Height - Does it matter?

In the last post I was whining about the fact that most CEO's of Fortune 500 companies are tall. One commenter asked a question...we will call her Lola. Why does that information even matter? Great question. The study on height was a part of a larger study on prejudices. What was also found is that most CEO's are also white and male. Now if I had indicated that, I doubt anyone would question why that is even important to know. It is obvious. There is an imbalance in Fortune 500 countries when it comes to women and people of other races as CEOs. There are endless studies done on this stuff and I don't want it to be fodder for anyone to whine about the world being unfair. As I tell my kids, "Life isn't fair. Accept it and deal with it. How you respond matters much more than how the world is treating you."

But the studies on height specifically reminded me of how Saul was chosen to be king. The Bible in 1 Samuel 9:2 says that Saul was "an impressive young man without equal among the Israelites—a head taller than any of the others." And that was the exact reason he was chosen to be king. Because he was tall and impressive looking. The same thing is true today. But people aren't placed in positions just because of height but also because of skin color and sex.

Now here's the point for me: If people are being chosen to be CEO's because of height, I doubt seriously it is consciously. I think it is much more of a subconscious thing. So, what subconscious prejudices do I hold?

• Do I act differently around people of different class or race?
• Do I treat people differently who are different than me?
• Do I pay attention to people who look a certain way?
• Can I even spot my own prejudices?

The truth of the matter is that I do think and act differently when I am around those who are different than me. I don't want to, but I do. It may not be in ways that are noticeable to others or even myself, but they are there. So I'm paying attention to myself more. I'm intentionally being around those who are different because God has created every single one of them. I want to intentionally learn about others' culture so I will be more comfortable in any setting. Why? Because God created every man and woman equal thus should be treated as such. AND because I want to follow the example of the apostle Paul and "become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some (1 Cor. 9:22)."

And by the way, growing up in rural Oklahoma I used to think this was a load of cow dung like many still do, but God is opening my eyes.

Tall versus Short

Finally, I have some confirmation. Something I have long suspected but never proved has been confirmed by Malcolm Gladwell. Short people do have it rough...at least if they want to be a CEO of practically anything. He did a survey of half the Fortune 500 companies concerning their CEO's. Overwhelminghly, the heads of the big companies were on average just a shade under six feet tall. He says, "Given that the average American Male is five foot nine, that means that CEOs as a group have about three inches on the rest of their sex (Gladwell in Blink page 87)." Here's some more stats:

• 14.5 % of US Population men are six feet or taller.
• 58% of CEOs of Fortune 500 companies

• 3.9% of general American male population are six foot two or taller
• 1/3 of CEO sample were

And then this one: "Researchers who analyzed the data from four large research studies that had followed thousands of people from birth to adulthood calculated that when corrected for such variables as age and gender and weight, an inch of height is worth $789 a year in salary . That means that a person who is six feet tall but otherwise identical to someon who is five foot five will make on average $5,525 more per year(88)."

So...I guess I did get the short end of the stick. Pun intended.

Chasing Lions

So I read In a pit with a lion on a snowy day, but that doesn't matter unless I do something with it. Inspired by the book and it's author I am in the process of creating one of those infamous lists of things to do before you die. I have never had a list like this, but think that it would be so valuable as I am very goal oriented. If I am not working towards something then I go into a sort of atrophy.

Right now I am creating a 101 things I want to do before I die. It will be a mixture of ministry related items and just plain fun things. A mixture of challenging and not so hard to accomplish. I will have to adjust my life to do some of them and others I will simply need to just drive there. All will be sorted through a lens of prayer.

Here's a sampling of what I have so far:

• Visit every continent
• Run the Boston Marathon, which leads to another goal
• Run a marathon under 3:15 (technically my qualifying time right now is 3:10, but next year when I am a year older it will be 3:15. Yes, another 5 minutes)
  
• Preach in another country through a translator
• Write a book
• Baptize all my kids (I already have Ethan, so only 3 to go)

I will post the list when I am through with it.

In a pit with a lion on a snowy day

I had heard about In a Pit some time ago but never picked it up. After reading the author, Mark Batterson's blog for about 6 months now I decided to give it a shot. It helped that a fellow staff member had it. I am a firm believer in sharing resources, especially books. Don't buy something if you don't have to. Having said all that, I loved the book so much I am going to buy some copies to give away. This was such a great book from the angle that it gets you pumped up to allow God to do something great through you.

By nature I am an underliner when I read. I love to mark up a book with underlines and my own thoughts. Because the book wasn't mine, I went crazy having to stop each time there was a good thought and actually write it down somewhere else. But nonetheless I did manage to capture some great thoughts from the book. Here is the best of the best:

"God is in the business of strategically positioning us int he right place at the right time. But here's the catch: The right place often seems like the wrong place, and the right time often seems like the wrong time (12)."

"He always uses past experience to prepare us for future opportunities (14)."

"Our problems seem really big because our God seems really small. In fact, we reduce God to the size of our biggest problem (28)."

That thought right there caused a lot of introspection on my part. That's a huge statement.

"Don't let what's wrong with you keep you from worshipping what's right with God (67)"

"Many of us fail to seize the small opportunities because we're looking for the big opportunities (130)."

"Am I living my life in a way that is worth telling stories about?"

Great stuff and I didn't even mention the character in the Bible upon which the book is based. I'll let you pick up the book to discover this often overlooked giant of a man. There's some application from the book I want to blog about, but I have made a commitment to keeping my posts shorter, so I will save it for another time.

Summer Study

We had our first summer study session last night. Things kicked off well. Diving into 1st Corinthians is going to be fun. This church at Corinth was messed up:

• People arguing over who their leader was, even though none of the guys were even in the area.
• People getting drunk at communion.
• And the topper, a leader in the church was sleeping with his mother-in-law.

Besides the sin issues, the larger context were Christians figuring out how they could live out the Gospel without compromising the gospel. They so desperately wanted to fit into the culture of their day, so much so that they tried to "go beyond" the core of the gospel, which is the cross.

This particular lesson made me think of the times that I have had thoughts that cross my mind when trying to explain the gospel. Thoughts like, "this is crazy!" And, "I wish this made more sense to the modern mind." It is a reasonable faith for sure, but there is a point where reason leaves off and faith has to be employed. In the end, I like it that way because then it doesn't completely depend on me and my ability to understand the gospel and even communicate it, but on God's power and Spirit to open the hearts and minds of people.

It has also reminded me of the even more pressing need to be fluid in methods and solid in theology. What I mean by that is this: the methods (songs, events, teaching style, etc) can change like the wind if it helps communicate but the message stays the same. This is not to say I was even tempted any other way, just to say that it has made me even more convicted to "preach the cross" as Paul said.

In case anyone would like the audio or notes from last night, here it is. You can also subscribe to it in ITunes or other readers by clicking here.

The Gospel According to Starbucks

It shouldn't surprise anyone who knows me that I would read a book titled this. It only fuels my passion for the black drink. I just finished this book by Leonard Sweet who I think is a bigger fan than I am. Basically the book is about what Christ followers can learn from the success of Starbucks...and it is a lot more than just serving great coffee. Here's some hightlights:

• It is known that coffee delivers more health-giving antioxidants to our diet than fruit, vegetables, and nuts. At six cups a day and under, coffee reduces yoru chance of getting Parkinson's disease, liver and colon cancer, cirrhosis of the liver, Type 2 diabetes, and, if you are a fast metabolizer, heart disease. As a bonus, coffee improves male fertility. Caffeine can also protect you against skin cancer - but you'd have to smear it on yoru body for it to work (3).
  
• Life is meant to be lived with passion, and that passion is found and practiced through experiences, connection, symbols and images, and the full participation of every part of being (4).
• God has set up shop where you live. The doors are open and the coffee is brewing. God is serving the refreshing antidote to the conventional, unsatisfying, arms-length spiritual life - and God invites you in. God won't make you stand in line (9).
• In the early 1990's Starbucks was bunning for two thousand stores by 2000. By 2006 there were six thousand stores in USAmerica and four thousand overseas and in Canada (11).
• T.S. Eliot, one of the most influential poets of the twentieth century, liked to tell of a sign outside a baker's shop advertising bread for one dollar a loaf. You go into the shop, he said, hungry for bread and imagining the fresh smell of bread right out of the oven, only to find that inside the shop all that is for sale are copies of the sign advertising bread. Eliot suggested that the church was too much like that shop (50). I fortunately am a part of a church that is not that way, but I have seen that in other churches. Promise of hope and Grace but really only a shadow of it.
• When the swiss biologist Adof Portmann went ten miles down into the ocean depths, he found in the virgin darkness useless beauty - fish and other oceanic creatures festooned with complex designs and brilliant colors that no one could see or appreciate. No one except a God whose eyes hunger for beauty (57).
• The church has more than enough mission statements and not nearly enough mission relationships and mission movements (61).

Overall, this was a great read. The first half was better than the last. I am still chewing on some parts of it. One part I was really interested in was his highlighting Starbuck's desire to be a "third place." This is a place other than work and home where people gather. The application for the church is huge. If we could be that third place, then we get a natural environment for the Gospel to take root. Here are the necessities:

• It is neutral ground.
• It is inclusive and promotes social equality.
• Conversation is the central activity.
• It is frequented by regulars who welcome newcomers.
• It is typically in a nonpretentious, homey place.
• It fosters a playful mood (132).

How can the church be this third place? How can Suncrest more of this? Is it better to think that our church be that third place or that we create that third place somewhere else? Can our homes that are used for community groups be that? Some of the questions I am wrestling with.

Happy Father's Day

Today is a good day.

We dedicated Benjamin at church today. We asked Ethan to be his spiritual mentor. No one outside of me and his mother will have more opportunity for influence than big brother.

The band played Creed's "Arms Wide Open" in honor of Father's day. That was cool.

Greg used the word "innards" in his message. But it was an excellent message on "pausing" when tempted to think about the effect our sin can have on others.

During "We Fall Down" at the end, I saw one lady put her arm around another who is going through a tough time. So cool to see care and compassion taking place.

This afternoon I got to relax, watch a movie, grill some steak and read. It was a good day.

In honor of Father's day I wanted to recommend three books that have been the most helpful to me on being a dad.

The cross

I am sitting here going crazy waiting on a video to download for this Sunday so I thought I would post something. BTW, I am excited for this Sunday because in honor of Father's day our band is going to do the Creed song "Arms Wide Open." It will be awesome.

Anyway, staring June 20th, my esteemed colleague, Mike Moseng and I will be teaching an 8 week exploration of 1st Corinthians. As I was preparing for the first lesson it is so easy to see the relevance of that book to our age. In the first lesson I will basically be talking about how Paul brings everything back to the cross. The Corinthian church was located in a culture that valued education, philosophy and rhetoric. Christians had adapted to their culture in some unhealthy ways by taking the Gospel message and adding to it to make it more acceptable to the people of their day. Basically they were saying that the Gospel was not enough, there needed to be more current philosophy and wisdom. Paul's words to them is that the message of the Gospel which in two words are the cross, is enough. You don't need to take anything away or add anything to it. It's enough! It's absolute, sufficient and fundamental. The message of the cross is where we begin and where we end.

It's interesting to me that as I was studying this today, my son was removing the nails from the crosses we used back in April at our Passion service. At that service, we called people to repentance at the cross by nailing sins to the cross. Hundreds of people responded by writing sins on a paper and then nailing those sins to the cross. It was so moving. I am still hearing from some about that experience. It strikes me that that experience is what Paul is talking about. The cross brings us to our knees. And the cross gives us the courage to stand. Everything rests on the cross. We don't need another philosophy to add to it, whether it is in some modern form like Dr. Phil or Oprah or an ancient one like Gnosticism or Hellenism. We only need the cross. I'm so excited to walk through this with Suncrest. If you are around Suncrest and can make it, please set aside June 20th and join us.

A new season

Well, it's official as of yesterday. I have entered a new season as a parent. My son went on his first youth group trip. Yesterday was the Six Flags trip. I went with him because he wanted me to and I know he won't always want dad around. We actually had a great time just hanging out. He took his first spin on a roller coaster. Jared (student pastor) was even there to experience it with him, so that was cool. It made me think about a couple things:

1. Moments like these are so fleeting. They are here one moment and gone the next. Enjoy them while you can. All of life is really that way. Enjoy life as it comes because it only comes once.

2. You can only enjoy first things once. I was thinking about the whole roller coaster experience and how you never, no matter how much you want to, recover that feeling of first riding a roller coaster. That mixture of anticipation and fear of the unknown. After that, you have some reference point that in some way spoils it and in another way makes you able to try faster roller coasters. It's kind of like that with God. There are so many "firsts" with God.

• When you surrender your life.
  
• When you are baptized.
• When you really hear him speak into your life the first time.
• A worship time where you felt totally caught in the worship.
• A time of completely trusting him with something you really hadn't trusted him with before.

You never get to experience the "first" of those moments again and yet those firsts make it possible to trust God even more, to experience Him even more, to enjoy the next season of growth even more.

I'm looking forward to this season with Ethan. I know I will see tremendous growth in him. And I am looking forward to how God is going to work in his life. It's a beautiful thing to see the handiwork of God in your child's life and to see how God redeems my pitiful attempts at fathering.

We're done...almost

I'm sitting here waiting for the final interview of the assessment. I can't say I "enjoyed" the process as it has been very intense and the projects have forced us to be up late and up early. But, I did learn some things. Here's a pic of the final project group I was with.

We developed a proposal to plant a church in Seattle. And here's our logo.I'm ready to go home....and sleep.

The results are in...I'm crazy

In an earlier post I talked about filling out paperwork for this leadership assessment I would be attending. Well, I'm there. Today was just the psych profile. Other than pointing out the obvious fact that I'm crazy, it was good. He pointed out a couple things that I think will help our marriage and both of us individually. Oh yeah, did I mention that Sheila is with me in this. Should be an interesting, challenging and hopefully helpful couple of days.

Daisy's Kindergarten Graduation

Tonight Daisy graduated from Kindergarten. Today, grad from K. Tomorrow, grad from High School. At least that is how it is going to feel. I'm so proud of her though. She has such a sweet and compassionate spirit. I know God is going to use her to do great things. It would not surprise me at all if she chose to give her life to missions. Although today she did mention that she would like to be a vet. That's cuz she likes doggies. That would be fine to. I know a few really great vets who are doing a lot of good for the kingdom. Anyway, here's some pics from the evenings festivities (below is a slideshow. Just run your mouse over it to see the controls to advance to the next pic):