This is what I want you to do. First, watch this video. Just sit. Watch. Absorb it. After you watch it the first time, watch it again and think through these questions.
What surprised you? (How fast Facebook has grown? The quick demise of email?)
How are you personally/professionally maximizing Social Media?
What strategies have you put behind social media?
What dangers do you need to safeguard against (personally/professionally)?
I have been having several strategic conversations with people on my staff about INNOVATION. I can sense a real desire to try new ideas – think outside the box – and go where no one has gone before. (Yes, I had to throw in a Star Trek reference.) But I have been running into some road blocks as we try to innovate. Here are some reasons why . . . i think.
Killer #1: You are scared of Change I have noticed over the years that everyone says that they like change until the change impacts them. Think about that. If you are leading out the "change" (whatever that might be), you think its the best thing since 8 tracks. If the "change" is crashing into your world, you resist it with all your might. Innovation has built in change. The foundation of innovation is change. It is something new – different – not proven.
Key Thought: Don't let your fear kill a new idea that has the potential to revolutionize your sphere of leadership.
Killer #2: It's not your idea Call this what it is. PRIDE (aka . .. ego – arrogance – selfishness). Have you ever been in a meeting where two ideas are on the table and 5 people sit in silence where two people argue why their idea is better than the other? I have been there. I have even been the one of the "TWO". Usually, it's not that bold and blunt. This usually happens in more subtle of ways. Watch for it, you will start seeing it.
Key Thought: As a leader you have to fight to look at the idea objectively and make sure you are not positioning your idea.
Killer #3: You are stuck in the past Let me preface this thought. We should learn from the past. The past has a lot of wisdom built into it! So, don't ignore it. On the flip side, the PAST will keep you in locked up in chains refusing to let go of you. Keep yourself – your team – looking forward on "what could be". When you hear comments like, "Last year we did _________." or "When I was at my last church I ___________." Kindly stop the conversation and say, "It sounds like we all have had some great past experiences. My question is where should we head into the future?" Key Thought: Learn from the past, but keep focused on "what could be".
Killer #4: It's messy Embrace the mess. Innovative ideas are almost always messy!! Why? They haven't been tried – proven and perfected. The first day Disney Land opened it was a disaster. Someone counterfitted tickets so the park was over sold. It was an extremely hot day in Southern California and the park quickly ran out of water. People were fainting left and right. It was a disaster of gigantic proporitions. Skip ahead decades, Disney is one of the most innovative ideas ever to be discovered in the world.
Key Thought: Embrace the mess . . .lead strong . . .anticipate problems . . .fix the issues and you will be amazed at what you discover.
One of the books I am reading is Andy Stanley's book, The Principle of the Path. (I am not sure if you are like me, but I have 5 different books that I am reading through right now. I should just pick one and finish it.)
Here is the essence of the entire book:
DIRECTION – not INTENTION – determines our DESTINATION.
He goes on to say . . .
The direction you are currently traveling – relationally, financially, spiritually, and the list goes on and on – will determine where you end up in each of those respective arenas. This is true regardless of your goals, your dreams, your wishes, or your wants. The principle of the path trumps all those things. Your current direction will determine your destination. And like every principle, you can leverage this one to your advantage or ignore it to your disadvantage. Just as there are paths that have led us to places we never intended to be, there are paths that lead us away from those places as well.
Here are some questions that I have been thinking through:
What direction do I think I am heading in . . .compared to the direction I really am heading in?
Do I confuse my "intentions" with "direction"? (easily done!)
What are the things in life that constanly compete to move my direction away from where I should be headed? (Take steps to get rid of them.)
What area(s) of life should I pay more attention to when it comes to it's direction?
What additional questions should we be asking ourselves?
Jud Wilhite kicked off a new series this weekend at Central Christian Church titled, TORN. This series is focused on the book of Job. Several weeks ago Kim and I had the opportunity to share our story. Our hope and prayer is that our story, will help others in their life journey.
I started reading a book yesterday titled Flickering Pixels by Shane Hipps. Let me be transparent for a moment. I haven't read the entire book. I also can't say that I have totally grasped what I have read. (Never claimed to be an intelligent man.) But . . .what I have read and what I have comprehended has challenged me in so many different ways!
Here are two thoughts that Shane throws out:
1. You can't change methods without changing your message – they're inseparable.
He goes on to quote Marshal McLuhan.
2. The content or message of any particular medium has about as much importance as the stenciling on the casing of an atomic bomb.
His simple (yet complex) point: The message and the method are the same. You can't separate the two.
Let that soak in for several weeks . . .and then think about how you communicate to your audience.
Posted by Chris Trethewey on May 5, 2009 at 7:30 am in Books | Comments (1)
There are times in life that you quickly realize that you are part of something so big – so God ordained – that it stops you in your tracks. It forces you to pause and look at life through an entire different set of lenses. You encounter a picture of God that blows your over simplified vision of who you think God is.
This past weekend . . .was one of those weekends.
Central Christian Church had a "Baptism Celebration" weekend. The vision: Give people an opportunity to get baptized. The Goal: 500 people. The results . . . the impact . . .the movement of God . . . difficult to put into words.
Here is my feeble attempt to share what I learned through this incredible movement of God. (These thoughts are extremely raw. Still trying to process what I experienced the past 2 days.)
Set a big goal . . .and then expect God to blow it out of the water. I remember the exact day where the goal of 500 baptisms was thrown out. Wow!! Big. It stretched us. It made us get strategic in all areas of the church. God had an entirely different plan. 500. Small. What did God do? He tripled it.
Teach Clearly – Simply – with Conviction Jud Wilhite (our Sr. Pastor) taught one of the best messages on the subject of baptism that I have ever heard. He laid out clearly what the Bible taught. He dispelled traditions that have plagued this action and even held the "church" accountable to their choices (or lack there of). If someone didn't get God's desire for their life . . .they were asleep!
Take the excuses away Jud, in his message, laid out a series of "excuses" why people might not want to get baptized that day. He then shared the remedy to their excuse. 1) You don't have clothes with you . . .we have shirts and shorts for you. 2) You don't want to get your car wet . ..we have plastic bags for you to place your wet stuff in. 3) You don't have time . . .we are letting church out early today. (and the list goes on). He then said . . ."If Jesus walked 60 miles to be baptized. If Jesus walked to a cross to die for you. You can walk 100 feet and get wet." Powerful statement. People had no excuse except to follow God's command.
Let the Mess Ensue (aka – Flexibility) It is important for me to state this first: The Reach team had this event extremely well organized. They hit the ball out of the park! So this thought doesn't fall under the category of "you don't have to plan and prepare adequately. With that said . . . it was organized chaos. The biggest services brought over 400 people at one time to be baptized. It was crazy at times, but there was a sense of calm that I discovere. People were taking a bold step of faith. They didn't mind. Don't control it. Don't over structure it. Smile and allow the experience to happen.
PAUSE: Don't let the bigness and craziness of the weekend stop you from experience the movement of God. I forced myself several times to just stop and watch and allow what was happening in the lives of so many settle deep into my heart. I saw a teenage girl baptize her grandma. I saw multiple dad's baptize their kids. I saw husbands and wives baptize each other. I saw entire families baptized at once. God's movement was mighty and profound.
Posted by Chris Trethewey on May 4, 2009 at 8:00 am in Church | Comments (0)