success rate from their previous experiences. i learned a number of things on friday that the church could apply to church leadership. i'm not usually a proponent of the church following business models (i think it is more prone to misdirection, but that's a different post), but the values that i saw should be utilized in the church.

first, it is good for people to eat together at a table that is shared. there is something to be said for dining in a family style setting. we went to a spanish tapas restaurant, and shared a meal. there was a definite community feel to the evening because of the environment set up by the restaurant. it wasn't pretentious or too casual, but enhanced an already warm feeling. dishes came out, we passed things around, went back for seconds, and shared the meal. we could talk about the food as a shared experience, rather than an individual meal that no one else tried.

second, there was a lot of talk about respect at the table. the talk was also lived out. i realized quickly that the 5 people that worked together really respected one another. the most interesting thing about this respect was that it wasn't about accomplishments and it wasn't about position. the respect was based on someone's willingness and ability to take the other one to task. it was about being encouraged to become better. employee a appreciated employee b because he cared enough to tell him that he was slacking or mediocre. employee b respected this comment and put more of himself into the project the next time. there was also positive affirmation involved, but the respect was based upon critique.

third, i felt that all the employees were valued. i know that some are being temporarily underpaid to work at this company. i also know that their contribution is appreciated - because i was told. i heard the ceo and managing director talk about how one of the other guys, a young guy, did not realize how good he was. they weren't saying it under their breath. they were saying it to the whole table. he must have felt affirmed, valued, appreciated and proud to be a part of that team.

fourth, there was an enormous value placed on the role of the spouses. as a spouse, i felt appreciated and thanked. from past church experience, i have felt my spouse denegrated and underappreciated. i felt nothing but love from this team. i would be willing to sacrifice for this company.

fifth, i can't say enough about good wine. enjoying something luxurious, that allows you to linger, is a topic of conversation, and allows some barriers to fall, is a valuable asset. i was able to have heart-to-heart conversations with folks over several fantastic bottles of wine. i don't know that these conversations would have happened in a dry party.


my eagerness was rewarded with a wonderful time. i did some things that i didn't think i would do, like eat octopus and mussels (octopus was awesome - mussels not so much). i also enjoyed numerous different wines, sherry and desserts. it was a glorious evening.

advent-ure

I find it really difficult to get in the "Christmas Spirit". it's one of those things i struggle with every year. first, i'm skeptical of most things in american christmas culture. i hate shopping. let's get that out right away. when there's a day called "black friday" that's about getting a company "in the black," my skepticism says, "if you could get in the black by selling things cheap, why don't you sell them for that price all year long?" people get trampled and lose babies for bargains. really? have we got to the point where a 25% off plasma is worth a life, let alone our soul? i'm not the gift-giving type and it's not my love language. my love language is "time together" and christmas inevitably gets so crazy that it's less time together than usual.

second, i get sick of cheezy christmas music. i love the songs about jesus, such as "o come, o come, emmanuel" or "silent night," even if some of the theology is a little tweaked. but it's infinitely better than the chipmunks, mariah carey or date-rape christmas (baby, it's cold outside - seriously, listen to the lyrics). i found a christmas music station and the chipmunks came on and nate said, "a baby's singing." how am i supposed to respond to that? "no buddy, it's a rodent. make that 3 rodents promoting self-indulgent consumerism. like chuck e. cheese."



thank goodness for incredibly great christmas music. stuff like frank sinatra, bing crosby, third day, orchestral arrangements and sufjan stevens.



can we please get rid of santa baby, and last christmas? what can Wham! seriously contribute to christmas?



enough with the rant. i have been getting very excited about advent. in fact, advent conspiracy is one of the best things i have ever heard of. it has brought awareness to the needs and plight of other people. it forces me to consider the reality that i have enough stuff. and what i love, is that even though our church is under budget (as are many churches across the nation), there is not even a hint of changing advent conspiracy.

let's get real for a moment. i think that a struggling economy is good for christmas. it's good for our faith. we must change our focus from consumption to compassion. if we call ourselves followers of jesus, we're calling ourselves followers of a homeless man, who was born in a town in the outskirts to underpriveleged parents, was marginilized by society and died a convicted felon. and these are the people that we ignore the most. as americans, we are vain to feel we have a "right" to feed our appetites and ignore key teachings of Jesus. maybe we need to feel the reliance on a God who takes care of the birds of the air and the lilies of the field. i think we need a little more CHRIST and a lot less MASS-consumption.

it appears i have ranted again. it also appears i must be harboring some bitterness. so here's my prayer: God, may we learn to love one another this christmas. may we give in a way that is sacrificial and relational instead of guilt-ridden and obligatory. may we give out of love rather than for love. may we give ourselves to jesus in order to be the church he can use in a world that needs you.

the valley of elah

i was inspired by a good friend to start a second blog. although my first blog will continue to contain many things about my family and dumb things i think about, i will try to focus on theological and biblical insights on this one.

i chose to name this blog the valley of elah for a number of reasons. first, i have always been amazed at david's choice to go to battle against goliath. this battle happened in the valley of elah, a low-lying plain between israel and philistia. why would david choose to battle this man? if the giant so offended God, couldn't God take care of him on his own? why would a shepherd boy be so confident to take this matter into his own hands? one of my big issues is confidence. i think this has to do with identity. but more on this issue in a later post.

second, i found this place to be beautiful. i was able to explore it last may when i visited israel. the wheat was almost ready for harvest. the photo above was taken while i was there. there was a dry creek bed running nearby, where i was able to retrieve my five smooth stones from the same creek as david. setting my feet in this place, it was my first experience of feeling there, in the land where highly significant events occurred.

hopefully, this will be a place where i can process some of my thoughts, and you can give me some insights. i will appreciate any comments.