If you saw these roots in the last batch of pictures from Hawaii, this now gives you some perspective of the size of these roots.
Some lava and smoke, it was really cool being so close to the world livest volcano
This is the view from the coffee shop that I visited frequently, where I had some of the world best coffee – Kona Coffee
Those of us with the Ecclesia Press (the non-profit publishing arm of the Ecclesia Network) are getting ready to launch our first book later this month. The title is ViralHope: Good News from the Urbs and the Burbs (and everything in between). We have 50 contributing authors. I’m the editor, Scot McKnight wrote the foreword and a number of wonderful people read the book and wrote endorsements for the book – Alan Hirsch, Andrew Jones, Todd Hunter, Eugene Cho, Alan Roxborgh, Kelly Monroe Kullberg, John Franke, Eddie Gibbs, Jim Belcher and Alan Roxburgh. I will share their thoughts on the book later in the month. (Click the cover if you want to get a closer look).
Right now, one of the decisions we have to make is what the 100-word blurb for the book should be. So whether you have read some of the book or have no idea what it is about, I would love your opinion on which blurb you like the best. Which blurb is most inviting? Which one draws you to want to read the book? Please share your favorite option, your second favorite and your third favorite. Thanks for your help with this!
OPTION 1
The gospel. The good news. The euangelion. Too often we have boiled it down to four steps, made it an easily memorized list of axioms, a diagram on the back of a napkin. But in the midst of all this, we seem to lose the wonder, poetry, and even the good-newsy-ness of the gospel.
In ViralHope: Good News from the Urbs to the Burbs (and everything in between), fifty authors take on the task of sharing the good news for their city, weaving together a beautiful tapestry of the gospel in all its depth and complexity.
OPTION 2
The gospel. The good news. Too often we limit it to a list of axioms. But the gospel is not four easy steps. It’s not a diagram on the back of a napkin. The gospel goes deeper than that.
In ViralHope: Good News from the Urbs to the Burbs (and everything in between), fifty authors share the good news for their city — weaving together a beautiful tapestry of the gospel in all its depth and complexity. This collection of essays reveals how the gospel brings renewal and reconciliation to people, neighborhoods, and all of creation.
OPTION 3
The gospel. The good news. Too often we boil it down to four steps, an easily memorized list of axioms, a diagram on the back of a napkin. But in the midst of all this, we seem to lose the wonder, poetry, and transformational nature of the gospel.
In ViralHope: Good News from the Urbs to the Burbs, fifty authors take on the task of sharing the good news for their city, weaving together a beautiful tapestry of the gospel in all its depth and complexity. These essays reveal how the gospel lives and breathes in neighborhoods around the world.
Liberator, Redeemer, Emancipator,
(The terms roll easily off our lips.)
For your power that notices,
your passion that descends,
your freedom that liberates,
We thank you.
We hold in your presence all those bondaged,
in fear and despair,
in poverty and weariness,
in crime, war, and violence,
in narcissism and self-indulgence.
Work your wonders among us,
in your strength like war,
in your gentleness like nursing,
in your abiding love like forever.
Work your wonders,
we pray in the weak name of Jesus. Amen.
Awed to Heaven, Rooted in Earth, 117
My friend Brian Boshard (a native Hawaiin) and his son. Brian is a pastor at the very first church that was planted in Hawaii back in 1819
My first picture of lava from Kiluaea, in 1998 it was said to be the most active volcano on earth
Some amazing tree roots
More of my top 25 pictures from Hawaii next week
“Optimism and hope are radically different attitudes. Optimism is the expectation that things-the weather, human relationships, the economy, the political situation, and so on-will get better. Hope is the trust that God will fulfill God’s promises to us in a way that leads us to true freedom. The optimist speaks about concrete changes in the future. The person of hope lives in the moment with the knowledge and trust that all of life is in good hands.
All the great spiritual leaders in history were people of hope. Abraham, Moses, Ruth, Mary, Jesus, Rumi, Gandhi, and Dorothy Day all lived with a promise in their hearts that guided them toward the future without the need to know exactly what it would look like. Let’s live with hope.” - Henri Nouwen
The nature of a proactive report is that you go into the book with a few questions that you hope to answer. It starts with an overview of the book, then a set of questions and finishes with a summary and synthesis. So here are my thoughts on Leadership on the Line.
Overview
Heifetz and Linsky in Leadership on the Line: Staying Alive Through the Dangers of Leading, not only encourage us to put our life and ideas on the line, but they remind us of the dangers of leadership and how to respond to the risks in healthy ways. They don’t just answer the question of how to lead; they call us to think about why we should lead. They help us to see that while leading has its demands and costs, leading has the potential to enrich many lives, including the life of those who choose to lead. Because Heifetz and Linsky are fully aware of the scars one gets when in leadership, they help us to anchor our hearts and strengthen our souls so that we can stay alive to celebrate the meaning of our efforts.
Proactive Questions
1. What is the difference between technical leadership and adaptive leadership and why is it important to know the difference?
Technical leadership is about using the skills and procedures that we are aware of to solve current problems and is typically accomplished by those in authority. Adaptive leadership is having the guts and heart to learn new ways to bring needed deep transformation of culture in an organization or people and is generally done by the people with the problem (14,15). “Adaptive change stimulates resistance because it challenges people’s habits, beliefs and values (30). The reason that it is important to know the difference between these kinds of leadership is because “the single most common source of leadership failure we’ve been able to identify – in politics, community life, business or the non-profit sector – is that people, especially those in positions of authority, treat adaptive challenges like technical problems (14). (more…)
This year there are ten nominations for best picture. The academy awards is hoping that by having ten films nominated for best picture that it would increase their viewership. They are hoping to have the same viewer surge as the Grammy’s did this past Sunday, which according to the LA Times experienced a 35% upturn. Living in Hollywood I seek to keep up with what is happening in Hollywood. I was preaching this past week at a new church plant that meets at Club Nokia, the VIP room for the Nokia Theater where the Grammy’s took place this year. This new church is called Live Church LA and Jesse and Shelly, who lead the church, are very warm people with a heart to see God move in the downtown area.
Here are the ten nominee’s for best picture this year:
According to the nominations and early buzz, it looks like Avatar and The Hurt Locker are the forerunners, both with nine nominations. But Inglourious Basterds got eight nods, and Precious and Up in the Air each received six. Out of all the films you saw this year, which one do you think should get best picture? And which one do you think will actually win best picture? You can check out the complete list of nominees at Oscar.com or at The Envelope, the LA Times awards blog.
“A cheerful heart is good medicine.” Proverbs 17:22 NLT
Most of the time when we are wronged, we simple want to wrong others as well. Forgiveness doesn’t come naturally. It’s like the story that I heard was in the LA times. A guy saw a Porsche for sell in the newspaper for $50. He couldn’t believe it, but it was true. He went to see the car and discovered that it was a relatively new car in mint condition. He said to the lady at the house, “Is this the Porsche being advertised in the paper for only $50. He was amazed and asked the lady why she was selling it so cheap. She said, not to long ago my husband divorced me and ran away with a younger woman. He told me, “you can have the house and everything, but just sell the Porsche and send me the check for what you were able to get from it.”
God,
We yearn to be the church you want us to become.
Shape us into something beautiful
We recognize that you are the Potter and we are the clay
Please continue to mold us into the image of Christ
We want to join in what you are already doing in the world.
In our worship and life together, in our ministry and service
to others, we want to give people a glimpse of your intentions
for the whole world.
Help us to welcome the outcasts, love our enemies,
and form a Community that is visibly different from the culture around us
as a sign of what you are doing in the world.
Help us experience your love and grace,
grow in our relationship with Jesus,
and experience the power of your Spirit
as we offer your good news to others.
In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.
“So much of our energy, time, and money goes into maintaining distance from one another. Many if not most of the resources of the world are used to defend ourselves against each other, to maintain or increase our power, and to safeguard our own privileged position.
Imagine all that effort being put in the service of peace and reconciliation! Would there be any poverty? Would there be crimes and wars? Just imagine that there was no longer fear among people, no longer any rivalry, hostility, bitterness, or revenge. Just imagine all the people on this planet holding hands and forming one large circle of love. We say, “I can’t imagine.” But God says, “That’s what I imagine, a whole world not only created but also living in my image.” - Henri Nouwen
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