Sunday, February 23, 2014

humility and ownership

Thomas Friedman interviewed somebody important at Google and wrote about it for the New York Times: How to Get a Job at Google. Just a few excerpts about qualities they seek in candidates: emergent leadership, humility, and ownership:
The second, he added, “is leadership — in particular emergent leadership as opposed to traditional leadership. Traditional leadership is, were you president of the chess club? Were you vice president of sales? How quickly did you get there? We don’t care. What we care about is, when faced with a problem and you’re a member of a team, do you, at the appropriate time, step in and lead. And just as critically, do you step back and stop leading, do you let someone else? Because what’s critical to be an effective leader in this environment is you have to be willing to relinquish power.”
What else? Humility and ownership. “It’s feeling the sense of responsibility, the sense of ownership, to step in,” he said, to try to solve any problem — and the humility to step back and embrace the better ideas of others. “Your end goal,” explained Bock, “is what can we do together to problem-solve. I’ve contributed my piece, and then I step back.”


Friday, November 29, 2013

Don't Say Goodbye

Great article in Slate. And since I'm usually the first one to leave after-hour work-events, this article was quite a relief. No need to mosey up to each attendant and explain my departure. Just go...st

http://www.slate.com/articles/life/a_fine_whine/2013/07/ghosting_the_irish_goodbye_the_french_leave_stop_saying_goodbye_at_parties.html

Monday, November 4, 2013

Coffee in NYC


Joe Coffee
Blue Bottle Coffee
Ace Hotel (Stumptown Coffee)
La Colombe


Sunday, July 7, 2013

Cyrus Cylinder

On Saturday we visited the Met to see the "Cyrus Cylinder" which is on loan from the British Museum. through October. The inscription mentions abandoned sanctuaries, eternal abodes, and returning of people to their homes. Many scholars have deeply held opinions about Cyrus and this artifact of human history. I want to post what the Bible says about Cyrus. Here are just a few verses:

Who says to Cyrus, He is My shepherd,And he will fulfill all My desire,Even by saying of Jerusalem, She will be built,And of the temple, Her foundations will be laid.

- Isaiah 44:28 


And in the first year of Cyrus the king of Persia, so that the word of Jehovah by the mouth of Jeremiah might be accomplished, Jehovah stirred up the spirit of Cyrus the king of Persia; and he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom and put it also in writing, saying, Thus says Cyrus the king of Persia: All the kingdoms of the earth has Jehovah the God of heaven given to me; and He has charged me to build Him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Whoever there is among you of all His people, may Jehovah his God be with him, and let him go up!

- 2 Chronicles 36:22-23

Amen. More to come later...





Sunday, December 9, 2012

ministry quote of the week


THE LIMITATION OF THE BODY

If you are simply a believer, you can act as you please, but if you are a member of the Body, then you must allow yourself to be limited by the other members. Here we find the necessity of the cross. The cross leads to the Body, and the cross operates in the sphere of the Body. If I am quick and another is slow, I must not insist on keeping my own pace; I must allow myself to be limited by the slow member. If I am a prophet, then I must give way to the evangelist when it comes to the matter of preaching to the unsaved. I should not feel the need to preach just because I have the gift of prophecy. "To each one of us grace was given according to the measure of the gift of Christ" (Eph. 4:7). It is essential for the development of the Body that we each recognize our measure and not go beyond it. This is a basic requirement for the growth of the Body.

The Body of Christ is not only a protection to the members but a limitation to all the members. Every Christian is but one member in the Body of Christ and must accept the limitation of the Body. We should not allow ourselves to go our own way; rather, we should learn to be blended with other brothers and sisters. Individual dispositions and peculiarities have no place in the church. Every member should honor the talents of others and be faithful to his own. Moreover, every member should know his own capacity and not consider himself more highly than he should. If everyone does this, there will be no jealousy, ambition, or craving to do what others can do. In 2 Corinthians 10:14 Paul said, "For we are not extending ourselves beyond our bounds, as if we did not reach you." Yet many people have not seen their own capacity. As a result they overstep their boundaries. Those who over- step their boundaries are trampling others under their feet; they are kicking others, pressing upon others, and usurping the portion of other members. If members behave this way in the church, some will begin to monopolize while others will withdraw, and the result will be a loss to the church. We should not behave in this way. We should turn back and take our place in the Body and be limited by the Body. If we do this, the Body will be spared from damage.

Thursday, May 10, 2012

Ministry Excerpt

LIVING UNDER THE LEADING BY THE SPIRIT

The Lord's leading is not for outward business or activity; it is absolutely for our living. We must live this way. If you pick up this kind of understanding, it will revolutionize your entire life. I don't mean that we shouldn't have any arrangement for our schooling, or any kind of plan for our job, or any kind of plan for our business. But the basic principle is this: all the time we should live under the leading by the Spirit. Our arrangements and our plans must be under the leading by the Spirit because we are persons who are altogether living under the leading by the Spirit. Our goal is not to be famous, and our goal is not to be wealthy. Our goal is just to live Christ for the church as God's eternal purpose. Because we need to live on this earth, we need to have a kind of living. We must have some kind of arrangement and plan for our education, for our children, for our job, and for our business. But we should not have this in a worldly way. We must have our plan and our arrangement and all the parts of our daily life under the leading by the Spirit.

LIVING BY FAITH

The New Testament teaches us that whether we have a job or a business, or whether we receive the highest education or not, we live by faith. It doesn't mean that since you have the best education, you would have a successful business and you would have the best future. Your future eventually is under the hand of the Lord.

I do encourage the young people to get the highest education. But just because you have the highest education does not mean that you will be a successful and prosperous person. A lot of things can happen. Who could have told us that in 1973 there would be an oil embargo which would affect the entire world economy? Who can be sure that he will always be healthy? Our future is altogether in the hands of our Father. We should not forget that we are really different from the unbelievers. We have a heavenly Father who takes care of us. I can testify that for over fifty-six years my heavenly Father has been taking care of me. Whatever I planned eventually became a failure, but still He was taking care of me.

A BASIC DECISION

As the Lord's children, we just have to love Him and to be one with Him. We have to live the Lord Jesus. Also we have to set our heart on the Lord's interest. We have to tell the Lord, “Lord on this entire earth I have no other interest. My unique interest and desire is You. I love You because You love me. I want to live You. I want to live under Your instant and momentary leading.” This is basic. Dear saints, if you don't make such a basic decision you can never have the Lord's leading. You must have such a basic decision. You must tell the Lord, “Lord, thank You, You have chosen me, You have predestinated me, You have called me, You have saved me, You have regenerated me, You have brought me to this day, and You have preserved me. Thank You, Lord, by Your mercy and grace I love You. Besides You I have no interests, no desire. I just want to live You, living under Your momentary leading.” Dear saints, this is more than basic! If you have not made such a basic decision, you don't need to talk about the leading. You are not in the position to have the Lord's leading. You must make such a decision.

DOING YOUR DUTY

After making such a decision then you must simply follow the Lord to do your duty. As a teenager you need to follow the Lord to study under the care of your parents. Spontaneously, the Lord will arrange a school for you, and the parents will do something for you. You just live under the leading of the Lord. Stage after stage the Lord will lead you to get your education. Gradually, in the same way the Lord will lead you to have a marriage. The Lord will lead you to get a job. The Lord will lead you to pick up some experiences in a trade or in a business. All of this is under the Lord's leading.

In your daily living, all these leadings should not be accidents; they should be part of your daily living. Yet, you are not trusting in what you have learned or in what you can do for your living. You put all your trust in the Lord Jesus. Our trust is in our Father's hand. You don't need to be bothered and sidetracked by your living. Today the matter of making a living is a big distraction that carries the Lord's children away from His leading. We must stick ourselves to the Lord's leading. We must take care of the Lord's leading first. Our trust is not in what we do for a living. Our trust is in the hand of our heavenly Father. Then the matter of leading would not be a bothering or a distraction to us. Then you would never choose a job which would give you better pay and yet take so much time away from your seeking after the Lord. You wouldn't care firstly for the better pay. You would care firstly for seeking after the Lord. You would live under the Lord's leading every day.

In such a living you do your duty, yet you do not trust in your duty for your living. That is your duty, but that is not your trust. Your trust is in your heavenly Father. This is the right way. Schooling, job, business, or marriage would not be a distraction to you. You just seek after the Lord and live under His leading. And you just do your duty. Your living, your safety, your future are altogether in His hand. This is the right way. If you live this way, you don't need to seek a certain leading at a certain time for a certain activity. Because you live under His momentary leading, you are clear how you should go all the time.


(Witness Lee, Perfecting Training, Chapter 52)

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Ministry Excerpt - Psalms 87


PSALM 87—GOD’S HEART IS SET ON ZION

Now we come to the end of Book III, Psalms 85 to 89. In Psalm 85 the saints ask God for restoration, and in Psalm 86 for salvation; but in Psalm 87 we see that God’s heart is set on Zion, His city, with Christ within it. Zion here refers not only to the house, but to the house with the city. God does not care for restoration as we do; God does not desire salvation as we do. His desire, His heart, is set upon Zion with Christ within it. It is indeed significant that preceding Psalm 87 are Psalms 85 and 86. In Psalm 85 the Psalmist says, “Turn us, O God” (v. 4). According to the original language, this verse should read, “Restore us, O God.” Psalm 85 is a prayer for restoration. In Psalm 86 the Psalmist says, “O thou my God, save thy servant that trusteth in thee” (v. 2). Psalm 86 is a prayer for salvation. These are the desires of the saints, but God’s desire is not for these things. His desire is for Zion with His Christ.
"These are the desires of the saints, but God’s desire is not for these things. 

His desire is for Zion with His Christ"
Today we are the same as the Psalmists: we are continually desiring restoration and salvation. God would say to us: “Do not be like that. I am for Zion; I am for the church. If you allow me to have my church, no problem will exist regarding your restoration. If you allow me to have my church, nothing can withhold any kind of deliverance, any kind of salvation.” The church is the real restoration, the real salvation, the real deliverance.

"The gates are the places of coming in and going out:
 this is the communication, the fellowship, among God’s people"


In Psalm 87 we see how Zion is central in God’s heart. Let us look at this Psalm more closely. The first three verses are easy to understand, but the following three verses are more difficult. There are seven verses in this Psalm with two Selahs, one at the end of the first three verses, and the other at the end of the next three verses. “His foundation is in the holy mountains. The Lord loveth the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob. Glorious things are spoken of thee, O city of God. Selah” (vv. 1-3). Christ is the unique foundation laid by God. No other foundation can any man lay. This Christ, this foundation of God, is in the holy mountains, the local churches. It is there that we have no other foundation but Christ. This is clear. “The Lord loveth the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob.” In the eyes of God the church is more lovable than anything else. The gates are the places of coming in and going out: this is the communication, the fellowship, among God’s people. 

"He loves the gates of Zion more than all other places."

The most lovely aspect of the local church is the fellowship. It is so good, so pleasant, for the brothers to be always coming and going in fellowship. How blessed to have brothers from one church visiting another, coming and going in sweet harmony and fellowship! This is lovable in the eyes of God. He loves the gates of Zion more than all other places. “Glorious things are spoken of thee, O city of God. Selah.” How glorious is the local church!

Christ and the Church Revealed and Typified in the Psalms, by Witness Lee

Thursday, March 1, 2012

Spaghetti Sauce


Malcolm Gladwell writes those books you pick up and don't put down until you've read the whole thing. He's a fantastic writer and storyteller. He understands and communicates the paradigms of sociology in a way that really holds your attention (see, The Tipping Point, Blink, etc). I actually met Gladwell a couple of years ago. By that I mean, he signed my copy of The Tipping Point after speaking at a leadership conference. Anyway, here is Gladwell explaining spaghetti sauce.