Martin Luther King in his ‘I have a Dream Speech’ said: ‘I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character’.
How difficult is that for many of us to accept, or more so, for us to live that way?
Every month for the CCV Men - Breakfast Meeting I try to remember to ask God to bring the men that He wants to attend and I also ask Him to bring the words that He wants spoken.
I also try to remember to ask Him on the way to church on Sunday morning to bring the men to me or lead me to the men he wants me to talk with.
There was a time when I was younger that I would be concerned about talking with people due to their age, background, color, ethnicity, religious affiliation, sexual preference or any other distinction that wasn’t in agreement with my beliefs. And because of this I would avoid talking with or being seen with any of these people.
Today I did remember to ask God about the men He wanted me to talk with at Church. I was a little more relaxed after church and tried to be more accessible by standing in an area for a little longer than I normally would. My normal habit is to walk around and to search out some of the man I know.
Near the coffee cart, I saw a man I had not seen in awhile and he passed on greetings to me from a man who had attended our church but had moved out of the area some time ago. We talked about cars, gas prices, holiday activities and some other things.
After talking with him for awhile and trying to get to know him better he and his friend left and another man came up to me. This man, who was at the last Breakfast meeting, and I have talked on occasion for several years but I don’t think we developed any closeness.
After talking with the second man he told me things were ok but he missed his family who lived out of state and I sensed there were some other things going on in his life. He reached to hug me as we were saying our goodbyes and I hugged him in return. I then felt a prompting to say to him that he seemed somewhat stressed and I asked if there was anything I could pray for.
He then shared some struggles he was going through. When we completed our discussion he again reached to hug me and we did and this time he told me he loved me.
I was very appreciative that he was comfortable enough to share his struggles and his emotions with me as well as his love. This was the love of Christ.
God has brought me a long way and has helped me to be able to get beyond many things that were formerly roadblocks and prejudices. I have asked God to show me what He wants me to see and I believe He is doing that.
These two men belong to a different race than I do and they felt comfortable talking with me. One felt comfortable enough to hug me. I am thankful to God for this and I hope that I am becoming more of the person that God wants me to be.
By this occurrence and others I think that God wants me to see the hearts of people and not the things that make us different.
Sunday, May 25, 2008
Friday, May 23, 2008
Don’t Judge the Cover
There were 32 of us who were on the trip to Juarez, Mexico, to build two houses. It was an interesting mix of people. There were old and young, married and single, male and female and white collar and blue collar. There were high school and college students, new parents and old parents, brothers, married couples, sisters, and several parent and child relationships.
I thought one of the things that would be good for me would be to meet some people I didn’t already know. I did know some people better than others but didn’t plan to spend too much time with them.
One of things that became apparent rather quickly was that I wasn’t going to meet people very easily. And that is unusual because I normally can connect easily with most people as I am deliberate in getting to know others.
There was a lot of excitement that developed between the people on the trip as many seemed to be drawn to others like themselves. I seemed to have a hard time getting into the flow of things.
After we finished the first day of work and showered and changed I spent some time reading the Bible and another book I had with me. I was always taking some time to watch people interacting and occasionally I would overhear parts of their conversations.
I began to ask God to help me to see or hear or understand what He wanted me to. I believe God helped me to realize that I was there to serve all the people involved on this project. But I still wasn’t getting to know anyone new.
That changed on Tuesday night. We had a great day and made a lot of progress on the houses. The team leaders decided that we would go out for ice cream. That was cool.
What I didn’t count on was that God was doing something I didn’t expect. I got into the last seat on one of the vans and no one sat next to me. It looked like everyone on the team was settled into one of the four vans and I was thinking I would be sitting by myself. That was ok.
Then I noticed a guy on the team coming toward our van and the only seats left were by me. I wasn’t too eager to talk with him because I had some preconceived ideas about him.
I decided to pray and said God bring whoever you want to sit in this seat. He got in and sat by me. We began talking and had a great discussion and I learned a lot about him and I gained a great deal of appreciation for him.
The lesson which I had to relearn is that when I do things for me I don’t usually have the right motives but when I can ask God for guidance then things turn out in a way that is much more honoring to Him.
I thought one of the things that would be good for me would be to meet some people I didn’t already know. I did know some people better than others but didn’t plan to spend too much time with them.
One of things that became apparent rather quickly was that I wasn’t going to meet people very easily. And that is unusual because I normally can connect easily with most people as I am deliberate in getting to know others.
There was a lot of excitement that developed between the people on the trip as many seemed to be drawn to others like themselves. I seemed to have a hard time getting into the flow of things.
After we finished the first day of work and showered and changed I spent some time reading the Bible and another book I had with me. I was always taking some time to watch people interacting and occasionally I would overhear parts of their conversations.
I began to ask God to help me to see or hear or understand what He wanted me to. I believe God helped me to realize that I was there to serve all the people involved on this project. But I still wasn’t getting to know anyone new.
That changed on Tuesday night. We had a great day and made a lot of progress on the houses. The team leaders decided that we would go out for ice cream. That was cool.
What I didn’t count on was that God was doing something I didn’t expect. I got into the last seat on one of the vans and no one sat next to me. It looked like everyone on the team was settled into one of the four vans and I was thinking I would be sitting by myself. That was ok.
Then I noticed a guy on the team coming toward our van and the only seats left were by me. I wasn’t too eager to talk with him because I had some preconceived ideas about him.
I decided to pray and said God bring whoever you want to sit in this seat. He got in and sat by me. We began talking and had a great discussion and I learned a lot about him and I gained a great deal of appreciation for him.
The lesson which I had to relearn is that when I do things for me I don’t usually have the right motives but when I can ask God for guidance then things turn out in a way that is much more honoring to Him.
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Picking the Team
There are lots of ways to pick teams.
When we were kids we usually played team sports like baseball, basketball and football. But before we could play we had to choose teams.
We used a number of methods to determine who picked first. That was critical because with the first pick you were assured of getting the best player and some pretty good players with subsequent picks. The objective being to pick the best team so you would win.
We usually used a method we called ‘choosing sides’ where the captains would face each other and call either odds or evens. Each would throw out their hand and display a number of fingers. It was similar to rock, paper, scissors. If you called even and the total of the fingers shown by both was even then you won and got the first pick.
It’s possible you may need a more sophisticated method to pick your team.
The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania has a one week class titled ‘Creating and Leading High Performance Teams’. Some of the session topics are:
Forming and sustaining successful teams
Aligning Individuals around group goals
Team dynamics
Leading from the front, middle and behind
Experiential learning
The odds are pretty good that you will learn how to pick team members to help achieve the goals you have in mind. Did I mention this session costs $7,850 for the week?
I just think it is interesting that God didn’t use this sophisticated and proven method to pick the CCV team to go to Mexico to build a couple of houses. In fact it seems that all He did was urge us and maybe push some of us a little harder. It was kind of like a heart thing.
If you check out the Bible that is how God worked with most people. He didn’t always recruit the smartest, biggest, strongest or fastest people. He picked the people who would be obedient and do what He wanted.
I believe God picked the team that He wanted to go to Mexico. The team that would build the houses, develop bonds with each other and show His love to the people in Juarez.
Unhappy at Work
Business Week
Harvard Business Online May 15, 2008, 5:50PM EST text size: TT
Ten Reasons Gen Xers Are Unhappy at Work
Corporations really need folks in their 30s to early 40s, but there is a tentative relationship at best between that cohort and Corporate America
by Tammy Erickson
Posted on Across the Ages: May 10, 2008 9:46 AM
I'm worried about Generation X and corporations. As far as I can tell, these two have a tentative relationship at best—and are likely headed for some rocky times ahead.
Corporations really need Gen X—folks in their 30's to early 40's, who should begin to serve as our primary corporate leaders over the next couple years. But I fear many current corporate executives are taking this small and therefore precious group for granted.
Many of you X'ers are not thrilled with corporate life. You tend not to trust institutions in general and deeply resent the Boomers' confident assumptions that you will be motivated by the same things that Boomers have long cared about. Many of you have told me that you are planning to leave corporate life "soon"—to start entrepreneurial ventures or work for smaller companies—options you feel will suite you better than the corporate roles looming ahead.
Why are many X'ers uncomfortable in corporate life?
1. X'ers' corporate careers got off to a slow start and many are still feeling the pain. You graduated when the economy was slow and the huge bulge of Boomers had already grabbed most of the key jobs. As an article in the May, 1985 issue of Fortune said: "[T]hese pioneers of the baby-bust generation are finding life on the career frontier harsher than ever…they're snarled in a demographic traffic jam…stuck behind all those surplus graduates of the past decade."
2. When you were teens, X'ers witnessed adults in your lives being laid off from large corporations, as re-engineering swept through the business lexicon. This engendered in most X'ers a lack of trust in large institutions and a strong desire for a life filled with back-up plans, just in case. Many of the adults you saw laid off and then struggling to reintegrate were in their 40's—about the age X'ers are reaching today.
3. Most corporate career paths "narrow" at the top —the perceived range of options diminishes as individuals become increasingly specialized in specific functions or roles. X'ers crave options, which assuage your concerns about being backed into a corner, laid off from one path. The sense of narrowing career paths and increased vulnerability is often most palpable at the transition from middle to upper management—just where many of you are today. This step also often brings demands for relocation and separation from established social networks—an additional assault on your sense of self-reliance.
4. Just your luck—the economy was slow when you entered the workforce and now its slowing once again—just as you are standing at the threshold of senior management. Stepping into leadership roles right now looks more difficult and the roles themselves, more vulnerable than they have at any point in the past decade.
5. And then there are those pesky Gen Y's. Many X'ers are charged with "managing" Y's which—let's face it—is an impossible task, at least if you define "manage" as controlling their channels of communication. While vying for promotions and trying to look good, many of you feel that Y's are doing an end run around.
6. X'ers are, in fact, surrounded by a love fest—and not feeling the love. As I wrote in last week's post, Boomers and Y's are learning from each other—and enjoying their interactions. It's easy to feel left out.
7. X'ers are the most conservative cohort in today's workforce—and you're surrounded by "shake ‘em up" types on both sides. In your personal lives, X'ers are not particularly keen on rules, but you had to follow them in the workplace—and you resent it when others now don't. It seems unfair to be rewriting corporate etiquette when you've had to toe the line for so long.
8. Many X'ers' are guarding a closely held secret: you're not all as comfortable with the technology that is changing the way things are done as everyone seems to think you are. While it's perfectly acceptable for Boomers to feign ignorance and ask for help, it's embarrassing for X'ers to do so.
9. And if Boomer colleagues are annoying, the Boomer parents of your Y reports are down-right over-the-top. X'ers can't believe the frequency of Y-parent interactions and are deeply turned off by parents who make their presence felt in the workplace.
10. Finally, your own parenting pressures are at a peak. You're deeply committed to spending more time with your kids than your parents did or were able to spend with you, but juggling is getting more and more difficult.
Is it time to jump off the corporate train?
I hope not—at least not for most of you. Corporations really need your leadership. But I understand that we need to create corporate environments that are more conducive to your needs and preferences.
I'm in the middle of my latest writing project—a book on career options and strategies for Gen X'ers. I'd love to hear from you about your experiences, frustrations, and success. What works? What doesn't? What do you worry about? What would you most like to know?
Tammy Erickson blogs at Across the Ages.
Harvard Business Online May 15, 2008, 5:50PM EST text size: TT
Ten Reasons Gen Xers Are Unhappy at Work
Corporations really need folks in their 30s to early 40s, but there is a tentative relationship at best between that cohort and Corporate America
by Tammy Erickson
Posted on Across the Ages: May 10, 2008 9:46 AM
I'm worried about Generation X and corporations. As far as I can tell, these two have a tentative relationship at best—and are likely headed for some rocky times ahead.
Corporations really need Gen X—folks in their 30's to early 40's, who should begin to serve as our primary corporate leaders over the next couple years. But I fear many current corporate executives are taking this small and therefore precious group for granted.
Many of you X'ers are not thrilled with corporate life. You tend not to trust institutions in general and deeply resent the Boomers' confident assumptions that you will be motivated by the same things that Boomers have long cared about. Many of you have told me that you are planning to leave corporate life "soon"—to start entrepreneurial ventures or work for smaller companies—options you feel will suite you better than the corporate roles looming ahead.
Why are many X'ers uncomfortable in corporate life?
1. X'ers' corporate careers got off to a slow start and many are still feeling the pain. You graduated when the economy was slow and the huge bulge of Boomers had already grabbed most of the key jobs. As an article in the May, 1985 issue of Fortune said: "[T]hese pioneers of the baby-bust generation are finding life on the career frontier harsher than ever…they're snarled in a demographic traffic jam…stuck behind all those surplus graduates of the past decade."
2. When you were teens, X'ers witnessed adults in your lives being laid off from large corporations, as re-engineering swept through the business lexicon. This engendered in most X'ers a lack of trust in large institutions and a strong desire for a life filled with back-up plans, just in case. Many of the adults you saw laid off and then struggling to reintegrate were in their 40's—about the age X'ers are reaching today.
3. Most corporate career paths "narrow" at the top —the perceived range of options diminishes as individuals become increasingly specialized in specific functions or roles. X'ers crave options, which assuage your concerns about being backed into a corner, laid off from one path. The sense of narrowing career paths and increased vulnerability is often most palpable at the transition from middle to upper management—just where many of you are today. This step also often brings demands for relocation and separation from established social networks—an additional assault on your sense of self-reliance.
4. Just your luck—the economy was slow when you entered the workforce and now its slowing once again—just as you are standing at the threshold of senior management. Stepping into leadership roles right now looks more difficult and the roles themselves, more vulnerable than they have at any point in the past decade.
5. And then there are those pesky Gen Y's. Many X'ers are charged with "managing" Y's which—let's face it—is an impossible task, at least if you define "manage" as controlling their channels of communication. While vying for promotions and trying to look good, many of you feel that Y's are doing an end run around.
6. X'ers are, in fact, surrounded by a love fest—and not feeling the love. As I wrote in last week's post, Boomers and Y's are learning from each other—and enjoying their interactions. It's easy to feel left out.
7. X'ers are the most conservative cohort in today's workforce—and you're surrounded by "shake ‘em up" types on both sides. In your personal lives, X'ers are not particularly keen on rules, but you had to follow them in the workplace—and you resent it when others now don't. It seems unfair to be rewriting corporate etiquette when you've had to toe the line for so long.
8. Many X'ers' are guarding a closely held secret: you're not all as comfortable with the technology that is changing the way things are done as everyone seems to think you are. While it's perfectly acceptable for Boomers to feign ignorance and ask for help, it's embarrassing for X'ers to do so.
9. And if Boomer colleagues are annoying, the Boomer parents of your Y reports are down-right over-the-top. X'ers can't believe the frequency of Y-parent interactions and are deeply turned off by parents who make their presence felt in the workplace.
10. Finally, your own parenting pressures are at a peak. You're deeply committed to spending more time with your kids than your parents did or were able to spend with you, but juggling is getting more and more difficult.
Is it time to jump off the corporate train?
I hope not—at least not for most of you. Corporations really need your leadership. But I understand that we need to create corporate environments that are more conducive to your needs and preferences.
I'm in the middle of my latest writing project—a book on career options and strategies for Gen X'ers. I'd love to hear from you about your experiences, frustrations, and success. What works? What doesn't? What do you worry about? What would you most like to know?
Tammy Erickson blogs at Across the Ages.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Attitude
On a recent Trip to Juarez, Mexico to build houses for families in need, I was less than excited to go, as I am not handy with tools. I am a good go fer. Go fer this, go fer that and I am OK with that as my intent was to go to serve the people from CCV (our church) that were going as well as the people from Casas por Cristo (organization that has the Mission calling in this area) and the families receiving the houses.
Normally I can get on the right track by continuing to ask God for His direction and focusing on Him through prayer and Bible reading. But for this trip I let myself get consumed with the problems or difficulties of the trip.
I read somewhere that when we do things ourselves we see the problems or difficulties but when we trust God we see the possibilities. And if we truly have faith and belief in God we will take on challenges that we can’t do. Challenges that only God can do.
God was certainly involved in this trip as he worked in everyone’s life and helped us all to accomplish what He wanted us to do. It will be interesting to see what He does going forward in our lives. The key is to stay in touch with Him and not think that it is all about us or what we want.
Normally I can get on the right track by continuing to ask God for His direction and focusing on Him through prayer and Bible reading. But for this trip I let myself get consumed with the problems or difficulties of the trip.
I read somewhere that when we do things ourselves we see the problems or difficulties but when we trust God we see the possibilities. And if we truly have faith and belief in God we will take on challenges that we can’t do. Challenges that only God can do.
God was certainly involved in this trip as he worked in everyone’s life and helped us all to accomplish what He wanted us to do. It will be interesting to see what He does going forward in our lives. The key is to stay in touch with Him and not think that it is all about us or what we want.
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Last Week
During the past week I was in Juarez, Mexico with 31 other people from our church where we built two houses for needy families.
We worked with a group from El Paso called Casas por Cristo and it was a very rewarding experience and one which meant a lot to all of us.
I am going to try to get together some blog posts around the following topics in the next week or so. Some will be on a specific topic and some will incorporate a number of these topics.
Everyone waves
Attitude
Avoiding the Truth
Judgment and Misjudgment
Change Happens
Thumbs Up
Seeing Jesus
Young People
Hardened Heart
Being Happy
Natural Wonders
Patience
Check out the Casas site and watch the video if you haven’t done so already to get an idea what it is like.
http://www.casasporcristo.org/
We worked with a group from El Paso called Casas por Cristo and it was a very rewarding experience and one which meant a lot to all of us.
I am going to try to get together some blog posts around the following topics in the next week or so. Some will be on a specific topic and some will incorporate a number of these topics.
Everyone waves
Attitude
Avoiding the Truth
Judgment and Misjudgment
Change Happens
Thumbs Up
Seeing Jesus
Young People
Hardened Heart
Being Happy
Natural Wonders
Patience
Check out the Casas site and watch the video if you haven’t done so already to get an idea what it is like.
http://www.casasporcristo.org/
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
More Catalyst
In five months we will be in Atlanta at the Catalyst Conference. Some of you may know about Catalyst and some may not. The dates are October 8 – 10, 2008. I suggest you learn more about it.
The Catalyst conference is described in the brochure as – ‘a movement, a convergence, an experience where you find yourself fully immersed in learning, worship and creativity’.
‘…Catalyst is a desperately needed space for leaders to learn to innovate and create as they lead their small groups, teams and churches. It is a pure leadership experience complete with learning, worship and out-of-the-box creativity. We like to consider it as a much anticipated family reunion.’
You might be wondering, why I would want to encourage you to go to another conference. You have probably been to other conferences. You may think you have heard it all. You may be overworked. Or things may going really well. Maybe you can’t afford it.
Leadership requires stretching yourself, getting out of your comfort zone, learning from more experienced leaders and being an example for your team or organization. Leadership requires stepping out on faith.
I want you to go because you want to go, not because you have to go. I want you to want to be the best leader you can possibly be. I want you to realize you have to put yourself in a position to learn from the best leaders you can.
I hope you’re hungry for more. I believe you’ll find it at Catalyst.
http://www.catalystconference.com/
The Catalyst conference is described in the brochure as – ‘a movement, a convergence, an experience where you find yourself fully immersed in learning, worship and creativity’.
‘…Catalyst is a desperately needed space for leaders to learn to innovate and create as they lead their small groups, teams and churches. It is a pure leadership experience complete with learning, worship and out-of-the-box creativity. We like to consider it as a much anticipated family reunion.’
You might be wondering, why I would want to encourage you to go to another conference. You have probably been to other conferences. You may think you have heard it all. You may be overworked. Or things may going really well. Maybe you can’t afford it.
Leadership requires stretching yourself, getting out of your comfort zone, learning from more experienced leaders and being an example for your team or organization. Leadership requires stepping out on faith.
I want you to go because you want to go, not because you have to go. I want you to want to be the best leader you can possibly be. I want you to realize you have to put yourself in a position to learn from the best leaders you can.
I hope you’re hungry for more. I believe you’ll find it at Catalyst.
http://www.catalystconference.com/
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Proud Parent
When you are raising kids you don’t always see immediate results with what you are trying to teach them or show them. In fact many times my wife and I found ourselves wondering if we were doing the right thing or even if what we did was making a difference.
This has been a difficult year for my wife and her family as her sister developed cancer. She went through treatment, appeared to be recovering, developed more cancer, then more treatment but the cancer couldn’t be stopped. Diane’s sister, Connie, died a little over a week ago.
During that time our son and his wife and our daughter and her fiancé have been actively involved in helping and encouraging the family during this time. They made additional trips (both couples live over a couple hours away) to visit, to run errands, assist with projects and help take care of Connie’s young grandchildren.
When reading Proverbs last Sunday an image came to my mind of our son and daughter and I realized I had experienced what the Bible was saying. When I read the verses I am including daughter along with son.
Prov 27:17
Be wise, my son, and bring joy to my heart;
then I can answer anyone who treats me with contempt.
Prov 23:15-16
My son, if your heart is wise,
then my heart will be glad;
my inmost being will rejoice
when your lips speak what is right
We are proud of our kids but seeing how they dealt with this whole situation we realize how blessed we are by the type of adults they have become. This is the first close family member who has died during their lifetime and they truly rose to the occasion to help us all.
This has been a difficult year for my wife and her family as her sister developed cancer. She went through treatment, appeared to be recovering, developed more cancer, then more treatment but the cancer couldn’t be stopped. Diane’s sister, Connie, died a little over a week ago.
During that time our son and his wife and our daughter and her fiancé have been actively involved in helping and encouraging the family during this time. They made additional trips (both couples live over a couple hours away) to visit, to run errands, assist with projects and help take care of Connie’s young grandchildren.
When reading Proverbs last Sunday an image came to my mind of our son and daughter and I realized I had experienced what the Bible was saying. When I read the verses I am including daughter along with son.
Prov 27:17
Be wise, my son, and bring joy to my heart;
then I can answer anyone who treats me with contempt.
Prov 23:15-16
My son, if your heart is wise,
then my heart will be glad;
my inmost being will rejoice
when your lips speak what is right
We are proud of our kids but seeing how they dealt with this whole situation we realize how blessed we are by the type of adults they have become. This is the first close family member who has died during their lifetime and they truly rose to the occasion to help us all.
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