Coming Soon: Holy Week! A.I.M.'s 9th shot.

One of the buttons under this box as I type reads SAVE NOW.  Hey, that would be a great name for a song about Jesus entering Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, (since Hosanna means "Save now").  In fact, that song has already been written, and first appeared on The Mercy Seat Sessions, the sophomore album (that sounds so music biz) of The Singing Company, the Territorial Worship Team of the Central Territory.  More recently, that song has been covered by Families, another band of gifted musicians, and it now serves as track #2 on Holy Week, (pictured on the left) a joint effort from the two bands to be released in time to help us observe Palm Sunday through Easter Sunday with a Passion.

If this were a record review, I would tell you about how musically interesting Holy Week is, and how engaging it is from the first note to the last.  I would make sure to include that the lyrics are at once Biblical and poetic, deep and accessible, heavy and whimsical.  I would go on and on in my praise for the sensibility of the entire project, including the fact that companion on-line Holy Week resources such as devotionals, chord charts, lyrics (Spanish & English), accompaniment tracks and sheet music will be made available.  I would definitely include the fact that as I have lived with Holy Week for a while (due to friends in Central places) I have been moved to the point of being speechless and tearful on more than one occasion.  I might even get too clever for my own good, and try a line like; "I've always been a fan of Holy Week, but The Singing Company & Families have just given me 12 new reasons." (See what I did there?  There are 12 tracks on the CD). 

But this isn't a record review, so I won't go there.  This is a blog about Authentic Innovative Missional leadership, and that's why I wanted to bring Holy Week to your attention.  In the 6th shot of A.I.M., "Leaders are Readers", I gave a shout out to a Max DePREE book called; Leadership is an Art.  The artists of Holy Week are leaders.  As far as I know, The Singing Company & Families didn't wait around for someone to ask them to write and record a concept album based on the last days of Jesus on earth.  As far as I know, these two groups weren't "sittin' 'round the table" (that reference will make sense after you've experienced Holy Week) hoping that someone would ask them to add devotionals and other resources to the project, to enhance personal and corporate times of worship.  That's not how leaders or artists work.  Artists (I'm told, not being one myself) not only don't wait around for someone to tell them what to do, they don't do their best work under those circumstances.  Stacy and I were getting coffee recently (doing research for this blog - work, work, work!), and the barista was wearing a pin that read; "Artists make terrible slaves".  That made good sense to me.  I might add that leaders make terrible slaves as well, (they sometimes don't make very good followers either, but I'll tuck that thought away for another shot of A.I.M.).  My point is that these two groups of artists are leading the way by creating this beautiful work of art that is both Heavenly minded and Earthly good.  We need more of this kind of leadership.  We need more of the created creating.  Leadership isn't always about some woman or man standing in front of an audience or a congregation or a small group.  Sometimes leadership looks like a group (or two groups) of friends with a wild idea, and the guts to make it happen.  Enter Holy Week.  Enter whatever wild, Kingdom idea you may have.

One more thing, and this won't surprise you.  Sometimes (read: too often) in our movement, a wild idea and some guts to make it happen are enough only to get you laughed out of a room.  In many cases, and certainly in the case of Holy Week, several other people who are responsible for budgets, etc. need to have the vision to support the wild idea and add guts to guts.  In other words, leaders have the opportunity to either champion or cut down the Authentic Innovative Missional ideas of other leaders. 

When leaders lead leaders well, we tip our caps to them (if we can find caps to tip).  Thank you, Commissioners Paul & Carol Seiler for allowing Holy Week to be approved & produced in time for Holy Week.  You've given me 12 more reasons to like you and respect your leadership, you've shown support to other leaders and you've given a beautiful gift to those who have ears to hear. 

Together with The Singing Company and Families you've proven that Leadership is, in fact, an Art.

The Holy Week CD will be available for purchase and multiple replays on April 1st (no foolin').  For a video promo, click here;

http://holyweek.thesingingcompany.com/

If you'll excuse me, I have to SAVE NOW.  Have a Holy Week & a Holy Week (or 2 or 3 or 10).

-rob

Leaders Unaware? - A.I.M.'s 8th shot.

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I can't get those beautiful old ladies from The Love Kitchen out of my head, (not that I've tried too hard).  Did you see them?  They were on ABC's new hit show Secret Millionaire the other night.  The premise of the show is that a millionaire spends a week with some people who help OTHERS.  At the end of the week, the millionaire gives these people a pretty good chunk o' change. On the first episode, three small non-profits received $40k, $30k, and $20k, and a family with a terminally ill child received $10k.  The sisters who run The Love Kitchen are amazing!  They should have received the whole $100k, but the Secret Millionaire didn't consult me before making her decision. The show, and the popularity of the CBS show, Undercover Boss, got me thinking about an old Robert Redford movie;  Brubaker. 

Have you seen it?  SPOILER ALERT!  Redford plays a new Warden at a corrupt prison.  Instead of walking in the front door wearing a suit on his first day of work, he comes in as an inmate.  He quickly discovers the severity of the problem, and the uphill battle in which he would have to engage in order to stop the abuse of power that permeated that place. It’s worth a rental (or you can watch it instantly on NETFLIX right now.  Go ahead, I’ll wait).  Powerful stuff, right?  Anyway, just so you don’t get the impression that all I do is watch reality TV and old 80’s movies, I do have a point.  All of this sneaking around reminds me of the exhortation from the writer of the book of Hebrews; 

"Keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters.

Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers,

for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it. 

Hebrews 13:1-2

I don't think the point of these verses was to have the early Jesus-followers going around hugging each other, in hopes of finding a hidden angel like some kind of lucky seat contest.  The verses are matter of factly stating some facts on important matters.  

1.  We should love one another as family. 
2.  We should be hospitable to each other. 
3.  Some angels have been shown hospitality by some humans. 

These verses contain echoes of Jesus' words from Matthew 25:13 "I was a stranger and you did not invite me in".  (Editor's Note: In that same chapter, Jesus also talks about going "undercover" as a sick prisoner - Robert Redford has nothing on Jesus). 

As a leader of a Church, a movement, a ministry, an organization, you never know who it is you're leading.  Chances are it isn't a millionaire who will write you a check to reward your awesome leadership skills.  Most likely it won't be the person who will be your leader - disguised in order to spy on your leadership qualities.  But that's not to say that you aren't leading leaders.  In fact, if you aren't intentionally leading people who will lead people, it could be said/blogged that you're doing it wrong, (I guess it just was).  Apparently, in the early days of the Church, there were some angels who didn't act like angels, and went unrecognized.  As leaders, let's be on the look out for the leaders we are leading.  Just to be on the safe side, we might as well treat everyone like a leader. We don't want to be Leaders Unaware.

In related news:  I have new leaders, (see A.I.M.'s 5th shot). 

Lt. Colonels Stephen & Marcia Smith are the new Divisional Leaders of The Salvation Army Golden State Division.  They aren't Undercover Bosses.  I don't think they're Secret Millionaires. They definitely aren't prison wardens.  They love Jesus, each other, and OTHERS.  I look forward to serving with them.  We are welcoming them officially at Camp Redwood Glen on Sunday, March 20, 2011.  5:00pm-BBQ, 6:30pm-Welcome/Installation.   Feel free to come.  You'll be shown hospitality whether or not we can tell how angelic you are/aren't.

Visiting Leaders: Commissioners James & Carolyn Knaggs, Territorial Leaders, The Salvation Army Western Territory.

In non-related news (except that I am related): 
Happy Birthday, Stacy!  "More than dreams & poetry...".
Happy Birthday, Mom!  I rise up and call you "Blessed"!

Psychology and Life (& Leadership) A.I.M.'s 7th shot.

I'm currently taking two courses at The Salvation Army's Booth College in Canada; Luke/Acts & Psychology and Life.  It is easy to work what I'm learning in the Luke/Acts course into my ministry/leadership life. 

The relationship between the required reading for the Psychology and Life course and the day-to-day of my vocation isn't always as easy for me to recognize.  However, every once in a while something breaks through for me.  Tonight was one of those times.  Near the end of Chapter 2 of the textbook, (pictured here), the authors offer the reader some advice on how to be a "more sophisticated shopper" as we "travel through the supermarket of knowledge".  Granted, not the most exciting metaphor ever, but it is a textbook.  However, while taking notes it occurred to me that these aren't bad leader-tips for any situation requiring wisdom, (have any of those?).
Just in case they will help you in you leadership role, I offer them here.  Besides, typing them will help me remember them for the test.

1.  Avoid the inference that correlation is causation.  Just because there is a connection between two things, doesn't necessarily mean one causes the other.

2.  Ask that critical terms and key concepts be defined operationally so that there can be consensus about their meanings.  It's critical we are all talking about the same things when it comes to being missional.

3.  Consider first how to disprove a theory, hypothesis, or belief before seeking confirming evidence, which is easy to find when you're looking for a justification.  Let's not just be company men & women, spouting the "party line" and doing the things we've always done in the ways we've always done them.

4.  Always search for alternative explanations to the obvious ones proposed, especially when the explanations benefit the proposer.  Let's not be too quick to agree on the first suggestion or solution offered from the first person offering one.  Additionally, let's be aware of the possibility that our own motives and our own ideas might be suspect.

5.  Recognize how personal biases can distort perceptions of reality.  This recognition will be especially helpful when we are dealing with the people we lead and serve.

6.  Be suspicious of simple answers to complex questions or single causes and cures for complex effects and problems.  However, sometimes a squeaky door just needs some oil.

7.  Question any statement about the effectiveness of some treatment, intervention, or product by finding the comparative basis for the effect: compared to what?  I don't fully understand this one yet, but I know it has something to do with Corps & Divisional stats.

8.  Be open-minded yet skeptical:  Recognize that most conclusions are tentative and not certain; seek new evidence that decreases your uncertainty while keeping yourself open to change and revision.  WOW!  Authentic. Innovative. Missional. 

9.  Challenge authority that uses personal opinion in place of evidence for conclusions and is not open to constructive criticism.  Our movement needs more leaders who don't claim to have all the answers and who are open to constructive criticism.  Are you one?  Am I?  By the way, "challenge" does not mean "disrespect" or "rebel against".

Take care, trust God, & Have fun!

-rob