HatTip to G. Lee.
Showing posts with label christ. Show all posts
Showing posts with label christ. Show all posts
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Communicating to Connect, Part 2
(heads up since this post has religious references)
Following up from last week’s post on connecting, I wanted to examine other approaches to communication from a biblical perspective. An obvious choice is looking at Jesus’ manner of connecting with people. The difficulty of course is appreciating his humanity and the limits he experienced in his human form. Many people, including me, tend to coalesce his adept human interactions with his divine power.
In analyzing Christ’s communication skills, an appreciation for his humanity is needed so we can seek to apply the skills to our own lives. For me, there are a few abilities that stand out and merit discussion:
1. Astute perception of needs and addressing them. At various times, Jesus identified the basic needs of the people he was speaking to. When he miraculously fed four thousand people, he explained:
“I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. If I send them home hungry, they will collapse on the way, because some of them have come a long distance.”
Mark 8:2-3 New International Version
It’s important to note not only Jesus’ concern that they were hungry, but that he wanted to meet that need (just how he did that is a remarkable story). As leaders, it is sometimes easy to recognize a need but ignore it or do nothing about it. The second step is as important as the first if you want people to listen and follow you.
As a manager or executive at a company, the need might not be hunger but a real appetite for career development advice, personal guidance or dispute resolution for people you manage. During my second technology startup, we grew rapidly from a handful to over fifty people in six months. About a third of my time was spent counseling and mediating between my team members, and sometimes even between people from different divisions of our company. At one point I remember likening my role to a grade school teacher and was tempted to just say, “Why don’t you two just talk to each other like adults and leave me out of it?” I refrained since I realized it was necessary for the two people involved to resolve their conflict in order to be happy at the company and continue being effective contributors.
2. Effective storytelling. Jesus’ parables were always culturally relevant and allowed for an important and sometimes complex message to be delivered effectively. Whether about mustard seeds, vineyards or wedding banquets, his stories allowed the people of his time to understand topics that were normally limited to religious leaders and scholars.
Some people believe a characteristic of a great scholar is the ability to take a complex idea and describe it in the simplest form so that anyone could comprehend it. This was Jesus’ strength as a teacher and communicator.
That doesn’t mean Jesus gave easy answers to complicated questions. In fact, his stories sometimes drove people to think more deeply for themselves, abandon religious clichés and embrace deeper wisdom and practices. In our modern times, Albert Einstein had a tremendous effect on raising the public consciousness of theoretical physics. He simplified his ground-breaking theories so people could begin to grasp his ideas or lead them into deeper thoughts, so his explanations were easy to swallow but rarely easy to digest.
Becoming an effective storyteller takes practices. A core skill to develop as a storyteller is creating analogies for your ideas that relate to the audience. You don’t have to speak in parables (which in most social settings might make you an outcast), but telling a good story captivates and creates a stronger bond with those who listen.
3. Wide base of knowledge. Jesus’ impact as a storyteller and teacher was driven by his wide base of knowledge. Even people who do not believe in his divinity but in a historical Jesus have wondered how a carpenter obtained such a knowledge base.
He had a swift and clear understanding of the cultural, political and religious issues of his day. This allowed him to speak in parables and connect immediately with his audience (see, for example, Luke 13:1-9). His intimate knowledge of God and the Scriptures enabled the other side of his effective storytelling.
In today’s world, many executives make it a habit to keep up-to-date on current affairs and thinking. Lester Brown, founder of the Worldwatch Institute and Earth Policy Institute, is well known for his habit of gathering a phenomenal amount of information (starting with dozens of publications each morning), especially when he was at the Worldwatch Institute, which published the yearly “State of the World Report.” His reading, listening, and meeting with people from various fields led the effort to launch this annual publication that has been called the “earth’s report card.”
Jesus may have seen things no one else could see. But he just as surely practiced connecting skills the rest of us can master. As a professional and leader, each of these attributes can help you become more effective in the workplace.
(originally posted at InsideWork)
Following up from last week’s post on connecting, I wanted to examine other approaches to communication from a biblical perspective. An obvious choice is looking at Jesus’ manner of connecting with people. The difficulty of course is appreciating his humanity and the limits he experienced in his human form. Many people, including me, tend to coalesce his adept human interactions with his divine power.
In analyzing Christ’s communication skills, an appreciation for his humanity is needed so we can seek to apply the skills to our own lives. For me, there are a few abilities that stand out and merit discussion:
1. Astute perception of needs and addressing them. At various times, Jesus identified the basic needs of the people he was speaking to. When he miraculously fed four thousand people, he explained:
“I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. If I send them home hungry, they will collapse on the way, because some of them have come a long distance.”
Mark 8:2-3 New International Version
It’s important to note not only Jesus’ concern that they were hungry, but that he wanted to meet that need (just how he did that is a remarkable story). As leaders, it is sometimes easy to recognize a need but ignore it or do nothing about it. The second step is as important as the first if you want people to listen and follow you.
As a manager or executive at a company, the need might not be hunger but a real appetite for career development advice, personal guidance or dispute resolution for people you manage. During my second technology startup, we grew rapidly from a handful to over fifty people in six months. About a third of my time was spent counseling and mediating between my team members, and sometimes even between people from different divisions of our company. At one point I remember likening my role to a grade school teacher and was tempted to just say, “Why don’t you two just talk to each other like adults and leave me out of it?” I refrained since I realized it was necessary for the two people involved to resolve their conflict in order to be happy at the company and continue being effective contributors.
2. Effective storytelling. Jesus’ parables were always culturally relevant and allowed for an important and sometimes complex message to be delivered effectively. Whether about mustard seeds, vineyards or wedding banquets, his stories allowed the people of his time to understand topics that were normally limited to religious leaders and scholars.
Some people believe a characteristic of a great scholar is the ability to take a complex idea and describe it in the simplest form so that anyone could comprehend it. This was Jesus’ strength as a teacher and communicator.
That doesn’t mean Jesus gave easy answers to complicated questions. In fact, his stories sometimes drove people to think more deeply for themselves, abandon religious clichés and embrace deeper wisdom and practices. In our modern times, Albert Einstein had a tremendous effect on raising the public consciousness of theoretical physics. He simplified his ground-breaking theories so people could begin to grasp his ideas or lead them into deeper thoughts, so his explanations were easy to swallow but rarely easy to digest.
Becoming an effective storyteller takes practices. A core skill to develop as a storyteller is creating analogies for your ideas that relate to the audience. You don’t have to speak in parables (which in most social settings might make you an outcast), but telling a good story captivates and creates a stronger bond with those who listen.
3. Wide base of knowledge. Jesus’ impact as a storyteller and teacher was driven by his wide base of knowledge. Even people who do not believe in his divinity but in a historical Jesus have wondered how a carpenter obtained such a knowledge base.
He had a swift and clear understanding of the cultural, political and religious issues of his day. This allowed him to speak in parables and connect immediately with his audience (see, for example, Luke 13:1-9). His intimate knowledge of God and the Scriptures enabled the other side of his effective storytelling.
In today’s world, many executives make it a habit to keep up-to-date on current affairs and thinking. Lester Brown, founder of the Worldwatch Institute and Earth Policy Institute, is well known for his habit of gathering a phenomenal amount of information (starting with dozens of publications each morning), especially when he was at the Worldwatch Institute, which published the yearly “State of the World Report.” His reading, listening, and meeting with people from various fields led the effort to launch this annual publication that has been called the “earth’s report card.”
Jesus may have seen things no one else could see. But he just as surely practiced connecting skills the rest of us can master. As a professional and leader, each of these attributes can help you become more effective in the workplace.
(originally posted at InsideWork)
Friday, February 20, 2004
The Passion of The Christ Misunderstood
"The Passion of the Christ" is opening in theatres on February 25th in the U.S. with a stir of controversy. Mel Gibson's movie initially brought out some strong criticism and reaction from various Jewish leaders and organizations that it was anti-Semitic and would create some hatred towards Jews.
Without seeing the movie (and knowing Billy Graham "okay" it), if it simply follows the story of the New Testament, I don't understand how it can be anti-Semitic. Yes, the Jewish religious leaders called for Jesus Christ's death because he claimed what was outrageous and blasphemous to many of them... that he was the Messiah and also inferred that he and God are one.
In Judaism, it is prophesied that the Messiah ("Christ" is Greek for Messiah) will come to restore Israel and establish his kingdom. Christians believe Jesus is the Messiah and the Jews who believed this during that time (the initial group of Christians) saw the difference in how that prophecy was to be fulfilled. "Kingdom" as many Jews hoped for was a physical kingdom on earth established by their Messiah. While "kingdom" for those initial believers in Jesus Christ was a spiritual kingdom, which even his disciples did not realize until he was crucified. Jesus was a Messiah that most Jews never would have expected during those tumultuous times. He was a meek, humble carpenter not a strong, warrior or ruler who would save them from Rome.
Anyway, this conflict between Jesus and the Pharisees led to his death, but does anyone who believes in Christ and his teaching hold hatred for Jews? It might be an excuse for the really ignorant or really, really stupid, but to simply hate Jews because they "killed Christ" would not make sense and goes against everything within the Christian doctrine and the words that Jesus spoke.
If Christians were to hate all Jews than they should also hate Jesus and all the disciples since they were Jewish. Hence they wouldn't be Christians, just haters... and not political conversatives, just haters. Simple but truthful rebuttal. More convincing is that "hate" should not be within the minds and hearts of Christians. Anyway you slice it, whether today's Jewish leaders or liberal Christian-hating people or supposed-Christians who hate Jews for "killing Christ", those that say the Bible's New Testament encourages or promotes anti-Semitism are idiots. This site gives a more direct and lengthy answer to whether "The Passion of The Christ" is anti-Semitic or not.
On a related note, Gibson's father might be anti-Semitic: Gibson Father: Holocaust Mostly 'Fiction' .
Hutton Gibson follows a tiny wing of traditionalist Catholicism that views the modernizing reforms of the Second Vatican Council as a conspiracy between Jews and Masons to take over the church.
He reminds me of Montana Freemen or people I use to talk to once in a while when I lived in Springfield, IL (truly Middle America). Some of them really believe in the black helicopters of the U.N., seven gnomes of Switzerland ruling the world (Jewish bankers), or how U.S. insurance companies controlled many presidential administrations. Of course, his views and recent public statements don't put people that really are concerned about an anti-Semitic message in the movie at ease.
Sort of timely too since I'm reading The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown. Conspiracy cracks must have loved this book. It's been a good read, but I hit some bumps in the road that made me lose my initial excitement. I'm back on track and will soon finish this entertaining book to blog about it. Definitely amusing since it has many historical stretches, logical flaws, poor assumptions about human nature, and the twisting of facts... of course, it's a fiction book so what did I expect, right?
Anyway, I do recommend the book and I'm excited about seeing the movie, "The Passion of The Christ."
Without seeing the movie (and knowing Billy Graham "okay" it), if it simply follows the story of the New Testament, I don't understand how it can be anti-Semitic. Yes, the Jewish religious leaders called for Jesus Christ's death because he claimed what was outrageous and blasphemous to many of them... that he was the Messiah and also inferred that he and God are one.
In Judaism, it is prophesied that the Messiah ("Christ" is Greek for Messiah) will come to restore Israel and establish his kingdom. Christians believe Jesus is the Messiah and the Jews who believed this during that time (the initial group of Christians) saw the difference in how that prophecy was to be fulfilled. "Kingdom" as many Jews hoped for was a physical kingdom on earth established by their Messiah. While "kingdom" for those initial believers in Jesus Christ was a spiritual kingdom, which even his disciples did not realize until he was crucified. Jesus was a Messiah that most Jews never would have expected during those tumultuous times. He was a meek, humble carpenter not a strong, warrior or ruler who would save them from Rome.
Anyway, this conflict between Jesus and the Pharisees led to his death, but does anyone who believes in Christ and his teaching hold hatred for Jews? It might be an excuse for the really ignorant or really, really stupid, but to simply hate Jews because they "killed Christ" would not make sense and goes against everything within the Christian doctrine and the words that Jesus spoke.
If Christians were to hate all Jews than they should also hate Jesus and all the disciples since they were Jewish. Hence they wouldn't be Christians, just haters... and not political conversatives, just haters. Simple but truthful rebuttal. More convincing is that "hate" should not be within the minds and hearts of Christians. Anyway you slice it, whether today's Jewish leaders or liberal Christian-hating people or supposed-Christians who hate Jews for "killing Christ", those that say the Bible's New Testament encourages or promotes anti-Semitism are idiots. This site gives a more direct and lengthy answer to whether "The Passion of The Christ" is anti-Semitic or not.
On a related note, Gibson's father might be anti-Semitic: Gibson Father: Holocaust Mostly 'Fiction' .
Hutton Gibson follows a tiny wing of traditionalist Catholicism that views the modernizing reforms of the Second Vatican Council as a conspiracy between Jews and Masons to take over the church.
He reminds me of Montana Freemen or people I use to talk to once in a while when I lived in Springfield, IL (truly Middle America). Some of them really believe in the black helicopters of the U.N., seven gnomes of Switzerland ruling the world (Jewish bankers), or how U.S. insurance companies controlled many presidential administrations. Of course, his views and recent public statements don't put people that really are concerned about an anti-Semitic message in the movie at ease.
Sort of timely too since I'm reading The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown. Conspiracy cracks must have loved this book. It's been a good read, but I hit some bumps in the road that made me lose my initial excitement. I'm back on track and will soon finish this entertaining book to blog about it. Definitely amusing since it has many historical stretches, logical flaws, poor assumptions about human nature, and the twisting of facts... of course, it's a fiction book so what did I expect, right?
Anyway, I do recommend the book and I'm excited about seeing the movie, "The Passion of The Christ."
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)