#585R. Thinking God will run out of welcome home banners.
June 15, 2011 in Uncategorized with 84 Comments
It’s summer and that always reminds me of the story of me and Michael Jordan. No, it’s not that time I dunked on him. I had to sign a whole lot of confidentiality agreements about that. This story is different.
I met Jordan one summer while he was golfing at a country club in Pinehurst, North Carolina. My uncle and his family lived on the golf course, and I was spending a few weeks there before I started the eighth grade.
When word spread that Jordan and a gang of other important people were in the clubhouse that morning, we all went down to get a closer look. This was before Jordan became human. Before the gambling and the baseball experiment and the tabloid fodder. Jordan was a god at the time, and I had a Nike swoosh mark shaved into the back of my head to prove it. I told everyone in Pinehurst that summer that I had my haircut that way as a tribute to a friend in Boston who had been shot and killed for a pair of Air Jordans.
I’m not sure why I lied like that. None of that was true. Maybe I’m like Samson, razors bring out the worst in me, but Michael Jordan didn’t know any of that. Neither did Dean Smith, the legendary coach of UNC, or Dr. J, who were both with Jordan that day.
They all signed the back of my shirt with a big marker. Later that afternoon, with the autographed shirt safely tucked in a drawer, I went back down to the clubhouse. It had been 3 or 4 hours and I wanted to see if I could get Jordan’s autograph on a piece of paper I could frame.
The party had already finished golfing, and all the fans had gone home. I saw Jordan walking to his car in the parking lot. I ran out after him as fast as my little seventh grade legs would carry me and said, “Excuse me Mr. Jordan, can I please have your autograph?”
He stopped in his tracks and turned, a golf bag resting high on shoulders that towered over me. With a look that froze opponents on basketball courts across the planet he said, “Didn’t I already sign you kid?”
Life is Limited
In the real world, in parking lots in Pinehurst, North Carolina, life is limited. Your hero turns to you and tells you that he’s not going to give you another autograph. Your hero tells you he remembers you and that you’re not getting a second signature, the only thing you want that day. That stupid summer, with a lopsided swoosh mark growing in the back of your head, and a mouth full of lies.
Sometimes I think God is like that. Bothered by me, tired of my requests for His time, even if it’s just 3 seconds for Him to sign off on some prayer I’m saying or need I’m sure I can’t live without.
He’s on His way somewhere important after a round of golf with Moses and Elijah or Elisha, whichever one plays. I’m chasing Him down in the parking lot. He turns with His big God golf clubs, and He looks down at me. And He says in that massive voice of His “Didn’t I already forgive you kid?”
Forgiveness is the thing I ask for the most. In my head, maybe I know that God’s forgiveness is eternal and inexhaustible, but in my heart I feel like He’s going to run out of it. That He’s got a limited supply. And I’m burning them up, one by one, sin by sin.
The Day After The Party
I’ve read the story about the prodigal son more than anything else in the Bible. If you’ve messed up life like I have, then it’s a pretty good read. When you get arrested, they should read that to you right after the Miranda rights. That’d be a nice way to take a little sting out of going to jail.
Part of the reason I’ve read that story so many times, though, is that I think there’s something missing. I feel like there’s some verse or passage that I must have skipped that makes the whole thing make sense. It seems too good to be true. The prodigal son takes his inheritance, blows it on fast living, ends up in a pig pen, and then gets a party thrown for him when he returns home. I’ve always wondered what the day after the party was like:
The first rays of sunshine crept across the floor and landed on a pile of party favors being swept up by a servant. A welcome home banner was being taken down and across the house the sounds of morning reverberated.
In his old bedroom, the prodigal son rolls over and opens his eyes. He’d dreamt it so often, dreamt of this place so often, he didn’t believe it was real. Those nights in the dark, curled under a bush or beside the barn when his money was gone and his hope with it, he’d wondered if he’d ever know safety again. He sat up, surprised to find himself there, laughing at the memories of the night before. The feast, the party, the ridiculousness of it all.
His family who celebrated his return, as if his absence had increased their love for him, amplified it. None of it made any sense. There was a knock on the door. He had a door again. That was something he had missed.
The head of a servant peered in: “Sir, your father is waiting for you in the kitchen.” This servant didn’t go to seminary either and didn’t seem that concerned that in biblical times “kitchen” was definitely the wrong word to use in that context.
With a yawn and a scratch of his head, the prodigal son got up. He put on his clothes and made his way to the kitchen. There, at a small table, sat his father.
“Sit down son.” He said, motioning to a chair across from him.
“Thank you for the party father. I never expected that and …”
“Son, we need to go over the list.” His father said, interrupting him.
“The list?”
“Yes” he replied, touching a large pile of blank paper with his hand. “We need to make a list of all the money you spent, all the mistakes you made, and all the people you hurt. Then we need to figure out how you start repaying your debt,” the father said.
“I had a plan, father. I had a plan when I was walking home, but when I saw you running I didn’t think I’d need it. At the party, I forget what my plan was,” the son said, with a voice of shame and sorrow that had taken but a brief hiatus during the previous night’s celebration.
“Well, you’ve got the rest of your life for it to come back to you,” the father said, taking out a pen and writing “family inheritance” at the top of the list.
For most of my life, this is how I would have written the second part of that story, the directors cut if you will, an alternative ending that was too harsh for the version they released in the Bible. The father’s anxious sprint toward the lost son doesn’t make any sense. That’s not how life works. People pay for their mistakes. They don’t get a party for them. When you return home from wasting your inheritance on the world, your father says “Didn’t I already bless you kid?” End of story.
Forgiveness
I don’t understand forgiveness, and it’s always depressing to me when I read a book that tells me that’s the first step of the Christian walk, believing that God forgives you. If I can’t get past that first step, then the rest of it, all the rest of it, remains completely closed to me.
It’s not that I think I don’t need forgiveness. I just don’t understand how it’s possible.
If I can’t earn it, then it’s out of my control and I’m powerless.
I remember the first time I ever knew how outrageous and insane real forgiveness was. I had gotten myself into some serious trouble at work. The kind of trouble so big and ugly it makes you ashamed that there are people in your life close enough to you to get some of the trouble spilled on them. I wanted to push everyone away, to expel people from the planetary system that was me, and just go float somewhere and die.
I called my wife on the phone and told her as much.
“I’m sorry you met me,” I said through angry, frightened tears. I was desperate for her to go, to pull away from me so I could inflict pain on only one person. The person I felt deserved it the most. Me.
“I love you!” She yelled through the phone.
“How can you say that? That doesn’t make any sense,” I responded.
“You don’t get to decide who I love. I love you. That’s my decision. You can’t take that away from me. I love you. I choose to love you.” She repeated words like these over and over again. She attacked me with love that day. And forgiveness I didn’t deserve. Forgiveness I couldn’t earn or make sense of.
I was overwhelmed that day. And I think that was such a thin sliver of what God’s forgiveness is like, how big and nonsensical His love is. I heard a minister once say that His forgiveness, God’s grace, is given wastefully. He pours it out on us in such abundance that it’s almost wasteful.
The Tenth Party
I have to confess that some days I still think there’s a list God will ask me to work through the day after He throws me that Welcome Home party. I have a hard time understanding how something can be true and illogical at the same time. And so much of God is that way. But some days, when I least expect it, in ways I can’t control, I believe a different story about God’s forgiveness.
The first rays of sunshine creep across a dusty road and grate against the eyelids of the prodigal son trying to sleep uncomfortably on a bed of gravel. His teeth felt dirty, his mouth and hands stained with the red of cheap wine. A long scratch ran across his cheek, a shoe was angled beneath his head for a pillow.
“How many times did this make?” he thought from the part inside him that still remembered returning home. He was doing so well, things were so happy but his “never agains” always seemed to fail him in the end. How long would he be gone this time?
Miles away, a concerned father stood by the front window of his house as a servant approached with a message.
“Sir, I checked his bedroom and the barn. His things are missing. He’s left again.”
“I know,” the father said with sad eyes. And then, with slow steps, he walked to a large closet and motioned to the servant.
“Help me with this Welcome Home banner,” he said pulling one from a pile of ten thousand.
“Today could be the day my child returns.”
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Thinking God will run out of welcome home banners – @JonAcuff
Big Evernote Desktop Update: Windows and Mac Get Note Links, Note Copying and Much More « Evernote Blogcast
Today is a big day for updates. We’re doing a coordinated release of both Evernote for Windows and Evernote for Mac to introduce a bunch of powerful new capabilities that our users have been asking for. Unless noted, the features below are available on both platforms.
Get the latest:
- Check for updates in your desktop version
- Get Evernote for Mac from the Mac App Store or from Evernote
- Get Evernote for Windows
Introducing: Note Links
It’s not often that a single feature has the potential to dramatically improve Evernote for all users. It may not seem like much at first, but Note Links is exactly that kind of addition. As the name suggests, Note Links are links to individual notes that can be placed almost anywhere. Create a note link by right clicking on a note and choosing the Copy Note Link option, or choose it from the Note Menu. The link is then placed into your clipboard.
You can paste that link into just about anything—other notes, calendars, to-do lists, third party apps, etc. Whenever you click on the link, it’ll open the note. If you Shift+Click (Windows) or CMD+Click (Mac), it will open the linked note in its own window. We’ve already updated the Web, iOS and Android versions of Evernote to support this feature, so if you click a note link in those environments, it’ll take you to the right place.
Note Links also work in Shared notebooks, allowing notebooks authors to guide visitors through their notebooks.
Multiple Note Links
Select multiple notes, then right click and select Copy Note Links. When you paste them, you’ll get a list of links. This is great for building bibliographies, tables of contents and citations when doing research.The power of Note Links
Have you ever wanted to create a reminder for a note? Now you can, simply paste the note link into your calendar application. When the reminder pops up, click on the note link and you’re taken to the note. But that’s not all, we expect Note Links to usher in exciting, new applications from our developer community, perfect for our Developer Competition.Copying notes
You can now make a copy of any of your notes and place those copies wherever you like. You can duplicate a note in a given notebook, you can copy a note into another notebook, you can copy a note from a shared notebook into your account, and vice versa (if the notebook owner allows that).
To copy a note, right click on it, then choose Copy Note (Windows) or Copy to Notebook (Mac).
Create note templates
Note copying gives you the ability to create templates for notes. If you have a specific note layout that’s ideal for, say, gardening or accounting, then make a copy of it. We also give you the option of applying the tags and created date of the original note to the copy.To do this:
- Windows: Right click the note, mouse over Copy Note, then choose Notebook…
- Mac: Right click the note, go to the bottom of the notebook list, mouse over Options
Snippet View
If you use Mixed View in your note list, the most obvious change you’ll see is the new Snippet View. Snippets are designed to provide the most useful information possible at a glance. If your note contains only text, then the Snippet will display the text at full width. If the note contains both images and text, then it will show text and a thumbnail. If it’s just an image, then the snippet will show the note title and a larger thumbnail. Not only does this view give you more information about the content of the notes, but it also makes browsing through your notes easier.
Note Browsing History: Back and Forward Buttons
Navigating through your Evernote account just got easier. We’ve added handy forward and back buttons to let you go through your recent note browsing history. It’ll take you to notes you viewed and searches you performed.
Just like in your web browser, if you click and hold on the back or forward arrows, you’ll see a list of things you can jump to, saving you the hassle of extra clicks.
Back and Forward also make navigating through note links a breeze. If you’re in a single note window and click on a note link, the linked note will appear in the same window. To return to the previous note simply click on the back button.
Note Menu
All note-related functions are now neatly displayed in the new Note Menu. Go there to share, copy, move, and more.
Windows: Other enhancements
Here are some Windows-only updates. Mac-only updates follow.
New Exporting Options
By combining Note Links with our HTML export option, we now let you export your notes as separate web pages with a table of contents page all in HTML. It’s like exporting your notes as a compete website. To do this, select the notes you wish to export, then right click and choose Export Notes. Then, select the Export as Multiple Web Pages option.Additional improvements
- Drag and drop: Drag and drop text and images inside a note, to the desktop and to other notes
- Disable PDF preview: Right click on a PDF to view it as an attachment instead of a preview
- Improved handling of text styles: We’ve improved the way the app handles font styling
Mac: VoiceOver Accessibility Support
We have improved Evernote’s compatibility with Apple’s VoiceOver accessibility features. You can activate VoiceOver via System Preferences > Universal Access.
More to come
These updates to Evernote for Windows and Evernote for Mac add a ton of great functionality that makes Evernote better for users and provides new capabilities for API developers. Let us know what you think.
Dieter Rams: What makes Apple Special
Braun's Rams influenced Apple's Ive. Photo courtesy of Gizmodo
I am eagerly awaiting Dieter Rams: As Little Design as Possible. Rams, who was featured in critically acclaimed documentary Objectified is one of the most influential design gurus in the world. He has created countless products for Braun, the German white goods company. And he is a man who has influenced Apple’s head of design, Jonny Ive. Here is what Rams had to say about Apple in a chat with The Daily Telegraph, just before the WWDC.
Without doubt there are few companies in the world that genuinely understand and practise the power of good design in their products and their businesses. Probably the first example was Peter Behrens and his work for the German company AEG, in the early part of the 20th century. He might be considered to be the founder of corporate identity. Adriano Olivetti was close behind as he transformed his father’s Italian company, Olivetti. Having become aware of this scarcity at the start of my career in the 1950s, I am sorry to report that the situation does not seem to have improved to this day.
I have always observed that good design can normally only emerge if there is a strong relationship between an entrepreneur and the head of design. At Apple this situation exists – between Steve Jobs and Jony Ive.
I am always fascinated when I see the latest Apple products. Apple has managed to achieve what I never achieved: using the power of their products to persuade people to queue to buy them. For me, I had to queue to receive food at the end of World War II. That’s quite a change.
They understand that design is not simply an adjective to place in front of a product’s name to somehow artificially enhance its value. Ever fewer people appear to understand that design is a serious profession; and for our future welfare we need more companies to take that profession seriously. (The Daily Telegraph of the U.K.)
Related content from GigaOM Pro (subscription req’d):
Top designer Dieter Rams on what makes Apple special — Apple News, Tips and Reviews
Neue Magazine - 7 Ways Pastors Fail at Social Media
Paul Steinbrueck | 14 June 2011
Want to know where the people we lead are during the week? Online—Facebook and Twitter, specifically.
These two social media platforms are larger than anyone could have imagined only a few years ago. Consider these facts about Facebook:
- Facebook currently boasts more than 600 million users.
- More than half of all American adults use the site regularly.
- The average Facebook user spends 20 hours a month on the site.
- While Twitter’s numbers are lower, its influence is still massive:
- Twitter has more than 200 million users.
- In an average week, 1 billion tweets are posted.
- Twitter has been cited as inciting protests and revolutions in Egypt, Iran and other places around the world.
It’s clear these platforms are some of the world’s biggest. So why are Christian leaders sometimes so bad at using these powerful tools?
Digital Literacy
We don’t spend a lot of time debating the use of pens. We don’t get concerned when someone starts taking notes during a worship service or a staff meeting. Pencils and paper are scattered everywhere, and we don’t give a second thought to writing things down any time of the day or night—in fact, it’s usually encouraged!
Now, what if someone came up to you and said: “Please don’t send me any notes or expect me to give you any written information. I’m just not into reading and writing.” Or: “Reading and writing? I don’t have time for that!” Or: “I don’t get the whole writing thing. Those little things—letters, yeah, I don’t understand what they mean.”
Ridiculous, right? Yet, that’s exactly the mindset many Christian leaders have regarding social media websites like Facebook and Twitter.
In an always online world, digital literacy matters as much as traditional literacy. Knowing how to use Facebook and Twitter may be as important as knowing how to use a pen.
People often talk about how much time people spend online versus offline, how relationships online compare to those offline, how to communicate with people online versus offline, but I think those are the wrong issues to focus on.
The Internet, communication and social media are ubiquitous. People are always on, always connected. We are well on our way toward a blended reality where there is no longer a line between the online and offline. We can meet with one person via Skype while another is sitting in the same room with us. We see pictures from a co-worker’s vacation on Facebook, and the next day they fill us in on the details at the water cooler.
7 Ways Leaders Crash and Burn on Facebook and Twitter
All forms of communication have rules—some explicit, others implicit. Break the rules and you risk alienating yourself from the very people you’re trying to connect with. Writers do this when they use poor grammar and punctuation. Speakers do this when they fail to make eye contact or ramble on endlessly.
Unfortunately, many pastors and Christian leaders don’t understand the unwritten rules of Facebook and Twitter. As a result, they crash and burn. Don’t be that guy (or girl).
The big thing to remember about Facebook and Twitter is it’s all about relationships. It’s not about amassing the most friends or followers. It’s not about getting your message out or promoting your ministry. It’s about loving and caring for people.Here are seven things you want to avoid doing while on Facebook and Twitter. (Just to be clear, this is regarding your personal Facebook/Twitter profile, not a Facebook page or Twitter profile for your church or ministry.)
Embarrass yourself. Many leaders have gotten themselves into trouble by forgetting that what they post to Facebook and Twitter can be seen by everyone. Don’t post when you’re angry or frustrated. Don’t criticize. Don’t post something that might embarrass you, your family or anyone else. Don’t criticize other churches or ministries in your community.
Only talk about your ministry. When people “friend” or follow you, it’s because they want to engage with you—a real person—not a spokesperson for your church or ministry.
Only talk about yourself. When you go to a social event, do you like hanging around with people who only talk about themselves and never stop to ask you about you? Don’t be one of those people online either.Be unresponsive. Failing to check phone messages and call people back is rude and damages relationships. The same principle applies to Facebook and Twitter. If you only check your social media accounts once every two weeks, it’s going to hurt your relationships. If you don’t reply to private/direct messages, don’t comment when people post to your Facebook wall and don’t respond (even with something short) when people reply to your Twitter updates, people are going to interact with you less or may even assume you’re ignoring them and take offense.
Wear a mask. Christian leaders sometimes think they have to be perfect. The truth is, nobody is perfect, and everyone knows it. If you act like everything is good all the time, you’ll be perceived as inauthentic. If you act as if you never make mistakes and know all the answers, you make it harder for others to talk about their mistakes and be honest when they’re experiencing doubts and uncertainty.
Act like the language/morality police. Your Facebook friends and Twitter followers are not perfect. They are going to swear, post questionable pictures of themselves and share things you don’t agree with. If something is really bad, consider contacting the person privately about it, but don’t call people out publicly for what is, unfortunately, common behavior in our culture.
Debate and divide. Online (and offline) debates rarely cause anyone to shift their position on an issue. Discussion is great, but if things get heated or personal, it’s time to lighten up. Political issues can be particularly divisive. It’s one thing to talk about the way our faith impacts our view of issues, but when discussion drifts toward specific leaders, candidates and parties, you run the risk of alienating half your congregation (not to mention the risk of losing your nonprofit status).
Sound like a virtual minefield? It can be, but remember, relationships have always been risky.
When using Facebook and Twitter, be prepared to make mistakes. Be humble, apologize when you hurt someone and learn from your own successes and failures as well as those of other people.
Want to learn how you can succeed with social media? Read this article in entirety in the June/July 2011 issue of Neue Magazine.
Paul Steinbrueck is co-founder and CEO of OurChurch.com, which provides web design, hosting, search marketing and social media consulting services to Christian organizations. Paul lives in Safety Harbor, FL with his wife and three children.
Labels: From the Magazine, Culture