day 950: Badges

"But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!"

This past two weeks what we haven't seen is the behind the scenes activities at the Olympics from the people who attended the games live.  We were fortunate enough to attend the Atlanta summer Olympic Games in 1996 and what happens is that there is a whole other economy that happens on-site with people bartering, trading and buying pins and badges for what events they attended and saw.  It's fascinating as status us earned by amount and type of badges and pins accumulated.




Companies have learned that "social status" is a powerful consumer force and a powerful motivator.  I read of the MacArthur Foundation's work with HASTAC (Humanities, Arts, Sciences and Technology Advanced Collaboratory) to create badges for proficiency of work, skills, trades and knowledge.  It could be interesting if indeed we do see these take hold.  Giving someone, anyone a way to be recognized for their achievements and advancements can be significant and it is worthwhile to explore how to use this concept internally and externally to our organizations.

We are challenged as believers to turn the concept of badges inside out.  Yes, we are to wear our armor of God, but that armor is only as good as what flows from inside of us out to others, who are watching and assessing how real and legitimate we are followers of Christ. Our badges that we are given come from the Holy Spirit and we learn that if the fruits of His spirit are not evident an growing that something isn't right.  God gives us our own internal "badge" system to evaluate ourselves.  As we start this week, let's read through the fruits of the Spirit to ensure that we are focused on what is right and best for us and consider the badges that others see us wearing.

Reference: Galatians 5:22-23 (New Living Translation)

day 949: Performing

“What should we do with these men?' they asked each other. 'We can’t deny that they have performed a miraculous sign, and everybody in Jerusalem knows about it."

We are coming into the last weekend of the 2012 London Olympic Games.  It's been exciting to watch and every day Patti and I have been monitoring the medal count.  I have been fortunate to get a bit of an insider look at the Olympic process because of my ex-bosses involvement and some work I got do with the USOC a few years back. What is amplified by the Olympic Games is that at the end of the day performance matters.  By nature of sport and competition there is a winner and then all others.  Second through the last person have given their all but there is only one who crosses the finish line first.  I was struck by the interview that Lolo Jones gave the Today show.  She was discussing the ridicule and accusations she received from the media in the days before her competition, but she also talked about the disappointment that comes with not winning and not performing to her expectations. I am paraphrasing what she said as she spoke through her tears, "I have worked and trained eight hours a day, six days a week for four years for a 12 second race."  Few of us can say that we have every put forward that amount of effort for so little amount of time of performing.  Business is like sport.  We either win and beat the competition or we settle for some other place in the consumer's mind. Sure, there is room for many competitors, but to be great, we must perform and perform better than the next company or person.

Our Christian life is about performing and living out our lives in the closest modeling of the life of Jesus as we humanly can. Yes, people listen for our words, but when those words don't match our actions then they become hollow and false.  It is our actions and how we perform at what we are given that matters if we want to be an example to others. The Sadducees didn't know what to do with Peter and John, not because they spoke or thought about the works of Jesus, but because they acted and "performed a miraculous sign".  It would be wise of us to take a moment today and consider how we are performing in the eyes of Christ and from the perspective of others around us who are watching.  Like I am watching the Olympic medal count with anticipation of American being at the top by Sunday night, others are watching us and expecting, counting on us to perform so that they can also feel confident in their faith.  Let's do our best to give our best and to perform at the level that God desires from us!

Reference: Acts 4:16 (New Living Translation)

day 939: Olympic Medals

"And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them."

 Once every four years the world focuses their attention on the summer Olympic Games.  This year will be no different as the Games open tonight in London.  Hopefully, the next few weeks will be filled with peaceful coming together for healthy competition among countries who have sent their best athletes to represent them and compete for the coveted Olympic Medals. In about two weeks we will all be exhausted from staying up late watching TV or being online following what happens in our favorite sports, countries and people. The human interest stories will be told and we will fall in love with some new athletes and then cheer them on until we jump off the couch with high fives as our national pride takes over in victory.  Let us pray that the athletes will be safe and let us also remember those, and the families of those, who 40 years ago in Munich fell from when war and politics invaded the Games.

The Olympic Games are also a great time to remind ourselves that we can strive to achieve our own personal medals.  A few weeks ago, the Pastor of the church I attend in the summer here in Rhode Island, Dunn's Corner Community Church  http://www.dunnscornerschurch.org  said that there are four rules we can live to achieve.  We can extrapolate those to our four "medals":

• Iron/Bronze:  Do to others before they do to us
• Silver:  Do to others as they do to us
• Gold: Do to others as you would have them do to you
• Titanium:  Do to others as Jesus has done for you

Let's see if during this Olympic period we can all strive for Titanium!

Reference: Luke 6:31 (ESV)