Thoughts in Jo'burg

I am currently sitting in the Jo'burg airport with Geoff Ryan (Canada) & Kelly Pope (USA)and have finally got a secure internet connection for the first time in 6 days!

So here is my thoughts from the last five days...

Friday July 13
Go and tell

a Jesus thought...
“Go home to your family and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” (Mark 5:19)

a Godly thought...
If enough of us can bear the truth of our failures as Christians, if we can let that truth humble us and bring us from denial to sincere and profound repentance, if our hearts are made soft and responsive to the Holy Spirit through this painful but needed process, then there truly is hope in the midst of depression. (p310 McLaren)

a leading thought...
Decentralising an organisation is as simple as conducting an appreciative inquiry. This is when all people connected or working for the organisation are given the opportunity to dream and brainstorm about its future. During the exercise all ideas are considered equally regardless of how far down the hierarchical system they have come. (p178 Brafman)

Thursday July 12
Who is our neighbour?

a Jesus thought...
“Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!” (Mark 4:41)

a Godly thought...
If through Christ, God risks all for us, then we must do the same for people of other religions. They are our neighbours, and everything Jesus said about neighbours applies to them. (p296 McLaren)

a leading thought...
Many organisations introduce decentralised elements by giving customers a role: eBay turned over the policing of the site to its users; and Amazon encouraged any reader – however well educated – to review book titles. You see everyone wants to contribute, and everyone has something to contribute somewhere. (p170 Brafman)

Wednesday July 11
Be with him

a Jesus thought...
He appointed twelve – designating them apostles – that they might be with him (Mark 3:14)

a Godly thought...
Never accept and be content with unanalysed assumptions about the work, about the people, about the church or Christianity. Never be afraid to ask questions about the work we have inherited or the work we are doing. There is no question that should not be asked or that is outlawed. The day we are completely satisfied with what we have been doing; the day we have found the perfect, unchangeable system of work, the perfect answer, never in need of being corrected again, on that day we will know that we are wrong, that we have made the greatest mistake of all (Christianity Rediscovered, 146).

a leading thought...
Ebay is a great example of a hybrid organisation as it is a centralised company that decentralises the customer experience. As it has empowered the community, the burden of policing from the company to its users has resulted in knowledge and power being distributed throughout the network. (p164 Brafman)

Tuesday July 10
Would you follow yourself?

a Jesus thought...
“It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” (Mark 2:17)

a Godly thought...
To show love and acceptance toward people, is not to approve all they believe or do, as any parent knows. To show disapproval of divergent beliefs by withholding love and acceptance may be orthodox Phariseeism, and it may even be orthodox modern, Western, colonial Christianity, but it is not the generous orthodoxy of Jesus Christ. It is rather a betrayal of our Lord and his way. (p290 McLaren)

a leading thought...
If you really want to lead the people above you, you need to lead yourself exceptionally well. If you will not follow yourself why would anyone else follow you? (Maxwell - maximum impact podcast)

Monday July 9
Jesus got up

a Jesus thought...
Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. (Mark 1:35)

a Godly thought...
The gospel, the story of God’s becoming “one of us” through incarnation, propels Paul on an incarnational ministry to become “one of them,” whoever “they” are. (p283 McLaren)

a leading thought...
An organisation will turn from a starfish to a spider when a catalyst becomes responsible for the distribution of resources. With this given power the catalyst turns into a CEO as the circles around him become competitive. (p154 Brafman)

Just some thoughts.