You are already well into your weekend! Still haven’t quite gotten caught up from vacation but here are three quick hitting things I’ve read and been thinking about this week. Better Saturday than never I say!
Have a great rest of your weekend and enjoy your pumpkin spice latte!
#1
Geza Vermes points out in a different connection, “Religious writings disclose their meaning only to those who approach them in a spirit of sympathy.
Spirit Hermeneutics by Craig Keener
I maintain that it is not only religious writings but any form of communication. Let me go a step farther to suggest what we get out of life depends on a spirit of sympathy. Case in point, I have stood in the back of a sanctuary greeting people for quite some time now. Here is the truth…each person leaves with a different experience. Sometimes they tell me what they heard from my sermon that I never said, or at least never meant in the way they heard. The difference is how receptive (sympathetic) they are to the worship experience and even to me. As you prepare for tomorrow’s worship, let me encourage you to prepare with a sympathetic spirit toward the word of God. Expect to hear. Anticipate it even. It will make a difference.
#2
“The best new ideas always have unanticipated benefits. So it’s silly to require people who want to do new things to enumerate the benefits beforehand. The best you can do is choose smart people and then trust their intuitions about what’s worth exploring.”
Paul Graham
Trust. It goes a long ways in every area of life. Without it, relationships and organizations grind to a halt and even go in reverse. Trust must be earned every moment of every day through a way of relating that includes: 1) keeping your word, 2) being loyal, 3) integrity, and 4) discretion to name but four.
#3
There’s a myth that all you need to do is outline your vision and prove it’s right—then, quite suddenly, people will line up and support you. In fact, the opposite is true. Remarkable visions and genuine insight are always met with resistance. And when you start to make progress, your efforts are met with even more resistance. Products, services, career paths—whatever it is, the forces for mediocrity will align to stop you, forgiving no errors and never backing down until it’s over. If it were any other way, it would be easy. And if it were any other way, everyone would do it and your work would ultimately be devalued. Without people pushing against your quest to do something worth talking about, it’s unlikely to be worth the journey. Persist.
Tribes by Seth Godin
Often leaders look at push back as a problem or an indication of a mistake. Godin says it is a sign that you are on the right track…or at least on the track toward something worthwhile.
todd nelson 