Yesterday Dawn, Josh, and I had the opportunity to hear Seth Godin, one of the most influential communicators in the business world today, at a conferenced that focuses on leadership, communication, and technology. That’s what it advertised, and frankly – is why we came. We want to learn from others who are doing it way better than we are because we know how important the message we are trying to share is! We also recognize how difficult it is to share that message when you have a million things pulling at you and dividing your time. The last thing you need is ONE MORE THING. YET – this “thing” (Christ’s message of love) is one thing that holds the rest together. So it matters. And we want to learn better how to share it!
Seth Godin was the keynote yesterday afternoon. He was a master communicator. There were so many points made I could barely keep up. It was convicting and inspiring, not to mention a huge call to action for religious leaders to rely on grit and move the mission forward, ignoring fear that creeps in the way.
As he finished, the facilitator asked us to identify something we were going to DO with the information learned. He opened it up to the floor, then this happened.
“What is your take away today? Something that you are going to focus on so that you can move the mission forward after hearing Godin speak?”
The man answered, “What I find most concerning is that he never one time mentioned the name of Jesus.”
The collective groan that surfaced in that room was telling.
He didn’t HAVE to mention the name of Jesus . . . the whole talk was ABOUT the importance of faith, communicating it, and being relevant in a world so that people could fall in love with Jesus.
Godin writes, “Not too far from us, a few blocks away, there are kids without enough to eat and without parents who care. A little farther away, hours by plane, are people unable to reach their goals because they live in a community that just doesn’t have the infrastructure to support them. A bit farther away are people being brutally persecuted by their governments. And the world is filled with people who can’t go to high school, never mind college, and who certainly can’t spend their time focused on whether or not they get a good parking space at work.
And so the obligation: don’t settle.
To have all these advantages, all this momentum, all these opportunities and then settle for mediocre and then defend the status quo and then worry about corporate politics — what a waste.”
So . . . West . . . What if:
- this Lenten series (the 40 days prior to Easter) we focus on what we can do with our lives so that they aren’t a waste? What if we don’t settle for mediocre?
- we focus on growing deeper in our faith so that we have the foundation necessary to be a force of change in this world?
- we get rid of things in our lives that are distractions?
- we take on habits that clear our minds, make our bodies healthier so that we are equipped to make a difference and bring about change in the world?
- we do something that will bring momentum to a world that does not need more status quo but instead needs hope?
I hope you’ll join in with West over the next 40 days as we explore the foundational principles of Christ that went viral and are still impacting our world today.
Today is Ash Wednesday . . . may we prayerfully begin the journey.