The Cross Chronicles

Want a Break From Church?

2009-07-13T16:52:00.005-06:00

That's the number one reason young people leave the church according to the most recent study done by LifeWay. The question is, what about church makes students and young adults want to take a break?

4 Lessons on Leadership Influence

2009-07-11T14:09:00.004-06:00

Fiiiiiinally, I'm starting to catch up on my blog reading. Months of intense Marine Corps training has slowed enough to allow me to catch my breath. I just read through some of Jay Lorenzen's posts. He posted this gem of an article from Business Week:

From his study of 1000 leaders in 50 global organizations, Joseph Grenny offered the following insights to help explain why so few leaders either grasp or exert influence well:

1. Leaders act as if it’s not their job to address entrenched habits.

Most leaders put a great deal of time into crafting strategy, selecting winning products, and engaging with analysts, shareholders, and major customers.

But few realize the success or failure of their grand schemes lies in influencing the behavior of the hundreds or thousands of people who will have to execute the big ideas—their employees.

The most influential leaders—the 5% who succeed consistently at influencing profound and essential behavior change—spend as much as half of their time thinking about and actively influencing the behaviors they know will lead to top performance.

The 95% who dither and fail tend to delegate what they dismiss as “change management” to others, most often leaders in human resources—who often lack the credibility to influence real change.

The average leader spends little, if any, of his or her time on active efforts to create behavior change. Consequently, nothing changes.

2. Leaders lack a theory of influence.

Very few leaders can even answer the question, “How do you change the behavior of a large group of people?” And yet, this is what they’re ultimately paid to do. It isn’t just about making a decision; it’s about getting people aligned to execute the decision. And this means influence.

Imagine discovering just as the anesthesia is taking effect that your heart surgeon—the one hovering over your chest with a scalpel—is working off a “gut hunch” about how to conduct a bypass.

Unless leaders become articulate about a repeatable and effective way of influencing profound, rapid, and sustainable behavior change—they’ll continue to rack up predictably high failure rates at leading change.

3. Leaders confuse talking with influencing.

Many leaders think influence consists of little more than talking people into doing things. It’s no wonder most influence efforts start with PowerPoint presentations. But profound, persistent, and overwhelming problems demand more than verbal persuasion. Anyone who’s ever tried to talk a smoker into quitting knows there’s a lot more to behavior change than words.

Leaders make the same mistake when they publish platitudes in the form of Mission and Values statements, give a few speeches on why these values are crucial, and then assume their job is done.

4. Leaders believe in silver bullets.

When leaders actually attempt to influence new behavior, it’s common for them to look for quick fixes—to fall into the trap of thinking that deeply ingrained bad habits can be changed with a single technique. The failure mode is to rely on any single approach.

Some host star-studded retreats. Others hand out inspiring posters and color-changing mugs and think people will line up for change. Still others believe it’s all about incentives, and so they tinker with the performance-management system or tie new behaviors to executive bonuses. The research shows that when leaders rely on just one simple source of influence to drive change, they almost always fail

What we’ve learned is that when you know what you’re doing, change can happen relatively quickly. And it all starts with gaining greater clarity about what leadership really means, then finding a way of thinking about the fundamental principles of influence.

Ed Stetzer on Current Church Trends and Issues

2009-07-09T09:04:00.002-06:00

Good interview on Ed Stetzer's blog. Speaking with the lead pastor of The Journey in St. Louis, Darrin Patrick, Ed hits on some great topics. Of particular interest to me is how he addresses the kingdom and the different levels of partnership between churches and other organizations. I'd love to hear any other thoughts!

The Story of Stuff

2009-07-08T09:09:00.002-06:00

Fascinating and creative look at how our consumer society contributes to the destruction of our planet and our own bodies: http://www.storyofstuff.com.

They talk about perceived obsolescence in the video. How true it is. All the messages we receive from fashion, pop culture, the media and marketing campaigns let us know how much we suck by not having the latest and greatest gadget. Coming back to the U.S. from Mexico City I was shocked by how many people were carrying iPhones. Despite all the talk of a desperate economy and trying times, I didn't see any tangible evidence that people were changing their consumer habits.

I was just receiving flack this morning from some fellow officers for drinking from an empty organic peanut butter jar in my room. In fact, I reuse all the glass bottles from salsa and peanut butter for storage. That allows me to store food safely without having to throw those out and buy other products. I find that to be resourceful, but that doesn't seem to be the sentiment of most Americans today.

Now, I'm far from perfect in my consumption habits, but I'm committed to playing a role in reviving our planet and a way of life that doesn't feed the monster. And unfortunately, I believe these habits flow from a more systemic problem that we might find in front of a mirror.

Twitter Stats & The 'Magic' Number for Community

2009-07-07T08:01:00.002-06:00

Just came across this comprehensive report and summary of some Twitter statistics. Check out the following stat:

150 followers is the magic number. In a particularly interesting data point from the survey, Sysomos found that Twitter users tended to "follow back" all their followers up until about 150 connections. Then the reciprocation rate fell off dramatically, which seems to indicate that this number may be the crossover point where people shift from using Twitter for more personal use to using it more for "lifecasting" their thoughts and actions to a community of people who they feel varying levels of connection to.

What's interesting is not the statistic itself but what it tells us about community. Dunbar's number, the theoretical limit to the number of people with whom one can maintain stable social relationships, is also set at 150. Pastors and church-planters often talk about the '200 ceiling', a typical peak in church attendance.

How could these numbers inform us about authentic and sustainable community?

Documenting Social Injustice

2009-06-26T11:56:00.002-06:00

As much as I'm saddened by the sudden departure of the King of Pop (really, I am), I'm much more impacted by the continuing social injustice around the world. The 700 Club just ran this story of some young women and their documentation of the crisis through Youth with a Mission.

More Pubs, Happier People?

2009-06-23T15:23:00.003-06:00

I just thought I'd repost this article from behavioral scientist Daniel Goleman's blog. What do you think?

A recent comparison of the mental and physical health of Americans and Britons raises some intriguing questions. Consider these data points:
Americans spend 2.5 more on health care than do Brits – yet have higher rates of diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, lung disease, and cancer.
The richest, healthiest Americans are as sick as the poorest Brits.
Americans work far longer than Brits (and other Europeans), and are more likely to hold two jobs – virtually unheard of in Britain.
In searching for explanations, the focus goes to the fact that Americans seem to value wealth and work over social connections, in the view of a British epidemiology team, led by Sir Michael Marmot at the University College London Medical School. One reason for this, of course, can be seen in the lack of social safety nets Americans face. Compare Britain, which like most European countries, has a far more humane social system: in England, a student might pay about $3,000 a year for a university education (and in other European countries the government pays the whole thing); everyone who retires in Britain gets both a company and a government pension; health care is free. Americans, by contrast, live in fear of losing health care, not having enough money to retire on, or huge education bills.

Even among the well-to-do, contentment remains elusive: No matter how much people earn, their desires grow with their earning power. This insatiable pleasure-seeking has been called by Daniel Kahneman the “hedonic treadmill,” meaning that no matter what you have now, the yearning for more will grow proportionately – keeping you on an endless spending spree. Intriguingly, the country with highest rates of contentment worldwide is Denmark – whose people also have the lowest expectations for material comforts.

Add to America’s cultural malaise the fact that our networks of friends seems to be shrinking. Between 1985 and 2005, the average number of confidantes people reported dropped from three to two. By contrast, British and other European cultures place more importance on social connections than money. In Britain, for instance, every neighborhood has a pub, a place where neighbors go most nights to get together. By contrast, Americans disappear into their homes, doors locked.

This shrinking of personal contact may itself take a health toll. Carnegie Mellon psychologist Sheldon Cohen has found the more personal relationships a person has, the more healthy they are.

A Movement was Born

2009-06-22T14:27:00.003-06:00

Iran's former crown prince and advocate for reform, Reza Pahlavi, becomes emotional while speaking about the current situation in Iran.

He says, "A movement was born on the 12th of June..." I pray the people of Iran will begin to taste freedom and not rest until they secure it.

For the full video, click here.

The Religion that will Dominate the World

2009-05-12T18:15:00.003-06:00

questions?

props to Guy Muse for posting this one.

Ruined by Christ

2009-05-12T14:58:00.003-06:00

I can trace the problem back to one fateful day in college. I said yes to an innocent coffee appointment with a Campus Crusade for Christ staff member. I then agreed to join a group of fraternity men that actually found some sort of excitement from talking about Jesus (and that met at 10:00 at night no less). And through this little band of Greek brothers, Jesus jumped off the pages of history and thrust something deep into my heart that has never healed. What was it? LIFE.

And now that I've found it, I can't settle for anything less than mind-numbing, heart-wrenching, adventure-seeking, face-melting LIFE.

"What does that even mean?"

It's like spending years in that little kiddie pool that Mom used to set up for us on the back patio. That plastic paradise was the deal! 15 cubic feet of splendor, complete with a two-foot turtle slide. And I milked it for countless hours of enjoyment.

And then it happened. One day, years later, I saw it - the ocean from a small island in Cancun baby! I mean, I'd kind of seen it before, in magazines and on t.v. But now I could feel the warm, incredibly soft sand on the soles of my feet. The beach sank gradually beneath the gentle waves and stretched itself out for hundreds of yards, providing a sharp backdrop to a brilliant blue expanse. Deep blue met sky blue on a horizon a million miles away. The stillness of the water, disrupted only by small white ruffles from a passing boat or two, only added to the entrancing power it already possessed. I could have played in it for hours. Well, actually I did, not wanting to ever leave (until my skin turned a contrasting brilliant red). Now, whenever I think about going to another beach, I know I'll never be quite as happy as when I walked that sweet island shoreline near Cancun. When I think of going to a beach, I think of going to THAT one.

Unfortunately, that analogy fails miserably in capturing the deep desire Jesus has placed in my heart to experience Him. He has taken me to a place that I can't return from. I can't find satisfaction in a marginal church experience. A mediocre Bible study won't suffice. A sterile accountability group gives me nothing. I'm forever on a journey to drink deeply of Jesus through radical obedience to His Word, minute-by-minute communion with the King and a vibrant community of fellow-journeyers. Anything less feels like a grown man trying to crawl back into the kiddie pool and splash around.

God help me. I've been ruined.

Exponential Conference Live Feed

2009-04-22T09:33:00.002-06:00

Great discussion going on right now with Neil Cole at the Exponential Conference in Orlando. Many more to come.

Change the World Tomorrow (CCC Blogference Post #2)

2009-04-14T12:11:00.004-06:00

What must “reach the campus today” mean in order to arrive at the desired outcome of a changed world tomorrow?

This question has taken root deep in my soul over the past few years as I’ve helped lead an effort to transform a city of 28 million people. I have mulled over the question daily of what needs to happen in order to see Mexico City transformed by the power of the Gospel.

1. Depth of the Disciples

The key lies not in the pride of a plan, but in the depth of the disciples. Over the years, Campus Crusade has done an outstanding job developing young men and women that love the Lord and express that love through personal Bible study, prayer, fellowship and evangelism. Although those disciplines continue post-college, few students know how to effectively minister to their communities. Over time, those who so faithfully ministered to their college peers have their passion consumed by the frustration of “It’s just not like college.”

Of course, we all know nothing will ever be like those glorious days of shared experiences and passionate dreams of changing the world shared by so many on the college campuses of America (a little tongue-in-cheek). But have we (those ministers who help shape the culture of local Campus Crusade movements) traded the dangerous mess of holistic community ministry for the safe confines of pure evangelism on the college campus.

Jesus’ gives this analogy of the kingdom: “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three pecks of flour until it was all leavened.” The kingdom doesn’t just encompass evangelism, discipleship and other spiritual disciplines. It touches everything within every sphere of society. (More on this later in the week.)

2. Your Kingdom Come

When Jesus taught His disciples to pray “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven,” he wasn’t using pie-in-the-sky terminology. He had just rebuked the Gentiles for using meaningless repetition in their prayers. Jesus was actually saying, “Pray that earth will look like heaven, where there is no pain, no weeping, no misery and God is glorified and magnified by all.” And when Jesus asks us to pray for something, I can’t find one instance where He doesn’t also want us to act upon that prayer.

We live in an exciting era. This generation of youth has an understanding of the spirituality of life (although not of God) and they want to involve themselves in serving people in need. In a culture full of negative trends, here are a few good ones we should take note of and capitalize on.

3. Do As I Do

I’m careful as I write this next section. Those who minister on campus use their gifts to bring the power of the Gospel to bear in the lives of thousands of young men and women. Many of them work tirelessly to ensure every student understands how to have a relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Yet, in our tireless work to evangelize the campus, we have cut short the fullness of the Gospel and the kingdom’s pervasive nature. And our students, very naturally, follow the pattern that they’ve seen in our lives.

What would it look like if they saw something a little different in our lives? Without abandoning that which God has specifically called Campus Crusade to do (reaching the campus), can we lift up our eyes to see beyond the edge of campus to the pressing needs of our communities? Can we say, "Do as I do," and be comfortable with the result?

Tomorrow is Here (CCC Blogference Post)

2009-04-13T12:07:00.006-06:00

In 1951, Dr. Bill Bright set out on a mission, one that would help fuel Christ-centered missions around the globe and usher in a new student volunteer movement. The movement sprouted from humble beginnings on the campus of UCLA but would soon take flight to dozens of countries around the globe.

As Dr. Bright began to share the vision of Campus Crusade for Christ with his fellow believers, he would use a simple yet defining rallying cry: “Reach the campus today; reach the world tomorrow.” That would set the direction for the fledgling movement as Campus Crusade would take the message of Christ to thousands of college campuses in 191 different countries, making it one of the largest evangelical organizations in the world.

A few years into the movement, Dr. Bright would complete a book called, Come Help Change the World. Thousands of students and staff members signed onto the organization with the belief that reaching a generation of college students with the message of Christ would later touch every aspect of society. An army of young, impassioned students would have an effect on societies the world over. The ripple of the Gospel would leave transformed cities and cultures in its wake. After all, history has shown that its greatest movements have sprung from the hearts of its youth. Reach the campus today and change the world tomorrow? You bet!

So after 58 seven years of work in the United States, we should expect to see a vastly different place; a place where crime has trouble finding a dark alley, poverty has nothing to feed on, corruption and greed make everyone angry, children receive the highest education and strongest nurturing and a culture that puts no price tag on the value of instilling biblical values.

Yet somewhere, somehow, we have fallen drastically shy of that mark.

We now live in a country that is experiencing a steady decline in those who call themselves Christians. We can interpret this differently depending upon our perspective, but the wave of current statistics points to an undertow of resentment or indifference toward the local Church. (I find it appropriate to capitalize that last word, as the responsibility to influence the community falls on the Church corporately.)

No doubt that the vision and mission of Dr. Bright and Campus Crusade for Christ have unleashed a movement that can claim hundreds of thousands, even millions of souls for Jesus Christ. The students and staff have taken the light of the Gospel to some of the farthest corners of the globe. Millions have heard the Message. So was something lacking in the original vision? I don’t think so. But somewhere in our zeal to reach the campus today, we let the driving vision of a changed world tomorrow fade into proverbial history.

What must we do to regain that massive vision that so captivated the hundreds of thousands of staff, students and volunteers that joined the ranks of Campus Crusade for Christ five decades ago – that vision that hearkened back to one delivered a few thousand years ago by a Man from a small town called Nazareth?

Dump some thoughts out here. What’s your perspective? How can Campus Crusade/the Church in general embrace the full vision and calling of our Lord to bring the kingdom to earth?

The End of Christian America

2009-04-08T18:59:00.002-06:00

Is Christianity in America truly dying? Well, the answer might not be black and white, but you might find some insightful highlights from this Newsweek article on the topic. Here are a few morsels:

The proportion of Americans who think religion "can answer all or most of today's problems" is now at a historic low of 48 percent.
If we apply an Augustinian test of nationhood to ourselves, we find that liberty, not religion, is what holds us together. In "The City of God," Augustine —converted sinner and bishop of Hippo—said that a nation should be defined as "a multitude of rational beings in common agreement as to the objects of their love." What we value most highly—what we collectively love most—is thus the central test of the social contract. (my emphasis added)
How to balance concern for the garden of the church with the moral imperatives to make gentle the life of the world is one of the most perplexing questions facing the church.

A few good things to consider as we celebrate the life, death and resurrection of the one who came to our small planet to change everything.

Graduation from Officer Candidate School!

2009-03-15T09:39:00.003-06:00

The time has finally arrived! After hiking through blizzards, crossing frozen fords, scaling a ridiculous amount of objects and enjoying the constant loving, tender care of drill instructors, the day of liberation is within sight.

On March 20, 2009, I will make my official entrance among The Few, The Proud as a 2nd Lieutenant. What a wonderful honor to even have my name listed among the ranks of so many incredible men and women who have sacrificed so deeply for our country and in the defense of freedom around the world.

Should you be in the area and want to celebrate the momentous occasion with me you can find all the pertinent information here. I would love to have you join me. The Commissioning Ceremony will take place at the beautiful National Museum of the Marine Corps, one of the finest museums in the country (and the most enjoyable I've ever been to).

Please note that I am still confined to base and will be without communication prior to graduation, so I will not be available to answer any questions you may have. Just show up! I would love the surprise.

Officer Candidate School Pictures

2009-02-15T15:21:00.003-06:00

Out on just a few hours of liberty this weekend. Thank the Lord for the reprieve from the madness! Thought I would post a few pics that capture a snippet of the fun. :)

They've taken lots more pics but haven't posted them yet. You can check back on the website for more later this week.

Thank you for your prayers and letters! They're invaluable. The Lord continues to show His goodness and faithfulness as He confirms His calling over my life. I wish I had time to post the many lessons He has already taught me through this grueling process. I plan to reflect and share so of those many stories when all is said and done after March 20th.

Officer Candidate School Address

2009-02-08T15:48:00.002-06:00

Little time to write now, but we do have a few hours free this weekend. What a joy!!! Thank you to all of you who have sent letters. They have brought me tremendous encouragements during this time of intense training. My address is:

Candidate Joe Cross
OCS: D Co. 2nd Plt.
2189 Elrod Ave.
Quantico, VA 22134

Can't wait to post more when I actually have a life again.

Good News About Injustice

2009-01-06T12:23:00.006-06:00

So what is the good news about injustice? Gary Haugen, the founder and president of the International Justice Mission, makes it his mission to tell everyone. The good news about injustice is God is against it. In fact, he detests it.

The Lord looked and was displeased
to find there was no justice.
He was amazed to see that no one intervened
to help the oppressed.
So he himself stepped in to save them with his strong arm,
and his justice sustained him.
He put on righteousness as his body armor
and placed the helmet of salvation on his head.
He clothed himself with a robe of vengeance
and wrapped himself in a cloak of divine passion.
He will repay his enemies for their evil deeds.
His fury will fall on his foes.
He will pay them back even to the ends of the earth.
In the west, people will respect the name of the Lord;
in the east, they will glorify him.
For he will come like a raging flood tide
driven by the breath of the Lord.

Isaiah 59:15b-19

Campus Crusade Conference in Denver

2009-01-05T17:56:00.003-06:00

At the Denver Christmas Conference in Denver, CO. One of the highlights of the year - every year. This morning Larry Martin from the International Justice Mission lit the place up with the pervasive power of God's passion for justice.

He gave a great perspective on a Christian's attitude toward justice using Jesus' feeding of the five thousand as an example of what Christ wants to do with the very little that we possess. We simply need to be willing to give that little we have to Him. An apropos illustration given that believers typically don't have any idea where to start when it comes to bringing justice to the oppressed.

Psalm 10:17-18

You hear, O LORD, the desire of the afflicted;
you encourage them, and you listen to their cry,

defending the fatherless and the oppressed,
in order that man, who is of the earth, may terrify no more.

I hardly could hold it together this morning. Want to know why I'm following the Lord's calling into the Marine Corps? Now you have it.

My Jump into the Marine Corps

2009-01-04T16:21:00.004-06:00

Coming to Mexico City nearly two and a half years ago I had no idea what to expect. But Idid have one clear objective upon arrival: Help lead an effort to start Christ-centered movements on more than 400 university campuses.

At the time, I felt that was a “big” dream, and one that would involve a lot of people and resources and a whole lot of faith. But God had something a little larger in mind. He wasn’t just asking us to seclude ourselves to the safe confines of the college campus but to join in on a kingdom process already long underway – the transformation of His supercity.

I won’t ever forget that heart-pounding moment when the Lord spoke His will so clearly. We would launch movements on every college campus, but we must also focus our attention on the pressing needs of the whole city.

Fortunately for us, this really wasn’t so much of a pioneering effort as it was one of collaboration. Without much ado, God opened up doors that would connect us with the rest of His body well at work within the city, and other believers from outside that would aide the venture. And in a short time, miracles happened as literally thousands of laborers worked together to raise up a network of over 50 campus movements and numerous other initiatives that encompassed everything from assisting the poor and caring for street children to engaging business executives and high-ranking government officials.

Then something quite unexpected happened in my own heart. As we began to come against the injustice of our city, my already existent passion for justice deepened, and old dream, long since buried, resurfaced. After prayer and contemplation and a period of seeking wise counsel, this passion for justice would lead me to apply to become an officer in the United States Marine Corps, initiating again a journey I started in high school when I spent two years applying to the US Naval Academy.

The fact that I have exceeded the age limit to become an officer has expedited the process, and the Marines have asked me to join the next officer class in January 2009. So, as of December 31, 2008, I will transition from my role as Codirector of Mexico Focus and will serve as Chief Visionary Officer, continuing to serve in a high-level advisory role in the citywide transformation process. This transition will require me to leave full-time staff with Campus Crusade, but I will remain on as affiliate staff and work alongside our Military Ministry. Craig Johring, my gifted coleader, will remain as the Director of Mexico Focus, overseeing an all-star team of nearly 30 full-time staff and hundreds of volunteers.

I'll continue to blog on all things movement-related with more of my personal journey into the Corps (assuming I make it past Officer Candidate School). So many of you have brought me a lot of encouragement from your messages, support and prayers. I'll continue to need them now!

Your Future Shapes Your Present

2009-01-01T16:34:00.001-06:00

I'm not a new year's resolution guy myself - never have been. But I do believe in vision and having some defined goals that push you to do things you wouldn't naturally do otherwise. Alan Hirsch, author of the Forgotten Ways, just posted this thought that deserves some thoughtful consideration.

Fritz Roethlisberger, the late professor at Harvard Business School and a pioneer in the field of organizational behavior, observed: “Most people think of the future as the ends and the present as the means, whereas in fact, the present is the ends and the future the means.” Translated, Roethlisberger is telling us that holding a definite sense of vision (a preferred future) and mission informs and alters how people think and how they will behave in the present. Viewed this way, the future is a means to alter behavior. The new behavior shapes the ends, which in turn alter the future, and the spiral continues.

One does not creep up on a big future. Rather, the future is boldly declared in a vision and serves as the catalyst for all that follows. “When President Kennedy announced his famous moonwalk vision, there were no solutions to the problems that lay ahead: Congressional approval, appropriation of funds, technological breakthroughs, and the rejuvenation of NASA were still needed to fulfill the vision.” Kennedy’s moonwalk vision, acting as a catalyst, gathered up a collection of emotions and aspirations, desire and excitement, curiosity, power, a quest for knowledge, a competitive wish to be the first country to walk on the moon, imperialistic lust, and focused all these disparate forces to trigger unified action. The same is true for Martin Luther King Jr.’s ‘I have a dream’ speech. It acted as a strange attractor to provoke and initiate action on behalf of that vision.

We look back on such events as inevitable…things which just seemed to happen. But it is not so at all. We seem to lose perspective on the missional communitas that visions like these evoke. The authors of Surfing the Edge of Chaos profoundly note that “…enactment on behalf of a powerful goal alters the structure of reality” We, the people of God, are carried forward by a vision of the future that constitutes our mission. When we are caught up into it, and pursue it, we are changed, and we go on to enact history.

So, what is your vision for 2009 and beyond?

Fans Cheer for the Opposing Team?

2008-12-23T15:32:00.001-06:00

This might be the best article that has come out of ESPN The Magazine in a long, long time.

They played the oddest game in high school football history last month down in Grapevine, Texas.

It was Grapevine Faith vs. Gainesville State School and everything about it was upside down. For instance, when Gainesville came out to take the field, the Faith fans made a 40-yard spirit line for them to run through.

Did you hear that? The other team's fans?

They even made a banner for players to crash through at the end. It said, "Go Tornadoes!" Which is also weird, because Faith is the Lions.

It was rivers running uphill and cats petting dogs. More than 200 Faith fans sat on the Gainesville side and kept cheering the Gainesville players on—by name.

"I never in my life thought I'd hear people cheering for us to hit their kids," recalls Gainesville's QB and middle linebacker, Isaiah. "I wouldn't expect another parent to tell somebody to hit their kids. But they wanted us to!"

And even though Faith walloped them 33-14, the Gainesville kids were so happy that after the game they gave head coach Mark Williams a sideline squirt-bottle shower like he'd just won state. Gotta be the first Gatorade bath in history for an 0-9 coach.

But then you saw the 12 uniformed officers escorting the 14 Gainesville players off the field and two and two started to make four. They lined the players up in groups of five—handcuffs ready in their back pockets—and marched them to the team bus. That's because Gainesville is a maximum-security correctional facility 75 miles north of Dallas. Every game it plays is on the road.

This all started when Faith's head coach, Kris Hogan, wanted to do something kind for the Gainesville team. Faith had never played Gainesville, but he already knew the score. After all, Faith was 7-2 going into the game, Gainesville 0-8 with 2 TDs all year. Faith has 70 kids, 11 coaches, the latest equipment and involved parents. Gainesville has a lot of kids with convictions for drugs, assault and robbery—many of whose families had disowned them—wearing seven-year-old shoulder pads and ancient helmets.

So Hogan had this idea. What if half of our fans—for one night only—cheered for the other team? He sent out an email asking the Faithful to do just that. "Here's the message I want you to send:" Hogan wrote. "You are just as valuable as any other person on planet Earth."

Some people were naturally confused. One Faith player walked into Hogan's office and asked, "Coach, why are we doing this?"

And Hogan said, "Imagine if you didn't have a home life. Imagine if everybody had pretty much given up on you. Now imagine what it would mean for hundreds of people to suddenly believe in you."

Next thing you know, the Gainesville Tornadoes were turning around on their bench to see something they never had before. Hundreds of fans. And actual cheerleaders!

"I thought maybe they were confused," said Alex, a Gainesville lineman (only first names are released by the prison). "They started yelling 'DEE-fense!' when their team had the ball. I said, 'What? Why they cheerin' for us?'"

It was a strange experience for boys who most people cross the street to avoid. "We can tell people are a little afraid of us when we come to the games," says Gerald, a lineman who will wind up doing more than three years. "You can see it in their eyes. They're lookin' at us like we're criminals. But these people, they were yellin' for us! By our names!"

Maybe it figures that Gainesville played better than it had all season, scoring the game's last two touchdowns. Of course, this might be because Hogan put his third-string nose guard at safety and his third-string cornerback at defensive end. Still.

After the game, both teams gathered in the middle of the field to pray and that's when Isaiah surprised everybody by asking to lead. "We had no idea what the kid was going to say," remembers Coach Hogan. But Isaiah said this: "Lord, I don't know how this happened, so I don't know how to say thank You, but I never would've known there was so many people in the world that cared about us."

And it was a good thing everybody's heads were bowed because they might've seen Hogan wiping away tears.

As the Tornadoes walked back to their bus under guard, they each were handed a bag for the ride home—a burger, some fries, a soda, some candy, a Bible and an encouraging letter from a Faith player.

The Gainesville coach saw Hogan, grabbed him hard by the shoulders and said, "You'll never know what your people did for these kids tonight. You'll never, ever know."

And as the bus pulled away, all the Gainesville players crammed to one side and pressed their hands to the window, staring at these people they'd never met before, watching their waves and smiles disappearing into the night.

Anyway, with the economy six feet under and Christmas running on about three and a half reindeer, it's nice to know that one of the best presents you can give is still absolutely free.

Hope.

Thanks to Andy McCullough for pointing this shining example of Christ-likeness out to all of us.

Rick Warren's Dateline Video

2008-12-19T20:58:00.002-06:00

Rick Warren's interview on Dateline ran tonight. Already widely recognized as one of the most influential evangelicals in America, Rick has garnered more attention as President-elect Obama's pick for the inaugural prayer. That has all but enraged an already fuming homosexual population recently dealt a blow by the historic passage of Proposition 8 in California.

Rick, like usual, delivers a great response to all those looking for some clarity in the issues facing America.

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Coach Pete Carroll's Shocking Nightlife

2008-12-14T19:23:00.004-06:00

After enjoying some Sunday football for the first time in a long, long time, the CBS show 60 Minutes came on. A story on USC football coach Pete Carroll caught my attention. The teaser mentioned that it was Coach Carroll's off-the-field life that landed him on the program. I thought, "Well, here's another guy caught partying with his recruits or visiting a local strip club." Thankfully my pessimism was proven wrong.

Coach Carroll uses some of his very limited free time to visit inner city L.A. gang turf and help young boys understand they have a better future than prison or gang violence. And by assembling some other influential leaders in the city, he has begun to have a big impact on a big city. To transform a city, it will take a network of leaders like this. Way to go Pete.

Watch CBS Videos Online

Who is a Movement Builder?

2008-12-11T11:59:00.003-06:00

Shane Walton over at www.movementbuilders.com wrote this article on the characteristics of a movement builder. I found it helpful enough to repost here.

Movement Builder Defined

The Institute for Democratic Renewal, a national collaboration supporting movements for racial and social justice, published a list of the most common characteristics of successful movement builders. While a few of the Institute’s points were omitted because they relate exclusively to social movements, the majority (in bold below) apply to all kinds of movements.

A Movement Builder understands that suffering and oppression are not enough to create a movement. In creating your movement you cannot afford to focus exclusively on the problem. You must offer your audience a solution — a vision of positive change — for them to rally around.

A Movement Builder is conscious of the need to go beyond slogans and to create programs that transform and empower participants. I have written previously on the difference between marketing and movement building. Most importantly, successful movement builders are not simply creating brand recognition; they are providing a positive change that their audience is passionate about.

A Movement Builder can accept contradictions that develop in the course of a struggle. Movement building is a dynamic, ongoing effort that is more a collaboration than a centrally controlled hierarchy. As such, there may be contradictions that arise because your supporters — in other venues or on other subjects — disagree with each other or with you. But successful movement builders are able to accept and at times even embrace those contradictions.

A Movement Builder is able to take advantage of historical moments—the convergence of time and events. No movement is created in a vacuum. More importantly, no movement COULD be created in a vacuum. Your audience’s passions come from the problems they are facing right now, in a particular culture, in a particular point in history, in a particular location. A successful movement builder uses the current context to generate support and interest.

A Movement Builder chooses boldness over timidity. Many sports t-shirts profess, “No guts, no glory.” The same could be put on a movement building t-shirt. You need to be willing to get out there, speak up, and take risks in order to build the buzz that is essential for a powerful movement.

A Movement Builder calls forth a vision that is larger than the issue at hand. The truth is that your nonprofit’s current campaign or your business’ current product will not always be relevant to your audience. The most successful movement builders engage their audience’s passions by solving current issues while simultaneously pointing to the larger vision that will lead the movement into the future.

A Movement Builder strikes a balance between control and autonomy. As mentioned above, movements are informal group actions that cannot be controlled in a strict hierarchical manner. You can guide and influence your growing movement, but you cannot fully dictate its course. The most successful movement builders have learned to walk the line between letting the movement run free and trying to control its every step.

Movement Builder Expanded

In addition to the Institute’s list, there are a few other characteristics that successful movement builders share.

A Movement Builder is strategic. Cultivating a movement is a complicated process, and without a plan to guide you the task becomes even more challenging. You need to be willing to alter your plan when circumstances change, but you must always be following a strategic vision.

A Movement Builder seeks help. The essence of a powerful movement could be described as people working together to achieve a common goal. As such, you are not just getting your message out to a receptive audience (that would be marketing) — you are assembling a group of people to help you spread the message. The sooner you ask for help, the sooner your group begins to grow.

A Movement Builder believes. Passion is contagious. If you believe in your product, your nonprofit’s mission, or the political candidate you represent, people will be able to tell. If you don’t believe, they will pick up on that, too. Passion is contagious, and successful movement builders have it.

This is a solid list of the most prominent characteristics shared by successful movement builders. Of course there are many other important traits — please add in the comments below some of the ones you have seen to be valuable in your work.