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Olympics

Haven't written in a while.  You know, I've been pretty busy lately.  It takes a lot of time to be addicted to the Olympics.  Hour after hour sitting on the couch toggling between NBC and Universal HD.  But week 2 hasn't been quite as spell-bounding as week 1 so I will take a pause to mention a few Olympic observations...

• A 41-year-old silver-medalist swimmer.  A 38-year-old marathon winner.  A 31-year-old gymnastic medalist.  It's made me think, "Maybe it isn't too late to fulfill my Olympic dream?"
• Olympic badminton.  Olympic trampoline.  Olympic ping pong.  I'm going to make a prediction that by 2020 we will have Olympic bags (baggo, corn hole).  Maybe I'll start training for this.
• Michael Phelps.  Love him.  It's so cool when the star of the Olympics is actually a very likable human being.  I saw every gold medal winning race.  History that I'm pretty confident will never be repeated in my lifetime.
• I've always loved swimming, track-and-field, and gymnastics; but a new favorite sport at the games is beach volleyball.  I would think about taking up this sport but I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be caught dead playing any sport in my underwear so I guess I'll just be a fan.
• Bela Karoyli is out of control.  I can't decide if it is a good thing or not having him comment on gymnastics.
• I have to admit, the past couple nights I've been checking the results of the gymnastics apparatus finals on line before they are aired in primetime.  This has taken some of the fun out of it, but has also greatly reduced my Olympic watching stress.
• China is kicking butt in almost everything.  I don't remember them being this good.  Is there that significant of a home field advantage in the Olympics?
• Watching Usain Bolt win the 100 meter dash makes you realize how utterly ridiculous showboating looks in the Olympic games.  Maybe that's what makes the Olympics stand out from other sporting competitions.  It still has honor and class.

Let me just issue this final WARNING: If Chicago is awarded the 2016 Olympic Games I'm going to be out of my mind.  I love the Olympics!

REVEAL...Seriously?

I'd heard alot about Willow's Reveal study but hadn't actually read the book until this week.  If you are unfamiliar with Reveal, it was a 3-year research study Willow conducted to try to better understand the hearts of people in relation to spiritual growth.  They hoped to see whether the church was accomplishing its mission of helping people grow.

I thought it was an unique study and think there are a lot of interesting things to consider from this research.  I commend Willow for their innovation and the heart behind it.

There was one thing about the findings that really bothered me though.  From the data collected, the researchers organized people into 4 segments (in order of increasing spiritual maturity): Exploring Christianity, Growing in Christ, Close to Christ, and Christ-Centered.  Here is how they described the last segment, those "Christ-Centered": (emphasis mine)

"These people have fully surrendered their lives to Christ, demonstrated by their dramatically higher levels of spiritual behaviors and attitudes across the board.  They 'very strongly agree' that they seek God's guidance in every area of their lives--at two times the level of any other segment."

"Attitudes: They love God more than anything. For them, prayer is constant conversation with God. They help to mentor others. Service to others is a way of life."

Christ-Centered people would say, "God is all I need in my life.  He is enough.  Everything I do is a reflection of Christ."

Quite commendable.  I hope to someday be able to say these things are true of my life.  Yet what was so disturbing to me was a graph that followed several pages later comparing spiritual behaviors across the 4 segments.  All the commentary on the graph pointed out was that these spiritual behaviors increase as people grow in spiritual maturity, but I kept staring at the values for the "Christ-Centered" segment.

Tithing: I give 10 percent.  Slightly over 50% of "Christ-Centered" people.

Serving: I serve one time per week.  Slightly over 40% of "Christ-Centered" people.

Evangelizing: I have six or more meaningful spiritual conversations per year with non-Christians.  Around 38% of "Christ-Centered" people.

Seriously?  That's where the highest bar of spiritual maturity is set?  50% tithing?  40% serving regularly?  38% engaging in spiritual conversations?  That's what it means to be "Christ-Centered?"  This is "fully surrendered?"

Hmmm...do you think God grades on a curve?

Learning!

I'm having several wonderful opportunities this week to learn!  I love to be a student...to soak up new ideas that begin to marinate in my mind.  Learning about things I'm passionate about is one of my favorite activities.  And there's a lot of activity this week:

Wednesday, Kirsten Strand, Julie Bullock, and I spent the day at Willow Creek for the Gifted to Lead Forum.  I'm not usually drawn to Women's Conferences, but the fact that Nancy Beach and Nancy Ortberg were the speakers sold this one.  The whole day was impactful.  In addition to equipping me with practical leadership skills, the event encouraged me and strengthened my resolve to continue pursuing paths I think God is asking me to travel.  It reminded me that even though at times it is a little difficult and maybe a bit discouraging to be a female leader in a male-dominated career field, that God has given me gifts to use for his Kingdom and I need to exercise them faithfully with large measures of grace.  If you are a female leader in a ministry setting, I recommend you consider attending the repeat offering of this event.  You can learn more here.  It sold out the first time so sign up early if you'd like to attend.

Today and tomorrow I'm soaking up Willow's Leadership Summit as once again we are hosting a satellite broadcast of the conference at the Yellow Box.  The last few years the Summit has been a bit hit or miss for me but today I was challenged with new ideas in every session.  Much to process.

But it isn't just conferences fueling learning lately.  I go through seasons where my hunger to devour books is insatiable and I feel like I'm in one of those now.  Currently I'm reading the book unChristian and it is sparking so many ideas of how I want to help lead the church and what we need to pay attention to in order to help more people find their way back to God.  I'm also reading Willow's Reveal (I know, a little late on this one), Nancy Beach's Gifted to Lead (a purchase at yesterday's forum), and a book I've had for a while but never picked up called Church Planting from the Ground Up.  I wish I didn't get tired and have to sleep because I want to be immersed in these books.  Other books on my "Wanna Read" list:  Unleashing the Power of Rubber Bands: Lessons in Non-Linear Leadership, Influencer: The Power to Change Anything, Organic Community: Creating a Place Where People Naturally Connect, Axiom: Powerful Leadership Proverbs, Welcoming but not Affirming: An Evangelical Response to Homosexuality, and The Importance of Being Foolish: How to Think Like Jesus.

I firmly believe that one of the most important roles for a leader is that of "student."  If it's been a while since you've exercised your mind, why not expose yourself to something that will teach you today?

The Shack

So have you read it yet?  The Shack seems to be the latest novel rippling through Christian circles.  As with most works of this sort, it seems to be getting equal doses of adoring praise and harsh criticism.  The latter always puzzles me.  It is always curious to me when reviewers rip a fictional work for its theology.  It feels a little insulting that they assume I will base my faith and core beliefs on a novel written by some guy from Oregon.  But I guess it's equally as strange that some of the adoring reviewers sound like they are doing just that.  I think narratives like "The Shack" get us thinking and talking...and in my book that is always a good thing.

So what did I think?  I enjoyed it.  I can't say it was a "can't put it down" read for me.  I honestly was a little disappointed by the quality of the writing, but I did enjoy the author's attempt to describe the relational nature of God through some unusual and creative imagery.  The novel challenges you to think about your own perceptions of God.  And it also challenges you to consider ways you try to live independent of him.  I was especially struck to consider ways I act as "judge."  It is a story that left me feeling grateful for grace and encouraged to remember that I am loved by an ever-present God...whether he looks like a large African American woman or not.