Activist vs. Reflection

For many years I considered myself an activist, and I suppose I still am. Cranking the next thing. Launching new programs. Find a need and fill it. Raise funds for this project and recruit people for that new initiative. Organize for effectiveness. Talk vision, mission, passion, getting involved and making your life count. If you fail to plan you plan to fail. These are all the mantra's of the activist. Change the world. Now.

In this recent time of my life, I find myself less an activist. It's been about reflection. Thinking about life, Christ-followership, how I'm doing as a human. What's it like to be around me, and how am I experiencing the world. It hasn't been an easy time. I think it's easier to be an activist. You don't have to change, you just ask others to - or at least give the illustion that if they get on board with your ministry they will grow.

Reflection is about personal change. It's about living life away from the fast lane, more working on your heart - to keep it soft and sensitive. It's about feeling more than thinking. It's about feeling other's pain and watching how you respond to other people. It's about asking the questions that take yourself deeper ... into areas that are difficult, confusing and not worked out. It's quite messy.

I've found you can be an activist without being reflective. But only for awhile. The train may derail. I've been there. For me, I'm in a season of reflection. I don't know when I'll pick up the activism again, but for now I'm very happy to be in the slow lane called reflection.

Tim Kraus

A friend from my Roller Hockey days in California has a son - Tim Kraus - playing for the Vancouver Giants. Tim has played for the Giants for the last three years. He has developed into an impact player. Tim has been gifted with skill and drive. He was in the top 15 of scoring 52 games into the WHL season when he took a vicious elbow to the jaw. His jaw shattered and he was listed as out indefinately. It was very difficult time. His recovery went well and he was just cleared by the doctor to play. He joined the Giants last night in Prince George. He had a great night.

Update: Tim was traded to the Regina Pat's this past weekend. Here is a great interview with Tim following the trade.

Coast 2 Coast Roller Hockey Memories

I owe a dept of gratitude to the roller hockey community in southern california. When we moved to So Cal, I had already hung up my skates and said good-bye to my life as a hockey player. I didn't miss it and didn't entertain the thought of putting the gear on again.

That began to change when I met Jeff Russel. Jeff was coaching my son's roller hockey team from the Y over in Lakewood. One practice, my son and I came a bit early and we were passing the puck around and goofing off. Jeff came up to me and said, "Hey, looks like you played this game before, can you help me coach?" I came out and help him coach and it was a blast. Soon though, I bought some new skates and a new stick and was out there playing with Jeff and the kids. Jeff came up to me again and said, "Hey, I play on a team at Coast 2 Coast in Huntington Beach, would you like to sub in for a game. We need some players?" I was like, no, don't want to get into that, it's probably too expensive; I need new gear and all that. Jeff met my resistance assured me that he could find used gear for me and I wouldn't have to pay. He kept asking me - I kept putting him off. I got a bit curious and wondered how roller hockey was played and what level they played at. I was also interested in Jeff and wanted to meet his friends. So one day I said I would like to come and watch a game.

A day before the game, he called me and said that one of the guys couldn't make it and if I could take my skates along and since I'll be there anyways if I could help the team by lacing em' up. I was already going and my interest was increasing so I said sure.

I showed up and was introduced to the Killer Bees. These were guys who played high school sports together (football, baseball), and now were playing hockey together. There were salesmen, business owners and a profession skateboarder on the team. Bunch of great guys.

I enjoyed that first game. It was exhilarating and brought back all kinds of wonderful hockey memories. (It helped that I scored the first shift) This began a renewed interest in the game and over 3 years I got to know some great hockey players. I played a few more seasons for the Killer Bees, with the P.I.M.P.S., and few seasons with The Chill, and lots of drop in sessions. I got to know the staff at Coast 2 Coast and our friendships continue today. Since moving back to BC, I bought some ice skates and have been playing ice here in Chilliwack. Thanks to Jeff R., Dan M., Jason D., Eric C., and coach J.P. Bowman.

Kelowna Hockey Tournament and Family

The family packed up yesterday and we headed over to Kelowna to cheer Levi on in his hockey tournament. I always look forward to these weekends. As a family it started with weekend soccer tournaments in San Diego a few years back. You packup, leave the routine at home, travel a bit and live in a hotel with about 20 other families for what? To support your kids and create some great memories. I love it. You get to know other families better, you eat together, travel to games together and see each other around the pool. Chilliwack has some great people. Steady, hardworking and proud. Not extroverted, like we experienced in spades in SoCAl, but reserved, private people. It takes awhile to get accepted in new circles here. You just do your time and be yourself. Eventually you begin to be accepted. If your patient, it will happen - it always does.

Half our kids are teenagers and it was a bit of a push to get them along this weekend. One had to call in and make arrangements for work, Patti needs to come back early for a soccer game in Chilliwack on Sunday. It's like that. You raise kids to let them go. Before they just came along, now they have their input. I want to see them act and be a certain way, but the reality is they are their own person and I take great pleasure in watching them grow up. You hope for them to be secure in themselves and in Christ, you hope they learn the lessons from bad choices but not life altering bad choices, you hope they can sort out life from the filter of Christ-like values. Yet, as a parent, as much as you model, teach, correct, love and accept, they make their own choices and they are growing up. Hard to let go, but very good to see them grow and flourish.

Levi has had a break-through weekend, I think, with his hockey skills. Somethings just came together very well. He's carrying the puck with confidence, he's thinking clearly about his options and he's playing his position very well. I think he learned quite a bit of that in roller hockey. The game on ice is different, but the same. They lost their first game yesterday 4-1 and they had a 6:15am game today. They came out flying and playing very well. They beat a disciplined, skilled team 6-0. Coaches were very happy. He has another game at 12:15pm today.

Afghan Man Faces Death For Turning To Christianity

This article in the Globe and Mail shows the deep commitment followers of Jesus have in other parts of the world.

KABUL — The judge deciding whether an Afghan man should be executed for converting to Christianity does not understand what all the fuss is about.

"In this country, we have [a] perfect constitution. It is Islamic law and it is illegal to be a Christian and it should be punished," Judge Alhaj Ansarullah Mawawy Zada said in an interview yesterday. "In your country, two women can marry. I think that is very strange."

Judge Zada, head of Kabul's primary court, has already heard initial evidence in the case of Abdul Rahman, a 41-year-old who converted to Christianity from Islam more than 14 years ago. The judge is expected to deliver his verdict within two weeks.

Link

US National Dept Keeps Increasing

When will dept start going the other way?

US spends its way to 28 Eiffel towers: made out of pure gold

IF YOU are worried about how much you owe on your credit cards, this might put things in perspective: America’s national debt limit was increased yesterday to $9 trillion. That’s $9,000,000,000,000 — enough to buy Buckingham Palace 9,000 times.

The increase, passed by Congress, allows the Government to borrow another $781 billion (£447 billion), increasing the national debt limit — the maximum America can borrow — from $8 trillion and $184 billion to $8 trillion and $961 billion.

Link

Chilliwack Bruins Training Camp and faq for Western Hockey League (whl)

The Chilliwack Bruins put a link to a helpful article written on the whl.ca site that talks about (among other things) the bantam draft, player protected list and how to get invited to training camp.

Link

update from Korea

John and Ann are in Korea and John is teaching education courses at a University there. I just got this email from them:

Just a quick note to indicate that we are doing fine. I am getting into this university stuff and am getting lots of help from other faculty members and a student assistant who volunteers his services. Life in Korea seems a little topsy-turvy sometimes. Even the taps in my office turn on in a direction opposite of what we're used to. Drivers in Korea are crazy and expect to have you watch out for them. I don't know how often I haven't seen a car ease through a red light even forcing into traffic coming from other directions.

Last night (Wednesday) we attended a mid-week service at Hosannah church, the second largest church in Busan, where we live. (Size seems to be very important here). It is a Presbyterian church but the service last night was more charismatic in nature with speaking in tongues and a healing service. This is the church that wants me to help them start a Christian school. And I was introduced to the congregation. Ann was shy and didn't want to come to the front of the church with me. There must have been 500 people at the service and people came in and left throughout the service. I sure felt big compared to the pastor and my translator. Anyway the service last from 7:30 p.m. to well past 10:00 p.m. The spirit and participation was awesome. Too bad we couldn't participate much but we sensed a deep commitment and dedication to the Lord. I told the congregation that I was looking forward to heaven where, when they si ng in Korean, I will be able to understand and when we sing in English they will also understand us. The church has 7 services each Sunday and each service is close to being full. I was already asked to preach at an English service and to speak to a service for the youth on a Sunday afternoon.

Ann and I have been asked to conduct informal English conversation classes at the university. It'll be a nice opportunity for Ann to also meet people at Kosin University.

Please give our greetings to our brothers and sisters at Heartland. We miss you.


Shalom

Ann and John

Book Review: Leading Change by John Kotter

John Kotter observes that within the global economy, macro-economic forces are in motion and are growing stronger with time resulting in deeper expectations to reduce costs, improve the quality of products and services, locate new opportunities for growth and increase productivity.

His contention is that transformation -- or change -- organizations need to keep up with these new demands have fallen short. The transformation sought by organizations has been disappointing and the painful result is wasted resources, and disillusioned employees. Methods that traditional management have tried fail to transform their organizations because, he reports, they fail to alter behavior.

Armed with over two decades of research, Kotter has observed two important patterns of organizations, which have achieved deep change. He found that useful change tends to occur when a step-by-step process is employed that creates power and motivation sufficient to overwhelm all the memory of tradition and inertia. He also observed that this process is never employed effectively unless it is driven by high-quality leadership -- not just excellent management – which is an important distinction he makes.

His multi-step process is establishing a sense of urgency; creating a guiding coalition; developing a vision and strategy; communicating the change vision; empowering broad-based action; generating short-term wins; consolidating gains and producing more change and anchoring new approaches in the culture.

I read this book soon after it was first published in 1996. I just read it again for a class I'm taking. It gave me good overall understanding of organizational change, which was helpful for me as someone who previously worked in a large engineering firm and who now pastors in a church.

But from experience, I would not recommend it to be applied to the church. I would recommend pastors to read it, but not to come to a board meeting with an 8-step process of how to change the church. Too much dependance on naturalism which I find tends to step on the soul. Anyone have a good experience using his model with the church? I'd like to hear about it.

Book Review: Managing Church Conflict by Hugh F. Halverstadt

I read this book for a course I'm taking on power, change and conflict. Part of the requirements for the class is to write a review that states the author's thesis and supporting arguments. I thought I'd post what I wrote, in case it would be helpful to others.

Halverstadt answers the question if conflicts can be Christian by advocating for a Christian vision of shalom that is guided by theological and ethical values, which follow the rails of a three-step model aimed to resolve conflict.

This book is for pastors who desire to resolve conflictual situations in ways that are congruent with their theology. It is helpful for other contexts besides churches such as non-for profit organizations or places that employ voluntary systems.

The author’s understanding of shalom finds it’s application in conduct or behavioral standards such as respectfulness, assertiveness, accountability, and a focus on a larger common good. The author maintains that conduct during conflict management is key to resolution in a Christian manner.

In addition to shalom producing behavior, the author, distinguishes his work from other work on conflict by outlining his unique features which include: a way of approaching conflictive situations that are theological and ethical; using communal attitudes and goals while intervening in conflictive situations; applying communal power for managing the conflict; finding common ground between the parties on an ethical process as a means to work through their differences; using interdisciplinary methods for gaining perspective; and showing the reader how they can manage conflicts themselves rather than hiring a consultant.

Halverstadt has crafted a model, which can be followed in resolving conflictual situations. He creates a three-step model which includes how to become a conflict manager, how to appraise conflict situations, and finally how to manage conflicts.

It was a good read for me. In my role as pastor, at times I've been crippled by conflict and other times I've help others work through it. I have found that conflict resolution is an form of art that is strengthen with each conflict. This book helps make sense of things in the middle of chaos and it gives hope of working through tough conflict so that in the end, everyone comes out stronger and better.

Adobe Web Bundle

We just purchased Adobe Web Bundle software that includes Adobe CS2 premium and Macromedia 8 suit. Really nice product set. Since I'm a student these days, we were able to purchase it at education pricing. It still was quite expensive, but there are really sweet tools that come with it. It will be interesting to see how adobe integrates it's newest child company, macromedia.

A New Humanity

We are beginning a new series here at Heartland, it's based on the letter to the Ephesians, and it's called, "The New Humanity." The letter writer, Paul, keeps insisting that followers of Christ are adopted, are in Christ and are loved far more than we can imagine. And more, these followers have power in Christ that can do things more than our imaginations can think of. In a rather controversial way, he suggests ways for husbands and wifes to have a great relationship based on love and respect. Wow.

Paul says that when we are in Christ, we are a New Humanity. I'm learning a ton and I'm already being confronted with beliefs about myself that are not what Christ had in mind. I'm looking forward to these truths penetrating my mind, and invading my heart.

I suspect this time in Ephesians will be life altering and soul shaping for Heartland people.