Peace on Earth, Good will to men is still the goal

We sit in the airport waiting to board a plan to Houston. It is Christmas Eve 2009. The hoard of passengers we expected at the security line at 5:00 p.m. has not materialized and we expect a pleasant journey.

Mary and Joseph arrived in Bethlehem about this time of day I imagine, They needed to find place to rest for the night. Baby Jesus must have been restless and ready to come after bouncing around on a donkey for a week as they traveled from Nazareth to Bethlehem. I am amazed at how the message of Christmas then is still the message of Christmas today. The Savior has been born; He is Christ the Lord. Jesus is still the savior of the world.

Our world is still ravaged by wars and rumors of wars; people are still subjugated to others because of military might, slavery or debt; poverty is still a human condition while at the same time immense wealth abounds to others. Some children are born in the palace; others barely off the street. In the background, the airport television is on the airport version of CNN (Consistently Negative News). They are broadcasting a documentary called "In God We Trust" discussing the how people's faith affect the way they live. Of course, they have to throw in some economic news of the recession. I am quite convinced, from what I have read, the times when God chose to send His son into this world in human form was not that much different today. For sure they did not have 24 hour cable news, internet, instant messaging, digital photography, Facebook, Twitter or fax to constantly harp on the same 10 sentences over and again for 4 to 6 hours at a time.

Peace is only attainable through Christ and in Christ. We only learn to value each other from the inside out when the love of God is spread abroad in our hearts. Tolerance does not bring peace: it is too pretentious and lacks real knowledge of the other person. Affirmative action does not bring lasting peace because it values people because of their race, ethnicity or other preference; it is not concerned with what Dr. King referred to as "the content of their character". The United Nations' dismal record for peace negotiation and peace keeping speaks for itself. Some people define peace as the absence of war. If that were true, how do we explain the 1.4 millions violent crimes, including 16,000 murders, committed on the streets of America each year or in other non war-ravaged nations?

Jesus is the "Prince of Peace". His true presence in our lives, when not filtered through the lens of tradition, nationalism, race, ethnicity, political division, religious affiliation or personal preference awakens the latent capacity in us to really live in peace with each other. Jesus never asked us to agree with each other on every topic. He asked us to love Him with all our heart, soul and mind and to love our neighbor as ourselves. Most people have learned to love themselves in spite of not being perfect. What if we extended that patience to those who may not be on our favorites list?

Maybe peace is less about the absence of war and fragile human agreements and more about our relationship with God and how we love our neighbor in relation to ourselves. We only really learn to love ourselves when we come to grips with the immensity of God's love for us and how much He wants to perfect His relationship with us.

Peace on Earth to Men on Whom God's Favor Rests.

Leading or Maintaining

A couple of weeks ago I was involved in a discussion on leadership. One of the participants brought up the concept of maintaining an organization as opposed to active visionary leading. This caused me to quickly remember a basic concept of leadership: there are certain aspects of maintenance that are not compatible to visionary leadership. A leader must decide if or when they are in a leadership role or a maintenance role.

There is nothing wrong with maintain an organization if the organization has created and built the infrastructure that necessitates maintenance to keep it alive. Maintenance alone will eventually lead to the death of an organization if there is not a vibrant leadership component taking place. Many organizations are maintaining systems and infrastructure that needs to be allowed to die so that new life can be born. Others are trying to maintain systems that are not completely developed and are therefore expending energy on incomplete processes that will not bring productivity. Their people will become frustrated and eventually leave the team or organization.

There was a time when iceboxes helped preserved food by keeping it cold. They allowed for a new era of food storage and the boom an entire manufacturing segment: various sizes, colors, styles and material components. Iceboxes brought new jobs, new businesses and lifestyle changes. Eventually the success of food preservation by cooling and freezing in ices boxes led others to invent more efficient and effective iceboxes: refrigerators. There were probably some icebox manufacturers and users who swore by their iceboxes and their ability to do a good job. Some probably said that those new refrigerants and electric motors were going to ruin food and destroy an entire industry built on hardwork and dedication. Some probably set up institutions aimed at maintaining and preserving the industry and the good name of iceboxes. We all know the outcome. Visionary leaders realized change was imminent and prepared for it.

The tools required to maintain are different from those needed to lead. Visionary leaders look from the present to the future; maintenance looks from the present to the past. Leaders learn from history, live in the present and prepare for the future; maintenance preserves history. Good leaders prepare for the future while establishing processes and teams to maintain the best of what has been established. Maintaining what adds value to an organization is a requirement of leadership. Being bold and determined not to be held back or distracted by the dead weight of traditionalism, mediocrity and complacency is also a task of visionary leaders. Operating a strong, growing organization is worlds away from maintaining one that needs new life breathed into it.

Resist the temptation of getting into maintenance mode before building a strong, vibrant, effective and sustainable organization that can monitor and measure it's progress against an established mission and vision.

It's Not The Economy

Some trust in Wall Street,
Some trust in Main Street,
Some want a bail-out,
Some what a hand-out,
Some bought security in 401K,
Some look to Obama,
but we trust in the name of the Lord.

God's economic security plan is not from Wall Steet.
He does not need the Chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank to lower his interest rate.
God does not need the Chinese investment bankers to buy His loans.
He is the Creator of the Universe;
He is the King of Kings and the Lords of Lords;
He is the Mighty God; a strong tower; my deliverer and my provider;
He is Jehovah Jeirah.

When we say integrity does not matter, morality and values are outdated and not appropriate for the modern society;
When sharing your faith is seen as forcing values on others and
killing 3 million babies is a choice and not murder,
Who is to say that raiding companies of all their assets is wrong?
What moral compass is there to stop raiding of companies, taking $30 million dollar bonuses and wiping out saved retirement accounts?
Where are the boundaries to putting people in houses they could not ever afford and charge them interest without every applying a dollar to principal?
Is it okay to ask us to pay more takes and not pay your own?
Why does out tax money go to the bankers who hoard it in their safes gaining interest who continue to foreclose on family homes while refusing to lend to businesses to finance expansion?

The economy is not the issue. The economy is the symptom.
The disease is now manifested. It is lack of integrity. It is lack of moral compass breading the inability to know right from wrong, absence of conscience and unbridled greed. Reprobate.

I think the Bible (that not so politically correct book) calls it sin, a willful violations of known laws of God. The cure is not found in politics or economics. The French don't have it and the terrorists cannot destroy it.

This one bail-out plan cannot come from Congress:
the White House cannot change it;
Wall Street can't trade it;
Main Street can't sell it;
Congress cannot write a bill to fix it;
The press cannot spin it and the pharmaceutical companies do not have a drug for it.

The cure is repentance and a turning back to God, the true and living God and Jesus Christ his Son: a divine transformation that comes from the inside out under the anointing of the Holy Spirit.

The ecomony - an unpleasant and painful distraction.