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Your 'Communication' Language (leadership)

I was speaking to a friend the other day who introduced me to a new term, 'Communication Language'. It's similar in concept to Gary Chapman's 'Love Languages'. That we each have a preferred communication medium that we like to use:  Email; Text; Facebook; Phone; Skype (chat/call); Etc. 

My friend said to me 'I'm a phone guy, call it old fashioned, I love my technology but I always prefer to make a phone call.' Now I'm not a phone guy, sure I'll make phone calls and enjoy them but it's not my preferred method of communication.

What I want to highlight is this: the preferred means of communication for some people is email,  they enjoy writing them, receiving and reply promptly. For others it's text. I've a friend who confessed to me the other day 'I LOVE getting text messages.' For others it is a phone call and for others still it's a Facebook message. I would add the fax option in here but that's just plain weird!       

My point is this... If someone who's preferred medium is email, emails a preferential texter, then the texter is likely not to value the emailers medium as highly. If it were a text sent, then a near instant reply would happen, but because it's email there is the potential for no reply to be sent at all.

As leaders we need to value all mediums. We need to be aware that for those communicating with us, the medium by which they use is important to them and therefore necessary to respect and engage with. Crossing mediums: you are texted and respond with a phone call is fine. What is at stake is the content of the communique, and that this is honoured with a response when neccessary. 

For our integrity as leaders we cannot afford to become slack communicators just because our preferred method of communication isn't instigated. We must take the higher road.

This also applies to those situations when you communicate to someone, perhaps asking them a question, only to have no response. Then some days later that same person will send a communique to you expecting a response. We all know what we'd like to do, but a leader with integrity will do what is right: reply to their communique, and enquire of the communique that was previously seemingly ignored.

Books and books have been written on this very subject, all of which offer far more wisdom and depth than these initial thoughts, but foundational to our leadership needs to be a sound integrity concerning our communication. May this be what results for you as you put into practice these ideas.

Conquering Conformity: part 6 (Leadership lessons from Moses' life)

Moses life teaches us many thing and so in thei messge I wanted to hone in on three:

Influence Excellently

Choose Courage

Personify Reliability

I hope Moses life can help you fine tune your and further your leadership.

You can listen to the teaching here:

Conquering Conformity _ The Story of moses _ Wk6

Youthstreet: Being an example in speech! (Michael Hands/Ralph Mayhew)

Tonight Mike and Ralph tag-team preached on 1 Tim 4:12 "Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity."

We spoke about how our speech not only has a powerful affect on other people, but whilst we speak words to others the true recipient of those words is God!

James 3:9-10 says "With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be." So we thought we needed to explore just how all of this works, and we found out it's all a matter of the heart. So how do we change the condition of our heart, so we not only value the likeness of God in other people, but are able to come to God with pure and holy praise. Have a listen below!

Setting an example in speech

Conquering Conformity: part 5 (Choose your own adventure sermon through the desert))

Tonight we did something very different: Choose Your Own Adventure Sermon! I preached through the major situations that the Israelites faced as they followed Moses and God through the dessert over a 40 year tme span. As we went through, those who came, had the chance to vote on what aspect of the journey they were to hear of next. They did and we traced a path through the wilderness. As a result of such an endeavour there was a lot of material written but not used, so you are able to download the full pdf, and powerpoint from the link below!

You can read the full manuscript with all eight options included here here.

You can download the full and corresponding Powerpoint with all eight options included here here.

You can listen to the teaching on the night here:

Conquering Conformity _ The Story of moses _ Wk5

(PS thankyou to Brady McNamee who helped me get my head around the Powerpoint linking!)

Six reasons the next generation is leaving the Church (a response in the positive)

On his blog: Without Wax, Pete Wilson mentions the work Christianity Today have done on why Young Adults are leaving the Church (Barna President David Kinnaman examines the 6 reasons in a new article in Christianity Today). It's some really good food for thought. But I wanted to offer a response, granted it's limited to my own experience, but I thought it would be good to look at six reasons why Young Adults are coming to Church.

1. Community: Church offers a sense of being able to be known and know others more deeply. Becoming involved in people's lives on an existential level, which is primarily the level of engagement within a Church, given the things and nature of what is spoken about, leads to vulnerable, open and trustworthy relationships. This is what people are hungry for and what the Church can truly offer.

2. Aspirational Standards: We live in an age where the lowest common denominator seems to set the standard. But young adults who live in this world, are equally hungry for challenge that encourages and inspires them to live a more wholesome, healthy and life giving lives. This is what the Gospel, communicated well, offers.

3. Social Justice: Church is a place where a young adult's passion for social justice can be fed and exercised. If a Church is carrying out it's Biblical mandates, then a place is created for a young adult to belong to a community of like minded people wanting to stand up for the lost, last, least and lonely, those who are oppressed.

4. Transcendent Experience: Another hunger of this generation is to know God, or at least a version of him, and this does not necessarily mean the Christian God. But Church can offer a space where people can come and be, and where God (Yahweh) can meet them.

5. Solid Theology: The Gospel is God's invitation through Jesus Christ to be in relationship with him, to follow him toward life, to be apart of God's life and to belong to a kingdom or movement that is slowly but surely taking over the world. This is an attractive thought to a young adult, and although it is understood that a high cost accompanies such an opportunity, there is eagerness to belong to and understand this, as opposed to sitting under a God who is only about you doing the right things, and doing them now! This god is not attractive, or accurate for that matter!

6. Identity: Belonging to a Church, or Christian community offers a young adult something which is rare in most other cultural settings. It offers belonging, identity and stability. These things are born out of the nature and being of God, which ultimately is what we, enjoying the human existence, need.

So there are my six reasons of why I think young adults are actually coming to Church. Love to hear your thoughts!

Full-time ministry is like this...

The video below has gone viral, and as I watched it, I felt for both Nadal and Djocovic. They have just finished a marathon of a tennis match and are absolutely spent. as I watched and thought about the clip, my thoughts drifted to how that experience, that they are having, of imense fatigue and a need just to sit down, relax, and chill out, can be very similar to some seasons of ministry. That even when you may want to, or need to sit down, take a break, chillax, it isn't actually possible. Thankfully though there are times for rest, which we need to embrace, just like the reality that every tennis match finally concludes in some way shape or form. I hope you enjoy the clip, and see the funny side of it with compassion.

 

Conquering Conformity: part 4 (Escape from Egypt)

In the  passage this week, we look at how Moses lead the Israelites out of Egypt and through the Red Sea. We see how God signified for them the importance of this move with a resetting of the calendar, a fresh start, how he promised to be with them in the desert as they worshipped him -transforming their death into life, how he rescued them from the enemies and fears bearing down on them and how the Israelites were obedient to God throughout it. May you find the hope and strength you need, through this passage of Scripture. Conquering Conformity _ The Story of moses _ Wk4

Youthstreet: Becoming the youth God wants us to be! (Michael Hands)

Tonight Mike preached up a storm speaking out of 1 Tim 4:12 "Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity." He issued a call that we are to be different. We are to live in such a way thatwe are somehow different to those who are not followers of Jesus. That the transformation Jesus has done in us, shines through, so that we're the ones who don't drink at parties when everyone else is getting drunk, that we're the ones who refuse to start gossip and bag-out othes, that we're the ones who respect and listen to our parents or teachers. So why not take a listen and let God challenge you to live out the transformation that God is doing in your heart!

Mike Hands - Youthstreet

How to mobilise Young Adults for Mission

The end of November 2011 saw the conclusion of the Governments unprecedented and inspirational initiative to contribute one dollar for every other one dollar raised to the relief work being done by a variety of welfare agencies on the Horn of Africa. This meant that countries presently in famine such as Somalia, Ethiopia and The Sudan have been provided by our government twice the aid possible than if the general public were just to offer support.

It was out of this concept that a friend of mine, Crystal, approached me with an idea 'what if we were able to do something that raised some money for those who people who are starving to death?' She spoke to a few others, including Ryan, which lead to a series of brainstorms that resulted in a brilliant and creative idea.

The idea was to put on a free BBQ in a public space, down the beach, with a high volume of passers-by, and use that outlet to tell the story of the Somalian Famine, make people aware of the facts , history and implications of the situation and then both encourage and enable people, if they chose, to contribute to the governments dollar for dollar scheme.

It was a Saturday morning when we set up base camp: tables, chairs, shade covers, our BBQ and drinks eskys, music, signage and flyers, all ready to go down the beach at Burleigh. The $4$ Somalia initiative was in full swing. We spent a good portion of the day cooking, chatting, informing, playing and hanging out. Many of those who are part of our young adult community came down to help and hang out. By the end of the day we had given away 300 sausages in bread and collected a grand total of... $2,234.60, which the government consequently matched, making the sum total of our efforts that day: $4,469.20.

It was amazing to be involved in such an exciting initiative and reflecting on it these are some of the learning's:

• A simple idea can have a huge impact.
• Offering free stuff disarms people and encourages their generosity. If we'd of sold each sausage for $3.00 (which would have been expensive) we would have not raised half of what we did.
• Always get council approval, it actually saved us being shut down.
• The power of the story is what moves people.
• A small group of people joining together can make a huge difference.
• These ideas allow people not of faith to be exposed to and involved in God's unfolding story.
• An event like this has lots of different moving pieces, which allows a wide variety of people to become involved.
• People want to be involved in changing the world, but often they prefer others to make it possible for them to be involved, but not responsible.
• Making a big sign for the event was cool, but misinterpreted by some as the cost of a sausage, not the cause we were standing for.
• It's important that location and timing compliment the idea you are trying to execute.

So why share all of this, so long after the event? Firstly I think it's important to reflect, but mostly because if you are asking, How do I create a social justice initiative? How do i respond to poverty? How do I make a difference in the world? Or you're throwing around ideas of what Young Adult mission initiatives could look like, then you may be helped by reading this.

So after hearing our story, be encouraged: come up with a simple idea, don't be afraid to try new things, ask the right people to help you, and go for it! That's what one of our young adults did and the results were incredible!

Conquering Conformity: part 3 (Moses, Yahweh and the Egyptian gods)

Moses went on behalf of Yahweh, (the Jewish and Christian) God, to demand from Pharaoh that he let the Israelites be free from the oppression of the Egyptians. What we think is a simple abolitionist strategy, is actually the set up for a clash of the titans. As God Almighty goes head to head with the Egyptian gods. The Egyptian gods are represented in the ten plagues and we see God tear them apart piece by piece. If your wondering how this takes place, how the Egyptian gods are represented in the plagues, how the ten plagues align themselves with the Egyptian gods, and what on earth that has to say to us, then have a listen or read from the links below.

listen here: Conquering Conformity _ The Story of moses _ Wk3

Read the manuscript here: Download 0609 - 12two - Moses 3