Why Changing your keyboard takes over 100 years...

“But now, O LORD, you are our Father;

we are the clay, and you are our potter;

we are all the work of your hand.” (Isa 64:8)

Have you ever wondered why your keyboard is in the order of: QWERTYUIOP?
Urban legend has it, when typewriters were first invented, typists could type faster than the machines could function. As people typed, the linkage connecting letters to keys would jam-up something terrible. So, the manufactures figured out a way to slow down, purposefully slow down the typist. How? They mixed up the order of the letters in such a way that people would be forced to slow down as they typed. I don’t know if that was true or not, I wasn’t around in the 1870’s. So, with all of the technical-advances in the last 100 + years, why hasn’t someone changed the layout on the keyboard? Good question, since it would be beneficial. Look at your Blackberry or touch screen keyboard on your I-pad and then ask that again... I guess change is harder than we think?

There are plenty more stories like QWERTY that are traceable, like the Ferguson Breach rifle that could’ve changed the outcome of the Revolutionary war. Thankfully, the British decided not to transition from their slower musket-loaders to the Ferguson; they had access to the more efficient weapon but were unwilling to retrain their troops. Or, remember how the Swiss hesitated to switch over to Quartz movement in their watches, but the Japanese jumped on the use of Quartz movement and quickly cornered the market, a market previously dominated by the Swiss for centuries.

How we travel has changed too. After all, who wants to travel by boat anymore now that we have the Jet airplane? I don’t know, ask the Cruise ship industry. A flight might be convenient, but people still enjoy a Cruise ship, or even a train ride today. Once, boat and train travel were slow and dangerous, and today they are considered luxurious. Remember what Solomon wrote: “What has been is what will be,and what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun.” (Ecclesiastes 1:9)

While we all struggle with personal changes, we need to remember that change might feel like a loss at the time, but it does not create a void; change creates a choice. Sure, you may write an email to a friend across the country, but I promise a handwritten note will carry more weight, have more meaning or significance. Really? Yes. Ever wonder why your Grandmother doesn’t just text you a Christmas greeting, or your aunt send you a birthday text? We still value the handwritten note over any other correspondence, even in an electronic age. I guess we could say there’s room for multiple forms of communication...?

Jesus wants to transform us, not replace us with robots or pet dogs; He wants us to become what we are not. He wants us to replace hypocrisy with empathy so we can have authentic relationships, that’s why He says get the log out of your eye. He wants us to bear fruit and reject apathy, that’s why He says if we love Him we’ll obey Him. He wants us to have hearts that love unconditionally, that’s why He says “By this” all men will know you are my disciples.... if you have love one for another. HE wants us to change who’s will we submit to... That’s why He says, “when you fed the least of these” because He wants us to change our view on who the universe revolves around... This type of change is daily: “So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.” (II Cor 4:16)

Jesus wants to change you, doubtful? Just wait till the Resurrection when in the blink of an eye we are all... Well here’s how Paul puts it in I Cor 15:52, “in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed.”

BTW: Pictured here, above, are several books from my personal library, notice what they are stacked on...

Do you see...?

I read a story that Italian folklorists share, a story on how we see reality. It goes something like this: There were three stonecutters working in the heat of the day. When the first one was asked what it was he was doing he answered: I am chipping these stones to make them fit just right. The second stonecutter responded: I am earning my wages. And the third stonecutter replied: I am building a cathedral.

Amazingly, those three stonecutters in the story were working side-by-side, yet saw something different. I guess people could compare this to the parable of the six blind men who all explain an elephant in six different ways, i.e., "It's a rope." "No, it's a tree-trunk..." ect.

Sometimes, it would seem, we need to take a second look, or even a third look.

Daily schedule's appearance: Too Hideous or ready to harness?

I love the smell of leather. I know it might sound weird, but I have a German-made knife that sometimes I remove from its sheath, and I sniff the sheath.

The smell of leather is one I'm very familiar with. Some of my earliest memories are of handling my dad's saddle that he kept in our livingroom. His saddle was for horsemanship in the "Western Pleasure" style. My dad also had an old set of horse-harness he kept out in the barn. Both the saddle and the harness-set had a rich aroma that deeply appealed to my young senses. I rode in my dad's saddle along with him in the days before I was even walking. But, we never used the harness, though I heard many stories from my dad about the days when his people depended on the horses's harnesses.

Today we have a huge challenge in our churches. Our congregations seemingly have to compete with the barrage of activities that our families are entrenched in. Grandparents have an endless supply of sporting events they can watch their grandchildren participate in. Children have several different extracurricular actives at school they can sign up for. Parents have their own activities to consider as well.

If you've ever tried to recruit Sunday school teachers for just one quarter, I don't have to tell you how busy our people are. If you've been asked to serve in any capacity in a church activity, I don't have to tell you how hard it is to fit these requests into your overbooked schedule. So what can we do, and, what does this have to do with the smell of leather?

We, as believers, can either fight against the overwhelming madness of the endless stream of dance classes, orchestra concerts, practices for (you fill in the blank)__________, or scouting activities that rob our children of any free time... or we can harness them.

Moses, nor Jesus as far as this goes, commands us to escape the world. We are, on the other hand given this command, to uses every opportunity throughout our day to develop our faith... and to pass on our faith to the next generation. We are commanded by Moses to use the daily events as springboards to instruct our young people about how we walk with our God. We examine the day's activities through the lens of God's Word, not through the blinders of monasticism.

In other words, The Scriptures reveal our faith takes place in the chaos of the day, not in spite of it, nor apart from the daily grind. Re-read Deut 6:4-9 with a closer look at the word "when": "[4] “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. [5] You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. [6] And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. [7] You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. [8] You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. [9] You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates."

Moses didn't expect the Israelites to postpone their instructional or formational duties to their children in light of the demands of their daily life. He clearly instructs his people to use those everyday-experiences for teaching their children.

So, consider how our people could adapt this. Instead of forbidding or prohibiting our children from playing football, we go to their games, and we pray with them before the game. Or consider a volleyball game with your child, what an opportunity to talk about how good sportsmanship sends a clearer message of the gentleness believers practice than any message we could proclaim. Or, what about simply seeking an opportunity to invite a fellow parent from any of these events to a worship service? We complain about not having enough opportunities to evangelize, yet we come in contact with hundreds of people through our children's activities we otherwise would've never been able to meet.

Please don't misunderstand me. I'm fed up with the craziness of our demanding culture. I've often thought how great it would be to escape this hyperactive culture and join the Amish... no, really, I have. And, I have the utmost respect for the people who bemoan this tug-of-war plight we are in, but mistakenly think we can get our young people to scale back their activities. I simply think we can either fight the stream till we are all drowning, or we can channel these activities for the glory of God. I covet your feedback on this, when you can find the time...

Let's talk it out:

I recently read this story that’s attributed to Reagan; it’s about having good intentions:
"There's a story about a young fellow riding a motorcycle. He had good intentions too. The wind was kind of chilly and coming through the buttonholes on his jacket, and so he got this idea. He stopped and put his jacket on backward and that eliminated the chill factor through the buttonholes, but it kind of restricted his arm movement. And down the road, his motorcycle hit a patch of ice. He skidded into a tree. When the police got there, a crowd had gathered. And they elbowed their way through and they said, 'What happened?' And one of them said, 'Well, we don't know. When we got here he seemed to be all right, but by the time we got his head turned around straight, he was dead.'

That story reminds me of the old joke about the two doctors taking comfort in the success of a surgery, though the procedure ended the patient’s life. Sometimes, when we see another person we think we have them figured out, and, we think we can fix them...

I learned a valuable lesson this week about the dangers of stereotyping. I learned that perceptions which feel “so accurate” can be wrong, even my own... I learned this week that I had someone all wrong, my way of seeing this person was skewed. Though I didn’t jump to conclusions, or pass judgments, I was nevertheless mistaken.

After a wonderful conversation of give-and-take and genuine dialogue, I came away with a renewed-deeper-respect, and more importantly, a more accurate understanding of this person. I’m thankful I didn’t let my fear of offending, interfere with a relationship building opportunity.

If we rarely take the much needed step of asking another person for clarification, we could draw the wrong conclusions without having all the facts. Sadly, our relationships suffer.

I understand the fear that paralyzes us though. If I open my mouth and I’m wrong, then what? But, ask which is worse to you: holding on to a mistaken opinion, or risking the embarrassment by asking for clarification? One shows my self-protection means much more to me than maybe it should; the other shows respect for the other person.

Jesus sagely said: Get the log out... And Paul said: Speak the truth in love. May I grow into the type of person who does both, well.

Communication:

I don't think I've reblogged anyone's blog before.

But, the blog post I'm sharing here is one I simply have to pass on.

So, if you are a communicator, then you'll be interested in what White says below...

.........................

Great Communicators

There has been a fair amount of reflection on the life and legacy of Ronald Reagan of late, generated by the centennial celebration of his birth on February 6, not to mention Presidents Day on February 21.

Reagan was the 40th President of the United States (1980-1989). From “Reagonomics” to “Morning in America,” Reagan was known for many things, but perhaps chiefly as the Great Communicator.

And it was because of his abilities as a communicator that he is so widely heralded as a leader and an agent of cultural change.

The truth is that anyone wishing to influence culture should aspire to become a master communicator, for it has marked most of our world’s shaping personalities – for better or worse. From Martin Luther King, Jr. to Abraham Lincoln, Hitler to Hussein, communicators affect culture more than non-communicators.

It’s true for those who wish to impact the culture for Christ as well. C.S. Lewis was arguably the greatest apologist for the twentieth century. He had this to say about his efforts to communicate:

“People praise me as a ‘translator,’ but what I want is to be the founder of a school of ‘translation.’ I am nearly forty-seven. Where are my successors? Anyone can learn to do it if they wish...I feel I’m talking rather like a tutor – forgive me. But it is just a technique and I’m desperately anxious to see it widely learned.”

Lewis is right. Effective communication is not difficult. So what does it entail? Let’s assume that what you wish to say is biblically based. Let’s also assume you have something prophetic to say to the culture in which we live. What’s next on the agenda?

I would argue for the following:

First, that you are relevant. I know the word is tired, and is often a whipping boy for those who feel that contemporary communicators are swapping relevance for orthodoxy. But in truth, relevance has nothing to do with watering things down. It simply means that you avoid giving a 19th or 20th century message to a 21st century audience, particularly in regard to application, vocabulary and illustrations.

A good communicator is also practical. For a talk to be practical simply means that the listener can apply it, and is not left wondering how. Credibilityalso looms large for communication. You have to be believed to be heard. Credibility will include such things as accuracy and personal integrity.

Good communicators also use stories, pictures, images, analogies, props or media to help convey their points. People think visually, and they craft their thought in terms of images.

Another mark of effective communication is engaging in a way that feels dialogical, and builds bridges of identification. A good communicator will pause every now and then and say, “Now right about now, you’re probably thinking...”, or “If you’re like most people, this instantly raises the question of...”, or “Ever felt like that?” I believe it was Arthur Miller, who wrote such plays as The Crucible and Death of a Salesman, who said that success for him is when someone could sit in the audience, watch one of his plays, and say, “That’s me up there.”

Good communicators are also simple. Not shallow, mind you, but simple. They put truth on the bottom shelf. C.S. Lewis was brilliant, and could have spent his career writing for fellow academics. Instead, he wanted to write for the average person. As a result, his influence was ten-fold.

Few communicators have captured the attention of an audience as dramatically as Winston C. Churchill, and one of his defining marks was simplicity. He believed that a speech should sound the way you talk, simple and conversational. His entire philosophy of public communication was to have a strong beginning, express one theme, use simple language, have lots of illustrations, and end emotionally.

Once after he spoke, an individual confronted him and self-righteously stated, "Prime Minister, I was very shocked that in your speech you actually terminated a sentence with a preposition." Churchill replied, "That is pedantic nonsense...up...with which...I shall not put."

Mark Twain made a similar point by telling of a Missouri farmer who ran five times for the state legislature without a single victory. In his speeches he referred to himself as "your humble aspirant," his audiences as "my enlightened constituents," and his vision as "obtaining a mandate" for his "legislative mission." Then one day his cow kicked him in the teeth, knocking his front teeth out, forcing the farmer to speak words of only one syllable. As a result, he won his next election and continued getting reelected.

A final mark of effective communication is that you are authentic. Authenticity is no more - and no less - than being a person who can be believed, accepted, trusted, and relied upon to be that which is as presented. I recently talked with a woman who had been unchurched for seventeen years before coming to Meck. I asked her what it was about our team of communicators that had impacted her. I was surprised that she did not even have to pause. She said, "I never felt 'preached to.' Instead I felt 'talked to.' I could identify with you as people. You shared your struggles, your life experiences, in a way that I could relate to. You didn't come pretending to have your act together, talking down to everybody."

So if you want to improve as a communicator, be relevant, practical and credible; tell stories, be dialogical, simple and authentic.

Then, listen to great communicators who do this. Get five or six speakers who you sense know what they’re doing, and go to school on them. Listen to how they manage material, how they open and close their talks, the manner in which they admonish and confess, illustrate and inspire.

Because while we celebrate great translators like Lewis, he was right; the more pressing issue is where are his successors?

James Emery White


Sources

Peggy Noonan, When Character was King: A Story of Ronald Reagan.

Alan Jacobs, The Narnian: The Life and Imagination of C.S. Lewis.

James C. Humes, The Sir Winston Method: The Five Secrets of Speaking the Language of Leadership.


Editor’s Note

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Finding forgiveness, rediscovering a lost art...

This week’s sermon is on protecting our marriages. One of the most powerful forces that drive marriages to destruction is the inability of many couples to forgive each other. I’ve spent thousands of hours counseling couples of all ages, and many times their root issue is an unresolved offence.

We’ve all been effected by divorce. Divorce is perhaps the ultimate means to resolve your arguments, but it won’t solve your problems. I’m positive that if people learned how to forgive and reconnect, we would have fewer divorces. There’s one thing worse than divorce though, that’s harboring an unforgiving heart.

What motivates you to forgive? Besides the fact that God’s Word warns us, if we don’t forgive, we won’t be forgiven, do you really want to go though life carrying the burden of hatred and bitterness that refusing to forgive dumps on you? More than likely, you’d like to be able to forgive, but maybe you’ve never learned how? Maybe you don’t want to make the effort to forgive; it’s hard after all. Maybe your pride tells you, you can’t forgive till the other person grovels and begs for forgiveness? Or, perhaps you can’t forgive because being a victim has become your identity, and therefore letting go of the offence would be like losing yourself...?

Nobody can present a “how-to” forgive in a few paragraphs.
I won’t try here, I’m smarter than that... Here’s what I will offer:
#1. Until you forgive, you’re giving the past control over your today/tomorrow. Since you can’t change the past, why let it prevent you from changing for the good, today?
#2. Forgiving isn’t the same as endorsing. Some people think if they forgive someone, that they’ve put their stamp of approval on the offence. That’s simply not the case. You can still communicate you’ve been hurt, reject the action/attitude, but make a stand that you won’t let that hurt separate you from the other person.
#3. Unforgiveness is usually a cycle you’ve learned from your parents. When it comes to handling marital fights, we practice what our parents modeled for us; good or bad. Give your children/grandchildren a gift, and break that cycle. Do the hard work it takes to learn how to forgive, read up on it, seek out mentors who can guide you, pray like your life depended on it, but do whatever it takes to learn to forgive as you’ve been forgiven.

I have a gift from God: When my head hits the pillow at night, I drop grudges. I forget about the past. I let it go. What helped me find this kind of peace of mind? I wish I could say with certainty/clarity. I’ve studied the subject of forgiveness, I’ve read a few books on the topic, and I taught a class on it too. I think more than any of these experiences, seeing the pain that people carry when they can’t forgive and watching several personalities ruined from not forgiving, has taught me plenty about MY need to forgive...

Modern Ministry or slaking off?

Do you think church staff communicating with church members, and people we are trying to reach, via Facebook is a valid method of ministry? Is Twitter a legitimate form of ministry?

I stay in touch with ppl, and stay updated, through Facebook and Twitter quite a bit actually. I know what some of our folks are doing solely because of these social networks. Non-members "message" me questions about all sorts of issues they're facing too. To me, FB seems like a valuable tool, but, I wonder if I'm alone in holding this view?

This past year we've really utilized the NE Facebook page to inform everyone about all kinds of events: Posting blogs... Promoting upcoming sermons... Reminding people of youth lock-ins.... From funerals to fellowship activities; we also post updates on Blood drives and the status of the parking lot in bad weather...

While social networking is not exactly brand-new, it's new enough to "church-life" that I wonder what "our" people think about its place in serving people? When you see a church staff member posting comments on people's Facebook pages throughout the day, what do you think? Do you think they are wasting time, or making the best use of the technology?