In Search of Faithful Companions

"I will search for faithful people to be my companions." 

(Psalm 101:6 NLT)

Again and Again I am struck by the intentionality spoken of in Psalm 101. In v.6, the Psalmist says, "I will search for faithful people to be my companions." 

It seems that we often view the discovery of friends (companions) in kind of a happen-stance manner. Indeed, more often than not, friendships emerge out of such seemingly spontaneous settings and meetings. You meet someone. There's some sort of chemistry or similar common interest and affinity. Then, over time, a friendship develops - perhaps...

But, the Psalmist doesn't seem to be speaking of such scenarios here. He says, "I will search." He's intentionally on the look out. For what? A companion. Person(s) who he can live-life with. And, not just anyone will suffice. He says, I'm looking for those who are "faithful." 

The Psalmist may have many acquaintances, but he recognizes that there are those who transcend beyond into the realm of companion. Those who have the access to speak into our lives, to know us deeply, and to be known by us.

He's conscious of the type of person who has access to his soul. He is aware that he will be shaped by those he "dwells" with and those who are allowed to "minister" to him (speak to him, pour into him, influence him, etc).

We all have friends… 

But, how many are faithful companions? How many faithful companions do I currently have? People who know me - my depths, my dreams, my fears, my frustrations and so forth?

What would it look like for me to "search for faithful people" in my own life?

How many people consider me one of their faithful companions…?

"A friend," wrote Henri Nouwen "is someone who asks how you are doing and then waits around long enough for you to answer." 

How many people do I demonstrate this quality to…? How many ask me and then wait around for the answer…?

We all need faithful companions! May we develop the intentionality to "search." And, a keen "eye" to see those who God is putting in our path to journey with...

The Power of Words

More often than not... It's not what we say... It's how we say it...

    A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold

    in settings of silver. (NKJ)

 The right word at the right time
is like a custom-made piece of jewelry.
~Provers 25:11 MSG

Day 16 of Lent :: Breaking Silence

“There is a time to be silent
and a time to speak.”
(Ecclesiastes 3:7)

The wisdom writer of the book of Ecclesiastes said “there is a time for everything.”  There is a time to remain silent, just as Jesus did before Pilate, and steadfastly trust in God to be our shield and our defense.  There are also times to break the barriers of silence when God asks us to be the shield and defense for others.  On these occasions, we must speak up.

Few people relish conflict.  Sometimes it is easier to pretend not to hear what co-workers are saying than it is to confront them.  Although we may not be participating in the negativity or adding to the gossip or contributing to the juicy rumors, our silence does not free us from our guilt.  Although we may internally disapprove as we quietly sit listening, our silence may very well be interpreted as agreement. 

The New Testament writer, James, was writing to a group of people who had become accustomed to overlooking the less fortunate.  They had slowly been numbed by the familiarity of those in need around them.  Simply put, they responded with ignorance, silence, or worse yet, by saying “God bless and good luck,” to those in need, then quickly went on about their day.  James wrote, “if you know the good you ought to do and don’t do it, you sin.” (James 4:17)

Reflection: Are there conversations you have listened to in “silent agreement”?  Why haven’t you spoken up?  What would it be like to either remove yourself from the conversation or to lovingly speak up?  Ask God to forgive you for the occasions of “silent agreement” and to make you aware of them in the future.  There is a time to be silent, and there is a time to speak.  May we have the wisdom, discernment, and grace to not confuse the two.

Lost in Translation

All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them… When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken…. we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!” (Acts 2:6 & 11)

It was the Holy Spirit that enabled the apostles to be understood in their own language and to be ‘cut to the heart.’

So it is with us today! While many may speak the ‘same’ language, so much seems to get lost in translation. From a meeting behind closed doors to a message preached from the stage, all too often people only seem to hear what’s being said through several filters. At times this can cause conflict, disagreement or even hardness of heart, all because it never made it to “their own language.”

Sometimes this happens, because we’ve been conditioned to only hear what we want to hear. At other times, we never listen in the first place. We’re too busy reloading what we’ll say next. This often becomes apparent as soon as one speaks, rather than seeking clarity, understanding or to see things from the speakers perspective, we assume we know where they’re coming from, derail, and begin crafting a response (often totally unrelated to what was just said). Sometimes, we don’t even wait for them to finish talking to interrupt. We take the liberty and begin talking over the person, even while they’re still talking. This is always a dead give away that we weren’t listening to start with. Much of this could be remedied as we learn and engage other humans with love, respect and dignity, but ultimately we each need the enabling power of the Holy Spirit to empower us to speak in such a way that others hear us in “their own language,” and as others speak for us to understand them as well.

God fill me with Your Spirit. May I speak and communicate in such a way as to be understood by all, in their own language and situation and may Your Spirit cut to the very core of the heart…

The Greatest Compliment

Who doesn't like a good compliment? 

 We all like a little affirmation here and there, it doesn't matter who you are. Unfortunately, it's easy to fall into the trap of living for the compliment or into the head-spin of asking yourself, what was wrong when you don't get your quota. But let's not kid ourselves, compliments, can at times be like Christmas presents to distant family members, it's just something we do.

There are, however, compliments that push beyond the veneer of superficiality and obligated courtesy. Recently, I recieved such a compliment. Two days after last week's teaching, Drawing a Prayer to God, I was visiting my sons school and was approached by a fourth-grade teacher. She begin to communicate:

I'm always looking for ways to engage my students in new and creative ways. Constantly, I'm asking God for ways to help my students engage God in real and authentic ways. Yesterday, I retaught your whole teaching on prayer from Wednesday night. Then I handed out paper and markers and instructed them to begin drawing a prayer to God. I was amazed at what transpired. Students were fully engaged in what they were doing. Some were actually weeping as they drew. Others, that I've not seen engage outwardly in prayer or worship, became some of the most focused in the room...

This is one of the greatest compliments, I think, that a communicator/teacher/preacher can receive. "I listened, was influenced, practiced myself, then went and taught another and actually lead them to engage it as well..."

Pass on what you heard from me--
the whole congregation saying Amen!-
to reliable leaders who are competent to teach others.

2 Timothy 2:2 MSG

Praying in Color :: Images of Prayer

When it comes to prayer, many of us can find ourselves word-weary or easily distracted. There's the struggle with a short attention span or a restless body. I'm looking forward to our new series on prayer called Praying in Color. In it, we're going be exploring some creative and engaging ways to connect with God in prayer.  The life of prayer, may never be the same again.

Tonight, I'm introducing the idea of praying beyond words. Here's a snapshot of my thoughts...

Capturing Inspiration...

Where does inspiration come from...? At times it seems like inspiration for a message, teaching, writing, song, etc comes from some mystical place. Yet, more often than not, it's simply the byproduct of becoming aware of what's going on within us and around us, along with a sense of the divine spark lighting on fire (as it were) the mundane bushes before us... 

“Earth is crammed with heaven,and every common bush is on fire with God;but only he who sees takes off his shoes; the rest sit around it and pluck blackberries.” – Elizabeth Barrett Browning

 As I'm writing and developing thoughts, there are a few artists I tend to pull up in the iTunes to play in the background. One of those is Brooke Fraser. In the following clips she shares about what it looks like for her to capture inspiration in the everyday moments and encounters of life.

FLAGS PREVIEW - Writing from Brooke Fraser on Vimeo.

"Creativity, has been said, consists largely of rearranging what we know
in order to find out what we do not know.
Hence, to think creatively,
we must be able to look afresh
at what we normally take for granted."    
— George Kneller 

"Anyone can look for fashion in a boutique
or history in a museum.
The creative explorer
looks for history in a hardware store
and fashion in an airport."
— Robert Wiede

The Power of a Storytelling

Stories have enormous power, unfortunately the very essence of that power is often crippled in the telling. True storytellers simply know how to communicate old stories in new ways. And, even when they use the same plot as before, it always seems to take on new life. This life flows not from some new fabrication of the events at hand, rather the outworking of a life that's actually been there. The aliveness comes from the life the story has within them, it just simply can't be contained.

Martin Buber once commented about the power of stories:

"A story must be told in such a way that it constitutes help in itself.

My grandfather was lame. Once they asked him to tell a story about his teacher. And he related how his teacher used to hop and dance while he prayed. My grandfather rose as he spoke, and he was so swept away by his story that he began to hop and dance to show how the master had done. From that hour he was cured of his lameness.

That's how to tell a story."

I'm fascinated not only how our very lives have been shaped by stories, but how powerful stories become in the authentic creative telling. Creativity is often simply pausing long enough to allow new ways to emerge for telling an old story. It is the very pause of contemplation that becomes the path that simply takes one deeper into the story itself.

The following is a short video by Storyteller Jay O'Callahan talking and demonstrating the power of stories.

An Aggressively Inarticulate Generation

The Learning Revolution

A while back, I referenced one of my favorite talks by Sir Ken Robinson. In this talk, he explores the idea of - Do Schools Kill Creativity?

Recently, Robinson gave another talk Bring on the Learning Revolution. Here, he makes several interesting comments that have great relevance on education, creativity and personal pursuit of passion(s). Several of his later remarks would make great conversation pieces as it relates to the Church. Rather than extract various thoughts and quotes, I've simply posted the 18:00 presentation.

The Truth about Motivation

The following is an interesting clip about motivation by author Daniel Pink.

Sundays Coming...

Ever thought about why we do what we do? How we do it? When we do it? The way we do it?

Here's an interestingly look at Sunday Mornings... Does it resemble your church?

"Sunday's Coming" Movie Trailer from North Point Media on Vimeo.

Cell Phone Etiquette

PSA: Please Silence Your Cell Phones from NewSpring Media on Vimeo.

The Pulpit Calls

“The pulpit calls those anointed to it as the sea calls its sailors; and like the sea, it batters and bruises and does not rest…. To preach, to really preach, is to die naked a little at a time and to know each time you do it that you must do it again.” Bruce W. Thielemann, The Wittenburg Door, no. 36 (April–May 1977)

The Role of a Teacher

"We are not asked to teach a discipline like mathematics, physics, history or languages, but we are called to make our own faith available to others as the source of learning. To be a teacher means indeed to lay down your life for your friends, to become a 'martyr' in the original sense of witness. To be a teacher means to offer your own faith experience, your loneliness and intimacy, your doubts and hopes, your failures and successes to your students as a context in which they can struggle with their own quest for meaning. To be a teacher means to have the same boldness as Paul, who said to the Corinthians: 'Take me as a model as I take Christ' (1 Cor. 11:1). To be a teacher means to say as those who want to learn what Jesus said to his disciples: 'Come and see' (John 1:39)" - Henri J.M. Nouwen (cited in Wounded Prophet by Michael Ford, 106-107)

Leaders Should Act Like Artist :: Artist Should Act Like Leaders

Recently, Kem Meyer, author of LESS CLUTTER. LESS NOISE, linked a couple of great posts on the inter-connectivity of the skills demonstrated by leaders and artist, and how they can learn from each other.

How leaders should act like artists (from Harvard Business):

1. Artists constantly collaborate. The example given was the common occurrence of an exhibition with multiple artists showing together, or the so-called "group show." Even in the context of a solo show, the artist works with the gallery owner, the curator, the framers, the installers, the lighting person, the publicist to bring their vision to life. Every exhibition is a collaboration to the nth degree.
   
   
2. Artists are talented communicators. The whole point of a work of art is to communicate something — a thought, an idea, a feeling, a vision. More explicitly, the artist frequently gives a talk to explain the thought process behind the artwork. Engaging the audience in a meaningful, expansive dialogue is often critical to the exhibition's success.
   
   
3. Artists learn how to learn together. Perhaps the reason why artists collaborate and socialize so well is that they learn in the studio model — ten or more students in the same room for hours on end. Bonded together in a personal space of intimate self-expression, they come into their own through the familial ties of the studio setting. When interviewed recently about the differences in her education at Brown and at RISD, one student who is getting a dual degree from both institutions said, "At RISD there's a lot of learning from your peers. Brown (in the classes I've taken so far anyway) is about listening and note-taking in class."

How artists should act like leaders (from Accidental Creative):

1. I speak my mind and fight for ideas but refuse to play the “victim” when my idea doesn’t win out.
2. I do what’s in the best interest of the team and the project, even when it costs me something.
3. I do the little things that matter even when I could feasibly cut corners.
4. I stretch myself to see things from new points of view.
5. I think strategically, even when I don’t have all the information I want.
6. I don’t point fingers, talk trash or assign blame behind closed doors.
7. I have something that guides my creating beyond comfort and preference.

Monologue of Philippians

Paul's letter to those in Philippi, was originally read from start to finish in one sitting. Often, in our retelling of Scripture we do so by extracting isolated verses from the context they were written in. As helpful as this can be, something of the essence and power of the Scripture is missed when we don't capture it in the larger context. For me personally, something powerful has transpired, as I've read through the whole book of Philippians again-and-again. Each time something new catches my attention. Another piece falls into place, bringing greater clarity to the whole.

To wrap up our series on Philippians, we did so by imagining what was in Paul's heart as he wrote to this group of followers. If Paul could have read it himself, what would it have sounded and looked like?

The following is a dramatized monologue of the Book of Philippians, that seeks to imaginatively enter into the heart of Paul and the impulse of the Spirit of God.

Monologue of Philippians_Week Fourteen from Jerrell Jobe on Vimeo.

Statistics are not Boring, Neither Should We...

We've all sat through our share of boring lectures, classes, even sermons.

Frequently I'm amazed at how subjects that are multi-layered and awe inspiring like the Story of Scripture, the wonder of creation or the dynamics of human history can be flattened down to a mere linear-monotone-humdrum captivity, resulting in what feels like a fatal death by bullet-point.

Let's face it, communicating to a group of people, regardless of the size can be a challenging undertaking. Further, there are certain subjects that seem to not leave much room for creative interpretation or innovative and engaging communication.

Statistics could be one of those subjects.

After all, how much can one do with numbers and graphs to captivate an audience? Hans Rosling is one of those aforementioned persons who deals with copious amounts of data. He is a professor of International Health, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.

Rosling is however, an example of someone who can take a subject as seemingly mundane and sleep inducing as statistics and communicate it in a way that is humorous, informative, entertaining, no to mention inspiring.

Recently, Hans gave a talk at TEDIndia in which he vividly demonstrates that statistics are not boring. He brilliantly presents more than numbers, data and statistical predictions. He conveys the story that is actually behind the statistics and the names behind the numbers.

His video is one worth watching. (link)

Hans' video causes me to imaginatively wonder what other subjects have we marginalized to boring, irrelevant, or simply unappealing? Subjects and topics, that if only communicated in the form of a story could come to live with penetrating power?

Symphonic Listening

Have you ever been to a symphony? No one applauds until the vibrations of the instruments cease or the resounding echos have finished reaching the back row of the balcony and returned again to stage. It isn't until these resounding echos have given themselves fully to the whole room that the audience beings to applaud.

Perhaps, listening, true listening, is very similar.

Communication consists of more than the moving of the lips. Yet, the cessation of such movement is typically taken as our cue to respond. As it is with the musical sounds of an orchestra, communication isn't complete when the lips stop moving, rather when the vibrations of those words and where they originated from have had time to reach the back of who we are and once again returned…

It isn't until those words have had time to give themselves fully to us, or until we've had ample time to receive, perceive and understand more fully what's behind those words. After all, the masterpiece being played by the orchestra is much greater than the notes on the page. It isn't until all these notes come together that music emerges. So it is with human communication, it's more than the words, much more indeed.

Unfortunately, under the trance of time efficiency, we often are prone to spend more time thinking of a response or rebuttal while the other party is talking, than actually engaging the words coming forth from them. As such, we only hear the "notes" and miss the "song" all together. As William Isaacs said, “People don’t listen. They reload.”

Yet, when we refrain from merely “reloading,” there’s a knowing and wisdom that emerges out of the silence. This wisdom then speaks into the present. "Silence," Henri Nouwen wrote, “teaches me to speak.”

I’ve noticed that one of the most “full” and deeply resounding moments are those moments just after one has shared from the core of who they are…

In such moments, it seems, the last thing that is needed is for me to speak…

"But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak."
(James 1:19)

True leadership and spiritual maturity is marked by one's ability to restrain their judgments and inner-responses long enough to simply and purely listen and engage on a level deeper than the audible decibels... with the heart and spirit.

Capuring Creative Ideas with EverNote

Often as I'm out at a store, a park or simply riding around town, I see something that sparks an idea. Sometimes someone will say something that resonates deeply within. Or, perhaps a book is mentioned. In each of these scenarios, my mind is flooded with thoughts, however the time and space of the moment don't give ample time to reflect or develop the thought further.

During these moments, I always pull out my smartphone (which most days isn't all that smart) and send myself an email with the idea. At other times, I'll jam the thought into my calendar or simply write it on a piece of paper or a napkin.

Imperative to the creative process of a communicator, or anyone for that matter, is developing a system that allows you to capture thoughts, ideas, inspirations, and the like.

All of the world is a canvas and each individual is an interesting story to be read. I love what Leonardo da Vinci, Renaissance Man wrote,

“I roamed the countryside searching for answers to things I did not understand. Why shells existed on the tops of mountains along with the imprints of coral and plants and seaweed usually found in the sea. Why the thunder lasts a longer time than that which causes it and why immediately on its creation the lighting becomes visible to the eye while thunder requires time to travel. How the various circles of water form around the spot which has been struck by a stone and why a bird sustains itself in the air. These questions and other strange phenomena engaged my thought throughout my life.”

If you're looking for a way to capture ideas, check out EVERNOTE. It synchronizes your notes to any Mac, PC, iPhone and Windows Mobile, or you can use the web interface. And it recognizes handwriting or printed text in images. Once synced, which is a simple process, you can view the information from you desktop, laptop, cell phone or any other computer. It's fabulous for capturing thoughts and ideas on the go, or simply brainstorming at your desk.

The following clip shows some of the practical uses of EVERNOTE.