What's Best Next

30 Ways to Bless Your Workplace

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Josh Reeves:

A few weeks ago I posted some very practical ideas for engaging your neighborhood with the Gospel. To follow that up I have compiled 30 ideas for engaging people in your workplace. The workplace is an everyday context where many people spend the majority of their time. It is important for us to know what it looks like to bring gospel intentionality to our jobs. Hopefully this will help spark a few ideas for connecting with and blessing your coworkers.

1. Instead of eating lunch alone, intentionally eat with other co-workers and learn their story.

2. Get to work early so you can spend some time praying for your co-workers and the day ahead.

3. Make it a daily priority to speak or write encouragement when someone does good work.

4. Bring extra snacks when you make your lunch to give away to others.

5. Bring breakfast (donuts, burritos, cereal, etc.) once a month for everyone in your department.

6. Organize a running/walking group in the before or after work.

7. Have your missional community/small group bring lunch to your workplace once a month.

8. Create a regular time to invite coworkers over or out for drinks.

9. Make a list of your co-workers birthdays and find a way to bless everyone on their birthday.

10. Organize and throw office parties as appropriate to your job.

11. Make every effort to avoid gossip in the office. Be a voice of thanksgiving not complaining.

(As an aside, I’d recommend skipping item 12, “create a carpool.” I don’t believe in carpools!)

Read the whole thing.

(HT: Z)

Contrarian Reflections on Individualism

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DA Carson has a helpful article on a biblical notion of individualism in last fall’s issue of Themelios.

The proper kind of individualism stems from the biblical reality of absolute truth. Standing for truth, in spite of the social pressure to do otherwise, is a manifestation of the right kind of individualism.

This leads to Carson making an interesting connection between absolute truth and a free society. It is often alleged that belief in absolute truth is what leads to tyranny. Ironically, it is actually the opposite — relativism leads to tyranny because it leaves the individual with no ground to stand on in opposing the abuse of power. Here’s a helpful quote he cites on that matter:

The reality of the situation is just the opposite of what we have been led to believe. Put simply, tyranny is not the inevitable outcome of an absolutist view of truth, but is, rather, the direct product of relativism. Likewise, tolerance arises not from relativism but from the very thing that our society anathematizes — the belief in absolutes

It’s a helpful article and it’s worth checking out the whole thing.

John Wesley on the Global Leadership Summit

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Sometimes people criticize the Global Leadership Summit (which I live blogged last week) on the grounds that it brings in secular thinkers to speak at a Christian conference.

If secular thinkers were teaching theology or preaching, that would be a legitimate criticism. But they are teaching on the subject of leadership — which is a broad area which affects all of us and which most of us engage in, either through position or influence, in multiple areas of life.

Hence, I think the following John Wesley quote is applicable and a helpful reminder:

“To imagine none can teach you but those who are themselves saved from sin, is a very great and dangerous mistake. Give not place to it for a moment.”

John Wesley, A Plain Account of Christian Perfection (London: Epworth Press, 1952; 1st Epworth ed.), p. 87, quoted in JP Moreland, Love Your God with All Your Mind: The Role of Reason in the Life of the Soul, 54.

I’m aware of some follow-up criticisms that could still be made, and have been made. But this is worth thinking about a bit. And I’ll address the other issues, including Eric Landry’s post, if I can hit a decent stopping point in writing my book this week.

Finding Your Work Sweet Spot

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Scott Belsky:

There are two types of work in this world. The first is the laborious kind, which I call “work with obligation.” It’s work that we do because of a contractual obligation. The second – very different – type of work that we do is “work with intention.”

When we are working with intention, we toil away endlessly – often through the wee hours of the morning – on projects we care about deeply. Whether it is building an intricate replica model of an ancient ship, or pulling an all-nighter to write a song or map out an idea for a new business, you do it because you love it.

If you can put “work with intention” at the center of your efforts, you’re more likely to make an impact in what matters most to you. So, how do we find (and foster) work with intention in our lives and projects?

Read the whole thing.

How Weakness Builds Strength

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Justin Taylor has a good excerpt from Joni Eareckson Tada’s booklet Hope . . . The Best of Things.

Here’s a key quote that illustrates the meaning of Jesus’ words “my power is perfected in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9):

I sure hope I can bring this wheelchair to heaven.

Now, I know that’s not theologically correct.

But I hope to bring it and put it in a little corner of heaven, and then in my new, perfect, glorified body, standing on grateful glorified legs, I’ll stand next to my Savior, holding his nail-pierced hands.

I’ll say, “Thank you, Jesus,” and he will know that I mean it, because he knows me.

He’ll recognize me from the fellowship we’re now sharing in his sufferings.

And I will say,

“Jesus, do you see that wheelchair? You were right when you said that in this world we would have trouble, because that thing was a lot of trouble. But the weaker I was in that thing, the harder I leaned on you. And the harder I leaned on you, the stronger I discovered you to be.”

Responding with Grace and Truth to the Homosexual Lobby

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As is well known by now, Howard Schultz, Chairman and CEO of Starbucks, withdrew himself as a speaker at the Leadership Summit this week. Starbucks did not say why, but most speculated it was because of an online petition by an activist group accusing Willow Creek of being “anti-gay.”

Bill Hybels ended that speculation and addressed this issue at the Summit on Thursday. His response is a model of combining graciousness with truth and conviction. Here are two key quotes:

“If the organizers of this petition had simply taken the time to call us, we would have taken the time to explain to them that Willow is not only not anti-gay; Willow Creek is not anti-anybody. Our church was founded on the idea that people matter to God — all people. People of all backgrounds, colors, ethnicities, and sexual orientation. The mat at every door on this campus reads “welcome”. . .

“Now what is true is that we challenge homosexuals and heterosexuals to live out the sexual ethics taught in the Scriptures which encourages full sexual expression between a man and a woman in the context of marriage and prescribes sexual abstinence and purity for everybody else. But even as we challenge all of our people to these biblical standards, we do so with grace-filled spirits, knowing the confusion and brokenness that is rampant in our fallen world.”

Ed Stetzer and Adam Jeske also provide some helpful reflections.

Summary of Posts from Day 2 of the Leadership Summit

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Tough Callings

Michelle Rhee

Henry Cloud

John Dickson

Patrick Lencioni

General

That's a Wrap

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The summit is just ending now, and I’ll be heading back home shortly.

This has been a lot of fun and an excellent experience. I’m grateful to the Willow Creek Association for the opportunity to have been one of the guest bloggers here at the leadership summit. I learned a ton, and I hope that all of you were able to follow along a bit through the posts. This has been quite a packed two days!

I am pretty tired right now, but if I can I’ll write up some concluding thoughts when I get the chance.

Patrick Lencioni on Vulnerability

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Talking about vulnerability. Good follow-up to a talk on humility.

How he came to this view on the importance of vulnerability: His faith, the example of his dad growing up, experience as a consultant right out of college — they were told “always look smarter than your clients, etc.” Wasn’t real.

The desire to avoid vulnerability in our society stems from our over valuing of avoiding suffering and difficulty. People say “no, always be on, always make yourself strong.” But there is something attractive about people that are humble and vulnerable.

The three fears that keep us from being vulnerable.

1. Fear of losing the business

Another way to say it: Fear of being rejected.

Rejection is something we are called to — Christ was rejected. We have to be willing to be rejected. “Enter the danger.”

We have to speak the kind truth. Can’t have “terminal niceness” in our churches. We fall into it because we don’t want to be rejected.

People are hungry for those who will tell them the kind truth.

Don’t be afraid of being rejected. 8 out of 10 times you won’t be. But sometimes you will — and you have to accept that.

[My observation: Just make sure you really are accurate about the truth and what needs to be done and how you are assessing the situation. If you tell the kind truth, but are actually wrong, that’s not helpful!]

2. The fear of being embarrased

When we’re serving others, we have to do things that could embarrass us. We need to be willing to say “I don’t understand that.”

Your job is not to look smart, but to help them do better. If you are editing yourself to manage your own image, people will not trust you and you will not inspire them.

Be willing to ask dumb questions!

Celebrate your mistakes.

3. The fear of feeling inferior

Be willing to put yourself in a lower position. This is what Jesus did: washed the disciples feet.

Sometimes people aren’t going to reward you for doing the dirty work. But you should do it anyway.

This is about honoring your client’s work: being so interested in them that you care more about their success than your own.

There’s a standing ovation for Lencioni.

(Note: Lencioni just found out he was speaking this week, as he took Howard Schultz’s slot after he withdrew.)