Thank goodness....

Great Article

One of my favorite people who I feel have a great pulse on adolescent culture and youth trends just wrote an intriguing article. Enjoy.

Raise your hand!

By Walt Mueller

Okay, this one might get me in some trouble. And it’s all because I’m increasingly convinced we’re doing something wrong in youth ministry. We’ve been chugging along thinking we’ve been doing it right. As a result, we continue to do it wrong because we think it’s right, and in doing so, we’re undermining the very work of the very God who we pride ourselves in serving. Are you confused yet? Let me explain. (Continue Reading)

1 Year Left for Eternity

Today, an epiphany! I am currently taking a Seminary class on Practical Theology. As part of the required reading, I have been engaging in Alister McGrath's book, Theology: The Basics. While reading a theological discussion on the topic of Heaven, McGrath turns his attention to an age old question of what our appearance will be as we walk the streets of the New Jerusalem. He writes:

A final question that has greatly vexed Christian theologians concerns the age of those who are resurrected. If someone dies at the age of 60, will they appear in the streets of the New Jerusalem as an old person? And if someone dies at the age of 10, will they appear as a child? This issue caused the spilling of much theological ink, especially during the Middle Ages. By the end of the thirteenth century, an emerging consensus can be discerned. As each person reaches their peak of perfection around the age of thirty, they will be resurrected as they would have appeared at that time- even if they never lived to reach that age..... The New Jerusalem will thus be populated by men and women as they would appear at the age of thirty (the presumed age, of course, at which Christ was crucified)- but with every blemish removed.

What!? First of all, he says that at the end of the 13th century, "an emerging consensus can be discerned." A consensus? As in a general agreement or collective thought among a group of people. As in more than one person thinks this is true? Regardless if it is true or not, it definitely stands as an interesting theory.

But after reading this, a light bulb went off in my head as this hit home for me. A few weeks back in late January, I celebrated my 29th birthday. Oh Man....the clock is on. I have less than a year to assume the physical attributes I desire that will stay with me for all of eternity (without blemish of course). Have you seen me? I still weigh what I did in junior high school...a buck twenty five wet with my shoes on. I gotta hit the gym! I don't want to literally be chaff in the wind of the heavenly realms for all of eternity. How is that I get the rest of my life to work on my character, but only 1 year left to beef up and buy tickets to my own gun show. I'm eternally screwed....I haven't gained weight in 16 years, what makes this next one any different? I could always try the Michael Phelps diet seen here, but who has that kind of grocery budget each month?

If anyone has any suggestions, please let me know. Blessings to any of you who have already surpassed this monumental year....you could be maimed by a bear between now and then and still show up in heaven A-OK. Looks like it's more Vitamin D whole milk for me.....

Saddleback Presidential Forum- Aug 16, 2008

Complete 10 part video of Civil Forum held Aug 16th at Saddleback church with Rick Warren moderating. Felt that it was an interesting angle that the American people don't always get to see through the bombardment of speaking points and slur campaigns. Would love to hear your comments on it.

The Value of a Penny

CraigsList Funny

So I am new to CraigsList personally. I usually buy everything on eBay and Amazon with the occasional glance towards Pricegrabber and Woot. While on CraigsList today, I found the "best-ofs" page that lists the top postings voted on by readers. I could make a blog solely on these....some of these are hilarious. Here is one of my personal favorites because I can relate with our current living arrangements. Enjoy.

To the Minotaur that lives above me.

---

Date: 2008-06-26, 10:36AM CDT


First off, I must say that I admire your courage. It must be hard living in the world today as a lady-beast. Society judges, oh lord do they ever.

With that said, let’s get down to business. Over the past year, we've had a funny sort of relationship, you and I. When I first moved into the place, it was rather peaceful. It was an exciting time in my life, as it was the first time I would be living by myself. Then came the day that I first heard it. What did I hear you ask? It was sound of your hooves galloping across the hardwood floors of your living room. At the time I thought, “No big deal, surely it can’t always be like this.” Oh was I wrong. It turned out that every time I was at home, you would be up there, stomping around, like the wild lady-beast that you are.

After a few weeks, I determined through a process of elimination, that you are in fact, a Minotaur. It only makes sense.

FACT. Minotaurs have hooves, and that’s sure as hell what it sounds like is hitting the floor when you gallop around.

FACT. A Minotaur posses great strength, the kind of strength that can be felt by a guy laying on his couch, trying to get into a good book. The kind of strength that shakes the dishes in his cupboards. The kind of strength that can wake a guy out of a dead sleep, EVERY FRICKIN MORNING. I didn’t even need to set an alarm clock to wake up in the morning. Instead I wake up to THUMP THUMP THUMP. THUMP THUMP THUMP THUMP. THUMP THUMP THUMP. I’m not a light sleeper by any means; I sleep right through the viscously loud police, fire truck, and ambulance sirens every night. I was lying there one morning, frustrated, counting the trips you took between your bedroom and your bathroom. 17. 17 god forsaken trips between the bedroom and the bathroom. Really? Are you kidding me? What could you possibly be doing?

FACT. Minotaurs are half bull. Bulls are aggressive when taunted. Apparently, the time I went upstairs, politely introduced myself, and asked you rather nicely to please quit stomping around, was a taunt. That’s when you got aggressive. You called the landlord and told him that I was complaining about your noise. When he told me about this, he said his response to your complaint was, “Quit making so much noise then.” Brilliant. Go Mr. Landlord! I tried keeping him out of this, but you felt it important to drag him into it.

After a few more weeks of you recklessly stomping around, I made another attempt at a civil confrontation. It failed. It failed because you stomped your way to the door, and you didn’t open it when you saw who was standing there. I know this because I heard your hooves clippity-clop their way to the door. Way to avoid confrontation.

To my surprise, the stomping ceased the next day, and I awoke to peace. “Amazing,” I thought, “It must be a midsummer miracle!!” A few days passed, and I ran into my landlord in the entry way. He mentioned that he received another angry phone call from you. Said that you felt threatened by my confrontations, said I scared you. Strange, since not once did I ever raise my voice or try to be anything but civil. He then mentioned that he told you to buy some slippers to wear around your apartment. Genius! It freakin worked!! Hell yea, Mr Landlord! High five!

Fast forward 11 months. The stomping has returned. No doubt in my mind the hooves have worn through the delicate fabrics of the slippers and are now, once again, banging against your hardwood floors.

Please, for the love of sweet baby jesus, run down to the local Target and purchase yourself another pair of hoof mufflers. I know you can run with those strong legs of yours, probably real fast like! Target downtown is all of 10 blocks away. Go Minotaur, go! Overcome the odds, society is watching! (and judging)

Random Schneider- aka the you tagged me list

I was reading Clyde's blog and it would seem that he tagged me....so here you go.
6 Random Things About Me:

1) Napkins....gotta have em. I rarely ever eat anything, even if it is one chip or a piece of candy without having a napkin in hand. I feel like any piece of food I put in my mouth leaves a residue either in my hand or on my mouth and I have this overarching need to wipe my mouth...sometimes excessively. Then, long after the "meal" is over, you can often find me still clenching my napkin in a tight fist....that is of course if it hasn't made it to my pocket....the other place I like to store them. Sometimes at the end of the day, when I am emptying my pockets, you can find up to a few napkins in there.

2) I hate walking around without socks on. Some people live barefoot...no sir...not for me. I love having something covering my feet...my feet get too cold without them. Usually I keep my shoes on or do the Mr. Roger's routine and convert to slippers when I walk through the front door. Bedtime....I shed them right?? Wrong...never go to bed without them.

3) I enjoy having breakfast in bed. I like waking up to the smell of bacon, sue me. And since I don't have a butler, I have to do it myself. So, most nights before I go to bed, I will lay six strips of bacon out on my George Foreman grill. Then I go to sleep. When I wake up, I plug in the grill. I go back to sleep again. Then I wake up to the smell of crackling bacon. It is delicious, it's good for me, it's the perfect way to start the day. Okay okay...that isn't true, it's a quote from Michael Scott off of The Office...it was a good quote though.

4) I have a huge sweet tooth. If you know me, you have probably seen me down many a pint of ice cream in my day. I usually eat a huge bowl of ice cream every night. You know when you just need something sweet... I have been in that situation before with no cookies, ice cream, or candy at hand. My wife once walked into the kitchen during one of these moments and found me eating spoonfuls of assorted sprinkles. When times are tough, you must improvise.

5) I am a self diagnosed narcoleptic. Though not so bad any more, during my college days, I have instantaneously fallen asleep in very weird situations. A few of my favorites (proudest) are: I have fallen asleep on the garage floor while changing the oil in my car, in a closet at a beach house in Florida after driving for 14 hours (slept good too....took people a couple of hours to find me), in the middle of eating dinner (fell asleep in mid-chew....woke up a few minutes later to find a soggy piece of pizza half chewed in my mouth....I swallowed it), at the wheel of my car (no comment), underneath a Foosball table with a house full of guests, and even fell asleep in mid sentence.....I started the sentence, nodded off, woke up and finished the sentence.....Priceless.

6) When people ask me what I like to do for fun, among other things, I always include Kayaking. The problem with that is that I have never once gone kayaking nor know anything about it. I have been canoing and white water rafting, but never kayaking....I just know that I will love it when I try it...and I will try it. **UPDATE** I have since gone kayaking....just a few weeks ago with Lubbers while in Bar Harbor, Maine.

There's my list. Could have added many more random facts about me, but we will stop there. Now to continue this tagging sensation.....I tag:

Mike Stecher- everyone else has and he hasn't done anything yet...
Justin Hall
Ian Lubbers
My Wife- you can comment here if you want
Your Wife- all wives of readers can apply
Feldhues- cause he hasn't written on his blog in over a year and I don't expect that he will read this....

All you have to do is write a blog post of 6 random things about you.
If you don't have a blog (Cari) post them in the comments on here.

Billy Graham on technology, faith and human shortcomings

This video came across my RSS feed a few days ago. This is a talk given by Billy Graham in 1998 at the annual TED conference. TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design and annually brings together the "world's most fascinating thinkers and doers, who are challenged to give the talk of their lives (in 18 minutes)."

Speaking at TED in 1998, Rev. Billy Graham marvels at technology's power to improve lives and change the world -- but says the end of evil, suffering and death will come only after the world accepts Christ. A legendary talk from TED's archives.

The Way of Privilege

What you need to know about the issues facing affluent youth (young rich rulers)...

Great article written by Curtis Miller with Fuller's Center for Youth and Family Ministry.

Read Article Here

The Leadership Summit

My Yearly Plug to do something with your gift of Leadership The Lord has given you. The Leadership Summit, hosted by Willow Creek, (and satellite fed to churches all over the world) is unbeatable.... my yearly dose of encouragement and inspiration for leaders, by leaders. Click on this blog title above to see the website, or check out the promo videos below for more information. Make this year the year that you attend....I have never had a new attendee tell me anything less than it was the best conference they had ever attended.

For My Cincy peeps: The Vineyard in Tri-County is a host. (click the church to sign up)
For My Massachusetts Peeps: Grace Chapel in Lexington is a host. (click the church to sign up)

Take It From Bill Hybels:

"The Leadership Summit is designed to be a can't-miss gathering for leaders serious about developing their leadership gift. The event features highly-respected senior pastors as well as innovative minds from the public and social sectors leading right where they are. Each session delivers practical learnings alongside inspiring programming to stretch your leadership bandwidth.

Every year the Summit is much more than "just a conference." It's crafted to envision, equip, and encourage teams with space to grow and learn together. It's two full days of opportunity—during sessions, over meals, and in the moments in between—to process the life-changing potential of your church in your community and the world."

Tribute To An Infamous Infomercial

So I am sitting here today and I see an ad on TV for these new wraparound sunglasses that go over your regular glasses (for those of us that come with hardware). The glasses on the ad were so bulky and big, yet the "real customers" loved how sleek and stylish they were. It reminded me of Blu Blockers- those great infomercials that used to bombard your television set every Saturday morning for some cheap sunglasses "that block blue rays" (whatever those are). I thought I would set up a tribute to one of my favorite Blu Blocker ads of all times..... Dr. Geek rapping about his blu blockers. Take a look:

Creating Space

This question popped in my head a few days ago while showering (the time in my day when I do my best thinking…which though thought provoking, requires a lot of hot water).

Could I create space for God to use me more?

A few weeks ago at our church, they showed a small drama presentation of a day in the life of a young "normal" man. He woke up in the morning and acknowledged God through his devotional time, looked to God during an evening Bible Study with other Christian friends, but literally took God out of all other daily interactions with people and the circumstances that surrounded them. This tugged at me a little. Though I truly try to focus on God in all I do, and will even receive promptings from the Holy Spirit (acting on only a few…slacker), I often tend to reason my way out of such a signal. My excuse (9 times out of 10 according to the Gallop Poll)- Not Enough Time! The inner dialogue of reasoning steps in, "I would love to hold this door for this single Mom approaching with her hands full, but I am already late myself and better be on my way." Or as I am driving down the highway and see a car on the shoulder with its hazards beckoning me; "Does that person need help with their car? Yes they do, but stopping may cause me to miss church and that is very important."

You see, I miss God ordained opportunities to be God's ambassador (Ephesians 6:20) because my time table is too strict. Yes it is evident that other factors play a role in these decisions as well (e.g. lack of risk on my part, flat out disobedience, etc.), but I can't help wonder how I might react if more time was allotted. What if I allowed myself to run fifteen minutes early to everything I do? Could I create space for God to use me more? Do I allow God to use me as He sees fit, or do I fill my day with busyness (especially Christian busy work) and run at such a quick pace that I fail to see the opportunity for divine conversations.. possibly life changing conversations or interactions that affect (and infect) not only the person, but my heart as well? The cost? A couple of minutes, tops. Jesus was always interrupted wherever he went, yet he always made time to be used by God for His purposes. I understand this is Jesus we are talking about, and his sole business was the Father's business, not to mention he created the heavens in the earth out of space (he knows all about space) but try to hang with me on this one.

Mark 1:35-39 (NIV)
³⁵ Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.
³⁶ Simon and his companions went to look for him,
³⁷ and when they found him, they exclaimed: "Everyone is looking for you!"
³⁸ Jesus replied, "Let us go somewhere else--to the nearby villages--so I can preach there also. That is why I have come."
³⁹ So he traveled throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons.

Even his time with the Father (His Lifeline) was interrupted, yet his mission was clear and he allowed flexibility to intertwine with his strategy. Strategic and planned…YES! But always with an open heart that is flexible and adheres to the promptings of The Holy Sprit.

Can't Google Chuck Norris??

INTERESTING FACT: Did you know that you can't do a Google Search on Chuck Norris? Click here and see what I mean.

Consuming Church

Haven't been much in the writing mood lately....sorry to all of my fans (or lack thereof). I've been more in the reading mood. Here is an interesting article I read written by Margaret Manning (from Ravi Zacharias International Ministry).

I suppose its beginning was long before the end of World War II. Indeed, I suspect that its beginning grows out of human hearts since time began. But this pervasive influence has perhaps not been felt as powerfully as it has in the last fifty years of the twentieth century. What is this pervasive influence to which I am referring? I am referring to the influence of consumerism. And the influence of consumerism is not simply an insidious force “out there” in the world, but its reach goes deep into our church and our Christian lives in no less... (continue)

Have We Settled?

I remember an old movie clip from one of Adam Sandler's better movies, Mr. Deeds. If you recall in one of the last scenes of the movie Deeds is standing in front of the shareholders of his father's company, in a last ditch effort, begging for them to make a decision that would save the company and 50,000 jobs. In a room full of millionaires and "successful" business professionals, he asks them to think back when they were a kid and say what they wanted to be when they grew up. Typical answers come through, "Fireman… veterinarian… senator" along with some not so typical answers, "Magician… ping pong champion….etc." The interesting part is when people, in comparison, then tell what they actually do; some in total opposition of their childhood dreams, and all for a bigger check on payday. What happened?

Watch The Clip Below

(Turn your volume up loud)

What happens to us between childhood and adulthood? Why does a child have such big dreams and enthusiasm and then abandon them later in life for a 5'x5' cubicle… "a real job"…and are commended for it? Why as students do we have the passion to change the world and leave our mark, only to fall into the pattern of what society tells us are our next steps? You see the model all around you. We go to high school…. graduate…… then off to college (the place where we are to "find ourselves")….we graduate….. we go and find that winning career and commit ourselves to 40+ hours of commitment there each week……along the way we find that special someone…..get married……buy a house…..continue climbing that corporate ladder (for more money, significance, and recognition)….get raises….buy more stuff….. have kids……work, work, work for the goal to hopefully retire (or stop working…good goal)…. Retirement (Thank God)…… and then…… (as crude as it sounds) death. End of story. This becomes the pattern of so many of our lives. We begin using common, society widely accepted phrases like, "starting our lives," "jumpstarting our careers," and "saving for the future." We practice universally defined rituals of buying homes (and are looked down upon if you rent…like you missed the pattern), studying hard in school to get a good job so you can start on a good rung of the ladder that you will be later looking to climb, and mapping out our own timeline of when all of these key events in our lives will take place (no thanks God, we got this one). The tragedy is that as the majority of us faithfully jump into this current, the world around us (the true world..not just your neighborhood or clique of friends) is screaming out for people who will look beyond themselves and truly leave an impact. It yearns for people who are willing to revert back to childhood and dream big… where the simple things are incredible and there is a desire to move mountains. "And he said: 'I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. '"- Matthew 18:3.

Please don't get me wrong. Going to school and getting education is much needed, working a job that you enjoy is a blessing, money is needed to survive in our country and can support ministries worldwide, marriage is a beautiful sacrament, and having kids is praiseworthy to God. But we are designed for more. For those of us out there who have a relationship with Christ, we also have a responsibility… the ministry of reconciliation. Paul writes in his second letter to the Corinthians (chapter 5, verses 11-15):

¹¹ Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade men. What we are is plain to God, and I hope it is also plain to your conscience. ¹² We are not trying to commend ourselves to you again, but are giving you an opportunity to take pride in us, so that you can answer those who take pride in what is seen rather than in what is in the heart. ¹³ If we are out of our mind, it is for the sake of God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. ¹⁴ For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. ¹⁵ And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.

The bible is not a story of what God did long ago, it's a report of what God began. We are the continuation of that book and God has many chapters yet to write. You see, if we are convinced that Jesus came and died for us that we may live, then LET'S LIVE! Let's stop living for ourselves, and our bank accounts, and me me me…..but start living for the One who died. Let's stop settling for the "stage in life" that we are in, and start looking around and figuring out how we can make a difference in the lives of those God has put around us. I'm not saying that God has called all of us into full time vocational ministry. Whether full time, part time, paid, or volunteer doesn't matter; just that we go, we love, and we serve. When we get to Heaven God won't ask how your portfolio did, or how many sea shells we collected, but As Rick Warren writes in his book, The Purpose Driven Life, God will ask the question, "What did you do with my son Jesus?"

Oswald Monday

"When He Has Come"

When He has come, He will convict the world of sin . . . —John 16:8

Very few of us know anything about conviction of sin. We know the experience of being disturbed because we have done wrong things. But conviction of sin by the Holy Spirit blots out every relationship on earth and makes us aware of only one— "Against You, You only, have I sinned . . ." ( Psalm 51:4 ). When a person is convicted of sin in this way, he knows with every bit of his conscience that God would not dare to forgive him. If God did forgive him, then this person would have a stronger sense of justice than God. God does forgive, but it cost the breaking of His heart with grief in the death of Christ to enable Him to do so. The great miracle of the grace of God is that He forgives sin, and it is the death of Jesus Christ alone that enables the divine nature to forgive and to remain true to itself in doing so. It is shallow nonsense to say that God forgives us because He is love. Once we have been convicted of sin, we will never say this again. The love of God means Calvary— nothing less! The love of God is spelled out on the Cross and nowhere else. The only basis for which God can forgive me is the Cross of Christ. It is there that His conscience is satisfied.
Forgiveness doesn’t merely mean that I am saved from hell and have been made ready for heaven (no one would accept forgiveness on that level). Forgiveness means that I am forgiven into a newly created relationship which identifies me with God in Christ. The miracle of redemption is that God turns me, the unholy one, into the standard of Himself, the Holy One. He does this by putting into me a new nature, the nature of Jesus Christ. --Oswald Chambers

[ Dorothy ] Leadership

Been awhile since I blogged and am way too busy to write! Here is a great article that I had sitting in my files...enjoy. -Brandon

How a movie from our childhood can help us understand the changing nature of leadership in a postmodern culture

by Brian McLaren

Okay, I admit it. I spent most of the '80s and early '90s wishing I could be just like Bill Hybels, Rick Warren, or John Maxwell. They were successful. They appeared unflinchingly confident. They were powerful, knowledgeable, and larger than life. I'd go to their seminars and return home feeling wildly inspired and mildly depressed. How could I feel those two things at the same time? If you've attended their seminars, you probably don't need me to explain.

But if you do need me to explain, think back to the biblical story of David, when he tried to wear Saul's armor for his battle with Goliath. Imagine that he actually wore armor that was XXL when he was a regular M (or even S) guy. He would've come back looking like a partially opened—and partially eaten—can of sardines.

I realize I wasn't the only one who thought that the best image of the successful pastor was the CEO, the alpha male, the armored knight, or the corporate hero. Thousands of us tried on that armor, and the results—in our churches and in our personal lives—weren't pretty. Of course, the suit fit some of us (for example, I think that Hybels, Warren, and Maxwell really are XXL's), but most of us eventually realized that if we were going to be of any use to God, we'd better be ourselves. What a novel idea!

About the time I was reaching that conclusion, I was going through my "postmodern conversion." I was seeing the pattern or matrix of modernity giving way to a new pattern, and I was beginning to see how my whole understanding of Christianity fit snugly within the modern matrix. I wondered how ministry, theology, spirituality, and evangelism would change as the matrix changed. And I wondered how leadership would change, too.

Somewhere in the middle of these musings, a strange memory returned—the scene in The Wizard of Oz when little Toto pulls back the curtain to reveal that the great wizard of Oz is a rather normal guy hiding behind an imposing image. It struck me that the 1940s world that produced the film was in many ways a world at the height of modernity, a world enamored with Superman, the Lone Ranger, and other great men. It also struck me that by exposing the wizard as a fraud, the film was probing an unexpressed cultural doubt, giving voice to a rising misgiving, displaying an early pang of discontent with its dominant model of larger-than-life leadership. And it made me wonder what image of leadership would replace the great wizard.

The answer, of course, appeared in the next scene. No, it wasn't the lion, the scarecrow, or the tin man. It was Dorothy.

At first glance Dorothy is all wrong as a model of leadership for that era. She was the wrong gender (female) and the wrong age (young). Rather than being a person with all the answers, who knows what's up, where to go, and what's what, she's lost, a seeker, often bewildered, and vulnerable. These characteristics would disqualify her from modern leadership. But they serve as her best credentials for postmodern leadership.

In the world of Christian ministry, we can identify 10 wizardly characteristics of modern leadership. (You'll notice the masculine pronoun used exclusively here.)

Bible analyst: The modern Christian leader dissects the Bible like a scientist dissects a fetal pig, to gain knowledge through analysis. And in modernity, knowledge is power.

Broadcaster: Somehow when one amplifies his voice electronically and adds a little reverb, his power quotient goes up in modernity. Being slick, being smooth, being big, being "on the air"—that's what makes you a leader.

Objective technician: The organization—church or ministry—is a machine, and the leader knows how to work the machine, how to make it run, how to tweak it, and how to engineer (or re-engineer) it. It's the object, and he's the subject.

Warrior/salesman: Modern leadership is about conquest—"winning" souls, launching "crusades," "taking" this city (country, whatever) for Jesus. And it's about marketing, getting, buying, and selling (and sometimes selling out).

Careerist: The modern leader earns credentials, grasps the bottom rung of the ladder, and climbs, climbs, climbs—whether he's a stock boy who would be CEO or a young preacher on the rise.

Problem-solver: Come to him, and he'll fix you.

Apologist: Come to him, and he'll tell you why he's right and your doubt or skepticism is wrong.

Threat: One of the most powerful and underrated weapons of the modern Christian leader has been the threat of exclusion. The sword is normally kept in its sheath, but through mocking caricatures and other forms of rhetorical demonization, a gifted orator can make you fear that if you don't agree with/follow/submit to his leadership, you'll be banished—like the wizard bellowing threats from behind his curtain.

Knower: The modern Christian leader is—or appears—supremely confident in his opinions, perspectives, beliefs, systems, and formulations. While the rest of us question and doubt, he's the answer man who knows.

Solo act: There's only room for one in the wizard's control booth, and there's only room for one at the top of the church organizational chart.

When you think of Dorothy, the picture's extremely different. Instead of sitting pretty in a control booth, she's stuck in a predicament—still a little dizzy from the tornado, lost, far from home, and needing to find the way. As she sets out on her journey, she finds other needy people (not people exactly, but you get the point). One in need of courage, another in need of intelligence, and another in need of a heart. She believes that their varying needs can be fulfilled on a common quest, and her earnestness, her compassion, her determination, and her youthful spunk galvanize them into a foursome—five, with Toto—singing and travelling down the yellow brick road—together. Dorothy doesn't have the knowledge to help them avoid all problems and dangers; she doesn't protect them from all threats and temptations. But she doesn't give up, and her passion holds strong. And in the end, they all get what they need.

Maybe one of the film's many enduring delights is hidden in Dorothy's unwizardly leadership charisma. Maybe people in the 1940s were just beginning to yearn for a way of leadership that now is becoming ascendant—a post-wizard, postmodern kind of leadership. (And you'll notice pronouns for both genders here.)

Spiritual sage instead of Bible analyst: As we move beyond modernity, we lose our infatuation with analysis, knowledge, information, facts, and belief systems—and those who traffic in them. Instead, we're attracted to leaders who possess that elusive quality of wisdom (think of James 3:13), who practice spiritual disciplines, and whose lives are characterized by depth of spiritual practice (not just by tightness of belief system). These leaders possess a moral authority more closely linked to character than intellectual credentials; they're more sages than technicians. It's their slow, thoughtful, considered answer that convinces, not the snap-your-fingers-I-know-that-kind-of-answer-man-know-it-all-ness. Dorothy has this "softer" authority, a reflection of her earnestness and kindness as much as her intellectual acumen.

Listener instead of broadcaster: In the postmodern world, it's not how loudly you shout; it's how deeply you listen that counts. Just as Dorothy engages her traveling companions by listening to their stories and evoking their needs, the postmodern leader creates a safe place that attracts a team, and then she empowers them with the amazing power of a listening heart.

Spiritual friend instead of objective technician: Think of the difference between a scientist objectively studying chimpanzees and a crusader dedicated to saving them from extinction. In modernity a leader loves his organization and loves his ambition, his strategic plan, his goals; but on this side of the transition, leaders love their teams, and those to whom their teams are sent. Or more perversely put—in modernity, I Corinthians 13 would read, "If I have all love and would lay down my life for my friends, but have not knowledge, I am a wispy wimp and a poor excuse for a leader." Beyond modernity we return to Paul's original meaning.

Dancer instead of warrior/salesman: In a world plagued by ethnic hatred and telemarketers, every voice adding stridency and sales pressure to the world is one voice too many. Nobody wants to be "won to Christ" or "taken for Jesus" in one of our "crusades," nor do they want to be subjected to a sales pitch for heaven that sounds for all the world like an invitation to check out a time-share vacation resort. A presentation of the gospel that sounds like a military ultimatum or like a slick sales pitch will dishonor the gospel for postmodern people. Instead think of leadership—and especially evangelism—as a dance. You hear the music that I don't hear, and you know how to move to its rhythm. Gently you help me begin to hear its music, feel its rhythm, and learn to move to it with grace and joy. A very different kind of leadership, don't you agree?

Amateur instead of careerist: The root of the word "amateur" is "amar"—to love. Most of us in Christian leadership know that seeing ministry as a career can quickly quench the motivation of love. How can we keep that higher motivation alive? How can Christian leadership be for us less like the drudgery of a job and more like the joy of a day golfing, or fishing, or playing soccer, or whatever...not something we have to do, but something we get to do? The professionalization of ministry will be one of the harmful legacies of modernity, I believe.

Quest creator instead of problem-solver: The man at the top of modern leadership is the guy you go to for answers and solutions. No doubt there are times when that's what we need now, too. But postmodern leaders will be as interested in creating new problems, in setting new challenges, in launching new adventures...as in solving, finishing, or facilitating old ones. Dorothy does this: She helps her companions trade their old problems (birds landing on the scarecrow, the tin man being paralyzed by rust, the lion faking bravado) for a new quest. Of course this is what Jesus does, too. He doesn't solve the problems of the Pharisees. (How can we get these stupid crowds to know and obey the law as we do?) He creates new ones. (Seek first the kingdom of God.)

Apologizer instead of apologist: Instead of defending old answers, the new kind of leader will often apologize for how inadequate he is. In modernity you gained credibility by always being right; in postmodernity you gain authority by admitting when you're wrong (think of the Pope's visit to the Middle East in early 2000) and apologizing humbly. That kind of humility, that vulnerability, was one of Dorothy's most winsome—and leaderlike—characteristics.

Includer instead of threat: The only threat Dorothy poses is the threat of inclusion, not exclusion. She basically threatens you with acceptance; you're part of her journey, a member of her team, unless you refuse and walk away. That kind of leadership strikes me as gospel leadership, and it reminds me of someone else—Jesus.

Seeker instead of knower: Oddly, Dorothy's appeal as a leader arises from being lost and being passionate about seeking a way home. Does it ever strike you as odd in contemporary Christian jargon that it's the pre-Christians who are called seekers? Where does that leave the Christians? Shouldn't the Christian leader be the lead seeker?

Team builder instead of solo act: All along her journey, Dorothy welcomed company. She was glad for a team. By the end of their journey, the lion, the scarecrow, and the tin man have joined Dorothy as peers, partners, and friends. Her style of leadership was empowering and ennobling, not patronizing, paternalistic, and dependency-creating. So effective was her empowering of them that they were able to say a tearful goodbye and move on to their own adventures.

I know, you're thinking, Why take a silly movie so seriously? You're right—it's just a movie. But I find the film's repudiation of more traditional modern leadership to be fascinating, maybe an early expression of a cultural shift that we're more fully experiencing today.

And ultimately, of course, I find in Dorothy's way of leadership many echoes of our Lord's leadership teachings. After all, you can never imagine the great Oz washing his subjects' feet or booming out, "I no longer call you servants, but friends."

Maybe some of us are trying hard to be something we're not. Maybe we're imitating styles of leadership that are becoming outdated and inappropriate. That's not to say we don't have a lot to learn, but maybe the best thing that could happen to us would be to have the curtain pulled back to reveal us not as XXL superheroes, but regular size M men and women. Maybe then, with the amplifiers turned off and the images dropped, we'll hear Jesus inviting us to learn new ways of leading for his cause. ®

Brian McLaren is a pastor at Cedar Ridge Community Church in Spencerville, MD (www.crcc.org). He's also a participant in the Theological Working Group of the Terranova Project (www.terranovaproject.org). He and his wife, Grace, have four teenagers, and he's written three books.

Genocide in Darfur

Where stands the real problem?

I write this article today with a mix of feelings- I'm both a little embarrassed and a little angry. Angry at the fact that yet another situation is currently taking place in which we as humans are again repeating history, instead of learning from it, and have yet again launched a brutal injustice against fellow humans based solely on outward appearance (and the inability to understand another's culture). Embarrassed because this particular saga has been going on for a few years now, and I just awoke to smell the bacon.

A few weeks back, I received the opportunity, and what I now call the blessing, to watch the movie Hotel Rwanda alongside a group of young adult youth workers. If you haven't seen this movie, I highly recommend carving out a few hours to become a student of it. After we had reviewed the film, we began discussing the implications of it and forced us to take a look at what part we might play in human persecution around the world. As you can imagine, the current crisis in Darfur took center stage- an issue that at the time, I knew nothing about and could not understand why.

The Wikipedia online Encyclopedia defines this crisis:

"The Darfur conflict is an ongoing armed conflict in the Darfur region of western Sudan, mainly between the Janjaweed (translated: "devils on horseback"), a militia group recruited from the tribes of the Abbala Rizeigat (camel-herding Arabs), and the non-Baggara people (mostly land-tilling tribes) of the region. The Sudanese government, while publicly denying that it supports the Janjaweed, has provided money and assistance and has participated in joint attacks with the group, systematically targeting the Fur, Zaghawa, and Massaleit ethnic groups in Darfur. The conflict began in July 2003. Unlike in the Second Sudanese Civil War, which was fought between the primarily Muslim north and Christian and Animist south, in Darfur most of the residents are Muslim, as are the Janjaweed."

They go on to say:

"The mass media once described the conflict as both "ethnic cleansing" and "genocide," and now do so without hesitation. After fighting worsened in July and August 2006, on August 31, 2006, the United Nations Security Council approved Resolution 1706 which called for a new 17,300-troop UN peacekeeping force to supplant or supplement a poorly funded, ill-equipped 7,000-troop African Union Mission in Sudan peacekeeping force. Sudan strongly objected to the resolution and said that it would see the UN forces in the region as foreign invaders. The next day, the Sudanese military launched a major offensive in the region."

Even as I write this I am appalled by the ability of one human to enact such violence on another human because they have some warped idea of what a "normal" person should be. I am even more taken back that we (myself included) who sit thousands of miles away and an abundance of resources, look on with disgust, but will never stand up for what we know is right- even after seeing the aftermath of events such as the Holocaust and American Slavery (something we as a society still have not healed from). A quote from the character Jack in the movie Hotel Rwanda, [after Paul thanks him for shooting footage of the genocide and convinced that it will spark others to come and help] best sums it up:

"I think if people see this footage , they'll say Oh my God, that's horrible. And then they'll go on eating their dinners."

Isn't that the truth? The realistic truth is that in only a few short years, the death toll has been estimated at approximate 400,000 people, though all sources that I have seen all agree that it is hard to calculate. The realistic truth is that this portion of the Sudan is compromised of nearly 50% children (tomorrow's future) and the major cause of death among the 10,000 people who die monthly is actually disease (curable ones like Diarrhea) and hunger- a result of the conflict driving over 2 million people into homelessness.

I am amazed that a simple box of Pepto Bismol for a few measly dollars could keep a dehydrated kid alive, and they don't have access to it because we are hoarding all of it in the medicine cabinets of our newly remodeled bathrooms, of our oversized (bigger is better mentality) homes (that we have two mortgages on). You see the problem in the world isn't the lack of resources…it's the distribution of them. Do you really think that the God of this universe would make too many people and not enough stuff?

So I will wrap up today posing to you the same question that is rattling around in my head,

What Part Does God Have You Play In This?

I will make a point to wrestle with this question and to seek out an answer. I don't think I am called to pack up my bags and head over to the Sudan, though some may, but I do think that I can reach into my pocket and give to the future of that culture. Whatever you do, don't simply "go on eating your dinner".