"Your unfailing love will last forever. Your faithfulness is as enduring as the heavens."
When trying to find a web page that is either not there or won't load for some reason, the internet returns to us a "404 error". A "404 error" will be also used when pages have been moved or deleted. We've gotten used to this term and in some places of the world, people use the term "404" as slang for one being clueless or "out of it". I remember when the game The Sims was being created and the idea of bubbles over the avatars heads to show their thoughts was begin created. I can only imagine if in real life we had those and we could see all of the "404 errors" that happen each and every day and hour in our workplaces. There is nothing wrong with not having all of the information necessary or even being wrong, but when we don't stop and try to course correct and go get the right information, then it's like continuing to pound on the keyboard and keep getting a "404" message. When our customers can't seem to get an answer from us that satisfies them, they feel the same "404" frustration. Let's consider how fully and responsibly we are taking our ability to deliver back, each and every time, the right and the full data, information and answers.
There are no "404 errors" in God's Kingdom. If we follow and commit our will to Him in full faith then what results can only be of His liking. Yesterday our church, Cornerstone, celebrated 60 years of being in existence and 25 years of having the same Pastor. The celebration service took place at the famous Warfield Theater in downtown San Francisco. This was something the church had never done before and there was some anxiousness around whether or not it would all come together. With full faith and trust, the service was amazing and even if there were errors, since no one knew what to expect, they never saw them. This reminded me that when we are with God, He takes care of the mistakes and He never lets a "404 error" occur because He can always be found if we are only looking for Him.
Reference: Psalm 89:2 (New Living Translation)
Showing posts with label cornerstone church. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cornerstone church. Show all posts
Monday, September 16, 2013
Monday, June 17, 2013
day 1160: Winds
“The winds were against us”
While not obvious, there are winds in business. Sometimes they are headwinds. Sometimes the winds can be at our backs. But, without doubt, there are winds to be dealt with and managed. These winds come in the forms of competition, or product quality problems, or supply chain issues from a vendor. People also cause wind shifts. One day the team is aligned and sailing right along, the next day there is a morale problem caused by one person that shifts the teams' productivity considerably. These shifts of the wind are to be carefully watched and like the deft and skilled sailor, guide the boat back on course. We would be be well served to have someone, if not many people, who are always watching and monitoring the winds of change; having the courage and credibility to be able and correct the course when needed, before the winds take control.
A few weeks ago, I had the honor of delivering the weekend message at my church, http://cornerstone-sf.org. The title of my message was "Tacking Forward". You can view it here: http://www.cornerstone-sf.org/tv/detail/tacking-forward/ . As I prepared my message I realized how many examples and accounts there in the Bible of times when the wind made a difference. Paul, who spent a considerable time sailing (even surviving shipwrecks) probably knew the power of the wind as well as anyone. The winds of our lives will always be with us and with God's grace and wisdom we can navigate today and every day. But, like any sailor will tell us, we must be vigilant and never take the wind for granted. Being active with God today in prayer and being with Him in His Word, will be just the life sailing and navigation lessons that we need.
Reference: Acts 27:4
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
day 1098: Trappings of Success
"What is your charge against this man?"
When we are successful we can get caught in taking ourselves too seriously. When this happens we can find ourselves acting out as we would be expected in someone in a position such as ours. We can start to dress like we think we should. We can start to hang with people that others want us to hang and who we think help support our position of success. We can start to go to meetings, conferences, places that benefit our persona/brand more than give us growth or really mean anything to us. We can start to take on the language of those like us and what we are expected. If we are not careful, we can trapped by success and before long we are making decisions and moves that are those that are expected, instead of what we think are right or should be happening. This doesn't just happen with individuals. Companies can also fall into the trappings of success and find themselves not innovating or resisting change and compromise because of their position of success. Watch out, the trappings of success are subtle but very real and very, very dangerous. Once trapped, it is very hard to escape.
We are nearing Easter weekend and all around the world churches are teaching the Easter account and the lessons that we can take from the events that occurred in the days leading up to Jesus' crucifixion. Our church in San Francisco, Cornerstone is doing the same. The last two weeks we have we looked at the decision of Pilate and it was clear that he was a man who was trapped in his own success and when his final decision was to be made, He was so much a caricature of his position that for him to have gone against the request of the people would have been out of character and unseemly for one in his position. We can learn something about ourselves in the actions of Pilate. Have we ever been in the position where we wanted to stop and help someone else or go against the decision of the group but we haven't because we are trapped into our own success and to to do something unexpected would put continued success at risk? Sure we have. Now the question needs to be - will we stay trapped or will we rescue ourselves from this going further? Consider today and as we get closer to Easter what trappings need to be shed?
Reference: John 18:29 (New Living Translation)
When we are successful we can get caught in taking ourselves too seriously. When this happens we can find ourselves acting out as we would be expected in someone in a position such as ours. We can start to dress like we think we should. We can start to hang with people that others want us to hang and who we think help support our position of success. We can start to go to meetings, conferences, places that benefit our persona/brand more than give us growth or really mean anything to us. We can start to take on the language of those like us and what we are expected. If we are not careful, we can trapped by success and before long we are making decisions and moves that are those that are expected, instead of what we think are right or should be happening. This doesn't just happen with individuals. Companies can also fall into the trappings of success and find themselves not innovating or resisting change and compromise because of their position of success. Watch out, the trappings of success are subtle but very real and very, very dangerous. Once trapped, it is very hard to escape.
We are nearing Easter weekend and all around the world churches are teaching the Easter account and the lessons that we can take from the events that occurred in the days leading up to Jesus' crucifixion. Our church in San Francisco, Cornerstone is doing the same. The last two weeks we have we looked at the decision of Pilate and it was clear that he was a man who was trapped in his own success and when his final decision was to be made, He was so much a caricature of his position that for him to have gone against the request of the people would have been out of character and unseemly for one in his position. We can learn something about ourselves in the actions of Pilate. Have we ever been in the position where we wanted to stop and help someone else or go against the decision of the group but we haven't because we are trapped into our own success and to to do something unexpected would put continued success at risk? Sure we have. Now the question needs to be - will we stay trapped or will we rescue ourselves from this going further? Consider today and as we get closer to Easter what trappings need to be shed?
Reference: John 18:29 (New Living Translation)
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
day 1006: Conversations - Part 3: All On The Table
"Then the Lord said, I am Jesus"
This is the last post on this three part series on conversations. I wrote of the power of the first name in a conversation and then I followed that up yesterday with how important it is that we take a conversation deeper through getting to know the person to whom we are talking. And then there is the trust thing and getting everything on the table if want to have a productive, constructive and worthwhile conversation. One sided conversations or ones where there is either an obvious power or influence difference don't usually end up being as fruitful as we desire. The same frustration can occur when one side of the conversation is guarded and doesn't put everything out on the table but instead leaves the other person not trusting that they know everything they need to know. All day long we can fight these problems in the conversations we have at the office. What we need to do is ensure that our cultures are such that everyone is on the same plane and that full disclosure and transparency is in the DNA. It's actually a very, very important organizational trait to monitor and reinforce, both in the positive and when it is not happening. It means having the courage to confront and call out bad behavior and if there are repeat offenders, helping them find their way into another company. Companies can't afford the wasted time, the half-steps that get taken because of lack of trust, and the incomplete conversations that just suck energy out of an organization because the foundational elements for good conversations isn't there. If you sense that your company, or your team, department, function, etc. isn't having the right level of conversations, then today would be the day to start doing something about it.
When Saul asked back to the voice from heaven, "Who are you, Lord?", God could have easily said back to Saul, "I am who you think I am", or "Yes, I am the Lord", or even, "You don't need to know more than this Saul". But, that is not our Lord's way. He loves conversation with us so he allowed Saul to ask the question and then He answered with His grace, "I am Jesus." God puts it all out on the table with us each and every day and in every moment so that we can have the best conversation with Him possible. It's all up to us to to open up to Him and and not hold back. As we think about how we can strengthen our conversations with others, all in the hopes of bringing glory to Him in all we do, we can also spend the extra time this week to open our conversation with God more fully. He is calling our name, asking to know more, and putting everything out there and on the table for us. Now it's just up to us.
*For those who are reading this and want more on the conversation and conversion of Saul, I recommend you check out the current teaching series: Radical Change by Pastor Terry Brisbane at http://www.cornerstone-sf.org/tv/channel/messages/http://www.cornerstone-sf.org/tv/channel/messages/
Reference: Acts 9:5 (New King James Version)
This is the last post on this three part series on conversations. I wrote of the power of the first name in a conversation and then I followed that up yesterday with how important it is that we take a conversation deeper through getting to know the person to whom we are talking. And then there is the trust thing and getting everything on the table if want to have a productive, constructive and worthwhile conversation. One sided conversations or ones where there is either an obvious power or influence difference don't usually end up being as fruitful as we desire. The same frustration can occur when one side of the conversation is guarded and doesn't put everything out on the table but instead leaves the other person not trusting that they know everything they need to know. All day long we can fight these problems in the conversations we have at the office. What we need to do is ensure that our cultures are such that everyone is on the same plane and that full disclosure and transparency is in the DNA. It's actually a very, very important organizational trait to monitor and reinforce, both in the positive and when it is not happening. It means having the courage to confront and call out bad behavior and if there are repeat offenders, helping them find their way into another company. Companies can't afford the wasted time, the half-steps that get taken because of lack of trust, and the incomplete conversations that just suck energy out of an organization because the foundational elements for good conversations isn't there. If you sense that your company, or your team, department, function, etc. isn't having the right level of conversations, then today would be the day to start doing something about it.
When Saul asked back to the voice from heaven, "Who are you, Lord?", God could have easily said back to Saul, "I am who you think I am", or "Yes, I am the Lord", or even, "You don't need to know more than this Saul". But, that is not our Lord's way. He loves conversation with us so he allowed Saul to ask the question and then He answered with His grace, "I am Jesus." God puts it all out on the table with us each and every day and in every moment so that we can have the best conversation with Him possible. It's all up to us to to open up to Him and and not hold back. As we think about how we can strengthen our conversations with others, all in the hopes of bringing glory to Him in all we do, we can also spend the extra time this week to open our conversation with God more fully. He is calling our name, asking to know more, and putting everything out there and on the table for us. Now it's just up to us.
*For those who are reading this and want more on the conversation and conversion of Saul, I recommend you check out the current teaching series: Radical Change by Pastor Terry Brisbane at http://www.cornerstone-sf.org/tv/channel/messages/http://www.cornerstone-sf.org/tv/channel/messages/
Reference: Acts 9:5 (New King James Version)
Monday, October 29, 2012
day 1004: Conversations - Part 1: First Names
"Then he fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?"
Business is full of conversations. All day long we have them, repeat them, track them and follow up on them. More than any of us would like these conversations can also get muddled, discombobulated, turned around, and downright misquoted or misstated. While conversations can be powerful, they can also be dangerous if not guarded and tended. Today we have software to help us in our conversations. Salesforce has "Chatter". Microsoft bought "Yammer" and of course we can still fall back on email, texts and Facebook. But, the most important conversations we have are one-on-one when it's just two people in real-time trying to solve a problem, create a solution, set a plan, or resolve a dispute, etc. What is so powerful about these conversations is that it is the melding of two people who know each other, hopefully have some level of trust (if not, then it's either an argument or a discussion) and can call each other by first name in a way that endears, strengthens and solidifies the relationship. The best conversations occur between people who are on first name basis. The question for us in our businesses and organizations is what are we doing to ensure that the relationships between our people and teams is strong enough to withstand whatever conversation is thrust upon them? Can we say today that everyone is on first name basis with each other?
At my church http://cornerstone-sf.org our Pastor is teaching on the conversion of Saul. There are many. many lessons to take from this account, but one that struck me from the beginning of the series is that Jesus called Saul by first name when he spoke. This is how God gets to us. When we finally realize that He knows us by our first name and like when someone calls us by first name, even when walking down the street, we just can't ignore the shout out. First names are powerful. If we want to model Jesus, then we might think about taking the time and the effort to know the first names of everyone around us so that when the time comes for us to call or say their names, in whatever the circumstance, they will know we care enough to have learned who they are. That is our Lord. He knows who we are and calls us, all the time, by our first name.
Reference: Acts 9:4 (New Kings James Version)
Business is full of conversations. All day long we have them, repeat them, track them and follow up on them. More than any of us would like these conversations can also get muddled, discombobulated, turned around, and downright misquoted or misstated. While conversations can be powerful, they can also be dangerous if not guarded and tended. Today we have software to help us in our conversations. Salesforce has "Chatter". Microsoft bought "Yammer" and of course we can still fall back on email, texts and Facebook. But, the most important conversations we have are one-on-one when it's just two people in real-time trying to solve a problem, create a solution, set a plan, or resolve a dispute, etc. What is so powerful about these conversations is that it is the melding of two people who know each other, hopefully have some level of trust (if not, then it's either an argument or a discussion) and can call each other by first name in a way that endears, strengthens and solidifies the relationship. The best conversations occur between people who are on first name basis. The question for us in our businesses and organizations is what are we doing to ensure that the relationships between our people and teams is strong enough to withstand whatever conversation is thrust upon them? Can we say today that everyone is on first name basis with each other?
At my church http://cornerstone-sf.org our Pastor is teaching on the conversion of Saul. There are many. many lessons to take from this account, but one that struck me from the beginning of the series is that Jesus called Saul by first name when he spoke. This is how God gets to us. When we finally realize that He knows us by our first name and like when someone calls us by first name, even when walking down the street, we just can't ignore the shout out. First names are powerful. If we want to model Jesus, then we might think about taking the time and the effort to know the first names of everyone around us so that when the time comes for us to call or say their names, in whatever the circumstance, they will know we care enough to have learned who they are. That is our Lord. He knows who we are and calls us, all the time, by our first name.
Reference: Acts 9:4 (New Kings James Version)
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
day 895: Until It Sinks In
"A third time He asked him, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?"
Many business leaders can't understand why their messages and communications don't stick with employees. The level of frustration can be very high when messages either don't get through or don't stick. Sometimes it is not the message, it is the continuity of the message. Let's face it, one of the major issues that any organization has is getting people to take accountability for communication. And, it's not only the sending part but just as importantly, the receiving end. It's very easy for someone who was to have heard something to blame the sender for "poorly communicating". That's why, as leaders or managers, we need to know what we want to say, say it, and then say it over and over until it sinks in. A good lesson is that we shouldn't stop saying the same thing until someone we really trust says, "Boss, we got it." It's important to note that we really can't over communicate and consistency of message is a positive, not a negative by any means.
Jesus was a great communicator and He used repetition many times in His communication. From many examples we can see that we as human beings have to be told over and over, questioned over and over, and repeated to before things will sink again. The symbolism and impact of Jesus asking Peter three times if he loved Him paralleled the three times that Peter denied Jesus previously. The Pastor of my church, http://Cornerstone-sf.org, recently taught on this and pointed out that Jesus was also using the three times of questioning to Peter to also help him work through his own self-doubts. We could all stand to have Jesus ask us more than once if we love Him and to reaffirm to ourselves and Him that we do! Let's today ask ourselves what is it that we are communicating to others and ourselves over and over and what messages do we need to continue to reinforce to bring glory to God in the work we do?
Reference: John 21:17 (New Living Testament)
Many business leaders can't understand why their messages and communications don't stick with employees. The level of frustration can be very high when messages either don't get through or don't stick. Sometimes it is not the message, it is the continuity of the message. Let's face it, one of the major issues that any organization has is getting people to take accountability for communication. And, it's not only the sending part but just as importantly, the receiving end. It's very easy for someone who was to have heard something to blame the sender for "poorly communicating". That's why, as leaders or managers, we need to know what we want to say, say it, and then say it over and over until it sinks in. A good lesson is that we shouldn't stop saying the same thing until someone we really trust says, "Boss, we got it." It's important to note that we really can't over communicate and consistency of message is a positive, not a negative by any means.
Jesus was a great communicator and He used repetition many times in His communication. From many examples we can see that we as human beings have to be told over and over, questioned over and over, and repeated to before things will sink again. The symbolism and impact of Jesus asking Peter three times if he loved Him paralleled the three times that Peter denied Jesus previously. The Pastor of my church, http://Cornerstone-sf.org, recently taught on this and pointed out that Jesus was also using the three times of questioning to Peter to also help him work through his own self-doubts. We could all stand to have Jesus ask us more than once if we love Him and to reaffirm to ourselves and Him that we do! Let's today ask ourselves what is it that we are communicating to others and ourselves over and over and what messages do we need to continue to reinforce to bring glory to God in the work we do?
Reference: John 21:17 (New Living Testament)
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
day 856: Speed Bumps
"Patient endurance is what you need now, so you will continue to do God's will. Then you will receive all that is promised."
Yesterday, Congress passed the "Jobs Act". Among many incentives for businesses, the Act really opened up the path for start-ups to move from an idea to a full-fledged business with less regulations and speed bumps. There are also some very creative allowances for how to fund a company that provides more opportunities on how to tap capital infusions. Some would say that the removal of the speed bumps will accelerate companies moving into the public markets and/or receiving more capital. This might be true but it doesn't provide any underlying accelerators really. The only accelerators to faster business growth (even with unlimited capital) are the talent of the people in the organization and market readiness, which can certainly be influenced by marketing and creativity. When we see an overnight success we think they all can be that way. Don't we wish. What we need to remember is that perseverance and commitment goes a long way and we should not forget that the long run also gets us to the same destination and that speed bumps are only there to make us less reckless.
We can't accelerate God's timing or God's will either. Paul tells us in Hebrews that we must be patient and have endurance. The Pastor of my church (http://cornerstone-sf.org) , Terry Brisbane, spoke over the winter about this and I noted what he said one Sunday, "Faith is preparing for the moment that will never happen, but we believe it will." How remarkable our careers and lives could be if we were to wake each day with that imprinted within us? If we did, then when we hit our own work and life speed bumps we could just power through with the faith and endurance that God expects from us. Let's today consider where we are letting the speed bumps get the best of us and figure out what we need to change in ourselves that lets God power through for us!
Reference: Hebrews 10:36 (New Living Testament)
Yesterday, Congress passed the "Jobs Act". Among many incentives for businesses, the Act really opened up the path for start-ups to move from an idea to a full-fledged business with less regulations and speed bumps. There are also some very creative allowances for how to fund a company that provides more opportunities on how to tap capital infusions. Some would say that the removal of the speed bumps will accelerate companies moving into the public markets and/or receiving more capital. This might be true but it doesn't provide any underlying accelerators really. The only accelerators to faster business growth (even with unlimited capital) are the talent of the people in the organization and market readiness, which can certainly be influenced by marketing and creativity. When we see an overnight success we think they all can be that way. Don't we wish. What we need to remember is that perseverance and commitment goes a long way and we should not forget that the long run also gets us to the same destination and that speed bumps are only there to make us less reckless.
We can't accelerate God's timing or God's will either. Paul tells us in Hebrews that we must be patient and have endurance. The Pastor of my church (http://cornerstone-sf.org) , Terry Brisbane, spoke over the winter about this and I noted what he said one Sunday, "Faith is preparing for the moment that will never happen, but we believe it will." How remarkable our careers and lives could be if we were to wake each day with that imprinted within us? If we did, then when we hit our own work and life speed bumps we could just power through with the faith and endurance that God expects from us. Let's today consider where we are letting the speed bumps get the best of us and figure out what we need to change in ourselves that lets God power through for us!
Reference: Hebrews 10:36 (New Living Testament)
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
day 830: 800 Million
"And the Good News about the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, so that all nations will hear it; and then the end will come."
In a few weeks Facebook will become a publicly traded company. When they do so they will being used by over 800 million people. There is no other social network that has gotten this many users. Are there any other companies who have this many customers? It's amazing that they have been able to amass this many users in less than 10 years of business. At 800 million people they are close to reaching 1/7th of the world's population. As they go on their road show with investors, you can imagine that their growth story has them reaching a much higher percentage of the population than where they are now. How big can Facebook be? I think as big as people are looking to be connected with each other to share experiences. A friend, and well-known technology thinker and I were having coffee last week and we were discussing the legitimacy of the communication of the online world versus the spoken word, we landed on, while different and maybe more superficial, it is a now important form of communication and relating that is not likely to go away any time soon.
At my church in San Francisco, http://cornerstone-sf.org , we recently updated our website to better position our church in our community and tell our unique story. This is an important activity for a church. I know so, because this past weekend while we were in Tahoe I wanted to go to church and the way I found the church that I ended up attending was by searching on the internet and browsing through the different websites until I found the one that "felt" most like the one that I wanted to attend. As I walked into the church (a high school auditorium) on Sunday, I already had a sense and feel for what the church would be like. While not perfect, it did live up to what they marketed online. In Matthew Jesus talks about when we will see His Kingdom come, letting us know that this will happen when everyone on the earth has been given His message. Before the internet, before Facebook, that seemed so far off and dependent upon missionaries carrying the Word to the farthest flung parts of the world. But what if Facebook hits two, three, four, or almost seven billion people. Could it be one of our messages that post or we forward to a friend that ends up being the one? Let's let that thought sink in and consider how important our words can be.
Reference: Matthew 24:14 (New Living Testament)
In a few weeks Facebook will become a publicly traded company. When they do so they will being used by over 800 million people. There is no other social network that has gotten this many users. Are there any other companies who have this many customers? It's amazing that they have been able to amass this many users in less than 10 years of business. At 800 million people they are close to reaching 1/7th of the world's population. As they go on their road show with investors, you can imagine that their growth story has them reaching a much higher percentage of the population than where they are now. How big can Facebook be? I think as big as people are looking to be connected with each other to share experiences. A friend, and well-known technology thinker and I were having coffee last week and we were discussing the legitimacy of the communication of the online world versus the spoken word, we landed on, while different and maybe more superficial, it is a now important form of communication and relating that is not likely to go away any time soon.
At my church in San Francisco, http://cornerstone-sf.org , we recently updated our website to better position our church in our community and tell our unique story. This is an important activity for a church. I know so, because this past weekend while we were in Tahoe I wanted to go to church and the way I found the church that I ended up attending was by searching on the internet and browsing through the different websites until I found the one that "felt" most like the one that I wanted to attend. As I walked into the church (a high school auditorium) on Sunday, I already had a sense and feel for what the church would be like. While not perfect, it did live up to what they marketed online. In Matthew Jesus talks about when we will see His Kingdom come, letting us know that this will happen when everyone on the earth has been given His message. Before the internet, before Facebook, that seemed so far off and dependent upon missionaries carrying the Word to the farthest flung parts of the world. But what if Facebook hits two, three, four, or almost seven billion people. Could it be one of our messages that post or we forward to a friend that ends up being the one? Let's let that thought sink in and consider how important our words can be.
Reference: Matthew 24:14 (New Living Testament)
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