Where the World and the Church Intersect

What kind of Church do you have?

It's easy for the Church to bow to the alluring callings of the world.  It feels cool to have a Church that is staying up with the times.

I'll be the first to admit that I'd like to go to a Church with a coffee shop in the lobby and an ATM machine just outside the door.  I wouldn't mind a Church that helped me with car repair or a Church that actually took the poor seriously.  It would be nice to see a Church that valued preaching every week and not just at Christmas.  Imagine a Church that had great music all the time and not just when the choir really prepares extra hard.

This wish-list sounds lavish, I know.

God created the world and it's our job to help Him redeem and co-create it.  Whenever I hear someone rail against secularism, I try to listen carefully to see if they see the world as a totally barren place or one with the capacity for renewal. (I know, this is not a habit of normal people.)  This world-or-church paradigm is, I think, somewhat of a false dichotomy.

There is a soft spot for where the world intersects with the Church.  This just might be the place where the Gospel is needed the most.  Isn't that what it means to be "in but not of the world" as St. Paul preached?

Worldliness has been part of my own Advent journey this year.  Instead of letting the stuff of the world stress me out (be honest, when you see your neighbor putting up his Christmas lights, don't you feel a nudge to do the same?), I've gone with the flow and tried to take things more slowly.  It's not that I'm shunning the world but rather trying to respond appropriately.

My lights won't go up until this weekend.  I don't plan on sending out Christmas cards.  My co-worker gifts are all getting the same  gift (I ordered 10 copies of Jim Collins' book, Great by Choice).  I'm going to a Mass on Christmas eve at a place that I know will have inspiring music.

And guess what?  I feel great about all of this.  I think Christmas will be meaningful this year because our family has been intentional about Advent and how we see the intersection of the world and the Church.

It doesn't have to be an either/or proposition.

Frictionless Productivity

Friction exists when two objects rub up against one another.  Drag on the system.  Slowness of action.

In our work lives, whether at home or in the marketplace, friction exists all around.  It's the meeting that goes too long, the computer that is too slow, or the conversation that is overly negative.

Now imagine a workflow that is seamless, almost without friction.  I can because I've seen it.

This past summer, I visited Steelcase in Michigan.  Long known for their office furniture, Steelcase is now making history by rethinking the workplace- one without friction.  I saw spaces for quick meetings, tables that double up as writing space, and slightly private areas for conversations that require a bit more privacy.  They have a ton of writing boards so that when the muse strikes, you've got something on which to write.  They give their employees permission to get creative, wherever and whenever.

I'm trying to practice this principle at my school.  We've been using Nozbe for group projects which has minimized the need for meetings.  We're installing white boards in specific work environments so that conversations can be memorialized on the wall. I'm working from home two hours a week which recharges my batteries.  It's a start.

How frictionless is your workplace?  What can you do this week to reduce drag on your system or that of someone around you?

 

*photo by willsfca

The Most Important Four Hours of Your Day

We know intuitively that the first few hours of every day are important.

Really important.

They set the tone for the entire day, especially when we do things that we might otherwise put off.  Brian Tracy's famous book, Eat that Frog made the beginning of the day even more famous. “There is never enough time to do everything, but there is always enough time to do the most important thing.”  Brian Tracy

This comes as no surprise, that morning is important time for creative work.  This leads to a successful 9-5 working day.

But how about 5-9pm?  Are we as attentive to that block of time?  Last night I was doing some work on the computer and then checking in on the Red Sox game.  As it became clear that 9 innings weren't enough and things were heading to extra innings, I made a bad decision and stayed up.  And up and into the 12th and 13th innings.

I was so wired that I could not fall asleep, try as I may.  This led to a lousy night's sleep and a Monday feeling slow on my game.

So how can you use 5-9 in order to finish the day well?  I suggest less TV, more reading and a few minutes thinking about the following day.  I like to review my Nozbe lists as well so that my brain is working overnight to make the most of the next day.

What's working for you in the 5-9pm time slot?

What I've Learned from 365 Days of Prayer

If there is one book that God has used to stir my spiritual life, it's Bill Hybels' Too Busy Not to Pray.  I read this just over a year ago and began an adventure of daily prayer that, this past week, marked 365 continuous days of devotions.

Hard to believe!

I've been a Christian for a long time but in only two periods of my life did prayer become real for me.  First, when I was in college, my prayer life was quite vibrant and alive.  Now as a result of reading Hybels' book, I'm thankful that I've hit another patch of spiritual consistency.

God gets the credit.

My previous post documented what I learned from only three weeks of prayer.  Little did I know that we would be here, one year later to report on this "spiritual experiment".  Here are my findings:

• Simple is good. I've used the ACTS method of prayer and its strength lies in the simple approach to prayer: adoration, confession, thanksgiving, supplication.


• The journal is key.  By writing down my prayers and complimenting them with verbal prayers, prayer has become more real for me.  I use a simple .99$ notebook from the grocery store.


• Flexibility is important. As life has "seasons" when some things work and some things don't, so too does prayer have its moments.  I've had to change up my Scripture reading, times of day and length of journaling depending on how things were going.


• There is no perfect moment. If you wait for the perfect moment to pray, it won't happen.  It will never be totally quiet and you will never hit an hour in the day when you feel perfectly ready for prayer.  The key as Nike coined years ago, just do it.


• Prayer is about relationship and communication.  In the beginning, my devotions were something that I wanted to test out.  Then, it became something that I had to work at.  Now, I can't imagine not having a daily time of prayer.  My relationship with God needs good communication and by starting the day with prayer, I'm placing Him first on my list.


• Prayer is about sabbath. Jesus was very serious about taking time to slow down.  Daily prayer peels off a little bit of sabbath time and inserts it in days other than the sabbath.

Wherever you are in your spiritual life, it's never too late to begin a new season of prayer.  Anyone can do it, it costs nothing and there may be no better use of your time. What are you waiting for?

Here's to another 365 days!  I'd love to know what's working in your devotional life so that prayer is real and alive for you...

How to Stay Productive in the Face of Natural Disaster

As I write this, Hurricane Irene is bearing down on New York City.  Living 35 minutes outside of the city, my neighborhood is seeing a ton of rain and the Passaic River will soon cascade over our roads.  For better or worse, this community is familiar with flooding and the Great Swamp is just five minutes away.

It can be easy for a storm or more severe natural disaster to cripple a community.

And kill your productivity.

So how can you stay productive when a storm strikes?  Here are some suggestions:

1. Define what "productive" means to you. If watching a movie with someone you love is the right thing to do, then go to it!  If you need to repair a broken gutter, that's where you should lend your attention.  And if reading a good book is ripe for the moment, enjoy.


2. Limit your media. I find that Twitter is a great vehicle for information when a storm strikes.  You can see how Hurricane Irene is trending via the use of hashtags.  In this case, #hurricane or #hurricaneirene provides the latest tweets on the storm.  I don't enjoy the TV news as my anxiety grows with each image of storm surge or fallen power lines.  It's good to stay up to date without feeling overwhelmed by "too much news".


3. Err on the side of safety. While I'm someone who likes to drive around during a snow storm or tropical storm, that shouldn't be your "normal".  Be safe, even if it means missing a meeting or bailing on a prior commitment.


4. Write it down. As your mind thinks of steps you need to take to do cleanup, report insurance claims, and put things away, write it down.  Even in the midst of a storm, the GTD principle of "capture it all" still applies.

Be safe and stay productive, whatever that means to you!

p.s. I was inspired when I saw that Nozbe began coding lists that can be shared with others via #PublicNozbe. After the earthquake in Japan, they put their techie skills to good use.  You can share an emergency list as well here.

Negative People at Work: Love 'Em or Leave 'Em?

I used to think that there were two types of offenses in the workplace. The first type involved doing something really bad- hurting someone, theft, violating company policies, etc.

People had told me that there were other, softer types of wrongdoing that were also present at work but "not nearly as dangerous". These included complaining, being difficult to work with, and hurting the chemistry of the team.

Old school trainers will tell you to ignore these second kinds of folks.  That rarely works as complainers tend to be social by nature, sharing their dislikes with others.  That spells trouble and can sidetrack even the hardest of workers.

Unfortunately, complaining and being negative are two of the most dangerous behaviors at work.  They become almost concrete and to be frank, it's sad.  Life is too short to be full of negative energy.

Complaining is lousy for three reasons:

• Complaining doesn't solve the problem.


• Complaining wastes energy and time.


• Complaining erodes trust.

If you want to be positive at work, I recommend avoiding the negative forces (and people) as much as you can.  This may entail some sacrifices.  One teacher I know eats by himself because he doesn't want to hear negative talk in the lunchroom.

If you manage these folks, nip it in the bud a.s.a.p.  Have an honest conversation.

When it comes to complainers, should you love 'em or leave 'em?  From a Christian standpoint, everyone deserves a chance to contribute and be a member of the team.  Their honest work is so valuable to moving the mission forward. Ultimately, managers have to make the decision and each person is responsible for their own words and actions.

If it's true that "we're better together" then there is no place for complaining at work. You can be a positive influence on those around you and why not?  The complainer may have some issues at home or in their personal lives that they just can't separate from their eight hours at work.  You may be the only person with the courage enough to call them out or encourage them to be different.

If you're tempted to complain, pause and step away from the situation.  If someone around you is spreading negative vibes, choose carefully how you will respond.

How have you chosen to deal with complainers at work?