Number one son.....has turned eight.
Late last night Melinda and I were reminiscing about his birth. It seriously seems like yesterday, now he is growing into a fine young fellow...and my mate.

I pondered long and hard about what to buy him. He is developing his own personality and interests. He is not going to be a sportstar....although I am hoping he will enjoy exercise and being outdoors...and he does, he loves the beach. I suspect if we lived closer, and he had more of an oppportunity, he would be a surfer...like his dad 'pretended' to be when he was young. I use to have a thruster on the back of my bike, and was regularly found down at Triggs and other beaches, near North Beach...often. Even.. and especially on Fridays...when I should have been at high school.

I settled on a digital camera. I know he is young...but they are cheap. 8 megapixels, 3 times optical zoom, face recognition and stability....all for under $100. If he breaks it...it is not a tradgedy. So far.....he has taken around 100 pictures. He loves nature, little creatures...and computers. I reckon this interest may be something he pursues. A love of computing, photography and design....something good.

Another thought to consider as I work through emotional intelligence.
No one fits the mould. No one is exactly what or who some test says they are.

The heart is deciteful above all things.
It lies to us...about ourselves.
Who we think we are, may be totally off.
How we operate under stress may be totally different....we may operate under a different set of personality/emotional traits.

"put your head up and face the world head on son...."
So I say to my son as he and I walk from his classroom.

I believe that knowing Jesus gives us the courage, curiousity and passion to approach life with a positive, frank and loving attitude.

This article from an avowed athiest is fascinating. I don't quite agree or understand why his atheistic views gives his observations more credibility, but they seem too.

"Whenever we entered a territory worked by missionaries, we had to acknowledge that something changed in the faces of the people we passed and spoke to: something in their eyes, the way they approached you direct, man-to-man, without looking down or away. They had not become more deferential towards strangers - in some ways less so - but more open. "

H/t

Article

Its an interesting and challenging concept for leaders, and studiers of people.

How much emotional intelligence someone has will invariably determine the length and severity of interpersonal conflicts they experience. We will all undergo conflict. But often, not always, the depth of it can be determined by our reaction, how we approach and deal with the personalities involved.

Understanding someone's motivating factors...even words that trigger alarms for them, are all part of your emotional intelligence, your discernment of the other person.

One issue is this though....someone who has low EI....can very often be someone who is not aware of it. This sort of person fills out personality tests and gets a totally wrong reading, because they put the answers down for who they think they are...they honestly think things about themself, which an objective outsider can clearly see are simply not true.

http://obamiconme.pastemagazine.com/

Once again he displays wisdom in the public forum. He fails to embarass the Christian community, instead, without compromising his own values and beliefs, he reaches across the religious and racial divide, while still declaring, that Jesus is my Lord.

Three key points.
1. There are echoes of the most important aspect of his life work, the "purpose driven life" in his opening statement,
"Almighty God, our father, everything we see and everything we can't see exists because of you alone. It all comes from you, it all belongs to you. It all exists for your glory. History is your story."

2. He then, without compromising his own beliefs, reaches out to those of different faiths in his use of scripture. He quotes from the Christian bible, yet he uses scripture which Jewish people revere, often using this piece of scripture at special events, the second part of it can be found in the Koran, and is a common Muslim expression....(wise and CS Lewis like in my view)
"The scripture tells us , Hear, oh Israel, the Lord is our God; the Lord is one. And you are the compassionate and merciful one. And you are loving to everyone you have made."

3. Finally, he does use the name of Jesus, which some might say is exclusive, and it is, and the Christian faith is exclusive when it comes to Jesus, He is the only way. But Warren does it in the sense of saying Jesus is my Saviour, this is what He has done for me. No one can deny that, it is his experience of Jesus. Also, he uses the English, Spanish, Arabic and Hebrew names for Jesus.
He says,
"I humbly ask this in the name of the one who changed my life, Yeshua, Isa, Jesus, Jesus (hay-SOOS), who taught us to pray,"

Discern for yourselves.....

How many surveys do we find in the New Testament?
Lets get all biblical for a moment.....If we are to learn from the New Testament as a model of church government, the closest we find is in Acts 15...where 'it seemed right to them and the Holy Spirit"

Yet even in that context, James had to stand up and say something...someone has to lead, and take responsibility for that decision. You cant spend a weekend away, and then not decide anything! That is a horrible waste of the time God has given us.

In a church context I have often see a consensus model hijaked by malcontents, those with hidden and unspoken power agendas....that does not work. Some might say, we need time to come to a consensus, what a joke...redeem the time, the days are evil.

Some might say, a pragmatic approach does not leave time for reflection, maybe. Maybe we spend too much time reflecting, and not enough doing.

I once took a survey of my church, a few years ago. I had a positive response, which told me little really. I have two scathing reports, which also told me nothing.
At the conclusion of the matter, church growth will rise, fall or stagnate on the basis of leadership. You need to trust your own leadership, and if you cant, let someone else lead.

Inspired in part by John Kinkelde's leadership series and Tony Morgans' post 'Consensus Sucks

Melinda has taken her mum away for a few days to Cervantes......

I don't know how to feel.....
I love that place....yet after two weeks away....there is no way I could go.
She needed to take her mum away for a break..some stuff going on there.
But waving her and the kids away...while Clem begged me to come so we could go diving together....pretty tuff!

Mind you...there is a silver lining...she made me two days worth of lasange...and she makes the best lasange in the world!

On holidays....away from computer for a while...also...and here is a tip from my wife for pastors...
recorded a temporary message for my mobile...which asks people if it is church business to contact my offiders...or if for me...leave a message. I will turn it on at the end of the day and check in case of urgent messages.

Hope everyone has a great couple of weeks!

Not quite right yet...but getting there.....

To all who signed the petition requesting a new logo for the Baptist Union.....it is on its way!

Rod Benson reports....

"The BUA has commissioned a well known graphic design company to recommend a new logo, and the BUA National Council has agreed to sign off on the final design in May 2009 (it meets twice a year). "