In the beginning…

Posted on by

Any conversation about the green church must start at the beginning – literally.

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth…

The seven days of creation (yes, God “created” the concept of rest with the Sabbath) found in Genesis 1:1-31; 2:1-4 tell us that God made all things and declared them good.

In Genesis 2:15 we find that “The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to till it and keep it.” Those few words have a literal world of meaning. They convey a teaching that Adam is expected by God to serve the garden and keep it. God expected Adam and his descendents to meet the needs of the garden of creation so that it would persist and flourish.

In the same way, we are to keep the garden. The Hebrew word for keep (shamar) is also found in Numbers 6:24: “The Lord bless you and keep you.” When we think in those terms, it is not an inactive state of being, but rather a vital, living concept.

Is it too much of a stretch to think that the same kind of “keeping” is required of us in relation to God’s creation? Do we have a mandate from God to keep His creation, nourishing and maintaining it so it can continue to flourish?

How are we doing?

 

The Green Church

Posted on by

Green is not the latest fashion color – it’s about becoming creation care aware.

For me, being green starts with a foundation of stewardship – being responsible for all the resources God has blessed us with. As a church development consultant, I am committed to helping churches maximize their resources for the greatest ministry impact they can possibly have in their community. I believe that an important part of this challenge is to know how you can immediately improve your existing facilities to make them more energy-efficient and environmentally friendly. I also know that as you think about planning your next facility expansion, there are many benefits to thinking green.

Why should Your Church go Green?

  • Churches are community examples – people look to their houses of worship and their spiritual centers for guidance. What happens in these places can have a positive ripple effect across the region as homeowners, businesspeople, government workers and others help their own buildings to emulate the ethical example set by the local church.
  • All churches are good candidates for improvements – Most sanctuaries are large spaces used only periodically throughout the week. Something as simple as a programmable thermostat can save hundreds of dollars a year in utility bills. Most church offices are high-traffic, well-used areas where even small changes like weather stripping, Energy Star appliances, or compact fluorescent bulbs would make a huge difference.
  • Church buildings stand for something – Your building was built to the glory of God, the service of humanity, and the potential of the spirit. Inside these buildings we celebrate Creator and His creation. We build a community, the Church. We should be good stewards of all Creation, caring for the earth and one another.

Bottom line? If your church can be more EFFICIENT in its use of resources, then it will be more EFFECTIVE in its ministry endeavors. I encourage you to enter the dialogue about how your church can become a community leader in environmental issues. It really is getting easier to be green!

I am presently consulting with a church in Atlanta as they begin a deliberate path toward becoming a green church. Look for more posts this week coming out of the preparation and consultation with Destiny Metropolitan Worship Church.

On Fatherhood

Posted on by

You become a father in a few short seconds…

…fatherhood takes the rest of your life.

On Father’s Day 2011 I find myself in a unique place in time:

  • My father continues to move inexorably toward a time when things weren’t like they were, nor as we wish they could be
  • For the first time in 30 years, I celebrate Father’s Day without any children physically present
  • My two oldest sons celebrate Father’s Day as fathers in their own right: fathers of a 3-year-old and a 9 month old
  • Aside from visits to our home, all four of our kids are out of the house now
  • Yet the flip side: Tuesday my second oldest son reports to the Air Force for basic training, and his wife and 9 month old daughter move in with us for the duration of basic; so I get to be a GrandBob with a baby in the house!
  • My daughter finished college in three years and has just completed her first year of graduate school; she is also working part-time as a communications specialist for the North Carolina Women’s Missionary Union; while working and going to school she lives with 3 other girls in a house near her school
  • My oldest son continues to enjoy life as a Kitchen Manager for Outback and as a regional trainer for new menu items coming out to all the restaurants; his son, a very energetic 3-year-old, is a chip off the block (can you say “pay for your raising?”) and GrandBob’s buddy
  • My youngest son just graduated from high school, then promptly headed off for his third summer as a counselor at a Christian boys camp; he will return at the end of summer just a couple of weeks before starting a culinary/business degree at Johnson & Wales University, living in Charlotte

Fatherhood is a journey, and each step along the way brings a new opportunity to grow and learn just how to be a father. 30 years in, and sometimes I feel like it has just begun.

At other times, I look back and wonder where the time has gone.

 

Everything Communicates

Posted on by

In a previous post here I wrote about the “Brand You” topic. Since it’s high school graduation season, and having survived our fourth and youngest son’s graduation last Saturday, I thought it appropriate to explore the theme a little more this week. Consider it an extended graduation speech, if you will.

“Everything Communicates” is the fundamental message of Tom Peters’ Fast Company magazine classic, “The Brand Called You.” Companies, products, and services aren’t the only things that get branded: we are all brands. In an economy of knowledge workers and free agents, project-based employment and team-based activities, we have to decide what our brand stands for.

Each of us is a brand, and every choice we make communicates what our brand stands for. Alan Webber, co-founder of Fast Company magazine and author of the great book “Rules of Thumb” lists some of the ways we communicate – even when we don’t realize it:

  • Your business card communicates – from the shape and size to the choice of title and font, you’re sending a message that often speaks louder than the card.
  • Your personal practices communicate – do you have a personal practice that sets you apart?
  • Your web site, blog, Twitter, Linkedin, etc. communicate – because design is so immediate, your digital communication often speaks louder and more frequent that what you intended it to say.
  • Your office communicates – from the front door to the furniture, the spaces we design and occupy tell a lot about us.
  • How you communicate communicates – your brand is a lot more valuable if you can talk business using real English, not the latest buzzwords or insider jargon.

First, figure out your personal brand. Then remember that everything you do – and don’t do – communicates it.

The Second Half of Marriage

Posted on by

Milestones along the journey usually indicated distance traveled. In a figurative sense, milestones indicate an event along life’s journey. As I noted here, this week marks a big milestone in our house: our youngest son graduates from high school.

Following his graduation this weekend, he will return to the boy’s camp where he is a summer counselor (he’s already been there a week, training). When camp is over in August, it will be just a few short weeks and then he will be in college.

And the nest will be empty.

For the first time in over 30 years, it will just be Anita and I. No kids. No kids’ friends. No soccer games. No church groups. No school assignments. No…you name it.

That’s kind of daunting.

We actually have had a couple of summers to practice the empty nest thing, as our son has been a counselor each of the previous two summers. So, for a period of 10 weeks or so, we’ve been empty nesters. But not really; we knew at the end of summer he would be back again. This time, however, it will be real.

Enter the second half of marriage.

A few years ago, I wrote about it here and here. One Valentine’s Day, I talked about it here.

All of a sudden, the here is now.

  • Your teenagers have gone to college
  • Your parents are aging
  • You’ve been invited to your twenty-fifth (or thirty-fifth) high school reunion
  • Your exercise more (?) but burn fewer calories
  • You have received an invitation to join AARP
  • By the time you get your spouse’s attention, you’ve forgotten what you were going to say

If you identify with these symptoms, you are in or are approaching the second half of marriage.

Why not make the rest of your marriage the best?

Brand You

Posted on by

All leaders are in sales.

You may not be selling a widget or a gizmo, but you are “selling” vision and ideas and momentum, and dozens of other powerful intangibles that are very real.

One of the keys to being successful in sales is being memorable. One important way to be memorable is to have a personal brand. Valerie Sokolosky, an executive coach, recommends that professionals build personal brand equity in the following 5 ways:

  • Brand yourself through your professional presence. First impressions count! What messages are your clothes, grooming, and posture presenting? Your outside appearance speaks volumes before you even open your mouth.
  • Brand yourself as a valued partner. What do you know about the group you are leading or the project you are trying to tackle? Take time to do research on the people, places, and process involved, and when you lead, you will be doing it from a solid knowledge base.
  • Brand yourself with strong communication skills. Learn how to quickly gauge the people and environment you are in. Is it appropriate for small talk first or is it time to get right to business?
  • Brand yourself by staying one step ahead. Anticipate what the group wants or needs. Anticipate what may be going on in the team. Be fully prepared for questions, and always be truthful when you’re asked something you don’t know. “I don’t know but I’ll find out” is always an acceptable answer.
  • Brand yourself as being socially savvy. In today’s world that means both interpersonal and digital skills. Be a good conversationalist, mixing and mingling as appropriate. Ask open-ended questions, and really listen.

How are you going to develop Brand You today?

 

Lessons in Teamwork…

Posted on by

…courtesy of the Miami Heat

The Miami Heat’s Big Three

I’m not really a fan of pro basketball, but I must say that the free-agent talent raid pulled off by the Miami Heat has made for interesting conversations since last summer. From marketing hype at it’s most annoying (LeBron James’ announcement –“The Decision” – that he was going to the Heat) to instant pundits proclaiming them the next dynasty to a chorus of “I told you so”, it’s been more like a three-ring circus than a basketball team.

But leave it to Fast Company magazine’s Chuck Salter to find some great lessons in teambuilding from, well building a team. You need to read the whole story here, but for a quick taste read the following:

6 Steps Required to Create a Dream Team (in any setting)

  1.  The Ego Equation: start with sacrifice. High-priced talent doesn’t ensure success. Think New York Yankees – or the Knicks. Sports not your thing? Remember when Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg, and David Geffen looked like a can’t-miss team at DreamWorks? Turns out, no one bothered to account for the polarity of their personalities. Teaming up has its trade-offs. Where once Wade had the spotlight, now he has to share it. No more entourage traveling with James. All three have seen less of the basketball. In other words, the team’s leaders have done what stars need to do when they merge: show a willingness to sacrifice. It’s a necessary start.
  2. The Rule of Many: stars can’t go it alone. New hires perform better when they bring a former colleague with them. Miami brought over a player who had been with James for seven seasons. The team also kept a longtime buddy of Wades who had been on the team eight years. All told, Miami added six new players in a span of 21 days: three-point specialists, guys to do the grunt work of rebounding, setting picks, and feeding the ball to the “Big 3.”
  3. The Platoon Principle: adversity is an asset. Nothing brings a team together like a common enemy. Google needs Facebook. Under Armour needs Nike. The Heat need everybody who’s not the Heat. Coach Erik Spoelstra hoped to turn the vitriol to his advantage. The real bonding didn’t occur until the team began to lose – and badly. Said Spoelstra: “When it’s raw, when you don’t get along, that’s when there’s the most opportunity for growth.” Under duress, Miami found its identity.
  4. The Trust Theorem: when the going gets tough, turn to one another. Watching the three superstars at practice, it’s obvious these guys get along. But camaraderie doesn’t necessarily translate into collaboration. When you assemble a team of experts, it’s better to have complementary, not competing, specialties.
  5. The Credibility Conundrum: manage from the inside out. Coach Spoelstra’s position is like any manager operating between the CEO and the in-the-trenches talent. Spoelstra needs to tread carefully, balancing his obligations to his boss and his commitments to his players, all in his quest to build his own credibility for leadership. The coach must wrestle when to coddle and when to push, trying to master the sleight of hand that allows the young millionaires to feel they have ownership of the team even as he calls the shots.
  6. The Law of Patience: beware the blame game. Everyone remembers the six NBA titles the Chicago Bulls won with Jordan, Pippen, and a cast of specialists to support them. What we tend to forget is how long it took the Bulls to put all those pieces together. They didn’t win the first year. Or the second. Or even the third. It took the team four years. Chemistry takes time. The players respect one another’s individual skills and even learn from one another. But those patterns don’t emerge right away. Chemistry isn’t something you create and then ignore. It’s a reflection of the bonds between members, and those bonds are fragile and needy – and constantly changing.

This is what any team aspires to: passion, unity, and absolute conviction that you can achieve whatever you want as a group.

What teamwork lessons can you learn from the Heat and apply to your team?