Invest

I was very surprised to read that 49.5 percent of all U.S. households own individual stocks or stock mutual funds.  At first I was very proud to hear that in spite of Dave Ramsey's robust rantings about our financial foolishness, we have been saving and investing and not blowing our money on the latest installment of Guitar Hero.  

I was about to give the "Great Ramsey" a call, exposing him as a false prophet of our moronic money handling, when the next sentence in the article caused me to put the phone down.  The article stated that the majority of investments made by Americans were not voluntary and were instead made by their company as part of a salary package, 401K contribution, or other benefits package.  The actual percentage of Americans who voluntarily invest is 14 - 20 percent.

(In the spirit of George Barna, I was first tempted to manipulate this raw data to position myself as a radical rebuker of the "church" and its influence on culture, while capitalizing on the opportunity by selling books and going on speaking tours.  But that seems a little too apathetic and arrogant for a simple man like myself.)

I'm not sure what the numbers mean, but it did cause me to ask myself some questions.  How much of my life is preparation for the future?  How many opportunities do I take to invest time and resources into the relationships that mean the most to me?  Do I consider investing as an integral part of being a "whole" person?

The Hebrew word gemilt khasadim seems to more accurately paint a picture of the true spirit of investing.  It's where we get the word lovingkindness from and it means to exert oneself on behalf of others, whenever possible.  

I'm not sure how much I live like this.  I guess I'm more of a casual investor.  It would be a stretch to say that I exert myself for the betterment of mankind on a consistent basis.  I care, pray, and take opportunity to bless those around me but it seems to come more naturally, and not a disciplined act of exertion.  But I'm not ok with this.  As much as I want to live life in the moment, I also want those moments to enrich the lives of others around me.

So this Christmas, and throughout the new year, I'm deciding to become more intentional and deliberate to love others as I love myself... simple humanity.  I bless you to enjoy life, live it the full, and to invest in the lives of others around you.

YOUR sacred journey

I just returned from my local bookstore and was inspired by a new book.  I started picturing my ministry following the footsteps of this successful person and quickly imagined the impact my team could make by putting his principles into action.

I asked myself... Why bleed in the dense foliage of undiscovered truth when I can just follow someone else's highway to success?  Thanks los for your article reminding me that the only person we're called to emulate isn't found in the christian book store, but instead on the fearful and frightening journey towards truth and authenticity.

I'm still committed to reading of the rise, fall, and revival of great leaders and innovators of today, but I'm just as interested in packing my first-aid kit and continuing on my own sacred journey.  

Embracing Your Community

I bought a Mac earlier this year, and along with it I received a free subscription to Macworld.  I don't read it much, it's 90% advertisement for mac products (because everyone needs a pink carrying case for their new iphone) and 10% informational, but way too informational for a novice Mac user like myself.

Anyway, I started flipping through the pages to look at the pretty pages, which is pretty much how I read everything (yes, I do still use my childhood picture bible) when I actually ran into an interesting article.  It was in the very back, between advertisements for things called 8-core, quadxeon memory and mercury elite-al dual drive hubs, and I was just content to find an article that contained real words.

It was titled, Embracing Our Community and was written by Paul Kent.  After reading the article several times, I found myself very ashamed that this guy and the management team at Mac are better motivated and focused at creating a sense of community then every pastor I've ever met, including myself.

The article was describing how the Mac community has evolved from small user groups in the 80s, to a community today bonded together as strong as any family.  Okay, so maybe a little hyperbole was at work, but an still interesting an article.  According to Kent, here's how to do it:

1. Gather the Tribe

- Create opportunities for people from various backgrounds to network with 

each other through real-world interaction.

- Create a community with shared passion, commitment, and love

- Become a community of zealots, invested in the rise and fall of the 

organization

2. Expand the Tent

- Understand that new members to your community bring fresh perspective.

- New members drive the best thinkers, commentators, and leaders in the 

community to stay ahead of the curve.

- New members force you to find something for every segment of your 

potential community.

Too simple? Well the Mac community has used this simple formula to expand 

from a few users to a mainstream market in the millions. Maybe we should 

stop selling sermon series for bloated profits to bloated church members, stop 

spending money to make the building prettier while our neighborhoods are 

getting uglier, and stop talking about God like He's only concerned about gays 

and abortionist, and blind to hypocrites and phonies. Instead, what if we 

attempted to build and be an authentic community of people, recklessly 

pursuing the cause of Christ?

So I bless you to become an architect of a better way to live, a way that

embraces your community.