Warren Bird, the Director of Research and Intellectual Capital for Leadership Network, recently published a blog, Awe-Inspiring: Innovative Leaders Encouraged by How God is Moving, commenting on the 104 interviews he conducted in 2011 with “influential” churches across the US. His summary comment coming away from those interviews was energizing:

“I was so amazed by what God was doing in their midst, I wanted to be part of every one of them…There is a genuine sense of wonder, excitement and encouragement about how God is moving—despite tough economies and challenging jobless rates.”

Those were churches that had been identified as “influential” before the interviews. What would we find if we took a cross section of all US churches? We get some indication from research, What People Experience in Churches, reported by the Barna Group in January of this year.

Some of what they found is encouraging:
- “Most people (66%) feel they have had ‘a real and personal connection’ with God while attending church.”

A good friend of mine asked me recently to speak with his mentoring group. He is leading a group of young, career minded guys in their mid 20’s. The first question had to do with what I would do differently if I were 25 years old again. Besides cut my hair and not wear plaid pants and platform shoes:

1) I would have trusted Jesus sooner. He knew I would have turned to Him if the bottom dropped out, then turn away when things got better. So He allowed me to see the hollowness of success. I have a clear picture of where I was headed without Jesus.

You might be surprised to know that the Smiley Face is nearly 50 years old.1 You might also be surprised to find out that there is a science of happiness. Scientists measure happiness much the way your eye doctor fits you for glasses. ”Which is better – A or B?”

The most recent issue of the Harvard Business review (January – February 2012) featured several articles on research related to happiness. Some of the findings were not surprising. Harvard psychology professor, Daniel Gilbert (author of Stumbling on Happiness), affirmed that, “People who participate in their churches are happier than those who don’t.” But there were some other findings that were more intriguing:

- We are more resilient than we give ourselves credit for – The research found that we are effective at harmonizing the negative events in our lives. We tend to find good things on the other side of negative events that we could not have know existed prior to the negative event. We’re not good at predicting what will make us happy and how long that happiness will last but “…very few experiences affect us for more than three months.”

- It’s the frequency, not the intensity, of positive experiences has a greater impact on our happiness – We focus on the big events in our lives – a vacation, promotion or award. Yet the accumulation of the research found that “…the frequency of your positive experiences is a much better predictor of your happiness than is the intensity of your positive experiences.” Our daily contribution to others, praying, walking, playing, exercising, listening to music, creating, eating together are all activities that have a greater overall impact on our happiness than a single major positive event.

- Your relationships are the greatest single predictor of your happiness – Your relationships are critical to your happiness. In one study the correlation was .71 (the correlation between smoking and cancer is .37). One researcher noted, “If I had to summarize all the scientific literature on the causes of human happiness in one word, that word would be ‘social’. If I wanted to predict your happiness, and I could know only one thing about you, I wouldn’t want to know your gender, religion, health, or income. I’d want to know about your social network – about your friends and family and the strength of your bonds with them.”

Here are four steps you can take to increase your happiness:

1) Nurture your relationships: As Jesus, himself, said, there is nothing more important that our relationships with God and each other (Matthew 22:37-40).
2) Serve others: Per one research project, “…even more important to sustained happiness and engagement was the amount of social support the students provided.”
3) Enjoy your everyday experiences: Every day really is a gift and everyday experiences can be a blessing.
4) Be thankful: The happiest people are not necessarily the ones that have the most but the ones who are most thankful for what they do have.

What are you grateful for today?

1 The Smiley Face was invented in 1963 and the licensing fees exceeded $50M by 1970.
2 To participate in an ongoing research project, download the “Track Your Happiness” app. http://www.trackyourhappiness.org/

Nearly 50 years ago, Dr King wrote what some have called the “most important written document in the civil rights era”. “Letter From Birmingham Jail” is a compelling perspective from inside the struggle that raises three questions for us today:

In his new book,Missional Communities, Reggie McNeal asserts that “personal salvation is critical, but so too are issues of social justice and mercy.” He refers to salvation and service as two sides of the same coin saying, “One cannot be complete without the other.”

Would you agree?

We can certainly understand the limitations that overemphasis on one or the other can cause. A single focus on salvation only can lead to shallow converts that can recite the 4 laws of the Gospel but can’t relate it to everyday life. They lack any sense of discipleship. Worse yet, it can work against evangelism if potential Christ-followers get turned off by feeling like they’re just another notch in someone’s spiritual belt. On the other hand, an emphasis on service alone can create a shallow experience that’s focused on human efforts.

The separation of personal salvation and social service happened throughout the early part of the 20th century. The early churches in America were known for their attention to social concerns starting schools, homes and missions focused primarily on the disenfranchised. Then came what historian Timothy L. Smith noted as “The Great Reversal”. The social gospel became associated with liberal theologies and more fundamental churches, not wanting to be linked to liberal churches, moved away from social action. The thinking in more fundamental churches became more individualistic believing that social reform began with the individual, not society.

But there are signs that the Great Reversal being reversed. It seems that in many churches personal evangelism and social concern/action are again becoming intertwined. Maybe even a realizing that the two go hand in hand. Reggie goes on to say:

“Redemption is a message that must be delivered by us on our knees holding a towel and basin.”

When it comes to salvation and service, can you have one without the other?

Happy New Year!

As you step into 2012, REMEMBER: You have the power to change the world!

A good friend of mine recently had an “It’s a Wonderful Life” experience. I got the call on a Monday that he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, the insidious killer that recently took the life of Steve Jobs. Two days later, the diagnosis was confirmed and surgery was set for the following Tuesday. In a miracle of God’s grace, it turned out to be such a low grade of cancer that he won’t even need chemo. The doctor said it was a 1 in 100 chance (I think that’s code for “impossible” or “I can’t explain it”).

Throughout that week and leading up to surgery, there was a tremendous outpouring of love. As you might expect, family and friends articulated feelings that were confirming and comforting. But it went beyond the expected. Some people expressed depths of feeling that were surprising and moving. Others revealed details of specific events, long forgotten by most, that had become life altering experiences. And some of the outpouring came from totally unexpected sources. It was a near “death-sentence experience” that gave him the opportunity to understand more fully the impact his life has had on the world.

I was one of the ones that expressed love and gratitude. In the 8 years we have known each other, he has made me better a better man, a better leader, a better Christ-follower.

That same week, I received an email and a phone call from two different people that thanked me for my influence on their lives. And that’s when I realized his impact went beyond, even through, me. It was clear that these two people had benefitted not simply from me, but from all the people who have touched my life in a positive way. My friend’s impact and influence didn’t end with the people he initially touched. We go through life largely unaware of the real impact we have on the lives of others. Even when we are conscious of some level of initial impression, we rarely understand the full spectrum of influence. But our impact – for better or for worse – expands exponentially because the impact ripples far beyond the people we know.

I can make some predictions for you with all the confidence in the world they will come true in 2012. You will feel joy and sorrow – and some of us tragedy. You will know grace and injustice. You will experience pleasure and pain. You will know triumph and trials. And most of those will happen regardless of what you do. I encourage you in the midst of all that happens that you focus on what you can do. And I pray that you know the presence, power and peace of God at a deeper level than you have ever been before.

Change the world through the people you touch – directly and indirectly - through the infinite ripples of your attitudes and actions.

“The ripples create more than we could ever imagine
Or dare to dream, of things that are seen and unseen.
It gives hope to the ones in despair
And with that, they continue to share.” 1


1 From “just a drop” by Louis Rams http://hellopoetry.com/poem/just-a-drop/

Leadership is often portrayed as taking a position out in front of everyone else in a sort of pristine paradise where the line of site to the future is clear, the sun is shining and the air is fresh and clean (ever hear the phrase “only the lead dog smells fresh air”?). Sometimes a more accurate way to think of leadership is being in the thick of battle. A battle where your view is clouded by smoke and you’re covered in sweat and mud, armed only with a passion and perspective that’s fueled by a vision for a better future.

Leadership is a contact sport. You can’t be in leadership for very long without taking some blows. Many of them we expect as leaders and we deal with directly because we’ve chosen to step into the arena. Still some come from unexpected places at unanticipated times from unlikely people. The blows are mental and emotional rather than physical but they take their toll. Over time it can create a tendency for us to take steps to protect our hearts by building up defenses. Then…

“We dress up these defenses, give them principled and virtuous names. Cynicism is called realism. Arrogance masquerades as authoritative knowledge, and callousness becomes the thick skin of wisdom and experience.”

As you take time to reflect over the holidays I encourage you to examine your heart. Have you built up any defenses, however you’ve named them? Have you lost any aliveness? In the quietness of the presence of the Spirit of God take a look at Romans 8 where you will find:

  - We are not condemned, but have been given life. 
 - We are encouraged to live by the Spirit, not as slaves, but as adopted sons and daughters of the God of the universe.
 - Even when we don’t know how to pray, we know “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.”
 - “He who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.”
- Always keep in mind that “Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Leaders experience difficult days, but God promises that even in these dark times “God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.”

Embrace God. Express your aliveness. The people you lead depend on it.

“The most difficult task of leadership involves learning to experience distress without numbing yourself...
…The hard truth is that it is not possible to experience the rewards and joy of leadership without experiencing the pain as well. The virtue of a sacred heart lies in the courage to maintain your innocence and wonder, your doubt and curiosity, and your compassion and love even through your darkest, most difficult moments”


NOTE: The quotes above are from the “Sacred Heart” chapter of Leadership On The Line by Ronald A. Heifetz and Marty Linsky

There’s a lot of talk about “community” these days. We sense that as a culture we’re becoming more fragmented and alone. We don’t often experience the kind of connectedness in our lives that we wish we could. We believe that being in community with others could produce much needed relationships. But, the reality is that many of us don’t really know what real community looks like. Life is messy, often hard, sometimes tragic. Yet it’s in that messiness and that difficulty and that tragedy where genuine community – or lack thereof – is exposed.

Last week a friend of mine showed me a letter he’d received from a friend of his. I got his permission to share that letter with you (the names have been changed). This is what genuine community looks like:

Hello, folks!

I have wanted to write this letter of thanks for a long time. So please bear with me as I stumble through this. There is a saying that “you can’t choose your family.” As with all rules, there are exceptions. You, my friends, are exactly that—the exception! You are part of our family! And I am so thankful that God brought you into our lives.

The last couple of years for us have been interesting, to say the least. Trying to figure out how to deal with John’s on-going battle with alcoholism, his accident, his relapses and recoveries have been like…sailing in uncharted waters. You’re in a horrible storm, it’s dark and you have no compass and no idea of how you are going to get through it.

Just when things are at their darkest, a light reaches out and touches you. Both of you brought that light into our lives. You open your hearts time and time again through your special gift of listening. Your “gift” has helped our family in such a deep and meaningful way, one that I can never fully explain or thank you enough for. Through all of this you have always been there—listening—with your hearts always open to our latest challenge. You were never too tired or busy, never judgmental, just there for me and my family.

Because of your “special gift”, you have enabled me to become a better husband to my wonderful Angela. You allowed me to release my fears and pain which made me stronger for her when she needed to release hers. You gave me strength to be a better father to John. Instead of bottling everything up and making the storm worse, you helped me by giving me an outlet to ease a lot of that pain and fear.

You are both extraordinary and have made such a difference in our lives. You both helped guide us through some of the darkest hours of the storm. Thank you both for your very special gift to us and for being a part of our family.

This week we will celebrate the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Jesus came to save the world – salvation and restoration. When asked about the most important commandment, Jesus said loving God with all our heart, mind, soul and strength and loving others as ourselves. We were created for relationships. And it is through these relationships that God works his power of recreation. Make the effort and the sacrifice to experience Jesus in genuine community.

Merry Christmas and Peace

We have been unpacking a research project with the NACBA to better understand the impact of building programs on churches and what we could learn to assist churches in future building programs. For me, the most compelling part of the research came from the answers to the last two questions. They had the opportunity to write in answers to “In the next project, what would you definitely do differently” and “In the next project, what would you definitely do the same”.

Some of the answers struck me funny:
• “Not force me to answer stupid questions.”
• “Have our Senior Pastor go on vacation while we build the buildings.”

Some were instructional:
• “Remove the church’s building team completely from the future building projects. They don’t understand the purpose and ministry of the church.”
• “(Don’t) cut corners to save money…either do it right or don’t do it.” and “Not let the vision exceed our ability to service the financing.”
• “Never try to be the GC (general contractor) on a project.”

Some raised more questions than they answered:
• “I would like to use a different architect, but cannot do so for political reasons.”
• “We have a new pastor, so nothing will be done the same way.”

And in some you could feel their pain:
• “We are not building again.”
• To the question “what would you definitely do differently” – “everything.”
• To the question “what would you definitely do the same” – “nothing.”

We grouped the write in answers and found that most fell into these three groups: 1) Design and Construction Partners 2) Communication and Vision Casting 3) Raising Funds. The number one group, by far, had to do with the decisions regarding the design and construction professionals and how they work together (i.e. project delivery method). Of that group 37.9% wanted the same architect and/or contractor and/or team, and another 27.9% wanted a different architect and/or contractor and/or team. The number of answers referencing the same team, different team or design/build (33.3% total) would indicate that where there was good collaboration, they wanted that to continue. However, where there was not good collaboration, they didn’t want to see that happen again. It was clear from the research that when it comes to developing needed ministry facilities:

Who you select as your design and construction professionals and how they work together is likely the most important decision you will make.

(For a copy of the full article please email - info@cogun.com)