day 1353: Going Out On The Limb

"Zacchaeus, come down at once, I must stay at your house today!"

Sometimes to get the recognition and notoriety that our brand or service requires, we have to be willing to go out on the limb to get people to take notice.  Whether or not this is smart or not, we find out when the limb holds us and causes others to look up, or the limb breaks and we fall.  We are in the age of being able to crawl out further and further because of the support of low cost technology and infrastructure support.  We can try small things, at low cost and if they work, continue them.  If they don't, then discontinue and look to the next idea.  Google and Amazon are the leaders in this.  It seems every month, they each offer something new and they climb a little further out on the limb.  Not all of their moves work, but lots do.  Their latest moves?  Google:  Google Express Shopping.  Amazon: Kindle Fire Streaming device.  We are looking up to both of these to see where they lead us next.  What are you offering that has you inching out further on the limb?

"Zacchaeus, come down at once, I must stay at your house today!", said Jesus.  Jesus would never have noticed the short chief tax collector had Zacchaeus been bold, inquisitive and courageous enough to climb the tree to see Jesus.  Did he do it see, or did he do it to be seen?  Either way, what we learn is that when we are willing to go out on the limb to look for Jesus, then he sees us, and calls us by name to join Him.  What limb do we have in front of us today at work, or at home that we might want to make a move out and towards Him?

Reference: Luke 19:5 (New Living Translation)

day 1350: Implied Free?

"Ask, using my name, and you will receive, and you will have abundant joy."

It used to be that if you wanted to access the internet in an airport that you had to pay for it through services like Boingo, or T-Mobile, AT&T, etc.  You can still pay for that internet access if you want, or you can access it through what I call, "Implied Free".  Implied free is telling the consumer that something is free, but it isn't really.  In the case of airport internet access, you watch an ad and then you get a half-hour or so, and then you can watch the same ad again, and get another half hour or so. And on and on it goes. It seems free, but it's not because we have taken our time to look at the ad and distract ourselves from doing something else. What is the cost to us? It's the cost of what we could/would be doing otherwise.  "Implied free" is not new.  Broadcast media was built this way and we now see the same for the "implied free" of ad supported streaming entertainment services.  We are just a moment away from walking into a coffee shop and receiving what appears to be an "implied free" cup of coffee, but we will have to show that we watched the ad, tweeted or create a Facebook status about being in the store and trying the coffee.  I personally don't mind "implied free". It feels active and full of choices.  If we can find the goodness in the approach, there is much we can do and have our consumers and customers join in to help.

Believing in Jesus is free.  Following Him is not.  Jesus never implied otherwise. To follow Jesus, as He asks us to do, comes with a cost. That cost is giving up ourselves and the ways of the world for Him. It means that if we are going to receive the full abundance of what He has to offer, that we have to empty out those things in our lives that are filling us up and getting in the way.  As we know, it's all worth it and more!

Reference: John 16:24 (New Living Translation)

day 1234: Working in the Grey

"Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children"

There is a fascinating conversation happening in the music industry about the morality and ethics of the streaming of music on services like Spotify, Rdio, Pandora, and now iTunes Radio.  Streaming of music by licensed services is fully legal.  But, that has not stopped many from crying out that even though these services are legal, they are not moral or ethical. Why is this?  This past weekend I was hanging with one of my friends who is as hard-core of a music person as you will find.  He and his wife attend live music events at least three times a week. He knows more about bands and who is doing what than I can keep up with.  However, this hardest of core music fans no longer buys music.  Why?  Because, he can stream what he wants to hear, any time he desires.  That behavior, for the creator of music becomes the moral and ethical dilemma to streaming.  It's an interesting and nuanced conversation that is worth more thinking.  We can, and do face these dilemmas in our work as well.  Any time we are faced with something where we have to consider compromise, or are challenged with what doesn't feel right, even though it is legal to do, then we need to think hard about our decisions and actions. And we must realize that we are not alone.  Our customers, employees, partners, and consumers are all watching what we do as well.

As believers, we are not exempted from these decisions.  In fact, we may be more challenged because we should be driven and led by our values and principles. What are we to do?  There are no clear answers, but we are taught that when we find ourselves confused or feeling lost in what we should do, then we are to "imitate God".  Yes, this is why we ask ourselves what Jesus would do. Our challenges at work are seldom black and white. When in the grey, remember that we can rest assured in the imitation of God.

Reference: Ephesians 5:1 (New Living Translation)

 

day 1081: House of Cards

"...No, you are the one, O Lord our God! Only you can do such things. So we will wait for you to help us."

When Netflix came on the scene, they basically ran Blockbuster out of business.  Before Netflix we thought nothing of walking the shelves of the movie rental store and saying to each other, "Have you seen this?".  Now, just a few years later, that seems so long ago and such an antiquated way to watch a movie at home. Since the introduction of the home DVD delivery model, Netflix has already reinvented it self twice.  Once was with the on-demand streaming of movies and the other was two weeks ago with the introduction of their new self-produced series, "House of Cards".  When Netflix first announced that they would be underwriting their own series, Hollywood took notice because they could see a new competitor in content creation, not just content distribution. But little was written or contemplated that they would create an even more significant new model with how they would deliver the series.  What happened at the beginning of February was that Netflix leapfrogged everyone by providing all episodes of the first season at the same time.  No more waiting for a week to get to the next installment.  If I want to sit and watch the entire season on a rainy weekend, I can. Or I can chunk it into any size of consumption that I want.  It is brilliant and has shifted the power of the consumer/viewer even further into the driver's seat.  This house of cards they have built will stand and the question is, just how long it is going to take for other content creators and distributors to do the same.  The TV networks have to be wondering how they can respond.

Our God was the first to make everything He wants us to have available, but not without a price.  That price is that indeed sometimes we do have to wait and accept.  We aren't always waiting on God though, we are also waiting on our own readiness to be able to accept what God has to offer.  In my own life I am learning more each day that the delivering of God's blessings aren't dependent on Him, they are dependent on me.  He is like a broadcaster who sends out the signals continuously.  My ability to pick it up and tune in is all with me. God never has, nor ever will provide us a house of cards that can easily be felled.  His is a firm foundation and does indeed counter the world we live within with a lesson of waiting for the greatest return and reward.  In God's time, when things come too soon, they may not be of God.  Let's consider today what we are expecting of Him and what it is about our willingness, or not, to surrender to his timing that may be holding the blessing back. 

Reference:  Jeremiah 14:22 (New Living Translation)