The Future of Work

Interesting article recently in Time Magazine on the future of work, and specifically what the workplace and work environments will look like for Gen X'ers and Gen Y over the next 20-30 years.  As the article mentions, think of how much the workplace has changed in the last 10 years. And especially the last 20 years! Personal computers for everyone, the rise of the internet, social media, free-agent workers, telecommuting, facebook and twitter, etc. 

I am sure as more and more Gen X'ers take over companies, there will be a strong move towards working from home and major freedom for employees. Plus, you'll continue to see a rise in the amount of socially "conscious" companies. 

What else do you think we'll see or experience in the next 10-20 years with the future of work?

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Leadership Lessons from Band of Brothers

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It's Memorial Day weekend, and the History Channel is showing all of the episodes from the award-winning Band of Brothers series, an HBO film series created back in 2001 with Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks as Executive Producers.  One of my favorite movie series of all time.

In the series, part of the main storyline is the leadership of Captain Dick Winters. He is a straight laced Quaker, starts out as a lieutenant, continues to progress in leadership as a Captain and then Major, who leads well and wins over the hearts of his company, E Company, otherwise known as EZ Co., part of the 101st Airborne. 

There are several lessons from the series and from the individual story of Captain Winters and his tour of duty during World War II worth mentioning.

1. Leaders lead the way. They make the right decisions, and even if it is not the right decision, they are always decisive. Always.

2. Leaders seek to understand and have empathy for the people who follow them.

3. A leader is always first. They never send someone else in their place. And no job is "below" a leader. Especially in battle.

4. Those you lead always come first. No matter what. And because of this, your team will follow you anywhere. 

5. Leaders follow the rules unless circumstances deem necessary to not. 

6. Leaders invest in their long term team players. And trust them implicitly. In the case of EZ Co. and the US Army, it was the NCO's, or non-commissioned officers. These were basically "middle management" and the key to maintaining morale and focus with the troops. 

If you haven't taken time to watch this series, do yourself a favor and watch this weekend or go out and rent or buy it.

How the Mighty Fall

I am a big fan of Jim Collins. Anything he writes or says I read or listen. As many of you know, we had Jim with us at Catalyst last October. In preparing for his talk at Catalyst during the summer, I had the chance to talk with him at length about his talk and also about a new project he was working on at the time. We talked about Good to Great, and then the new project entitled "How the Mighty Fall," and I took some major notes at the time as this was like having an MBA course over the phone. It was a great phone call. Hearing content before it is released is always a very cool experience. 

Well, How the Mighty Fall just released this past Tuesday as Collins' latest book, and in an exclusive excerpt from the book, you can read this article in Business Week. It's worth your time. You can also listen to a podcast with Jim.

And make sure you buy a copy of this ground-breaking book. I already have.

Love Portland and the Season of Service

Great article in a local Portland area newspaper yesterday regarding Kevin and Luis Palau and the Portland Festival and most recent Season of Service that involves the Luis Palau Association, local schools, government officials including the Mayor's office, and prominent businessmen. 

Kevin and Luis, along with John Bishop joined us at Catalyst West Coast to talk about this story of working together, and this article is further evidence of the power of the story.

Young Influencers List- April edition

I know it's way late, but here is the April edition of the Young Influencers List. You can view all the past editions here. 1. Jeannie Mai- host of Character Fantasy on USA Network, and a rising star in Hollywood for hosting award shows and events. Was the backstage host for Catalyst West.

2. Owen Leimbach- formerly with MTV, Owen is now Chief of Staff for a brand new branch of the Rwandan government in Kigali, Rwanda, helping move forward this emerging African country.

3. Jason Russell, Bobby Bailey, and Laren Poole- founders of Invisible Children. Recently appeared on Oprah. Helping bring awareness and solutions to the terrible injustice of Child Soldiers in Uganda.

4. Tyler Wigg Stevenson- A pastor and writer who is leading the charge on the Two Futures Project, and the proliferation of nuclear weapons.

5. Zach Williams- incredible musician and soon to be major star. Tore it up recently at South by Southwest.

Coming soon is the May edition of the Young Influencers List. Stay tuned!

 

Dino Rizzo and the Servolution Blog Tour stops by

So my good friend Dino Rizzo has a new book out called Servolution. Dino pastors Healing Place Church in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and is an amazing leader. He and the Healing Place Church community live out service on a daily basis. It is not something they do, it is who they are. 

Recently, I had the chance to interview Dino for our Catalyst Podcast. You can listen here. I also recently had the chance to ask Dino two questions for the Blog Tour regarding the book, which appear below. 

Many young leaders in the church today are focusing more and more attention on issues of social justice, compassion, charity and mercy. Do you see this as a generational change that will be long-lasting or as a current trend? And do you feel that Service is the same as many of the social justice campaigns we are seeing right now?  Also, how do you at Healing Place make evangelism and service both top priorities as a Church? That’s a really great pair of questions, Brad.  I think they go together very well, and here’s why - I don’t want to think that compassion, justice and mercy are just passing trends.  I realize there is a groundswell of momentum right now for cause-oriented ministry, and I’m thankful for it.  What I hope will happen is that we won’t stop with just saving lives, feeding the hungry, providing medical care, rescuing the enslaved, and offering education.  I hope we’ll always look to take it one step further and share God’s grace and love with those we serve.  Serving them shows them His love, and that can open a door we cannot ignore - giving them an opportunity to encounter Jesus.

Serving others isn’t just a trending topic.  It is a mandate from Jesus, and a vital part of His plan for building His Church.  Thanks for the incredible role you carry personally in today’s Church - you’re a tremendous blessing to me.

Thanks Dino for the time, for your great work, and the community you are leading in Baton Rouge. And if you haven't read the book, pick it up now. Highly recommended. 

Culture Shock

I am now back in the USA, after 24 hours of travel. Literally. 10 hours from Kigali, Rwanda to Brussels, Belgium, 4 hour layover, and then 10 hours from Brussels to Atlanta.  I've only been gone for 9 days, but it seems like much longer. I guess shifts in perspective and worldview truly mark your life, and when marked, that moment transcends a sense of time or the window of reality we live in through schedules and clocks and urgency. It becomes part of the fabric of who you are.

Being in Rwanda opened my eyes and made me aware. Anything more on my experience there would be disrespecting my new Rwandan brothers and sisters. I would be foolish to say that I was thrust deep into the Rwandan culture and experienced what 99% of Rwandans experience on a daily basis. I did not. I was only made aware. I became responsible and a steward of what I was exposed to. But other than that, I cannot in any way act like I experienced poverty in the tiniest since. I ate great food. I slept in a hotel. I traveled around the country on a nice bus with 10 other Americans. I took a shower. I drank bottled water.

Now, upon re-entering the American culture I am so used to and have grown up in, and is but part of my normal routine, I am experiencing a second round of being made aware. I am experiencing reverse culture shock. 

I flew from Kigali to Atlanta on a plane.... most Rwandans have never left their community, much less their country.

Once I arrived in Atlanta, I drove home in my car.... I only met one person in Rwanda who owned a car, and that was a muzungu (white man). If you want to travel somewhere, you walk, or if you are lucky, you take a bus. 

I am carrying $200 in cash in my pocket that was considered "spending money" on my trip..... In the places we visited, the average income was around $180 per year for an adult. 

I arrived in 40 minutes to my 3 bedroom, 2 1/2 bath two story home..... most Rwandans live in a mud brick one room house, with no toilet.

I turned on the TV and got a diet coke from the Refrigerator.... no TV's or refrigerators in most homes because of no electricity.

I drove to Chick-fil-A for a chicken sandwich.... Most Rwandans are subsistence farmers, and struggle to feed their families, especially in times of drought. 

I took a shower and brushed my teeth..... No showers, and Rwandans have to walk sometimes as many as 3 miles to water wells for clean water. And hundreds of thousands still have no access whatsoever to clean water wells, so must continue to drink, clean and bathe with dirty river water. 

I fell asleep in a king-sized bed watching The Unit on my laptop.... in Rwanda, a mattress is a luxury- most sleep on a mat or plywood. 

I awoke this morning and searched in the closet for a shirt to wear from probably 50 shirts hanging..... most Rwandans have two to three outfits at most. 

Couldn't figure out what pair of shoes to wear from 15 different options..... You are lucky to have one pair of shoes in Rwanda. And siblings usually share, regardless of foot size.

I am aware. And responsible.

New Perspective

The Hope of Rwanda After being here in Rwanda for a week, you can't help but to have your perspective changed. Mine definitely has. 

I take so many things for granted living in the US that so many others around the world don't even have. Things I don't even think about, that just seem like normal life, are non-existent for most people here in Rwanda. Everyday items like clean water, electricity, toilets, heating, air conditioning, sanitary bathrooms, showers, toothpaste, deodorant, shoes, q-tips, internet, cars, computer, cell phone, tv, and so many other things. 

I've gotten so used to these things being available to me and part of normal life that I don't even realize how much of a blessing they are. What's interesting is that most Rwandans living outside of Kigali don't miss these things because they've never had them. We've had a move in the US over the last several years to combat consumerism, which I agree with wholeheartedly. But here in Rwanda, that's not even on the radar screen. Simple lifestyle; incredibly powerful faith. 

Another thought from my time here is the essence of community. Because there are relatively few of the items mentioned above in most communities throughout Rwanda, "living in community" looks very different from what I am used to. Everyone walks to get somewhere, the Church and school is the center of community life, and the water well serves as a gathering place. Music is an incredibly important part of the culture here, and most celebrations and gatherings involve singing and dancing. People work together and collaborate because they HAVE To- their very existence depends on it. Subsistent farming communities are intertwined because people rely on each other- everyone has to contribute in order to survive. You can't "just exist" in a community, you have to be an integral part of it. 

What does this mean for our realities of community? Not sure yet, but I know that when a community has to work together on something, it enhances "doing life together." 

Check out Jeff Shinabarger's blog from earlier today on "Could you live here?," regarding Rwanda. I share the same sentiments.

Rwanda Day #6

Another amazing day here in Rwanda. We spent the morning with 10 students from a local University here in Kigali. Each of these students are part of the Leadership Development Program through Compassion. There are a total of 35 students throughout Rwanda who are part of the LDP through Compassion. These students basically are given a scholarship to attend a University, and participate in weekly activities that allow for continued spiritual and emotional growth.  Really impressed with these students. Over 200 applications were received for these 35 spots, in the first year of the program in Rwanda. Over 1,500 students around the world are part of LDP. This is the best of the best from the Compassion program for children who have been sponsored through childhood and adolescence. An amazing program and one of the highlights of the trip for me- meeting these college students and having the chance to hear their stories and encourage them. 

We also visited Hotel Rwanda, which is actually a hotel by a different name but actually the site where the movie was filmed. If you haven't watched the movie before, go and rent it immediately. It is a great film, and a good look into the Genocide of 1994 through the eyes of the hotel manager and how he protected both Hutu's and Tutsi's in the hotel, without any protection from the UN or other groups. Stars Don Cheadle and Nick Nolte.

Recent Interview at Catalyst with Rick Warren

Listen in on an interview I did recently with Rick Warren at Catalyst West Coast. We sat down backstage and discussed a number of issues, including how young leaders can avoid crashing and burning over the course of their work/ministry careers. This episode also includes an excerpt from the interview Andy Stanley did with Rick on stage at Catalyst West.  Stream live here or download from itunes.

The Global Church

After 5 days in Rwanda, I am encouraged. One of the main things I continue to be encouraged by is the beauty and scope of the global Church. The Church is alive and well all over the world. Too many times we hear that the Church is losing influence, but from what I've seen here in Rwanda, I am convinced that God is at work through the Church in incredibly powerful ways.  We attended an Anglican Church here in Kigali today, complete with hymns and praise songs, corporate prayer, children singing, and a powerful message on the parable of the Banqueting table. It was the "early" service at 8:30, and was about 3/4 full. All in English. Then the 10:30 service was in Kinyarwanda (Rwanda's language), and it was completely full and overflowing. The service was lively and powerful. Hearing the songs sung in Kinyarwanda made me think of Heaven. Chances are we probably won't be singing in English, but "all tribes and all tongues will praise Him." Even though I didn't know what exact words they were singing in the second service, I could tell what they were singing about, and who they were singing to.

There were hundreds of children present. I actually wanted to attend the Children's service because the singing was so amazing. People here sing with passion and hope and purpose. They give with great generosity. Each day is a blessing. I know I am guilty many times of just "showing up" for Church, and going through the motions. Listening instead of interacting. 

It is very encouraging as well to see the partnership between Compassion projects and the local churches here in Rwanda. This is true for every Compassion project. There has to be a local church to partner with. Seeing this partnership in action is even more evidence of the Biblical model for the Church- taking care of the least of these, the children, the widows, the orphans. Giving hope to those trapped in poverty. When we visit these children and families and community leaders and pastors who are engaged in this partnership, it is like seeing a small glimpse into Heaven. 

My theology about the poor and for the poor and those living in poverty is being refined and defined on this trip. I used to think the greatest role we can play is to provide food to those in poverty. That is definitely part of the equation. But not the full solution. The greatest challenge for those living in poverty is no hope. But what Compassion does is it gives children HOPE. And the family members HOPE. And the communities where Compassion projects exist have HOPE. 

I can see hope in the eyes of the Children we meet. I saw hope today in the eyes of the Congregation members at Church. I see hope across this country of Rwanda.

White Men Can't Jump

And this is definitely proven by Jeff Shinabarger, on the trip with us in Rwanda, Africa. Our group went to a fabulous Anglican Church this morning in Kigali and had a great time after Church visiting with church members and also the Compassion staff that work with the church locally.  But as we were waiting for our transportation to arrive, Jeff and I thought it might be fun to shoot a few hoops on the playground basketball court at the school next to the Church. Before shooting a quick game with some of the local kids, Jeff wanted to show off a bit, and here is what transpired.... enjoy. 

[vimeo 4580354]

Look, Touch, Speak

It is our third full day in Rwanda, and I can't begin to explain how much being here is impacting me. It is a trip that is redefining my worldview and our role in how we take care of our brothers and sisters around the world. Breaking me in a very good way.  Extreme poverty is real. When you see up close the poverty and terrible conditions that kids and entire families are living in, it breaks your heart. We have it so well in America. If you've been on an international trip to a third world country, you understand this. But if you haven't, it is hard to understand. Incredible poverty and literally no temporal belongings, but incredible faith and hope in God and an ability to persevere and live day by day.

One of the things our group has been dialoguing about is the incredible faith that the kids and families we are meeting have. A faith in Jesus that truly guides them and is the only thing they have to stand on. For us in America, we don't understand this. We have lots of belongings and temporal treasures that distract us from relying on God. Even for those who don't have alot in America, we still have way more than most of the rest of the world. And it dilutes our faith. It causes us to rely on ourselves. It impedes our ability to know Jesus and rely on God for everything we need.  

Today we visited another project in the northern part of Rwanda. About 2 1/2 hour drive from Kigali, the nation's capital. We were only around 15 miles from Uganda at this project site. Spent time with more kids, hearing them sing, watching them dance, and interacting with them with hugs, soccer, candy and lots of smiles. We also visited with a group of HIV AIDS victims who are being ministered to through a local group in this part of Rwanda named Friends of Jesus. They shared their stories with us, and we prayed with them and were impacted by their courage, strength, and perseverance to live day by day trusting God. 

We also visited an orphanage, where there are 6 orphans who are cared for by a beautiful lady named Charlotte. Charlotte is a women of incredible hope and grace. She herself was mistreated as a child- beaten, abused, and not given any sense of hope. But she came out of that, and now cares for these 8 orphans by giving them a home and a family filled with love. Hearing the stories from these orphans was truly impacting. In fact, I think meeting the orphans and the caregiver is the most real expression of the Gospel I have ever seen. Amazingly beautiful- redemption and restoration wrapped around grace in a way that for me paints a small glimpse into the Kingdom of Heaven. 

Many times when you see poverty and brokenness and hopelessness up close like I am seeing it this week, you start to think "how can I really make a difference?" It's overwhelming, and it's easy to think anything I do won't really have an impact. However, I keep thinking back to something Rick Warren said to me two weeks ago at Catalyst West Coast. I was making a statement regarding how Rick hugs everyone he meets, and Rick backed that up with his theory of Look, Touch, Speak. Based on Jesus' ministry, when Jesus would meet someone, he would look at them to give that person a sense of identity, touch them with a handshake or hug to give them confidence and comfort, and speak a word of encouragement to give them hope. Look, Touch, Speak. Simple yet powerful. So I've been living this out the last several days. I am not sure sometimes how to deal with extreme poverty- most of us aren't. But I know that Love is the universal language, and in that way maybe one child will be impacted by even simple things like a hug or a smile or telling them they are special. 

So take a trip to Africa. Specifically to Rwanda since I am now biased. Take a trip so you can understand how incredibly blessed we are in America, and how much responsibility we have to help our brothers and sisters in the rest of the world. We CAN MAKe a difference. Especially with children, widows and orphans. And if you can't take a trip, then sponsor a child. I am seeing the power and beauty of sponsored kids up close, and it DOES make a difference. 

And check out Jeff Shinabarger's post from today with some great thoughts and great pictures from our trip. 

Marakoze. That's Kinyarwanda for Thankyou!

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