Point of View.

August 5, 2013

    “The Childfree Life.”
    The headline for this week’s cover story in Time magazine grabs your attention. You’ll seldom see the words “child” and “free” welded together; the government estimates the cost of the trip from birth to 18 – for families making more than $100k/year – to be $390,000.
    The article explores the growing cultural phenomenon of Americans whose dreams of the perfect life have no room for peanut butter and jelly crusted on the kitchen table. The terminology is intentional: to define the unigenerational abode as childless implies a deficiency; to relabel as childfree exalts the status to be an intentional choice for, what the practitioners claim to be, a superior experience.
    As recently as the 1970s, only 1-in-10 women ended their childbearing years with no children; today, that number has grown to 1-in-5 – a statistical doubling.
    The economic implications seem positive for the individual – who can argue with the elimination of dependents around the table leaving more for the big people? – but a ticking bomb for the aggregate. Jonathan V. Last writes in his book What to Expect When No One’s Expecting that the long-term effects include the destruction of our national economic future by reducing the number of consumers and taxpayers.
    Who’s in front of this new movement? Sort out the demographics, and you find well-educated white women to be the most likely adherents to this new club’s membership criteria. The homeroom teacher for America’s women studying success – Oprah Winfrey – makes her position clear: “I have none – not one regret about having children – because I believe that it is the way it’s supposed to be.” (in a 2010 interview with Barbara Walters).
    They make a strong case: if you want the perfect life – with your own life and plans as the magnetic center of your personal universe – adding kids to the mix is a losing proposition.
    Lauren Sandler – the reporter who researched and wrote the article – did not interview God to get his opinion for the story. Does he have a position in the matter that is worth considering?
    Using the Bible as credible history regarding God’s interaction with the human race, his input on procreation is no mystery.
    His first communication with Adam and Eve – according to Genesis 1 – was for them to get busy with having a family. “Be fruitful, and fill the earth” leaves little confusion in the matter.
    When Noah and his family – his wife, his three sons, their wives – disembarked the ark, the directive was issued: “Be fruitful and multiply” was the essence of their new assignment.
    Then, God pulled Abram aside – an elderly man with a similarly used-up wife – and made a covenant with him that is still in effect today. A significant portion of God’s plan for Abram’s future was dedicated to the proliferation of his progeny – more numerous than the grains of sand on the beaches. Abram – later, his name-change to Abraham was telling: “father of a multitude” – made it his mission to make God’s covenant his reality.
    How interesting: a growing population is an environmentalist’s nightmare, a problem to be addressed and reversed. From God’s perspective, an expanding human race is the natural and desired result of people doing what he intended for them to do.
    Jesus’ last directive before returning to heaven echoed the instructions issued in the past, but in a purely spiritual context: the apostles were commissioned to be fruitful and multiply disciples, everywhere, among every people group. God’s spiritual family was to expand through the intentional propagation of obedient believers.
    The selfish option: childfree / disciplefree. The selfless option: childrich / disciplerich. God loves kids, and he’s looking to adopt as many as possible into his eternal family.
    Are you part of the task force that is reproducing / recruiting people to become children of God?

Bob Shank

July 29, 2013

    Texans call it “all hat, and no cattle.”
    It’s colorful; it’s descriptive, and it’s going on, constantly. You know it when you see it: someone claims to be something their performance does not confirm. Their rhetoric isn’t matched by their results; their claims fall short of their conduct; they pretend… but, they don’t produce.
    Look around. How many people do you know who are introduced as “leaders”… but have no one following them?
    Is leadership a title? Is it confirmed by having custody of a box in an organizational chart positioned above others? Is leadership locked to pay-grades? Can you assume that people who make more, lead more… and those who are lower on the tax ladder have no impact on those around them?
    There are two measures of leadership. The classic power systems are built around command-and-control models. Hierarchies are top-down horsepower; they have the power to dictate to their downline.
    There has always been a less visible – but often more viable – model of leadership: call it influence. “The capacity to have an effect on the character, development or behavior of someone” is the way one dictionary describes influence. If that isn’t leadership, my thesaurus has a virus…
    When you know what you’re looking for, leadership is easier to spot. When you see someone who has an effect on other people, you’ve found a leader; measure the effect, and you then know whether they’re leading people toward their betterment or their demise.
    Let’s test that premise. Here’s a moment in history, with scores of people in the mix. Can you spot the leaders in the scene?
    Executive Summary: Jesus and his 12 Disciples are traveling; they stop at a well just outside Sychar – a town in Samaria, where they are likely not welcome (Samaritans had no dealings with Jews; it’s a long story). The 12 – all of them – went into town to get lunch, leaving Jesus at the well, alone and thirsty. A woman comes to draw water, and Jesus asks her for a drink. She’s shocked: he’s violating social protocols (Jews didn’t interact with Samaritans, nor men with women). He turns the conversation to spiritual thirst, and his ability to slake that longing with eternal efficacy. He discloses his knowledge of the woman’s tawdry past – five failed marriages; now living with a guy – but extends grace. She mentions the longing for Messiah that merged the Jews’ and the Samaritans’ religious beliefs; Jesus tells her that he is the Christ.
    Just then, the 12 leaders-in-training return from town – with take-out – and try to pull Jesus away from the woman to get it while it’s hot. He responds: they’re famished for food; he’s interested in impact. Just then, the woman leaves her water pot and heads back into town. She puts herself in the middle of the marketplace and makes a bold announcement: out by the well, she has found the Messiah!
    She’s the Pied Piper: the men of the city follow her out to the watering hole, and there she introduces them to Jesus. They listen, persuade Jesus to stay… and he spends two days addressing this town full of thirsty people with truth that hydrates them. Their summation, to the woman who previously wore the Scarlet Letter: “We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.” (John 4:42).
    So… where are the Leaders? Two stand out: Jesus, and the woman. He effected her character, development and behavior; she effected the character, development and behavior of the people in her city. The 12 went to town and brought back sandwiches; the woman went to town and brought back… the town.
    Had you been in the story, where would you have been? Buried in the details? or, Getting in front of a movement? Where is your leadership influence being leveraged, today?

Bob Shank

July 22, 2013

    It’s great when a winner wins.
    Instant information – and international coverage – have made the news business predictable: find the greatest overnight disaster, and lead with that headline in the morning. Train station bombings, mob violence in a historic square, tornados with a path of destruction, a politician caught in a tawdry scandal: the race to get heartbreak above-the-fold is the nature of the news in the 21^st Century.
    Until this morning. “Forever Second” might as well be his motto, but yesterday, Phil Mickelson raised the trophy toward the sky – to the delight of the photographers – as he claimed the prize for the British Open, played out at Muirfield, “Home of the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers.”
    In case you’ve been in a coma, or on a wilderness trek for an upcoming reality program, let me give you the tweet-length news: Phil started the day Sunday 2-over-par – and five shots behind the leader, Phil Westwood. He birdied four of the last six holes, and finished the day with a 66. It was his fifth major title. The guy who missed his last three haircut appointments – with the goofy grin – won the prize.
    It was just five weeks ago when Phil’s family got in the way of his golf.
    His daughter, Amanda, was set to speak at her graduation in San Diego late in the afternoon on Wednesday, June 12^th. Phil was slotted to tee-off for the first round of the US Open at Merion Golf Club in Haverford Township, just outside Philadelphia at 7:11 the next morning. He was at Merion on Monday to prep for the tournament, got rained out… and flew home Tuesday to be in the gallery for Amanda’s commencement speech. College graduation? Nope; it was middle school, 8^th grade…
    Back on the plane at 6:00p; landed in Philly at 3:30a; an hour’s sleep, then off to Merion. His first round was a 67, proof that pro golf is best played by pros, with or without rest. Going into the final round on Sunday, June 16^th, Phil had the lead… and ended the day tied for second. What if he had missed the ceremony on Wednesday, and started the weekend rested?
    No one was talking about shoulda / woulda / coulda yesterday. The man-without-scandals pulled it off, and the insiders are calling it one of the great final rounds of golf history.
    In an era when “scoops” in journalism are more likely to involve a confirmed report that will reveal a dark secret that ends a career and destroys an image, it’s great to be reminded that goodness still draws applause. The ever-present microphones caught the chatter while the big names were playing their final round. Tiger Woods was chiding himself with unprintable expletives, while Phil’s response to a bad roll on a shot caused him to say, “Wow, that’s as good as I got.”
    Congrats, Mr. Mickelson. Your wife and three kids are proud of you. So am I…
    Phil’s golf is a matter of public record; his position regarding personal faith is a mystery. He frequents no church; he has made no declaration of dedication. He plays for KPMG, Barclays Bank and Callaway – the sponsors whose logos he sports on his visor and his shirt – but he has no apparent conviction regarding his religion. I hope he’s a follower of Jesus, or will be…
    The point: goody-two-shoes is still a great caption to put under a victory pose. It results in applause… and a heightened respect for the Champion, and his/her sponsors.
    Play to win, but when you get the trophy, be reminded that you’re wearing the logo of heaven. “Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16). People are watching… and they want the good guys to win. Make your sponsor – The One Who paid dearly to be your Patron – proud, as you play your life to win.
   
Bob Shank

July 15, 2013

    “And go to church next Sunday.”
    Ed McMahon spent years opening the Tonight Show with a dependable line: “Here’s Johnny!” That was the signal for Johnny Carson to emerge through the curtain and start his nightly monolog.
    For decades, Billy Graham’s Crusades were the most likely Christian programs on television. Long before the days of 24/7 religious broadcasting – featuring a hodge-podge of presenters who remain impossible to vet for biblical credibility – Mr. Graham’s television specials were edited presentations of his live stadium events. They always ended with Billy facing the camera – after the invitation and prayer of commitment – and giving his sage advice: “And go to church next Sunday.”
    In 1950 – a time when the dinosaurs still roamed the earth – Perry Como was one of America’s most popular musical voices. Steve Allen was Johnny Carson’s predecessor on the Tonight Show, but his career build-up included a portfolio of songs he had written. One of them – recorded by Como – was intriguing: Let’s Go to Church. Really?
    “Let’s go to church, next Sunday morning; let’s kneel an’ pray side by side. Our love will grow, on Sunday morning, if we have the Lord as our guide. Through the week you love and laugh and labor, but on Sunday don’t forget to love thy neighbor. Let’s make a date for Sunday morning; we’ll go to church, you and I. Let’s go to church, next Sunday morning. We’ll see our friends on the way. We’ll stand and sing, on Sunday morning, and I’ll hold your hand as we pray. Let’s go to church, next Sunday morning. Let’s go through life, side by side.” (Lyrics, Let’s Go to Church)
    In the Greatest Generation (Tom Brokaw: the generational cohort who grew up in the Great Depression and won World War II), they assumed that going to church was the right thing to do. Today, “unchurched people” are plenteous… and include half of the Americans who self-describe a born-again experience. Why go to church? What’s the point? Why waste half the day on Sunday? If you already know enough about God to make your decisions about Him and about yourself, what difference does it make whether you show up for the weekly event?
    “Spiritual, not religious” is the trendy way for Americans to explain that they can be spiritually informed without having to shave on Sunday mornings. Our “who needs church?” generation has intriguing beliefs. When asked by a Pew Forum survey if non-Christian religions can lead to eternal life, 47% of white Evangelicals said “yes.” Black Protestants: 49%; 82% of white Mainliners, and 84% of white Catholics agreed. Interesting: lay those responses alongside the likelihood of church attendance, and the trend lines align. The more you’re in church – a church that teaches from the Bible – you are likely to know that Jesus said, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6) Which basis is most reliable: human philosophy, or divine pronouncement?
    What’s the argument for going to church? Ask Paul: “So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” (Ephesians 4:11-13)
    Those leaders – apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers – convene the Body of Christ on Sundays to equip God’s people for works of service. They are tasked with nurturing people toward maturity, becoming more like Christ. Who needs that?
    We do. If you’re looking for me on Sunday morning, I can tell you where you can find me: at church. I’m either behind a pulpit – standing in for a friend – or, in a pew – sitting with my family.
    I’m just taking Billy’s – and, Perry’s – advice: “And go to church, next Sunday morning…”

Bob Shank

July 8, 2013

    It doesn’t take long to get back to normal.
    Cleaning up after Christmas takes much longer; the hours spent decorating the house – inside, and out – is just the down payment on the time it will take to roll it all up and get it back in the attic. Saying farewell to the Fourth is simpler: sweep up the burnt residue from the fireworks in the street, and say “welcome” to Summer.
    For the next two months, you’re living in a ghost town. After five years of Recession, folks are ready to get back to their summer posture. Two week vacations will be back with a vengeance. Don’t expect quick answers or call backs; whoever you’re after is either gone, getting ready to go… or buried in the pile from being gone. Suck it up: July and August are slim-pickin’s, if you’re trying to get face-time. If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em: get yourself ready for some Sabbath of your own.
    Just a couple of weeks ago, my friend Jim Daly – president of Focus on the Family – took a bold step and aired his interview with Paul David Hewson (you know Paul by his stage name, Bono, and his band, U2) on their daily program. To hear the interview, click here. Bono is the son of a Protestant mother, a Catholic father, and – by self-description – a follower of Jesus.
    Rodney Dangerfield’s comic caption was, “I don’t get no respect.” The Irish could be his back-up choir for that anthem; Bono is one of a long chain of Irish world-changers whose impact on history has been remarkable.
    While you’re getting packed for your summer escape, let me make a suggestion or two. You probably won’t make it to Dublin or Belfast; the Irish Isle isn’t on your itinerary… but it doesn’t mean you can’t go green in your free time.
    First, a book: How the Irish Saved Civilization, by Thomas Cahill. Amazon can set you up with the paperback, a Kindle version… or, an audio book for your digital listening device (go to amazon.com).  If you want some historic perspective about the importance of the Christian faith to the world as we know it – and, how the actions of a few ultimately aggregate to impact the many – this book will be a significant thought provoker.
    And, for a little music while you’re lying on a beach or running the trails, jump on iTunes and download the album Come, Heal this Land, by Robin Marks (go to itunes.apple.com). You may not want to pop for the whole enchilada (14 songs), but #9 – the title track – is available for 99¢.  
    Robin Mark is a worship leader at a vital evangelical church in Belfast. He has the heart of an Irishman… and lives to connect people with the heart of God.
    Whenever my runs are solo (most of the time), I run with Robin. Come, Heal this Land puts words to his prayer for Northern Ireland; I join his chorus while I grieve for America’s cultural path as we careen away from God’s standards. An excerpt: “Does a cry ring out from a broken nation; from a people who have been brought low. Was pride in our hearts? Did we grieve Your Spirit? Have we blocked the ancient wells that flowed. Here is our covenant prayer, who call upon Your name. We humble ourselves before You; we humble ourselves. Come heal this land, come heal this land! Come heal this land, come heal this land…”
    Schedule your Summer Sabbath. Breathe. Read. Sing. Reconnect. Come back better. And… join me in wondering: some day, will someone write, How the Americans Saved Civilization?

Bob Shhank

July 1, 2013

    Happy Birthday. Don’t light the candles; it’s too hot, and it wouldn’t be safe…
    We set our shared birthday at July 4^th, 1776. The Continental Congress – meeting in Philadelphia – ratified the Declaration of Independence from Great Britain, setting in motion the Revolutionary War and 237 years of national identity. That’s a lot of candles, requiring a big cake top. Let’s make it virtual.
    There are various ways of telling a country’s story. One is to measure generational cohorts. William Strauss and Neil Howe did that in their book, Generations (Morrow, 1991). They tell the story of America by tracing the distinctives of 20 generations, from the Puritans/Renaissance (b. 1584-1614) to the latest wave, the Homeland/Crisis (b. 2001-2022). We tend to share traits with the other people in our kindergarten class…
    Another way to map America is through the wars that have defined us. From the Revolution to Iraqi Freedom – 12 official conflicts, not counting the Cold War – our story is marked by defending values and people at the expense of lives and dollars. Find out what someone will die for – or, invest in – and you’ll come to understand them at a deeper level. Our heroes have been named for their role on a battlefield, not their performance in the marketplace. Can you imagine pinning a Congressional Medal of Honor on Mark Zuckerberg for giving us Facebook, even though it made him a billionaire?
    In his first Inaugural Address, Ronald Reagan recounted the story of an obscure hero who fell in battle during World War 1. Martin Treptow was a young barber in Iowa when World War I captured the passion of patriots. He enlisted in the Army National Guard, and was soon called-up into active duty, where he became part of the now-famed Rainbow Division – made up of guardsmen from 26 states.
    In France in 1918 – under heavy fire from their German enemies – he was dispatched by his superior to deliver a message to another platoon. Private Treptow moved through the battlefield to accomplish the assignment, and was fatally wounded in the process.
    When his body was found, stuffed in his shirt was his personal diary. On the flyleaf, he had written his own manifesto; the headline was “My Pledge.” This was his personal charter: “America must win this war. Therefore, I will work, I will save, I will sacrifice, I will endure. I will fight cheerfully and do my utmost, as if the issue of the whole struggle depended on me alone.”
    It’s hard to scan the meager historic record of Martin Treptow and find any evidence of the sweeping epidemic of entitlement that seems to define this generation of Americans. Pvt. Treptow believed in America, understood the gravity of the battle being fought so far from home, in Iowa… and was ready to work, save, sacrifice and endure – to the point of death – to make his contribution, as if the outcome depended on him, alone.
    The Kingdom of God has only had one war, in its long history. The rebellion incited by Lucifer continues today; his opposition to Heaven is ongoing. The fight is not over real estate; the prize in this epic contest is people. God sent His Son into enemy territory, on the rescue mission; He fulfilled His mission, and recruited us into active duty – in our generation – to continue the fight.
    Pvt. Treptow was a barber, back home; on the front line, his role was redefined. His heroism isn’t remembered from a barber shop, but – rather – from his efforts to oppose the enemy. His thoughtful commitment made him a timeless hero: ready to work, save, sacrifice and endure.
    My role, back home, was businessman. My wartime role – on the front line – is to mentor Kingdom leaders. My marketplace life will be forgotten before I die; my part in the War will define me for Eternity. My reserve unit was called-up 29 years ago…
    We’re surrounded by marketplace colleagues who are working, saving, sacrificing and enduring for their business plan; how is our generation of Christians participating in the real Battle?
    You know what’s on your business card, but what’s your identity, on the battlefield?

Bob Shank

June 24, 2013

    “Why don’t you include women in your Master’s Program classes?”
    Welcome to the 21^st Century. Whenever we invite a pool of prospects to hear and consider the invitation to participate in The Master’s Program, it’s fairly predictable that a modern American filter will find its way into the room.
    A room full of men is a powder keg, ripe for a cultural explosion. Assemble women in a space reserved for them to talk about leadership issues that are unique to women, and you’ll get a grant from a foundation. Do the same thing with men, and the question arises, quickly: is this a Neanderthal club of chauvinists who are going to paint their faces, pound drums, sit in sweat lodges… and claim gender superiority?
    It came up recently; it wasn’t the first time. “Why don’t you include women?” I didn’t have to stretch for an answer; I cited Paul’s words, to Titus: “You, however, must teach what is appropriate to sound doctrine. Teach the older men to be temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love and in endurance. Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. Then they can urge the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God. Similarly, encourage the young men to be self-controlled. In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us.” (Titus 2:1-8)
    Living out the Christian faith is a challenge for everyone; to rise to the level of leadership in the journey is even more demanding. We’re commissioned to produce disciples – followers of Jesus – in keeping with the Last Words of Jesus before his return to heaven. But… who are the ones he dispatched to do that? They were apostles – leaders – given the assignment to take it to the ends of the earth.
    It’s tough to be a follower of Jesus; it’s even tougher to be a leader who reproduces followers by modeling the lifestyle exampled and advocated by Jesus, and by the leaders to whom he delegated the task. The particulars are very specific; that’s why it’s so seldom attempted… and accomplished.
    Simply: the roles of Christians in every society are unique settings to apply the Truth. The best men in any culture were to be the followers of Jesus; the best women in any population were supposed to be the ones who had found life in the Son. Within their roles in the family, in the workplace and in the community, the Christians were to be the highest level of principled participant. How could that behavior be learned? Can men teach women how to succeed as women? Ask the Taliban…
    Modeling is everything. Leaders demonstrate to followers how it’s done. Men showing men how to take the teachings of the Scriptures and flesh them out; women doing the same with women, making the expectation clear. Mentoring is a focused effort; it’s life-on-life.
    Within a year of launching The Master’s Program in Southern California, the question was raised… and we responded. TMP for Women (www.themastersprogramforwomen.org) has been part of our portfolio of ministries for over 15 years. Sandy Olsson – one of our team for over 25 years – leads this effort; hundreds of women have participated in this parallel process, from coast to coast. They use the same curricular materials and process used by the men’s groups… but apply it to the unique challenge of being a woman with influence, in the culture but representing the Kingdom.
    I’m an older man, mentoring men. Sandy and the other women who lead the TMP/W groups have the right message and model for the women God is using to change the world and build his Kingdom. That was my answer to the thoughtful man who raised the question…
   
Bob Shank

   Where are they now?
    Everyone has some shelf space devoted to yearbooks, chronicling memorable days gone by. These literary bombs are the result of journalism classes unleashed on a common project, with a semester grade earned for the work product that will be sold to a closed community – the student body – with a limited time horizon – Spring Break until Graduation.
    The Yearbook Editor oversees the writing of text that will surround the photos and provide the captions. It’s mostly for the grade: no one will ever read the text. Decades to come, the comments autographed by friends past and pictures capturing zany clothes and bad hair will command the reviews.
    The group shots are the basis for intriguing retrospectives. “Where are they now?” is a rewind that traces a fellowship circle into unexpected outcomes that prove – over and over again – how much potential exists where none was perceived.
    I’ve been feeling that sense of amazement in tracing some incredible current stories – that don’t seem at all related – to moments when the players were all in a common circle…
    About ten years ago, Denny Bellesi was the senior pastor at Coast Hills Community Church in Orange County, California – the church he founded in 1985. Troy Murphy was an associate pastor; Tom Dobyns was a local banking executive, and an involved leader in the congregation at Coast Hills. There were times when a camera would have caught the three men together – in the lobby at the church, at a table at a church dinner, on a project with their sleeves-rolled-up. They were all in process…
    Denny was one of the first senior pastors to participate in The Master’s Program. During his time in TMP, he used a weekend message on the Parable of the Talents to distribute 100 – $100 bills to shocked service attenders to launch a Kingdom Assignment, and engage them in the biblical story. The results became national news, and Denny found his Kingdom Calling leading him out of the church he planted 20 years earlier to challenge churches – and, Christians – toward strategic, radical stewardship.

    Later, Tom took Denny’s advice and enrolled in TMP. He embraced TMP’s approach to life planning that helped him navigate successive career moves in the dynamic banking world of the 21^st Century. His opportunities led to the role of President at Mission Community Bank in San Luis Obispo.
    Troy’s pastoral career took him from church assignments in Southern California to a ten-year stint at Willow Creek Community Church in Illinois. A few years ago, he became the senior pastor at Green Bay Community Church, and chaplain of the Green Bay Packers. He’s a visionary leader with a heart to see his church penetrate the culture, beyond the limits of the church and its programs.

    In the last six weeks, Tom Dobyns has joined forces with Tom Crawford, Chris Skiff and Rienk Ayers – all TMPers from California’s Central Coast – to mobilize the launch of a new cohort of Master’s Program participants in San Luis Obispo, involving dozens of leaders in a process that could create significant Kingdom impact in the area and the world as the fellowship of Christians leaders finds collaborative potential.
    This morning, Troy Murphy hosted an introductory briefing for about 40 men in his church to hear about The Master’s Program opportunity to help Christian leaders explore, expose and exploit their Kingdom Calling. Half of those men accepted an invitation to test-drive Session #1 in September, as the next step in launching a satellite site for TMP in Green Bay.
    Three leaders, living their calling today in three very different locales, with their individual efforts aligned with their unique personal design. There was a day when they were in close proximity; today, their common outlook places them in disparate zip codes, but serving a unifying purpose.
    Who’s in your group photos, today? What is the future that awaits each of the faces, in the moving mosaic that is modern life? What are you doing today to prepare for those futures to be eternally meaningful, setting the stage for a reunion in Glory that will celebrate the unexpected?

June 10, 2013
   
    You don’t get better by treating the symptoms; you need to find the cause.
    I make no claims to being a health-care professional, but that statement applies to more than physiological issues. In most categories of life, addressing the “what” preoccupies most people; they never seem to get to the “why.” Manifestations are usually indicators of something far deeper than that which is observed. To really resolve troubling conditions, you have to get to the root, rather than just whacking away at the branches.
    Father’s Day will focus some of the American culture on the role of a dad in the basic building block of society: the family. It may be one of the most contested Hallmark holidays of our annual calendar: for a growing number of people, the very concept of fatherhood incites emotional reactions that disallow a principled conversation.
    Modern – dare I say “liberal” – thinking has diminished the contribution of men to the family dynamic to the level of sperm donor. Single parenting – both by default and by design – is on the rise, but it translates into fatherless families lacking the presence of a man to do what only men can do. If much of the residual effect of fathers has been measured deficient, who needs ‘em, anyway?
    It won’t hit the headlines, but an honest appraisal of culture’s ills – circa 2013 – would find widespread evidence of shortfalls on the fathering front. From the majority of the contemporary penal population – who lacked a meaningful relationship with a father – to the driven-to-succeed moguls – whose passion for performance often springs from a desperate effort to gain the approval of a demanding dad – we are a nation suffering from a significant shortfall of something vital.
    Once you tune your ear to the frequency of fathering, you can pick up the rattle of men and women whose paternal pathology has left them with a life-long condition that was never intended by the Creator. What happened?
    When Jesus kicked off his campaign to rescue the dying from the race God created for connection, He convened a crowd to hear His invitation into the relationship that would reestablish the original intent.
    It was in the Sermon on the Mount that He invited the people who knew something was missing into the ultimate solution. Here was the verse from the Father’s Day greeting card that He offered to people longing to be adopted into a healthy family: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your Kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.” (Matthew 6)
    Everyone has their own caricature of God; if you paint them on a wanted poster, they would never find Him in the crowd. “Vengeful bully,” or “distant force,” or “panacea for the masses” would capture the majority of the misconceptions. “Loving father who would do anything to rescue his children” would be way down the list of descriptors for the police artist to sketch into the composite…
    It’s true, though. He’s not a figment of uneducated imaginations, and He sure isn’t out to rain on parades and destroy the quality of life for people in the path of peril. Instead, He is the respectful sovereign who knows everything about his creation, loves us anyway… and went to great lengths to enable the restoration of a healthy relationship, without removing our freedom to choose. How so?
    He loves the world so much… that He sent the only Son He has to rescue the creation He lost, knowing that only a suicide mission would succeed…
    God knows we need dads. In fact, He stepped up to be the dad we need the most…

Bob Shank

June 3, 2013

“It is what you read when you don’t have to that determines what you will be when you can’t help it.”  (Oscar Wilde)
    We’re living in a functional paradox: we’ve never had more books available – hardcover, paperback, e-book – than today… and, there is an alarming level of illiteracy (“the condition of being unable – for whatever reason – to read and write; the condition of being unknowledgeable or ignorant in a particular subject or field”).
    Books contain the wisdom of the ages, accessible to all. The problem: too often, the good stuff is buried in piles of toxin and trivia that strains the reader into abandoning the search.
    Nineteen years ago, Bob Buford wrote Halftime to challenge Christians whose career success had come into view to see the next summit – Kingdom significance – as the next pursuit. Within a year, the right people were reading Bob’s challenge… and contacting him for more help in the journey.
    He asked me to consider creating a response to their request; The Master’s Program was launched 17 years ago to mentor leaders whose Kingdom Calling was their compelling future.
    No one had to read Halftime (Wilde); the haunting suggestion that there was more to life than professional goals, realized was enough to shift the course of accomplished people toward a heavenly horizon.
    It’s time for another treatment of that subject. Before year-end, Full Time will be in print. Bob Buford used his personal journey to offer his counsel on the theme; in Full Time, I’ll offer my own story – and, the coaching that comes from it – to add momentum to the movement.
    I need your help.
    On August 1, I’ll deliver the manuscript for Full Time to the publisher. For the next eight weeks, the goal is to make the content of that book rich with relevance for people just like you. People who know that there is more to this life than winning the rat race (success): they are devoting attention to the things that will still matter when they arrive in heaven (significance). They are leaders whose attention to detail in the refinement of their career has yet to be matched in calibrating their Calling. They know they aren’t finished yet… but they do not yet have the blueprint for building that part of their life from which retirement is not the ultimate objective.
    Here’s where you come in: I’d like to ask you to hit “reply,” and give me your input on what you think needs to be addressed in Full Time to make it meaningful for people like you. It may be a question that is currently on your mind… or, it may be the breakthrough discovery you made on the way to finding a clearer path for your own Kingdom service.
    Most books are like a menu, created by the author/master chef in hopes of meeting the tastes of their patron. The diner scans the offerings… and what follows is either a magnificent meal, or a missed opportunity. If Full Time had a Table of Contents that would draw you in, what would it include?
    Shoot me a bullet point, or write me a paragraph. Tell me what you wish someone had said in your earlier readings, or give me the nugget of wisdom that was the game-changer for you.
    Here’s the offer: if you’ll send me something of substance, I’ll promise to send you a copy of Full Time when it becomes available – in time for Christmas!
    The last thing I want to give up my summer to produce: a vegan menu for a barbecue crowd. I want to explore the questions that real people are posing, and offer input that will make the time spent reading an investment with eternal value.
    It is what you read when you don’t have to that determines what you will be when you can’t help it.
    Could you help? Thanks!
   
Bob Shank

May 27, 2013
   
    Memorial Day is a missed opportunity.
    Thank God for a day focused on the men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice by giving their lives in battle, to protect the United States of America. They didn ’t die for real estate; they died for the values that set the nation apart at inception. Looking backward – remembering the fallen heroes – is crucial… but, looking forward – and remembering what they died to protect – is also mission-critical.
    There is a split in America today. Some are intent on protecting the timeless qualities and eternal verities that are our history; while others are working to promote a new version of America, with a belief structure that bears little or no resemblance to who we were, just a generation or two ago. Who will win?
    The struggle between those two images of America ’s future is the unrelenting political scenario of the 21^st Century. Fiscal cliffs and Beltway leaks are simply the minor skirmishes giving face to the larger issue. The divide between the sides is no longer depicted in the “other side of the aisle” verbiage of a simpler past; the chasm is too broad for brides of compromise to cross.
    If that describes modern politics, it also reflects contemporary religion. Though less people bother to attend Sunday morning gatherings at a church, the conflicts concerning faith have become daily headlines, both nationally and internationally. Jihad and terror find their source in the collision of cultures founded on historic religious systems, but the infighting among the people who would seem to claim a common spiritual heritage is also accelerating. What ’s going on?
    This morning ’s Los Angeles Times had a front-line report, under the headline: “Liberal in a National Pulpit.” The article spanned two pages, and represented the celebration of “The Very Reverend” Gary Hall ’s journey to the role of dean at the Washington National Cathedral, the ionic Episcopal edifice where American royalty conducts the services connected with life and death.
    The article follows Hall from his days as “a bearded young comedy writer espousing progressive views in Hollywood in the early 1970s” to his highly visible and influential current position, leading the activities within the most visited building within the denomination ’s real estate portfolio.
    “In Hall ’s own life, politics preceded religion,” according to the report. His interest in religion grew out of his involvement in the anti-war movement during his freshman year at Yale University. Driven by his commitment to policies deemed liberal, he found a future in ministry to be a powerful point of engagement to offer support to the causes he deemed worthy of his life ’s work. A “calling?”
    In March, he spoke to the crowds in front of the US Supreme Court as the nine justices heard arguments concerning the protection of marriage between a man and a woman. He says that “Jesus never said anything about homosexuality,” and that “marriage is evolving” beyond the biblical models.
    I serve leaders whose longtime involvement in notable church systems has placed them in congregations caught up in battles where modernity is fighting a take-no-prisoners strategy against historic biblical truth. Local church leaders are finding themselves locked at impasse with hierarchies that are becoming more culturally relevant than biblically adherent. Many are abandoning the Christian standards that have become an out-of-date museum curiosity to a culture hell-bent on upending the moral boundaries set forth by the Eternal God.
    “Fight the good fight” is more than a euphemism; it is also a battle-cry for the heroes who carry Bibles instead of rifles, and are loaded with beliefs instead of bullets. Memorial Day assumes that bravery – taken to the point of sacrificing self-interest – was a wise commitment that preserved the Republic. We honor those who serve, fight – and have died – to defend the Constitution.
    I want to be among the heroes of our era, who are willing to be brave – to the point of sacrificing self-interest – to preserve the integrity of the Bible, God ’s everlasting truth.
     
Bob Shank

May 20, 2013
   
    We have a winner!
    People in Zephyrhills, Florida are on the lookout this morning for a person trying to suppress a smile. A Publix supermarket there sold a Powerball ticket that is now worth $ 590.5 million (if taken over time; most winners elect to receive a lump sum – in this case, $ 370.9 million – so they don’t have to trust the agency’s promise for long-term payout).
    Big money. The cameras haven’t found the winner yet, but they will. America loves a winner… especially when the “win” carries a pot of gold. The envy is already building; it’s waiting to be unleashed on an unsuspecting person. Relatives who didn’t give him/her the time of day will come out of hiding with thinly-veiled appeals to share the windfall. Local car boutiques will line up shiny sport models awaiting the arrival of the starry-eyed cash buyer. Life is about to change for someone, forever.
    A good financial advisor could offer some conservative counsel: take the annuity-styled long-term payout. Just put yourself on a budget of a few million a month so you don’t burn through the whole pile in 24 months and end up like most of the winners who came before you.
    What would you tell the winner? Here’s my take: The best thing that ticket-holder could do is head straight to church, with checkbook in hand… and listen to the familiar – but powerful – words of Jesus:
    “Someone in the crowd said to him, ‘Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.’
    Jesus replied, ‘Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?’ Then he said to them, ‘Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.’
    “And he told them this parable: ‘The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. He thought to himself, “What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.”
    “‘Then he said, “This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. And I’ll say to myself, ‘You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.’”
    “‘But God said to him, “You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?”  ‘This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.’” (Luke 12)
    Jackpots are things of legend, but Americans are numb to the cultural environment that presumes the right for a jackpot, for everyone. It’s called “retirement,” and it’s hard to find anyone – including the churchgoing Christian crowd – who hasn’t embraced it as an earned and deserved permanent vacation.
    Work for 20/30/40 years (20 is the union or government-job qualifier; 40 is the person who owned the enterprise), and you get to check out and take life easy, eat drink and be merry – the daily agenda decried by Jesus, but promoted by retirement destinations.
    Jon Piper, an influential church leader from Minneapolis, has this counsel for people who still have time to avoid the trap: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=60_TmQdxkcI
    The paradox of life in a fallen world: the winners become losers… and, the people who didn’t seem to be winners end up on top. We shouldn’t find that curious: “But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.” (Jesus, in Matthew 19)
    The best plan, for life: use your time to create something of value. In the present world, trade that value for money. For the coming world, create the value anticipating an eternal reward. If you don’t need any more money, keep creating value. If you trade for money, convert it to eternal investment that will be waiting for you one day, just the other side of this life…
     
Bob Shank

May 13, 2013

    We should have seen it coming.
    “President Barack Obama called Jason Collins on Monday to express his gratitude after the NBA player publicly announced that he is gay, two sources familiar with the call told The Huffington Post. A White House official confirmed the call, saying that the president wanted to ‘express his support’ and tell Collins that ‘he was impressed by his courage.’… Several politicians have applauded Collins’ decision to come out as well. First Lady Michelle Obama tweeted her support, while former President Bill Clinton – whose daughter went to school with Collins – offered a statement exalting his courage.” (Huffington Post)
    Courage used to be the stuff of heroes: people who sacrificed their self interest and risked personal injury or death to protect values or the safety and security of others. Courage earns medals and launches parades; it secures speaking engagements and affects name selection by new parents. Courage?
    Concerning his profession of Christian faith, Collins self-describes: “I take the teachings of Jesus seriously, particularly the ones that touch on tolerance and understanding.” (Sports Illustrated)
    Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error… Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.” (Paul, in Romans 1)
    “ ‘He (Tim Tebow) seems like a great guy to have on a team, and I’d be tempted to bring him in as our backup,’ one NFC head coach said. ‘But it’s just not worth dealing with all the stuff that comes with it.’ An AFC head coach said, ‘You don’t want to put up with the circus.’” (Sporting News)
    Just one year ago, Time Magazine posted their annual 100 Most Influential list… and only one NFL player made the cut: it was Tim Tebow. In the explanation for his selection, Jeremy Lin – also a Christian, from the New York Knicks, wrote: “He is unashamed of his conviction and faith, and he lives a life that consistently reflects his values, day in and day out…” Most influential… and unemployable because of his “stuff” and the “circus?”
    Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness , for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” (Jesus, in Matthew 5)
    So… the culture wars have been in live-fire forever. Is the conflict finished – like the Cold War – or is it ubiquitous, and never-ending? What are we supposed to do: go on strike? March in protest? Form a new political party? Isolate? Is there a strategy for living in a world-gone-nuts?
    The First Century was crazy-making, as well: Roman culture embraced hedonism with fervor. Moral boundaries either did not exist, or were not enforced. Paul was a Roman citizen, a world traveler… and an effective ambassador of a better way. His counsel still stands: “Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.  Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse… Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone… If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ says the Lord. On the contrary: ‘If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.’ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” (Romans 13)
   
Bob Shank

May 6, 2013

    He was the greatest man ever born.
    If that was a grand-prize game show question – on a Christian network – you would come up with “the answer”… and you would be wrong.
    “Jesus!” you say. Good guess… but, wrong. “Says who!” you ask. “Says Jesus,” I reply. If you’d like to debate him on that point, have at it.
    “Truly I tell you, among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist…” (Matthew 11:11).
    That’s a pretty amazing commendation, considering the source: Jesus’ regard for John was extraordinary. Though family – Jesus’ mother and John’s mother were cousins – He was objective in his assessment. What was it about John that made him stand out in such a remarkable manner?
    There isn’t much written about him in the four gospels; the writers’ primary focus is the life of Jesus, and the cast of other characters come into the story only insofar as their life experience weaves into His. But, there are some key observations that probably fuel Jesus’ proclamation.
    There were two amazing births noted in the New Testament: Jesus and John. Both involved angels visiting prospective parents with divine messages. Zechariah – John’s elderly, childless father – heard about Elizabeth’s unexpected pregnancy with this nuance: “He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born. He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord,” (Luke 1:14-17).
    John – we add “the Baptist” to distinguish him from “the Beloved” – had historic, biblical responsibility: he would be associated with the most prominent of Israel’s prophets – Elijah – in the role he would play in the introduction of the Messiah.
    Three things stand out about John. First, he was filled with the Holy Spirit before birth, and from that time forward, supernatural capacity was available to him. Second, his mission – what we would know as his Calling – was articulated before he would be old enough to ponder his purpose. He was the guy who would get Israel ready for Jesus. The reason for his earthly life was, for him, crystal clear.
    The “best in class” description by Jesus was triggered by a message sent from John to Jesus, through John’s dedicated followers: “When John, who was in prison, heard about the deeds of the Messiah, he sent his disciples to ask him, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?’” (Matthew 11:2-3). John was in Herod’s prison, from which he would be martyred; Jesus was in Galilee, in the midst of His prime ministry months. At that critical moment, John’s question is intriguing: “Hey, Jesus, are you the real deal?” (Shank paraphrase).
    The greatest man ever born of woman – he had met Jesus, had heard about his miracles, had never known a day without the onboard affirmation of the Holy Spirit – and he still was subject to doubts when he found himself in a dark place.
    John’s continuing bouts of humanity give me great comfort: I don’t have to be 100% certain, 100% of the time, to be playing in the League of Kingdom Leadership.
    In fact, Jesus’ applause toward John included reference to you and me: “Truly I tell you, among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet whoever is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he,” (Matthew 11:11). Did you see us? “…least in the Kingdom.”
    Anyone this side of heaven will have moments of doubt. Even the Great Ones do; John did.
    God doesn’t expect doubtlessness from us; just faithfulness, in the face of doubt…
   
Bob Shank

April 29, 2013

    You're not putting enough away for tomorrow.
    While our leaders in Washington are trying to get the air traffic controllers back in the towers and the airline flights back in the air, the long term issues go begging.
    Debt? Not to worry. The President, to George Stephanopoulos, last month: “We don't have an immediate crisis in terms of debt. In fact, for the next ten years, it's gonna be in a sustainable place.”
    At the personal level, people – across the age spectrum – have a nagging awareness of their own unfunded or underfunded future. Even if they want to keep working, there will come a day when they will live without a paycheck. Confidence in the security of Social Security is waning; 401(k) plans have no more certainty than the markets in which they're invested. Boring savings accounts sit with 1% earnings while the costs of health care – now government controlled – skyrocket. Feeling good yet?
    The pros in financial planning help clients do the tough math. Variables like age-at-retirement, projected lifespan, continued lifestyle expenses, future inflation: all come into consideration in finally finding “the Number:” How much will you need to amass for a comfortable, confident future?
    Let me jump past your memorial service, and into the domain where death has no place, but you do, being prepared by Jesus Himself. If making – and, acting on – plans for a couple decades of retirement makes sense… doesn't having a plan for millions of years of resurrection make sense?
    Your investments will affect your quality of life in tangible ways during your retirement season on Earth; have you considered the fact that your investments – made here, but placed in the Kingdom – will affect the quality of your life in tangible ways during your resurrection season in Heaven?
    As you manage your retirement funds, you choose between high return/high risk and low return/low risk options. As you manage your resurrection funds, the choices are even better: the Kingdom has some incredible high return/low risk options that can accelerate the accumulation of other-worldly balances that will be waiting for you in the first days following your last breath!
    Some great eternal investment advice: “Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth which is so uncertain… Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.” (1 Timothy 6:17-19) Wealth in this world is uncertain; wealth transferred to Heaven becomes a treasure we can count on.
    Most Americans aren't prepared for their retirement; in the same way, most Christians aren't prepared for their resurrection. Those are long-term realities; may I help you with one of those?
    Every year, we use our Golf Challenge event to raise money that is dedicated to the launch of new groups of participants in The Master's Program. Through TMP, Christian leaders explore, expose and exploit their Kingdom Calling. They begin a life of enhanced Kingdom Initiative through TMP; they change the world and build God's Kingdom as a result of their discoveries in the Program.
    Every new group in TMP costs about $20,000 to launch; we hope to start 8-10 new groups this year. Our ability to continue recruiting new participants, forming new groups and opening new cities depends on the funding raised next Monday – May 6^th – in the Golf Challenge.
    I'm asking – shamelessly – for your help. The pledges this year have been slow in coming, but I'm counting on friends like you to be part of a last-week surge.  Would you click here and see the options for you to be part of this effort? Our continuing ministry depends on the results of this effort.
    Join us to be part of the winning team! We'll help you lay up some treasure in heaven!
   
Bob Shank

April 22, 2013

    It’s a tough time to be rich in America.
    Radical Islamic Terrorists (RIT) get softer treatment – in political circles, and in the national press – than those treacherous Rich People (RP). RITs can always point back at the Crusades (11^th-13^th Centuries) as justification for their actions. RPs have no excuse; they’re just thieves in designer duds who ripped off their victims and then retreat to the Hamptons to gloat.
    It’s a good thing we’re not among either of them, huh? “Rich” is the club that everyone wants to join… but no one wants to admit they’re in. What does it take to be among ‘em?
    “The question of how much people need to feel rich has been studied for ages, and just about every study comes to a similar conclusion: people need twice their current net worth or income to feel wealth. The findings are remarkably consistent, no matter the wealth or income level. People worth $10 million say they would require at least $20 million to feel wealthy, while those with an income of $40,000 a year inevitably say they would feel wealthy with $80,000.” (Robert Frank/CNBC)
    Ken Stern wrote in the current Atlantic Monthly about the relationship between one’s place on the income/asset ladder and participation in philanthropy, based on his new book, With Charity for All. The world separates into segments using money as the measure, and the numbers don’t lie. “In 2011, the wealthiest Americans – those with earnings in the top 20% – contributed on average 1.3% of their income to charity. By comparison, Americans at the base of the income pyramid – those in the bottom 20% – donated 3.2% of their income. The relative generosity of lower-income Americans is accentuated by the fact that, unlike middle-class and wealthy donors, most of them cannot take advantage of the charitable tax deductions, because they do not itemize deductions on their income tax returns.” (Stern)
    He revealed that the 50 largest charitable gifts in 2012 – given by those top-tier folks – told an interesting story: none went to causes serving the people who are down-market. Thirty-four went to educational institutions like Harvard and Berkeley; the rest went toward fashionable causes like the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Rich folks’ giving benefits their niche on the pyramid, mostly…
    Use God’s metric: the “rich” are people who have more than they need to fund their reasonable lifestyle, today… and are then faced with decisions about what to do with their “wealth” – the surplus. Spend it? Hoard it? “Give it” to perpetuate the privileged? Any counsel on that point, Jesus?
    “I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings. Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? And, if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own? No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money… What people value highly is detestable in God’s sight.” (Luke 16)
    Paul Piff, a psychologist at UC Berkeley, recently pulled back the curtain with fresh research: the more you have, the more unethical you’re likely to be… and the more out-of-touch with real need you become. Isolation from real need may cause RP to have low empathy with those in real need.
    “Hi, I’m Bob” (“Hi, Bob!”); “and I’m ‘rich,’ because I have more than I need.” The government would just call it my 401k, but God sees it as me having more-than-I-need, today. My cultural pull is toward stinginess; my biblical gravity draws me toward generosity. Rich Christians are more likely to be in denial than in sync…
    May God find me trustworthy, by handling what I have knowing it’s really His; my attitudes and actions give evidence of what’s going on in my heart.
   
Bob Shank

April 15, 2013

    This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it (Psalm 118:24).
    That line, from the King James Version of the Bible, was published in 1611. James – son of Mary, Queen of Scots – started his reign as James VI, King of Scotland, but was chosen by childless Elizabeth I in England from a crowded field of royal candidates to succeed her, which he did in 1603, as James I. He had written of his political philosophy in The True Law of Free Monarchies, arguing with biblical attribution for the divine right of kings, an absolutist approach to a king’s power, and that royalty were a higher order of humans. He tolerated the notion of parliamentary participation, but did not lean toward the consent of the governed. In his view, kings were the next-thing to God.
    April 15^th is a conflicted day for many/most Americans. This marks the 100^th anniversary year of the 16^th Amendment, which gave Congress the right to impose an income tax on citizens. Over the last century, a near fatalism has attached to the 105^th day of the calendar year. In fact, it is repeated as if sourced in divine scripture: “There are only two things in life that are certain: death and taxes…”
    Why do Americans gnash teeth on April 15^th? According to a survey this month, 43% don’t trust what government will do with their hard-earned money collected as taxes, and 38% don’t believe that others are paying their “fair share” (a term that has very current political overtones).
    So… this is a day that the 16^th Amendment has made, and we’ll despair and be irritated in it; we’ll get back to rejoicing and being glad tomorrow. Good plan? Bad plan?
    In America, we still have some say in the tax-and-spend culture of government. In Israel – back in Jesus’ day – that participative structure didn’t exist. The Roman occupation began in 63 BC when General Pompey marched on Jerusalem and made Israel a vassal state of the heathen Roman Empire. Jesus emerged with growing popularity among the Jewish subjects of Rome, after nearly 100 years of military subjugation. In Israel, every day was April 15^th; the extraction of taxes – to fund Rome’s abuse – was a never-ending source of anguish for the Jewish community.
    The religious leaders were at wits-end regarding Jesus’ influence over the people, so they hatched a plan to get him removed. The strategy: get him to dis Rome, and then turn him in. They sent agents, masquerading as friendly inquirers, to ask Jesus’ political opinion: “Teacher, we know that you speak and teach what is right, and that you do not show partiality but teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. Is it right for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?” (Luke 20:21-22)
    Snakes! “He saw through their duplicity and said to them, ‘Show me a denarius. Whose image and inscription are on it?’ ‘Caesar’s,’ they replied. He said to them, ‘Then give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.’” (23-25)
    God used Paul’s letter to the Christians whose church was in Rome to anchor this reminder, in perpetuity: “Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves… This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing. Give to everyone what you owe them: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.” (Romans 13:1-3, 6-7)
    Last night, we stopped at the Post Office on the way to dinner, with grand-girls in the car. It was a non-event: I dropped envelopes in the box – addressed to state and federal agencies – with checks enclosed. No trauma; no drama. I’m one of the 43% who suspect what they’ll do with it, but my orders from Heaven’s Headquarters said, “Pay the tax.”
    He also said, “Don’t forget God.”

Bob Shank

April 8, 2013

    "I know it is coming, and I do not fear it, because I believe there is nothing on the other side of death to fear." – Roger Ebert, Life Itself.
    “Roger Ebert was explicit about his lack of religious commitment. In his 2011 memoir Life Itself, he comes clean: ‘No, I am not a Buddhist. I am not a believer, not an atheist, not an agnostic. I am more content with questions than answers.’” (from the column written by S. Brent Plate, Visiting Associate Professor of Religious Studies at Hamilton College). His personal bias need not be presumed; in a column he wrote for the Chicago Sun-Times in 2009, he said that “people who believed in either creationism or New Age beliefs such as crystal healing or astrology are not qualified to be president.”
    Roger Ebert had an intriguing life as a movie reviewer, and S. Brent Plate is an intriguing person to review Ebert’s life. Plate’s role as a specialist in religious studies calls into question the foundation of belief from which he presents. From his home page: “My teaching, public lectures, and writings focus on the question: What does it mean to be human? This is tightly bound to the question: What makes humans religious? My answers increasingly come back to basic physical experiences: eating bread, smelling incense, looking at images, listening to music, and touching other bodies. These are all symbolic, meaningful activities that engage religious people. They always have been and, most likely, always will. Far from ideological arguments that pit theism against atheism, or science against faith, religion happens primarily in the sensual encounters of the human body. My teaching, writing and lectures explore how human sense perceptions affect ways of being religious, and how the operations of religious traditions impact our sensual encounters…”
    All of us have opinions – about many things – but some among us have been able to elevate their opinions to a value that makes the sale of their opinions a lucrative and lifelong profession. Ebert had that status; he was regarded as best-in-class in his critique of the cinema. He was the first film critic to win the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism, which he did in 1975.
    We run into trouble when we assume the transferability of expertise between unrelated fields. Did Ebert’s refined objectivity concerning the entertainment industry – as art – establish his credentials to evaluate and validate matters of faith?
    Ebert – and, Plate, his eulogist – both bring their assessments concerning religion onto the stage; the event of Ebert’s death raised the curtain before the national audience who would hear them present their conclusions regarding the credibility of religion, and the mystery of reality beyond the grave. “I believe there is nothing on the other side of death to fear” (Ebert). Is he the most credible voice to offer certainty about what happens on the other side of death?
    They weren’t giving out Pulitzers or Nobels when Jesus was here, so you have to come to your own conclusions regarding his notability. Here’s Jesus, on heaven:
    “Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven – the Son of Man.” (John 3:11-13)
    If I may paraphrase: who are you going to believe, concerning what’s out there, beyond life: the person who hasn’t been there yet… or the person – the only person – who has come into this life from heaven, and can speak from firsthand knowledge?
    We spend most of our days “living,” disconnected from the question of life-beyond-life. The professor of religious studies says it’s about sensuality. The movie critic said there was nothing to fear. Jesus says that his opinion was the only one that was founded on truth. Who are you going to believe?

Bob Shank

April 1, 2013

    It’s time to place your bets.
    I don’t spend any time at race tracks, but there’s a moment when the speculation and conversation are past, and the serious gambler has to step up to the window and declare the winner… before the race begins.
    Last Sunday, the Los Angeles Times’ lead article in the Business section was shocking: “MARIJUANA INC.: Entrepreneurs, hoping to cash in if pot becomes legal nationwide, pitch their ideas to potential investors. Wall Street can smell profits.” Guys with little to no moral constraints are placing their bets on the big upside that could be awaiting the emerging legalization of pot.
    Yesterday, crowds of people around the globe assembled based on an impossible concept: they claim that 2000 years ago, a common man with an uncommon appeal to disadvantaged people was put to death on trumped-up charges by the Roman occupiers in Jerusalem… and three days later he was reputed to have walked out of his grave and through locked doors to the shock and celebration of his friends and followers. To date, billions have placed their bets on the veracity of that resurrection claim, with confidence in his promise to make the same thing happen for them subsequent to their inevitable encounter with death.
    Life is one continuing trip to the wager window; we’re constantly considering the odds of our choices, determining how much we want to put at risk… and then putting our money where our mouth is, waiting for the end of the race to see if we won.
    Every year at this time, we open the betting window at The Master’s Program. Between now and May 6, we’ll be inviting friends like you to consider betting on a winner that has a history of big returns. Are you up for a tip on an opportunity that offers a huge eternal windfall?
    In TMP, we serve leaders in a three-year process in which they discover ways to explore, expose and exploit their Kingdom Calling. Since 1997, men and women have gone on from that experience to leverage their newfound focus to pursue Kingdom initiatives that were not a part of their pre-TMP approach to life. They’ve moved from church volunteers to Kingdom entrepreneurs… and are seeing God work in/through their lives in unimagined ways.
    On May 6^th, we’ll be staging our annual Golf Challenge in Palm Desert. Between now and then, dozens of Friends-of-TMP are approaching folks to sponsor them/us in the 100-holes-per-twosome event. It’s not about the 100 holes; that’s just the marathon effort we use to attract the charitable contributions we’re soliciting – shamelessly – from our friends.
    Where does the money go? All the funds pledged to the Golf Challenge underwrite the launch of new cities, new groups and new participants for The Master’s Program. Last year, we formed six new cohorts – in Charlotte, Denver, Dallas, Phoenix and two in Newport Beach – with the proceeds from the 2012 Golf Challenge.
    This year, we're working on new group launches in Philadelphia, Charleston, Minneapolis, Chicago, Denver, Houston, San Luis Obispo, San Diego and two in Newport Beach. Ten groups: our ability to initiate those efforts in 2013 is completely dependent on the results on May 6^th.
    Ten groups; in them, hundreds of leaders whose influence for the Kingdom will be multiplied through their time in and after TMP. Between now and May 6^th, Kingdom entrepreneurs will place their bets on the future potential of the leaders whose callings will change the world and build God’s Kingdom.
    This is my first “ask;” it won’t be my last. The mission Jesus launched with his resurrection the first Easter is the agenda that drives us forward, today. Click here to see how you can be part of the 2013 Golf Challenge! It’s time to place your bets,

Bob Shank

March 25, 2013

    This thing is going to hell in a handbasket.
    No one knows who first used that “alliterative locution” (thanks Wikipedia) to describe a situation headed for disaster or without effort or in great haste.
    Sometimes, you can see a train wreck coming (think: Sequester). Other times, it’s a tsunami-like experience that comes on you without warning and wipes from the map things that looked like they were set for the century.
    There are other times when the “insiders” see the future, while the majority live in the grand delusion of the moment, clueless concerning what’s just over the horizon. Often, the multitude prefers to live in their bubble and not be confronted with the inevitable. The dumb tax is collected at the door; once paid, the party can become the anesthesia against the pain associated with reality.
    If you turn to the politically-conservative media outlets, the daily headlines – for years, now – have been some version of Hell in a Handbasket – with details at the top of the hour.
    Had you been around Jerusalem about 1,980 years ago, you might have been on the fringes of an incredible moment in Jewish cultural history. John wrote about it, decades later, when he recalled: “The next day the great crowd that had come for the festival heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting, ‘Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the king of Israel!’” (John 12:12-13).
    Get some pundits and scholars and cultural trendists together around a table and ask them what was going on, back then, in real time; they might have struck an optimistic tone and imagined that the long-awaited political messiah awaited by the Jews and feared by the Romans might have just appeared. This Jesus fellow had been building a movement for over three years, and he might just be coming into the swelling capital city during the biggest holiday period of their cultural calendar to present his agenda for Israel’s reemergence of independence.
    The crowds were convinced of that, and the 12 men who had become a backdrop to Jesus’ public presence were, themselves, counting on it. It’s what they had traded their careers and personal agendas to gain; they saw the potential for personal power in the days just ahead. No one was clear about the details, but that didn’t matter: their dreams didn’t require line-item precision at that point. The blueprints would follow…
    Everyone was upbeat… except the one who was being applauded. If you got close enough, you would see something unusual: he’d been crying. What did he have to weep about? Why, in the jubilance of the Jews, was “the king of Israel” despondent?
    He could see the next few days unfolding… and he knew that this thing was going to hell in a handbasket. The term was 1,800 years future, but the path from the Triumphal Entry to the Executioner’s Cross was marked before him.
    Why didn’t he just bolt? “… Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:2) He was looking past the coming Friday, the weekend in death that followed, and to the real Triumphal Re-Entry into the Land of the Living, on Easter morning. Why does it matter?
    “And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus… Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” (Hebrews 12:1-3)
    You may be on the same course right now: on your way to hell in a handbasket. You have a Savior who knows what that feels like. His counsel: don’t miss Easter this Sunday. It’s the game changer…

Bob Shank

March 18, 2013

    "God doesn’t want your ability; He wants your availability."
    You’ve heard that before, haven’t you? Most contemporary Christians would probably fall for the straight-faced suggestion that somewhere in Solomon’s Proverbs – or, in Paul’s Epistles – that phrase is found. And they would be… wrong.
    Not only is the phrase misappropriated and misattributed, it is patently unbiblical. And, it is spouted from pulpits and reprinted in Sunday bulletins ad nauseam. The underlying premise is clear: all you need to give God is your time; your capabilities – both those proven from your life-outside-of-church and those lying in you, undiscovered, because of a lack of opportunity to see yourself as God’s created masterpiece – are meaningless. And, the whole concept is dishonoring, both to God and to you.
    Ask God about that hogwash: here’s His perspective: “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever.” (1 Peter 4:10-11)
    Again: use your gifts to serve. The language of “gift” is slightly different than the term “talent,” though it refers to the same reality. You have a unique combination of capabilities that distinguish you from everyone else. Everyone else. One-of-a-kind competencies; significant strengths that are not found together in another person. No one you know can do what you can do…
    Where does that ability come from? If it’s a result of your human initiative, you deserve the credit… but, it’s not. It’s sourced in your soul; it traces back to your fabulous fabrication. You were made in God’s image; you were fashioned by His handiwork; you are the result of His artistic genius. That’s why the concept of “gift” is so important: gifts are received – not created – by the possessor. Your talent traces to God, and when you use your gifts/talents to serve others, “…God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory…” His magnificence is more apparent when you are at work doing what He gave you the ability to do, in service to others.
    So… what does our world – and, the church – do with that?
    Well, outside of the faith community, God-given talents – and, other people – are exploited for personal gain, at the expense of those “served.” The backlash against significantly gifted but clearly self-serving leaders is growing as the 21^st Century civilization reacts to the profitability of selfishness.
    And… inside of the faith community, we hear – over and over again – that those God-given talents don’t matter… because “God doesn’t want your ability, He wants your availability.” Bring your time; leave your talents at home; they aren’t respected when you’re “serving Jesus by serving others.”
    Sounds like a great deception, introduced by the Evil One, to take the power out of the Kingdom.
    In defense of the hapless harbingers of that kind of volunteer involvement, they don’t offer classes in most seminaries focused on the discovery of one’s uniqueness: not for the pastors-in-training, or for them to use on their future flocks. If gifts/talents don’t matter, why waste course credits on the conversation?
    Please allow me to weigh in: God wants both your abilities and your availability to be invested in things that will matter for Eternity. The idea that He gave you gifts, and then wants you to leave those gifts at work because they aren’t appreciated in His Kingdom is foolishness of the 1^st Order.
    All roads lead to The Master’s Program: we help Christian leaders explore, expose and exploit their Kingdom Calling. Your Calling is the place of convergence between God’s Kingdom Purpose, your God-Honoring Passion and your God-Designed Potential. The vital core of that Potential is your ability; those strengths that came to you by God’s sovereign design.
    Run – don’t walk – to the place where we can rescue you from the lame thinking of the under-informed…
   
Bob Shank

March 11, 2013

    There’s an intriguing relationship between risk and life; they rise and fall, together.
    Most people live with the desire to reduce their risk experience. That seems rational… until you find out the price of risk avoidance: you cannot have rewards unless you accept the risks.
    There is an ongoing assessment of risky professions. The Top Five: Fisherman, Firefighter, Airplane Pilot, Police Officer, and Logger earn the Dangerous Distinction.
    Post-Benghazi, the role of American Ambassador should move up on the roster. J. Christopher Stevens was newly-installed as the Ambassador to Libya when his life was taken in the now-famous attack on the American compound. The details are still sketchy, but this much is clear: the terrorists’ beef was not with Stevens, but with America.
    We’ve had some self-appointed ambassadors at work in the last few weeks. Dennis Rodman – the morals-deficient veteran of professional basketball – traveled to North Korea to meet with Kim Jong Un, the next in a family line of Communist dictators over a starving and secluded population. His perspective about KJU, after his return: “I love him. The guy is awesome. He was so honest.”
    Rodman was pushed out of the headlines with the death of Hugo Chavez, and the response of the respected to his passing from cancer. Chavez once suggested the appointment of Sean Penn as the American ambassador to Venezuela; Penn joined the mourners in Caracas for the funeral. His comments, sent to the Hollywood Reporter: “ Today the people of the United States lost a friend it never knew it had. And poor people around the world lost a champion…”
    Ambassadors are not to be taken lightly; they play a key role in establishing connections between cultures. They work for the leader of their home country; their role in their assigned foreign capitol is to protect the ex-pat citizens of their country, to support prosperity in the global economic system and to work for peace between their homeland and their assigned post.
    How does one snag such a distinction? In America today, there are two routes: 1) Work your way up through the government; or, 2) Give a bunch of money to an election campaign. Route #1 leads to Benghazi; Route #2 is a straight-line to London or Paris…
    Nice work, if you can get it; once appointed, you can wear the title for life. You’ll keep a tuxedo in the closet rather than renting from the mall; you’ll be playing in the top strata of society forever.
    Paul understood the extreme honor of such a status. He recognized the crucial importance of the relational connection between heaven and earth; two cultures, often clashing in values and policy, but warranting an emissary to maintain the conversation between the disparate players.
    The differences, and the distinction: “…if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: the old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Corinthians 5:17-21)
    Three quick observations: 1) We have moved from the old domain to the new creation, and our citizenship is now in heaven; 2) The King of Heaven has appointed us to represent Him to our former community; and, 3) We didn’t buy the position through a big contribution to the campaign… the King made the big contribution when He reconciled us through His death and made us righteous before God – the requirement for our citizenship status in heaven.
    Being an ambassador is risky business… but the risk matches the reward.

Bob Shank

March 4, 2013

    So, what do you want to be when you grow up?
    Every generation has answered the question based on very sketchy data. My claim: little boys (my personal experience pool) have stayed pretty consistent: policeman, fireman or athlete. The available options aren’t very apparent when you’re under-10; the approved list of professionals isn’t deep at that age.
    Life gets complicated, quickly; little boys – and, girls – grow up, and their connection with their world expands. Snag a 13 year old today and ask the question; what will you hear?
    Here’s a new one: “App Creator.” Turn the clock of history back just a decade, and “App Creator” would have brought limited response from a Google search. But now…
    Today’s Wall Street Journal pulls back the curtain on an industry that didn’t exist pre-iPhone. When Steve Jobs unveiled the touchscreen smart phone and its ability to run apps, the planet shifted its axis. In June of 2007 – less than six years ago – Apple announced that they would allow third-party creators to sell their spawn through iTunes. The app was out of the bag…
    According to the WSJ report, the lowly app – average price is $3.18 for an iPhone – is about to become a $25 billion industry. The average user spends two hours each day using apps. Based on a minimum wage of $8/hour, that makes the use of apps a $1 trillion national pastime.
    But… that isn’t quite accurate, is it? I mean, apps make us more efficient. Time spent using apps makes us more efficient, so that $1 trillion isn’t lost, but rather invested… right?
    Data Point: Top Ten iPhone Apps: 1) Angry Birds; 2) Fruit Ninja; 3) Doodle Jump; 4) Cut the Rope; 5) Angry Birds Seasons; 6) Words with Friends; 7) Tiny Wings; 8) Angry Birds Rio; 9) Pocket God; 10) Camera +. The only tool on the roster came in at #10; all of the rest are… games.
    I’m constantly bumping up against people who are culturally punch-drunk. Battered by the unrelenting upper-cuts of the surrounding models of unchallenged paradigms, they have no time for the things that grow out of a biblically-based Kingdom focus. The top two reasons for not investing the time and money to explore, expose and exploit their Kingdom Calling? Not enough time… or money.
    And then… the iPhone app. Time and money going down the black hole of digital smartphone games. What would God say?
    ^“Don’t waste your time on useless work, mere busywork, the barren pursuits of darkness. Expose these things for the sham they are. It’s a scandal when people waste their lives on things they must do in the darkness where no one will see. Rip the cover off those frauds and see how attractive they look in the light of Christ. Wake up from your sleep, climb out of your coffins; Christ will show you the light! So watch your step. Use your head. Make the most of every chance you get. These are desperate times! Don’t live carelessly, unthinkingly. Make sure you understand what the Master wants,” (Ephesians 5:11-17, The Message).
    Even Socrates – apart from biblical truth – exhibited his profound wisdom: “The unexamined life is not worth living.” (in Plato, Dialogues, Apology). How many things do we allow to find a place in our lives and continue, unchallenged? Where do we spend – as contrasted with invest – our time?
    Americans are game crazy (we’re just weeks from the Final Four!), whether on the phone screen or the flat screen. I wonder: What would it take for American Christians to become God Crazy?

Bob Shank

February 25, 2013

    I missed the Oscars. My flight from Orange County to Chicago overlaid the whole extravaganza – from the red carpet to awarding of the last statuette. I confess to being a cultural curmudgeon when it comes to watching Hollywood stand in a circle and applaud themselves, while the world stands outside the security boundaries and oogles.
    The winners and losers will wake up groggy this morning from the after-parties. The post-event news coverage will sputter along for a few days… and then life will go on.
    If you can tear yourself away from Entertainment Tonight, let me redirect your attention to a place where you can guarantee a “win”: go to The Wild Adventures (www.jkwa.net). Ladies, give us a minute; I'd like to challenge the guys to take a few days this summer and raise their vitality metric about 100 points…
    When Jesus was handpicking 12 men to change the world, He favored fishermen At least four of them – Peter, Andrew, James and John – left their boats to join the team. There was something about fishing that got them ready for the adventure He called them to pursue…
    Jan Janura and Ken Tada are wild guys; married to great women (Carol Anderson and Joni Eareckson). They live in Southern California, but they come alive in Montana. Graduate/friends of The Master's Program, Jan and Ken run a rogue ministry for men that is both incredible and enjoyable.
    Visit the website; read the reviews; watch the video. While the rest of your office is looking back at last night's Academy Awards, why don't you look forward to the upcoming summer season?
    Imagine spending five days – Tuesday to Sunday – at a designed-for-guys lodge on the edge of the Madison River. Whether an expert or amateur, the embedded outfitters will ensure that you will have a spectacular experience in the catch-and-release trophy waters. Gourmet, upscale mountain cuisine delivered hot and fresh; everything it takes to make memories – and, friends – is just behind the gate at the Smiling Moose Lodge.
    And… great times for 12 men on a deck, around the fire, to find a level of powerful interaction that is seldom found back home. Using John Eldredge's Wild at Heart as a launch point, the chance to get real and gain traction will be your takeaway.
    I journeyed to Bozeman last August to test-drive the Wild Adventure… and I came away a believer. The reports of the guys who have participated are punchy (read their comments and reviews).
    The best things in life… get oversubscribed. That's about to happen with this summer's trips. You could come – or, bring a buddy – and it would be a high-value investment in your masculine soul.
    Don't put it off; if you knew more about this, you'd put it on your Bucket List. Here's my counsel, as a friend: cruise the website, get your juices flowing… then contact my partner, Steve Esser, and work with him to get lined up for a week in Montana that would fit your circumstances (e-mail Steve Esser).
    A couple of leaders – Jan and Ken – figured out a way to make an incredible experience available to men who have too-little adventure, and too-few friends with whom they can get real. For them, it's a Calling… and they are doing it with amazing results.
    I left Montana in August impacted, personally… and an advocate, and recruiter. Big Sky country, for sure. Big fish, and bigger fish stories, inevitable. But, bigger still: what happens when some men get together, to figure out how to be a bigger version of the man God made them to be.
    Email Steve Esser, and let us help connect you with an opportunity to make a huge memory… and create a strategic inflection point in your lifeline!

Fishin' for men,

Bob Shank

February 18, 2013

    Don’t look now, but your friends might be on the move.
    They might not be as famous as Eduardo Saverin, but their plans may be shaping up to follow his lead.
    Saverin made the headlines a few months ago, in the midst of the flurry of excitement surrounding the Initial Public Offering (IPO) of Facebook stock. He was a co-founder with Mark Zuckerburg, and the practical effect of the IPO – for him – was a personal realization of $3.84 billion. Born in Brazil, he had become an American citizen… but the cost of continuing his affiliation with the US of A was now going to be significant when the tax responsibilities attached to his windfall were computed. Big bucks were about to be repatriated with the government that printed the bills…
    So… days before the IPO, Saverin announced his plans to renounce his American citizenship and to relocate – permanently – to Singapore. “Take the Money and Run” was a hit song by the Steve Miller Band, back in the ‘70’s; who could have imagined it would become a theme song for modern-day moguls who capture the flag in the public marketplace, and then run to a tax haven hollering “Ollie Ollie Oxen Free” and keep more of the cash for themselves.
    Less famous folks have bought their own copy of Keeping What You Make for Dummies, and are plotting their future based on new formulas. Bright folks who parlayed their potential for grand gains have migrated from New York and New Jersey to new environs that have higher temps and lower taxes. All stars from various professions in California are putting their trophies in trucks and heading east, and turning in their one-way rentals in Nevada, Arizona and Texas. The weather premium is no longer an up-charge they’re willing to pay. Phil Mickelson made the mistake of declaring his dissent and caught the wrath of the “you didn’t build that” mob whose Robin Hood fantasies have become public policy.
    Allow me to cite the obvious: talented people are likely to make decisions based on their personal benefit. They use their time and talent to create value, and they realize that value through the financial proceeds from their efforts. Once they know the formulas and do the math, decisions for the future become obvious.
    God made us with a desire to advance, and an on-board computer that can use the facts to paint a path toward best outcomes. It should be no surprise that Jesus offered great advice for motivated people who want to trade time and talent to fund their future.
    “Don’t hoard treasure down here where it gets eaten by moths and corroded by rust – or, worse! – stolen by burglars. Stockpile treasure in heaven, where it’s safe from moth and rust and burglars. It’s obvious, isn’t it? The place where your treasure is, is the place you will most want to be, and end up being,” (Matthew 6:19-21, from The Message).
    We are in the midst of a significant relocation of human potential and financial resources. Green Flight is only going to increase. For some, the safe-haven might be off-shore; for others, it’s a game of “find the best state in a challenged country.” Old paradigms are being upended by new possibilities. Are you open to some timeless wisdom?
    Rick Perry – the governor of Texas – upset Jerry Brown in California recently when he bought commercial radio time in the Golden State to invite successful business owners to check out the Lone Star State, and bring their resources with them. Smart people constantly reevaluate their positions.
    The Lord Jesus has upset the god of this world by extending His offer for smart Christians to transfer their winnings from here to Heaven, where they will be protected from the inevitable erosion that frustrates the fortunes of human accomplishment.
    So… where’s your stash?

Bob Shank

February 11, 2013

    They don’t know what they’re talking about.
    If you could quantify the use of the word love in advertising this week, your meter would red-line by Thursday. Valentine’s Day is the next retail surge, picking up the pace at the cash register after the post-Christmas sales tsunami.
    Flowers. Chocolates. Stuffed animals. Restaurants. Spas. Any gift or service that might solve the “what am I going to get her?” dilemma is ripe for retail exploitation. And, if the holiday is, for you, a table-for-one moment, e-Harmony and its digital spawn are standing in the wings to connect you to your ideal match, so that – if successful – you can join the gift-buying frenzy next year.
    They don’t know what they’re talking about. It isn’t about a cheap – and, frivolous – throw-away, accompanied by a Hallmark card. If you don’t know love, you cannot convey it.
    In the American culture, circa 2013, lust lingers on the fringe of every relationship, masquerading as love. Lust approaches other people with plans to take; love redefines a relationship, as it comes only to give. Lust takes; love gives. Lust leaves the other person diminished; love leaves the recipient benefited. The +/- measure is the emotional metric that registers… the morning after.
    Many American women find a benchmark for love in romance novels, the most popular genre in modern literature. Christians have access to a better bestseller when considering what love really means. As the week flows from State of the Union to State of the Heart, what’s new on the love front?
    There is nothing new; there is, however, a timeless insight from a source whose motives are always selfless. We most often sit at Paul’s feet to hear about love, from the 13 verses in 1 Corinthians 13. That’s great insight… but in the Upper Room – recorded in John 13-16 – Jesus addressed love 24 times. What did he have to say?
    Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love. (13:1)
    “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (13:34-35)
    “If you love me, you will obey what I command… Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him.” (14:15, 21)
    “If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. He who does not love me will not obey my teaching.” (14:23-24)
    “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love.” (15:9-10)
    “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” (15:11-13)
    Harlequin – the trashy paperback provider of fantasy lust for love-starved women – has nothing on the Author of Love. The modern romance novel portrays relationships very differently than the God Who came to demonstrate the Real Deal. “God so loved the world that He gave…” (3:16) is, perhaps, the most remembered line of the New Testament.
    Oh, by the way: did you notice the overwhelming – and, obvious – coaching offered by Jesus about the if/then status of real love? “If you love me, you will obey…” Claims of love for God are empty of evidence until validated by volition: “prove your love by doing what I’ve told you to do.”
    With Jesus, every day is Valentine’s Day… and all He wants is obedient action.
     
Bob Shank

February 4, 2013

    Nanos gigantum humeris insidentes.
    If your Latin is a little impaired, that’s “dwarfs standing on the shoulders of giants.” It was originally attributed to Bernard of Chartres in the 12^th Century, but it was quoted by Isaac Newton in a letter, and has been often used in metaphor to describe one who develops future intellectual pursuits by understanding and building on the research and works created by notable thinkers of the past.
    In the great Cathedral at Chartres, there is a stained glass window on the south wall – just under the Rose Window – that depicts the four major prophets of the Old Testament (Isaiah, Ezekiel, Jeremiah and Daniel) as oversized, with the authors of the New Testament Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) in normal size, standing on their shoulders. Though smaller in stature, the Gospel writers could see further that their forebears, because they had the benefit of perspective and saw the Messiah.
    We all stand on the shoulders of those who came before us. The first giant who allowed me to stand on his shoulders was Jack Kinney, the man who became my surrogate father when I married his daughter, 42 years ago.
    My family of origin was somewhere on the dysfunctional spectrum; I left home at 17^th without much clarity about how to participate in a home, or in society. My cement hadn’t set yet; I was still malleable. I showed up at Jack’s door to pick Cheri up for our first date in 1968… and it was game on.
    Lesson #1: You have to win me before you can win my daughter. The word “passive” did not attach to Jack’s fathering. He was protective of his family, and my intentions had to be vetted before I was allowed to take his precious offspring beyond his span of control. I watched; I submitted… and, I learned how to replicate that role with the daughters God gave me to nurture.
    Lesson #2: Your reputation is fully within your control. Months before the wedding, Jack invited me to come into his company and learn the ropes. There were over 200 employees in the 25-year old firm when I arrived… at the bottom of the heap. Over the next six years, I came up through the ranks to become the Executive Vice President and General Manager. My degree was earned through learning from him: I had a minor in Mechanical Contracting, but my major was Reputation Building. He was a legend in the building industry in Southern California; his word was his bond, but his integrity was his foundation. He didn’t wear his faith on his sleeve, but his life was a testimony.
    Lesson #3: Get to know people… and then give them as with as much trust as they can handle. Jack didn’t trust everyone equally; he waited to see what you were made of, and then he gave you as much as you had earned. The stories around the family table – from the past – recounted the scoundrels who had violated the confidence Jack had in them; he recognized that he had given them more rope than they could handle, and they had hung themselves. If he had only waited to see their character, first. I watched, listened… and learned.
    Lesson #4: Your career will end; what happens next is up to you. The company sold in 1981, and Jack stayed – under contract – for another year. He walked out of his office at the end of 1982… and he had nothing else on his horizon. He was a giant in his industry; a legend among the builders whose were the post-WWII entrepreneurs who shaped Southern California. Back then, there was no HalfTime; no Master’s Program to cultivate a sense of calling that stretched beyond the marketplace. Jack went home and focused his next 31 years on his family.
    Last Monday, Jack left for heaven. He was 93; he had been married for 72 years. “Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who finds great delight in his commands. His children will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed. Wealth and riches are in his house, and his righteousness endures forever.” (Psalm 112:1-3) Jack was a giant; he was the blessed man.
    Look down there, under your feet: whose shoulders are those, upon which you stand?

Bob Shank

January 28. 2013

    Pro Bowl LXXIII; Super Bowl XLVII.
    That's the difference between 73 and 47 years; one of those is “long in tooth;” the other is probably still in its prime.
    The first Super Bowl was played on January 15, 1967, and its origin was part of the multi-year process through which the National and American Football Leagues merged (culminating in 1970). From that first game – played at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, between the Green Bay Packers and the Kansas City Chiefs – until today, the football game has become an American experience. It's the #2 day for American food consumption (behind Thanksgiving), but it holds the #1 spot for the Most Watched television program; in fact, the 2011 spectacle was the  #1 shared television event in history.       
    We have a week to get ready for ol' XLVIL; by the time you read this, LXXIII will be napping in the recliner… just like the people watching it were, yesterday.
    In a team sport, the idea of bringing the “All Stars” – voted in by a torturous process involving current players, coaches and fans – to a neutral field (Hawaii's Aloha Stadium) has some challenge. For a team sport to be played by men from dozens of different teams, who have spent months playing their conference and playoff schedules against one another – is no small feat. Then, the rosters cannot include the players who make up the two teams who will be fielded for Super Bowl, just seven days later. And, because the game has no real value to the players, their risk of personal injury far outweighs the slight honor that may be conveyed by being included in the exercise. Many just opt-out.
    The Associated Press commented after last year's outing that the players “were hitting each other as though they were having a pillow fight.” One NFL player said, while watching the game, that “they probably should have just put flags on them,” indicating that game was about on the level of a children's game of flag football.
    The Pro Bowl game has become so conflicted that NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell says that if it doesn't get better, fast, he will consider eliminating the game.
    When a game is played in a team sport between two groups of individuals who are, themselves, not really a team… no one much cares. Lots of die-hard football fans archive the results of past Super Bowl match-ups, and could recount winners, losers and highlights. Last year's Pro Bowl saw 100 points on the scoreboard… but who remembers which “team” walked away with the win? (AFC, if it matters!).
    Most NFL pros won't have a minute of playing time in a playoff game; the majority who enter the post-season schedule will have Super Bowl Sunday “off.” The football guys will be watched by a growing audience of fans, the further they go up the ladder. Out of 1696 active players on 34 teams, only 106 will be on the field next Sunday, and only 53 will leave New Orleans as “winners.”
    There are lots of games you'll play in 2013, in your own professional “league.” Most of them will be exhibition games; the outcome won't contribute to your “league standing” at the end of the season. If you make it to the top of your workplace competition, the people applauding as you leave the board room will be few, and their motives will be mixed. How can you assure that you can play to a win, and that the victory will matter?
    Paul's counsel is familiar, but remains powerful: “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving” (Colossians 3:23-24). That's great advice for an NFL champion… or, for the special teams player who operates in the office next to yours.
    Whether you're being watched by the 110 million viewers of Super Bowl, or only by the Super God who has his eye on you and you alone… it's your game to win, if you're really serious about how you go about it.
    The pros are playing for a bonus (winners: over $83,000); so are you (“Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done!”).
   
Bob Shank

January 21, 2013

    “I have a dream…”
    If your default historical horizon is biblical, your scanner presents Joseph as “The Dreamer” whose life became the basis for more verses in Genesis than Abraham, Isaac or his father, Jacob.
    If your data base is more cultural, the pop-up screen in your mind brings Martin Luther King, Jr. into view. On August 28, 1963, his address from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC made him a timeless figure in the American biography. Today, across the country, the Federal holiday gives honor to a man whose efforts to neutralize the power of bigotry helped the nation realize the future for which a war had been fought and a president had been assassinated.
    The details of the 17 minute speech – given at the conclusion of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom to 200,000 participants – were not clear to the crowd.
    King had prepared his remarks for the historic event, assisted by Stanley Levison and Clarence Benjamin Jones. The original title was “Normalcy, Never Again.” In the prepared version, he cited sources as broad as the Bible, the Declaration of Independence, the Emancipation Proclamation, Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address and the United States Constitution.
    But, at the end of the speech, Dr. King veered off course, responding to the appeal from the crowd voiced by the Gospel singer Mahalia Jackson who shouted, “Tell them about the dream, Martin!” With that, he moved into an adlib zone in which a theme that had been tested in multiple environments in the prior months became his passionate epilog.
    That event was 50 years ago, but the echoes of his address continue to resonate: “I say to you today, my friends, that in spite of the difficulties and frustrations of the moment, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream…” He went on to describe scenes of his dream, brought to real life; among them: “…I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character…”
    “I Have a Dream” was not the only speech ever given by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr…. but it was the single statement that captured the essence of his Calling. If you want to understand the life of the man, and frame the efforts to which he gave his abbreviated life (any life taken by an assassin we assume to have been shortened, unnaturally), you can get the picture from the Dream speech. Five years later, his earthly life ended. Fifty years later, we’re still quoting his comments and measuring our society against them.
    As you are affected today by the impact of his life – in the holiday dedicated to his memory, and in the transformation of American society made possible by the movement he served – I wonder if it warrants some thought for you, as it does for me: if I had to capture the core of the message for which I want to be remembered, how would I script it?
    Peter – the fisherman who shifted his daily pursuits to become a “Fisher of Men” – had that kind of view when he wrote: “So I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth you now have. I think it is right to refresh your memory as long as I live in the tent of this body, because I know that I will soon put it aside, as our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. And I will make every effort to see that after my departure you will always be able to remember these things. We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.” (2 Peter 1:12-16)
    So… what do you know, today, that generations beyond you ought to know? How has your wisdom and insight – gathered through the journey of your life, from consciousness to now – helped you to see what the future should be, in a world that would be different because of you and your Calling?
    I hope Dr. King’s example – a message with life beyond the messenger – challenges you, today.
   
Bob Shank

January 14, 2013

    And the winner is…
    America is an ongoing awards ceremony.
    Some say that we’re a nation of immigrants. That sounds like a great equalizer, but that’s a narrow view. Truth is, we’re really a nation of winners and losers.
    In the last couple of days, the winner badge was pinned on groups called Patriots, 49ers, Ravens and Falcons. Give it another week: about 90 of those guys will still be winners, and another 90 will pack up their lockers and head off somewhere. If you aren’t a winner, you don’t have a “next week…”
    Three elections back, Al Gore went to court hoping to be declared a winner. The Supremes – not the four singers who never won the Grammy, but the seven judges who never won an election – told Al that they reviewed the live-action video from the field, and gave George W. Bush the ball. Al Gore went home from Florida with his chads hanging, labeled “loser.”
    Boy, did he get his revenge. Al Gore and Al Jazeera made sweet music a couple of weeks ago, and the cable channel with a national audience of 45,000 viewers – about the size of Joel Osteen’s church in Houston – traded hands. Mr. Gore handed the keys to the Arabic version of CNN, in return for a personal payday of $100 million. His post-politics winnings are estimated at $300 million; that’s the inconvenient truth…
    Chris Christie has been in the news, but this week he’s on the cover of Time magazine – with the headline, “The Boss.” Unedited, he looks like a “before” picture for Nutrisystem. The latest scientific predictors say that a man with a belt size greater than 36 is facing chronic health issues and a shortened life expectancy. Some Republicans are hoping that Christie makes it to 2016; the man who couldn’t run to catch a bus may be the only one who could run the Washington Marathon in ‘16 and end up at the White House. The winner who needs to lose…
    Tonight, Lance Armstrong will enter the confessional of The Divine Miss O (Oprah) and bare his soul, or at least as much as he thinks necessary to achieve redemption. In 1996, he was diagnosed with testicular cancer; the health battle included his brain and his lungs. He spent the next year on the offensive, with surgery and chemotherapy. In 1997, his doctors declared him a winner. Then, Mr. A rode his bike in France; and the Tour d’ folks hung the medal around his neck seven times, declaring him the winner. Last year, The USADA (United States Anti-Doping Agency) took away the victories, and banned him from any sports competition of any kind, for life. He lost sponsors, trophies, titles… and now faces the possibility of claw-back civil lawsuits brought by people economically affected by his past sins. If only Oprah could say it ain’t so…
    Last night, Argo – a spy thriller, based on the Iran hostage crisis in 1979 – won “Best Picture” at the Golden Globes. The losers included Lincoln. I wonder if ol’ Honest Abe could hook up with Al Gore and find a way to make a few bucks and restore his self worth…
    Winners and losers; we’re committed to the consumption of competition. Life seems to hang on a declaration of victory. It makes for exciting television and tailgate parties, but where – and, why – is winning so embedded in our DNA?
    Here’s the ultimate insight, from the Ultimate Authority:“For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self?” (Luke 9:24-25).
    What matters isn’t winning here; it’s all about winning there. Follow Jesus, and you win; ignore Jesus, and you lose. How many winners – down here
– need to discover the strategy for the ultimate victory?
   
Bob Shank