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Short Documentary of Cape Town 2010

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Below is a short documentary of the Third Lausanne Congress on World Evangelization that was held in Cape Town, South Africa, last October.

Here’s the intro from the website:

Cape Town 2010 has been called the most representative gathering of Christian leaders in the 2000 year history of the Christian movement (Christianity Today).  Four-thousand Christian leaders representing 198 countries attended the Congress in Cape Town, South Africa.  The Congress was brought together by a globalized leadership team from Africa, Egypt, Malaysia, India, North America and elsewhere.  Several thousand more leaders participated in the Congress through the Cape Town GlobaLink, Cape Town Virtual Congress and Lausanne Global Conversation.  Learn more about this gathering by watching this short documentary.

Willow Creek's Global Leadership Summit Featured in Fast Company

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Last December, Fast Company did a story on Willow Creek’s Global Leadership Summit. It’s a good article and worth your time. And I commend Fast Company for doing an article that features some of the excellent leadership development that is going on in the church right now.

I’ve been to the Summit twice, and it is fantastically helpful. In fact, the Summit often includes many of the leadership thinkers I tend to quote on this blog, such as Jim Collins, Chip and Dan Heath, Marcus Buckingham, and others. It has been a great experience to see some of them in person.

Here’s a great comment from Hybels on the importance of good leadership in the church:

The summit sprang from Hybels’s conviction that church leaders lacked leadership training. “I’d been trying to help churches train pastors, and I kept asking myself, Why do some churches flourish and others languish? Is it location? Denomination? Urban versus rural? Rich versus poor?” Hybels says. “I could think of an exception to every theory, until I realized that every thriving church was not just well fed but also well led. It was a potent combination of great teaching and great leadership.”

I agree with Hybels: churches need to be well taught and well led. For too long we’ve tended to create a dichotomy between the two. But good theology and good leadership belong together, and mutually serve one another.

Sometimes the Summit is criticized for bringing in secular thinkers (a criticism which would also apply to this blog!). I don’t think that criticism holds water; maybe I’ll talk about that issue sometime. I am grateful and excited for what the Lord is doing through the Summit to help teach his people more and more about effective leadership. It would be worth attending if you are able.

Proposal for a Message at the 2011 Web 2.0 Conference

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This is a proposal I submitted for the 2011 Web 2.0 Conference. Though it was a secular conference, I submitted a proposal on how there is a biblical basis for web usability because it seemed that that topic would be of general interest. I’m posting it here as an example of doing public theology — that is, of seeking to bring a gospel-centered perspective on things into the wider culture in a (hopefully!) winsome, appropriate, and respectful way.

Description (65 words)

Website usability is not simply a good idea; there is actually a case to be made for it from the Bible. This transforms not only how we understand usability, but also how we understand all of our work. Now matter what your religious views, it is surprising (and helpful!) to see that the Bible has something to say about even the more sophisticated aspects of everyday life and work.

Full Description

The first principle for an effective content strategy is: have excellent content and make your site _usable_. You want users to think hard about your content–not about how to use your site.

But usability doesn’t only make your site better and more effective. There is also a case to be made for it from the Bible, because it is a way of serving your users.

This session will show how usable websites are an expression of the core biblical commandments to “love your neighbor as yourself” (Luke 10:27) and put others before ourselves (Philippians 2:4). Even for those who do not have religious beliefs, or who do not share a belief in the authority of the Bible, it can transform our work to see it not simply as a job or a way of making money, but also as a way of serving and doing good for others.

Secular thinkers such as Patrick Lencioni and Howard Schultz and even Tom Peters have long pointed out that work is not just about the work, but serving others and even uplifting the human spirit (see, for example, the beginning of Schultz’s latest book, “Onward: How Starbucks Fought for Its Life Without Losing Its Soul,” or the last chapter of Lencioni’s “The Three Signs of a Miserable Job” or Tom Peter’s discussion of “transcendence” in our work in “In Search of Excellence”). This session will show how these thinkers are echoing an even greater reality that is in tune with the worldview of the Bible itself. We will also make an application to exactly why usability is a matter of serving others well, and how understanding usability in this way motivates even greater excellence–for since excellence is hard work, it is ultimately only possible when we put others (in this case, the user) before ourselves.

Seeing these things is not only surprising and engaging in itself, but will also give those who attend a snapshot into the worldview of many of their own web visitors, as a majority of web users do have at least a loose religious affiliation and concern for spiritual issues.

Additional Information

The purpose of this session is not to persuade people about religion or create any controversy in any way at all. People can choose to believe what they want, and my aim here is not to address any controversial issues.

Rather, it is simply interesting and illuminating to see that the Bible has things to say about the everyday things we do in life–including really cool things like interactive design and making sites usable. Even (especially) people who have no religious viewpoints or do not hold to the Bible as a special book will find this session interesting as they see how a book that many in our culture _do_ hold in high regard has very engaging things to say about everyday life and the world of technology.

While the content of my session will be engaging and interesting and surprising, it will not be religiously controversial. The compelling and interesting thing is the fact _that_ the Bible has relevance to these things, and _how_ this is so. And that is broadly interesting and applicable. Additionally, this session will help meet the diversity value listed in the criteria by which sessions are selected, as it looks at web design from a unique perspective not typically addressed at the conference, while also shedding light for attendees into how many of their users think about the world (as 50% + of the population does at least have some lose religious affiliation).

A Chance to Be in My Book: What is the Best Thing You've Learned from Getting Things Done?

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A lot of people that I talk to say “I can’t do everything David Allen outlines in Getting Things Done, but I took away a few key ideas that have made a big impact.” And the main take-away they describe is usually very helpful.

So I’m thinking of having a call-out in the book that highlights the top things various people have taken away from Getting Things Done. I’ve been asking this question of some people I’ve interviewed for the book, and I’d love to hear your thoughts as well.

Just shoot me an email or add a comment below answering this question: “What is the most helpful thing you learned from Getting Things Done?”

Send me your questions on productivity

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One of the things I’m doing for my book is interviewing as many people as I can about their productivity habits and insights. Some of the best insights and practices will likely be incorporated into the book. I might also include short excerpts from some of these interviews as call-outs in the book.

I’ve already interviewed several people, but am refining my questions a bit before doing another round. I’m focusing on Christian leaders, business and non-profit leaders, and anyone who just plain gets a lot done. (One highlight so far, among many others, was interviewing one of the President’s former schedulers — that was very helpful and very interesting!)

So I wanted to ask you: What are some of the questions you’d like me to ask in these interviews? What types of things are you most interested in learning and improving when it comes to your own productivity? And what theological questions about the foundations of productivity would you like to see me ask?

Feel free to email me any questions you’d like me to consider including, or leave them in the comments.

Theological Reflections on Going Under for Nose Surgery Tomorrow

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2010 02-10 013
Shortly after breaking my nose in the Wal-Mart parking lot

Last February I broke my nose in the Wal-Mart parking lot. It’s a funny story that maybe I will tell sometime. Tomorrow I have to go in for surgery to get it fixed. (Complicated insurance reasons are driving me to get it done before the end of the year!)

They knock you out entirely for this surgery, which in one sense I am glad about. (But, in another sense, I’m not looking forward to it because it means you are having things done to you over which you will be entirely helpless about yourself!).

The surgery is not a huge deal (and all the damage is on the inside — you can’t tell by looking at it that it was broke), and I’ve talked to a lot of people who have had this done. But in light of being knocked out entirely, there are two doctrines, or truths about God, that particularly come to mind and which I will be relying on as I go under.

1. The Doctrine of Vocation

I don’t know if the doctor who will be performing the surgery is a believer or not, and he doesn’t have to be in order to be a good and effective doctor. And that’s because of the doctrine of vocation.

The doctrine of vocation teaches us that when each of us are operating in our vocations, it is ultimately God who is at work. God is “hidden” in vocation — including those of non-Christians.

Gene Veith does the best so far of articulating this doctrine for us today (see his excellent book God at Work). Veith points out that the doctrine of vocation is why, in the Lord’s Prayer for example, we can pray “give us this day our daily bread” even though the bread comes to us through the work of a thousand different people (the farmer who planted the seeds and harvested the wheat, the people that used the wheat to make the bread, the people that designed the company’s process for making the bread, the people that built the machines used in making the bread, the marketing department that enables people to know about the bread, the truck drivers that delivered the bread to the grocery store, the stock people who stock the shelves with the bread, and so forth).

The reason we pray to God to give us our daily bread, even though it comes through the actions of humans, is because God is at work through each person’s vocation to serve us and his creation.

As Veith puts it:

Though he could give it to us directly, by a miraculous provision, as He once did for the children of Israel when He fed them daily with manna, God has chosen to work through human beings, who, in their different capacities and according to their different talents, serve one another. This is the doctrine of vocation.

And:

Luther goes so far as to say that vocation is a mask of God. That is, God hides Himself in the workplace, the family, the Church, and the seemingly secular society. To speak of God being hidden is a way of describing His presence, as when a child hiding in the room is there, just not seen. To realize that the mundane activities that take up most of our lives. . . are hiding-places for God can be a revelation in itself.

As it is with our daily bread, so also it is with this surgery: ultimately it is not the doctor at work to produce this outcome of a repaired nose, but God. The doctrine of vocation enables me to acknowledge and even admire what the doctor is able to do, while ultimately looking up to God as the one who is himself bringing this about and fixing my nose. (I only wish he wanted to do this one through a miracle!)

We might normally think, “If God is going to fix my nose, then a fixed nose will miraculously appear.” But no. The doctrine of vocation teaches us that tomorrow, when the surgeon repairs my nose, that itself is God giving me the gift of a fixed nose. God is fixing my nose tomorrow — not through a miracle or instant fix, but through the work of the surgeon. And the outcome will be just as much from God as if He had done it directly.

This gives both comfort and significance to the experience of something like surgery, let alone all the other things that we do and experience in our daily lives. As Veith goes on to say:

Most people seek God in mystical experiences, spectacular miracles, and extraordinary acts they have to do. [But] to find Him in vocation brings Him, literally, down to earth, makes us see how close He really is to us, and transfigures everyday life.

2. God’s Providence for Believers

The doctrine of vocation is obviously very related to the doctrine of providence. When it comes to providence, there are two main types that theologians distinguish: God’s general providence, which is his governance and care over all creation, and God’s special providence in redemptive history, such as his special work to preserve the Scriptures and lead the church to recognize the correct books of the canon.

There’s also a third category worth thinking of, which is simply God’s providence over his church and the lives of believers. I think it is warranted to think of this distinct from God’s general providence over creation because of all the promises that he makes to his people. Things such as:

God causes all things to work together for good for those who love God and are called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28)

Cast all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. (1 Peter 5:7)

Therefore do not be anxious, saying, “What shall we eat?” or “What shall we drink?” or “What shall we wear?” For the Gentiles eagerly seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. (Matthew 6:31-32)

And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church. (Ephesians 1:22 — in other words, Jesus rules all things for the sake of the church)

Now here’s what I find very remarkable in this experience. In many ways, we are able to attend to our more immediate needs. Or, more accurately, God meets these needs through our actions. When we are hungry, we can go get some food. If a driver seems to be coming into our lane, we slow down or move over. If a baseball is flying right at our head, we can knock it down or move. We are able, to a certain degree, to work and do stuff to provide for our needs and safety.

But tomorrow when I go under the anesthesia for the nose surgery, apparently I won’t even be able to breathe for myself unaided (they have to put a tube in). I will go from having some role and involvement in the meeting of my needs to none.

That feels strange. As I look ahead to this, because of his providence and care, what stands out to me is that God will be watching over me in this time. It’s not that he isn’t just as much watching over us when we are awake and have all of our abilities. But there is something unique about the fact that my involvement in the process will be gone. I will be trusting him to keep watch over me and do so entirely independent of me. I will have to stop taking care of myself for a time, and trust that God will do so now not just partly through my actions, but now entirely apart from them.

I know the surgeon will do a great job. But, because of the doctrine of vocation and doctrine of providence, my ultimate trust is not in the surgeon or medical knowledge, but in God working in and through and, in some sense, above those things.

I know this is just nose surgery, they do this all the time, and it’s really simple to think of going under, and then waking up on the other side in the recovery room. But we shouldn’t take God’s provision in these things for granted, any more than we should take his more everyday provisions for granted. We should be thinking about and consciously grateful for God’s provision in all areas of our lives at all times; and having to go through the unpleasant experience of something like nose surgery is, to me at least, a good reminder of this.

In South Africa

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I’m in South Africa for the next few weeks for the Lausanne Congress.

For this week, I’m with John Piper and some others from DG as he speaks at a couple pastors conferences.

Then, beginning Sunday, I’ll be in Cape Town for the actual Congress. It’s a gathering of more than 4,000 Christians from more than 200 nations to discuss the state of global Christianity and world evangelization. The first congress was called by Billy Graham in 1974 and was a major landmark in the progress of modern missions. The second congress was in 1989, and this I now the third. You can learn more about it from the Lausanne website and the helpful article in Christianity Today, The Most Diverse Gathering Ever.

While I’m here I’ll post some updates from the congress and possibly some various insights on issues of missions strategy, Christianity and culture, solving large global problems, and just being in Africa.

Seminar at the DG National Conference

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If anyone is going to be at the DG Conference this weekend, I’ll be doing a seminar on how the gospel gives us a new way to look at productivity and new reasons to care about productivity. Looks like I’ll be giving the seminar twice, at 1:00 and 3:00 on Friday (tomorrow) afternoon.

I’d love to meet anyone who is going to be there, so feel free to stop up after and say hi!

Also: I enjoy really, really hard questions. So come with the most challenging questions you have and I’ll be happy to give them my best shot.

Giving to the Lausanne Congress

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In a little less than a month, the Third Lausanne Congress on World Evangelization begins in Cape Town.

The first Congress was held in 1974 and is regarded as a milestone in the history of modern missions. Here’s a bit of the history:

In July 1974 some 2,700 participants and guests from over 150 nations gathered in the Swiss Alps for ten days of discussion, fellowship, worship and prayer. The Congress achieved an unprecedented diversity of nationalities, ethnicities, ages, occupations and denominational affiliations. In fact, TIME magazine described the Lausanne Congress as “a formidable forum, possibly the widest-ranging meeting of Christians ever held.”

Congress participants heard addresses from some of the world’s most respected Christian leaders of the time, including Graham, Samuel Escobar, Francis Schaeffer, Malcolm Muggeridge, and John Stott. Ralph Winter’s plenary address, in which he introduced the term “unreached people groups” was hailed as “one of the milestone events in missiology.” In contradistinction to those calling for a moratorium on foreign missions, Winter argued that because thousands of groups remained without a single Christian witness, cross-cultural evangelization should be the primary task of the church. Dr. Scott Moreau (Evangelical Missions Quarterly) and Dr. Mike O’Rear (Global Mapping) have called the people groups concept “the most significant development in evangelical mission strategy over the last 25 years” (Moreau 1998).

Lausanne II was held in 1989, and the third Congress is next month. You can learn about the Lausanne movement here.

I noticed that as of last week, there are still some funds left to raise to ensure that the Congress is fully funded. This would be a worthy cause worth giving to, and if interested you can give online at their site.