Room in the Inn

For the last few years, First Baptist Hendersonville has participated in a ministry called Room in the Inn. During the winter months, we pick up about 20 homeless men each Sunday night, feed them dinner, let them take a shower, and give them a warm bed to sleep in for the night. Last night the First Media staff and volunteers hosted Room in the Inn at FBCH.

I had the opportunity to talk with several guys throughout the night. I sat down with a man named Frankie and he began sharing his story with me immediately. I learned that he grew up in Fort Lauderdale, he lived in Lafayette for a while when he moved to Tennessee, he began working in radio when he was 15 years old, and he has done an extensive amount of production work over the years. He's also done some stand up comedy...he was VERY funny!

I sat there with a smile on my face and then after about 45 minutes, I said "Let me tell you a little about me." I told him that I grew up in Vero Beach, FL (about 45 minutes north of Fort Lauderdale), that my mom lived in Lafayette for several years (I know that area pretty well), that I also got involved in radio when I was 15 years old, and that I have done a ton of production work as the Media Minister at First Baptist.

Frankie and I talked for 2 1/2 hours last night and learned that we have a lot in common. The only real difference in the two of us is that he made a few mistakes along the way that cost him more than my mistakes have cost me. I was completely humbled and honored to talk with him and I thank God for arranging that meeting. I was able to encourage Frankie and just be a friend to him.

I can't wait for another opportunity to serve in Room in the Inn next year!

Jesus Loves Me

Early one morning this weekend I was holding my 9 week-old son and trying to console him as he was crying. I had fed him most of his bottle, but he was still agitated. So I began singing "Jesus Loves Me" to try to calm him down. And do you know what happened? Nothing...he kept crying.

In that moment, at three-something in the morning, God spoke to my heart and reminded me of something that I tend to overlook. We can tell people all day long that Jesus loves them. But if we don't take the time to minister to their needs, they don't care. We need to show people that Jesus loves them, not just tell them. You see, my son was still hungry. Knowing that Jesus loves him didn't fill his tummy. After I fed him a little more, his needs were met and he was much more receptive to my message...even if I was singing it out of tune.

What's for breakfast?

I’ve talked with many people over the last couple of years about the effectiveness of Facebook, Twitter, and other social media platforms for individuals, families, churches, and other organizations. Some have taken it to heart. Others…not so much.

One of the people with whom I’ve discussed social media is an executive at a marketing and communications firm. His response to Twitter and Facebook is, “I don’t care what people are eating for breakfast.” He doesn’t have time to sort through all of the useless conversation that’s out there. While I understand there is a lot of useless conversation in the social media realm, there are also a lot of people in the social media realm…and that’s where he’s missing the point.

But he’s not the only one who has underestimated a new technology. Take a look at a few quotes:

>>> "This telephone has too many shortcomings to be considered as a means of communication. The device is of inherently no value to us." - Western Union internal memo, 1876

>>> "The phonograph has no commercial value at all." - Thomas Edison, American inventor, 1880s

>>> "Fooling around with alternating current is just a waste of time. Nobody will use it, ever." - Thomas Edison, American inventor, 1889
(Edison often ridiculed the arguments of competitor George Westinghouse for AC power)

>>> "While theoretically and technically television may be feasible, commercially and financially I consider it an impossibility, a development of which we need waste little time dreaming." - Lee DeForest, American radio pioneer and inventor of the vacuum tube, 1926

>>> "Who the h**l wants to hear actors talk?" - H.M. Warner, Warner Brothers, maker of silent movies, 1927

>>> "I think there is a world market for maybe five computers." - Thomas Watson, chairman of IBM, 1943

You see, even those who are innovators in their own right (Edison, Warner, Watson) can still get lost in the ever-changing world of technology. Don’t let your vision get blurred by what you’re doing today…keep your focus on what’s coming next and how you can leverage that in your ministry, organization, or personal life.

Groupthink

I’m taking a class on Organizational Theory. Last week we did a case study on a racing team that had to decide whether or not to race in a particular race the next day. We were provided with statistics, issues, possible consequences of racing/not racing, etc. After examining all the data, each of the three groups in the class came to the same conclusion – we would definitely race…there was too much to lose if we did not.

Then our teacher told us that the case was actually an analogy for a real-life situation from 1986 – the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster.

We were floored! Each of us had decided that launching (racing) on that cold January morning was the right thing to do. But after looking at the data again, it was clear that our decision was wrong. We were the victims of Groupthink.

Groupthink occurs when the group places more emphasis on coming to a consensus than on analyzing the data critically. This happens quite often in ministry. We get caught up in presenting a unified front as a team or even a church body that we don’t listen when others bring up ideas that oppose the group’s opinion. This proved deadly in the Challenger situation, but when you’re dealing with people’s eternal salvation the stakes are even higher.

If you find your ministry team or church body in a Groupthink situation, take a step back, analyze the data critically, and look at what’s really at stake.

Irving Janis' Eight Symptoms of Groupthink:

1. Illusions of invulnerability creating excessive optimism and encouraging risk taking.
2. Rationalizing warnings that might challenge the group's assumptions.
3. Unquestioned belief in the morality of the group, causing members to ignore the consequences of their actions.
4. Stereotyping those who are opposed to the group as weak, evil, biased, spiteful, impotent, or stupid.
5. Direct pressure to conform placed on any member who questions the group, couched in terms of "disloyalty".
6. Self-censorship of ideas that deviate from the apparent group consensus.
7. Illusions of unanimity among group members, silence is viewed as agreement.
8. Mind guards — self-appointed members who shield the group from dissenting information. (Irving Janis, 1977)

Oscar

God's been stirring something up in my heart for a little while now.

You see, I love movies...I mean I really love movies. So much so that I owned a video store for a couple of years. I've got a DVD collection that rivals any I've ever seen. There's not much that's better than kicking back on a Sunday afternoon, unwinding, and enjoying a good action or comedy flick in my home theater. And that's right where God is working on me now.

Last week I found myself watching the Academy Awards. I don't typically enjoy watching awards shows, but I stopped and watched for a few minutes anyway. As the stars made their way down the red carpet, they were interviewed by various media outlets who just wanted to know one thing - "Who are you wearing?" It was all so glamorous. Cameras were flashing and fans were lining the streets screaming their names. These stars must have felt like they were the most important people in the world at that moment.

But all I felt as I watched them was sadness and heartbreak. This was probably the pinnacle of their careers and maybe their lives. Their whole goal was to get a little gold statue named Oscar. Then God led me to Psalm 135: 15-18:

The idols of the nations are silver and gold, made by human hands.
They have mouths, but cannot speak, eyes, but cannot see.
They have ears, but cannot hear, nor is there breath in their mouths.
Those who make them will be like them, and so will all who trust in them.

Verse 21 goes on to say, "Praise be to the LORD from Zion, to him who dwells in Jerusalem."

You see, many celebrities are pursuing an idol made by human hands instead of the one true God. And so I pray that those who walk the red carpet will one day walk a church aisle and give their lives to the living God.