A Determined Optimist: Shirley Henry

Shirley Henry is the type of person that never met a stranger. She makes friends easily and thinks the best of people. She is quick to like someone and slow to change her mind. She also likes to stay busy and involves herself in causes quickly. She's about as quick to help someone as she is to know and like them.

She is the second of 4 children born to immigrants from Lebanon. Her father passed away while she was young and her mother was committed to a home due to mental issues. We now think her mother was diabetic, but no one made that diagnosis years ago. The four siblings, Toni, Shirley, Bob and Joanne struggled to remain together and had some hard times as foster children.

Mom eventually married my dad and I was their first born, Mark and Matt to follow. Mom learned how to be a mother with me and that was fine. We did a lot of things together back in the days when mom's stayed home and raised their kids. Mom was pretty independent because Dad had to work so many jobs to make ends meet while he finished college at night school on the GI Bill. But I never knew we didn't have anything. I had everything I needed.

When we banged ourselves as kids, as long as there was no blood, all was fine. She'd look at us and say, "oh, you're alright. Get out there and win the next one!" "You're not hurt. Look! You're missing the game." Or, "It's just a scratch. Quit your whining." We made it alright.

She also cooked 3 meals a day. To this day, she's always cooking something. She invented a meal or two; some that stick around to this day, like Mish Mosh. She also had some famous experiments, or lessons.  A few were donated, but money was scarce, so many times we ate them anyway.  You learn to keep your criticism to yourself.  Besides, you can't make masterpieces without spilling some paint every now and then.

Mom and I had some hard times when I was a teenager (which lasted until I was about 35). She went through quite a when I did some of my less-intelligent things, like my living arrangements in the fraternity and my choice of friends. The roughest time was probably the months when I recovered from a bad automobile accident in 1979. She hoofed me to doctors sometimes three times a week for 5 months. Her only complaint was that her patient was a pain in the butt.

Mom, thanks for everything you've done for me. I appreciate you, your optimism, self discipline, and your passion for people. You have blessed me with your spirit for people and your passion for service.  I will always love you.

Mike...

Primal by Mark Batterson

It is often good to focus on the core; to get back to the basics of what you believe or how you do something. Mark Batterson sets out to help our generation embark on a reformation, not one that is a new discovery, but one that is a rediscovery of something old, even Primal. Primal is the title of the latest book by Mark Batterson. In an effort to pursue reformation, Mark takes a look original reason for creation, the core meaning of the Great Commandment: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.

The author encourages us to engage Christ by applying thought and action to the four ares where we're to love God: our heart, soul, mind and strength. Each section is a thought-provoking analysis of the meaning of the those words from the original Greek, but the application uses relevant illustrations. This is not in an academic study, but an experiential one as you think carefully about what it means to love God with all your heart or with all your soul.

We live at a multi-task pace. We pay attention to our cell phones while we watch TV, surf the Internet and talk with our family. Many time the author calls us to focus, think deeply about what it means to do anything with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength. For example, in the section on all of our mind, he discusses how our imagination is much more powerful than the logical-thinking part of our brain. Our imagination is able to conceive of much more than we can feel or taste or smell. But we use so little of our imagination when we are engaged with God. I confess avoiding my imagination in relationship to God. I get so easily discouraged when God doesn't meet my expectations. So I keep Him in a box. I was very challenged by the idea of worshiping God with my imagination. My gratitude goes to the author and the publisher for the challenge.

You need to read this book. Our church (the universal one) needs to re-ignite our Primal, core need to engage God and love Him with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength. This book will help you do just that.

Real Church by Larry Crabb

Larry Crabb doesn't much like going to church anymore. And he's not alone. That's actually the title of the Introduction to the book Real Church: Does It Exist? Can I Find It? by Larry Crabb.

Depending on your own perspective, I can imagine people calling the book anything from a rant to a compelling, transparent look at both the church and the person. My perspective is much like the authors. I don't much like going to church anymore either. I definitely wouldn't call this a rant.

The author is transparent and honest and represents both sides of some of his own arguments. Just reviewing the chapter titles will show you where the author's thoughts travel.
Chapter 1: Why Have We Lost Interest in Church?
Chapter 2: Why Do So Many People Still Attend Church and Like It?
Chapter 3: So What Is It that Makes a Gathering a Church?
Chapter 4: So What Is It that Causes a Gathering to Cease Being a Church?

And those were just the chapters of the introduction. The author goes on to examine the question, "Why should I go to church?" The next five chapters examine three answers to that question that just don't work:

1. "It will make my life better;"
2. "It will show me how to change my world;"
3. "It will offer salvation and help for righteous living."

Before reaching the end of the book, the author calls many current church practices into question. His reasoning strikes me as biblically sound. Many of us could use asking God to take us throught the same evaluation the author describes.

For me the most compelling part of the book was in Chapter 20. The third section is titled "Marks of the Church I Want to Be Part Of" and chapter 20 is Mark #3: Finds Contentment in Wanting What Jesus Wants.

Listen to Jesus: "May they [His followers] be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me" (John 17:23, emphasis mine). Francis Schaeffer called it God's "final apologetic." What he meant, I think, was this: how we get along with one another is the most persuasive evidence the Holy Spirit has to work with as He draws people to Jesus (emphasis in the original).

Jesus calls his church to unity. Why wouldn't we expect difficulty, even satanic attack, at that very point. Maybe that's why church seems to be such a performance any more with so little community (at least in my own personal experience).

If you're having trouble with church, I recommend the book. I believe the author managed to engage in constructive examination and pursuit of a deeper relationship with Jesus. Now if more church elders and staff people would read it too.

You Were Born For This

Book Review
You Were Born For This: 7 Keys to a Life of Predictable Miracles
By Bruce Wilkinson

Have you ever wondered why miracles are so uncommon? I haven't. I always figured a miracle is a miracle because it is an uncommon event. Miracles don't happen every day. That's what makes them miracles, right?

Not so, according to Bruce Wilkinson. His latest book You Were Born For This: 7 Keys to a Life of Predictable Miracles presents a reasoned and compelling argument that we can experience miracles every day; in fact, we probably do, but we're not aware of them. (There is also a video introduction you might be interested in.) Bruce makes the case from scripture that God is active in the world and His works are miracles. God is actively searching for people to participate in and deliver the very actions (miracles) God is doing. "God chooses to partner with ordinary people for His supernatural agenda.

Even the author refers to the book as The Prayer Of Jabez to the power of miracles. It is a follow up to Jabez in that Jabez prayed to be a blessing and to have his territory expanded, not for Jabez' benefit, but for the benefit of others. God is busy working on His agenda and he chooses to employ people in His agenda. One of the primary reasons we miss out is we're not working on God's agenda, but our own. When we work to align ourselves to God, He delights to include us in His agenda.

Bruce's style is very engaging. His reasoning and examples connect you with the points made in the book. The scripture is not taken out of context. The message is accurate and believable. It's an easy read that is worth the effort. I must make two confessions though: 1) I am not finished with the book and 2) I have experienced a couple of miracles so far during my reading, but not daily ones. Regardless, I recommend the book highly. I will finish it because Bruce always expands my knowledge of God and my greatest goal in life is to be a trusted vessel in God's work here. This book will help you connect with God and partner with Him in His works here to reveal Jesus.

If you do, I'd like to know about it. Comment here and let me know. I have one copy of the book that I'll send to a randomly-selected commenter on Sept 30. Just add your comment below to participate.

Make A Difference - James 1:22

But prove yourselves doers of the word and not merely hearers who delude themselves. James 1:22


The end of a relationship with Jesus Christ is that we are doers. There is a difference between someone who remodels his kitchen and someone who remodels kitchens for a living. There is a difference between someone who plays guitar and a musician; or someone who volunteers and a volunteer. The difference is commitment. James challenges us to be a doer. We're to be professional in our doing.

Think back to the best leaders you've known. I'd bet one thing they had in common is that they weren't afraid to do what they said. They were people who had integrity. Integrity is the most common response to the question, "What do you want in a leader." Integrity means less that your leaders are honest, but more that they are true, pure. Their message was consistent with their beliefs. When we say someone has integrity, we are saying that they are what they claim to be. Integrity is the opposite of hypocrisy. The original Greek word for hypocrite meant an actor or one who wore a mask. Anyone who appears different than they truly are is a hypocrite. They're acting. If the best leaders in your memory were actors, you haven't had a good leader. Great leaders are what they represent. They live the life they call others to. Followers of Jesus are to do what they claim to believe.

Another problem with integrity in leadership is that it spills over from the professional life to the personal life. If you tell the truth to your teammates, but you lie to the government about your income, are you still a liar? Do you really have integrity? If you're an honest politician but you cheat on and lie to your wife, are you not still a liar? How can you be called honest if you're not always honest? If you lead a team and preach commitment to your company, do you bad-mouth your superiors? Would you be surprised to know that I have? We all have fallen in some way or degree. You can't achieve perfection in your integrity, but as a fellow member of the human race, your friends and teammates ask that you pursue integrity and that you're closer than they are. It's hard to lead someone to integrity if you're not on the same road.

Finally, we can't just do anything. We must use judgment and discrimination because we're called to do "the word." Our profession as followers of Jesus is to be full time doers of the Bible! "Wait a minute!" you say. "We can't be accountable for everything in the Bible! That's impossible!" And, you'd be right. No one would ever do anything if they had to become an expert on the Bible before they started. In Romans 3:23, the Bible itself says, "all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God." We fall short, but that's no excuse. We can't wait until all the lights are green before we leave the house. Becoming a full-time doer of the word is a process. Just like any profession or vocation, we have to start. Doctors practice medicine and lawyers practice law. Just as integrity is a pursuit, knowledge of Jesus and the Bible is a pursuit. Once we believe that Jesus is who he claimed to be, we begin the pursuit of knowing Him and glorifying Him. Once you believe Jesus is the way, the truth and the life as John 14:6 says, then you can truly begin to study for the tests that life will bring your way.

Today, ask God to make you a doer of the word. Take a few minutes more than usual and learn the Bible. Take a few minutes more than usual to talk with Jesus and ask for direction. But be careful, if you get an idea that lines up with the teaching you know to be true, you probably need to take action. How else will you be able to call yourself a doer?

As you pray, ask God to show you where you can do something different today.


What thoughts came to your mind?



Do they line up with scripture and what you know to be right? *


If it did, what are you waiting for. Go and be a doer of the Word today. The word of God is your new job. Do it like you mean it. You get to work on your career and the rewards are eternal! Think about it. Then, get to work.


*If you're not sure, check with your pastor or send me a note. I don't have all the answers but I may be able to help. Or I definitely will help you find a friend who can walk with you as you work on your career in Christ.

Photo © Vyacheslav Osokin - Fotolia.com

The Seven Wonders of the World

My mother reminded me of the Seven Wonders of the World today.

7 Wonders of the world


Thanks Mom!

Social Media Madness Part 2

Twitter
Well, my Twitter account is back online and it remains http://twitter.com/mikehenrysr.  It apparently happened some time last night or early this morning.  Jessica's account @jdhenry09 is back as well.

We still have no communication why we were suspended or reinstated.  I wonder if we'll ever know.  Now I can begin to develop a strategy to better manage this if it ever happens again.

Blog
The blog is back up as well, but clearly "under construction." I tried to change the primary domain on my hosting account and messed up Wordpress.  While I think the site is pretty much back in tact, there are still a couple of problems and we're also implementing a theme customization, so some things will remain under construction for another day or two.

Several folks offered info and sympathy.  Thank you very much.  Also, thank you to everyone for your patience.

Mike Henry
mikehenrysr@gmail.com

Posted via email from Mike's posterous

Social Media Madness

My Twitter account was suspended today.  It used to be @mikehenrysr.  I don't know what it will be when I finally get to the bottom of the mess with Twitter.

My website is also down.  I learned that you shouldn't change your primary hosting domain.  Wordpress didn't like what I did and now I can't post to my blog nor can I send anyone a tweet telling them my site is down.  I'm having fun.

I'll post another message when everything's back up.

Mike Henry
mikehenrysr@gmail.com

Posted via email from Mike's posterous

Opportunity Disguised As A Lion

Book Review: In A Pit With A Lion On A Snowy Day: How To Survive And Thrive When Opportunity Roars By Mark Batterson

I've got to say that I really enjoy Mark Batterson's books. I read Wild Goose Chase first but haven't yet written a review. That will be coming (hopefully) soon. In A Pit presents a principle about opportunity: opportunity seldom looks like opportunity at first. I just read the following quote from Harvey Mackay's weekly newspaper column about James Barksdale, the former CEO of Netscape. Barksdale had a maxim about opportunity known as the three-snake rule:

• The first rule: If you see a snake, kill it. Don't set up a snake committee. Don't set up a snake user group, Don't write snake memos. Kill it.
• The second rule: Don't play with dead snakes. (Don't revisit decisions.)
• The paradoxical third: All opportunities start out looking like snakes.

Batterson makes the argument from the life of a biblical character, Benaiah, and an encounter he had with a lion, in a pit, on a snowy day. Benaiah chose to fight the lion, and went on to become the leader of King David's army. Benaiah's life and career hinged on this event, and he ended up in charge of the army of the greatest king in the history of Israel.

Batterson calls us to become a lion chaser; someone who would chase down the lion rather than someone who would run from it. The book is energizing, empowering, encouraging and challenging. Each chapter is engaging as the author discusses facets of embracing opportunity even when it's disguised as a lion, or a snake. I admit I took my time and savored the book. One chapter called Unlearning Your Fears he asked: "Are you living your life in a way that is worth telling stories about?" Well are you?

Another chapter and one that I studied the most was titled Guaranteed Uncertainty. It begins:

I know one thing for sure: Benaiah didn't wake up on the morning of his lion encounter and plan out every detail. It wasn't scheduled in Outlook. It wasn't on his to do list. I'm not even sure it was on his wish list. The lion encounter was as unplanned as a toothache.

God makes opportunities out of the uncertainties of our lives. If you think about the great moments in your life, they were seldom planned. Batterson uses examples like the Pentecost, and other major events of scripture. They weren't planned. Those people (and us at times too) didn't get up on the morning of the day in question knowing it was going to be a day with a life-changing pivotal opportunity. Embracing God requires us to embrace the uncertainty of our lives and use perspective and trust in God to allow Him to make the most of each opportunity (or lion or snake).

In the same chapter, the author explains something that made a big impact on me: Explanatory Style. What is your normal interpretation process for the events that happen your life? When someone stands you up for lunch, do you think "Something must have happened to them," causing you to worry, or do you think "That turkey stood me up!" causing you to be angry. The author calls that our explanatory style. He goes on to explain that our default explanatory style can cause us to see problems as opportunities God has placed before us or it can cause us to blame God or someone else for the problems and drop into victim mode. Great leaders seldom rise from victim explanatory styles.

The book was thoroughly encouraging and challenging. As a Christ-follower, I am encouraged to continue to work on my Explanatory Style. I commit to refuse to blame God or others for my circumstances. My prayer is that I can honor that commitment and that I will be found faithful to embrace the opportunities God presents in my life, whether they look like snakes, lions, unemployment, loss of income or any other type of setback.

Please let me know if I can help you in that area as well. I recommend the book wholeheartedly.

Why I'm Not Following You on Twitter

I've become a bit fascinated by Twitter. In just over 5 months on the service, I've made friends with people from all over the world, some business leaders, an author or two, and several other folks. I've even had a few phone conversations with some and one or two have been a great help to me in my new business. I enjoy meeting new tweeple. If you haven't, you can follow me here. I will (at least initially) follow you back.

I like to follow people who tweet about interesting ideas, leadership, teamwork, making the world a better place, people who are generally encouraging or add something to the twitterverse, and fellow followers of Jesus.

However, today, I just unfollowed several people on Twitter. I do it once a week or so. While Twitter is non-reciprocating in it's organization structure, I believe my twitter account is. I made that decision a couple of months ago in an effort to develop a standard follower policy. So here are the reasons I might un-follow you.

1. You chose not to follow me back. It's just as simple as that. Unless you're a news feed or a product I'm extremely interested in, you won't last. You may make it for a few weeks but after a while, I'll unfollow. One other exception to this, at least for now, is friends who just don't seem to pay much attention to Twitter. I have about 20 people I know personally that have accounts but haven't seen fit to tweet or follow anyone. No wonder you don't understand it!
   
2. You're a celebrity. I don't follow many celebs and only local politicians. As a note, it's unfortunate that the local politicians don't interact more on Twitter. Many of mine fall in category #1 above because they don't understand the value of the service.
3. You tweet a ton. I use a Firefox add-on called Greasemonkey and a script called FollowCost that ranks your tweet volume. If your count is over 1000 milliscobles (a value derived by the authors), you risk being dropped at any time. Also any accounts that post multiple versions of the same tweet (more than two or three a day, which I sometimes do) then you can expect to get unfollowed.
4. You have some association with porn, foul language, hate, etc.
5. You send a bunch of direct messages (DM) to me. By a bunch, I mean one or two unsolicited ones. I understand people who choose to send DM's as Thank You messages. That's a personal preference and I don't have any hard feelings about those. But if you send me a "Hi" DM and you haven't sent any standard tweets, you're a goner.

That's about it. Maybe we just haven't found each other. I may from time to time follow you because of someone you follow or something you tweeted, but if you don't follow back or if you hit one of the other categories above, you can just give me a few days and I'll disappear. For me, Twitter is about the friends I can make, the relationships I can build, and the people I can help. Thanks for reading this and being part of my Web 2.0 world.

Paths and Principles

Book Review: The Principle Of The Path: How to get from where you are to where you want to be by Andy Stanley, published by Thomas Nelson.

I just spent a few conflicted hours with Andy Stanley's latest book. As usual, he delivers a powerful message, with biblical accuracy and pointed simplicity. The point of the book, and the principle stated plainly is: Direction - not intention - determines our destination. Later in the book he adds that our attention determines direction or what we focus on determines our path and our path determines our destination. It seems so obvious to me and yet I am also very tempted to lobby for an exception.

The book is well written. The author has used great examples from personal life and important passages from scripture to make the point that the choices we make determine our destination. The points are well explained and even argued as he understands well the questions one might ask. In fact we all ask many of the questions of this book and we all make many of the mistakes in the book as well. Who hasn't wished they could eat whatever they wanted or skip exercising without gaining weight (or worse)? Who hasn't wished there was some shortcut to happiness.

I understand and agree with the ideas in the book. I take responsibility for my choices of what I eat and how I spend my time; of the thoughts I choose to dwell on and the habits I've allowed. I take responsibility for those things and therefore I accept responsibility for where my life is after 51 years.

But there is little to encourage those of us who are a number of years or miles away from where we'd like to be. The book offers little more than a suggestion that we seek out a mentor or that we submit to God. Maybe there is little more than that for someone like me with several years of bad decisions behind them. This is a great book but I'm left more disappointed with my life for having read it. I don't know why. Maybe I'm arguing with submitting to God. Maybe I want to reserve the right to try to take shortcuts. But I felt after completing the book that the answer to the question "How do I get from where I am to where I want to be?" is that I can't get there from here. I have to go back in time or accept some compromise for a destination. The book seems to offer little regardless of my desire to change.

Therefore, I don't know how to recommend the book. I will probably offer it to some high-school graduates at my church, but I don't see recommending it to many of my friends at my age. I'm a big fan of the author's and I've appreciated his works like Next Generation Leader and Visioneering, which I both enthusiastically recommend. But I'm left with an empty recollection of The Principle Of The Path, wondering, contemplating where my life will end up now that I'm this far from my dream path.

Tribes Group Blog - Day 19

What a treat to participate in a group blog project about Tribes by Seth Godin started by ChurchCrunch! Today, we're discussing pages 91-96.

Leaders Go First

Seth begins today's reading with an interesting post on how leaders resist the status quo. Leaders become leaders in the Tribes world because they go first. They disregard the status quo in exchange for an idea that is bigger and better than the status quo. The idea may not succeed; many don't. But in every case, someone had to go first. Someone had to stop being "everyone" and step out. Quoting the book, "'Everyone says it's impossible.' Guess what? Everyone works in a balloon factory and everyone is wrong." The chapter ends with the comment that "Over and over, everyone is wrong - unless you believe that innovation can change things, that heretics can break the rules, and that remarkable products and services spread. If you believe that, then you're not everyone. Then you're right."

We all can be everyone to someone. As a boomer, I find myself telling my kids sometimes that they can't do something. I really don't like it when I notice that, but I'm also afraid that I don't notice it as often as it happens. Too many times, I'm everyone to my barbarian kids. Do you notice that about yourself? Do you see that in your relationships with your peers, or coworkers or children? To what degree or to whom are you an everyone?
But, wait. Seth's not done. There's a great deal more. The two examples he uses are the music industry and Microsoft. Both are in a state of decline, however I'd venture to say that more people would agree that the record industry is in decline than would agree the same about Microsoft.

Watching The Music Business Die

Seth goes on to write an accurate and scathing rebuke of the music industry. As usual, his perceptive eye marks the decline of the industry and he provides some accurate criticism and an encouraging challenge to start trying to build a career self-publishing. The music industry was built for another time and it's economic model worked so well, that huge systems were created and many people made a lot of money operating the system. In fact, I wonder if the church hasn't made so much money working the system that we (I'm one of the church) missed the opportunity to take the lead and take advantage of the very process Seth describes. Is it possible that we (the church) made too much money and we missed the chance to really be the change in the music industry?

I've often wondered what would happen if the church gave away Christian music. What if we just gave it away. Wasn't it Keith Green who said something to the effect of, "If we call it music ministry, then why are we charging for it?" What if we created a site where people could download music for free? If the consumer states that they're a believer, they're sent to a donation page. If they state that they're not a believer, they're sent to a page where we explain that we give it away because someone paid for it. The advertising would be of an outreach nature and artists would be paid per download. No record companies, no distribution deals, just music with a Christian message. What do you think?

Don't Panic When The New Business Model Isn't as "Clean" as the Old One

The final entry is a conviction to me. Why don't I step in and do something? Am I God's heretic for this? If not, where is the leader or heretic for this idea? Actually the idea is probably not original with me. Even Seth mentions that "This isn't about having a great idea (it almost never is). The great ideas are out there, for free on your neighborhood blog. Nope, this is about taking the initiative and making things happen."

Is there a heretic Christian reading this blog who's in or around the music industry? My distance from the industry itself is a challenge, but I would quickly join with anyone else in beginning this venture. Is anyone willing to take some action and be a part of the change that's taking place in the music industry? It doesn't have to be the idea presented above; that's just the conversation starter. Open up the discussion with your thoughts and let's change something!

The Noticer by Andy Andrews

Book Review

I just finished a wonderful book called The Noticer by Andy Andrews. The Noticer is a remarkable, magnetic story, told as a narrative by the author mostly in the first person. The author pulls you into the book which reads like a series of short stories about an older man named Jones and his interactions with the people in and around Andy's hometown of Orange Beach, Alabama. Jones (not "Mr.", just Jones) notices things. He pops up from time to time to help people get perspective. He gives the characters perspective, but he will also give the reader perspective if you'll let him.

The author is referred to in some places and reviews as 'like Og Mandino' which is reasonably accurate. I haven't read Mandino in 20 years, but I remember his books. This book is encouraging and fun to read. I intend to read it again for fun since it's not too long either (another Mandino similarity).

Throughout the book, you will learn about Jones' escapades and interactions in the lives of several different, very interesting people. The characters are believable and described without boring detail. The reader learns about the characters as they interact rather than through lengthy introductions.

Like I mentioned earlier, The Noticer will change you if you let it. I can see how some people might make light of the style of the book or it's writing. But there are compelling truth's in the book that everyone can use to be a better person. Jones has a very thoughtful interaction with Henry Warren, an overworked, unethical, succeed-at-any-cost, type A personality. Henry gets two chapters, making him a major character. In the second chapter, Jones explains to Henry that a mistake can be "covered" by a simple apology, but if we chose to mistreat people, and some for many years, that wasn't a mistake; that was a choice. For choices, apologies won't get the job done. Forgiveness is required and that takes time. I was convicted by the people I've apologized to when my actions offended them.

A chapter earlier (Chapter 7), when Jones is first giving the Jones says:

Despite popular belief to the contrary, there is absolutely no power in intention... Have you ever considered how often we judge ourselves by our intentions while we judge others by their actions? Yet intention without action is an insult to those who expect the best from you.

The depth of the argument coming from this older man in the book will catch you in your personal rationalization; that is unless you're in denial or you never have this problem. It's even more challenging when I think that I "intend" so much and "act" so little. (Sheesh!)

Finally, at the end of the book there are questions for use by a small group or for personal thought and consideration as you read the book. Since the ideas Jones introduces in each chapter are thought-provoking, the questions help formulate the thoughts. When I re-read the book, I'll be going over the questions in more detail.

I recommend this book. I'll be getting others by the author and giving this as gifts to some friends. The Noticer will give you perspective. Take advantage of the gift and use the perspective to change your life.

CEO Pay Is NOT The Issue

It sure seems like a crime to pay millions to the CEO of a company that is losing millions. It sure seems like a crime to use government loans and subsidy money to keep a company afloat that squandered millions or more overpaying executives. It seems even more corrupt to pay people extra millions to get them to stick around and fix companies broken by these very people.

But the people who robbed these companies are not the problem. We (Joe Stockholder's) are the problem. We just wanted our stock price to increase. We thought if we rewarded them for increasing our stock price, the stock market would reward us. We offered them millions to increase our wealth. We expected our reward in our paychecks, and our 401k's and our retirement funds. We expected them to keep the stock price going up and up. We didn't expect it to end or we wouldn't have lost so much money when the bubble burst.

My own greed (and yours too, if you're honest) is the issue. As stockholders, we rewarded the wrong behavior out of our own greed. When a company is valued by the stock price, leaders are tempted to pursue short-term gains in stock price at the expense of long-term profitability and contribution. They weren't planning on sticking around either. Our greed has made us short-sighted. Don't tell me you never considered getting yours and getting out. As a popular song once said, "Go on, take the money and run."

If I ever get any money to invest in the market again, it will be in dividend paying companies. After the market run-up of the 1990's and the first decade of this century, I'm convinced that we can't build a system that can sustain those types of gains. I will value companies that make a positive difference, provide a true benefit to their customers and share real, cold, hard, profits with their employees and shareholders.

My only fear is, when the market takes off again, will I be able to hold my ground?

Photo by AMagill

Tribes - Group Blog Project

Over at ChurchCrunch, they're conducting a group blog project where bloggers contribute a post a day (except Sunday) regarding a few pages of the book. The schedule is at the bottom of the post. As of this writing, 5 posts have been completed. Please check them out. I'll be posting on May 4, so please also check back then and comment here or on the other blogs about the post.

The section of the book I'll be covering relates to pages 91-95. In that section Seth makes some of his trademark unabashed observations about how "leaders" aren't "everyone" and a pretty scathing critique of the music industry. Please check out the posts and comment freely.

Jessica Henry - My Hero and a Woman of Action

Many of my favorite qualities, the things I appreciate most in people can be found in my daughter, Jessica Henry. More than anything, she loves people and is quick to act to help people. She's very much a barbarian as defined by Erwin McManus in The Barbarian Way. Like a barbarian (and her dad), sometimes she doesn't fit well. Barbarians don't fit well when there's not a battle to be fought. Barbarians need a cause. We're clumsy in a civilized culture. In the absence of a battle, barbarians seem out of place.

Jessica loves a battle; she's all in for a good cause. She's always looking for a way to make a difference or a way to change things. She has several friends that talk about change, but few actually take any real action. Jessica is always trying something, tweaking something, looking for ways to improve on something. Sometimes all of that critical focus makes you negative, but Jessica has a great heart, a cheerful disposition and a brilliant, electric contagious smile.

But if you ask for her help, be prepared to get to work. Don't ask her to help you think about something. Action is her middle name. If you want her to help, you better have a plan, or she'll throw a plan in for free. She won't let you fail, unless you fail to act. She also gets hurt, many times by showing up for a fight only to find out it was really a dance, or a spitting contest. Sometimes she gets hurt because people really don't want the type of barbarian she can be. She can't help it, but neither can they. So sometimes she doesn't fit and it hurts.

But she fits with me. She's my hero! She is a brave and special barbarian, one of a kind.

I am proud of you and I love you very much. I thank God for letting you be my daughter.

Love, Dad.

Michael Henry Jr. - Man of Courage

There's a man I appreciate for his courage and good spirit. He is quick to laugh yet when he faces a difficult situation, he never complains or seems to regret his place. He just makes a difference. That man is my son, Michael Henry Jr.

Mike (his mother would prefer that I call him Michael) wanted to be a Marine, but, because of scoliosis, he had to endure difficult back surgery and lose his dream of serving his country as a Marine. Regardless, he is still one of the few. His life is one of sacrifice for his family and he serves them and his company and his friends well.

He has a wife Ashley and a son Colton who he loves very much. He has made a lot of sacrifices for them and Ashley has also sacrificed much for him. He's a fortunate man in that regard. They are growing together as husband and wife and as parents. I'm proud to know them, much less to have had the opportunity to be Michael's dad.

Mike, you are a brave man. You face circumstances that are more extreme than I could have faced and you saddle up anyway, as John Wayne put it. You are courageous to your core. You may be scared, but you never show it. You do what's right every day without complaining and without bitterness or anger, two of my deepest problems. You take your life in stride, invest it in your son and wife and you make a difference. You are a world changer. Don't ever let anyone tell you otherwise. You may not make a lot of money, or earn a PhD. You may never be self employed, make millions, retire early. But you are changing the world and I love you. I'm proud of you and what you are doing will be celebrated for eternity. Keep up the good work.

Love Dad.

Lead Change Group

People often complain about the status quo, but few do anything about it. It takes some energy to fight the inertia of what is in order to make something better or new. I know. Sometimes I feel like I lead that tribe.

Anyway, in an effort to help people do something about change, I created a group on LinkedIn called the Lead Change Group. You can check us out at http://bit.ly/leadchangegroup. If you're a member of LinkedIn, please join the group and help us all complain less and do more.

Thanks, Mike...

Anything With Nothing

We the willing
Led by the [un]knowing
Are doing the impossible
For the ungrateful.
We have done so much
With so little
For so long
We are now qualified to do
Anything With Nothing

Back in the dark ages, my fraternity pledge class had to memorize this creed. I have remembered it a long time, mostly because it's easy to remember, but also because it represents my feelings in a lot of situations. I put the word unknowing in braces because the fraternity brothers insisted that we use the word knowing. On the inside, we all knew what it was supposed to be.

It does seem like our current times call for us to do so much more with so much less, that we will soon get to the point of the creed. Don't you feel that way?

How are you going to do more with less? That's the big question of our times. The thought that's on my mind today is that I can definitely compliment more, express gratitude more, appreciate my friends and family more. That doesn't cost me much, and it's so needed.

I can also pray more. Not for stuff for me, but for friends, family, our community and our country. I purpose today to do more with less in these areas.

What about you? How can you do more with less? I really would like your feedback on the subject. Any suggestions and comments from you will be very welcome. As we do more with less willingly, we begin to change our world and reverse this funk our nation is in.

Will you join me?

Media Freedom

Something happened today that I thought I'd never see. I never expected to see it, not because it was technically difficult, but because too much money is riding on it. Thomas Nelson publishers sent me a book to review called Collapse of Distinction by Scott McKain. The review will probably be up in a week, but that's not the news. What couldn't wait is my introduction to Nelsonfree. (www.thomasnelson.com/nelsonfree)

Because I had the hard copy version of the book, I was invited, even encouraged to also pull an e-book version or an audio format of the same material! Did you get that? They gave me the e-book copy for my iPhone Kindle and an MP3 Version for my iPod! What a deal.



Maybe you are aware of other publishers or Thomas Nelson even and how they've been doing this since ancient history, but I just became aware of it and I'm one happy puppy.

Thanks Thomas Nelson and @MichaelHyatt and the authors and other publishers that participate in a program like this. I'll be doing more business with you on purpose for sure. In fact, since I want so many different titles at any given time, I can practically guarantee I'll pick the Nelsonfree item over the others in the list every time! Finally, a rational mind has entered the book publishing world.

Photo: Sticking Together by Michael Heiss