I watched Jeff Hawkins 2003 TED talk this morning on Real Intelligence. I read his book, On Intelligence, last year and really enjoy his alternative thinking to neurology.

He made the statement that real intelligence isn’t about behavior, but about prediction.

Our neo-cortex is constantly memorizing the patterns around us and then making predictions about what comes next based on those patterns. So real intelligence is making predictions about new events.

Interesting.

It got me thinking about the patterns that we are establishing in Caden’s life.

Are we conscious of the patterns we are creating with him?

What will be his predicted outcome off the patterns we are teaching him?

What spiritual patterns are we imprinting him with? What social patterns?

How do we purposefully create the patterns that his brain will memorize and then from which predict the desired outcome?

State of Denial has been one of the really good books I have read this year. From chapter one it is shocking and eye-opening and gives you an inside look at the White House, the Pentagon and the war in Iraq.

I think every Republican (my wife included) should read this just to give them a different perspective to think about.

One of the things I’ve been thinking and reading about a lot lately is global education.

I watched the tv special on Oprah Winfrey’s Leadership Academy last week. She has received some criticism about it (the selection of the girls, micromanaging) , but I think what she’s doing is amazing. Anybody who is criticizing I’m sure isn’t doing anything in Africa.

This week I read “Leaving Microsoft To Change The World - An Entrepreneur’s Odyssey to Educate the World’s Children.” This will probably be one of the best books I will read this year and I highly recommend it. John Wood left his executive position at Microsoft after a hiking trip through Nepal where he witnessed the lack of schools and libraries. He quit his job at Microsoft and started a non-profit, Room To Read.

Here’s my favorite paragraph from the book:

“I had put long hours into this interview, and that time could not be gained back. But I knew it was important not to focus on Bill’s (Gates) performance. There was no way I could ever run a company this large, so I was in no position to be judgmental. What seemed more important was the signal this sent to me.

If I could not make a big difference at Microsoft, then perhaps this gave me even more of a green light to bail out. The children of Nepal obviously needed me more than my employer did. It was time to jump out of the plane and run my own show.”

Education, books and leadership have always been a huge part of my life. When it’s all said and done I want to have played a role in the education process on a global scale.

Here are some of my last thoughts on In A Pit With A Lion On A Snowy Day. It’s been a great book and a quick, easy read. I would particularly recommend it to anyone who is facing a major challenge ahead of them. This book will inspire you to not only face that thing head on, but actually chase it if it turns to run. Mark does an amazing job of reframing our problems and opposition as opportunities for us to capture the dreams that God has given us. And I love the fact that it is Mark’s first book. You can sense the passion and newness. It doesn’t have that hey-I-got-a-clever-idea-let’s-write-a-book-and-make-more-money feel.

The last chapter is probably the most inspiring.

“Normality is overrated.”

“Too many people in too many churches look too much alike. And what you end up with is a herd of cloned Christians that look alike, talk alike, think alike, and dress alike. “

“If anyplace ought to celebrate diversity, it ought to be the church.”

“Maturity doesn’t equal conformity.”

Great thoughts. I think there is a genius about being weird… being different. The things that make you unique are usually the things you have to fight for the most to not conform to everyone else around you.

I finished up Mark Batterson’s In A Pit With A Lion On A Snowy Day while I was in South Africa.

He has a great chapter on Guaranteed Uncertainty in which he says,

“Lion Chasers are more afraid of lifelong regrets than temporary uncertainty. They don’t want to get to the end of their lives and have a million what-if regrets. So they chase lions. In the short-term, it increases uncertainty. But in the long run, it reduces regret.”

I have always felt that way. If I’m thinking about it, I usually do it or at least try to do it. I don’t want to get to the end and have a lot of thoughts about what I could have done left in my head.

“And regardless of your vocational calling or relational status, you have to do something counterintuitive if you want to reach your God-given potential and fulfill your God-given destiny.”

Sometimes you just have to jump overboard. It’s the Sigmoid Curve. You have to jump the curve before it makes the turn, declines and then plateaus indefinitely. Then you just exist. And the longer you merely exist, the harder it will be to jump overboard. It’s one of those paradoxical, catch-22-type things… I think.

I just got my copy of In A Pit With A Lion On A Snowy Day in the mail. I opened the Amazon box, smiled large enough to make my wife ask me what I was so happy about and then set it on my desk. I keep up with Mark Batterson and his church (National Community Church in Washington, D.C.) through his website so I knew this book was being released for quite some time. 2 hours later I decided I couldn’t wait any longer. I picked it up and started.

Here are some first chapter thoughts that will just nail you. I stopped after the first chapter on purpose because I wanted it to sink in and stay with me the rest of the day.

NORMAL PEOPLE run away from lions. They run as far and as fast as they possible can. The reality is this: NORMAL PEOPLE don’t chase lions.

But LION CHASERS are wired differently. Have you ever had one of those moments where you do something crazy and ask yourself in retrospect: What was I thinking? (I love those moments)

Here is the point: God is always using past experiences to prepare us for future opportunities. But those God-given opportunities often come disguised as MAN-EATING LIONS. And how we react when we encounter those lions will determine our destiny. The greatest opportunities are the SCARIEST LIONS.

What sets LION CHASERS apart isn’t the outcome. It’s the courage to chase God-sized dreams. Lion chasers don’t let their fears or doubts keep them from doing what God has called them to do.

I’ll have some more thoughts from the book in the next week.

Just read the quote out of the book “The Coffeehouse Gospel” by Matthew Turner.

“The message of Jesus is freeing, unassuming, and provocative. It makes thinkers out of the most shallow of people. The good news needs room to move and an atmosphere that provokes thought, meditation, and open discussion. The message that often remains stifled up inside the haughty walls of church buildings finds new life when displayed in a non-formulaic manner within an open environment where the opinions of all are respected and honored.”

Good stuff. As a leader in the church, I see one of my key jobs as a Creator of The Atmosphere. An environment that gives the message of Jesus room to breathe. I agree with Turner in that a lot of these conversations need to take place outside of church. But I also believe that the church has to partner with its people to create these environments with its walls as well.

Sorry for the blogging absence there. I had a few really busy weeks. Probably the busiest of the year. But alas… aren’t we all…

Anyway, picked up an autographed copy of Chuck Klosterman’s A Decade of Curious People and Dangerous Ideas at Barnes and Noble. Chuck is a pop culture essayist and writer for SPIN magazine. This book is a collection of some of his best articles over the past 10 years - Britney Spears, Bono, Steve Nash, Val Kilmer, Johnny Carson. I love studying culture and I especially like reading after guys who love studying culture too. It’s good stuff. But you’ll have to get past some language… if that’s a big deal to you.

I just picked up a great new book from Relevant called Hope In The Dark. It’s a photographic journey into the humanity of Africa.

The photography is out-of-this-world and absolutely worth the cost of the book. Africa has been on my radar the last few years so stuff like this is extremely inspirational. It makes me look forward to my trip back in November.

Jack Welch confirms my thoughts on mentoring in his book, “Winning.”

He says,

“But in my experience there is not one right mentor. There are many right mentors.”

“I had dozens of informal mentors over the course of my career, and each one taught me something important. My mentors ranged from the classic older and wiser executive to coworkers who were often younger than I was.”

“Some mentoring relationships lasted a lifetime, others lasted just weeks.”

Jack Welch calls lack of candor the biggest dirty little secret in business in his newest book, “Winning.”

I agree. Not only in business, but in the church.

When he says lack of candor he is talking about when people don’t INSTINCTIVELY express themselves with FRANKNESS. They don’t communicate straightforwardly or instigate debate. They with hold not only comments, but criticism.

I think people refuse to be candid for two reasons:

1. They feel INSECURE - in their opinions or ideas, in their place on team, or with their superiors.

2. They feel DEVALUED - there is an elephant in the room that is obvious to everyone - your boss or superiors are going to do whatever they want and they don’t stop to ask for ideas. This is their show.

Lack of candor blocks smart ideas, fast action and good people contributing to the team.

Jack asked a great question at a Q & A session with business leaders that serves as a gauge to whether or not there is candor in your organization. When was the last time you had this happen?

“How many of you have received an honest, straight-between-the-eyes feedback session in the last year, where you came out knowing exactly what you have to do to improve and where you stand in the organization?”

Mario and I are chillin’ at the Columbus airport waiting for our first flight to Detroit. He discovered the wireless internet signal and is trying to use Skype to call people. It’s something to watch him speak Spanish very loudly into his laptop. It’s something else to watch all the people watching him speak Spanish very loudly into his laptop.

The good news: I had an overweight bag that I got checked without putting it on the scales. The lady picked it up and said, “Oh yeah… you’re good.” The bag weighed 63 lbs when I left the house this morning. Score.

Time has been short the past few days. Preparing for 2 sessions and getting everything packed plus trying to spend time with my family has taken more hours than I had.

Here’s a list of books I’m bringing with me on this trip. We’ll see how many I get through.

I am finishing:

On Intelligence by Jeff Hawkins.

Thinking Like a Director by Michael Bloom

I also brought with me:

Chazown by Craig Groeschel

Winning by Jack Welch

Come Thirsty by Max Lucado

Eats, Shoots and Leaves by Lynne Truss

It Came From Within by Andy Stanley

And of course the Eyewitness Guide to South Africa.

The 10 Faces of Innovation is definitely the best book I have read so far this year. And this is a must read for all church leaders. If I had a “Top Ten Books Church Leaders MUST Read,” (but I don’t), this would be on it… towards the top.

Every time I pick it up I get lost in a world of “what-the-church-could-be-like-if-we-took-this-stuff-seriously.” This book reaches down into my heart to pull out what I’m really passionate about: innovation in the local church. This is the stuff I dream of seeing and being a part of and putting into practice.

Not just imitating the cool church in Atlanta stuff, but true innovation. Not just being trendy or relevant because whenever you have to talk about being relevant or trendy you’ve missed the point completely. You’re not talking innovation anymore, you’re talking about imitation. 10 Faces inspires you to take a fresh look at “church” and why we do what we do. And pushes you to do it from a context outside the church world.

So if you read one book this year… so far, this would be my recommendation.

I just finished Patrick Lencioni’s leadership fable, “The 5 Dysfunctions Of A Team.”

I thought it was a great book and Lencioni always writes in a quick, easy to read style.

He lays out a teamwork pyramid and says that:

1. Trust is the foundation of any team.

2. If there is not trust then there is the ABSENCE of conflict.

(I love this point, because if there is no conflict then either everyone is a robot or nobody wants to speak up and say how they really feel.)

3. If there is an absence of conflict then there is a lack of BUY-IN. You know how it is, people go along with the idea because they have to… but there’s a lack of commitment.

4. If there is an absence of commitment, then everyone avoids accountability. The responsibility gets passed and no one wants ownership.

5. And if there is an absence of accountability/ownership then no one pays attention to the details. Which basically means everyone is in it for their own gain. Attention shifts from the team goal to the individual’s goal.

I thought it was really good stuff and a must read if you deal with teams.

Thinking some more about this book.

Oprah Winfrey said it well:

“Your true passion should feel like breathing; it’s that natural.”

The difference between a person ENGAGED in life and a person going through the MOTIONS is passion.

Are you…

__ yes    __ no        ENTHUSIASTIC?

__ yes    __ no        CONFIDENT?

__ yes    __ no        UP-TO-SOMETHING?

__ yes    __ no        ENERGETIC?

__ yes    __ no        CONVICTED?

__ yes    __ no        MAGNETIC

.

Wow, that’s challenging to me.

If we are doing what we are truly passionate about, these should come naturally.  If we’re not, then it’s easier to just go through the motions.

“When your life is fueled by passion, it is unswerving, unstoppable, always in focus, immune to distraction, and never in doubt.”

So… I’ve really been into this book, “CHANGE THE WAY YOU SEE EVERYTHING.” One of the cool things about it is all the pictures and visuals. So all you, “I would read more if books had pictures” people can pick this up and get through it.

This is an ATTITUDE book. It’s talking about the things inside you… not the outside things that you can’t control.

One of the quotes that really nailed me last night is:

“Make what you’ve been able to accomplish more important than what you haven’t.”

If you are a driven person like me, you get stuff done and think, “Okay, that was cool.” And then move on to the next goal/task/project/meeting/etc. before you…. take the next breath.

At the end of the week, I forget about all the successes and victories. And because I’m worn out and tired and exhausted from the energy output, I tend to become negative.

I stopped this morning and looked back at last week and everything I felt successful about. There was a lot more than what I didn’t feel successful about.

>> I had a great Starting Point Life Group.
>> I had a blast teaching our young adult service.
>> We had a great dinner with a new couple in our church searching for some answers.
>> A new single guy in our church pulled off Gavin DeGraw’s “I Don’t Wanna Be” on Sunday morning. It rocked!
>> We had a good staff meeting.
>> We had a great turn out for our R.M.A.I. Regional Round Table
>> I was consistent in exercising.
>> Sunday morning’s attendance was the second largest all year.

There were more things I felt great about at the end of the week then there were things I felt unsuccessful about. I had a huge week… And I almost forgot it.

What did you do that was successful that you have already forgotten about?

2 new books I picked up recently:

CHANGE THE WAY YOU SEE EVERYTHING

THE TEN FACES OF INNOVATION
This was a gift from my sister-in-law Naomi.

Something I’ve been really geeked out on lately is my recent Christmas purchases from Amazon:  The Complete Jewish Bible and the Jewish New Testament Commentary by David Stern.

They have both been a great resource in understanding the Bible better and the Jewish culture in which the Bible was written.

But… I’m a nerd sometimes… and I like stuff like this.

I have been working on a marketing strategy for the church lately. I will post some of my thoughts later, but in order to help me get a handle on it, I put together a stack of books that I have been reading through to help guide me in the process. Some of these are not directly marketing, but more customer service. That’s because your customer service and experience in a service industry is your marketing.

Purple Cow by Seth Godin: Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable

Branded Nation by James Twitchell: The Marketing of Megachurch, College Inc., and Musemworld

Emotional Branding by Marc Gobe: The New Paradigm for Connecting Brands to People

All Marketers Are Liars by Seth Godin: The Power of Telling Authentic Stories in a Low-Trust World

Raving Fans by Ken Blanchard: A Revolutionary Approach to Customer Service

The Experience Economy by B. Joseph Pine II and James H. Gilmore: Work is Theater and Every Business is a Stage

Here’s the collection of books I’ve brought with me.

1. Through Painted Deserts by Donald Miller. Donald is speaking at Catalyst so I thought it would be appropriate. I’ve read Blue Like Jazz and Searching For God Knows What has to be one of my favorite books of the year.

2. Come Thristy by Max Lucado. I don’t think I have ever read a Max Lucado book. I think the cover got me on this one. It just looks good. Besides, I’m usually pretty thirsty.

3. Today Matters by John Maxwell. You’re not really travelling if you don’t have Maxwell with you.

4. Adventures in Missing the Point by Brian McLaren. I first heard McLaren at Catalyst last year. I really did his stuff. The subtitle of the book is “How the Culture-Controlled Church Neutered The Gospel.” These guys aren’t messing around.

5. 5 Dysfunctions Of A Team by Patrick Lencioni. I’ve read his other stuff and really dig it. It’s good to pull stuff from the corporate side every now and then.

6. South Africa Eyewitness Travel Guide. I needed to get some background on the places I am heading.