Leaders are Readers (but it doesn't have to hurt). A.I.M.'s 6th shot.

In a recent episode of The Office, Michael Scott mentions a book he's writing on business entitled; "Somehow I Manage".  Not only did this make me laugh out loud, (I can relate), it started me thinking about the good books I've read on leadership.  Don't worry, it's not a long list, (which can be interpreted a few different ways, I suppose).

There is no shortage of books on this subject.  The shelves of Borders and Barnes & Noble are filled with them.  Books on Christian leadership aren't hard to find either.  So, if you're looking for books like; "10 Leadership Hints to Help You Wipe Everyone Else Out", or "Of Course God Made Turkeys, but Jesus Loves Eagle-Leaders More", you won't be disappointed (until you read them).  Let's face it, while there is a lot of good stuff out there, books on leadership aren't generally known for their entertainment value.  But reading on leading doesn't have to be so boring - you're snoring.  Here are three leadership books by Max DePREE that I highly recommend;

          

But maybe the idea of reading a book on leadership doesn't appeal to you.  What then?  Here are three books in which the leadership lessons sneak up on you unassumingly.  Instead of a list of leadership techniques, these books tell the tales of real-life leaders whose accomplishments were much bigger than anyone would've thought possible, (except the One who led them). 

   It is President's Day after all.  This is a great read.  Once, at Seattle Pacific University, I heard David McCullough speak passionately for 2 hours straight about the events described in this book. What a night!  You say you want a REVOLUTION?  These leadership lessons from George Washington will help you win on whatever battlefield you may find yourself.  Happy Birthday, George.

Forget what you thought you knew of Lewis & Clarke & Sakagawea and their heroic journey of discovery (unless, of course, you know way more than I did before I read this great book by Stephen Ambrose).  This book could be a sort of field guide for any missional group that is more concerned with expansion than mere survival.  WARNING: After reading this book, you may not be satisfied with sitting still.  You may develop an urge to forge new trails, no matter the cost. 

   Hey, it's still President's Day.  One of the GEICO Ins. commercials currently running on T.V. involves Abraham Lincoln deciding whether or not to be totally honest with his First Lady.  That has nothing to do with leadership or this GREAT book on Lincoln by the ever-awesome Doris Kearns Goodwin.  That commercial just makes me laugh.  BUY THIS BOOK!  Don't let the 754 pages scare you away.  Think of its thickness as getting more for your money - like extra innings at a ballgame.  Jesus commands us to love our enemies.  Most of us agree in principle, it's the living it out that we find difficult.  Because he knew who he was, and had a clear vision of his purpose in this world, Abraham Lincoln invited those who disliked him the most into his Presidential Cabinet.  This man was truly amazing.  Happy Birthday, Abe!

Happy reading & Holy leading!

-rob

I Heart My Leaders - A.I.M.'s 5th shot.

Today was my last day "in the office" (we really weren't, shhh!) with the current leaders of The Salvation Army's Golden State Division; Lt. Colonels Joe & Shawn Posillico.  They are leaving soon for their new appointment as Divisional Leaders of the Southwest Division.  Today is also Valentine's Day, which is appropriate because, as the title of this blog suggests, I heart my leaders. 

Joe & Shawn Posillico are the read deal!  As long as I've known them, I've known them to be approachable, kind, forgiving, loving, and joyful.  They remind me of Jesus.  Stacy and I were honored to serve as their Corps Officers in Seattle for a year, before they were called on to lead the Golden State Division.  We had no idea that five years later, they would call on us to serve with them here.  As much as I didn't want to leave Seattle and our ministry there, I have to say that I'm so thankful to have had the opportunity to serve with them over these last nineteen months.

Here are just a few things I've learned about good, Godly leadership from them;

1.  Love Jesus.  I know this sounds like a no-brainer for a Christian leader, but they really love Jesus.
2.  Love OTHERS.  Again, a no-brainer perhaps, but they genuinely care about the people they lead and serve.  Which brings me to #3...
3.  Serve Jesus & OTHERS.  The Posillicos don't sit in an ivory tower handing out decrees for their minions to carry out.  They work alongside people, and on behalf of people.
4.  Be humble.  There have been many improvements in this division under Joe & Shawn's watch (6.5 years).  They don't take the credit, but give the glory to God.
5.  Trust your team.  Nobody appreciates a micro-manager for a leader.  The Posillicos don't look over the shoulders of their staff after asking them to take the lead on something.  They're hands-off.  This is not to say that they are uninterested, or don't have standards.  They just trust that their team can do good work.
6.  Respect & have faith in local leadership.  On several occasions I have seen Joe & Shawn avoid the temptation to step in and exert authority in situations where the local leader had made a decision they didn't necessarily agree with.  As long as the decision wasn't unethical, illegal, un-biblical, or against Army policy, they chose to let their leaders lead.  AWESOME!
7.  Think the best of people.  These are two of the most positive, patient people I know.  They don't seem to hold anything against anyone.  AMAZING!

8.  Offer a good hand-off.  I'm not privy to all the private conversations, but it seems to me that great care has been taken in this time of transition to ensure success for our new leaders; Lt. Cols. Steve & Marcia Smith.

This list is pretty much off the top of my head.  I'm sure it is nowhere near complete, and that I'll be unpacking for years the helpful leadership lessons I've learned from my time with these leaders. Hopefully I will do more than simply unpack them.  Please God, help me put them into practice for your glory and the good of OTHERS.

Last night over 200 Golden Staters gathered at the San Jose Temple Corps to say "Thank You" to Lt. Cols. Posillico.  Here are a few quotes from them as they addressed their division;

"Thanks for all of the many things we've done together".  
Lt. Col. Shawn Posillico

"It's not what we did. It's what God did".   
Lt. Col. Joe Posillico

"Thank you most of all for the love you have for the Lord,
and for how you've served Him.".

Lt. Col. Shawn Posillico

"Pray for us. Pray for your new Divisional Leaders;
Lt. Cols. Steve & Marcia Smith. 

We'll pray for you. We'll miss you. And we love you".  

Lt. Col. Joe Posillico

These were not just platitudes from farewelling officers.  Everyone in the room knew these words came from hearts sanctified for service by the Holy Spirit of God.  This was evidenced by the great number of officers coming to the platform near the end of the service to lay hands on and join in prayer for God's servant-leaders.

Thanks Joe & Shawn.  Thanks for allowing me to serve and lead with you.  Thank you for making it easy to follow you as you followed Christ.

-rob

Whatever Happened To The Balloon Brigade? A.I.M.'s 4th shot.

NOTE:  This document recently came to me through channels that will remain undisclosed to you, due to the fact that they are largely unknown to me.  I cannot vouch for the validity of its contents.  Since the author is also a mystery to me, I cannot say with any certainty that I trust the motives of what is recorded here.   However, on the outside chance that it can be of any use to you in your ministry leadership role, here it is.

In a village far from wherever you are as you read this there lived a people who were very poor, but very happy; poor because money was scarce, happy because they knew their place and purpose in the world.  Their village had been built on the Southside of a tremendously large sinkhole.  For centuries, people traveling north would fall helplessly into the sinkhole, never to be seen or heard from again.  When this came to the attention of the Ruler of the land, he commissioned a village to be erected on the Southside of the hole for the sole purpose of warning travelers away from danger and death.  And so, the town was raised (not pretty, but functional) and the community developed (not pretty, but friendly and faithful).  They knew what to do.  Their mission was clear; warn people and steer them away from falling into the pit.

The Ruler’s plan worked.  Countless lives were saved.  For several years, the lifesaving village developed new ways of helping travelers avoid the sinkhole on their journey north.  One of the most creative ideas was the “Balloon Brigade”.  Members of the village would blow up bright balloons and place them around the edges of the pit.  This served at least two purposes; it created beauty in a place which desperately needed beauty, and (most importantly) it caught the attention of weary travelers, and saved their lives.

After a century or so, however, something went terribly wrong.  The balloon plan didn’t seem to be working any longer.  Or at least the plan wasn’t working as well as it had in the early days.  Most travelers either didn’t see the balloons, or saw them and weren’t curious enough to inquire as to their purpose.  This trend led to innumerable deaths.  One might think this would’ve caused the village some concern.  One would be wrong.  While it’s true that some in the village attempted to sound the alarm, and questioned the effectiveness of the Balloon Brigade, they were not taken seriously.  In fact, these warnings and wonderings were seen by the village elders as rebellion against the Ruler’s original plan for the village.  “We were built to blow up balloons” was the party line of the day.  So those who thought differently, (i.e. “The village was built to save lives”) were stuck with one of three choices;

1.       Try something new on their own, unsanctioned and unsupported by the village.

2.       Leave for another village that welcomes new lifesaving ideas and techniques.

3.       Stay quiet, pull up a chair, and blow all of their hot air into balloons.

It should be noted that at some point the blown up balloons were no longer even placed on the edges of the sinkhole.  Instead, balloons decorated the inside walls of the village homes and gathering places.  The balloon became the thing.  Much time, energy and money was invested into the production and celebration of balloons.  And the travelers kept walking, falling and dying.

Here is where the account comes to an end.  I have no idea what happened to the village, the sinkhole, the travelers, or the Balloon Brigade. 

Ministry Philosophy Top 10 - A.I.M.'s 3rd shot!

I'm a sucker for Top 10 lists.  When Letterman was funny (80's?) the Top 10 list was one of my favorite bits he did.  We're now into the 2nd month of the New Year, so most of the 2010 Top 10 lists have been made, published,and forgotten already.  Here's one I made in Dec.;  http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/note.php?note_id=482685799576 .

One of my favorite mags (now only online) is PASTE http://www.pastemagazine.com/ . Their tag line is "Signs of Life in Musc, Film and Culture".  They help keep me informed on what's going on in those areas of interest, but that team is Top 10 list crazy.  They go overboard!  I mean, do we really need to know the Top 10 songs with "Spam" in the title?  And yet, for some strange reason, I do want to know.

Whether or not you share my affinity for Top 10 lists, I'm not alone.  For the 2nd year in a row, the Motion Picture Academy has chosen to nominate 10 films in the Best Picture category; http://oscar.go.com/ .  (Look for The King's Speech to win, see A.I.M.'s 2nd shot).

Okay, enough about music & movies.  Let's talk ministry.  (NOTE:  The recent High Council had a "Top 10" list until Commissioner Jim Knaggs graciously declined nomination).  A few months ago, Stacy and I had good reason to develop a sort of Top 10 list for how we approach ministry as officers in The Salvation Army.  I've included the list below.  It is by no means meant to be definitive, (even for us).  However, it might cause/help you to consider your own approach to whatever ministry you are involved in.   We could all use a bit of focus as we serve #1, and OTHERS in His name.

Ministry Philosophy of Stacy & Rob Birks

We believe…

1.        That the health of the officer couple and their family is most important.

2.         The officer (leader) should know his/her gifts and passions and interests, as well as strengths and weaknesses, and lead from there.

3.         The Corps and Local Officers best know the needs of their Corps and community and they should lead the direction.

4.         That to be “Army” is to be missional, outwardly focused, innovative, Spirit-lead, inclusive, relevant, creative, bold, compassionate, collaborative…

5.         That the priority of Officership is authentic discipleship:  Bible study, prayer, worship and service.

6.        That the church/Corps exists for people who are not there yet and that the Corps must constantly evaluate motives and methods to make sure we aren’t just entertaining ourselves.

7.        That the church/Corps is the most important ministry in The Salvation Army.

8.         That in a corps the “priesthood of all believers” plays out when the Corps Officer identifies, equips, challenges, trains, models and gives opportunity for the local leaders to do the ministry.  The Corps Officer is the one who needs to be visioning and identifying dangers/opportunities ahead.

9.         That we agree wholeheartedly with the Army’s stance that women and men have an equal role in leadership and ministry.

10.    That in order to stay up-to-date, relevant, and fresh, the Officers need to keep reading and to be aware of what is going on inside and outside the church.

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May God continue to bless you as you continue to be the word and work of God in the world.  Amen.

Dreams, Visions and Fortune Cookies. A.I.M.'s 2nd Shot.

How did you spend the holiday weekend?  Some friends of mine marched in San Francisco, CA, both as a realization of MLK's dream and a reminder to keep the dream alive.  Other friends of mine worked at a homeless garden project in Santa Cruz, CA http://yfrog.com/h23neaij .  Others spent the holiday sending Facebook fortune cookies and feeding fake animals, (not that there's anything wrong with that).  I slept in, relaxed, read (mostly MLK quotes on Facebook), drank coffee, wondered why Ricky Gervais brought so much unfunny to the Golden Globes, visited our local burrito shop, and saw TRON - 3D/IMAX with my Son.  Currently I'm blogging.

I did do some dreaming on Friday, though.  A group of us met at Camp Redwood Glen http://tsaredwoodglen.org/ for our second FamCamp 2011 Dream Team session.  We're starting from scratch planning a weekend event in Sept.  Since it was the first day of the holiday weekend, we started by listening to a portion of King's "I Have A Dream" speech; http://www.archive.org/details/MLKDream.  Still moving after all these years! 

Then we took a look at Joel 2:28-29;

“And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
   your old men will dream dreams,
   your young men will see visions.
Even on my servants, both men and women,
   I will pour out my Spirit in those days."

Then we prayed for Holy Spirit inspired dreams.  Then we dreamed.  It's going to be good!

That night, (not meaning to be so thematic), Stacy and I saw The King's Speech, (different King - different speech). A great film, which reminded me what a difference one person can make if they are true to their calling, and are not put off course by dream-squashers.  

On Sunday morning, the dreams of the Seattle Seahawks were torn apart by a sleuth of Bears (sad face symbol).  On Sunday afternoon, I read and was encouraged by Commissioner Joe Noland's blog in which he quotes General Paul Rader on visioning; http://joenoland.blogspot.com/ On Sunday night, Stacy and I attended a Celebration of Life Memorial Service for a Salvation Army Officer who lived the dream faithfully for years, until her wildest dreams came true.  Powerful stuff!

A dreamy weekend.  So what?  Now what?  I can either pray, work, fight for King's & Kingdom dreams to come true, or I can be thankful for a day off, and be content with the status quo, enjoy a virtual fortune cookie, and with talk of dreams.  I hope I choose well, and I pray the same for you.

It would make sense to end this entry with a quote from MLK.  However, not wanting to be too predictable in a blog with the word Innovative in its description, I'll leave you with a quote from another famous theologian turned Idol judge; Steven Tyler of Aerosmith.

"Dream On, Dream On, Dream On. Dream until the dream come true".
(Ed. note: This line sounds best when screamed)



Happy "Brand-New Thing" Year! A.I.M.'s 1st shot.

"Forget about what's happened; don't keep going over old history.  Be alert, be present. I'm about to do something brand-new. It's bursting out! Don't you see it?
There it is! I'm making a road through the desert, rivers in the badlands."    

Isaiah 43:18-20 (The Message)

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In the spirit of  "something brand-new" and "a new thing" (other versions), welcome to the first shot of A.I.M.  The mission of this blog is: To Inform & Inspire leaders.  Here's praying it does so to the glory of God & for the good of OTHERS.

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"The object of a New Year is not that we should have a new year.  It is that we should have a new soul and a new nose; new feet, a new backbone, new ears, and new eyes.  Unless a particular man made New Year resolutions, he would make no resolutions.  Unless a man starts afresh about things, he will certainly do nothing effective."      - G.K. Chesterton

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------10 Wishes from a Pew Sitter  
(from the blog "Holy Soup" by Thom Schultz - founder of Group)

At the start of a new year, as a pew-sitter, I have a few wishes for the church leaders I know and love:
1. Banish the "stand and greet your neighbor" time in the worship service. I know your intentions are good, but it's forced, fruitless and goofy.
2. Forget everything they taught you about three-point sermons. You're wildly successful if you can get across one point. Just one point. Then sit down.
3. Get out and spend time with real people. Schedule lunches at your members' workplaces and schools. Listen. Get a feel for how real people live.
4. Encourage regular evaluation. Use comment cards. Ask us what we remember from last week's sermon. Then take us seriously, and adjust.
5. Crank down the volume of the band. Allow us to actually hear the voices of the flock.
6. Burn the fill-in-the-blank sermon guides. They're insulting, distracting and ineffective. (Can you imagine Jesus using them? Let's see, "Feed my _______.")
7. Show hospitality. Encourage people to enjoy a cup of coffee-during the service.
8. Let us participate. Entertain our questions-during the service. Let the real people around us tell how God is working in their lives.
9. Relax. Make some real friends. Spend more time with your family. Don't schedule every evening with church meetings.
10. Get rid of the pews. Really.

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Meet the High Council...  follow & pray for the proceedings as these men & women meet later this month to determine The Salvation Army's next international leader...

http://www.salvationarmy.org/ihq/www_sa.nsf/vw-dynamic-arrays/F20D29762E4ACACF802577E000382B8A?openDocument

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The Best Books We Read in 2010...

Rev. JD Pearring Growing Healthy Churches, Director
(GrowingHealthyChurches.org)

Each year we ask planters and leaders to share the best book they read – here’s titles that made the list for 2010:

“Rework” by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson - JD Pearring, Director of GHC Network
“Experiencing God” by Henry Blackaby - Lori Pearring, GHC Network Coach
“What is a Healthy Church Member?” by David Heinemeier Hansson - Tom Cullen, GHC Network Projects Manager
“Fields of Gold” by Andy Stanley & “The Me I Want to Be” by John Ortberg - Karl Roth, church planter in Madera, California
“The Christian Atheist” by Criag Groeschel, “Tribes” by Seth Godin, & “Leadership and Self-Deception” by Arbinger Institute
- Steve Bentley, church planter in Flint, Michigan
“Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions” - Randy Balling, church planter in Modesto, California
“A Million Miles in a Thousand Years” by Donald Miller - Rachel Kihlthau, GHC Network assessment specialist
"Delivering Happiness" by Tony Hsieh - Micah Foster, campus pastor in Santa Rosa, California
“Effective Bible Teaching” by Jim Wilhoit and Leland Ryken - Bob Eusebio, pastor in Daly City
“Stop Acting Rich” by Thomas J. Stanely - Dave Bennett, GHC Director of Development
“Desiring God” by John Piper - Russ Johnson, church planter to Chicago, Illinois
“Rework” by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson - Rich Ayala, church planting partner serving in Elk Grove, California
“Crazy Love” by Francis Chan - Mike Holba, church planter in Ripon, Wisconsin
“Integrity” by Henry Cloud - Josh Wroten, church planter in the Silicon Valley, California
“The Shack” by William P. Young, “The Poisonwood Bible” by Barbara Kingsolver - Kevin Wood, pastor in Burlingame, California
"Unbroken" by Laura Hillenbrand - Matt Rawlings, church planter in Portsmouth, Ohio
“Leadership Without Easy Answers” by Ronald Heifetz - Todd Hahn, church planter in Charlotte, North Carolina
“The Truth About Leadership” by Kouzes and Posner, “Church Unique” by Will Mancini, & “Sticky Teams” by Larry Osbourne
- David Cooke, pastor in Placerville, California
“The Hole in Our Gospel” by Richard Sterns - Jeff Weber, church planter in Greensboro, North Carolina
"Wasting Time with God" by Klaus Issler - Glenn Sayers, church planter in Natomas, California
“The Influential Leader” by John Edmond Haggai - Paul Mints, church planter in Mansfield, Texas
“Church in the Making” by Ben Arment, “Church Planter” Darrin Patrick, “Confessions of a Reformission Rev.” by Mark Driscoll, “How to Multiply Your Church” by Ralph Moore and Ed Stetzer, “Launch” by Nelson Searcy, “Ten Most Common Mistakes Made by Church Starts” by Jim Griffith and Bill Easum - Brian Becker, church planter in Portland, Oregon
“Bonheoffer” by Eric Metaxas and Tim Keller, “Passionaries” by Barbara R. Metzler, “Cross-cultural Servanthood” by Duane Elmer
- Bill Hoyt, GHC Regional Consultant
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Into Africa! Please pray for the Del Oro/Golden State Divisions' Kenya III
Mission Team,  (Jan. 26 - Feb. 9).
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Speaking of prayer...        http://www1.salvationarmy.org/IHQ/www_ihq_csld.nsf/vw-dynamic-index/B05FBA162E1B296C8025766A00502835?openDocument
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Praying With Dallas Willard (from MissionChurchNetwork.com)

Here is Dallas Willard’s paraphrase of the Lord’s Prayer. He suggests that we paraphrase the prayer from time to time because its richness lends itself to much meditation.

Dear Father always near us,
may your name be treasured and loved,
may your rule be completed in us-
may your will be done here on earth in
just the way it is done in heaven.
Give us today the things we need today,
and forgive us our sins and impositions on you
as we are forgiving all who in any way offend us.
Please don’t put us through trials,
but deliver us from everything bad.
Because you are the one is charge,
and you have all the power, and the glory too is all yours-forever-
which is just the way we want it!
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I raise a cup of (really good) coffee to whatever "new thing" you are up to for the Kingdom this year.  May it bring about roads "through the deserts, & rivers in the badlands."  May God bless you, your families, your ministries and your communities with every good & perfect gift in 2011!


IN CHRIST & OUTreach!

rob