The Boneman

The Boneman Caricature

My buddy is a professional animator for "The King of the Hill."  This is his caricature of me.  What do you think?

I converted... to Mac.

I can't believe it either, but I did.  Let me tell you why...

I have always been attracted to the "cool" factor of Macs, but never thought it would be worth switching over just for that.  The Microsoft OS pushed me over the edge.  My Compaq laptop has served me very well for the past 4 years, but over time the OS was just annoying.  It would do things I didn't want it to do.  I would lose work, catch viruses, and wait for the thing to simply turn off and on.  Since I knew I had to replace the laptop, I just couldn't bear to move towards Vista based on everything I have read.  There is just no doubt that the Mac OS is more solid and satisfying.  

Did I pay a premium for the Mac?  You bet.  Is it worth it for something I will use for hours almost every day for at least a few years?  Of course.  Was I willing to gamble on Vista when I could use a competitor that creates raving fans?  Nope.

I'll let you know how it is going in a month or two.

N.T. Wright on Colbert

Visual Jokes

Culture Trumps Vision Everytime

Yea verily and amen.

Church planters - pay attention...

Tribal Leadership

I am fascinated by organizational design and culture in business, church life, and wherever else I stumble upon it.  Watching the way people behave as individuals within their working context is very revealing at many levels - and trying to change organizational behavior is even more interesting.  I had to do a fair amount of reading on this during my MBA program so while I am not an expert in this area, I have developed a high appreciation for those who spend their careers trying to make sense of it all...

Yesterday I picked up a book called, "Tribal Leadership," by Dave Logan, John King, and Halee Fischer-Wright.  The paradigm that they are asserting is based on years of research on "twenty-four thousand people in two dozen organization, with members around the world..."  What they have discovered is that people operate in tribes of 20-150 people.  Each person in the tribe and tribe itself is characterized by the language they use to self-assess as seen in this table:

 
For whatever it is worth, I think this is truly insightful and brilliant.  It totally resonates with my experience.  I haven't digested the whole book, but the goal is to chronicle how people move through the stages with tips on how to be an effective tribal leader.  I can't wait to dive in deeper.

Think about this for a moment as it applies to church.  How rare is it to find a "Stage 5" church?  Rare indeed.  The church is full of victims, warriors, and pockets of tribal pride.  We need more tribal leaders in the church to lead us back to the heavenly experience of "innocent wonderment" where "life is great."

What on earth is happening?

"Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven." (Matthew 6:11)

God withheld a benediction over the 2nd day of creation because Heaven and Earth were not meant to be separated forever (Gen 1:6-8).  God's plan was always to bring Heaven and Earth together and He planned to do it through the agency of His image bearers (Gen 1:26).  The fall of man did not derail this plan, but ushered the Son of God into the world as Jacob's ladder (Gen 28:12, John 1:51) and God's Tabernacle.  After Christ's ascension He sent His Spirit to fill His people, the church.  As His body, the church is now transforming and reconciling the world by the power of the Gospel.  The New Jerusalem is descending and filling the earth with God's glory (Rev 21:1ff).  This has been progressively unfolding for about 2000 years now and will continue until the nations are discipled and the Lord returns for His bride.