I found the following thoughts by Seth Godin provocative: At the congregation down the street, they’re doing things the way they’ve done them for the last few hundred years. Every week, people come, attracted by familiarity, by the family and friends around them, part of a tribe.   And just past that building is another one, a different tribe, where the tradition is more than a thousand years old.   This is not so different from that big company that used to be an internet startup, but all the original team members have long left the building. Work tomorrow has a lot in common with work yesterday, and the safety of it...

Dear Partner in Preaching, Serious question: Did Jefferson miss the boat? Thomas Jefferson, that is. And I should admit right up front that I am a huge Jefferson fan. But as much as I like the poetic cadence of the Declaration of Independence’s inalienable rights of “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness,” I’ve always wondered if Jefferson unintentionally set us on the wrong direction from the start. (And – just to be clear – this isn’t the usual Christian comparison between happiness and joy, with the inevitable triumph of lasting joy over fleeting happiness. Maybe there’s something to that comparison, but I think...

It’s been that kind of week…or two…or three, actually, where I have had so many meetings and trips and other valuable experiences and obligations that it’s been tough to find time to write…or even to rest. 🙂 And then there’s the world outside my little world, the world of earthquakes and protests and riots and more. It’s enough to wear you out and wear you down. Or at least to tempt you to give up on some of your dreams. Which is why I found this 6-minute TED Talk by Brazilian entrepreneur and innovator Bel Pesce a helpful reminder not only that we need dreamers more than ever, but that there are some sure-fire ways to...