December 2010 - Margaret Feinberg

Influence

Margaret — December 20, 2010 — 5 Comments

I recently stumbled on a tiny statistic that startled me.

Have you ever seen the movie, Food, Inc.? The film released in 2009, and opened my eyes to the underbelly of the food industry in a profound way. The movie highlighted who is really controlling our food supply, the loss of the American farmer in our society, and safety issues faced by workers in the food industry.

To be honest, I didn’t really want to see the film. I mean, I had a hunch about what I was getting myself into. At times my stomach turned, but the movie was oh-so-worth it! The documentary changed the way I look at food and think about what I consume. Yes, I still eat meat, but I’m more intentional about where I’ll buy my food and where I won’t. I read labels more diligently. I pay extra for things like organic and free-range (and am grateful for stores making these products more affordable–a shout out to Sunflower Market!).

I know lots of others who had their perception of the food industry profoundly reshaped through this movie, and I’m grateful for it.

But back the little statistic that caught my attention.. Do you know what the box office revenues were for Food, Inc.?

A measly 4.5 million. In a box office universe where some films that take in several hundred million are consider failures (Water World, anyone?), 4.5 doesn’t each register. But the film was never about money as much as it was about impact. The movie helped open a generation’s eyes as well as the eyes of some much needed food regulators. In box office terms, the film was hardly remarkable. But in influence terms, the film was a blockbuster.

Sometimes we need to re-examine the scales and lenses we’ve used in the past to measure influence, and take a closer look at what’s really making a difference.

In Leadership influence

Top Resources for Developing Small Group Leaders

Margaret — December 16, 2010 — 3 Comments

Do you ever wonder what a good resource would be to train your small group leaders? Or the best methods and tricks on how to lead a small group? I asked my dear friend, Heather Zempel to recommend some of her favorite resources on the topic.

If you are leading the groups ministry and either new or thinking about remodeling, Building a Church of Small Groups by Donahue and Robinson is a great resource. If you are interested in specific models, Heather would recommend Dog Training, Fly Fishing, and Sharing Christ in the 21st Century by Haggard and Whaley (for Free Markets), Activate by Searcy (for semester systems), Creating Community by Stanley and Willits (for closed groups).

If you need a great refresher on what’s most important about group life, she recommends Simple Small Groups by Search. This is one of her favorite books right now.

Cloud and Townsend also have a great book- Making Small Groups Work- which is great for the Small Groups Pastor. Other great books for a Small Groups Pastor include Sticky Church by Larry Osborne and Seven Deadly Sins of Small Group Ministry by Donahue and Robinson.

If you have any suggestions on great resources for leading a small group ministry, simply post them as a comment! We would love to hear from you.

In Leadership best resources for small groups, how to lead a small group, leading a small group

I Want the Orange iPod! And Other Mistruths We Tell Ourselves

Margaret — December 13, 2010 — 1 Comment

A few years ago, a friend told me a story that sounds like the stuff urban legends are made of.

He said that in the initial test groups for iPods before they were released, participants of the study were asked what color iPod they’d prefer. The vast majority voted for orange. Yet when the same group was given the resources to actually select an iPod to take home, the vast majority chose white—hence when iPod’s first released they were only available in white.

Whether or not the story is true (and my doubt-o-meter is pegging a 9.98), the story illustrates a common human experience: That which we claim we want and that which we actually select are often different.

One of the great (and verified) examples of this comes in using a cell phone while driving. The 2010 Chubb Driver Distraction Survey (yes, that’s the real name, insert snickering sound) noted that 90% of those surveyed felt that using a cell phone while driving should be illegal. But 51% of respondents admitted to using a cell phone while driving.

On a more humorous note, of those surveyed, 3% admitted to have changed clothes while driving though 79% thought the activity should be illegal. (Source: PC Today, November, 2010, p. 9).

The whole issue of what we say we want versus what we actually choose has deep implications in our spiritual lives.

What do we claim that we want in our relationship with God? Yet how do we choose to behave?

What do we say it means to follow Jesus? Yet how do we actually live?

What does tell others when it comes to loving and serving others? Yet what decisions are we making to embrace love and service in our daily lives?

Where do we need to be honest in our own lives and admit—even if it’s not popular—that we really want the white iPod.

*Photo courtesy of here

In Humor Margaret's Musings

We’ve been in the throws of the trendy green movement for several years now. We’re learning to care for the environment in our own practical ways such as switch out our light bulbs, carry our own bags to the grocery store, use less water, turn the thermometer down or up depending the season, and even take advantage of all those tax rebates for energy saving appliances and windows. I think it’s great. Every little bit helps.

But I think there’s something more. Truly caring the for the environment and seeing ourselves as stewards of God’s creation isn’t just about lowering our electric bills and using less water, but requires a heart change in the way we see ourselves and the surrounding world.

I’ve been reading The Art of the Commonplace: The Agrarian Essays of Wendell Berry in which he writes:

“We have lived by the assumption that what was good for us would be good for the world. And this has been based on the even flimsier assumption that we could know with any certainty what was good even for us. We have fulfilled the danger of this by making our personal pride and greed the standard of our behavior toward the world–to the incalculable disadvantage of the world every living thing in it. And now, perhaps very close to too late, our great error has become clear. It is not only our own creativity–our own capacity for life–that is stifled by our arrogant assumption; the creation itself is stifled.

We have been wrong. We must change our lives, so that it will be possible to live by the contrary assumption that what is good for the world will be good for us. And that requires that we make the effort to know the world and to learn what is good for it” (p. 20).

Berry’s words sting my soul. Not just because they challenge me to learn and study harder. Not just because they call me to be more mindful about the land, including where my food comes from, energy use and environmental impact, but because they call me to more mindful living in my relationship with God.

I think that’s one of the beautiful things about caring for the environment–it requires us to be more mindful of everything including our spiritual lives.

What false assumptions do I have in my relationship with God?

What assumptions do I have in my relationship that what will be good for me will be good for others?

What areas am I walking in arrogance and ignorance?

Jesus, Forgive me of my pride and arrogance and ignorance. Open my heart and eyes and spirit to you and your word. Help me to love like you love, to care like you care. Amen.