Success and its Sad Statistics

June 6, 2016

Death by Privilege.

The headline on today’s Life section of USA Today is somber: “The sad intersection of fame, drugs and death” leads into an article examining celebrity addiction and demise, sparked by the recent coroner’s report on Prince’s death.

Elvis Presley; Jimi Hendrix; Chris Farley; Michael Jackson; Amy Winehouse; Whitney Houston; Philip Seymour Hoffman; Heath Ledger: no list of tragic, premature deaths is exhaustive, because the path from notoriety to discouragement is heavily traveled.

Anne Case is a researcher at Princeton University whose research on lifespans in America has exposed a tragic malady she calls “deaths of despair.” In a time when white privilege is a political issue, the life expectancy of people most often envied is not increasing as fast as others. While trend-lines concerning heart disease, cancer, stroke and car accidents are all positive, addictions and suicide have gone the other way.

Prince: dead at 57, from a fentanyl overdose. Not in a dirty alley, next to a dumpster, but in the elevator of his royal palace at Paisley Park, in Minneapolis. Estimated net worth: $300 million. Privilege: societal rights and benefits enjoyed only by a few, beyond the advantages of most others.

A few years ago, hope became a political pot-of-gold offered as an election outcome. It was a winning marketing strategy, but it appears to have been an elusive and empty promise. After years of policies sold as the formula for hope, Americans – the most privileged nation in history – report a broader sense of hopelessness than ever before.

What is hope? “An optimistic attitude of mind based on an expectation of positive outcomes related to events and circumstances in one’s life or the world at large.” As a verb, its definitions include: “expect with confidence” and “to cherish a desire with anticipation.”

Hope and fear are compelling forces, capable of driving people to action as they set a course for life, both now and in the future. While the political season brings one or the other into public discourse in the race for power, the private moments – when the internal voices are the only ones heard – bring people to their baseline demeanor, and paint their outlook for life going forward.

Hal Lindsey says “man can live about forty days without food, about three days without water, about eight minutes without air, but only for one second without hope.” If hope is that essential – and, if people who have everything else end their life when they find themselves without it – where can one find a stable and certified source for one of life’s critical components?

Paul of Tarsus offers this insight: “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.” (Romans 5:1-5)

Catch that, again: hope comes as a part of a package, along with faith, grace, perseverance and character. The process uses suffering as a tempering furnace that strengthens without destroying.

Christians are either happily deluded, or steeled by hope. Death by despair, or, alive with hope: that seems a reasonable choice with only one great answer…

Bob Shank

It’s never too late to remember

May 31, 2016

Memorial Day.

Some holidays maintain more predictable agendas. Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter – for Christians – become routine reenactments. Turkeys, trees, angels and eggs all have a place in our one-day-each-year celebration model. Memorial Day? Not so much…

The menu for Memorial Day: Hot dogs. Beach umbrellas. Remote controls. Fishing poles. TV-series marathons. Outlet malls. Secret scans of incoming e-mail read by those who can’t resist working…

Memorial Day was set-aside as a time for Americans to remember the men and women who died in combat, on behalf of our country. Spreadsheets are hard to find and/or audit, but reliable estimates of deaths on the battlefield – from the American Revolution to today’s actions in the Middle East – stand at 664, 440. Yesterday was designated as our day to remember those brave patriots.

For all of our amazing technological capabilities in the modern era, our memory – not in phones and laptops, but in our own experience – seems to be deficient.

Solomon predicted that shortcoming, 3000 years ago: “Is there anything of which one can say, ‘Look! This is something new?’ It was here already, long ago; it was here before our time. No one remembers the former generations, and even those yet to come will not be remembered by those who follow them,” (Ecclesiastes 1:10-11).

Most people spend 110% of their time living, and have little/no time to devote to thinking about the dead. But, the wisest man who ever lived knew that there is something to be learned from people who can no longer talk: “It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting, for death is the destiny of everyone; the living should take this to heart” (Ecclesiastes 7:2).

Yesterday was the day to remember the dedication – and, the example – of Americans who made the ultimate sacrifice for the country they considered worthy. Over the last 240 years, the great heroes have earned our regard and respect.

As Christians, the same exercise is worthwhile. Christians who die in spiritual battle are no less notable than our military losses. A Christian martyr is defined as “a believer in Christ who lost their life prematurely – in situations of witness – as a result of human hostility.”

The most egregious picture is the ISIS beheading of 21 Coptic Christian men on a beach because they would not renounce the Lord Jesus; the impersonal statistics estimate 45 million Christian martyrs during the 20th Century. That’s 67 Christian martyrs – in one century – for every American military death, in 240 years…

Every uniformed warrior pledges their life to their country, knowing that the ultimate price may be paid for their patriotism. The same deep resolve has defined the heroes of the Christian faith across two millennia.

On the front lines – where extremists who claim to represent other religions are gunning for Christians – the tenets of faith are reduced to the essential minimum: 1) Do you love Jesus? and, 2) Would you be willing to die for him?

God remembers the heroes of His Kingdom: “There were others who were tortured, refusing to be released so that they might gain an even better resurrection. Some faced jeers and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were put to death by stoning; they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated – the world was not worthy of them…” (Hebrews 11).

It’s good to remember the fallen, and to follow their example.

Bob Shank

There’s no profit? There’s no point!

May 23, 2016

Who cares about the bottom line?

Andy Kessler is the star of his class reunions. His education – undergrad and grad – focused on electrical engineering. He worked on computer chips but found his wiring more akin to poker chips: his real street cred broke free as a business analyst, investment banker, venture capitalist and hedge fund manager. He’s become an author, with multiple books and articles flowing from his keyboard.

Kessler’s opinion piece in today’s Wall Street Journal hits the Class of 2016 in the solar plexus: “Dear Grads, You Need a P&L” (click to read). For the grads who listened to Bernie Sanders sound-alikes in classrooms for four years and received a student debt payment book as a going-away gift, he’s connecting-the-dots of their confusion with reality: without profits, they’d have no iPhone. Their Prius came from a system that demands results; Starbucks makes money from making their Triple, Venti, Half-Sweet, Non-Fat Caramel Macchiato. The building on campus where they slept for four years is named for a Capitalist, who made some money and gave a pile of it to their now-alma mater to build the co-ed dormitory. Who cares about the bottom line? They should…

Any business has to be aware of its multiple constituencies: employees, who produce and deliver the product/service; customers, who consume and compensate; investors, who buy stock anticipating a return; and, founders/principle owners, whose original intent is the purpose for which the enterprise exists. Try to operate a business without a bottom-line profit, and every constituency ultimately suffers.

Free markets reward businesses who have raving fans in each of the four groups. The system favors companies who produce value on every level. Business failure – if perceived in advance – creates a rush for resources: employees, customers and investors rush to protect their own interests… ultimately, to the harm of everyone involved, most especially the founder/principle owner.

Ministries may be non-profit, but they operate like businesses. The Founder/Principle Owner’s bottom line: “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit – fruit that will last…” (John 15:16)

The men in the Upper Room – the 11 Apostles, after Judas left – were the leadership team trained by the Founder/Principle Owner to take over the operations after he returned to Headquarters. He had come to lay the groundwork for a movement that would quickly become profitable. People – redeemed from Hell and gifted with Heaven – were the bottom-line when He died on the cross. The first converts at Pentecost put the Kingdom in the profit column, and that measure has remained the ultimate objective of His Company, from then to now.

Think about your relationship to the Company: you started out as a customer, when you traded death for life. You continued in that status while maturing in your faith. Some Christians remain customers for the duration of their lifetime; was that the Founder’s original intent?

You’ll get Heaven someday, because the Company’s contracts are honored for all customers (Christians). If that’s all you want, you’ll be happy. The smartest customers read the Prospectus (Bible), become employees (most are volunteer staff, who will be paid later by the Founder/Principle Owner), and – ultimately – become investors (donors), to participate in the success they see around them.

My advice: only work for and invest in for-profit companies that produce profits. Even more crucial: only work for and invest in non-profit ministries that produce fruit.

That’s the bottom line. It’s important to the Owner; it had better be important to us…

Bob Shank

Should you stage an intervention?

May 16, 2016

Friends don’t let friends retire to leisure.

Just imagine the congratulatory endorsement at the company celebration of the long-term team member who is crossing the professional threshold from full-engagement to full-enjoyment. The living eulogy couldn’t go better than this: “You’ve done well! You’ve got it made and can now retire. Take it easy and have the time of your life!”

Imagine hearing that counsel: with that announcement – at the conclusion of years spent creating value and demonstrating contribution – what will there be to get a person out of bed a month later, after the longest vacation of a lifetime?

Apparently, congratulations may not be in order. Instead of booking an appointment with their travel agent, the retirement newbie might be wiser to get a visit scheduled with their primary care physician. The latest research puts a scull-and-crossbones over the golf cart: delaying retirement may actually extend your life.

According to a study recently reported by the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health, delaying retirement for just one year – from 65 to 66 – reduces mortality by 11%. In fact, the longer one waits to retire, the longer one lives.

A decade back, Shell Oil examined the fate of 3500 of their retirees, between 1973 and 2003, and published their findings in the British Medical Journal. Their methodology was simple: compare their employees who retired at 55 with those who waited until 65. The escapees in their mid-50’s were probably the envy of their coworkers who stayed in their cubicles for another decade. Which of the two groups were truly fortunate?

The shocker: people who retired at 55 were 89% more likely to die in their first decade of retirement than the people who waited until 65. When the survivors of early retirement were joined at age 65 with their later-retiring counterparts, their life expectancy going forward was still dissimilar: death rates for the survivors of early retirement were still 37% higher than their work-‘til-65 peers.

All of those studies focused on people whose retirement involved no re-engagement in meaningful work, whether for money or for meaning. If leisure was the new agenda, the price of sloth proved – statistically – to be earlier death.

That endorsement from the retirement party – “You’ve done well! You’ve got it made and can now retire. Take it easy and have the time of your life!” – is actually straight out of the Bible.

Jesus: “The farm of a certain rich man produced a terrific crop. He talked to himself: ‘What can I do? My barn isn’t big enough for this harvest.’ Then he said, ‘Here’s what I’ll do: I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones. Then I’ll gather in all my grain and goods, and I’ll say to myself, “Self, you’ve done well! You’ve got it made and can now retire. Take it easy and have the time of your life!” ’

“Just then God showed up and said, ‘Fool! Tonight you die. And your barnful of goods – who gets it?’ That’s what happens when you fill your barn with Self and not with God.” (Luke 12:16-21)

Hear me clearly: respected researchers and journals are discovering that people are created to be productive, and God is not to be disregarded. Living productively – instead of for consumption – enhances vitality and vibrancy in a way that aligns with the Creators original intent.

What if the great objective of life is to create an impact that lasts forever, instead of amassing a retirement account that enables self-preoccupation that masquerades as “the time of your life?”
 
Bob Shank

Something’s brewing…

May 9, 2016

What’s in it, for you?

That can be an incendiary question, with explosive answers. I ask the question, focused on the prize that awaits you in the top-box of an organizational chart. When you arrive at the place where you have no one above you to say “no,” what options would you find waiting for your “yes?”

In the military community, they have an insider’s acrostic: RHIP. Rank Has Its Privileges is the statement of fact that seeks to explain why Private Average won’t be having dinner anytime soon with General Elite. “Get over it, grunt: he’s better than you…”

In 1984, Jim Koch walked away from $250k/year – working with Boston Consulting – to peddle his new craft beer brand, bar-to-bar. From then to now, Sam Adams has become the big-name on the boutique brew shelf. And, in 2013, Koch hit the billion-dollar net-worth mark. After 32 years, Boston Beer Company is an overnight success; he can now afford to indulge himself…

If you’re looking for Koch, he’s wearing the same denim shirt and khakis he started in. He drives himself in his Ford Hybrid, and – on the plane – he’s sitting in coach, just like his executives do.

“I can’t make the math work – the average person at Boston Beer makes $55,000 a year. When I go to Munich for business, how can I justify paying over a month’s salary for a first-class ticket? Is having me get a little more legroom and a better meal really more valuable to the company than what the average person contributes every month? I’ve never believed that… People are always sensitive to hypocrisy or compromises from managers, and the behavior of senior leaders is scrutinized, magnified, and commented on by everyone.”

To Koch, the people impressed by displays of wealth are “idiots” and not worth dealing with. And by rejecting that, he’s broadcasting a different message to the people watching him, in his company, industry, and media. “I also don’t want everyone else to think that vanity and egotism are values our company encourages.”  read his story

Two hundred years earlier in Ireland, Arthur Guinness started his own brewery. The brand has become an international icon, but Guinness’ achievement went beyond kegs and bottles. He was a passionate evangelical, under the influence of John Wesley, who famously counseled: “Earn all you can. Save all you can. Give all you can. Your wealth is evidence of a calling from God, so use your abundance for the good of mankind.”

Guinness used his wealth and talents to make the world better. His business success allowed him to use his time, talent and treasure to serve his community and the Kingdom. His life motto: Spes Mea in Deo – “my hope is in God.” read his story

Business plans and success stories are great… but, as you pursue your career ambitions, it’s always important to clarify your motives: what’s in it, for you? “What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.” (James 4:1-3)

Here’s a strange contradiction: for-profit business guys, in the beer business, who seem to have their appetites more in-check than some modern public servants and religious stars who find in their status an opportunity for excess, rather than example…

Earn all you can. Save all you can. Give all you can…

Bob Shank

Leaders use both locker rooms

May 2, 2016

Christian Leaders.

That’s our market; they’re featured in our Mission Statement: “To prepare Christian leaders to change their world and build God’s Kingdom through their irresistible lifestyles and influential works of service.”

Followers need managers to tell them where to be, and what to do. Managers need leaders to cast vision and define the strategies that the managers will execute. Leaders are the Great Minority – the crucial 10% – who motivate and sophisticate the majority in any movement.

The first cohort of The Master’s Program was underway with 60 men in Southern California when a great advancement occurred: some influential wives raised their hand and said, “What about us?” They were watching their husbands advance through TMP, and wondered what we were going to do for them.

The beta groups formed quickly: with a short ramp-up, Cheri Shank and Anne Miller formed groups of women who used the same curricular content and strategic group approach used by the men. Led by women, for women, it didn’t take long to see comparable outcomes among significant women: they were discovering their own calling, partnering with their husbands, and engaging a new approach to their lives of influence.

It wasn’t long before Sandy Olsson – bringing years of collaboration as part of our ministry staff – found her Calling in leading the fast-emerging Master’s Program for Women (TMP/W).

Paul figured out how to expand his impact for the Kingdom: “Even though I am free of the demands and expectations of everyone, I have voluntarily become a servant to any and all in order to reach a wide range of people… I’ve become just about every sort of servant there is in my attempts to lead those I meet into a God-saved life. I did all this because of the Message. I didn’t just want to talk about it; I wanted to be in on it!” (1 Corinthians 9:19-23 from The Message)

The Master’s Program has a big tent; the leadership under our non-profit umbrella has been launching and mobilizing ministry expansions for over 15 years. The first of those was TMP/W, and has allowed us to support and encourage a unique effort – by women, for women – that God is using to help unleash the potential He has entrusted to women who are Christian leaders.

Currently, 226 women are participating in TMP/W groups; 400 have graduated, across the United States and Canada. Earlier this year, TMP/W was launched in India. There are 10 TMP/W Coaches who are leading those groups, supported by regional and national leadership.

“Why didn’t we know all of this?” Answer: they have their own website, with great personal stories and movement highlights that keep their gender community current. See for yourself: themastersprogramforwomen.org.

It’s Mother’s Day week. If your mom is still around, you’ve got six days to get ready to honor her. If she’s not – and, you’re a man whose wife is the mother of your children – the stakes are just as high: get ready to elect her to sainthood in the first round of voting. Moms always deserve more than they get; Mother’s Day is a chance for the people around them to get caught-up…

The women in/around The Master’s Program deserve a shout-out as well. Many are moms; but they’ve found that their contribution to the Kingdom includes their family role and more. This is my Hallmark card to the women who are leading into their Kingdom futures!

Bob Shank

Moses might be waiting for your advice…

April 25, 2016

“I never would have thought of that…”

Moses was the Great Leader who led the Jews out of Egypt, parted the Red Sea, brought the crowd – 2 million strong – into the wilderness… and found him mired in management. He was spending his days – all day – as the arbiter of the day-to-day, and his leadership was suffering.

Jethro – a Midianite, Moses’ father-in-law – came to the camp to deliver Moses’ wife and sons (they had missed the miracles in Egypt) – and watched Moses’ daily routine, handling the walk-up problems. The first consultant in Bible history: Jethro was a pro-bono savior. “What you are doing is not good… Listen now to me and I will give you some advice… If you do this and God so commands, you will be able to stand the strain, and all these people will go home satisfied…” (Exodus 18).

Jethro’s input: set up an org chart; create a management infrastructure, and you be the Supreme Court. Let stuff come to you through the system; people need good answers… they don’t need you to be the one who gives them. Moses followed Jethro’s counsel – to the letter – and his calendar cleared.

The next big event? Exodus 19: Moses’ first meeting with God on Mt Sinai. He was finally freed-up to do what only he could do, because a trusted voice designed a new delivery system.

Brian Dowd came to me a few years ago with an observation that should have been obvious: there were more leaders who needed The Master’s Program than I could handle alone. Brian went through TMP and seminary in parallel, and realized his future led to the marketplace, not a church. As a leadership coach, he works with individual leaders, but realizes the multiplier-effect of TMP’s cohort model. Brian’s counsel echoed Jethro’s input to Moses: “…select capable men from all the people and appoint them as officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. Have them serve as judges for the people at all times, but have them bring every difficult case to you,” (v. 21-22).

Today, Brian leads the Coaches program: recruiting, vetting, training, coaching TMP grads who are replicating the model in their cities, multiplying our potential exponentially. They’re great…

It happened again, 18 months ago. Noah Elias – long-time mentee, 2x TMP grad – came to me and said, “Listen now to me and I will give you some advice…” He watched me, from dawn to dusk (ala Moses) leading TMP sessions in three time zones, spending my nights flying 1000 miles to get to the next day’s group. “If you do this and God so commands, you will be able to stand the strain…”

Noah’s Jethro-counsel: go on-line. Design and build a version of The Master’s Program that will serve leaders who aren’t accessible to you or the TMP Coaches. Focus on serving the Millennials, but welcome everybody; remove the obstacles that stand in the way of people saying “yes!” to TMP.

Like Brian, Noah is now leading a new initiative that Bob (I’m TMP’s Moses) would have never conceived. Master’s OnLine (masters.life) has gone live; we’re hoping that you’re forwarding what you’re receiving from us to your contacts, to help MOL go viral. Preview the teasers yourself, and then post links on your social media platforms; enroll your now-adult kids; engage your emerging leaders from the office; be creative and encourage the high-potential – but still perfecting – younger people you see around you who have a lot, but are missing a mentor.

Dave Waters pulled a Jethro: as a Master’s grad, it was his idea to translate TMP’s curriculum into Spanish, and take it to Latin America. He’s a full-time senior pastor in DC Beltway, but in his spare time, he doesn’t play golf: he’s a missionary for TMP south of our border. He has multiple TMP groups underway already, with more in the works. More people speak Spanish than speak English!

What am I going to do with all this “free time,” as TMP groups are launched and led without me in the room? I think God and I have some business to do up on Mt Sinai…

Bob Shank

Whole Lot of Shakin’ Goin’ On

April 18, 2015

It was a wake-up call, at 5:12a…

On April 18th, 1906 – 110 years ago this morning – the 400,000 residents of San Francisco had another hour before sun-up, but their dark world got darker as the earth shook for over a minute. The 7.8 magnitude earthquake – and the fires that raged afterward – killed 3000, left half the city homeless, and imprinted the city for a century as memories of the devastation survive beyond the survivors.

American regions known for fires, floods, tornados and hurricanes often note their choice of their local risks over the presumed inevitability of earthquakes in California. Statistical probabilities of death or destruction by various types of tragedy do nothing to alleviate human fear: there is something primal about the anguish of feeling the earth move and then seeing great constructs become great collapses.

It’s not just a history lesson, from 40,177 days ago: world news from the last week rose above the Hillary/Bernie/Donald/Ted/John version of Survivor. People in Ecuador, Japan, Vanuatu, Indonesia, Myanmar, India, Bihar, Pakistan and Afghanistan are reeling in the aftermath of earthquakes.

The question is coming up these days: is all of this geological insecurity just coincidence, or is our planet in some kind of quake mode that has some deeper meaning?

During the last week of Jesus’ human life – between the Triumphal Entry (into the Jerusalem) and the Triumphal Exit (from Joseph’s tomb), some far-reaching conversations were captured for the biblical record: “As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. ‘Tell us,’ they said, ‘when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?’ Jesus answered: ‘Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, “I am the Messiah,” and will deceive many. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains…” (Matthew 24:3-8)

Our generation has staked a claim on progress, on so many fronts. Beating disease, expanding net access, commercializing space travel, communicating late-breaking events to everyone, everywhere on mobile devices, performing surgeries – robotically – with hundreds of miles between doctor and patient. We do it all. If a breakthrough can be perceived, the outcome can be achieved… or, so it seems.

Except with earthquakes.

Without warning, without invitation: the structures that house families and tech companies and art collections and classrooms and cancer wards and legislatures and retail inventories and sports venues and animal shelters and freeway overpasses shake and detach and crumble and collapse. All that man can build – and, everything man can put inside – cannot stand against the uncontrolled and unpredicted moving of the ground. Who pulls those strings?

Fifty years ago – last week – Time magazine ran the infamous cover story: “Is God Dead?” In 2008, the Los Angeles Times named that “one of the 10 magazine covers that shook the world.”

Magazine covers don’t “shake the world” like earthquakes do. Maybe the One whose very existence was questioned by Time is the One who really shakes the world, literally…

Across the timeline of biblical history, earthquakes were never a device used by the Divine to express affirmation and encouragement: they are always a warning – or, a judgment – expressed toward humans who are at odds with the Almighty.

I wonder how He’s feeling about things right now…

Bob Shank

The Last can Still be First

April 11, 2016

Meanwhile, Saul…

God is a great storyteller. The Gospels – four independent voices, writing biographies of Jesus – got the ball rolling in the New Testament with their accounts of our Founder. The Acts of the Apostles (“Acts”) pick up the story at Jesus’ ascension and give us Chapter One of the aftermath. The game wasn’t over, just because the Founder left. His successors – and their successors, continuing all the way to us – have kept the story going, with chapters being written on multiple fronts, in real-time.

The drama is picking-up steam in Acts 8: the faith is expanding its territory, on multiple fronts. Stephen has just been stoned; Philip, Peter and John are all having heroic experiences as they replicate powerful evidences of God’s supernatural involvement in their mission. Opposition like Saul the Pharisee and Simon the sorcerer are playing the villain, while God is proving the superiority of Jesus the Christ. It’s a wow moment…

Chapter 9 starts with that pivot: “Meanwhile, Saul…” Something significant is about to happen. We’ve given it a name: it’s Paul’s “Damascus Road Experience.” From Jerusalem to Damascus (capital of modern Syria) was likely 200 miles, at least two weeks on foot. Saul was on a mission: arrest the Christians there, and bring them back to Jerusalem to stand trial in front of the same justice system that had condemned Jesus. What Philip, Peter and John were out to advance, Saul was committed to eliminate.

Saul/Paul’s Damascus Road Experience: he had a personal encounter with the Lord Jesus Christ.“As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?’ ‘Who are you, Lord?’ Saul asked. ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,’ he replied. ‘Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do’” (Acts 9:3-6).

Talk about interesting: the “12-1” (the original Apostles, minus Judas) were already up-and-running on the Great Commission. Take that concept apart; deconstruct the word:

    mission: an important assignment; a strongly felt ambition or calling
    com (prefix): with, together, jointly, altogether

Individual leaders have a mission; leaders, together, have a commission. The first 11 were given – together – an assignment; Judas’ removal left a seat vacant. God never leaves anything broken…

There’s little disagreement about what God did to fill the vacancy: on the road to Damascus, Paul was recruited to join the leadership team. The last hire became the historic hero. Author of half of the New Testament books – and a third of its word-count – Paul put more miles on his mission odometer than any of the other 11. “Many who are last will be first…” (Jesus).

Get this: Paul’s conversation with Jesus posed a question: “…why do you persecute me?”  That put Paul on a hunt for the answer to his “what now?” question.  He had to go somewhere (Damascus) and hear from someone (Ananias) to get his marching orders clarified.

What if he had chosen to just figure it out for himself? Jesus gave Paul clear directions; let me give you a two-minute tip to find the voice God may use for you the way he did Ananias for Paul.

Two weeks from Wednesday, the Leadership Summit – in Rancho Mirage, California – is your chance to get some answers to the “what now?” question. Paul – the tentmaker/apostle – needed to hear from Ananias. Who might God use to give you some next-steps for your mission? (speaker list).

It’s not to late to make your reservations for Damascus/Rancho Mirage, April 27-29…
Bob Shank

What will they find at your house?

April 4, 2016

“How much did he leave?” He left it all…

It’s an old quip; no one claims it as original (including me). It’s the one-liner that captures a fact that is replayed, over and over in real-time: some of life’s metrics cease to hold meaning at death; there are other metrics which have even more meaning after death.

We would have missed Dennis Erickson – and his story – but for a metric that was important to no one but him.

Mr. Erickson was a retired engineer, a never-married bachelor, with no children. He was an usher at Celebration Church in Lakeville, Minnesota, and served in that role on Sunday mornings. He died just before Christmas; he was only 69. He left his home – and its contents – to the church.

Lisa Lundstrom, the church CFO – and daughter of its founders – went to Erickson’s home after his burial, and was deeply impacted: “I was overwhelmed.” In the modest house was Erickson’s model car collection: 30,000 of them, filling the house floor-to-ceiling, and on every wall.

He started his stash when he was nine; for the next 60 years, he fastidiously documented and preserved every detail about every tiny car he collected. In his garage were his “real cars:” the Model-T Ford, the ’59 Edsel and the ’66 Rambler, but the real measure-of-accomplishment were the models.

Scouring antique shops, car shows and the internet, he had more model cars than days of life. “He would sit and polish those cars every day. It was his passion,” says Lundstrom. “He took better care of these little cars than people take care of people in their lives…”

Erickson was an only child who lived in the house with his parents until they both passed away. He saved and catalogued thousands of auto brochures and meticulously logged his every car encounter. Lundstrom found a bottle of car polish next to the framed copy of his church membership certificate in the living room.

The value of his collection – now for-sale by the church – and his home is estimated to be $500,000; once sold, the money will be used for the church children’s ministry.

In business, a metric often appraised is the “opportunity cost:” the gain that was missed in an alternative that must be forgone in order to pursue a certain objective. It is the benefit you could have received by taking an alternative action. The value of Erickson’s model car obsession – amassed over 60 years – was $500,000. What was his Opportunity Cost? What could he/should he have done, instead?

Jesus, to the 12 Apostles, to Dennis Erickson, and to you and me: “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit – fruit that will last – and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you.” (John 15:16).

The only metric in my life that matters to God is “fruit that will last:” that’s people, who are eternal, impacted through our efforts regarding their eternal destiny. Investing life – discretionary time, unique capabilities, relational influence and financial resources – in that pursuit is the place where “the rubber meets the road” for the Christian who knows that life here – and, what we do on our way to heaven – matters greatly to God, and should hold equal gravity for us.

“How much did he leave?” He left it all. What a tragedy.

My desired epitaph – and, what I hope to encourage to anyone listening to me – is in stark contrast:

“How much did he leave?” Not much; he sent most of it ahead…

Bob Shank

You’re Not Going to Believe This…

March 28, 2016

I must have been bcc’d on this exchange, again; because it was a holiday weekend, and I couldn’t reach anyone to get myself off their distribution list. Thought you might want to see this…

    —–Original Message—–
    From: simon@galileefishing.com
    To: Jacob

    Dear Jacob,

    First, change your contact info for me: I’m going back to the galileefishing.com address. Nathaniel is taking down the messiah.org website. Looks like we might have jumped the gun…

    I’m glad we were able to meet for coffee at Zachary’s to get caught-up. I’ve been traveling full–time for the last three years, and I haven’t been able to stay-up with most of my “old life” friends. Everything I told you last Wednesday was legit: we knew it was just a matter of time until we – the 12 of us – would be moving to Jerusalem. Our businesses have been in limbo since we left work to join Jesus and support his public campaign.

    We were that close – that close! – to realizing the dream: the crowd seemed to be ready to rally in support of Jesus’ rightful claim to the throne. Even the Roman military contingent in/around the city couldn’t have suppressed the multitude who were in town for Passover. On Monday, Jesus caught the momentum in the Temple grounds when he singlehandedly threw the vendors out of the Court of the Gentiles. If he could do that with those mercenary lechers and get applause from the audience, we knew he would turn the mob into a militia when he turned on Pilate and his Roman thugs.

    You heard what happened on Thursday night: we were in Gethsemane for some peace and quiet – Jesus was praying, and my buddies and I were catching up on some sleep – when Judas (one of our own guys!) showed up with an armed guard to arrest Jesus. I was the only one armed – what could I do, one guy against professionals? – but I only got one swing of the blade before Jesus told me to back-off. He wouldn’t let us protect him; it would have been a suicide mission. They took him, and we split.

    The next 20 hours were hellish. They convened an illegal court – after hours, on the holiday week! – and proved that justice was the last thing on their mind. They wanted to eliminate Jesus from their midst, and working in cahoots with the Romans was the Pharisees’ plan. A death sentence – with no appeal! – and immediate execution was in process by sun-up on Friday. I watched the whole thing – from a safe distance – and even had to lie to protect my cover. That’s another story…

    All that said, he was executed on Friday. The weather was crazy; the earthquake in the afternoon sent everybody running. Something was going on around the execution site that nobody could really understand. It was weird. He was pronounced dead by late afternoon, and we called in a favor from Joseph to use one of the bays in his new tomb to bury Jesus. It was a rush-job, no question.

    Judas betrayed us all: he had second thoughts, and killed himself. The rest of us were in hiding all weekend, wondering when they were going to come for us. Sunday morning, some of the women went to the tomb to finish-up the embalming… and his body was gone! That seemed like a tall-tale; John and I ran out there to make sure they weren’t at the wrong spot. We confirmed their story.

    I’ve got so much to tell you, and I don’t trust this e-mail. Bottom line: he came back to life, and he’s showing up in different places – with some of the insiders – proving that we’re not crazy.

    Six of the guys are heading up to Galilee with me to go fishing; we need a break, and it looks like we’ll be going back to work soon. But, get this: Jesus is alive! We haven’t sorted that out yet, but the surprises just keep coming… I’ll let you know when I know more!

    Simon Peter

Bob Shank

Stay tuned: he’s likely to win big this week

March 21, 2016

This e-mail appeared in my in-box this morning; it was routed to the wrong address (mine) in the wrong century (sent in the 1st; landed in the 21st). It didn’t have that “confidential – addressee only” message at the bottom, so I’m forwarding it to you. Interesting…

    —–Original Message—–
    From: simon@galileefishing.com
    To: Jacob

    Dear Jacob,

    Simon here. I hope this e-mail address is still valid for you; it’s the only one I have. I sent it from my old simon@galileefishing.com account; you ought to update your contact list: peter@messiah.org.

    I saw you yesterday when we came into the city. The crowd was so intense that, by the time we got Jesus through the gate and returned the donkey, I couldn’t find you. I know Jerusalem is crawling with people this week – we usually stay in Bethany and come into town every day for the events – and I didn’t know where you’d be staying. I hope you’re checking your e-mails and this gets through…

    It’s been a few years since we’ve talked, but the last 36 months, for me, have been a whirlwind.

    My brother and I were introduced to Jesus by John – remember the peculiar mystic who was drawing the big crowds by the river and getting people pumped-up about the imminent appearance of the Messiah? – and that set in motion a chain of events that we never imagined possible.

    Andrew had been following John around for a while, met Jesus through him, and then he brought me to meet Jesus for myself. He was intriguing, but the big ah-ha moment happened for me when he showed up at the lake and asked me to take a leave-of-absence from the fishing business to join his inner circle and travel with him. It didn’t take us much time to make the move: we put the boats in dry-dock and packed our bags. Opportunities like this don’t come along often, especially for nobodies like us.

    You and I grew up in the same synagogue, and you remember those Sabbath mornings when the rabbi would tell us about the promised Messiah. All we ever heard at home was the daily dose of bitter hopelessness because of Rome’s occupation; no one had any solution for the foreign military presence that dominated our lives. The rabbi would talk about God’s promise for a future – “the Kingdom” – that would restore our dignity and fulfill His prophecies. We wrote it off as religious fantasy, but I think we spoke too soon…

    The crowd yesterday – at the Eastern Gate – was astounding. We’ve had big gatherings all over Israel for the last couple of years, but the sense of anticipation has never reached what we saw yesterday. I could bend your ear for days telling you about things we’ve seen that no one would believe. You know I’m a no-nonsense guy, Jacob, but Jesus defies explanation. I’ve been there: he’s done things that no one can explain or replicate. People sick with everything from traumatic injuries to chronic diseases have been instantaneously restored and healed. On multiple occasions, he’s stretched a single meal into catering for thousands. I won’t put it in an e-mail, but we’ve seen him do things that make us wonder who he really is. You know I’m a born skeptic, but he’s convinced me.

    Based on what we saw yesterday, the crowd in Jerusalem is ready for something big to happen. Some of us met last night, and we think that this may be the week when he will announce his plans to negotiate a new arrangement with Rome and restore the monarchy. That’s what we signed on for. Get in early, and get in big is the strategy among the insiders (there are 12 of us). He’s promised each of us governorships over the 12 tribes; that’s what kept us going. There’s a payoff, and we think it’s soon.

    If I see you this week in the city, let’s get coffee. I’ll see if I can get you in to meet Jesus.

    Simon (Jesus gave me a nickname: don’t laugh, it’s Peter – the Rock)

Bob Shank

Mud wrestling has rules

March 14, 2016

Over the last 30 years, I have spent thousands of hours in front of crowds – on Sunday mornings, and other occasions – telling them what I really believe. Each of those settings was wrapped in a “nonprofit, Christian ministry” package. That isn’t a free-for-all territory; that ministry space has rules…

As a tax-exempt ministry, there are certain freedoms we agree to forestall. Commentaries or actions made to the direct benefit of any particular candidate or party are “over the line,” so far as the enforcers of the not-for-profit frontier are concerned…

That’s what it takes to be “legitimate” in the eyes of the United States government. But there’s an even more important question to explore: what does it take to be “legitimate” in the eyes of God? It’s one thing to have your offering plate approved by the mighty IRS; the bigger issue is whether or not your pulpit is approved by the almighty GOD.

Mud wrestling used to be an off-beat sideshow for beer-fests and backwater bar scenes. People willing to wallow were a curiosity that brought out the blue collar crowds, to give them some pressure relief. Today’s political campaigns have adopted the same ground rules; according to the WWE, “the objective of mud-wrestling is to throw your opponent into a large pool of mud…”

“War has rules; mud-wrestling has rules; politics has no rules.” (Ross Perot) If you’re running for president, it seems like the current strategy is to throw your opponent into the pool, without getting too much of the mud splash on yourself. The savvy alternative: have a surrogate do it for you, providing plausible deniability.

Of late, I haven’t been asked to endorse anyone in the races, but I have been told – strongly – that I have a responsibility to denounce at least one candidate (which I have no plans to do). So, what should those (we) pulpit pounders be saying this year? Where is the “safe zone” in the sermon space?

If political commentary was to be included in the preaching portfolio, surely Jesus would have been on-record with some doozies. Raised in in 1st Century Israel – with freedom curtailed by Roman occupation – he was surrounded by an ethnic/religious people group living under duress, awaiting a Messiah who would establish a governmental solution to their greatest felt needs. He was a public figure; if Jesus was going to connect with the crowd, what would he have to say about Rome?

Here it is, in a nutshell. In a direct conversation with the highest Roman government official in Israel (Pilate), here is what was said on that Good Friday morning:  “Pilate then went back inside the palace, summoned Jesus and asked him, ‘Are you the king of the Jews?’… Jesus said, ‘My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place.’ ‘You are a king, then!’ said Pilate. Jesus answered, ‘You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.’ ” (John 16:33,36-37).

Jesus never avoided controversy, but his most divisive statements – the ones that created the emotionally-charged firestorms that put his life in jeopardy – were along this line, with the Pharisees: “ ‘Who do you think you are?’ Jesus replied, ‘If I glorify myself, my glory means nothing. My Father, whom you claim as your God, is the one who glorifies me. Though you do not know him, I know him. If I said I did not, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and keep his word’ …At this, they picked up stones to stone him…” (John 8:53-39).

Candidates and campaigns come and go: the only issue on the table from God’s perspective – during an election year, during any year – is this: do you endorse the Lord Jesus Christ, the King of Kings, and give your full allegiance to him?

Bob Shank

Maybe the Majority Doesn’t Win

March 7, 2016

It’s all in the Numbers.

If you’re glued to the incessant election updates running across the bottom of any screen, you could call a time-out on life for the next eight months, until the final numbers are tallied. Until then, primaries and caucuses – polls and projections – will keep everyone on the edge of excitement or despair, based on the numbers. Reason: the majority always wins.

Well, maybe not always.

History is the collision of consequences from the decisions and actions of other people in other times, connecting in the present. When God hits the highlights of history, he connects the dots of past actions that lead to current events, and shows the importance of putting the right currents in motion…

God’s plan for Abraham was for him to have one son – Isaac – who would be the bloodline of God’s promises for Abraham, through barren Sarah. Abraham’s bad decision: have a bunch of sons, just in case God needed numbers. He ended up with eight sons – through three “moms” – and history has recorded the conflict between their offspring: the sons of Ishmael and Midian both became nemeses to Isaac’s family line, the Jews.

A thousand years later, the Midianites were marauding enemies who were plundering and pillaging Israel, and God allowed their oppression because of the spiritual infidelity of the Jews: they had violated their covenant relationship with him through their embrace of the Canaanite deities. Things got so bad that “they cried out to the Lord for help” (Judges 6:6).

God intervened. He called a leader who had no delusions of grandeur; in fact, Gideon declined the initial offer because he couldn’t wrap his mind around God’s view of his future: “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior” (Judges 6:12). Gideon’s past was defining his future, in his view. God’s alternate: he maintains the prerogative to change the course of history, by his sovereign intervention.

You may remember the story: a couple of fleeces – and, some initial vetting – brings Gideon to the point of action. With 135,000 Midianites – and their Israel-hating friends – amassing for battle, it’s time to call in the troops. Gideon sends a flash-message to four of the twelve tribes of Israel to join him for the attack, and 32,000 respond. The human odds: 4:1, and the Jews are on the wrong side of the equation…

The story turns almost humorous: directed by God to thin the herd, he invites anyone who is afraid to go home. Twenty-two thousand pack up and bolt; 10,000 remain. Then, they do the drink-from-the creek test, and only 300 pass that final exam. Now it’s 450:1, and those are the odds that God was looking for, so they would never be able to say, “My own strength has saved me” (Judges 7:2).

Pitchers, torches and trumpets are the arsenal-of-choice for the middle-of-night attack. Read it for yourself – Judges 7 – and be amazed: awakened by the trumpets, blinded by the torches… the forces of Midian were decimated by “friendly fire,” as they self-destructed in the dark. Only 15,000 escaped; Gideon and his special forces pursued them and utterly destroyed them. The final tally: 135,000 enemies utterly destroyed; no casualties from Israel.

The outcome: the Jews attempted to elevate Gideon to royal status: “Rule over us!” His response: “I will not rule over you… the Lord will rule over you.” (Judges 8:22-23). The convention reached a stalemate; God came out the winner.

A fascinating perspective, from biblical history: God never needs the majority to accomplish his purposes. He only needs the people he has called to believe his view of their future more powerfully than they believe their version of their past…

Bob Shank

Is this just another day?

February 29, 2016

Not much happens on this date.

In 1644, Abel Tasman launched his second Pacific voyage (not much of note in trip #2; he found Tasmania in #1). In 1768, Polish noblemen founded the Bar Confederation. In 1892, St. Petersburg, FL was incorporated. In 2012, the Skytree tower in Tokyo was completed (currently the world’s tallest). For the most part, people don’t schedule significant events on Leap Day; maybe that’s because they don’t know how they would celebrate anniversaries in the future. It’s been 1460 days since we’ve had one of these; were you born – or, married – on February 29th? I feel your pain…

Most people grind through hours as they live out their days. Time seems to race when you’re happy or distracted… and it stands still in moments of pain or remorse. Years become increasingly troublesome as they accumulate – as containers for days – and bring closer the horizon of a lifetime, compounding the sense that we’re running out of time. Days become increasingly important to us as they speed through the hourglass of life…

Some people live outside the boundaries of time. You know who they are: appointments are obligations made in a parallel universe that they only visit, occasionally, by accident. You’ve waited for them, frequently. They always arrive with the same fanfare: “Oh! Sorry I’m late!” (note of clarity to the clueless: they aren’t really sorry; if they were, they wouldn’t do it again… but they do.)

If the watch on your wrist (Boomers/Busters) – or, the time on your phone (Millennials) – is a meaningful reminder of the sequencing of significance, you take time seriously. Days matter: years are full of them, but the days that make any year great – by comparison to the rest – are most-often the least of those in the annual box. Some days rise far above the rest in importance…

That’s a concept that spans the Scriptures. From Old to New Testaments, God highlights some days as more important than others. When Peter announced the launch of the New Covenant – in his message on the Day of Pentecost – he quoted directly from Joel, who lived about 800 years earlier: “In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy. I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (Joel 2:28-32, quoted by Peter at Pentecost and recorded later by Luke in Acts 2:17-21).

Years are weird: they seem smaller when we see them in the past, and large as they loom in the future. Days are easier to deal with. Years are like $500 bills: you’ve never seen one; they’re too-big-to-carry. Days are like $1s; we stuff our pockets with them, and can leave one in the tip jar without feeling like we’re going broke. It only takes 500 of those to get a portrait of Wm McKinley in hand (the face on the $500 bill; 25th President; assassinated early in his second term). Make the singles significant, and you’ll end up with years that make you extraordinary.

Here’s the breakthrough thought: according to Joel and Peter – and, God – you and I are in the last days. God has provided us His Spirit in these days… and we’re getting ready for the day of the Lord, when He has scheduled the day of judgment: “Our days may come to seventy years, or eighty, if our strength endures; yet the best of them are but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away… Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” (Moses, in Psalm 90).

Mark Twain: “The two most important days of your life: the day you are born… and the day you find out why.”

So: what are you doing today – one of your last days – to get ready for that day?

Bob Shank

No Risk; No Reward

February 22, 2016

This is your week.

Back in 2007, it was “official;” in June of ’06, the US Congress passed a bill designating the last week of February “National Entrepreneurship Week.” It was “celebrated” in 2007… but, about 10 months later, the Great Recession came in like a flood, and attention was diverted from celebrating start-ups to bashing institutions (Big Banks/Wall Street/Government enablement). It’s no longer official…

It makes perfect sense: the legacy world – the institutions that were too-big-to-fail; enterprises run by leaders who had stacked-the-deck, making it possible for them to win big with nothing at risk, personally – took a beating, and the little guys (and, their retirement savings) paid the bill.

America has been in a decade-long time-out; prosperity has been put on hold while the hands that used to hold the plow and create progress have, instead, pointed fingers in an attempt to lay-the-blame for the dark clouds that have blocked the light of optimism since December ’07.

No longer a government-sanctioned week, Entrepreneurs have grabbed their bootstraps this week – February 21-28 – to declare the value of the creative risk-taker to the world-at-large. Is the private operator who puts his/her own time and treasure on the table, confident that their concept will break into the black and reward their vision – an enemy of the state, or the basis for the American dream?

In the lexicon of the marketplace, an entrepreneur is someone who exercises initiative by organizing a venture to benefit from an opportunity. He/she supplies original capital as a risk-taker, and then monitors and controls the enterprise. Usually a sole proprietor, partner or majority owner, they are not necessarily motivated by profit, but they use that metric to measure achievement or success. Every great institution was – in its origins – the product of entrepreneurship, practiced by someone(s) who put it all on-the-line to prove their idea(s) credible.

Socialism advocates institutions as the ultimate solution; capitalism advocates free enterprise as the ultimate solution. The philosophies are mutually exclusive; America is – currently – in a cultural war to determine its future course, between those alternatives. Bureaucrats wear the jerseys for socialism; entrepreneurs line up on the other side of the field. The game-clock is running; there’s no time-out for National Entrepreneurship Week when the ball is live and the outcomes are in flux.

It’s no stretch to see the conflict that swirled across Israel twenty centuries ago through that lens. A young Entrepreneur – raised in Nazareth in an environment without any free lunch or institutional safety net – came out of nowhere and challenged the strongest cultural institutions of his day. The Roman government and the Jewish religion were in a tense working relationship, sustaining their hold on power by keeping the rank-and-file under their oppressive control.

Marketplace entrepreneurs use profits to measure success; the original Kingdom Entrepreneur used people to measure success (he called them “fruit;” they were his bottom-line). His primary collaborators were, themselves, marketplace entrepreneurs; he spent three years recalibrating their primary focus from building their businesses to building his Kingdom. When he left, he commissioned them to continue the disruptive efforts he had pioneered and expand the brand across the entire planet.

Human systems – left to natural erosion – age entrepreneurial innovations into bureaucratic institutions. Supernatural explosion opposes natural erosion: Jesus continues to disrupt the status-quo in favor of radical transformation. God – who describes himself as “the one who makes all things new” (Revelation 21:5) – never gets bored; he gets busy… making things better.

Happy Entrepreneurship Week. Be like your Master: don’t settle; start something better.

Bob Shank

Does Anybody Measure Up?

February 15, 2016

Leaders can make the difference.

Today is a National Holiday; you’re either “off,” or you’re trying to work and frustrated by the number of people you’re trying to contact who aren’t responsive. Don’t wait around for the mail to arrive; it isn’t coming until tomorrow.

While some are now calling it Presidents Day, it is – officially – the commemoration of the birth of George Washington. Though February 22 is his official birthday, the holiday floats: the third Monday of February, every year, is dedicated to remembering him.

His early adulthood was notably unremarkable. Born into privilege, his family’s wealth was in tobacco plantations and the hundreds of slaves who worked them (in his will, all of his slaves were freed). In his late 20’s, he became an officer in the British army and participated in the French and Indian War. In his early 40’s, he was a delegate from Virginia to the First – and, then, Second – Continental Congress.

At 42, he was commissioned as Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army, to lead the American forces against the British in the Revolutionary War. He presided over the Continental Convention in 1787, which produced the Constitution of the United States of America. In 1789, he was elected to be the first President at 57; reelected to a second term, he rejected calls to pursue a third (prior to the 22nd Amendment). He retired to Mount Vernon at age 65; he died two years later.

He’s known as “the Father of our Country;” no branding consultant conceived that moniker. Washington was regarded as the patriarch who did more to establish the USA than anyone else. General Henry “Light Horse Harry” Lee – father of Robert E. Lee – was commissioned by the Congress to write the eulogy for Washington, which they approved before his funeral: “First in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen, he was second to none in the humble and endearing scenes of private life; pious, just, humane, temperate and sincere, uniform, dignified and commanding, his example was as edifying to all around him, as were the effects of that example lasting.”

Today is Presidents Day; this year, it occurs during our quadrennial quest for our next president. If you have a sense of history, there’s a longing to find someone who measures favorably against the Washington standard. It’s a daunting task to find a candidate with those credentials…

If you’re an American Christian, the longing for someone who leads like Jesus is even more profound. General Lee didn’t write this eulogy; it was the prophet Isaiah, hundreds of years before Messiah made his first appearance: “There was nothing attractive about him, nothing to cause us to take a second look. He was looked down on and passed over, a man who suffered, who knew pain firsthand. One look at him and people turned away. We looked down on him, thought he was scum… The plan was that he give himself as an offering for sin so that he’d see life come from it – life, life, and more life… Through what he experienced, my righteous one, my servant, will make many “righteous ones,” as he himself carries the burden of their sins. Therefore I’ll reward him extravagantly – the best of everything, the highest honors – because he looked death in the face and didn’t flinch, because he embraced the company of the lowest. He took on his own shoulders the sin of the many, he took up the cause of all the black sheep.” (from Isaiah 53, in The Message).

Leaders can make all the difference. Great ones are remembered and revered. But, true greatness is always measured against the Gold Standard, established by the soon-to-return King.

Bob Shank

Bring the Founder Back

February 8, 2016

Bring the Founder back into the picture.

Yesterday was glued-to-the-screen television for the populations of Colorado and the Carolinas; their NFL teams were in California engaged in the 50th staging of football’s biggest spectacle.

Zillions more were watching along with the hometown fans; for many, the commercials have become as anticipated as the scoring drives. Unnamed sources say that 30 second ads for the broadcast were scalping for $5000+ as game-time got closer. Careers are made and lost by the quality of the creative breaks from the action on the field.

It’s also a time when big announcements are made. Thirty-two years ago, Apple made history with their ad – 1984 – announcing the Macintosh computer. It only aired once, nationally – during the third quarter of Super Bowl XVIII – but it has been hailed as “a watershed event,” and “a masterpiece” by the marketing world.

Yesterday, KFC (old-timers may remember it as Kentucky Fried Chicken) went public with an earth-shaking disclosure: they’re bringing in a cast change. Jim Gaffigan is replacing Norm MacDonald (both comedians with prior records) in the role of Col. Harland Sanders.

For two decades, Sanders had been persona-non-grata in the public advertising, but in mid-2015, Darrell Hammond suddenly appeared in their national campaigns as the iconic Colonel. The real Harland Sanders had begun as a single-outlet restaurateur, operating from his gas station in Corbin, Kentucky during the Great Depression. In 1952, he opened their first franchise outlet in Utah – when Sanders was 62 years old – and grew the chain to 600 stores by 1964, when he sold the company to investors for $2 million. The deal included a lifetime salary for Sanders; he agreed to be responsible for quality control and to be the trademark for the brand. He died in 1980…

Fast food – and fried chicken – suffered setbacks during the rise-and-fall of health consciousness in America, but the brand continued to expand internationally. The Colonel disappeared from public view 21 years ago… and KFC mostly fell from grace on the dinner tables of the 21st Century.

But, in May last year, Hammond appeared in Sanders’ trademark white suit – with the black tie and white goatee – and Kentucky Fried Chicken started to regain its vibe. Sales climbed; Norm MacDonald became a less-quirky spokesman, and a piece of American roadside history was reinvited to the culture. With the Super Bowl transition to Gaffigan, their hope for the future is rooted in their past.

People related to compelling founders…

The first true international brand was launched about 2000 years ago by a Founder who was also dressed in a striking white outfit; from its meager beginning in Jerusalem, it has expanded around the world and now claims over 2 billion people as committed users. In the sophistication of the American faith market, some felt that an out-of-date figure from history might not have the power to draw a new, trendy generation into participation. Strangely, in some places, Jesus began to have less prominence in the promotion of the movement he had initiated…

Something powerful has been happening: Jesus has been re-introduced to the world through media. The Jesus Film Project has made the story of his life – produced as a feature film, for popular release, in 1979 – into the most translated (currently, 1400 languages) and most viewed (currently, 5 million views) of any movie in history. It’s the most widely used evangelism tool in Christian history.

The result? Hundreds of millions of people have indicated commitments to follow Jesus.

Go to the App store and download the Jesus Film app. Explore the home screen; go to Map at the bottom and fly-over the countries of the world. Click on one, and scroll the languages – and, the unique video products/depictions – that are re-introducing the Founder. Every regular gathering – formal, and informal; disclosed, and underground – is a church where the Founder connects with his followers.

Harland Sanders fried chickens; God the Father sacrificed a Lamb. Billions have been served, so far. Sanders is back in the ads; Jesus will be back in the future. When he comes, it’ll be bigger than Super Bowl 50…

Bob Shank

Could a Loser be the Winner?

February 1, 2016

It’s a great day for Groundhogs.

They must be spending the day getting ready for tomorrow’s festivities. “Six more weeks of winter” is a mantra they must teach their young, from their earliest days in the burrow. Tomorrow, all eyes will be on Punxsutawney awaiting the big announcement…

It may be anticlimactic, after the Big Announcement tonight, from Des Moines. Instead of “six more weeks of winter,” we’re in for 40 more weeks of politics: in 281 short days, we’ll have a winner in the Race to the White House. The first reports are due tonight…

Coming out of Iowa, two bigger-than-the-rest candidates will cast a shadow that will set the pundits into proclamation mode: caucus goers in 1700 precincts will appear to speak for the rest of America in turning sentiments into statements, and marking a ballot to pick a favorite. The man or woman with the most votes is the winner…

That’s our version of democracy – and it’s still the best model around – but I always find myself torn between the nightly news and the timeless truth. In American history, the majority has always prevailed (which is why Florida – in 2000 – had such a problem with their “hanging chads”); in Bible history, the majority has a checkered history…

Joseph’s 10 brothers had their own caucus – back in Genesis 37 – and they had a unanimous outcome: sell their disliked younger brother for $ 114.88 (based on today’s spot-price for silver) to some slave traders headed for Egypt. He lost that vote in the wilderness… but was later named #2 to Pharaoh in Egypt, and his brothers had to deal with their earlier bad decision in real time.

Moses took two million Jews from Egypt to within sight of the Promised Land… and sent a 12-man Task Force into the territory to scope things out and deliver a representative conclusion. They loved the geography, but were overwhelmed by the demographics: the vote was 2/10 to go forward, and the majority prevailed. The next 40 years of miserable wandering was the result of an overwhelming election outcome.

Saul found out that God was sponsoring a candidate who was tapped to replace him on the throne of Israel. He had an opposing view, and was able to mobilize his military forces to vote against him (with their weapons drawn, they were convincing). The candidate with the least delegates would ultimately prevail, but the process was protracted and ultimately cost Saul his life (1 Samuel 21-24).

Gideon figured that voter turnout was key to his win: he faced 135,000 Midianites who were on the march to victory in their campaign to wipe out the Jews, and only 32,000 of his countrymen came out to “vote” with their swords. The odds weren’t good – 4:1 – so it was great news when God told him that they had a problem with their numbers (which Gideon knew). God’s solution: thin the herd; He didn’t need a majority to win the battle. The final count: 300 Jews against 135,000 Midianites. The outcome? You know the winner: Gideon went from powerless farmer to leader of Israel for 40 years, because of a winning minority who defied the odds…

Rocket forward about 1500 years, and you find the ultimate losing majority: when Pilate put it to a vote, the crowd was unified behind Barabbas. They sent Jesus – candidate for King of the Jews – into political exile, on a Roman cross. The majority must be right… right?

Polls and surveys have preoccupied the world for months; tonight, votes will be counted. Anticipation over outcomes will rise and fall like tides for the next eight months. A caution: God doesn’t need popular agreement to do His thing. Most often, the “majority” is wrong.

Just sayin’…

Bob Shank

How to Vet a Political Poser

January 25, 2016

Who are you, really?

We live in a country with lots of posers (“a person who acts in an affected manner to impress others”). Worse: a bunch of them are campaigning for significant political positions, in search of our support. The science of politics has become complex: voting blocks have been identified, and each is approached with messaging and images intent to capture their commitment and votes.

Vetting – the word – has fascinating origins. Its earliest usage involved a veterinarian’s evaluation of a horse for health and soundness before entering a race: the horse was vetted. The term leaked into culture to describe a background check before employment selection. Today, eHarmony vets dating prospects; debates vet presidential contenders; friends and acquaintances vet outspoken converts to assess the credibility of newfound faith. Vetting happens 24/7, in every realm of life… to separate the genuine from the posers.

The political world and the faith community have collided: Evangelicals are targeted as a key constituency, constituting 23% of the country. Though often non-participative (two out of three did not vote in 2012), their ability to secure a win – if on-board and voting – is compelling to candidates. The challenge, between now and November 8th: how should an Evangelical vet their political choices?

That question is huge, and won’t be answered in a short-and-pungent Point of View. The issues subject to evaluation are many, and the field of players is still extensive. The candidates are refining their appeal-for-my-vote process; isn’t it time for me to begin refining my win-my-vote criterion?

Some of the contenders are openly hostile to biblical faith. They make it easy for me to eliminate them. Others will pander the faithful, claiming affection or affiliation with the Evangelical block; a few will present their version of a baptismal certificate to prove their credibility. Where are the real-deals, among the posers?

The countdown clocks – in Iowa and New Hampshire – are moving this to the front burner in the national consciousness. The Season will kick off in those two states, but will accelerate into the national scene quickly. How – and, what – we decide is not a quiet curiosity but, rather, the most important task we have at hand – as citizens – in the next four years. My friend Franklin Graham is standing on the steps of state capitols calling Christians – Evangelicals, in political speak – together to pray for the process, and to commit to vote their conscience when they get their turn. What would happen in America if 100% of us – instead of the 33% who did their part last time – spoke up for their faith?

Vetting candidates is an important exercise, requiring multiple layers. Allow me to suggest one of those layers: before they ask me for the power to take – and, distribute – my money through taxation, what have they done with someone else’s money in their past? The issue: stewardship.

Candidates release tax returns; they don’t give the whole picture, but it depicts cash flow: what came in, and where did some of it go? Important factoid: charitable contributions in their private life.

Example: one of the top-tier current candidates – with a strong claim of personal faith – has been in elected life for years, and disclosures from 2009/10 disclose income of  $3.5 million, and charitable gifts of $24,000 (.007% – that’s seven tenths of one percent). Is he/she a believer? No dispute there. Does the walk match the talk? That’s for us to vet…

If I knew I would one-day run for president, how would I live life, today? Unlikely… but, one day, I want to be great in God’s Kingdom. What should I be doing – today – to be ready for the vetting that Jesus says he will do to fill those positions?

Bob Shank

Do you have “The Vision Thing?”

January 18, 2016

It’s the vision thing.

Two weeks ago, Cheri and I were in Prague, touring the Castle Grounds: an incredible complex of buildings dating back a millennium, where the Kingdom of Bohemia – part of the Holy Roman Empire – had its political center.

In the collection of buildings is the Cathedral of St. Vitas. The construction of the magnificent structure began in November of 1344, under the direction of a French architect/master builder, Matthias of Arras. He created the plans and began the work. It was ultimately completed in 1929, almost 600 years later, true to the design conceived by Matthias, nearly six centuries earlier.

Though the architecture and art were magnificent in the Gothic structure, the message that impacted me was demonstrated throughout the tour: great vision outlives its human source. Matthias never lived to see his dream realized, but it had power beyond his lifetime.

Twenty-nine years ago – next week – Time magazine asked the question, “Where is the Real George Bush?” Then vice-president Bush was described by writer Robert Ajemian this way: “Colleagues say that while Bush understands thoroughly the complexities of issues, he does not easily fit them into larger themes. This has led to the charge that he lacks vision. It rankles him. Recently he asked a friend to help him identify some cutting issues for next year’s campaign. Instead, the friend suggested that Bush go alone to Camp David for a few days to figure out where he wanted to take the country. ‘Oh,’ said Bush in clear exasperation, ‘the vision thing.’ The friend’s advice did not impress him.” (Time, January 26, 1987)

That quote haunted Bush through the rest of his political career. Bush suffered from his lack of what he called “the vision thing,” a clarity of ideas and principles that could shape public opinion and influence Congress.George Will: “He does not say why he wants to be there, so the public does not know why it should care if he gets his way.’”  

The Vision Thing: the phrase is now used as a description “for any politician’s failure to incorporate a greater vision in a campaign, and has often been applied in the media to other politicians or public figures.” (Wikipedia)

Today – in America – the nation marks the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. On the steps of the Lincoln Memorial – August 28, 1963, 100 years after Lincoln issued the Emancipation Declaration – King delivered what experts in rhetoric voted the “top American speech of the 20th Century.” He spoke for just 17 minutes, but his message redirected the conversation of the country regarding the rights of all Americans to participate in a nation formed with the intent to offer “liberty and justice for all.”

From his speech: “I say to you today, my friends… even through we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self evident: that all men are created equal…’”

Like Matthias of Arras, Martin of Atlanta set in motion a movement that outlived his short life (King died at 39). Unlike George H.W. Bush, he never struggled with “the vision thing.” He left no confusion regarding his dream: “When this happens… we will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, ‘Free at last… thank God Almighty, we are free at last!’”

Great leaders have great vision; powerful people have powerful dreams. What’s your vision? What are your dreams? Who knows it? Will it outlive you?

Bob Shank

No fear; no faith. No Exceptions.

January 11, 2016

Be afraid. Be very afraid.

You’d think that was the 11th Commandment, lost in the sands of time at Sinai, but reintroduced in the 21st Century by people who never turn off the “breaking news” app. Be afraid. Be very afraid.

The line comes from the 1986 movie classic, The Fly. Jeff Goldblum’s character is going insect; Geena Davis’ character recognizes that a horror flick without fear becomes a comedy before the credits. She cues the audience through her scripted caution: a man who becomes a fly can be a problem...

Bear Grylls is famous: he’s become an international celebrity for being alone in situations that normal people would fear, doing things that would make most people afraid. His television audiences set rationality aside – they saw the president alone with Grylls in Alaska (Running Wild, December 17), performing feats of courageous survival, unaware of the 50-person White House entourage that included snipers and food testers – watching the “I could never do that” activities that affirm their anxieties.

The Fear Spectrum has extremes at both ends and everyone on the scale, somewhere. One end is Fearless; the other is Phobic. The evaluation can be situation specific: flying, communal eating with bare hands, riding elevators, unrestrained immigration; how does fear affect you in each of those scenarios? While easy to assess in the particulars, fear becomes a defining dimension of each person, in summation: how does the Fear Factor affect you, as you launch 2016 as a clean-slate year of life?

    “I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.” (Nelson Mandela)

    “I am intimidated by the fear of being average.” (Taylor Swift)

    “Don’t fear failure. Not failure, but low aim, is the crime. In great attempts it is glorious even to fail.” (Bruce Lee)

    “Our greatest fear should not be of failure but of succeeding at things in life that don’t really matter.” (Francis Chan)

    “We fear men so much, because we fear God so little. One fear cures another. When man’s terror scares you, turn your thoughts to the wrath of God.” (G.K. Chesterton)

    “Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade men.” (Paul of Tarsus)

Most people would have stopped reading at the third paragraph… afraid of where I was going. You’re still with me; allow me to ask the obvious question: what are you planning to do this year that would make thoughtful people fearful? Where are you placing yourself at risk, in pursuit of a suitable objective that warrants managing the possibility of failure?

Too often, we’re surrounded by safe people who have perfected risk avoidance and talk with concern about friends who are engaged in “dangerous lifestyles.” My discovery: if I’m not involved in some things that make me look reckless to others, it’s time to reevaluate my game plan.

You’re not right because you’re at risk: you’re right if your risk taking is in pursuit of something worthy of the courage it takes to do it.

May your new year be defined by achievements unavailable to those whose phobias disable their faith…

Bob Shank

Your choice: new paint job… or, brand new?

January 4, 2016

new
Not existing before; made, introduced or discovered recently, or, now, for the first time; just beginning and regarded as better than what went before.

For the next few weeks, we’ll all be shaking the holiday dust off our tongues. Standard greeting, at least until the Pro Bowl: “Happy New Year!”

Everybody wants new; it’s top of the list, always. We reach to the back of the milk case at the grocery store to get the container with the latest expiration. We want a new car – instead of a lease-return that lost its drive-off depreciation with the first oil change – so we’re not “buying someone else’s problems.” We don’t want the prototype iPhone 7… but we’d love to be the first among our friend pool to have the latest-and-greatest tech toy from Cupertino.

Funny, isn’t it? That’s our mindset regarding products and consumables… but we tolerate much less than that when it comes to our own life.

Lots of people are feeling some tension right now: they’ve been in their New Year for almost a week, and they’re “late” with their homework. Our culture assigns the task, every January: come up with your New Year’s Resolutions. Most default to a variety of less-than-best options; it becomes a personal wish-list of slight improvements on an old version of their current life that wasn’t ever best-in-class.

God didn’t create the New Covenant relationship for us to have with Him – through Jesus Christ – to simply make us better: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” (2 Corinthians 5:17).

His plans were not for a remodel of what we built before we partnered with Him: “You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness,” (Ephesians 4:22-24).

Before you get too far in that “lose the 10 pounds I picked up between Thanksgiving and the Bowl Games” swirl, take another look at what’s possible: are you satisfied with just an improved version of yesterday… or, would you like to become the new person – completely different than what you have been settling-for – that God made you to be?

At the risk of sounding philosophical, allow me to pose a question: are you waiting to become a new person to do new things… or, do you become a new person through doing new things?

Walter Mitty is Hollywood’s fantasy answer of the different-by-doing approach; you are supposed to be the living-and-breathing example of the way God wants it to really work!

Forget resolutions. Shred the “be a better listener” list you’ve been working on since you put away the Christmas tree. Start a new roster for a new year, to introduce the New You. No more resolutions: instead, create initiatives.

You’re assigned to create and live a life active on four fronts: your Personal core (body/mind/ soul/spirit), your Family relationships (marriage/parenting), your Professional realm (career/resources), and the Kingdom (impact on other believers/impact on the world). The 2016 game-changing question: as the leader assigned to live your life for maximum eternal impact, what new initiative in each category would demonstrate the incredible potential of the New You?

Initiatives are out-of-the-box endeavors. Goals advance the ball down the field of life; initiatives are game-changing pursuits that become strategic inflection points in life. What single thing could you do in 2016 in your Personal, Family, Professional and Kingdom arenas that would make 2016 the most amazing year you’ve ever had?

Come up with your short list – four items, each 10-words-or-less – and send them to me…

Bob Shank

The 2-Minute Warning for 2015

December 28, 2015

Where do you look: what’s happening on the field… or, at the numbers on the scoreboard?

The best answer is probably “C:” which is, “all of the above.”

In football, we’re heading into the Bowls; college and pros will both provide excitement aplenty between now and February 7. The live crowd will have to rubber-neck between the grass and the glass: plays on the field will be amazing, but the numbers on the scoreboard will tell the tale.

In the theaters right now, there’s no question regarding the winner; the attention is on the screen and on the box office. You’ve probably had numerous plot-busters give you the surprises from The Movie, but the headlines are going to the worldwide revenue for Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Just rolling past $1 billion – in the first two weeks – it’s on-pace for new records.

The selection criterion for the players on the Main Stage for the next Republican Debate – January 14, in Charleston – have been announced to cheers… and jeers. The national polls are as competitive as the race they’re calling; most are winnowing the field – currently – to four contenders: Trump – with 2x support over #2 – Cruz, Rubio and Carson. The rest of the roster are all throwing elbows at  <3%. On the platform – on the trail, and at the debates – they throw some zingers. Ultimately: candidates can lie, but numbers don’t.

For The Master’s Program, we’re in the same ministry league finals as many of our collaborative Kingdom peers: it’s all about what’s happening on the field… and the numbers on the scoreboard.

On the field, the plays happening for TMP – literally, around the world – would have you on-your-feet, watching performances by people who used to sit behind you in the stands (at church), who are now in full-pads, playing to win in their Calling, while doing better-than-ever in their career.

On the scoreboard, people impacted by TMP are giving more time and money to things with Eternal value than ever before. The net-impact for the Kingdom – measured in generosity pointed toward thousands of churches and ministries supported by our Master’s community – is demonstrating the 100x that Jesus talked about: “…but the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown” (Matthew 13:23).

Earthbound scoreboards are limited to human potential: football games and movie premiers operate within bounded parameters. Eternal scoreboards have no limit in digits: when God is in the mix, 10,000% returns (that’s 100 times as much) are within the reach of His Kingdom.

One scoreboard, for us, is immediately apparent: we have our normal year-end challenge of regaining the reserves we’ve used during 2015 to subsidize our ministry to you and others. Since initiating this effort, 78 friends have responded.

The number we need to win (to end the year at break-even): $384,000. The gifts we’ve received, as of Saturday: $193,092. We’re hopeful that the remaining $190,908 will be arriving during this last week of the 2015 ministry year.

You can’t affect a Bowl game; you’ll only watch football. You will get a chance to vote in the national elections; there is power at the polls, as an American citizen. But, in the great Eternal effort, you have immense participative potential. Help us score in the final minutes of the 2015 contest!

I can’t wait to see what God – and, you! – will do in the last few plays of the game!

Bob Shank

Do it ’til it hurts

December 21, 2015

Its origins are fascinating.

The word isn’t that old – birthed in the 16th Century – but the concept dates from Creation. From Latin – through Middle French – generous   meant “of noble birth.” It came to denote one who was magnanimous, unselfish and plentiful. With everything at their disposal, the generous person saw the needs of those who had less – or, nothing – and intervened from abundance. It stands tall alongside its synonyms: benevolent, hospitable, lavish, bountiful, honorable and kindhearted; these deserve certificates and trophies. The antonyms for generosity – greedy, inattentive, inconsiderate, malevolent, thoughtless, small, selfish, miserly, stingy – are the worst of descriptions one could hear of themselves.

This week, much will be done – and, many gifts will be passed – in the name of generosity. Sadly, our culture has arrived in a place where words don’t mean so much, and titles can be assumed without challenge by those who fail to really qualify. What does generosity really look like, in action?

The details of the Advent are the contribution of Matthew and Luke; the ethos behind the drama is offered by John’s meaningful headline statement, perhaps the oft-repeated summation concerning the coming of the Christ: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16).

Nothing will ever portray generosity more powerfully than the reality of the Incarnation: God – the imminent entity in the universe – had no debts to satisfy or favor to curry. He did not procure flashy trinkets or even valuable commodities to distribute to His creation: instead, He gave His Son – One of a kind, without equal or replacement – as a gift, to a race in rebellion. The powerful incentive that drove the decision to follow-through with their plan that had predated Creation: love. Used – by God, and by us – to describe that highest of emotions can be felt… but, when joined with generosity, the feeling gains tangibility that registers with all of the senses. Generosity is no stranger to love.

God is not “of noble birth;” even in His entry in Bethlehem, there was nothing regal about His human circumstances. The generosity of heaven did not trace to privilege in lineage; its genesis is in the heart of the Holy One.

But, today, His family – adopted through the exercise of faith – are of noble (re)birth, and have been called to emulate our Heavenly Father in modeling His generosity as a new and powerful way of life. The Father gave His Son – generously – with no means to replenish the vacuum that was left in Glory during the 33 years He was gone. There was an empty seat at the table of the Trinity…

Our generosity is far less costly: we give our best, knowing it will be restocked from the reserves of Heaven: “God can pour on the blessings in astonishing ways so that you’re ready for anything and everything, more than just ready to do what needs to be done. As one psalmist puts it, ‘He throws caution to the winds, giving to the needy in reckless abandon. His right-living, right-giving ways never run out, never wear out.’ This most generous God who gives seed to the farmer that becomes bread for your meals is more than extravagant with you. He gives you something you can then give away, which grows into full-formed lives, robust in God, wealthy in every way, so that you can be generous in every way, producing with us great praise to God.” (2 Corinthians 9:8-11, from The Message)

Caution to the winds. Reckless abandon. Extravagant. Full-formed. Robust. Wealthy in every way. Those are words that I want to come to mind when my name is in play today; those are qualities I long for my eulogizers to use someday, when my days here are remembered.

What a week to exercise the quality that our Eternal Family uses to portray our Heavenly Father to an increasingly needy world…

Bob Shank

The Path to Prosperity

December 14, 2015

Feliz Navidad, y Prospero Año Nuevo.

We’re seeing the resurgence of the Post Office; this is their big month. Our mailbox should have a “No Vacancy” sign; Christmas Cards now outnumber new credit card offers in the stack.

Lots of photo cards; we get to see everyone in our relational world, at least once a year. That made the multicultural greeting stand out; the expression in Spanish speaks to our changing culture. Translated: Merry Christmas, and a Prosperous New Year.

Most of the presidential candidates – from both parties – present some version of that offer: a vote for them will lead to prosperity (Webster: flourishing). Hallmark suggests that you can wish it on someone, as part of a Christmas blessing. I use Mapquest to plot my travels on roads; if the Bible had a mapping app that gave directions for the places we’re hoping to go in life, what is the shortest route to prosperity, at Christmas… or, anytime? Here’s the turn-by-turn path that goes to the flourishing horizon:

The trip starts at Hopeless: you don’t go anywhere with God until you recognize the fallacy of traveling alone. Dead is His diagnosis of the life without Him; until you realize the futility of going without Him, your only destination is deficiency and destruction.

The next milestone is Surrender: He demands what He deserves, and that’s your utter allegiance. He wrote the contract for salvation; you must sign it on His terms, with no amendments allowed. With no claim of power to challenge His requirements, you must accept His death and resurrection for yourself.

The trip crosses over the border from death to life, and Confidence is the new territory. The guarantees that came from Surrender begin to crystallize: He will never rescind the promise of life – everlasting – with Him, beyond death. There is no U-turn provision in the journey; you will be waved-through the guard gate of Heaven someday. That’s a wow…

But, wait: Heaven is still over-the-horizon. You’re not even close to the end of the road, and there are side roads that present multiple diversions. What’s the best route to take, beyond Confidence?

Too many people miss the long stretch called Faithfulness: that’s the daily exercise of checking the map, and following it explicitly. The life map is the Scriptures, and God expects it to be the explicit counsel for the moment-by-moment navigation of the adventure. He doesn’t present a buffet of options; rather, a systematic itinerary that points your way to ultimate living. Faithfulness – some call it Obedience – is not an occasional exception… but, rather, a resolute lifestyle. That’s a long parkway…

As life’s road-trip continues – and you set the cruise control of Faithfulness – you see yourself in a new environment. This new country is called Generosity, and you find yourself making frequent stops to assist people you meet along the way. Fix a flat? Share a gallon of gas? Pass an extra sandwich from your lunch basket? Give directions for the person who looks lost? You no longer look at those requests from a position of deficiency; you feel the wind at your back and the sufficiency of what you packed for the trip. You can share without risking going-without. A feeling of gratitude – for the giver – can’t be explained, but it’s sure enjoyed. When you siphon off a gallon – while watching your gauge rise toward “full” – the peace you feel makes the trip a delight.

The road sign confirms the last leg of the jaunt: it’s Prosperity, and when you look out the window, it’s everything you always wanted… but thought impossible. Everything you long for – this side of Glory – surrounds you. The invitation to Prosperity is spread across the Old Testament – mentioned 84 times – but it’s always the byproduct of obedience. Follow the map… and you’ll get there.

Merry Christmas… and a Prosperous New Year. What’s your next step to get there?

Bob Shank

The Only Solution to Islamic Terrorism

December 7, 2015

Where were you?

That question has been asked – for 14 years – concerning the terrorist attacks on 9/11. With the most casualties on American soil since 9/11, last Wednesday’s installment in The War on Terror may leave the same kind of timestamp on the current generation of Americans. Our peace has – again – been disrupted by an act of asymmetric warfare: a conflict defined by disparity; not a formal army-against-army contest marked by a national declaration, but – rather – a David vs. Goliath struggle where the outmatched entity uses atypical strategies, and rejects any “rules” designed to make the struggle “fair.”

Over 11 years – from 1933 to 1944 – President Roosevelt used the radio to spend the evening with Americans, reassuring them about his handling of the Great Depression and, then, World War II. On 30 occasions, those discussions had a calming effect on a country that was at the brink of emotional despair over circumstances that were beyond their control but affecting their daily lives. It is said that his tone and demeanor communicated self-assurance during times of despair and uncertainty.

Confusion is widespread today. The Global War on Terror was given a name by the president weeks after 9/11, and countries gathered their activities against the terrorist initiators under that banner. Twelve years later, a new American president declared the end of that terminology, deferring to tactical responses to individual acts rather than a concerted strategy to eliminate an organized initiative.

For centuries, mortal combat has involved country vs. country enmity; today, we are experiencing something far different. Some say it’s a collision of ideologies that pits the Muslim world against “the West.” The term approaches reality, but misses the mark of clarity (ideology: a worldview of concepts about human life and culture). The definition holds when it addresses politics or culture, but the real issue is far deeper: the radicals acting-out against the West – for whom America is the champion – are driven by religious fervor, rooted in a clash of theologies that are mutually exclusive.

Islam is a religious system that projects itself into Eternity, with Allah as its supreme being. Its doctrine offers the possibility – though not the promise – of eternal Paradise through prescribed, rigid practices. Muslims see the immoral excesses of the West – the culture they deem “Christian” – as evidence of their religious superiority over the decadence of western culture. But, still: there is no assurance of salvation in Islam… unless you die as a martyr, in pursuit of jihad, against the Infidels.

Muhammed (570-632) is regarded as the inspired spokesman for Allah; he founded and expanded Islam. Early on, conversion was through persuasion… and the growth was minimal. In Muhammed’s later life, his strategy moved from persuasion to conquest, and the “repent or die” methodology resulted in explosive growth. Islam’s missionaries were warriors with swords.

At the center of modern Islamic terrorism is a historic belief system that offers no certainty of salvation to the peaceful Muslim; their measure against divine expectation will not be clear until their end of life, when it’s too late to make a difference. Terrorists who choose martyrdom for jihad become the radical frontline in an asymmetrical clash; that is missing in the national and international dialog.

Superior armies defeat inferior ones, through war. Superior ideas defeat inferior ones, through debate. Superior belief systems defeat inferior ones, through evangelism. No Jihadis who convert to become followers of Jesus buy assault weapons and invade Christmas parties. Jesus is the ultimate solution.

How do you defeat the enemy? “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14) Infiltrate their world with grace and truth…

Bob Shank

Before you buy those Starbucks Cards…

November 30, 2015

Who’s on your list? What are you going to give them?

Those are the questions most asked, for the next 24 days in modern culture. For 11 months, many people are driven by their hit list: they maintain an archive of names – people who have “done them wrong” (bad grammar; bad blood), and they’d like to “pay them back.” Christmas shifts focus, for most: the people they care for emerge this month. Who are they? What will they get?

Black Friday. Small Business Saturday. Cyber Monday. The calendar belies the common approach: buy them something… and don’t wait too long. The really-good-stuff will go fast; unless delivered by an Amazon drone, it may take awhile to get to the door. Brace yourself for supply-chain holdups and unexpected delays; you’ve got no time to wait. How’s your blood pressure pumpin’ now?

Let me offer some relief. Anything < $100 will be forgotten by Super Bowl; how about making a list – checkin’ it twice – that will have lasting value?

Here are five can’t-miss gifts that are both personal and powerful; they will imprint memories that have staying-power; they’re in the original Christmas catalog. Peruse the options…

1. The Gift of Compassion. Do you know someone who is “down on their luck” right now? If life has highs and lows, they’re at the low. They’re off the invite lists for holiday parties; marketplace lepers have no one taking them to lunch or bringing them home for dinner. “Be kind and compassionate to one another…” (Ephesians 4:32). Who needs your compassion this Christmas?

2. The Gift of Encouragement. Fear: what a way to end a year? You know someone who sees their situation through a magnifying glass; they’re stalled, one play away from victory. They’ve run out of confidence; you believe in them more than they believe in themselves. “Therefore encourage one another and build each other up…” (1 Thessalonians 5:11). Who needs your encouragement right now?

3. The Gift of Honor. In Hollywood, they stop the traffic to pass out trophies; in the real world, great performances most often go unheralded. Faithful spouses, longsuffering parents, ethical business people who lose market share to charlatans; you see people who deserve a plaque. What could you do? “Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves…” (Romans 12:10).

4. The Gift of Acceptance. We’ve all been there: “odd man out” is a way to cull the herd, and it happens without thinking. The kid with the tat, in an office full of button-downs. The single sales pro, on a team full of married-guys. The immigrant with the PhD, surrounded by people whose family sailed first-class on the Mayflower. “Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you…” (Romans 15:7). Who needs your right hand of friendship?

5. The Gift of Submission. The word makes us tense; submission is for slaves… or, is it? “Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.” (Ephesians 5:21). This is a perfect gift between spouses; the verse opens the gift box most often unpacked at weddings: “Wives, submit to your husbands…” “Husbands, love your wives…” Take two directives, and add 50 years of practice. Submission is the attribute of love that makes us salute someone or serve someone; the choice is made in the moment, based on sensitivity.

Take the people on your list, and match them with this one-another catalog. A guarantee: no one will ask for a gift receipt; none will be returned-to-sender. We all live, longing for love… among people who have the same hunger, and no source of supply.

Your direction – and, decisions – matter: this Christmas, will you be George Bailey (It’s a Wonderful Life), or Ebenezer Scrooge (The Christmas Carol)?

Bob Shank

Can you play catch by yourself?

November 23, 2015

Some things can’t be done alone.

No one ever imagined the ultimate Thanksgiving experience as a solo performance. TV dinners with turkey and potatoes – heated and served on a tray – set up in front of a high-definition flat-screen carrying cable series marathons never comes to mind as the iconic Norman Rockwell print. As irritating as some family members can be when gathered for an annual feast, it wouldn’t be the same without some of the turkeys around the table focused on the turkey at the center of the table.

This Thursday, some conversations will be slotted into the commercial breaks during the NFL holiday games. For others, all screens will be de-powered as the family quarterback (Dad? Mom?) mandates the mantra that precedes the “White or dark?” question that kicks off the feast. Before you get your plate, you must answer the annual query: “What are you thankful for?”

It can be embarrassing, really. In 2015 America, entitlement poison is in the water, and we’re at risk of living with a near-fatal dose accumulating in our soul. If I’m entitled to everything, I’m grateful for nothing; why be thankful for what I had coming?

Carpooling with the entitlement delusion is a companion confusion that pops up regularly, especially among the accomplished. It’s called “I did it my way!” and it promotes the self-made-person philosophy. If pond scum could become the biological human through Darwinian evolution… why couldn’t that human claim sovereignty over all that he/she enjoys, by their own creation? Spontaneous magnificence strains thoughtful consideration; great results are always the product of greater forces.

So… here we are, around the Thanksgiving table. “What are you thankful for?”   Three possibilities:

  1. I’m not thankful… because I deserve everything I enjoy; my entitlement displaces gratitude
  2. I’m the source of everything I enjoy… so if I’m thankful to anyone, it’s me
  3. I’m aware of the good things that I enjoy, and I recognize those who are their source

Thanksgiving was – originally – a community experience bringing individually-thankful people together for a collaborative recognition of the Source of the things that they could have characterized as #1 or #2 from the above options. The Pilgrims did the beta-test, in America’s earliest days; it was finally declared a national holiday in 1863 by President Lincoln, during the Civil War: “Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens.”

The recipe for a great Thanksgiving isn’t in a cookbook: “Be very careful, then, how you live – not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,” (Ephesians 5:15-20).

Some families pull out the football on Thanksgiving afternoon, and the crowd finds grass to work off some stuffing. There’s no such thing as “solitaire football:” you can’t play catch by yourself.

You can’t do Thanksgiving if you have no one to thank. Throwing gratitude without a receiver puts you in the logical swamp of #1 or #2. You have much that you don’t deserve… and, you didn’t create the greatest things you enjoy. Thank people, and thank God, for the things you enjoy most: it will be the most satisfying part of Thursday’s experience!

I’m thankful to you for reading my musings every Monday! Happy Thanksgiving!

Bob Shank

Should we boycott “red” for Christmas?

November 16, 2015

If we had a public relations department, they’d be ballistic right now.

There’s a two-year campaign underway to fill the Leader of the Free World position for four years, at a critical time in human history. A radical Islamic terror group is attacking Western Civilization at-will, and producing massive casualties. Christians around the globe are being marginalized and martyred, while – in America – we’re focused on what’s really important: the paper cups at Starbucks, leading up to Christmas. It’s a PR nightmare for the Christians in America.

The attack on Starbucks has been masterminded by one Joshua Feuerstein – “an American evangelist, internet and social media personality,” according to his personal website – whose YouTube rant against America’s coffee giant has created a firestorm. He lives in Arizona, but has fired “the shot heard round the world” at the green umbrellas found on 12,218 corners around the country.

His issue: the cups at Starbucks, leading into Christmas, are red; the reindeer/snowflakes/Santa graphics of past years have given way to a simple deep-red-colored theme, with the Starbucks logo the only “art.”  Feuerstein’s issue: the plain cup constitutes Starbucks “taking the Christ out of Christmas.”

I’m sitting at Starbucks in San Diego – unbowed, before sun-up, on Monday morning – drinking their special “Christmas Blend” out of one of those red cups. The whole store has been “red-ized,” creating a holiday vibe for their retail sales leading up to year-end. Howard Schultz – founder/CEO of Starbucks – isn’t an “evangelist” from Arizona; he’s a Jewish businessman from Brooklyn whose coffee concept – creating “the Third Place” for people to stop between home and work, to caffeinate and socialize – has become a generational fixture.

Do some web search on Feuerstein and you find some disturbing theological linkage; he has ties to Oneness Pentecostalism, which proposes that God does not exist in Three Persons – Father, Son, Holy Spirit, as orthodox faith holds – but rather has different “modes” of manifestation, sometimes portraying Himself as a Son, and sometimes as a Father… but, not being Three-in-One. This heresy goes back 1700 years to Rome, and a false teacher named Sabellius.

The Internet gives… and, the Internet takes away. Today, ministries like Global Media Outreach and The Jesus Film Project are using the web to reach behind enemy lines – into Muslim countries that are closed to all Christian missions, and have no above-ground churches – where men and women bound by a brutal, dominating Muslim culture are seeing Jesus in their sleep (see Tom Doyle’s book, Dreams and Visions: Is Jesus Awakening the Muslim World?) and coming to faith in waves that can only be understood to be a movement of God. The internet recruits ISIS terrorists, and provides a platform for Joshua Feuerstein’s rant.

I’m not counting on Starbucks to put the amazing message of the Incarnation on their coffee cups; I’m taking the responsibility for that, personally. I’ve had more opportunities to share the story of Jesus over coffee the last 20 years – at Starbucks – than I can count.

By the way: I made a human goof last week to some of my readers; a factual error that my editing process didn’t catch. I said that Veterans Day was coming up last Thursday… when, in fact, it was Wednesday (when I wrote last week’s Point of View, I was just-back from Israel, and was in a time-zone fog). Curious: we had more replies to that error, offering me correction, than we had inquiries about helping to scholarship veterans in The Master’s Program.

“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).

Bob Shank