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

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.