Chris Gribble

Be yourself - Everyone else is taken (Oscar Wilde)

A silly shop

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April went shopping today with our two youngest kids (6 months and 3 years). This was one of the rare times when there was a double trolley the best size for our rather large family. When exiting the checkout she was tole that she wasn’t able to take the trolley outside the shop. So this meant she had to unpack everything and put it into a single trolley and then try and manage to get the two kids as well to the car park.

This would have to be one of the silliest policies of any shop that wants to retain customers. We spend a significant amount every week on groceries and now that store is going to miss out on our money entirely. Woolworths you need to not only have fresh food but also you need to learn to understand your customers better.

And we will tell others about our experience. They can decide for themselves whether that store will meet their needs. I know that the $15000 or so that we spend a year at that store is only a tiny percentage of what this supermarket would turn over. But do it to too many people and it will mean disaster in the long term.

The fruit of hate

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In the middle of the faithless sky there hangs a small, dark world that was once green and blue. Some say it killed itself by stabbing all its lovely lands with deep atomic wounds. Some say it took an overdose of hate.

Calvin Miller

Steve Irwin – 3 lessons he has taught my son

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  1. Be Passionate: Steve was a passionate man. He loved crocs, he love his country and he love his kids. I want my son to live life passionately to commit to something and to see it through in his life.
  2. Be compassionate: Steve was accussed by some as being an animal molester. I think that at times he was over the top but you couldn’t help but be moved by his compassion for many animals on the endangered list. He showed his compassion not just by what he said but in the way that he spent his money. This was the ultimate test of whether he was fair dinkum or not.
  3. Not perfect: Steve wasn’t perfect. He was a good bloke with a big mouth. Someone who talks so much was bound to make mistakes. He was enthusiastic this was bound to take him over the top. But, remember the baby Bob episode, Steve was wrong and silly but he is also forgiveable. None of us lives life so perfectly that we never need to ask for forgiveness at some time. I would much rather that my son has a go than sits on his bum all his life and never ventures outside a very narrow safe world. This will mean that he will make mistakes and choose options that I would prefer that he didn’t. I hope I can say good on you and he can know that no matter what he does there is a dad who sees him as loveable no matter what he does.

Thank you Steve for being a part of my son’s life even though you never knew him. He knows you and goes to bed with a croc every night. He wears a rubber snake around his neck during the day and most of all he gets excited about these things. You have taught my son some very valuable lessons.

Struggling Beginnings – Year One

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April and I had felt quite clearly for a number of years God calling us to Charters Towers since we had spent a year working in the town as a part of a Cornerstone mission team in 1990. We returned in 1995 when I was offered the job as pastor of the Church of Christ.

I remember very clearly the struggle when beginning our ministry at the Church of Christ in Charters Towers. It was a radical change from the busyness of life leading a Christian community. Although life in Cornerstone was often difficult it was never dull and the community life always had its own energy.

I was promised one year's paid work with the assurance of plenty of unpaid work beyond that. That was the amount of money the church had saved during its Pastorless time. One church leader said the expectation was that I was hired to fix the church. His analogy was If you call a plumber in to fix a broken pipe you expect the pipe to be fixed. Our church was broken because it was low on people, the most important resource of God's community. I wasn't quite as sure about the analogy between the pastor and the plumber [Read more…]

A passionless read – from A Passionate Life

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Want to find a book to avoid or at least relegate to the plethora of insipid, uninspired Christian writing. Then this is the book for you. A Passionate Life by Mike Breen and Walt Kallestad (no link provided on purpose).

Come on guys give us all a break. We want a journey not a collection of contrived anecdotes that have no one’s names and no context meaning the illustrations lack the reality that we want today. It starts to read like one of those dodgy testimonials that you read in some of the more dodgy women’s magazines that always seem to find their way to a doctor’s surgery. That’w where I read them, honestly. “M” came into my office the other day with this problem.

And please help me I don’t want another series of shapes to mold my life around. This is one of the central themes of the book and the concept of lifeshapes. I don’t need to be a semi-circle, triangle, square etc. to lead a passionate life. I need to find God.

Ultimately “A Passionate Life” is disappointing. It ultimately brings the agenda back to ourselves. I believe the crux of a passionate life discovering something other than ourselves so a book that ends up being about self discovery may inspire some for a moment but it won’t last.

In fact if you want to find something that inspires the book is ‘Finding Flow,’ by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. Although it isn’t written from a Christian perspective it has great insights about being content and finding our place in the world. I need to update my Amazon assoicates and provide some links but put in a search and it will come up straight away.

What am I worth?

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Worth a look is Payscale to check out how much you really are worth and who is getting more than yourself. With over 300 000 salaries being added a month it provides and exhaustive world wide database of salaries. It will either make you feel really good or really bad depending on which direction you choose to look. Unless of course you are sitting at the top and there is no way you can look upwards.

Or, you could like me read an unauthorised biography of Steve Jobs and realise the futility of jealousy. Somehow I don’t think that he would be bothered to check his payscale. Interesting read by the way. Compelling central character who is both admirable and flawed. Perhaps in many ways a more genuine hero than the perfection that Hollywood like to present us.

Excuses

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The next time I find myself wanting to make an excuse for something that I haven't done or should have done or could have done better I will remember the following from Steve Pavlina.

 

   Excuses are lies we tell ourselves to avoid dealing with unpleasant truths. But as long as we buy into those excuses, we can never move past them. Instead of addressing the underlying problem, we merely hide the symptoms. One of the most important steps in personal growth is to uproot excuse-making and confront the real issues behind the excuses with consciousness and courage.

Spiritual Formation and Strengths

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I was priveleged a few years ago to talk to Richard Hagstrom who allowed me to use his Green Light Profile. During this time I have conducted profiles and become more and more familiar with the process. So I have now conducted around 50 profiles and added some other bits and pieces that help to connect values with a person’s Green Light areas.
In a couple of weeks time I am conducting profiles with a number of spiritual formation students from ACOM (the churches of Christ College in NSW and Qld). I am looking forward to the intereaction and connecting this type of profile to spiritual formation.

Why it can be nice to be hated

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A couple of nights ago when I was at the beach having a meal with some of the homeless people that we feed on Sunday nights when a surfer came up to me. At first I wasn’t sure what was going to happen. Some people are resentful of the fact that homeless people use the beach area.

He introduced himself to me and then asked if we were Christians. I said, “Yes we were.”

He replied, “I really hate God but I love what you guys are doing.”

The conversation continued with him confessing that at one point he had a faith but had decided not to follow it further. But, he recognised that there is an innate goodness in looking after those in society who are less well off than ourselves. I know that the people we feed are not perfect and that handouts are never the real answer. Yet we need to start somewhere. At least over a meal you can begin a conversation. Sermons don’t work for these people.

Even though I know that many people don’t like what I do it was a nice to be validated by someone who had their conscience pricked.

Failure

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I like to hear that greatness doesn’t stop failure. Lots of other lessons from Seth’s blog from Columbus but this one rang very true for me.

Columbus was a failure. He failed when he joined in the attempt to conqure the Kingdom of Naples. He was captured by Portuguese ships as he escorted an armed convoy. He was wounded. And he never did get to India. The fact that he didn’t give up and become a shopkeeper after this rought start was critical to his success.

Homeless Lessons

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Tonight I did my usual Sunday evening routine of feeding the homeless at a popular beach near our place. I have been doing for a few months now and am getting to know some of the people quite well. It is a good reminder when talking with these people to realise that life is capable of giving us all some hard knocks.

As I have listened to the stories of these people I have realised that wherever we live and whatever we look like life can deal some very unfair hands. Who am I to say that I would react any differently if I were placed in the same situation.

What I have also sought to do is to listen to their stories and value these people’s lives. I have learned the value of community and that we all have a need to connect to each other’s story. For example tonight one of the guys told me that he was battling bone cancer. For a year and a half the doctors had treated him as less than human and failed to diagnose and treat his cancer properly in its early stages. Because of this the cancer has spread and has become far more serious. In the midst of this the homeless community has cared for him and shown a genuine concern. What a shame his life wasn’t valued higher at an earlier stage of his cancer.
I have learned that life is about caring and giving. If my faith is just about myself and my knowledge of God then it is sadly lacking. In this situation where I thought that it was up to me to give I have realised that I have also received. But this has not been the case in this work, I have also received greatly through being able to give.

What do little boys take to bed?

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I put Toby to bed tonite. Before he hopped between the sheets he had to set it up right.

He took with him the following:-

  • an incredible (not sure which one)
  • the little creature that accompanies buzz lightyear
  • Buzz Lightyear (to infinity and beyond)
  • various toy soldiers
  • a dead cricket (his favourite pet at the moment and it is in a container)

You have to love the sense of organisation of a child.

Good to Great – Personally

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I found Jim Collin’s book Good to Great inspiring to say the least. I recently checked out his website at Jimcollins.com and found some priceless wisdom gleaned from his writings.

The pivot point in Good to Great is the Hedgehog Concept. The essence of a Hedgehog Concept is to attain piercing clarity about how to produce the best long-term results, and then exercising the relentless discipline to say, “No thank you” to opportunities that fail the hedgehog test. When we examined the Hedgehog Concepts of the good-to-great companies, we found they reflected deep understanding of three intersecting circles:

1) what you are deeply passionate about,

2) what you can be the best in the world at, and

3) what best drives your economic engine.

I need to maintain a clarifying vision for the future as I head in a new direction in my emerging spiritual life. The hedgehog principle works for me as an individual. I want to find that thing that I am great at or things and be able to say no to ensure that I nurture that gift.

Essential Leadership Qualities

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In a survey done on the CEO’s of the top 100 companies in New York the following qualities were expressed as most desirable of leaders. It is interesting to note that none of the qualities had anything to do with business acumen. The main qualities were all to do with a person’s character.

  1. Never compromise on matters of principle nor standards of excellence, even on minor issues.
  2. Be patient and never give up
  3. Have a vision of where you are going and communicate it to others
  4. Know what you stand for; set high standards and don’t be afraid to take on tough problems despite the risk.
  5. Spend less time managing and more time leading. Lead by example.
  6. Bring out the best in others. Hire the best people you can find, then delegate authority and responsibility, but stay in touch.
  7. Have confidence in yourself and in those around you; trust others.
  8. Accept blame for failures and credit others with success. Possess integrity and personal courage.

Spiritual Growth

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Vygotsky, has brought many new insights to the world of education that can be applied to one’s spiritual growth. The foundational premise of Vygotsky’s concept of development is that the formation of the mind or cognition is dependent on the social context in which an individual lives.

Vygotsky’s sociocultural approach to developmentalism.

The following insights can be gleaned from his writings and it is posited that a integrated application of his developmental principles form a solid foundation for one’s spiritual growth, sustainable ministry and continued attendance to the things of God.

Spiritual growth begins outside the individual. Spiritual growth is not simply an internal process, but is partially an acquisition from the community of faith in which the individual engages. While spirituality is often perceived as an individual or personal quality, it also has a social or cooperate dimension. Most ministers would agree that Scripture asserts one’s belonging to God’s community, the church but its application to one’s personal spiritual growth is uncertain. This dichotomy is expressed by many who preach the need for the church but view the ‘real work’ of spiritual growth taking place privately. Both must be held as true if spiritual growth is to occur within one’s ministry context.

Spiritual growth is holistic. To ensure that one is able to sustain their ministry and guard against burnout requires one to view themselves in a holistic manner. Spiritual growth is not the result of a single factor, but of multiple factors, both individual and social, which coalesce within the individual. Application of a single devotional method or community form does not allow one’s developmental areas to mature. Vygotsky brings a new perspective on the interaction of one’s physical and mental processes that is closer to the Hebrew understanding of knowledge requiring truth to be related to one’s being not merely the presence of rational proofs.

Spiritual growth is not a linear or unidirectional process. Vygotsky’s use of zones of development, rather than linear stages of advancement, adds a new approach to our understanding of spiritual growth. Instead of viewing maturity as a linear process that has some end goal growth and maturity may be seen as the complete integration of one’s developmental zones. Spiritual growth would require relationships conducive to advancing faith.

Teachers and deliberate instruction are essential for spiritual growth. According to Vygotsky, development does not occur on its own; it requires a socio-historical impetus, which for him was education, specifically schooling or intentional instruction. Intentional and unintentional instruction by the church contributes to the spiritual growth of all its members. This is instruction by a more mature member of the faith community is required for an individual to reach their formative potential. In the Church Vygotsky’s approach requires the church to function as a family, wherein the more mature members are placed in a learning context with younger members of the faith community. This is in contrast to the role assumed in many larger churches were management and organization is the main requirements of the pastor. To remain in ministry for the long term requires the Pastor to listen to elders and be teachable by their experience.

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ABC’s of being a Father – L

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Love – And lots of it. What a big word that is so maligned by so many people. Yet this is so neccessary for our kids to see demonstrated.

Firstly they need to see me love their mother. I am very committed to my kids seeing this happen. It was demonstrated by my Father to my mother and I think he set a great foundation for me to continue that on.

Secondly the kids need to see me love them. For example while trying to write I have been interrupted a hundred times (well at least 5) and that is ok. Because love means showing that they are more important than me writing about being a loving Father.

Love never gives up.
Love cares more for others than for self.
Love doesn’t want what it doesn’t have.
Love doesn’t strut,
Doesn’t have a swelled head,
Doesn’t force itself on others,
Isn’t always "me first,"
Doesn’t fly off the handle,
Doesn’t keep score of the sins of others,
Doesn’t revel when others grovel,
Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,
Puts up with anything,
Trusts God always,
Always looks for the best,
Never looks back,
But keeps going to the end. (from Paul)

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Creativity in the Church

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This is so true of many movements. I am not sure that these things are all bad. For example a lack of accountability can be a bad thing. We only need to look at the failed TV evangelists of the 80’s and 90’s and I am sure that some are still failing to realise this. But then on the other hand the opportunity to run ahead and be creative can happen in institutions. In fact it is often the institutions that allow the freedom for that occur.

When I look at so many of the voices of the Emergent church movement I see that most of them are safely locked behind the doors of institutions. Very often the institutions that they are spending so much time emerging from. I think that many of them would not be able to do the things they do like blog for example without this protection.

Don’t get me wrong I get as frustrated as the next person with the church. But I still love it and its people. I have found that in many cases it has fostered a climate of innovation and encouraged new things to occur. The church is in fact the ideal place for a ‘mucker’ because it can be so forgiving of failure or at least it should be.

I continue to be amazed at how movements can ossify and institutionalize. Organizational gravity inevitably pulls toward institutionalization. The justifications used by the bean counters, policy makers, and those who must have rules and regulation are legion: ..accountability..stewardship…excellence…can all be admirable labels for clubs that are used to beat innovation and an entrepreneurial spirit out of an organizational culture.

In my experience the only way to keep an edge and a step ahead of the maintainers is to recruit and empower a steady stream of what Edison called ‘muckers.’ They are the trailblazers who simply need running room and someone to believe in them. (http://www.undertheiceberg.com/)

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George Carey’s spiritual journey has inspired me at times in my own spiritual journey.

In 1972 my spiritual life was a mess, to put it mildly. I was at that time teaching Christian theology at St John’sCollege, Nottingham, a leading evangelical college which trains men and women for ministry in the Church of England. Perhaps I had been too long in theological education, I don’t know, but whatever the reason I knew that my spiritual life was at a crisis point. My heart hadn’t kept pace with my head. Sometimes when I was teaching New Testament theology, I found myself thinking: “You hypocrite, you don’t really believe this do you?” But I was trapped. I had to go along with the show. I couldn’t let the side down, I had to pretend that all was well’.

In myself I was fairly normal. I wasn’t a psychiatric mess, a quivering bundle of nerves or anything like that. I was 37 at the time, a normal balanced, healthy person with no personal experience of clinical or pathological depression. I was happily married to Eileen, a marvelous person and we were blessed with four delightful children. But the experience of Christianity had somehow disappeared from my life. The great truths of evangelicalism had lost their fire and their power to convince. To all intents and purposes I was all right, but I knew if God did not intervene soon that my whole Christian existence was finished. It was that desperate. (The Church in the Marketplace p.6,7)

Carey goes on to describe he renewal through the work of the Holy Spirit. He describes the difference of this renewal and his restoration to a love of Christ, a desire to read the Scriptures, a longing to share his faith with others and a desire to praise God. Although he would not define himself as charismatic his experience demonstrated many of the features of a charismatic renewal. Mostly, he was thankful that his theology had found a living soul (Carey, p.10).The work of this “crisis” served to allow Him to continue in working with a local parish and then later to be the Archbishop of Canterbury. On concluding his ministry at Durham Carey notes that the last thing that he did there was to talk and pray with a man who wanted to know more about the Christian faith (Carey p.154).

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Working Hard

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I have spent the last couple of days working for a friend who is a builder. He was desperate for someone because all the people he was relying on couldn’t help. So I volunteered

My muscles are reminding me of how long it is since I have done hard physical labour. I need to get a bit fitter if I am going to last in my new position next year. After many years of behind the desk jobs my body is going to get a much harder workout.

But I tell you I feel very much alive. I feel good. I get tired when I am shifting bricks and climbing up and down ladders and shifting bits of timber. But, it is a much better than that dead tired feeling that you get when you have done nothing but just feel tired. I don’t know if that makes sense but I am saying that the physical work is a good thing.

Anyway back behind my desk. This has been one of my slackest ever years for physical exercise. We are just too busy with work and the kids and everything else. But I am determined not to neglect my physical wellbeing so much in the future.

What do I plan to do:

  1. Make time to regularly exercise
  2. Make sure I do regular aerobic exercise
  3. Make sure I do strength building exercise
  4. Eat healthily – bad habit are so tasty
  5. Lose some weight

I will try to hold myself accountable here..

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Ideas what becomes of them

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 Ideas Have Consequences, author Richard M. Weaver observed:

“Nothing is more certain than that we are all in this together….If the thinkers of our time cannot catch the imagination of the world to the point of effecting some profound transformation, they must succumb with it.”
 
This was quoted in the porpoise diving  life.