What is an "observation?"

I am not particularly sure why I am permitting my team to publish these "observations." They are random, habitual (obsessive?), reflections. As such, I am not sure that they will be of much value to most readers. Moreover, I am not particularly proud of the style. They are dictated rapid-fire without much time for revision.

Nevertheless, I keep spewing them out. And in fact, these brief thoughts form much of the frame-work for my writing and teaching. If you find them of any use or if you have related thoughts, I would be grateful for an email response.

How do I navigate this section?

You can search the field located on the upper-right hand side of this page or you can browse the various titles with the index below. The search function may be your best choice as it will provide key-word matches from the actual content.

Observations/Reflections: On the Condition of Peaceful Urgency
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 01/13/2010
Written: 03/22/2010
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

Elsewhere, I have written about the need to infuse an organization with a healthy spirit of urgency. While one must avoid frantic activity, one must also avoid a passive mindset. As I continue to explore the need to infuse urgency throughout my organization, I realize that there is a balanced condition that might be typified with this term: a peaceful urgency.

At first, this might seem like an oxymoron. If not, at least a semantic contradiction. But I think there is a way to sense the need for aggressive, productive activity, while maintaining a spirit of haste.
One might rapidly, urgently prepare for a coming hurricane, and still maintain a sense of peace. This peaceful urgency can foster that unique combination of clear thinking and rapid execution.

Posted by David Jose at 10:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On Leadership and Failure
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 08/20/2010
Written: 03/22/2010
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

One of the key roles of the leader is to model failure. If the leader models failure properly, he leads the way for his own people to fail successfully. The leader who models failure can demonstrate how one can admit their mistake, and incorporate them into the larger cycle of a success. It is important that the leader does not maintain the illusion that he always succeeds. No one always succeeds. He must make it possible for his team to fail in a way that delivers a positive outcome.

Posted by David Jose at 11:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On John Bunyan's Fear as a Young Person
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 08/19/2010
Written: 01/12/2010
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

I think it's fascinating that Bunyan, in his spiritual autobiography, details the perceived depravity of his childhood, but also inadvertently, points out the difference, perhaps between him and his peers. Even as a child he was vexed deeply by his sin. Moreover, he was so troubled by the possibilities of hell, that at times he had a peculiar wish. He wished he'd been born a "devil" rather than human. In his young mind, he thought of the "devils" as tormenters and of humans as the tormented.

I find it fascinating that he was highly sensitized to his sin condition. I perceive the same about Augustine, though he often downplays it in his work.

Posted by David Jose at 11:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On Capacity and the Organization
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 08/17/2010
Written: 02/06/2006
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

As the leadership model in my life unfolds, I understand more pointedly why I focus on capacity. I typically view an organization in three parts: health, capacity, and production. An organization must increase its health, its capacity, and its production or output. An organization that concentrates exclusively on output will soon have issues with its health (and could well outstrip its capacity). An organization that focuses solely on capacity will also have health issues and thus anemic productivity (it can become too self-focused).

I could go on with the implications, but the point is only this: time and time again when I am not sure as to where God is leading, I focus on capacity. At best I am just a middle manager in the Kingdom. I really can't move forward until I get the "memo". I need a directive. In the absence of a directive, I focus on capacity. This ensures that I am ready, very ready for production.

Posted by David Jose at 10:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On Running a Company under the Current Economic Conditions
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 08/13/10
Written: 02/15/2010
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

As I contemplate the future of the economy I am wondering how to position our organization within this unfolding crisis (a phrase I am deliberating using amidst the claims that 'the worse is over'). Moreover, I am concerned about our state of mind. These are some observations which must be later crafted into a tighter message:

1. Business conditions as we knew them have changed (forever). Let's stop waiting for a recovery, and let's plan expansion amidst this reality.
2. Point one necessitates organizations to operate under a different set of assumptions regarding their sales pipeline (its cycles and ratios).
3. Points one and two require organization to operate from a more secure financial position. Indeed, more than ever, we need to function with less debt, stronger reserves, and less cost. A key word is 'thrift'.

Posted by David Jose at 9:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On the Writing Strategies of Anthony Trollope
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 08/06/10
Written: 02/15/2010
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

Many have written about Anthony Trollope's work production. He began his workday at 5:30am. He thought that in three hours, a man can do all the writing that he should do in a full day. Trollope tried to write 250 words every fifteen minutes. In this way, he produced at least three volumes a year. He wrote 67 books, most of them three volume novels. In actuality, he wrote approximately 150 books.

Reflecting on Trollope's biography, I have retrieved several key points. He brings to me a new respect for the development of character. 1) He was not, by his own critique, very concerned with plot. He focused his attention on character. I would rather focus on both. 2) He maintained his prodigious output, while working full time at the post office. This is evidence that I can continue generating content while performing my other duties. 3) He seemed to write with that stark honesty which often marks the best authors. His personal critique seems unflinching. I can learn from this. It reminds me of my earlier observation on the importance of self-honesty. 4) He approached the whole task of writing almost as if he was a blue-collar tradesman. He wrote for the money. He did so unapologetically. And while I do not write for the money, I respect his internal clarity. 5) (Most of all instructive for me) He preserved his morning sessions with an almost unflinching, even sacred respect. He held himself to the timetable consistently. He logged his words, and started at the same time each morning. Trollope had a groomsman who brought him tea at 5:30am each morning. This was a device that kept him up and on schedule. Such devices have proven to be useful for me also.

All in all, I find Trollope's perspective to be encouraging. I think his work demonstrates both the strengths and weaknesses of his fast writing pace. I think there is a better strategy. I think there are some kinds of writing which can be done rapidly, and other kinds of writing in which one should take more deliberate time. I think there is a way to combine the emphasis so that maximum productivity is achieved.

Posted by David Jose at 10:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On the Decline of the Well Written Letter
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 08/04/10
Written: 02/04/2010
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

It occurs to me that letter writing, which achieved rare form in recent centuries, has been on a steady decline. The advent of technology has increased our output, but not our quality. It has also schooled us in shorter forms of communication. As I reflect over my life, it seems that some of the most compelling moments occurred as I read a thoughtful letter. I think that I could use the power of the letter far more effectively in my own work. I want to reflect on this more. I'm busy writing books, busy sending emails, and event texts. In the process, I wonder if I've lost appreciation for the power of a well written, well timed, letter.

Posted by David Jose at 10:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On the True Measure of a Writer
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 08/03/10
Written: 04/09/2010
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

I wonder how one should judge a writer? When one has written as many books as Trollope there is no doubt (as trollop conceives himself) a wide variance in the quality of the work. But do you judge a writer by a) his best work, b) his worst work, or c) the overall body of work? I think the best answer is a). If a writer is more concerned of being thought of as a great writer than he is about producing a work that truly serves the reader, he may turn out consistently good projects. But in playing it safe, he may fail to achieve the ultimate with his ability. I suspect that the great writer is the one who puts the work first. The great writer is the one who puts the work above his reputation. This writer may start writing while young, and his work may mature over time. This writer might take risk and thus produce inferior work. But this writer, who will spend himself for the hope of creating something truly helpful, for the hope of doing his ultimate best, is the writer I respect.

Ultimately, the writer must determine whether or not he is writing for the sake of the audience or writing for the sake of his name (Backwards: Whether he is writing for his reputation or for the sake of the audience).

Posted by David Jose at 2:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On Whiteheadian Thought as a Basis for a Philosophy of Religion
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 07/19/10
Written: 09/04/2008
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin
Bibliography: Whiteheadian Thought as a Basis for a Philosophy of Religion by Forest Wood, Jr.
http://www.religion-online.org/showchapter.asp?title=2736&C=2475

A far better view is found in Hartshorne's suggestion: "Worship is the integrating of all one's thoughts and purposes, all valuations and meanings, all perceptions and conceptions."3 Worship is a consciously unitary response to life. And God, the object of worship, is ". . . the wholeness of the world, correlative to the wholeness of every sound individual dealing with the world."4 The term "individual" in his comment applies not only to people but to any entity whatsoever: "Any sentient individual in any world experiences and acts as one. . ."5 These ideas of Hartshorne's do not stand in isolation; rather they are part of a Whiteheadian world-view in which each individual entity is an integration of parts into a whole. Whitehead's principle is "The many become one, and are increased by one." (Process and Reality, Corrected Edition, ed. Griffin & Sherburne, New York: The Free Press, 1978, 21)

Hartshorne makes another major contribution to our understanding of worshiping and serving God. The insight is a surprising one. Hartshorne argues that people (and other things) contribute ". . . value to God which he would otherwise lack."6 God is a real recipient of our actions. This notion is consistent with the Whiteheadian metaphysic that each entity contributes value to other entities. Each entity in the universe (including God) is internally related to other entities. That people (and other things) contribute value to God gives real meaning to the lives of people and the events of the world.

Posted by David Jose at 4:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On Grace and My Understanding of Reality
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 07/16/10
Written: 03/28/2009
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

The longer I live, the more I depend upon grace in order to continue. The word grace, for me, has become a philosophical/theological concept that powers my understanding of reality. Once one recognizes their vulnerable condition that they are incipient, the hope embedded within the concept of grace become preeminent. On a macro level, this is what gives me the ultimate confidence in divine revelation. I have no confidence in myself, or my understanding to discern it.

I do have hope that a good God will communicate to me in such a way as I'll be able to understand. I have hope that my hope, and that all that I suppose is drenched in grace. If I am wrong, then grace can make a way for me. I think that depth in theology and philosophy leads to a state of utter poverty. Grace becomes all that one has left. It powers hope, but it also positions hope within a benign infinite loop. At the least, I may hope for hope. I cannot find; I am lost, but I may yet be found.

Posted by David Jose at 11:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On Theology as Wishful Thinking
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 07/15/10
Written: 04/25/2009
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

I am doing theology in the face of suffering. I think every theologian should spend some time in a children's hospital, or someplace where we can see the combination of innocence and horrific suffering. Theology in the abstract is not theology. It must be grounded in the realities of existence. Until theology can speak to and from such reality, it is not theology. It is mental exercise. It is wishful thinking. It is a placebo.

Posted by David Jose at 3:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On The Apprehension Process in the Definition of Theology
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 07/14/10
Written: 04/27/2009
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

At some point one must lift up their head and seek "the answers". This seeking is the apprehension process described in my definition of theology (see earlier writings). Whenever one begins is connected to wherever one begins. One begins within some context. And whether one is an atheist or an Anglican, ultimate questions must be asked. I think that this eventually calls for a decision, and this decision requires a certain virtue package, which I will call a "humble integrity".

It is a humble integrity because it requires one to first of all, acknowledge their uncertainty while professing their absolute faith. It requires integrity because one must be consistent with their faith claim. Integrity without humility can become a strident dogmatism. Humility without integrity can become an unfruitful skepticism.

Posted by David Jose at 10:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On On Drucker and the Job of the Manager
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 07/02/10
Written: 07/13/2009
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

Bibliography: Managing for Results: Economic tasks and risk-taking decisions
New York, NY: Harper & Row, 1964

Peter Drucker divides the job of the manager into five basic tasks:

1) He sets objectives. The manager sets goals for the group, and decides what work needs to be done to meet those goals.

2) He organizes. The manager divides the work into manageable activities, and selects people to accomplish the tasks that need to be done.

3) He motivates and communicates. The manager creates a team out of his people, through decisions on pay, placement, promotion, and through his communications with the team. Drucker also referred to this as the "integrating" function of the manager.

4) He measures. The manager establishes appropriate targets and yardsticks, and analyzes, appraises and interprets performance.

5) He develops people. With the rise of the knowledge worker, this task has taken on added importance. In a knowledge economy, people are the company's most important asset, and it is up to the manager to develop that asset. While other management experts may use different words and focus on different aspects of these responsibilities, Mr. Drucker's basic description of the manager's job still holds.

Posted by David Jose at 11:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On Theology as a Subjective Experience in its Written Form
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 07/01/10
Written: 04/25/2009
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

In order to complete my book on theolgoy, I may have to model the theological method. This is a method which does not so much engage argument, but rather embraces the subjective experience of apprehending the ultimate. It may engage such a radical method that my theological colleagues cannot accept it. I will likely argue against argument, a contradiction in itself. But my argument will not take the form of a classic argument, but rather a subjective demonstration. It seems to me like the entire notion of doing theology needs a corrective. I will emphasize the article "a" theology, because I am not suggesting this is the only way. How can I?

Posted by David Jose at 12:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On Gerald Manly Hopkins and his Narrative Pros
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 06/29/10
Written: 04/27/2009
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

I have been studying Hopkins in depth. As I reflect on the way he uses in meter and sound, it occurs to me, yet again, that my endless project to enfold narrative with poetic rhythms and structures is still possible. There is a way to bring rhythm and rhyme in to this structure of pros. It must be subtle enough to avoid surface detection, but powerful enough to evoke the sub-layers of pathos. Hopkins' experimentation with sound and meter encourages me.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 9:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On The Nexus between Business and Beauty
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 06/28/10
Written: 09/30/2008
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

If I am to think of business as worship, then I must think further than the notions reflected in works like: Business for the Gory of God (Grudem). Business as worship is not limited to a kind of integrity in its various elements. It is about achieving a kind of God-reflection, a special kind of beauty. I suspect that one cannot separate worship from the aesthetic.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 12:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On Weariness Mixed with Loneliness
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 06/25/10
Written: 04/25/2010
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

Something is developing in me that is difficult to convey. It is a kind of weariness mixed with loneliness - the loneliness comes from realizing that the culture (even the religious culture), is moving far away from my honest theological position. In a crowd of contemporary thinkers, I feel most alone. It is painful, but the combination of this loneliness and weariness provokes in me a kind of solidification. This solidification feels like a protest, even a willingness to "bear arms".

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 9:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On Serving not Studying the Entrepreneur
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 06/16/10
Written: 02/20/2010
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

In the work I am doing for London and Cambridge, I am reflecting on a theology for the entrepreneur. The preposition "for" is critical in that it focuses the work. I am not seeking to develop a theology of entrepreneurship, others may do so. I am seeking to develop a theology for the entrepreneur. This theology is particular. It is missiological, and pedagogical in its focus. Its purpose is to provide grounded context for the life of the entrepreneur. Thus, it must be interpreted, and incarnated as must all missiological works. From this foundation, it may be translated into pedagogical form. We need a theology that can speak "to", not just "of" the entrepreneur.

The problem is that we are so lost in our own methods and definitions that we cannot identify with those we were called to serve.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 10:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: The Necessity of Contextualizing Theology
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 06/11/10
Written: 04/05/2010
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

Regardless of the arguments, all theology is necessarily contextualized. It is contextualized the minute it enters human conception. Contextualization is part of the encoding necessary for the receiver to receive. It is incumbent on the transmitter to encode in such a way as the receiver can receive. We should not be afraid to conceptualize theology in our missional efforts. It is mandatory.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 1:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: The Leader's Internal Rest as an Illusion
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 06/10/10
Written: 02/04/2010
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

There are times in the leader's job, when it feels appropriate to take prolonged rest. The organization seems to be doing well. You have the right people in the right places, and the numbers are on target. While I'm not suggesting that a rest is wrong at this point, I am suggesting that the sense of security that permits the rest is based on illusion. If you feel that all is well, then you are likely suffering from a lack of clarity.

For most leaders, internal rest is a function of blindness.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 9:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On Vulnerability as the Key Attribute of the Effective Teacher
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 06/09/10
Written: 04/17/2010
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

The teacher is often most effective when relating to his audience through the experiences of his own life. Typically, it is not his victories which achieve the greatest heart-impact, it is his struggles. The teacher does not have to wait until he has mastered a given struggle to teach upon it. The key element is a kind of transparent vulnerability. This is not to say that the teacher should engage in an egocentric lament about his life. But he can trace a truth as it is unfolding in his life, and he can show the audience how he is working his way through it. The most effective messages that the teacher communicates are those lessons which God is communicating to the teacher. If you want to touch other's lives, you must allow your life to be touched.

The mark of a great teacher is not his victory, it is his transparency.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 4:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On Management
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 06/03/10
Written: 07/25/2005
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

In small organizations the team is built around the competency of the founder. This gives the founder a decided advantage in most strategic discussions. The danger is that he may overestimate his acumen. For proper growth to take place he must expand the competencies with a team that decentralizes a dependency on his expertise. He must also give away all that he has to those around him, so that their core competencies can improve.

Further, it seems that certain types of competencies can improve when there is a concentrated effort. Other types of competencies are more intrinsic, more natural. The leader will find those more difficult to give away.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 10:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On Story as Pharmacia
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 06/02/10
Written: 03/22/2010
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

The mind responds to the construct of story. Certain authors, especially in Europe, and now in much of contemporary America, reject the beginning, middle, and end approach to story. They rightfully perceive that many stories do not have immediate resolve. They advocate a "slice of life" approach to writing. But I think we err when we conceive of story as an external sequence.

Story is a drug - It bypasses our critical sensors and alters our consciousness. If one is to write an effective story, one must match their representation of reality to the realities of the person experiencing that representation. This requires one to consider the impact of the combined ingredients on the mental/physical components of the recipient.

The artful author is not just writing a story; he is mixing a drug.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 10:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On the Debate Over Dualism
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 06/01/10
Written: 05/11/2010
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

It has become fashionable among philosophers to eschew almost any form of dualism. Descartes, in this regard, has been discredited. Some theologians, like Arthur Peacocke, claim that the only legitimate dualism is that which exists between God and everything else. But I find the wholesale rejection of dualism suspect.

One of the dangers in philosophy is the discovery of a ready-made "language handle". Such handles (like "dualism") provide a kind of short-hand for complex concepts. There is a danger in convenience language. It becomes too general, too mentally ergonomic.

Theologian who recognizes that primitive notions of dualism need redress (that it is difficult to separate spirit, body, and identity) are making useful advances in our understanding. But the theologian who rejects almost any form of dualism undermines bedrock elements of orthodox theology.

In popular theological/philosophical circles, one must be careful about embracing any form of dualism. Such theories are liable to wholesale rejection. But I think we need to be more careful. Our criticism of dualism deserves more nuance.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 9:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On Embracing an Opposing Imbalance
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 05/28/10
Written: 03/10/2010
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

There are times in the history of the church when a needed corrective takes place. This is achieved with a certain emphasis. It is an artificial imbalance and it is designed to bring the church back to balance (like Luther's work on grace). The problem is this: If we're not careful, we make a featured characteristic out of a corrective, and thus embrace an opposing imbalance.

In the end, we need to embrace a holistic representation of God. We need recognize that these emphases are designed to re-balance our design.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 11:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On Life is Best When the Best is Lived Over and Over Again
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 05/26/10
Written: 01/18/2010
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

In the early years of life, time stretches forward in linear fashion. You look forward to what will come. You look forward to what you will become. In the latter years of life, time (perception) becomes circular. You find yourself looking back and looking forward. You recognize patterns. Events repeat themselves.

These phenomena may be experienced on different levels. Here is a simple example: I have been hunting for the past two days. Unlike my youth, the experience is not typified by new discoveries. It is typified by past memories. The sounds and the smells evoke traces from my past. I'm filled with reminiscence as much as I am with anticipation. Life is meant to be more than a linear experience. It is best when the best is lived over and over again.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 10:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On the Difficulty of Grasping the Concept of Non-Existence
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 05/25/10
Written: 03/15/2010
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

Is death a form of existence? If the opposite of existence is non-existence, then the opposite of to exist is not to exist. Even for the scientist who does not believe in the afterlife, there is a belief in matter. A person, who dies, does not cease to exist. At the very least, their corpse simply changes its form of matter. So, whether in life or death, we exist.

Or do we?

I don't think it is possible to conceive on non-existence. Every aspect of the thinking process engages contradiction.

The greatest miracle is not resurrection, it is coming into being.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 9:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On Working on Business and Entrepreneurship While Questing on a Different Level
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 05/13/10
Written: 03/01/2010
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

It is difficult to work on the level of business and entrepreneurship while I'm questing on the inside. I think I work outward in concentric circles from the tension in my core. Somehow, someway I recognize that I must appropriate a framework while questioning all of its tenets. This is my lot: to swim rapidly across the surface of a vast ocean, while drowning in that very same ocean's depths.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 2:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On Reconciling My Vulnerability with My Faith
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 05/12/10
Written: 03/01/2010
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

For one to read my various observations on uncertainty and on philosophy, they might seem a contradiction to my life of faith, and to my work in the pulpit. I understand this seeming contradiction. For me, though, it is no more contradictory than my existence itself. I do believe, but I'm uncertain as to what "I" truly is. For that matter I am uncertain as to the essence of 'is'. So what is the mark of my authenticity? My only authenticity comes from this: I am staking everything upon my convictions. I believe, in spite of my weakness.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 3:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On The Validity of God as Ultimate
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 05/11/10
Written: 03/15/2010
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

I may say that God is ultimate and I may hold this ground for the simplest of reasons: my subject is identical to my predicate. You cannot argue with me, unless you employ a different term. So I say, with some measure of safety, that God is ultimate. I am still employing analogy, or approximation. For I use language even to explain language, so that all language is an approximation of approximation.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 2:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On Grasping the Concept of Wholly Other
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 05/10/10
Written: 03/15/2010
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

I feel the need to meditate deeply on the full implications of what it means that God is wholly other. For once one has grasped the infinite void between us and God, then one must recognize that only God (acting as ultimate) could transcend an infinite differential between incipient and ultimate.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 11:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On Faith Amidst Uncertainty
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 04/29/10
Written: 03/01/2010
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

Elsewhere, I have written about living within a framework even while you investigate its tenets. I appropriate a universe, and then while adopting its rules, I challenge them all. This may leave the impression that my faith in Christ is only a construct that I hold onto in the face of my doubt - that it borders, even, on anti-realism. But I disavow anti-realism (on grounds which I cannot write about here).

There is way to be married for twenty-five years, to love this woman with all of your heart, to trust her with your life, and yet never know for certain what the next day holds in your relationship. I'm incipient. I may have misjudged her for twenty-five years. I cannot predict the future. In so many ways, on so many levels, I am vulnerable. Yet, I CHOOSE TO LOVE HER WITH ALL THAT I AM. My love is not rooted in some kind of ethereal, anti-realist construct. It's rooted in the tension between my uncertainty, and my commitment.

If my wife has been real to me, God has been even more. So I live, and I die, giving all. This is faith. Faith must be expressed amidst uncertainty. It is never to be confused with certainty. Where certainty exists, faith is unnecessary. Where uncertainty exists faith is (absolutely) necessary.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 4:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On the Inability to Achieve Precision
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 04/27/10
Written: 04/05/2010
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

Because we are finite beings, we cannot experience precision. What we consider precise, is only an illusion. The beauty of math is that it allows us to achieve precision in the abstract. The tragedy of math is that this precision cannot be birthed into existential - at least not with our tools. We can conceive of a perfectly straight line, but we cannot create one. I'm weary of our approximate existence.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 3:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On the Utter Dependency of the Incipient
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 04/26/10
Written: 03/01/2010
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

It's possible to become trapped by the knowledge of imperfection. A true awareness of our incipient nature leads to a feeling of absolute helplessness. For many, life is endured by embracing a series of delusions. For most, the veil is thin and our tiny glimpses in the direction of reality lead to despair. It is Kierkegaard's "Sickness unto Death".

There is beauty in life. But this beauty is jeopardized on all sides by the relentless destruction of sin. Moreover, my conceptions of beauty and sin are subject to the same delusions. All is lost if not for two factors: (1) the existence of the ultimate, and (2) the help of the ultimate. These two concepts make possible another concept: (3) grace.

I embrace grace, but even the vocabulary I used to describe this embrace is contrived. My incipient nature does not permit me to grasp the essence of the essence. Plato, in this regard was right. All that we have are forms. He did not go far enough. All that we have are forms of forms, ad nauseaum.

This is my tragic condition. I am dependent on grace. My knowledge is only that I have no knowledge that is certain. Even this expression of dependency is vulnerable. My efforts could be absolutely futile, so I embrace a new notion even greater than grace: (4) hope. Hope allows me to believe that my understanding could be true, that there might be grace.

It's not that I don't believe, but that I don't believe in my ability to know. What do I have left? How can I know? I throw myself at the feet of the ultimate hoping against hope that he is, and that he cares.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 2:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On the Nature of Spiritual Ambition
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 04/21/10
Written: 04/05/2010
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

I just finished reading the biography of Saint Ignatius. I find it interesting that Saint Ignatius started out with such significant ambition. It was the same with Saint Francis. It causes me to wonder. Do men of spiritual renown begin with selfish ambition? Does this selfish ambition somehow become the raw material for a new kind of holy ambition?

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 4:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On the Danger of Numerical Sequencing
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 04/20/10
Written: 03/26/2010
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

One must be careful of numbering systems. They often indicate sequence where there is none. They enforce linear perspective where lateral or even multi-dimensional perspective is necessary. This is yet another example of how our language can interfere with our thinking. In most cases, I'm able to divide analysis into two components: elements and actions. In doing so, I can discern a solution by considering the whole in its elements (parts), and its actions (steps). This natural division, though somewhat artificial, becomes a useful device. Still, one must bear in a mind the danger of helpful devices. What is artificial can become artifice.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 5:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On Approximating Truth
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 04/19/10
Written: 02/15/2010
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

Spiritual truth is often approximated before it is experienced. A sincere question from the contemplative seeker may lead to a surface understanding - to an approximated truth. But until certain truths are truly lived, they can never be truly known.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 9:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On Mary Augusta Arnold, and the Novel as a Theological Impartation
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 04/14/10
Written: 03/02/2010
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

Most people are not familiar with the name Mary Augusta Arnold, but she was a successful novelist in the early 19th century. One of her books, Robert Elsmere, 1888, was a bestselling book for ten years. It spoke of an Anglican clergyman's conversion to something similar to the Unitarian belief system.

I am not impressed with her theology, but find her method fascinating. Essentially, she used the novel as a means of doing theology and philosophy. Her work reminds me of Ayn Rand's work on objectivism, Atlas Shrugged. For years I have considered how to best communicate theology. I know the optimum model is incarnation. Can the novel be used to incarnate theological truth?

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 4:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On Theology Informs Philosophy
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 04/13/10
Written: 03/01/2010
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

It would seem that theology has lost its appeal to the average person, but it also seems that philosophy has not. Books on philosophy proliferate today. Eastern philosophy has experienced a revival in the U.S. Most of these modern enthusiasts do not know of the day when philosophy and theology were considered the same.

We need to help such people discover the beauty of theology today. The academy hardly allows us to consider theology and philosophy as a united discipline. But we may be able to promote theology in place of philosophy.

I believe that theology informs philosophy. There may be a way to resurrect theology for the sake of the average believer. I am focused on bringing theology to the life of leadership, but wonder if somehow, some way, someone might help stimulate a new love of this discipline/practice for the ordinary person.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 12:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On How My Home Has Rescued Me
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 04/12/10
Written: 03/01/2010
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

I think we underestimate the importance of home and family. I think it's particularly important for the man who lives a life of reflection. After hours of intense thinking and days of intense work, stepping through the door of my home does more than satisfy my desire to be with family, it grounds me, and centers me. It reminds me that despite all of my uncertainties, there is something that matters to me enough that I can't lose myself in a sea of questions.

My family rescues me from myself.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 8:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On Theology "For" rather than "Of"
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 04/09/10
Written: 03/01/2010
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

What does it mean to develop a "theology for the entrepreneur"? While the term "theology" itself needs defining, we might accept some of the more standard uses. This allows us to consider the impact of the propositional phrase, "for the entrepreneur". As the term "entrepreneur" does not have an agreed upon definition in the body of scholarship, one might think that this is where the focus should be. However, I think the more interesting term is the simple, three letter preposition "for". Theology has a missiological component. Jesus arguably was the greatest theologian. His theological method was incarnation. It was missiological in nature. It reached towards us, and then it enabled us to reach towards God. The preposition "for" implies the missiological, incarnational work of theology. Very little theology has been done for the entrepreneur. I'm not speaking of a theology of entrepreneurship, though this work has not been completed either. I am using the preposition "for" to focus the work in the direction of the entrepreneur. This requires the theologian to see himself as servant, and his work as mission.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 12:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On the Illusion of Original Thought
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 04/08/10
Written: 02/15/2010
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

Often in my life I have developed series of propositions that seemed original. On some of these, now, I look back and smile. As a child, I worked out a theory that I thought was my own. Its essence was an understanding of existence. I wrote the words, "I think, and so I exist". I could not know, at that point, that my seemingly original thought was little more than a rework of Descartes.

As a boy I found a copy of Spinoza. I read it through, and for the most part disagreed. Tragically, I was more disappointed in his thought structure than I was in his theory. At first, his work promised to organize my inner chaos. It did not. Nothing in philosophy has been able to tame my churnings.

At times, though, I'll reach out and touch a truth that seems profound enough to at least medicate my condition. Invariably, I discover it somewhere else. This morning I read in the works of Pyrrho of Ellis, a series of insights that relates to some of my earlier thinking. I'm not disappointed to find this work. I'm not surprised anymore.

Now, as thoughts occur to me, that seem new or profound, I experience them as satire. Who knows? If there be any consolation, it is only this: experiencing an insight from within before experiencing it from without, produces a different effect in my soul. Sometimes the dark liquor of a new discovery gives me temporary relief.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 9:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On The Church's Failure to Provide a Theological Informed Conception of Good Business
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 04/01/10
Written: 01/29/2010
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

'We live mainly by forms and patterns and if the forms are bad, we live badly' . So warns Wallace Stegner, the Pulitzer Prize winning storyteller whose comments might well be reprised for a critique of entrepreneurship. Indeed, one need only substitute the word 'live" for the word "venture": 'We venture mainly by forms and patterns and if the forms are bad, we venture badly'.

Clearly, there are multiple cases, particularly in the recent economic turmoil, wherein entrepreneurs have 'ventured badly' (both in matters of integrity and effectiveness). And while examples from Wall Street abound, one may note a more intriguing example by looking further, much further, east.

Samalinga Raju, the Founder and Chairman of Satyam Computer Services, has been acclaimed for his business acumen. In 2007, Raju was named Entrepreneur of the Year by Ernst & Young. In 2008 he was honored with a global award for ethics by the London-based World Council on Corporate Governance. According to the New York Times, Satyam rapidly expanded from 'a handful of employees into back-office giant with a work force of 53,000 and operations in 66 countries' .

But despite its hyper-growth and wide acclaim, something was fundamentally wrong with Raju's well-respected enterprise. On January 7, 2009, Raju admitted that '50.4 billion rupees, or $1.04 billion, of the 53.6 billion rupees in cash and bank loans the company listed as assets for its second quarter... were nonexistent'. Moreover, revenue for the quarter was 20 percent lower than the 27 billion rupees report, and the company's operating margin was a fraction of what it declared' (just 3 percent) .

Raju's problems might be attributed to a simple, yet dire, lapse in ethics, but this would miss the deeper point: that the impetus for this violation of trust was a failure in the operation, perhaps even the conception of the business. In his own words, 'What started as a marginal gap between actual operating profit and the one reflected in the books of accounts continued to grow over the years,' Raju described the situation with a poignant metaphor. 'It was like riding a tiger, not knowing how to get off without being eaten.'

Despite an MBA from Ohio University, and his status as a Harvard Business School Alumnus, Samalinga Raju was devoured by the tiger he created. And if such failures are common in the world of enterprise, one might reasonably expect the fault to lie, at least to some degree, with the entrepreneur who patently ignores the proper 'forms and patterns' of good business. But this charge presumes that Raju was adequately schooled in such concepts.

Here, the Church might enter this dialog, arguing that a totally secular conception of business is inadequate, and that theology, at its most fundamental level, shapes our 'forms and patterns' and thus these failures could be due, at least in part, to the entrepreneur's neglect or ignorance of a (readily available) theologically informed conception of the 'good business'. But this promising claim cannot be substantiated, for a detailed survey of the church's work in this area yields a surprising, even shocking scarcity - thus far, the entrepreneur has been left to fend for himself.

1. Walllace Stegner, W., When the Bluebird Sings to the Lemonade Springs, Random House, New York, 1992.
2. While a formal definition of the entrepreneur will be offered later in this work, it is enough to say that the entrepreneur is focused on the creation of business and...
3. New York Times Digital: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/08/business/worldbusiness/08satyam.html
4. New York Times Digital: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/08/business/worldbusiness/08satyam.html
5. New York Times Digital: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/08/business/worldbusiness/08satyam.html
6. I use the word secular here in the generally accepted sense, though I object on theological grounds to the traditional 'sacred/secular divide'.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 3:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On the Danger of Unifying the Physical and the Spiritual
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 03/30/10
Written: 02/15/2010
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

In the connection between the physical and the spiritual, I have said that the two must be unified. They should be synonymous, but it is important here to know the danger. I have been living this danger. There is a knife edge, from which one may fall off easily when one pursues this truth. Recovering an appreciation for the physical, even for the beauty of the gift itself, leaves one open to the cravings of the physical. These cravings themselves are beautiful when ordered properly. But sin comes in a way that uses the cravings to create separation. This can be a separation between one and God, a man and his wife, or a man and his family. Clearly, this problem has sexual connotations, but it is not limited to sex.

If one vigorously pursues this transcendence that results in unity, one must also be on high alert. The enemy can use this righteous pursuit to destroy a man. Does this mean that a man should yield up the battle, ignore the physical, and live within the spiritual abstract? Absolutely not. Death takes many forms. I will have none of them.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 9:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On Reconciling Simplicity with Depth in My Writing
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 03/25/10
Written: 03/18/2010
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

It seems, in this continual battle to understand proper form that I err on the side of two extremes: by writing in the fashion that is too simple, or writing in a fashion that is too complex. The form of my simplicity or complexity varies depending on my experiment, but in general, I'm anguishing over the tension between clarity and depth. I think now, there may be a way to reconcile both. I'm able to write with some measure of depth, using certain types of tools for clarity in the margin, and within the text. I'm conducting a series of writing experiments to try and determine the best method, and the most effective way.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 3:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On The Struggle of Expressing Pure Thought
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 03/24/10
Written: 03/18/2010
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

I recently observed, yet again, the enormous struggle that I have in expressing pure thought within the limitations of language. At times, this battle threatens the very core of my well-being. Still, I find insight within the struggle itself. If I find it difficult to communicate my small thoughts, what must it be like for the infinite to break into the finite? As the years pass, it seems clear to me that the only way to express the mind of God was through the paradox of incarnation.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 12:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On The Futility of Attempting Pure Expression
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 03/23/10
Written: 03/01/2010
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

I'm struggling, yet again, as I try to express concepts in linguistic form. As a child, I developed a language that allowed me to think more efficiently. It was based on a zero plus tri/binary system. At that time, there were no PCs and I did not understand what binary was except through theoretical wonderings. It occurred to me that counting did not have to repeat itself at the one zero combination, but I could use zero as the place holder, and one, and two, as the only numerators, or as the base integers. In this way, I was able to devise a set of symbols that represented the finest application of one and two lines. These symbols were then combined in order to provide an infinite counting system. I was able to match it to phonetic sound, and start creating words with a more logical flow of ideas.

As time passed, I realized that the language could be more effective if it could adapt the grammar or any user's existing syntax. The value of the language was found in its ability to provide clarity. Because lines were tied to numbers, which were tied to sounds, I had a language that could be expressed, geometrically, mathematically, or phonetically. I use this approach today, but I still find myself befuddled when I try to express an idea in its purest form.

I spent this morning in anguish trying to state something in theology that I cannot express. I pray for God to preserve my sanity.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 10:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On The Connection between Physicality and Spirituality
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 03/18/10
Written: 02/15/2010
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

I'm writing again on the connection between the physicality and my theology. I cannot seem to escape reflection on this topic. The deeper I pursue my understanding of God, the more I appreciate the gift of the physical. My enemy is not my flesh, though in much of the church the term "flesh" has developed a (completely) negative connotation -- 'The Flesh' has become synonymous with the sin nature. But the two are not identical.

I am not the first theologian to recognize this point. Nevertheless, its truth impacts me in layers of profundity, and as it does so, I recognize how ungrateful I have been. We take for granted the inherent beauty of life. I do not want to hold back anymore. I want to enjoy, in purity, the living. I feel closer to God, as I sink deeper into the present-tense reality of my existence.

Reaching inward is reaching upward.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 10:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On God and Self-existence
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 03/17/10
Written: 02/04/2010
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

God is sometimes described as self-existent (If the via negativa is right, one can't even make this statement). However, I find the notion of self-existence to be so powerful that I can hardly fathom its implications. I suspect that the term 'self-existence' is related to the term 'ultimate'. God is ultimate; I am incipient. My existence is dependent on 'Other'.

I find myself unable to escape the mental conundrum that comes with contemplating my extreme dependencies. Traced to their final conclusion, I'm in a place of utter helplessness. I don't see how philosophy, with all of its vaunted claims, can escape this position. Because I am incipient, I'm limited. Because I'm limited, I cannot claim with authority anything, especially about the ultimate, or self-existent. In a state of utter hopelessness, I'm dependent on Aristotle's 'first mover' to move on my behalf.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 9:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: Theology's Move Upward from Incipient to Ultimate
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 03/15/10
Written: 02/23/2010
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

Theology is a move upward from the incipient to the Ultimate. If it remains in a move upward, it will produce nothing of consequence. It is a move upward, which must attract a move downward from the Ultimate to the incipient. If the Ultimate responds to the inquiry, then theology might prove fruitful. But there is more...The move upward is first enabled by a move downward (by the Ultimate). In the end, it is a closed loop that begins and ends with the Ultimate. If the Ultimate does not move, then I am ultimately lost.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 11:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On Existence as a Form of Projection
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 03/12/10
Written: 02/04/2010
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

In some ways it seems that existence is a form of projection. I'm not certain if it is a projection from the static state, I'm not certain if there is a static state. To be is essentially a form of projection. Elsewhere I have written that life can be understood as 'entity acts within place'. This point is suggested by the structure of our subject/predicate language. This is characteristic of active and passive sentences. A passive sentence is still an expression of action. It is a form of projection. When I say "John is good", I am stating that the subject is, and that this 'is' (projection), occurs within 'place'.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 11:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On Capturing Greater Efficiencies from My Teaching
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 03/11/10
Written: 02/04/2010
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

Could I combine my speaking with writing? Could I get content out of every speaking presentation in written form? In this way, I might be able to capture more long term impact from my teaching. I realize there is a great difference between the spoken word, and the written word. But I'm wondering if there is some kind of process that could be put in place, which converts one into the other.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 1:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On the Reality of One's Own Existence
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 03/10/10
Written: 02/15/2010
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

At times one grasps more fully the reality of one's own existence. It is almost ironic that for this to occur, one must disengage from the present tense of pure existence. More often than not, this disengagement occurs because of some external interruption, a disturbing conversation, the death of a loved one, or a near fatal accident.

I want to be able to disengage at will, and not because of some unpredictable change in circumstance. I only want to disengage, so that I can engage more fully. For when I have pulled back, I can see. When I can see, I realize anew my transience. I'm trying to imbue the transient with the eternal. This can only happen by prioritizing the spiritual.

Sitting on a plane, today, I can see the churn of those other road warriors moving to and fro. Some of them are in the prime of their strength, while others are on the waning side. I realize that, like them, I'm just a candle flickering in the wind - and my wick is growing shorter. I cannot bear to be so finite.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 1:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On Syntax Delineated Coating
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 03/09/10
Written: 02/04/2010
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

In my ever present dissatisfaction with the way argument is set down on paper, I've been experimenting with coding the syntax of arguments in a superscript, symbolic form. This requires you to consider how each sentence fits into the argument. In this way, 100,000 words are ordered systematically in the most effective order. That is the theory. In practice, the exercise reveals yet again, the messiness of thinking.

It is so difficult to distinguish inference from observation. It is so difficult to delineate nested conclusions from reason. In the end, there is a pursuing of order that leads to absolute futility. I have spent thirty years trying to protect myself from the near insanity that comes with such pursuits. Still, I am soldiering on. If I can accept a working method, rather than a perfect method, I can still approximate an improvement. It reminds me of my earlier observation and the clause that I scroll across much of my work. All My Thinking Is Provisional (AMTIP).

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 9:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On Reflection as the Edge of Sanity
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 03/08/10
Written: 02/23/2010
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

To adapt another's proverb, I must confess that in "making many observations there is much weariness". It is painful to think, but it's more painful not to think. If I can at first avoid reflection, I can escape the dilemmas which trouble me, but I can only escape them in the short-term. They come back with a vengeance, pounding me into submission. I cannot think, but I must. This may be the edge of sanity.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 1:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On the Connection Between Honesty and Performance
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 02/08/10
Written: 01/25/10
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

What is the relationship between honesty and excellence? As I reflect on the question, it seems to me that the periodic surges in performance capacity that are characteristic of the long term pursuit of excellence are preceded by a series of painful experiences. These experiences often yield a bitter-sweet revelation - a kind of "forced" realization.

I see now, for the first time, how these experiences motivate a new depth of honesty. And I wonder if a vigorous pursuit of self-honesty, now, could enable me to achieve a dramatic surge - It might be possible with this level of intense honesty to forgo many of the painful experiences so often necessary to performance gains.

It comes down to a choice between internal pain and external pain. If I can bear the extreme internal pain of self-honesty, I might be able to avoid some of the (nearly) unbearable external pain of life. The former choice seems best, but it requires the suffering NOW, while the latter choice defers the (greater) suffering till later.

I'm in danger of choosing momentary relief.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 5:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On How Structure Can Impose Confusion
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 02/06/10
Written: 01/26/10
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

As I seek to try and build a beautiful organization, I realize that structure is closely associated with one's concept of beauty. Structure is foundational to design. I find it difficult, however, to devise the ultimate structure for my multifarious operation.

Every form seems flawed. I've learned to survive with ambiguity, and the tradeoffs associated with business, but I suspect that there is a different kind of problem at work here. Overt structure can distract from seeing the natural structure associated with wholeness, health, and beauty. This requires one to think more of business as organism rather than organization.

If the human body were "organized", we would all be dysfunctional, if not dead.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 5:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On the Pursuit of Goals
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 01/28/10
Written: 01/18/10
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

One must be careful not to spend their life solely in pursuit. Achievers are wired to pursue. We pursue knowledge, success, holiness, and so on. The feeling that we are drawing close to that which we pursue is a kind of narcotic that keeps us moving. But the urge to pursue can blind us to the value of the present tense.

Life must be lived in the present, and pursuing a goal must somehow be experienced in the present. If one's attention is only on that which one is pursuing, then one's attention cannot be on the experience of the pursuing. The full of impact of living, is thus drained away from our present tense experience. I do not want to live to pursue, I want to pursue to live.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 11:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On Perceiving a Change in One's Destiny
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 01/25/10
Written: 01/18/10
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

In science fiction, whole stories have been based upon the notion of altering the future by changing its past. And while I cannot add to such speculation, I do know that there are times when my future seems to change. This requires explanation...

In essence, my present behavior sometimes forebodes a particular future which feels almost certain. This behavior, or rather this chain of behaviors, continually points towards a kind of "virtually inevitable outcome". One gets used to living with, even straining towards such expectations.

But I have seen how a change in my present behavior, can seem to produce another all-together different "inevitable outcome". The key word is "feels". The feeling changes (even if the future doesn't). When the feeling changes I discover anew the difference between faith and confidence.

In these moments, I must allow my faith to triumph over my confidence.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 11:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On the Shape of My University Project in London and Cambridge
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 01/20/10
Written: 07/12/08
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

I have just finished reading Treier on theological interpretation of Scripture. It is a useful summary of the topic. Somehow, I wonder now that it might be that MECLABS could be considered a theological experiment.

I have often thought of it as an experiment, as an experiment in Transformative Business.
Nevertheless, I am having difficulties reconciling this master experiment with the internal experiments conducted in the interest of developing the new science: offer response optimization.

Perhaps I could describe it as a theological laboratory. There is a difference between an experiment and a laboratory. In a sense MECLABS has become a theological laboratory for working out many different theses. Could I write of it in this way?

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 11:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On Achieving Maximum Impact with My Communication Skills
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Date: 12/21/2009
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

Over time, I've realized that I can leverage my communication gifts either directly or indirectly. If I leverage them directly, I am developing a value proposition, and core products around this capacity. If I leverage them indirectly, I am using them to manage and lead, regardless of the value proposition or product mix.

Most recently, I determined that I should do the former while taking advantage of the latter. I need to use my communication skills to lead, and I need to keep them central to my value proposition and core offerings. This enables me to infuse value "end to end". This insight is decisive. It will determine my direction for the next decade.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 8:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On Applying the Concept of Life as Worship to the Ordinary
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Date: 09/16/08
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

It's not enough to foster abstract reasoning regarding the role of worship and life. One must continue to ask this: how does one work itself out in the present tense? For instance, how can one apply this to the ordinary activity of walking? The question may at first seem perplexing, but is it possible in some way to achieve worship, even with basic movements? I suspect that it is.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 8:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On Urgency and the Growing Organization
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Date: 11/22/09
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

Over the years, I have avoided developing a frantic work environment. I have found that frantic activity produces stress and errors -- so much so, that the increase in work produces only limited results.

Nevertheless, I have grown to recognize that in the attempt to avoid frantic activity one must not lose a sense of urgency. It is easy to underestimate the impact of time on the quality of results.

This is the resolution: one must learn to cultivate a sense of urgency throughout the organization while avoiding a sense of panic. Frantic activity is wasteful; urgent activity is powerful.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 2:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: Communicating with Entrepreneurs
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Date: 01/06/09
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

Communicating to entrepreneurs is different than communicating with academics. This is a point that doesn't need much elucidation. Still, it is important to understand a critical distinction:

The entrepreneur operates from a set of common sense assertions. These warrants only receive a cursorily examination and then the entrepreneur proceeds to action. His willingness to do this is based upon at least two factors:

1. He is, by nature, a risk taker and he will risk the truth of his assumptions, believing that the probabilities are high, and that he would lose too much of his time in a prolonged attempt to validate.
2. His bias for action is a gift, and it is within his nature to exercise that gift.

If one is to communicate successfully to an entrepreneur, then one must be careful not to spend too much time on those warrants that he has asserted. The entrepreneur will quickly lose interest, as his mind is focused on immediate execution rather than contemplation.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 2:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On Perseverance in the Development of a Categorical Shift in Business Operations
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Written: 10/21/09
Published: 12/09/09
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

It is interesting for me to note that John Whitehead of Goldman Sachs persevered for years in implementing his new model in the institution. In the words of Charles D. Ellis, "It would take ten years and several false starts before Whitehead's innovation worked out."

Despite these difficulties, Whitehead's model propelled Goldman Sachs to first place and was eventually copied by all of the major firms. My own organization can learn from this example.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 4:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On the Danger of Delusion within the Pseudo-Safety of Routine
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Written: 10/23/09
Published: 12/05/09
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

In order to codify a certain set of actions, in order to achieve a certain result, one may develop a routine. At first this routine is a discipline that ensures that result. But then later, the routine may actually substitute as an illusion for the result.

For example, the manager may set up a series of meetings in order to make certain that he is spending regular, fruitful time with his direct reports. In the beginning, this discipline helps achieve a consistent result.

But later, these meetings become stilted...artificial. They give the manager a false sense of security. He feels like he is truly spending quality time with his direct reports, when in fact, he is tiring his direct reports with what seems like a necessary drudgery.

Somehow the routine itself has obscured the problem.

One must be careful, then, of the false sense of security fostered by routine. I am not against routines; I value them. Nevertheless, I must look beneath the routine and make certain that the original intention is being preserved.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 4:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On Seeking Equilibrium with Sin
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Written:10/25/09
Published: 11/29/09
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

One must be careful about seeking a form of equilibrium with sin. If a person is devoted to Christ, then they acknowledge that sin has no comfortable place in their life.

Still, we often struggle with particular sins that seem most difficult for us to eradicate. In time, the continual cycle of sin and repentance wears us down.

While the repentance may seem genuine, we establish a kind of equilibrium with this sin. The equilibrium creates a false sense of comfort and thus we tolerate the presence of evil. This is a grave danger. There is no compromise with sin that does not lead to death.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 4:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On the Propensity for Crises to Interrupt the Ordinary
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 11/24/09
Written: 10/10/09
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

Crises are by definition aberrations. They are an offense to normalcy. As one studies various personal and or corporate catastrophes, it becomes apparent that they strike in the midst of the ordinary.

For me this brings a kind of fear mixed with awe. On any given day, one can wake up and begin the routine, never knowing, never sensing the impending assault.

How then should I live? Should I steel myself with a kind of deliberate oblivion or should I remain ready - always on the alert. Sometimes knowing, even if it is only that you do not know, is too much.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 3:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On Management as Reflected in the Administration of the Biblical King David
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 11/22/09
Written: November 2009
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

There are lessons to be learned from David's management of Israel. One might immediately disqualify him as a standard, as a model, because he was a king and thus carried a kind of supreme authority not invested in the typical manager. But the story of the Shepherd King reflects many of the challenges faced by today's manager.

As I have taught elsewhere, management is shaping an effort towards an objective. I believe it is accomplished through people. It is done by a person with other people who form an organizational person - an entity. Thus you shape efforts by shaping people. And this is precisely how David worked.

The Biblical account demonstrates the process in detail. Essentially David attracted and managed people in an effort to accomplish an objective. The attraction process can be traced all the way back to the beginning, when he drew more than four hundred men to his cause, and later as he won the hearts of the entire nation.

The management process can be seen throughout the account of his reign. We might at least note that David carefully developed an organization (with an actual org chart). He managed trade-offs (consider the story of Joab). He incentivized and motivated his team (the taking of Jerusalem). He focused them on strategy and execution (the fortification of the territories), and so on...

The main point is this: the Scholar/Leader may distill practical, present-tense insights from this ancient narrative without jeopardizing their intellectual integrity.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 2:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On Caution when Using Biblical Narrative to Contemplate the Principles of Management
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 11/10/09
Written: 08/03/09
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

I have written an earlier observation about lessons that can be learned from the administrations of King David and King Solomon. While such accounts are useful, one must be careful not to approach them in the wrong way. There is a danger of spiritualizing the text. There is a danger of ascribing too much importance to the individual detail of the text.

I am not advocating a medieval, scholastic method. However, I think these stories offer important principles. There are larger implications that can be drawn from these texts. Such implications can be used responsibly by the theologian/manager.

One must be careful not to teach one's position through the use of Scripture. It's important to understand how to extract relevant, authentic insights from Scripture. If we cannot do so, we cannot integrate Scripture into our daily lives. On the other hand, if we read into Scripture our own convictions, or we turn Biblical passages into complex, artificial constructs, we set ourselves up for delusion.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 12:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On Existing Within the Basic
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 11/04/09
Written: October 2009
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

There is a way for an individual to revert to the most basic of functions. For one who is used to complicated, abstract thinking, this is a shocking turn.

I think there is something to be said for moving within the basic for some season. It permits experience without assessment.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 12:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On Key Principles Regarding the Confusion Element of the Value Exchange Fulcrum
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 10/29/09
Wirrten: 07/21/09
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

When we teach in the third section of the Landing Page Optimization Clinic, we need to convey certain key principles:

1. To guide the sequence of thought in the conversion process, you must start where the person is and take them where you want them to be.
2. You cannot start them where you are and expect them to follow you to where you want them to be.

This requires you to get inside of the mind and understand the principle thought that motivated the first action. This first action may be just the typing in of a search term. The hermeneutical key is produced from that search term; it indicates what they are anticipating next.

Essentially, this sequence of thoughts is connected with a special transition, like a chain. The key is to build momentum as they move towards an inevitable conclusion. At each point of transition there is a moment of orientation. You must use that moment to drive them towards the next step.

For example, if they come from a search ad to your landing page, you must help them to:

1. Identify where they are at.
2. Help them understand what they can do next.
3. Why they should do it.

When you think of what they should do next, it needs to be in terms of the very next step and it needs to be in terms of the site itself. So there is a major and a minor answer.

The enemy to forward momentum is confusion. It is important to discern those elements which contribute to this mitigating factor:

1. Distorted eyepath.
2. Complicated directions.
3. Conflicting objectives.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 4:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On Achieving Discipline from the Whole
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 10/25/09
Written: 10/13/09
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

Many of us struggle with self discipline and these struggles are characterized by attempts to achieve consistency in a number of different areas. We try to achieve discipline in our eating habits. We try to achieve discipline in our prayer life or discipline in our studies. Most of the time, discipline is approached in piecemeal fashion. We are trying to achieve this virtue with a specific focus. I have noticed that there is a more fundamental and perhaps effective approach. When we have our spiritual compasses set, there is a kind of integrity at the core. From this place, self-discipline may emanate. We are too focused on peripherals instead of the center. Get the center right and it is easier to align the peripherals.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 4:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On Christ as Object
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 10/12/09
Written: 08/11/09
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

There is a pattern throughout scripture that intrigues me. Christ is often presented as more than an entity. In my philosophical grid, I have noticed a system wherein existence can be expressed as entity acting within place or context. This grid which I developed as a child has helped me to sort out the categories of being. What fascinates me is that Christ is portrayed as more than an entity.

He is often portrayed as the axiom or even as place or space. Sometimes he's portrayed as condition. Christ is called our peace in Ephesians 2. He is not represented as means of our peace. He is called our peace. In John 6 he is called truth, way, and life. This personification of Yeshua as trans-category has rich theological implications.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 3:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On Maximizing the Productivity of My Thinking Time
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 10/07/09
Written: 08/08/09
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

Yet again I am writing on productivity. I realize that I am still only capturing a fraction of my core thoughts. I think in most cases most thought leaders have codified their primary thinking in several key works. Sometimes these are masterpieces. But because of technical limitation, at least in part, these rigorous thinkers have not been able to fully harness their potential. They have set down other thoughts in their journals. In some cases the value of their journals have superseded the value of their written works. At this time in history, with such remarkable technology at our disposal, we should be capturing and producing more than we have in the past.

Of course there is a danger that this kind of capacity can contribute to a degradation in quality. But if ones motivation is pure, it is still right to produce "more." Out of the "more" the "better and best" may be extracted.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 3:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On My Multiplicity of Research Interests
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 10/01/09
Written: 02/02/09
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

As I have written earlier, I hold a high value for the concept of focus. I believe that concentrating ones energies is essential. Nevertheless, I have discovered that there is a need to balance this concept.

One may enrich their primary interests by studying certain other fields. With this regard, I find that there is a theme that connects each of my interests. This theme is related to the concept of worship-the glory of God (ad Dei gloriam). This theme drives and connects all of my research interests. I have discovered how each of these pursuits can, in themselves, become acts of worship.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 2:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On the Quest for Wholeness
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 09/25/09
Written: 08/03/09
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

I think the internal quest to be fully human is a quest for wholeness. Our divided selves reflect our distance from the ideal. As we pursue full integration; an undivided heart, we are in fact moving towards the actualization of our person. This pursuit inevitably integrates all of the pathos within an individual. Such an integration artfully encompasses symmetry.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 2:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On Bringing More Intentionality into Our Purpose of Glorifying God
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 09/21/09
Written: 07/09/09
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

If glorifying God is a way to express the prime of justice of humanity, then it seems there should be more written work on actualizing that pain. In the 20th century there was much focus on evangelism, and authentic evangelism is a means to glorifying God. But it is not the only means; people plan their entire lives around "soul winning."

An entire generation of evangelicals focuses their efforts on the great commission lifestyle. I am not suggesting that this itself is wrong. But clearly it can be pursued for the wrong reason. It can obscure the deeper purposes.

If one aims at gloryfying God then one must think about how to do so in layers of existence:

• It can be done by presencing his image.
• It can be done by drawing others in to presence his image (evangelism).
• It can be done in creating works that presence his image.
• It may also be actualized with other expressions rather than this notion of "presencing."

We need to engage in deeper thinking on this question.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 12:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Observations/Reflections: On the Leaders Responsibility to Impart Value
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 08/24/09
Written: 06/10/09
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

In other writings, I have suggested that the leader has two primary responsibilities: One is to determine direction and the other is to shape efforts toward that direction. But the more I contemplate the matter, the more I realize that some leaders must do more. In some cases the leader has a role of imparting certain elements into the lifeblood of the organization. There may be more than the two I am going to mention now, but I think these are of upmost importance:

1. The leader needs to impart life values into the organization. This is what infuses the organization with soul (seen in its culture).
2. The leader must impart core value into the organization. This is what infuses the organization with edge (seen in its value prop).

In many cases the leader has a particular gift or ability that helps the organization achieve distinction within a competitive marketplace. Often the value proposition of an organization originates with the leader (especially in the case of the founder/leader).

There is a unique symbiosis between the organization and the leader.

I need to be more cognizant of my role in imparting these elements.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 8:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Observations/Reflections: Genesis 1:28
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 08/18/09
Written: June 2009
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

The phrase "be fruitful and multiply" in Genesis 1:28 is often seen as a Great Commission verse. I believe this is a proper interpretation in as far as it goes, but I also believe that this interpretation unduly restricts the full power of this verse. Within this phrase lies the force of the entire human mission. It is the key to understanding how you reflect the glory of God.

For some time I have been reflecting on G1. The more I reflect, the more I realize the sheer significance of physicality in the plan of creation. The manifestation of God's creative force in creating spirit is as legitimate as in creating flesh. In other words, the act of giving life to spirit is no less than the act of giving life to flesh.

This is also true as it relates to inanimate objects. It is important to note this point, so that one may consider the sheer emphasis of creation in G1. The emphasis is on the material, the physical.

When you combine these last two points, you are able to note that there is a significant theological expression in G1. I am still grappling with its implications. Nevertheless, I find it leads to a fresh understanding of God's intent for mankind.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 1:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On the Internal Source of My Observations
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 08/07/09
Written: 02/02/09
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

As I reflect on the process of which my observations are developed, certain points become clear. First of all, some observations are stimulated by an external circumstance. Something I receive with the five senses generates a line of thought or a series of thoughts, which eventually become an observation.

These happen throughout the day but despite the prolific amount of observations in my database, I am still not able to report many of these and I wonder what I could achieve if I could capture at least most of them.

There is another source of observations. This occurs when I deliberately set down a moment to reflect or write. I find that the intention, even though arbitary, stimulates fascinating thought.

In consideration of these two sources, I might want to make changes in my system. In either case, I am not certain that my observations will help anyone. They are a help to me, as I am able to search them and use them for my future writing.

Because many of them are dictated, they do not represent quality prose. This point disturbs me, but if I lay down my ego, then I am able to get past it. In the end, the observations are a way for me to have a mental snapshot of an important thought that I may want to reference later. I am grateful for the technology that makes it possible.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 6:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On the Works of John Donne
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 08/06/09 Written: 12/15/08
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

I am moved by the works of John Donne. There is a profound depth in his works, and he ministers to my soul.

"Batter my heart, three person'd God; for, you"

BATTER my heart, three person'd God; for, you
As yet but knocke, breathe, shine, and seeke to mend;
That I may rise, and stand, o'erthrow mee,'and bend
Your force, to breake, blowe, burn and make me new.
I, like an usurpt towne, to'another due,
Labour to'admit you, but Oh, to no end,
Reason your viceroy in mee, mee should defend,
But is captiv'd, and proves weake or untrue.
Yet dearely'I love you,'and would be loved faine,
But am betroth'd unto your enemie:
Divorce mee,'untie, or breake that knot againe;
Except you'enthrall mee, never shall be free,
Nor ever chast, except you ravish mee.

"Each man's death diminishes me, for I am involved in mankind. Therefore, send not to know for whom the bell tolls, it tolls for thee." – John Donne

Several metaphysical poets, especially John Donne, were influenced by NeoPlatonism. One of the primary Platonic concepts found in metaphysical poetry is the idea that the perfection of beauty in the beloved acted as a remembrance of perfect beauty in the eternal realm. – Wiki

http://www.luminarium.org/sevenlit/donne/donnebib.htm (Online Works)

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 10:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On a Thought-Experiment Regarding Revival
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 07/30/09 Written: 04/21/07
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

The formula for revival I have used thus far is: rv = cdr²
It might better be restated as this: rv = cd(r²)
We need a clear way to illustrate that "r" squares the entire formula.

Rv itself may be substituted as ke, changing the formula to ke = cdr²
Wherein "ke = kingdom expansion" as opposed to "rv = revival"

On a molecular level, the level we should always begin on, one must imagine transformation of an individual. This may be described as discipleship.

On a complex level, one must imagine transformation of a collective. This may be described as ecclesiology. I wonder, then, if ecclesiology may be simplified as the collective work of discipleship. This disciple embodies Christ. Church is the body of Christ. (Just thinking about these points recalls the angst in my earlier observation about the central website. I need some way to tie all of these thoughts together.)

At this juncture in my observation, I find it difficult to determine the right course. Should I focus on the molecular level, or should I move to the more complex level? Rather than stall in the midst of inner argument or rational conundrums, I prefer to make an arbitrary choice. On the basis of attraction (a persuasive if not always reasonable motivator), I shall address the complex level.

So then, back to the thought-experiment proper.

Imagine an organization composed of like-minded leaders from the 3^rd element. They are pooling their resources. Three of which may be identified for the present: The first is leadership. The second is capital. The third is technology. (In actuality, I need to verify or validate the thesis that these three are preeminent in the third element. Further, I need to clarify that my reference to the third element is rooted in Newtonian theory as opposed to military theory.)

Regarding leadership: they provide strategic board involvement and mentoring. Regarding capital: they provide charitable contributions and investment. Regarding technology: they provide state-of-the-art support.

This force is applied with great focus. The council would need to develop a criterion by which they concentrate their resources on those opportunities which contribute to the highest kingdom yield.

On a personal level (the molecular), they would be seeking to reproduce the life of Christ.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 10:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On Theological Method and Theoretical Physics
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 07/29/09
Written: 05/04/09
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

As time passes it grows clear for me how I should pursue my theological reflection. While some scholars focus on historical and linguistic exegesis, I prefer to approach the text differently (though preliminary exegesis is often necessary). Indeed, I make the most progress by simply identifying what is plain within the text and then contemplating its patterns and their fuller implications. This can lead to fresh (sometimes revolutionary) personal understanding. This approach reminds me of theoretical physics, or of Einstein's thought experiments.

This method is not something I determined, but rather something I have developed over a period of years. I am not saying it is the best way, but I like tentatively beginning with a simple meaning, then, I love the unfettered, soul-soaring experience of reflecting on this meaning using limitless operators such as these: "either or," "if then," or "what if." I do not engage this method in order to develop absolute positions, but rather to lose myself in pure worship.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 9:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On Genesis 1
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 07/28/09
Written: 11/09/06
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

As I meditate on Genesis Chapter 1, it appears as though I don't really need many more management books than this one. I see, immediately, some insights. But I sense much more – a depth of insights yet to be plummeted. Here are some examples:

1. I am not the first to notice it, but it still feels original. This is because it is speaking to me where I am at in my own journey. The enormous emphasis on the fact that God saw the creation was good needs to be considered. The phraseology is very clear in the Hebrew. Can I interpret this phrase as indicating that God enjoyed the creation? At the very least, I can note that He was engaged in three activities: He built, He reviewed, and perhaps, He enjoyed. I wonder how much of our attitude towards business is culturally tainted. Business or not, I think we should be more grateful for the opportunity to create, to review, and to enjoy.
2. In the first two days of creation (verses 1 through 9), God let things "be" (come). But on the third day He commanded the creation to produce. There is a sense here where the resources are created to somehow support the living. There is a categorical difference between how God speaks of and speaks to these elements. The former is charged to "be"; the latter is charged to produce. The nature of this production is also delineated. The former is told to teem, to fill, to increase, to multiply, and to be fruitful. In this phraseology I sense a charge to do more than duplicate, but rather to duplicate in spades. Moreover, the text stresses the phraseology according to their various kinds. From these two insights, we might say that there are at least two aspects to this production: likeness and abundance.
3. One could spend the rest of his life speaking of significance here in verse 27, God created man in His own icon/image. The implications are overwhelming. One cannot accuse the Christian God of being anthropomorphic, but rather the Christian man as being "theomorphic". More should be said, but this will be tasked for other observations.
4. In verse 29, there is a clear "handoff". One cannot deny the implications for stewardship, and for Kingdom theology in verses 28 through 31. Again, we have the injunction to be fruitful and increase, to fill the earth, but to the sixth element, man, there is an additional injunction: to subdue the rest. I think we could move past the Aristotelian-based classification systems. There are distinct categorical differences in the creation to be found in this first chapter. These categorical differences may be detected by paying close attention to the language of Elohim.

These few insights are offered only as an experiment. I was wondering if I could read twelve to fifteen chapters at a time, but I find it so difficult to breeze past truths. I could spend the rest of the year on Genesis 1. I need to strike a balance between the macro and the micro.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 9:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On the Physical Expression of God's Glory
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 07/27/09
Written: 05/04/09
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

In keeping with my recent reflections upon Genesis 1, I continue to see the importance of the physical expression of God's glory.

In some way, my deepening understanding of this point makes my work in the theology of entrepreneurship only incidental.

The entrepreneur is engaging in the physical expression of God's glory.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 9:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On Teaching as a Driver of Philosophical/Theological Breakthroughs
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 07/20/09
Written: 02/09/09
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

Some of the greatest of philosophical/theological breakthroughs occurred in the service of teaching. Consider the Puritans, whose pastoral orientation influenced their theological works, and Kahane, whose pedagogical motives inspired his formal work. Teaching, while seeming to take time from research is often the impetus for breakthrough.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 9:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On the Incarnation Model and the Scriptures
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 07/08/09
Written: 05/17/07
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

If we assume that the Incarnation model and the scriptures are reliable, then we must assume that despite the many challenges there is a form of communication that is sufficient for expressing the inexpressible. The incarnation affords me a measure of peace. From the incarnation, I can conclude that there is a way forward.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 10:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On Knowing Little
Status: Transcribed and Reviewed
Published: 07/06/09
Written: 07/12/05
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

When I walk through the halls of the great libraries, I am impressed with how little I know. Part of me strains to be able to know more, to be able to claim I know more. When this striving reached his apex, I can only find relief by admitting to myself that I know very little.

There are two ways about thinking about knowing very little. When I claim to know very little I can do so relative to the amount of knowledge that is to be known, or relative to the knowledge by other men. Sadly, I know that I know very little in comparison with other men.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 11:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Observations/Reflections: On Improving the Conversion Sequence
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 07/02/09
Written: May 2009
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

The conversion sequence is actually a function of understanding the offer. We are not optimizing the product, we are optimizing the offer. As such, we are focused on two aspects: the content and the presentation.

It may be possible to devise a heuristic wherein the optimization of the content is essentially an explanation of value proposition; and then the optimization of the presentation is mitigating against three negative factors: Confusion, aggravation and anxiety.

I have a feeling that we are close to developing something far more potent than our already successful approach.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 9:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On Affirming Truths that I Have Learnt from My Study of the Puritans
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 06/29/09
Written: 02/14/09
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

In my recent study of the Puritan pastors and their theology, I have noted a number of truths that resonate with my own practice. Some have spurred me to intensify what I am doing, some have encouraged me to do something new, but most have simply affirmed my direction.

I will list some of these randomly from memory, later I may go back and make a more exhaustive list.

1. The Puritans emphasized the Glory of God.
2. The Puritan leaders were pastors and thus pastoral in their approach to theology.
3. The Puritans viewed this life as a journey, and Christians as pilgrims in an alien land.
4. The Puritans stressed expository analysis, followed by intense applicatory preaching.
5. The Puritans accepted the fact that their movement had been distorted by their popular enemies.
6. The Puritans viewed salvation as both event and process.
7. The Puritans viewed the heart of a man as a court (this requires explanation and I will give that explanation later).
8. The Puritans saw the whole of life as sacred.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 9:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On Gerard Manley Hopkins and His Narrative Prose
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 06/24/09
Written: 04/27/09
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

I have been studying Hopkins in depth. As I reflect on the way he uses meter and sound, it occurs to me, yet again, that my endless project to enfold narrative with poetic rhythms and structures is still possible.

There is a way to bring rhythm and rhyme to this structure of prose. It must be subtle enough to avoid surface detection, but powerful enough to evoke the sublayers of pathos.

Hopkins' experimentation with sound and meter encourages me.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 10:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On the Conjunction of Vectors
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 06/21/09
Written: June 2009
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

If we think of basic quantities like N1, N2, N3 as representing or delineating a line element or vector, rather than a hyperplane or vection, we can begin to trace out how Grassmann's algebra helps us to envision the idea of the plane element.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 12:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: The Difference Between Specialized Knowledge and High Intelligence
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 04/29/09
Written: 02/02/09
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

One must be careful not to confuse specialized knowledge with high intelligence. It's easy to be impressed with a dense document, detailed with specialized language and concepts (particularly if they are mathematical). One might read this document and assume that the writer is highly intelligent but this is not always the case. There is a substantial difference between one with specialized knowledge and one with high intelligence. There is an ever greater difference between one with specialized knowledge and one with creative intelligence. One must learn to detect the distinctions.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 4:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Observations/Reflections: Observation on Beauty
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 04/24/09
Written: 03/10/09
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

If beauty is related to proportion as Aquinas and others would say, then it necessarily involves priority. For proportion is only possible through priority of dimensions.

If we then take the concept of priority, and relate it to the notion that beauty is a whole, we must recognize that there are internal aspects of beauty which may take priority over external aspects. These simple propositions reconcile much of the tension between the internal and external beauty of form. For instance, they may reconcile - to some extent - an Edwardian version of beauty with a Catholic version of beauty (Aquinas' perspective).

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 4:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On Jonathan Edwards and the Concept of Beauty
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 04/22/09
Written: 12/15/2008
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

Edwards, I think, tapped into this concept of beauty that is driving my theology of delight:

The first instance that I remember of that sort of inward, sweet delight in God and divine things that I have lived much in since, was on reading those words, I Tim. i.17. Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen. As I read the words, a sense of the glory of the Divine Being seemed to diffuse my soul; a new sense, quite different from any thing I ever experienced before. Never any words of scripture seemed to me as these words did.

I was reminded of Gerard Manly Hopkins' poem, "The Windhover," where he sees in a bird's flight, the ecstasy of divine creation:

I CAUGHT this morning morning's minion, king-
  dom of daylight's dauphin, dapple-dawn-drawn Falcon, in his riding
  Of the rolling level underneath him steady air, and striding
High there, how he rung upon the rein of a wimpling wing
In his ecstasy!

Hopkin's stanza echoes Edward's emotions:

I thought with myself, how excellent a Being that was, and how happy I should be, if I might enjoy that God, and be rapt up to him in heaven, and be as it were swallowed up in him forever! I kept saying, and as it were singing, over these words of scripture to myself; and went to pray to God that I might enjoy him; and prayed in a manner quite different from what I used to do, with a new sort of affection. But it never came into my thought, that there was any thing spiritual, or of a saving nature in this.

From about that time I began to have a new kind of apprehension and ideas of Christ, and the work of redemption, and the glorious way of salvation by him. An inward, sweet sense of these things, at times, came into my heart; and my soul was led away in pleasant views and contemplations of them. And my mind was greatly engaged to spend my time in reading and meditating on Christ, on the beauty and excellency of his person, and the lovely way of salvation by free grace in him. I found no books so delightful to me, as those that treated of these subjects. Those words Cant. ii.1, used to be abundantly with me, I am the Rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valleys. The words seemed to me sweetly to represent the loveliness and beauty of Jesus Christ. The whole book of Canticles used to be pleasant to me, and I used to be much in reading it, about that time; and found, from time to time, an inward sweetness, that would carry me away, in my contemplations. This I know not how to express otherwise, than by a calm, sweet abstraction of soul from all the concerns of this world; and sometimes a kind of vision, not of fixed ideas and imaginations, but of being alone in the mountains, or some solitary wilderness, far from all mankind, sweetly conversing with Christ, and wrapped and swallowed up in God. The sense I had of divine things, would often of a sudden kindle up, as it were, a sweet burning in my heart, an ardor of soul, that I know not how to express. -- Works, 1.xiii.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 9:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: Abiding in Christ
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 03/18/09
Written: 12/18/08
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

I sense there is a way to achieve a more profound serenity. This serenity requires a deeper understanding of the meaning, "To abide in Christ." In my own experience, I have discovered a pervasive peace. Still I think this serenity is fuller, richer.

There is a danger; however, in that one must distinguish the difference between serenity and passivity.

A certain level of anxiety can stimulate an important proactive response. If one eliminates that internal tension, then one faces the danger of complacency, encouraging delayed, and therefore dangerous, action.

Pain has its critical place. It stimulates the survival response. If I touch the hot stove, pain protects me from extensive burns. So one must know how to embrace pain and yet maintain serenity.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 10:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Observations/Reflections: On Deep Connections to My Church's Past
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 03/16/09
Written: 01/09/09
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

As I work back through the various streams of Church History, it's fascinating to discover the deep connections between my present and the church's past. I am experiencing a deeper awareness of my puritan roots. And yet, I find a close connection to the Desert Fathers.

There are aspects of Eastern Orthodox theology that connect deeply with the longings of my soul. Bonaventure, the Catholic saint, with his deep appreciation for the diffusion of love throughout creation, can bring me to tears. The Collations have stirred me as the Philokalia.

This evening, it has been John Garry, a puritan reflecting on puritans, who has touched me deeply. It does seem that, despite my connection to these various streams, I have a special relationship with my puritan brothers.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 11:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Observations/Reflections: On Coping with Uncertainty
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 03/06/09
Written: 02/08/09
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

What Shall It Profit?
By William Dean Howells

If I lay waste and wither up with doubt
The blessed fields of heaven where once my faith
Possessed itself serenely safe from death;
If I deny the things past finding out;
Or if I orphan my own soul of One
That seemed a Father, and make void the place
Within me where He dwelt in power and grace,
What do I gain by that I have undone?

Howells poem reminds me of my own journey...

When I was a child, in a moment of personal crisis, I etched out these words: "Everything is uncertain." Then I crossed out the word "is." Then I crossed out the word "everything." Then I laid down my pen and wept. In time, it occurred to me that the notion of "everything" and of "is" represented some form of being and of doing (subject/predicate). From there, I concluded that I am "being" and that my effort to ascertain is "doing". Eventually, I restored all three words of my simple sentence, and in a way, I have never moved past them. It is true I have embraced a life of faith, but not from the victory over uncertainty, but rather because of it.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 10:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Observations/Reflections: On Using N.T. Wright's Theological Approach to Help Define Offer Response Optimization
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 02/23/09
Written: 08/11/08
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

Could I apply Tom Wright's approach to theology as story, his perspective on Worldview, and use it to define my approach to Offer Response Optimization (O/R=Oz)? I think there is significant possibility with this concept. I could view the cognitive science approach as story within story. I could then use the story to create heuristics.

How would this effect my outline for the O/R=Oz book?

Current approaches...

1. Usability with Literature Review
2. History
3. Summary of Approaches
4. Weakness
5. The Proposal for a New Approach
1. A Theological Perspective
6. The Approach Applied
2. Heuristics
3. Field Tests
7. Suggest areas of research

Notes:

1. Why would one use theology? It offers a theory of behavior, which is essentially what is needed...
2. Could I do this in a year? Is it possible?

I think there is something profound as thinking of O/R=Oz within the context of story.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 9:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Observations/Reflections: Engaging in a Deeper Level of Prayer
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 02/13/09
Written: 01/08/09
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

It occurs to me, on the continuation of the intensity of my prayer life, that despite the hours I am currently spending in prayer, I am not engaging at the level I could be. I perceive that my prayer could be more focused. I pray for my family every day, but I do not believe I am spending the concentrated prayer for each child that I should.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 10:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Observations/Reflections: On the Difference between Proper Basic Understanding and more Advanced Understanding
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 02/11/09
Written: 12/22/08
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

It would seem that there is a kind of proper basic truth that is readily grasped by ordinary thinkers. On the other hand, there seems to be a much more complex understanding of truth that is grasped by great thinkers like Edwards or Augustine.

One must ask whether or not the deep exploration of truth that yields greater understanding provides adequate return on energy. Now the whole notion of an adequate return of energy implies a certain kind of ethic. But if we warrant, for now, that one's life must be dedicated towards some significant achievement/output, then we might ask whether or not a satisfactory grasp of the proper basic truth is enough.

My inclination is to delve deeply, but I must wonder as to whether or not all this "delving" will yield a return that will justify its cost. In any event, I can't stop...

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 5:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On Differing Opinions and the Search for Truth
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 02/10/09
Written: 01/08/09
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

Among the multiplicity of differing opinions, there should be at least a general agreement that there is a multiplicity of differing opinions. Everyone does not agree. Further, most would agree with the proposition that, in some form or another, the different opinions are mutually exclusive. At least, in some ways, the two contrary positions cannot both be true. While there are those that disagree with my point, their argument is mostly negated by the fact that we disagree on this very point (pettito principi).

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 5:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Observations/Reflections: On Deliberate Mediocrity
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 02/09/09
Written: 01/15/09
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

In some cases, in the relationship between a father and a son, it is better for the father to achieve no more than mediocrity in certain fields. His unparalleled excellence in a single field could serve as an impediment to his son.

If, however, he limits his personal achievement, he is able to gain his son's interest in a particular field, and then give his son the opportunity to surpass him. So in some ways, and at some times, it may be best for a father to hold himself in check.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 8:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On the Purest Philosophy
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 02/06/09
Written: 01/15/09
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

People at their moments of greatest joy, and especially at their moments of deepest grief, break out spontaneously in to the most profound of philosophies. It is after a great loss that you hear a person, who is normally absorbed in the day to day grind of activities, suddenly break into a profound soliloquy.

All of us are philosophers. Philosophy is how we cope. Philosophy is how we survive.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 9:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Observations/Reflections: Edwardian Vision for the Glory of God
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 01/20/09
Written: 12/23/08
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

As I am contemplating the various aesthetic systems, it grows increasingly clear that Jonathan Edwards, in his much overlooked work on beauty, offers a nuanced and profound understanding. His work linking the Glory of God with Beauty mirrors much of my own. I believe there are depths here that remain unplumbed. Further exploration could yield a seminal basis for my work on business and worship.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 9:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On the Nature of Worship from a Whiteheadian Perspective
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Date: 09/04/08
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin
Bibliography: Whiteheadian Thought as a Basis for a Philosophy of Religion by Forest Wood, Jr. http://www.religion-online.org/showchapter.asp?title=2736&C=2475

A far better view is found in Hartshorne's suggestion: "Worship is the integrating of all one's thoughts and purposes, all valuations and meanings, all perceptions and conceptions."3 Worship is a consciously unitary response to life. And God, the object of worship, is"...the wholeness of the world, correlative to the wholeness of every sound individual dealing with the world."4 The term "individual" in his comment applies not only to people but to any entity whatsoever: "Any sentient individual in any world experiences and acts as one. . ."5 These ideas of Hartshorne's do not stand in isolation; rather they are part of a Whiteheadian world-view in which each individual entity is an integration of parts into a whole. Whitehead's principle is "The many become one, and are increased by one." (Process and Reality, Corrected Edition, ed. Griffin & Sherburne, New York: The Free Press, 1978, 21)

Hartshorne makes another major contribution to our understanding of worshiping and serving God. The insight is a surprising one. Hartshorne argues that people (and other things) contribute"...value to God which he would otherwise lack."6 God is a real recipient of our actions. This notion is consistent with the Whiteheadian metaphysic that each entity contributes value to other entities. Each entity in the universe (including God) is internally related to other entities. That people (and other things) contribute value to God gives real meaning to the lives of people and the events of the world.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 9:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: Baye's Theorem
Status: Transcribed and Reviewed
Published: 01/09/09
Written: 04/04/06
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

My micro-testing research indicates an opportunity to maximize the testing potential in those cases where one has some probability established for the test results of a given variable.

In this regard, the Bayesian Theorem may provide simpler ways to achieve a result.

This needs more research.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 1:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On Conflating the Two Concepts of Convergence Theory and Enterprise Locus
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 01/07/09
Written: 02/27/08
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

I am conflating two concepts: convergence theory with enterprise locus.

Transformation assumes an external force working against an entity. In the event that force is being applied to an entity in a given dimension, the force must be channeled. In those cases where the energy itself is the only force, then the energy is all that is necessary. Nevertheless, if there is an item, such as a message being delivered, then you will have the content and the energy. The means of reaching the entity becomes the distribution. One might argue that is not the means, but rather the action of distributing the energy. Nevertheless, energy by its very nature distributes. It implies motion. Thus, one might be able to unify content distribution and energy as a single factor, depending on certain circumstances.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 8:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On the Principle of Financial Management applied to Energy Management
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 01/06/09
Written: 11/17/07
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

As I struggle to allocate my energy resources, it occurs to me that the primary principals of financial allocation could be relevant. I need to allocate my time/energy in accord with certain of these principles. I have said it before, "if Warren Buffet is an expert at capital allocation, I want to be an expert at energy allocation." Still, as time passes, I grow more cognizant to the fact that I can adapt the principles of financial management to the realities of my energy management. I will write more on this later.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 9:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: Being Called into the Depths
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 01/05/2008
Written: January 2008
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

What does it mean to be called into the depths? Perhaps it involves pursing the truth that can hardly be expressed to those around you. Perhaps it involves living deeply within the profoundest moments of your life. Perhaps it involves offering only the slightest hint to those who might have a potential to care...

Tis of the essence of life here,
  Though we choose greatly, still to lack
The lasting memory at all clear,
  That life has for us on the wrack
Nothing but what we somehow chose;
  Thus are we wholly stipped of pride
In the pain that has but one close,
  Bearing it crushed and mystified.
- Robert Frost

Achilles to Odysseus, in the underworld: "I'd rather be a slave on earth than rule here, among the breathless dead." Translation: Quit longing for the glory days of war and go home to deal with your family and your kingdom.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 9:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On Further of Revisions to my Thinking on Categorization
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 12/17/08
Written: 10/18/07
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

In previous observations, I have considered how one might approach a planning issue. I have suggested that there are principles and applications. The applications can be divided into entities, actions, and emphasis. I have suggested that emphasis allows for intuition and perception.

I think my plan needs to be further refined. I think I need to add environment.

Essentially you have an entity, but that entity is acting within place. To think of the entity apart from place is a mistake. So then, I am thinking about principles and applications. Under applications I am thinking about entities, actions, locations or environment, and emphasis.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 9:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On Living within the Partial
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 12/15/08
Written: 11/25/07
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

There are times when the multiplicity of thoughts, the problems with living within the partial, the incomplete, and the flawed is too much. I feel as though I will burst or burn. God, give me grace to endure the temporary.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 4:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: Disraeli on Commitment
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 12/12/08
Written: 10/20/08
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

Amidst the challenges of the 2008 economy, a leader cannot afford to attack cost structures with tentative measures. Hesitation is lethal.

"The most dangerous strategy is to jump a chasm in two leaps." - Benjamin Disraeli

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 11:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On Joy as the Ultimate Antidote
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 12/11/08
Written: January 2008
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

It occurred to me, today, as I was worshiping in a small church in the mountains in North Carolina, that the ultimate antidote for this deep futility I experience is in joy itself.

Joy is not the result of finding an antidote. Joy is the antidote.

The Scripture says that the Joy of the Lord is our strength. Over the years the meaning of this phrase and its many layers has materialized in my soul. But the older I get the more desperately I need it. All around me I see the results of evil. There is decay and desperation.

The horror of the human condition could overwhelm me. Yet, I see somehow that the answer to this dilemma is in joy itself.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 11:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On the Need for a Meta-Theory of Optimization
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 12/10/08
Written: 12/10/08
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

Is there a general underlying theory of optimization that will allow you to improve results regardless of the medium or the business category? Isn't there more to optimization than learning a set of rules? How can we gain a deep understanding of the optimization process? Is there some way for the average marketer to quickly identify the core psychological problems signaled by an underperforming page?

Optimization experts are proliferating. Books on the subject are multiplying. But as one philosopher observed, "the more words, the less meaning." We are alternately reprimanded, or encouraged, to religiously apply the new "irrefutable laws of optimization": Left Nav is the best Nav, use Alt tags with your images, keep the call to action above the fold, minimize the number of required field forms, ad nauseum.

At first, this growing body of knowledge is impressive. And in recent months, I have noticed that my students begin their certification training with a better grasp of the fundamental concepts. One might easily conclude an increase in expertise.

I beg to differ.

Knowing the "what" does not mean that you know the "why", and if you do not know the "why," you may not know the "when" - that is you may not know "when" a given rule applies in a given situation. Specific, tactical guidelines are applicable only to specific, tactical problems. Their limitation is in their adaptability. It is not enough to grasp a handful of common rules and then fling them at a poorly designed page. We need an theory that imparts the universal meaning beneath the "rules."

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 11:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On the Possibility of the Unlimited
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 12/09/08
Written: 09/28/08
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

Consider this: there are many things I cannot know. And because I cannot know them, I conclude that I am a limited being. The knowledge of my limitations motivates me to consider the possibility of a being that is virtually unlimited. In this way, I discover the possibilities of the Ultimate (god) - through the impossibilities of the incipient (myself).

Now I experience a kind of conflicting emotion. It is one part awe, and one part fear. The more I consider the possibility of the Ultimate, the more I experience awe. This awe leads to a kind of fear. I am helpless. What if the Ultimate is against me?

This questioning is accompanied by the recognition that I may not be asking the right questions and that my range of responses may be meaningless, but this does not dissuade me from reflecting further. It only underscores a certain sense that I cannot know for certain. It seems true that I might know in the temporal sense, but it also seems true that this "knowing" is strictly limited in the absolute sense.

Thus, it is my very limitation which points to the possibility of the unlimited. It is the possibility of the unlimited that provokes a kind of visceral response - in my case, fear.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 9:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On Hammurabi's Strengthening of the Center
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 12/05/08
Written: 09/30/08
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

In 1792 the Amorite chief of Babylon died. He was replaced by a son, Hammurabi. This new leader was trapped between two major kingdoms: Rim-sin and Shamashi-adad.

Hammurabi was not strong enough to fight either city, so he patiently prepared. "He bided his time, building canals and temples, reinforcing cities." In effect, he quietly strengthened his center.

When the time was right, he edged towards the margins of Rim-sin's kingdom. There he captured a smaller, less-important city, while being careful not to threaten the heart of Rim-sin's kingdom. Next, he forged alliances with Rim-sin's enemy, Shamashi-adad. Then he quietly waited.

In the end, Hammurabi conquered the entire region, defeating both his enemies and his allies - whereupon he only intensified his efforts to strengthen his center: Hammurabi unified the kingdom with a detailed set of laws, and then he established control of the shipping routes, requiring a royal passport at key checkpoints.

The lesson for me is this: Strengthen the center first. I can only engage in two activities: I can increase output or I can increase capacity (for output). There will be times, when I must quietly wait for opportunity. It is best, in those times, to focus on increased capacity.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 10:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On the Connection between Trustworthiness and Effectiveness
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 12/04/08
Written: 10/16/08
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

Trustworthiness is not just a matter of honesty. It is closely connected with effectiveness. A man esteemed for his honesty may find his genuine intentions completely undermined by his own lack of effectiveness. The problem can be easily illustrated with a business example.

A man's reputation for honesty in business can be severely undermined by his inability to deliver on a promise. He may have the highest and best intentions, but if he has not made the right strategic and tactical moves, he may find himself unable to effectively execute his intensions.

The lesson here is stark.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 9:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On Investing Selflessly in Other People Yet Receiving a Return
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 12/03/08
Written: 09/30/08
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

I have noticed over the years that my greatest returns have come from selfless investment in other people. Sometimes when you find someone you can help and you extend yourself to do so, never really expecting a direct return on that service, the investing can go on and on. Yet, I have found, when you least expect it, those investments in people bear great fruit. At times, people who I have served in this way have come back to help me in dramatic, tangible ways.

One must be careful not to let this observation taint the way they think about the people they are helping. Still, there is much for which to be grateful.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 9:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On the Value of Approximation
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 12/02/08
Written: 09/30/08
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

We know that Pi is an approximation. But by the 19th century it had been extended to 500 decimal points. How valuable is an approximation?

Two Canadian mathematicians calculated that by using Pi to the thirty-ninth decimal, it is possible to calculate the circumference of the known universe at an accuracy level equal to the radius of a single hydrogen atom.

One should not underestimate the value of approximation.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 9:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On Method Hindering Results
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 12/01/08
Written: 10/08/08
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

What is one to do when able to demonstrate accurate results without being able to demonstrate meaningful method? To some extent, the Indian mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan illustrates this enigma. Ramanujan could solve the most complex problems, but he could barely prove his answers. It took others, like G. H. Hardy, to validate these answers. Ramanujan deployed the wrong method, but achieved the right results that others failed to achieve with their careful, thorough approaches. Are my results being hindered by my method?

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 11:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On the Nuance between Management and Mentoring
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 11/05/08
Written: 09/23/08
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

I need to draw a distinction between those I manage who need to be mentored/discipled and those who need to be directed and empowered per my formula as outlined in management model 19b. It is not possible to mentor each of your leaders. One must know the difference and direct his time accordingly.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 9:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On the Spiritual Development of My Children in 2008 and 2009
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 11/04/08
Written: 09/23/08
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

I see two new practices that I need to start with my children for the sake of their spiritual formation:

1. I am going to add to their reading list a whole series of devotional classics. I may begin using Richard Fosters book Life with God.
2. I am going to encourage them to read with a pencil in their hand, marking passages and making notations as they proceed. I realize this is a unique time to add that particular input into their lives. Currently, I have them reading the story. This is the NIV version of the story that is arranged in chronological order. It is truly helping them grasp the history of scripture as I integrate its chapters with the world history in their curriculum.

Slowly but surely the whole picture is coming together.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 9:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On Proverbs 28:23
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 11/03/08
Written: 12/07/06
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

I am struck by a principle that I have recently taught on, but which I see within this passage again.

The verse says that, "if you turn at my reproof, behold, I will pour out my spirit to you; I will make my words known to you." Notice that wisdom is the result more than study. "If you turn at my reproof" is the key phrase. A behavioral change attracts greater wisdom.

This is a message that is consistent throughout scripture. Wisdom speaks, one responds with a turning or a new way of life; then wisdom comes in greater depth.

In a sense it might be described as follows: Call, Response, Understanding.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 10:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: In the Face of My Inadequacy
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 10/28/08
Written: 09/08/08
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

Despite my earlier writings, I still feel as though at times I am working out of an inaccurate sense of adequacy. At times I realize how inadequate I am for what God has called me to do. That recognition is followed by a cycle of emotions which end in some form of contriteness. It brings me back again to those three key insights that have framed my approach to the present tense living.

1. I am living amidst a crisis.
2. I am deeply flawed.
3. And I am dying.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 10:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On Jeremiah 6:16 - The Path
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 10/27/08
Written: 03/01/07
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

I absolutely love this passage: Jeremiah 6:16 says, "Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls."

I don't know if I have ever read a passage that more aptly describes the process I find myself in, the process which I am asking others to engage. I recorded this text, now, not so that I might expound on it, but so that I can preserve its impact. I don't think it needs expounding. I think it needs obeying.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 10:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On the Opposite of Certainty
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 10/24/08
Written: 09/20/08
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

What is the antonym for certainty? Is it uncertainty? I do not think so, because certainty represents an absolute state, but uncertainty represents a measured (perhaps fluctuating) state. Is the opposite of certainty not being certain?

I am not sure either because this is only another way to express a kind of partial certainty. Thus, there is no clear opposite condition. Let's apply this thinking to a particular:

One might be certain that Jesus is the Son of God or one might be uncertain that Jesus is the Son of God. It seems that if one were absolutely uncertain that Jesus is the Son of God, then one is actually certain that He is not. In this case, rather than discovering the opposite of certainty, we have just considered two extreme polls within the same concept. I could go on, but suffice to say, I am certain that I am uncertain about the nature of certainty.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 10:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On Philippians 2:7
Status: Transcribed and Reviewed
Published: 10/22/08
Written: 11/11/05
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

I have read this passage many times, and it has been a constant source of encouragement or correction to me. But as I studied it, yet again, this afternoon, I was impacted by the phrase, "taking the very nature of a servant." I think there is a difference between taking the form of a servant and taking the nature of a servant.

It is possible for me to assume the form of a servant, while in my heart, in my nature, I am holding on to my ego. I must consider what it means to take on "the very nature" of a servant. It requires a fundamental change in my essence, not just in my actions. The Greek here is Morphene Doulou. It is translated in other places as "form." Wuest says, "The Greek word for 'form' refers to that outward expression which a person gives to his inmost nature." Wuest explains that it "proceeds directly from within."

Marvin Vincent says that it "was a complete and characteristic expression of the slave's being." It is interesting to note that the word "God" in this passage does not have the definite article in front of it. It seems to be referring to the very essence or nature of God. As Wuest notes, he is not referring specifically to the three persons of the Godhead, but rather to the essence of God.

It seems that this passage is talking about one's essence.

If I am to have the mind of Christ, if I am to be a true servant, then something must change beside my actions. There must be a reformation of my essence.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 9:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On the Transcendence of Worship as Enabler of Sanity
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 10/21/08
Written: 09/04/08
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

Throughout the mental meanderings that characterize my soul search, and throughout my interest in everything from XEL Defense to Offer Response Optimization, I find my soul returning over and over again to the notion of each of these efforts/engagements as worship engagement. It is this single understanding which prevents me from overload.

Reality defies classification. In my attempt to fit all pieces in some kind of whole, I experience great distress. At times this distress is dangerous. But when I let go of my need to become or know and focus on the Knower, when I intentionally engage in worship as I explore, everything changes. I work not from anguish but from exultation. There is a kind of pervasive joy that powers my activity.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 11:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On Proverbs 1:20-33
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 10/20/08
Written: 12/07/06
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

I have written elsewhere on other verses within this passage but I notice a pattern, here, that is worth attention. First wisdom calls. If there is no response on the part of the person wisdom is calling to, then a calamity comes at which point the person now calls upon wisdom. But it is too late.

So in a sense, I might observe a pattern in the calls. First the call comes through wisdom. Last the call comes from me. I need to respond to the call before I become the one calling. The first call is an attempt to turn me; the second call (my own) is an attempt to escape.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 10:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Observations/Reflections: Notes from Calvin on Self-Denial
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 10/16/08
Written: 09/10/08
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin
Bibliography: Calvin, J., & Beveridge, H. (1997). Institutes of the Christian Religion. Translation of Institutio Christianae Religionis; Reprint with new intro. Originally published: Edinburgh: Calvin Translation Society, 1845-1846. (III, vii, 1). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

I am moved by Calvin's thoughts on the life of self-denial:

The great point, then, is, that we are consecrated and dedicated to God and, therefore, should not henceforth think, speak, design, or act without a view to his glory.1

Let this, then, be the first step: to abandon ourselves and devote the whole energy of our minds to the service of God.2

Hence follows the other principle: That we are not to seek our own but the Lord's will and act with a view to promote his glory.3

For when Scripture enjoins us, in regard to our fellow men, to prefer them in honour to ourselves and sincerely labour to promote their advantages (Rom. 12:10; Phil. 2:3), he gives us commands which our mind is utterly incapable of obeying until its natural feelings are suppressed.4

Thus, each flattering himself sets up a kind of kingdom in his breast.5

But Scripture subjoins a most excellent reason when it tells us that we are not to look to what men in themselves deserve but to attend to the image of God, which exists in all, and to which we owe all honour and love.6 The Lord has given him a mark which ought to be familiar to you for which reason he forbids you to despise your own flesh (Gal. 6:10).7

The Lord points him out as one whom he has distinguished by the lustre of his own image (Isaiah 58:7).8

You see that to bear the cross patiently is not to have your feelings altogether blunted and to be absolutely insensible to pain according to the absurd description which the Stoics of old gave of their hero as one who, divested of humanity, was affected in the same way by adversity and prosperity, grief and joy; or rather, like a stone, was not affected by anything. And what did they gain by that sublime wisdom? They exhibited a shadow of patience, which never did, and never can, exist among men.9

But though he (Peter) obeyed the divine ordination with the greatest alacrity of heart, yet, as he had not divested himself of humanity, he was distracted by a double will. When he thought of the bloody death which he was to die, struck with horror, he would willingly have avoided it; on the other hand, when he considered that it was God who called him to it, his fear was vanquished and suppressed, and he met death cheerfully.10

...it is clear how necessary it is to temper the bitterness of the cross with spiritual joy.11

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 9:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Observations/Reflections: On Jeremiah 6:14 - Inadequate Ministry
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 10/15/08
Written: 03/01/07
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

Jeremiah 6:14 says: "They dress the wounds of my people as though they were not serious, 'peace, peace' they would say when there is no peace." As I study this passage, I feel my own soul pierced. How many times do people come for ministry? How many times do we "dress their wounds as if they were not serious"? We may say they are serious, but we don't truly behave as though they are.

People come to us in dire need. They come to us with life and death struggles. We pray for them at an altar for ten minutes and send them on their way.

Something is wrong. It is true that this text may not directly be addressing the problem I am discussing. But somehow it increases my conviction that we must do more.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 9:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On Discerning What God Wants in Your Life
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 10/14/08
Written: 08/29/08
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

I suspect that there is a point in time when your seeking for what God wants is superseded by something that you desperately want for God. I suspect that this is the point in which you have actually discovered what it is that God wants from you.

There is a nexus between your searching and his wooing. When you come to the point when you are desperate to do something for Him, when this something is so compelling that you would almost risk doing it, even if you weren't sure it was best, you may have found what it is He wants. In a sense, I am observing that there may be a point where your desire to know God's perfect will is overtaken with your desire to seek something special that is emerging in your heart. It is at this very point where you may be discovering what it is that God desires from you.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 9:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Observations/Reflections: On Proverbs 11:3, Planning and Decision Making
Status: Transcribed and Reviewed
Published: 10/13/08
Written: 03/06/06
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

Scripture says, "The integrity of the upright guides them. . . ." The older I get the more this maxim helps me. Most of the decisions we struggle with may be resolved by turning to the simple but profound scriptural virtues. If a man does what is most right, he achieves what is the absolute best.

Over and over again, pragmatic issues return to the concept of right, and it helps me discover the reality of what is best. For example, I have never let the amount of money influence my decision process. Money should be managed on the basis of principle, not amount.

It is amazing how principles are compromised by degree. The more the money, the harder it is for some.

I must constantly keep before me this primary management truth: "The integrity of the upright guides them. . . ."

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 10:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Observations/Reflections: On Starting a Fire With No Matches
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 10/10/08
Written: 09/02/08
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

Over the years I have looked for many sources of tinder. Here in Florida the palmetto or cabbage palm are superb. I find that I can get to a soft fiber by peeling back the sheaths.

Once I find the finest of the fibers, it is important to separate them so they catch the spark better. If they are packed a little too tight they resist the spark. You can build the rest of the fire by using the other parts of the palmetto. You can even use the tender shoots in the center for food. All in all, you can find your food and cook your food all with the simple palmetto. It is a gift for survival in the southern swamps.

This afternoon I took my children and worked on starting a fire with no matches. Quin used flint and steel to build the fire for lunch. We then pulled the tinder shoots from the cabbage palms (or from the palmettos) and ate them, after which we cooked cuts of meat over the open fire. The children were thrilled, but it's important what they learned. This is the second time, now, that Quin has started a fire with no matches and no paper.

I am proud of him.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 9:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On Genesis 22
Status: Transcribed and Reviewed
Published: 10/09/08
Written: 03/30/06
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

Yet again I have been studying Genesis 22. It seems to me that most of the philosophical investigations of this story miss the mark. If this is not used as a test, it is not viewed in context.

What I find most fascinating is this: the story is not a test of whether Abram will trust God against all reason. It is a test of whether he will trust God in the absence of understanding. God is not asking us to deny reason. Reason by itself could justify only a trust that goes well beyond understanding.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 8:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On the Close Connection between Fear and Worship
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 10/08/08
Written: 09/04/08
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

There is a close, if counter-intuitive relationship between fear and worship. The possibility of the ultimate inspires a kind of awe. How can it be less? If the ultimate is perceived as against us, the awe is translated into fear. If however, the ultimate is perceived as for us, the awe is translated into worship. It may be that the nexus between fear and worship is awe.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 9:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Observations/Reflections: On Isaiah 61:1
Status: Transcribed and Reviewed
Date: 06/20/05
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

(Biblical Commentary)

Matthew sees three primary works of Christ or offices of Christ from this passage (Isaiah 61:1): preacher, healer, and deliverer. He mentions a fourth and fifth, but these seem to be the result of the first three.

Also we may note that these first three occurred at the first coming (See Luke 4). In these passages we find the purpose of Christ's ministry.

We also find in these passages the pattern for ministry. Essentially, we can cut through much of the unknowns regarding gift ministry and focus on these three activities. They encompass in some ways those gifts mentioned in the New Testament.

It is of interest that while two of the items appear to be ends, the first appears to be a means. Healing and deliverance are, in some sense, ends.

But preaching the Gospel seems to be a means to an end. It may be that preaching the Gospel is the end because of free will. Or it may be that this passage does not make such subtle distinctions. Or it may be that the other two items in some sense are means also. In two of these events, we must conclude that preaching the good news is on a par with healing and deliverance, whether you classify the two with the one, or the one with the two.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 10:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On the Arrow of Time
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 10/06/08
Written: 09/04/08
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin
Bibliography: A.S. Eddington, The Nature of the Physical World, Cambridge: The Ferris Printing Company, 1928.

I am fascinated by Eddington's reference to the Arrow of Time. Moreover I am fascinated by translating its application from physics, (particle, quantum, radioactivity, etc.) to philosophy. I am reminded of Augustine's view of the present tense. How can one contemplate the present tense? The Arrow of time does not pause for reflection. The future represents an unknown and the past supposedly represents a known. But in point of fact, both are unknowable.

For the Chinese, the day before yesterday is called the front day, while the day after tomorrow is called behind day. The arrow of time is understood as a function of irreversibility. But such notions are dependent on some kind of solid past. In reality we can neither be sure of the past or the future. We are helpless. Grace is our only hope.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 10:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Observations/Reflections: On Proverbs 1:7
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 10/03/08
Written: 12/14/06
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

Proverbs 1:7 says "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline." I find it fascinating that the concepts "wisdom" and "discipline" are combined.

If we look at the way this poetic form is juxtaposed against the first half, then we better understand the meaning of the verse.

There is much discussion about what it means to experience the fear of the Lord, but this verse notes that, at least in some sense, the lack of the fear of the Lord produces a despite for both wisdom and discipline.

I have the increasing sense that wisdom cannot be separated from discipline.

For me, and the particular applications of my life, that is a profound notion.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 9:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Observations/Reflections: On Certain Irreducible Minimums
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 10/03/08
Written: 08/25/08
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

I realize as time passes that ultimate certification will likely never yield its secrets to me. For 38 years I've been trying to break down existence into essence. Long before I knew of Aristotle, I was grappling with these foundational questions. I pursue them not because of curiosity but to avoid anguish. The "not knowing" is excruciating. I don't know how to take something, namely myself, where I need to be until I can determine where I am.

In the meantime, I find a growing comfort from certain simple activities. These activities, themselves, defy classification. Perhaps they transcend it. For this reason they are worth noting here:

Family: Family represents something so right that I am drawn deeply into its beauty. I love the sounds of children running through my house and I love to feel my wife's warmth against my body as I rest. Beyond all philosophical disputation, I know this will matter the most in the end.

Prayer: Prayer transcends my understanding. It may not be the most important activity but somehow I cannot resist engaging in it. It seems essential even if it is not.

Observations: Observations defy any particular form. Most of the time observations are dictated. They will not win any literary prizes. Still, they are basic and I find refuge in them. They do not need any form of classification and in this they rescue me from the pain.

These are not the ultimate three. These are not the only three. I do not know how to fit all of this precisely into a scheme of motive and method. Nevertheless, I will not stop engaging with all three.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 9:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On Jeremiah 29:13
Status: Transcribed and Reviewed
Published: 09/29/08
Written: 12/06/05
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

In Jeremiah 29:13, God says, "You will seek me and find me when you search for me with all your heart." As I read that passage, I wonder if I have truly sought for God with all of my heart. I do not think so.

What a grave mistake.

I need to ask myself what it means to seek him with all of my heart. What could be in the way of my seeking him with all of my heart?

It may be that part of my heart is locked down by warrants that I have naturally accepted. These warrants, these assumptions, may interfere with my search for God.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 9:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Observations/Reflections: On the Importance of the Element of Randomness in my Observations
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 09/27/08
Written: 08/08/08
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

It occurs to me that the power of my observations is their flexibility. I need to preserve their core element: randomness. I think the effort to shape the work with too much structure will only hurt it.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 2:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On Exodus 33
Status: Transcribed and Reviewed
Published: 09/27.08
Written: 08/08/05
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

In verse 11, Joshua, Moses' young apprentice, remained in the tent. I find it fascinating that Moses included Joshua in this activity. It is instructional for me. I need to make certain that any work I do with these young apprentices of the Kingdom includes their exposure to an authentic prayer life.

I find verses 12 to 23 among the most meaningful in the entire Scripture. They are meaningful to me because they are about the Presence. Moses would not proceed without the Presence of God.

God answers Moses' request with two significant affirmations. They are the two affirmations that every man wants to experience or to hear: I know you by name and I am pleased with you.

There in one sentence is both intimacy and acceptance. Every human soul craves it. Every son needs this from his father. Every human being needs this from his God. I desperately need it. I live for it. I go into the "tent of meeting" and worship in the Presence of God. And while I am there, and he gives me direction, may I experience his intimacy and favor. God grant me an understanding of these truths.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 2:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On Applying a Modified Version of Popper's Philosophy of Science to the Problems with Usability Testing
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 09/12/08
Written: June 2008
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

Popper's emphasis on deduction over induction may well be the way to question human computer interaction, more specifically Web usability as an acceptable discipline for offer response optimization. We are pioneering this new science. Popper may be helpful in this regard.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 9:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On Contemplating the Ultimate
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 09/12/08
Written: August 2008
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

Consider this: There are many things I cannot know. And because I cannot know them, I conclude that I am a limited being. The knowledge of my limitations motivates me to consider the possibility of a being that is virtually unlimited. In this way, I discover the possibilities of the Ultimate (GOD) - through the impossibilities of the incipient (myself).

Now I experience a kind of conflicting emotion. It is one part awe, and one part fear. The more I consider the possibility of the Ultimate, the more I experience awe. This awe leads to a kind of fear. I am helpless. What if the Ultimate is against me?

Could I teach this with a novel and with journal entries? I think it might be possible. It might make this accessible.

Some of this may be understood through my previous work on "entity, acts, within environment": Entities (incipient and Ultimate), Acts, and Environment.

1. The Ultimate is self-attesting.
2. The Incipient is dependent upon the Ultimate
3. The Incipient cannot be (independently) certain of truth
4. Yet the Incipient must try (How can he do otherwise?), hoping that the Ultimate will help
5. Even then, the Incipient must respond to this help, without certainty, because the decision still seems to involve his limited judgment.

Notes:

• Could I represent all of this as "the incipient realizes. . ."
• Christianity must be thought of as way, not just as beliefs. It is a way to live. These various theological approaches are to be mediated through obedience. Theology may be understood through obedience.
• We say, "Who is God?" The Psalmist says, "Who is man. . .?"
• I am considering a book on God. I want to worship. I want to engage in a kind of theoretical, theological physics. What should be the direction of this thinking? Do I write this for others, or do I write this for me? I know it is ultimately for the Ultimate, but I must consider how it is to be interpreted. The title could be this: The Possibility of God. Maybe it ought to be this: The Possibilities of God. What are the chapters? It could have two sections: "Possibilities" and "God".
• Think of worship as alignment.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 9:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On Offer Response Optimization as an Exercise in Hermeneutics
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 09/10/08
Written: 08/15/08
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

It may be possible to draw from theology its primary hermeneutic as a means of understanding offer response optimization. In particular, the role/the notion of the two horizons within hermeneutics could help us understand the relationship between the page and the visitor in website optimization. To this end, it may be good to consider A. C. Thistleton's work on this topic.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 9:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: Observation on My Recent Breakthrough in Understanding the Nexus Between Worship and Philosophy
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 09/08/08
Written: 07/12/08
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

I have been quiet about my recent breakthrough on the nexus between worship and philosophy.

Nevertheless it is impacting my whole life. It brings such a clarity and focus. I can trace all of the problems with philosophy of the last four thousand years to a particular failure; the failure to grasp the extreme - the absolute differential between the ultimate and the incipient.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 10:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: Story as the Contextual Framework for Offer Response Optimization
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 09/08/08
Written: 08/15/08
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

For some time now, I have been considering how the worldview/paradigm/story model within theology and hermeneutics could provide the contextual framework for the new offer response optimization science. Essentially, I think optimization can be understood within the context of story. This is an essential breakthrough. Its potential as an interpretive framework is significant, but its potential as a communication tool is even more significant. I think it is a model that can be communicated clearly to students.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 10:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: Quin on Worship and Surfing
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 09/05/08
Written: 07/13/08
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

Quin's (My 13-Year Old Son's) Journal Note

"I realize now why I like to surf. It's in those few moments of pure adrenaline and the sheerest intensity that we find, fleeting as it may be, a temporary reprieve from all worries of this world. I find it absolutely impossible for me or anyone else to possibly worry in those moments. That is what we can live for. And it's in those moments we should seize the opportunity to enter in the purest of worship. Because it's only when we are not worrying about all the things of this life that we can truly appreciate it. God put those moments there for a reason. He gave us an opportunity and we would be selfish not to try and seize it. THAT is what we can live for..."

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 11:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On a Proposed Research Project Relating Theology and Behavioral Science
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 09/05/08
Written: 06/16/08
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

Note: The following is excerpted from a letter to a friend and colleague regarding a tentative new research project that explores how the impact of theological/philosophical reflection could be evaluated within a behavioral science context.

As a first step, I will summarize my interests with just ninety-one words: I am interested in theological/philosophical1 reflection on enterprise transaction, particularly the offer-response process because I want to posit and test a set of theologically/philosophically grounded heuristics for optimizing the response rate to a given offer. Moreover, I am intrigued by the notion that the impact of theological/philosophical reflection could be evaluated within a behavioral science context.2

The heart of business is transaction: offer-response. Yet there is very little academic research being done on this essential microcosm - and most of this is limited to the tangential field of Web usability3. Based on ten years of personal research in this field4, I suspect there is a significant gap in our understanding. This 'gap' could be mitigating our advances in developing a vision for ethical (yet sustainable) commerce models5. Indeed, without a thorough understanding, one may not be able to adequately answer a critical economic question: How can a given enterprise optimize the value-for-value expression of a proposed transaction to achieve maximum response rates?

To address the question, one might consult a variety of complementary research streams, including cognitive psychology6, S-D Logic7, Heiderian Balance8, or social exchange theory9. Indeed, any one of these 'streams' could contribute to deeper understanding. Nevertheless, I am interested in approaching the problem, first, as a theologian. This approach would necessarily involve other disciplines, but it would still view theological inquiry as foundational. This position recalls Deborah van Deusen Hunsinger's argument that theology is a 'logical precedent for interdisciplinary inquiry' (1995:65). And while this position may need to be defended in my work, it has been ably argued in the philosophical work of W.F. R. Hardie10 and S. L Hurley11.

In this regard, I find Swinton's and Mowat's corrective vision for practical theology and qualitative research instructive, although, my project envisions the inclusion of quantitative research (single and multi factorial testing). Swinton and Mowat argue for a theological approach that is 'fundamentally hermeneutical, correlational, critical, and theological' (Swinton and Mowat: 76). The correlational aspect of this quadrilateral model offers a way to engage complementary disciplines. As Tillich notes, 'In using the method of correlation, systematic theology proceeds in the following way: it makes an analysis of the human situation out of which the existential question arises, and it demonstrates that the symbols used in the Christian message are the answers to the question' (Tillich, 1951: 62)12

At this preliminary stage, I am not certain that I would situate my approach squarely within the discipline of practical theology, particularly if I view the field through the lens of Lonergan13. But with certain modifications, recent perspectives on the field open up possibilities for fruitful interdisciplinary research. Three observations may be helpful in suggesting these possibilities:

1. This project will engage a theological approach that 'stays close to experience' (Fowler, 1997: 7). Its perspective can be understood through Browning's notion14 of 'theory-laden practice': As Browning notes, 'By using the phrase theory-laden, I mean to rule out in advance the widely held assumption that theory is distinct from practice. All our practices, all our religious practices, have theories behind and within them.... We are so embedded in our practices, take them so much for granted, and view them as so natural and self-evident that we never take time to abstract the theory from the practice and look at it as something in itself' (Browning, 1983: 6).
2. Yet this project will engage a theological approach that entails more than 'techno-theological' application. At times, practical theology, in a way that is analogous to science and technology, has focused on technical application rather than theological content (Swinton and Mowat: 16). This approach does a disservice to practical theology, but also to the other theological disciplines, as it implies that they may somehow ignore the relevance of practice15. As Anderson observes, "What makes theology practical is not the fitting of orthopaedic devices to theoretical concepts in order to make them walk" (Anderson: 12).
3. Moreover, this project will engage a theological approach that is integrative. A Practical Theology that limits its inquiry to the work of the Church implies an artificial distinction, between church and 'ordinary life', which only reinforces a compartmentalized approach to faith. But as Swinton and Mowat emphasize, 'The focus of the practical theological task is the quest for truth and the development and maintenance of faithful and transformative practice in the world' (Swinton and Mowat: 25)16.

In sum, on the one hand, I am interested in solving a particular science problem - how can a given enterprise optimize the value-for-value expression of a proposed transaction to achieve maximum response rates? On the other, I am curious as to how a theologian-philosopher might approach this particular science problem.

Bibliography

1. Abela, A.V. and Murphy, P.E., 'Business and Economics', Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 36:1, 39-53.
2. Anderson, R.S., The Shape of Practical Theology, Empowering Ministry with Theological Praxis, Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2001.
3. Bhatt M., M.Hsu, R. Adolphs, D. Tranel, and C. F. Camerer, 'Neural Systems Responding to Degrees of Uncertainty in Human Decision-Making', Science, 9: 310:5754, 1680-1683.
4. Blau, P.M., Exchange and Power in Social Life, New York: Wiley, 1964.
5. Browning, D., A Fundamental Practical Theology: Descriptive and Strategic Proposals, Minneapolis: Fortress, 1991.
6. Browning, D. S., Practical Theology, San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1983.
7. Browning, A Fundamental Practical Theology: Descriptive and Strategic Proposals, Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1991.
8. Camerer, C. F., Comment on 'Development Economics through the Lens of Psychology', Mullainathan, S., AWBC on Development Economics, Lessons of Experience, Eds. Bourguignon, F. and Pleskovic, B., 2005.
9. Crandall, C.S., P. J. Silvia, A.N. N'Gbala J. Tsang, K. and Dawson, 'Balance Theory, Unit Relations, and Attribution: The Underlying Integrity of Heiderian Theory', Review of General Psychology, 11:1, 12-30.
10. Fowler, J.E. Stages of Faith: Psychology of Human Development and the Quest for Meaning, San Francisco: Harper and Row, 1981.
11. Fowler, J.E., 'The Emerging New Shape of Practical Theology', unpublished paper from the 1995 Conference of the International Academy of Practical theology, Berne, (1995). [See Swinton p.26]
12. Fowler, J.W., Faith Development and Pastoral Care, Fortress Press, Philadelphia, 1987.
13. Gilovich, T., Griffin,D., and Kahneman,D., (eds.) Heuristics and Biases: The Psychology of Intuitive Judgment, New York: Cambridge University Press, 2002.
14. Hefner, P., 'The Role of Science in Pannenberg's Theological Thinking', Zygon: Journal of Religion and Science, 1989, 24:2, 135-51.
15. Heider, F., The Psychology of Interpersonal Relations, New York: John Wiley & Son, 1958.
16. Heider, F., 'Attitudes and Cognitive Organization', Journal of Psychology, 1946, 21, 107-112.
17. Ho, T.H., Lim, N., and Camerer, C., 'Modeling the Psychology of Consumer and Firm Behavior with Behavioral Economics', Journal of Marketing Research, 2006, 9-12.
18. Homans, G. C. 'Social Behavior as Exchange', American Journal of Sociology, 1958, 63, 597-606.
19. Lonergan, B., Method in Theology: Collected works of Bernard Lonergan Insight,Vol. 3, Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1992.
20. Lusch, R.F., and Vargo, S.L., 'The Service-Dominant Logic of Marketing: Reactions, Reflections, and Refinements', Marketing Theory, 6:3, 281-88
21. Miller, K., Communication Theories, New York: McGraw Hill, 2005.
22. Pannenberg, W., Theology and the Philosophy of Science, Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1976, Trans. McDonagh, F., of Wissenschaftstheorie und Theologie, Frankfurt, A.M., Suhrkamp, 1973.
23. Popper, K., Conjectures and Refutations (London: Routledge and Kegan Paul: 1963) (New York: Harper Row: 1968; 5th edition, 1989).
24. Popper, K., Objective Knowledge, Oxford University Press, 1972, 2nd edition, 1979.
25. Proctor, R. W., and Vu, K.l., (eds), Handbook of Human Factors in Web Design, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2005.
26. Sanks, T. H., 'David Tracy's Theological Project: An Overview and Some Implications', Theological Studies, 54, (1993).
27. Schleiermacher, F., Hermeneutics and Criticism and Other Writings, (tr.) Bowie, A., Cambridge: University Press, 1998.
28. Swinton, J. and Mowat, H., Practical Theology and Qualitative Research, London: SCM Press, 2006
29. Tillich, P., Systematic Theology, 1, London: SCM Press, 1951.
30. Tracy, D., Blessed Rage for Order, London: University of Chicago Press, 1975.
31. Vargo, S. L. and. Morgan, F.W., 'An Historical Reexamination of the Nature of Exchange: The Service-Dominant Perspective', Journal of Macromarketing, (2005), 25:1, 42-53.
32. Vargo, S. L., 'Rethinking the Logic of the Customer Orientation', Marketing Research, (2005), 17:7, 42-43.
33. Vargo, S.L. and Lusch, R. F., 'Evolving to a New Dominant Logic for Marketing', Journal of Marketing, (2004), 68, 1-17.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 10:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On the Philosophic Profundity of Worship Music
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Date: 07/12/08
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

The more I listen to the songs associated with the contemporary revival in worship music, the more I realize how profound their lyrics are. I think that much of what I have come to understand at the highest levels of philosophy and theology are codified, almost unconsciously, in this music. I think a paper could be written to this effect.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 9:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On Conducting Research by Moving from the Particular to the General
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 09/03/08
Written: July 2008
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

It seems to me that most research is carried on by moving from the general to the particular. However, I am interested in conducting research in the opposite direction. I think this could be especially relevant as I consider the new science that we are developing: offer response optimization. I think it gives us an opportunity to build out a model that is effective but also instructive as it relates to method. One's approach or one's method is so closely connected with one's outcome that it is virtually inseparable.

I do not know how to think without thinking about how I am thinking.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 9:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On Achieving Greater Clarity
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 08/29/08
Written: 06/29/08
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

I suspect that clarity is stimulated by proper motive. Case in point: when determining the scope of my research project for London, I find that clarity comes only as I am able to actualize a proper motive. If I think of the research as a means to becoming more distinguished, my judgment grows cloudy. If, however, I think of the research as a means of service, my judgment grows clearer. The great complexities of life can be reduced to profound simplicities when one practices nepsis. The heart of the matter is the heart.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 9:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Observations/Reflections: On the Fundamental Work of Business
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 08/27/08
Written: 06/19/08
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

Business must be considered as a community of communities. It may be expressed in the following formulation: RL (CM+VL) → CM

As we can see, community is a construct of three elements:

1. Relating
2. Entities
3. Value

There has been a great deal of interest, in recent years, in the concept of social enterprise (or social entrepreneurship/social innovation). Much of this interest has produced good. On the other hand, I fear that certain precepts at the core of this emerging interest are potentially damaging to what philosophers call "the good". They are damaging, in particular, to enterprise's capacity to produce the good.

Much of the research and writing in social x is focused on how business can translate its resources into useful public works: poverty elimination, community service, medical missions, etc.

Each of these pursuits is worthwhile but have a certain implication which is essentially harmful. They imply that a business exists to create resources which it can in turn re-purpose for the benefit of society. This is, in the end, a self-defeating notion.

I propose that the fundamental work of the business is to generate beneficial value as it relates to the heart of the business's offering. Any other approach leads to ethical confusion, and thus ethical risks.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 11:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On 21 Principles of Leadership practiced by ServiceMaster
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 08/27/08
Written: 04/14/08
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin
Bibliography: Pollard, William C. The Soul of the Firm, Zondervan Publishing Company, 1996.

I think I can learn from Bill Pollard's work. His company's four primary objectives are these:

1. To honor God in all we do
2. To help people develop
3. To pursue excellence
4. To grow profitably

The 21 principles of leadership practiced by ServiceMaster are worth considering. Which ones are particularly applicable now?

1. We are opportunity seekers, not entitlement takers. We create and we earn. We cannot afford to sit and inherit.
2. We are value driven and performance oriented.
3. We eat our own cooking. We bet the egg money on our own performance.
4. We train and run for both the sprint and the marathon. We rest, have fun, never quit, and always seek to learn.
5. We plan for succession and develop our future leaders.
6. The truth of what we say is told by what we do. "If you don't live it, you don't believe it."
7. If we cannot serve and sell with a passion for excellence, we cannot lead.
8. We believe in what we sell and deliver.
9. As we provide extraordinary service, we bring value-added to the customer that cannot be duplicated.
10. There are no friendly competitors.
11. We believe in a lean and disciplined organization. We would rather buy a grand piano than employ or assign one unnecessary person.
12. We pay based on performance and promote based on potential, not belief, tenure, gender, race, or friendships.
13. Those who produce the profits should share in the profits. Those who produce more should share more.
14. We make and beat budgets.
15. We seek to know and increase our market share so that we can grow and increase the profitability and value of our business. If we ignore our market share, we run the risk of losing our market and our business.
16. When we are wrong or fail, we admit it. Truth cannot be compromised. We report on what has occurred or is anticipated, not on what will make us look good.
17. We promote others, not ourselves. We shoot against par.
18. We must have a spirit of independence without the malady of autonomy.
19. The customer comes first and should be our friend.
20. We are all prisoners of our hope. It is our hope that sustains us, and it is our vision for what could be that inspires us and those we lead. "Don't doubt in the dark what you have seen in the light."
21. We have all been created in God's image, and the results of our leadership will be measured beyond the workplace. The story will be told in the changed lives of people.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 9:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Observations/Reflections: On the Most Delicate Mission on Earth
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 08/21/08
Written: 07/12/08
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin
Bibliography: Chambers, Oswald. The Place of Help. United Kingdom: Marshall Morgan & Scott, 1935.

As I have stated before, the work of Oswald Chambers is highly underrated. There is a profundity in his writing that should not be overlooked.

This morning, as I read yet again, through his devotional classics, I encounter these words:

If my holiness is not drawing towards Him (Jesus Christ), it is not holiness of the right order, but an influence that will awaken inordinate affection and leads souls away in decided eddies.

A beautiful saint may be a hindrance if he does not present Jesus Christ but only what Christ has done for him. 'What a fine character that man is'. 'That is not being a true friend of the bridegroom; I am increasing all the time; he is not.'

I find this comment absolutely profound. The whole focus on the honor of Christ, rather than the honor of man, is so rich with spiritual possibility.

Chambers goes on, and he says something else that I find profoundly helpful:

...we have to be careful of the moral and vital relationship to him than of any other thing, even of obedience. Sometimes there is nothing to obey. The only thing to do is to maintain a vital connection with Jesus Christ, to see that nothing interferes with that. Only occasionally do we have to obey. When a crisis arises we have to find out what God's will is, but the greater part of the life is not conscious obedience but the maintenance of this relationship-the friend of the bridegroom. Christian work may be a means of evading the soul's concentration on Jesus Christ.

One might disagree with those last statements of Chambers. Clearly there is a posture of obedience which the Christian must maintain 24-7. But as a matter of emphasis, Chambers reminds us that life is not about obedience; it is about Jesus. If we keep the focus on Jesus, then the obedience will come.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 10:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On the Metaphysics of Worship
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 08/21/08
Written: June 2008
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

I find it difficult to articulate the concept that has been growing within me for many years. Nevertheless, I will at least try to suggest it. Perhaps this will help me articulate it at a later point.

It seems as though much of what we consider the aims of our present activities; i.e.,the accumulation of knowledge, the solving of a problem, the building of an organization, etc.) are illusionary in that most of these will pass away and derive little intrinsic significance. What is the value of my accumulated knowledge after I have passed from this life?

The same could be said of writing. I wonder if one would likely be able to express Being as worship. This would then flow through too much of our other work: Theology as worship, enterprise as worship, etc. To me, this is more than speculation. I am experiencing a phenomenon which defies words. Somehow when I relate worship intentionality with my present tense activity, the entire experience changes. I must press in deeper.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 10:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On Popper's View of Critical Rationalism
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 08/20/08
Written: June 2008
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin
Bibliography: Popper, Karl Raimund and David W. Miller. Popper Selections. Princeton University Press, 1985.

In Knowledge Without Authority Popper argues for Kant's position regarding the principle of autonomy. Popper argues that "there are no ultimate sources of knowledge." In rejecting ultimate authority, he positions himself as ultimate authority. Moreover, in asserting the standard by which he rejects ultimate authority, he elevates his own understanding to the position of authority. This is a fallacious move.

Yet Popper's position has some merit. While I accept the possibility of ultimate authority, I also respect the fact that its possibility is mediated through human filters. We cannot be certain of our own knowledge. I am afraid to doubt ultimate authority. I am afraid not to doubt myself. When ultimate authority makes a direct claim, I may comply or face the consequences. Still, even as I comply, I am aware of, even frightened of, my own weakness. Have I truly perceived this authority? Have I truly understood its message? For this reason the implied humility of Popper's position can be embraced by even the ardent believer.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 10:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On Enterprise Proper as Creator of Social Value
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 08/20/08
Written: 05/27/08
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

The heart of business is transaction. Transaction is a consequence of value proposition. An understanding of value proposition could yield the deepest dividend.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 10:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On Philosophy as Worship
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 08/20/08
Written: 07/01/08
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

Philosophy as Worship

1. Ultimate
2. Incipient
3. Incipient perceives the possibility of the Ultimate
4. Response: Helplessness. Fear/Awe.
5. Incipient perceives goodness
6. Response: Worship

Any other response reflects a failure to consider the nature of Incipient and the nature of the Ultimate.

Here is a brief outline for a potential paper:

1. Nature (of Ultimate)


2. Nature (of Incipient)


3. Perception/Response: Fear


4. Perception/Response: Worship


5. Differential

The primary explanation of our problems in philosophy

6. Implications

Grace: Without help from the Ultimate all is lost
Humility: One must approach life with a certain contriteness/humility
Polarization: One may expect extreme a response-embracement or offense

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 10:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On Facing Organizational Realities
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 08/11/08
Written: 05/25/07
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin
Bibliography: 1. Bossidy, Larry and Ram Charan. Confronting Reality: Doing what Matters to Get Things Right. Crown Business: New York, 2004.

Larry Bossidy and Ram Charan have reminded me to focus on the external environment of an organization so I can determine direction. I like their planning model.

External Realities

• Financial History of Your Industry
• Overall Business Environment
• Customer Base
• Root-Cause Analysis

Internal Activities

• Strategy
• Operations
• People
• Organization

Financial Targets

• Operating Margins
• Cash Flow
• Capital Intensity
• Revenue Growth
• Return on Investment

Iteration

• Iteration produces tested actionable models

I feel something coming together in me, but it is difficult to express it. Somehow, I must lead/manage, but it is not leading a sole company. It is leading an organization that combines dunamis, sophia, and agape.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 9:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On Exodus 15:26
Status: Transcribed and Reviewed
Published: 08/07/08
Written: 10/25/05
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

I find a pattern in Exodus 15:26, which is repeated throughout the scripture: "If you listen carefully to the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in his eyes..." This is a contingent phrase, loaded with meaning, emphasizing two categories of action: listening and obeying. It may well be that the entire Christian walk is summarized in this simple pattern. It presupposes faith. Later, I may carefully exegete this passage. But, for now, it is enough to see its vital essence.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 9:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On Relational Proximity
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 08/06/08
Written: 03/07/08
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin
Bibliography: Schluter, Michael and David John Lee. The R Option. Hodder and Stoughton, 1993

Schluter and Lee maintain that relational proximity... is a description not of the personalities or geographical position of two individuals but of the interaction between them. It has at least five dimensions:

1. Directness: I will be more relationally proximate to you if I meet you face-to-face than if I meet you over the phone or through an intermediary medium.
2. Continuity: I will be more relationally proximate to you if I meet you regularly and over an extended period than if I meet you intermittently and short term.
3. Multiplexity: I will be more relationally proximate to you if I meet you in two or three contexts, or roles, than if I meet you in only one.
4. Parity: I will be more relationally proximate to you if I meet you in equal footing than if we are separated by an asymmetry of power.
5. Commonality: I will be more relationally proximate to you if we have a common purpose than if our interests do not overlap.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 9:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On the Book of Ephesians as a Blueprint for Business
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 08/06/08
Written: 02/21/08
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

It occurs to me that the book of Ephesians might offer a very cogent plan for building a healthy company. I suspect that a detailed exegesis could yield significant dividends for anyone attempting to develop an organization, even a business enterprise. As time passes, I will probably continue to draw from this well. It helps me to envision the nature of a quality corpus. Indeed, Ephesians is about the corpus, the soma, the body. Its truths are both deep and pragmatic.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 9:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On Leadership and Permeation
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 07/23/08
Written: 04/06/08
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

Despite my emphasis on management as shaping the efforts of people, I think there may be room for the understanding of a new concept: permeation. It seems to me that the greatest leaders somehow permeate their organization. It is more than training people. It is more than tasking people. It is infusing them and thus the entire organization.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 2:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Observations/Reflections: Joy as a Supreme Cause
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 07/23/08
Written: 12/24-27/07
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

Before now I have seen Joy as an effect. It is only this day [Christmas Eve] that I have come to see Joy as a supreme cause.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 2:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Observations/Reflections: Observation on Calvin's approach to Theological Writing
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 07/22/08
Written: 07/02/08
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin
Bibliography: Calvin's Institute of the Christian Religion Vol. 1

John T. McNeill in his essay on the Institutes speaks of Calvin as a God-possessed soul. He says, "Theology was no concern to him as a study in itself; he devoted himself to it as a framework for support of all that religion meant to him."

This point resonates within my soul. I struggle to develop a theological approach that is fully integrative. My concept of Calvin as the great intellect that systematically puts down his thoughts may not be entirely accurate. Indeed, the more I read Calvin, the more I see that my concept of Calvin is not altogether accurate.

I identify deeply with his motivations. Calvin's approach is best summarized as follows: One who picks up Calvin's masterpiece with a preconception that its author's mind is a kind of efficient factory turning out and assembling the parts of a neatly structured dogmatic logic, will quickly find this assumption challenged and shattered. The discerning reader soon realizes that not the author's intellect but his whole spiritual and emotional being is enlisted in his work.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 1:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On Augustine
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 07/22/08
Written: 07/02/08
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

Augustine had a lovely way of describing sacraments. He said that they were the "visible form of an invisible grace." This is a description worth reflecting upon. Today, I think that many of my protestant friends, and myself included, have failed to grasp the holy significance of the Eucharist.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 1:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: Observation on How to Focus my Energies
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 07/22/08
Written: 04/06/08
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

What is the most effective way to focus my energies? Sometimes I struggle with the tension between general management and personal contribution. It is very difficult for me to determine whether I should focus all of my efforts on management. I need to discipline myself and focus on the area that will produce the highest yield.

It seems apparent that management is the best way to achieve the most. Nevertheless, I notice that my personal contribution, in terms of thinking and innovation, drives most of our current success.

So how can I allocate my energies now? Underneath all of these questions is a growing realization that I need to focus deeper on the MECLABS group of companies.

While on the surface they seem instrumental to the end, somehow on a deeper level their importance feels more primary. Accepting this point will require me to lay down my own vision for means of achieving my calling.

I grow increasingly convinced that one can achieve significant ministry aims by focusing on the ordinary acts of service, instead of just building a company. In itself, it hardly seems like the ultimate way forward. Nevertheless the ultimate way is hidden in such mundane frameworks.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 1:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Observations/Reflections: On Mark 10:52
Status: Transcribed and Reviewed
Published: 07/21/08
Written: 01/16/06
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

In Mark 10 and in Luke 18 are stories of the healing of a blind man. In Mark 10:52, a man is healed and is told, "Your faith has healed you." I have often heard this phrase used as evidence that if we only believe enough, we are going to be healed. But something about the whole verse has troubled me. This morning I realized that his faith was not in the healing itself, but in Jesus.

Earlier in the passage he called Jesus "son of David." This is a title. The Jews used this title to refer to the Messiah King. This is clear in Isaiah 11:1-5, Jeremiah 23:5-6, and in many, many other Old Testament passages.

What's fascinating is this: this man's faith is not a matter of "what"; it was a matter of "who." It was not faith in a law. It was not faith in a formula. It was not faith in faith. It was faith in a person. His faith was rooted in this thought progression: 1) Jesus is. 2) So Jesus can. He desperately needed to know only one more thing: (3) that Jesus would. He was waiting for the "word."

This is the pattern of the biblical record (see Luke: 9:7-8). Many of us have confused faith with super belief or with positive thinking; but biblical faith is unique in that it is rooted in "who," not "what." It is trusting the word of a person more than you trust anything or anyone else.

The enemy traps us with a false model of faith. Then he shatters the model. With this move, he shatters the God that we constructed for the model. But as John 6:29 says, our primary work is believing in a person.

OTHER THOUGHTS

Earlier in this passage: "You cannot receive the kingdom of God unless you become like a little child." It is notable that Jesus said to this man, "Receive your sight or your healing." I think children trust what is said because they trust who is saying it. At some point, they "cross the line" and start to become adults. When they cross that line, they reverse the process. At that point they examine what is said before they trust who is saying it.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 1:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: Observation on the Unfolding of My Main Research/Reflection Project
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 07/21/08
Written: 06/30/08
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

It feels as though there is culmination coming. I pray to God that this is true. It provides a divine kind of ultimate simplicity. It seems as though an understanding of worship itself is at the heart of the matter. I can envision writing a philosophy of worship.

This piece would naturally involve an understanding of "Ultimate Authority and Submission." I can foresee its intellectual impact. I am interested, also, in a theology of worship. While the pieces could be identical, and in some sense they would have to be, I think I can make a reasonable demarcation. I think that quite apart from scripture, one might come to the moment of ultimate "awe and yield" in an act of worship. It would seem however that almost all of my work could be grouped under this theme of worship.

The more I reflect, the more revelation I receive, the more I realize the impact of this thinking. I cannot express its personal profundity here; it will take time. Nevertheless, something significant in my life has occurred. I am grateful beyond words.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 1:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On 1 Corinthians 1 and the Limits of Rational Thinking
Status: Transcribed and Reviewed
Published: 06/25/08
Written: 05/31/05
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

The authenticity of the epistle of 1 Corinthians is attested to by:

• Clement of Rome in his work First Epistle to the Corinthians, 47,
• Polycarp in his Epistle to the Philippians, 11, and
• Irenaeus in his Against Heresies, 4.27.3.

Paul essentially says that the message of the Gospel is foolishness. In particular he emphasizes in chapter 3:18, that we must be fools before we can become wise.

What are we to understand from the apparent absurdity of these statements? Essentially, these first few chapters of 1 Corinthians are addressing one issue: On what will you stake your life?

To understand their significance, we need to understand the context in which they were written. That context was confusion and division. The city of Corinth was famed for its wealth in commerce. This was due in part to its location between the Ionian and the Aegean Seas on the isthmus connecting the Peloponnesus with Greece. It was the capital of the province of Achaia and the seat of the Roman Consul. Corinth was also infamous for its debauchery. Indeed, the word "Corinthianize" was a cliché for living in a vulgar, wanton way.

The letter to the Corinthians was composed in Ephesus shortly after Paul's departure from Greece, probably in the spring of AD 57.

So the church was experiencing division and the problem was foundational. It was essentially a problem of premise. So this is the context; but we also need to uncover the central issue.

Paul or about Apollos or a doctrine; it is about What you will stake your life upon? In verse 12 we note that some base their life on a personality. In verse 22 we note that some base their life on their experience (power). In verse 22 we note that some base their life upon wisdom, rational thinking.

We need to understand the context. We need to uncover the central issue but we need to yield to ultimate authority; that is the message of the cross. And the message of the Cross runs counter to our expectations. It defies us, it offends us.

Paul declares that it is a stumbling block: the word skandalon in Greek, which essentially means a trap or a snare. It is the etymological source of the word scandal. For others it was pure foolishness. It was a stumbling block to the Jews because they were seeking a sign. It was foolishness to the Gentiles (particularly the Greeks), because they were seeking a rational explanation. This is not to say that a sign is wrong or that rational thinking is wrong. But a sign points to reality and those who are seeking signs only will never find enough. As Epicurus said, "Nothing is enough for the man to whom enough is too little."

In John Chapter 6, people were seeking a sign from Jesus. He gave them none. Still, he had just fed 5,000 people with two fish and five loaves of bread. He had just walked across the lake of Galilee. When they asked him for yet another sign, they were indicating that they were more enamored with the sign than to what the sign was pointing to.

The same may be said of the rational thinking process. Rational thinking can point you in the direction of ultimate truth, but it cannot get you there. In the end, rational thinking will lead to recognition of its limitation. This can cause great despair. So the idea that the message of the Cross is foolishness is not so much that the message of the Cross supplants rational thinking as it is that it recognizes the limits of rational thinking and transcends it. The authority of the cross transcends all other. Ultimate authority cannot be judged. One cannot truly evaluate a revelation claim. A revelation claim is always approached from the basis of a prior commitment to another revelation claim. A revelation claim can only be accepted or rejected. It is self-attesting.

My argument for these propositions is found in other writings. Essentially, you cannot think your way to the truth. You can only think yourself into desperation. You have to be rescued, which is the entire point of the cross.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 9:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On the Temporal Nature of Life
Status: Transcribed and Reviewed
Published: 06/13/08
Written: 07/12/05
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

These words were written by Shelley in his poem Ozymandias. He wrote them after seeing the famous head of Ramseys.

My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings,
Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal Wreck, boundless and bare,
The lone and level sands stretch far away.

The King Shabaka stone displays an account of the creation of the world. Unfortunately, it is impossible to read the entire text, because this great stone that was to be preserved for eternity had been irreparably damaged. It was used as a millstone by later generations.

Ancient Lykia appears to be somewhere east of Rhodes. We know very little about this culture.Greece called these people Lykians, supposedly after Lykos. The Lykians, however, called themselves Temerialia. We have discovered this in text written in Lykian, a language which today is only partially understood.

Almost nothing was known of these ancient peoples until 1838, when Charles Fellows discovered them on his trip to Turkey in the valley of Xanthos. Where he discovered the remains of many sculptured tombs.

We know they fought the Persians heroically. But Harpagos overran Lykia in 546 BC. These people were eventually absorbed into the Athenian empire.

How many other civilizations such as the Lykians have simply dissolved with the passing of time?

We have little or no remnant of their existence.
What point is it to live on this earth for the sake of monuments and money?
It is one thing for a great leader or a hero to disappear from the annals of the world.
But it is another for an entire civilization of heroes and ordinary people to simply vanish.

Those we recall are often remembered not because of their virtue but because of one or both of two factors: arrogance and luck.

We know a great deal about Ramases II because he was the most prolific builder of monuments in Ancient Egyptian sculpture. Certainly, the pyramids are remembered, but they hardly tell us anything about their builder. Ramases built monument after monument to himself, and he also appropriated the monuments of others.

Today, if you ask most people which Egyptian Pharaoh they can name, most will answer Ramases or Tut. So the unbridled arrogance of a leader has no small influence on whether or not we know who he is.

But this is still not enough. There is another factor. The second factor is that of sheer luck.

Those pieces which survive, those pieces which we have found have disproportionately influenced history.

Certainly history has those who have been ardent enough to do everything possible to ensure the survival of their name but failed to survive the erosion of time.

Some of their monuments have been completely destroyed; others are yet to be discovered.

But it seems that these two factors – arrogance and luck – have much to do with who we remember. The same observation can be made regarding ancient text. We have only seven copies of Plato's work. But it is one of few manuscripts from its era. Is Plato the greatest mind of his generation? How can we know? How can we know what else was written?

We idolize Homer, but what other writers of his generation wove great epic tales? We will, perhaps, never know. What is most clear to me, however, is the truth of a simple poem. Only when life will soon be passed, only what's done for Christ will last. The Christian leaves no monument, but transforms lives. His name may be forgotten. But he lives for a Kingdom that is not subject to the corruption of time.

The seven wonders of the ancient world are generally considered to be these: the Colossus of Rhodes, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the Temple of Artemis, the Great Pyramid of Giza, the Mausoleum at Halicarnassos, the Lighthouse at Alexandria, the statue of Zeus at Olympia by Pheidias.

Despite their spectacular presence in the ancient world, none of these wonders still exists. A story stands behind each, but the Temple of Artemis was destroyed in 356 BC. It was later rebuilt and it was in this place that Paul preached to the Ephesians. Its precise appearance is unknown. We draw some idea as to what it may have looked like from an ancient coin from Maximus. Other than this coin, it is difficult to know much about this Ancient Wonder. What we do know is that Paul, who taught at Epheses and wrote a letter to the Ephesisians, was martyred in Rome. He spent most of his life as an outcast; he was shipwrecked; he was imprisoned; he was beaten with rods. He was given forty lashes on two occasions; he was hated by the Jews and executed by the Gentiles. He wrote a few letters and he established a few troubled churches. But the great Temple of Artemis is gone. The Mausoleum is in ruins. Paul, however, and his writings have outlived and outlasted all of these. His impact is beyond measure.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 9:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On Exodus 19:4
Status: Transcribed and Reviewed
Published: 05/26/08
Written: 11/17/05
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

The Scripture says, "You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagle's wings and brought you to myself." This is a profound insight into the heart of God. In the mind of the Israelites, they were going to some place, not to someone. They were going to the Promised Land. But in actuality God was drawing them into Himself. Often, what I perceive as a problem with circumstances is actually a problem with myself. I focus on my circumstances, while God focuses on my character. So often, God is using my circumstances to draw me into Himself.

It is also interesting to note that God's plan for Israel is laid out in verse 5, which was to obey - to keep their covenant. In response, he promised to help them become someone. Note the phrase "you will be" in verse 5.

So then, God was drawing them to Himself. In the process, He was asking them to keep a covenant of obedience. And finally, He was promising to help them become someone.

This general approach is so contrary to the Western mindset that it is difficult for us to fathom. We can hear the words and agree with the words, but it is difficult for us to live the words. Most of us place the goal on achievement. But the goal is Him - and thus obedience. The result is this: that we become someone. But the becoming process is something God himself directs.

Our role is obedience.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 1:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On the Terror of Truth
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 05/23/08
Written: 09/27/07
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

It seems to me that as the years pass, the commitment I have to a certain understanding of truth naturally solidifies. In part this solidification occurs because of the growing web of relationships and responsibilities. The older I get, the harder it is to change my truth foundation.

Beneath all of this activity, beneath my methodical efforts to actualize this understanding of truth, there is a sense that I cannot allow my solidification to become calcification. It grows more difficult to make a radical change. Somehow, though, I experience a fear that this course I have been on could prevent me from seeing the course I should be on.

I cannot stop questing.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 1:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On Business as Community
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 05/22/08
Written: 03/07/08
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

We need to consider business as a community of communities.

1. At the outset of this discussion let's consider the nature of community, beginning with a simple model.

RL (EN+VL) → Cm

Wherein:

RL = relating
EN = entities
VL = value
CM = community

Explanation:

If there is a relating of entities around value, then there is community.

In other words, community exists where entities relate to a value.

2. Now let's add one layer of complexity.

RL (CM+VL) → CM

Wherein:

RL = relating
VL = value
CM = community
CM = community of communities

Explanation:

If there is a relating of communities around value, then there is community of community.

3. Now consider three observation/rules:


1. For a particular community to thrive, the particular elements must thrive: relating (which involves communication/reception), entities (which involves selection/attraction) and value (which involves emphasis/clarification).
2. For a community of communities to thrive the particular member communities must thrive.
3. The thriving of a member community within a community of communities can diminish the thriving of the other member communities.


4. Finally, let's adapt these observations to a marketplace context - In doing so let us suggest that enterprise is a community of communities. These include the following constituents.


• Shareholders
• Employees
• Vendors
• Customers
• Competitors
• Etc.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 4:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On Watchfulness
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 05/12/08
Written: 03/15/07
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

Philokalia, Hesychios

Hesychios, the priest in the Philokalia, writes extensively on watchfulness and holiness. Like the other Fathers, he places great emphasis on nepsis. Some years ago, when I did my research on James I, I discovered this continuum for sin. It is fascinating to read it described in detail here in the work of Hesychios.

In his tract, cap on watchfulness and holiness", he lays out the same process of James 1. He never refers to James 1 but he recognizes the action. He is particularly clear in section 45 and 46.

I also find it remarkable in section 32, how he emphasizes a "cursive forgetfulness." I have written about the same in my own walk. It encourages me to read that men for centuries have dealt with the same struggles. Sometimes I struggle most with just remembering. It is hard to keep the invisible world before my consciousness at all times.

Hesychios the priest, an early church father writes the following in his tract on "watchfulness and holiness":

Philokalia page 170:

45. Just as it is impossible for fire and water to pass through the same pipe together, so it is impossible for sin to enter the heart without first knocking at its door in the form of a fantasy provoked by the devil.

46. The provocation comes first, then our coupling* with it, or the mingling of our thoughts with those of wicked demons. Third comes our assent to the provocation, with both sets of intermingling thoughts contriving how to commit the sin in practice. Fourth comes the concrete action - that is, the sin itself. If, however, the intellect is attentive and watchful, and at once repulses the provocation by counter-attacking and gainsaying it and invoking the Lord Jesus, its consequences remain inoperative; for the devil, being a bodiless intellect, can deceive our souls only by means of fantasies and thoughts."

I find that his description of this continuum matches my early work on James 1. It is fascinating to see how practical this instruction still is from centuries ago. It is encouraging to see the relevance of this ancient instruction. I am particularly fascinated by the combination of the two activities. They form the bulk of a counter assault. They involve a constant attentiveness a nepsis. This is combined with a constant invocation of the Lord Jesus' name. I think the combination is potent.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 4:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On the Call of God and the Condition of the Heart
Status: Transcribed and Reviewed
Published: 05/06/08
Written: 11/17/05
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

Oswald Chambers said, "If a man or woman is called to God, it does not matter how untoward circumstances are, every force that has been at work will tell for God's purpose in the end" (September 29th). He speaks of it coming as a "sudden thunder clap," or with a "gradual dawning." He says, "But in whatever way it comes, it comes with the undercurrent of the supernatural, something that cannot be put into words, it is always accompanied with a glow."

I look back on the events of the past year and I can see the hand of God at work. Much of my fear and contemplation regarding the Church has been the solidifying of God's call. I have always known I was called to be a pastor, but I have thought that for me a pastor was one of a number of roles.

As God has been teaching me in the last several months, I have responded by focusing my thoughts on a Church. But He has helped me to see that the work He was doing in my heart was not about a Church, which is outward, but it is about me, which is inward.

It is about me in the sense that He was trying to draw out and solidify this call on my life.

Every time God has spoken to me about pastoring, I have thought about the Church, but He keeps shifting the emphasis back onto the condition of my heart. The formation of my heart has been the emphasis of his work, while my emphasis has been the formation of the Church.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 1:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On George Washington and Teddy Roosevelt
Status: Transcribed and Reviewed
Published: 05/03/08
Written: 03/03/06
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin
Bibliography: His Excellency: George Washington, By Joseph J. Ellis, October 26, 2004, Random House Large Print in Association with Alfred A. Knopf. New York.

I have just completed a study of George Washington's life and I am now in the midst of a study of Theodore Roosevelt. I find Roosevelt's story encouraging. It is helpful for me to read of men with intense energy reserves and multifaceted interests who are able to accomplish on multiple fronts.

It seems that many of the circumstances around me, and in some sense even the people around me, conspire to limit me. It is not intentional; it's just that they intimate that the pace I am keeping will necessarily slow down. They don't mean a gradual slow down with age as much as they mean a breakdown. They well could be right, but I am not violently charging ahead.

I am carefully managing the circadian rhythms of my own body. I am carefully monitoring my reserves and my physical health. I am aware that consistency over the next fifty years demands balance in the current year. My net productivity will go down if I cannot sustain the optimum pace.

It appears that I just don't seem to "fit in" well with many others. Often I have their friendship and their kindness. But it feels as though I have spent much of my life concealing the true extent of my activities and my thoughts – not because I do not want people to find out, but rather because it is all so different.

I feel as though my activities and thoughts will intimidate someone or raise questions about my credibility. At forty years of age I am a bit weary of suppressing my energies and interests. I suspect my pace is not going to slow down but rather speed up. I recognize that age has certain implications, but many of these I am making gains against because of the advantages of technology.

If there is anything I must be careful of, it is the balance of experiencing the present and simply surging forward for the sake of the future. I do think there is a way to be present in the glorious strain to the future objective. And much of what I consider "surging forward" is contemplative. I am not advocating busyness. I detest frantic activity. I am talking about purposeful living.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 9:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On Using Personal Recreation to Accomplish Multiple Objectives
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 05/02/08
Written: January 2008
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

Recreation is valuable in its own right. If it is used properly, it often provides a kind of sourcing – a refreshing. Is it possible to preserve this core aspect of recreation while at the same time accomplishing another purpose?

I have been thinking yet again, bringing more and more purpose to my recreation activities. I do not want to strip away their spontaneous, playful elixir, but if I could preserve this elixir while at the same time accomplishing more, then I would gain a double dividend.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 1:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On an Act of Will as Foreclosure against Negative Opportunity
Status: Transcribed and Reviewed
Published: 04/29/08
Written: 10/25/05
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

I have noticed when making a decision about how long to fast or when to fast that there are two factors of influence. The first is my desire. I contemplate what meals I will miss and how difficult it would be and my desire starts to temper my will. But if I divorce my desire and ask myself, "What is the right thing to do?" then it is much easier to achieve clarity. Then if I make a promise, preferably written to myself, I foreclose on my desire having an influence over the decision at all. Because then my desire finds no point in stimulating my appetite. Effectively, my appetite shuts down. My appetitive shuts down because I absolutely know that I will not satiate it. So then, my will is able to effect the proper decision when I prevent my desire from confusing it. I think this leads to a working procedure.

1) Ask myself what is the right thing to do.
2) Make a firm commitment, preferably in writing. This prevents any fuzziness "around the edges" of the decision.
3) Let my will "lock down," so that my desire finds it unfruitful to interfere.

This may not seem profound but it has profound consequences.

The best way to defeat the desire is to completely foreclose on its work.

To re-contextualize where the struggle takes place.

If you struggle in the process with particular temptation, you are fighting a dangerous and a likely losing battle.

But if you foreclose on temptation at the very beginning, you naturally remove all opportunity.

Opportunity only frustrates you, because you know that you cannot avail yourself of its temptation.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 2:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On Mixed Scanning Model for Strategic Thinking
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 04/15/08
Written: December 2007
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

Adopted by Physicians

They know what they want to achieve and which parts of the organism to focus on...unlike rationalists they do not commit all their resources on the basis of preliminary diagnosis; they do not wait for every conceivable scrap of personal history and the scientific data before initializing treatment. Doctors survey the general health of the patient and then zero in on his or her particular complaint. They initiate tentative treatment, and if it fails, they try something else.

1. Focused trial and error-adapting to partial knowledge...knowing where to start the search for an effective intervention and choking outcomes at intervals to adjust and modify the intervention...differs from outright trial and error, which assumes no knowledge at all...feeling one's way to an effective course of action despite the lack of essential chunks of data...and adaptive, not a rationalistic, strategy.
2. Tentativeness...a commitment to revise one's course as necessary...physicians telling patient to try medicine for x number of days and then check in...change directions on the basis of results...humility in the face of reality (Welch changing course as the facts change...stop or start and activity).
3. Procrastination...delay permits the collection of fresh evidence, the processing of additional data, and the presentation of new options...it can also give the problem a chance to recede untreated.
4. Decision staggering-form of delay...Federal Reserve adjusting the rate a half a point at a time.
5. Fractionalizing...treats important judgments as a series of subdecisions...Staggering and fractionalizing allow the company to relate turning points in the decision process to turning points in the supply of information.
6. Hedging bets...diversified portfolio.
7. Maintaining strategic reserves-another form of hedging bets...reserves to cover unanticipated costs to respond to unforeseen opportunities.
8. Reversible decisions...avoiding  overcommitment when only the partial information is available.

Bibliography: Tichy, N. M., Bennis, W.G., Judgment, How Winning Leaders Make Great Calls. The Penguin Group, New York, 2007.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 9:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On Further Implications on Content, Distribution and Energy
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 04/10/08
Written: 05/19/07
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

I want to contemplate the further implications of my work on content, distribution, and energy. I have suggested that Pst is the result of the convergence of these elements. If I define spiritual as a particular kind of transformation, then I must add modifiers to the formulation. What are these modifiers?

1. It must be the right content
2. It must be effective distribution
3. It must be pervasive energy.

In this regard I have some imbalance in the formulation. Pervasive connects with the result. But right does not directly connect with the result (spiritual). I could use the word "sufficient" for all three, but then I would need to use sufficient in the result. This might be addressed by using the word "right" for content, "effective" for distribution, and "significant" for energy.

There still are difficulties with language. Pervasive has a sense of both penetrating and ongoing. Significant is a flatter word. Then again, language will never fully capture the meaning.

Do these concepts/can these concepts connect with the larger research project situated within philosophy of religion?

I would like to restate this then, as follows:

1. It must be the right content
2. It must be effective distribution
3. It must be significant energy.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 11:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On John 6 v 28-66
Status: Transcribed and Reviewed
Published: 04/08/08
Written: 04/25/05
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

In John 6:28, the disciples ask, "Jesus, what must we do to perform the works of God?"

Jesus answered them, "This is the work of God: that you believe in him whom he has sent."

This question and answer are rich with profound truth.

It is notable that just prior to this question, Jesus had fed the 5,000 and had walked across the Sea of Galilee.

Now he is being asked: "What must we do to perform the works of God?" His answer is perplexing. He says that the work of God is to believe. But believing hardly seems like working. Indeed, I have often thought that I believed and so I worked. But it seems as if the real work is believing.

In my own life it seems as though the less I believe the more I work "out of my own strength."

Somehow it seems as though the more I get engaged in the work of believing, the more I find that everything else takes care of itself.

Most of us have thought of believing as working. There's a truth in here that is rich with meaning. Shortly after these words, Jesus tells those people that he is the bread of life. He tells them that they must eat his flesh and drink his blood. These words do not make sense on this common intellectual level. Here again he is confounding rational thinking with trans-rational truth.

He says, "No one can come to me unless they are drawn by the father." So we must be drawn and when we are drawn it is our work – our primary work – to believe. If this occurs we can understand these strange statements of Jesus. He says in v. 63 that "it is Spirit that gives life, the flesh is useless."

Jesus stresses that the words that he has spoken are "spirit" and "life." This is his reply to those who say the teaching is difficult.

He says, "For this reason I have told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted by the father."

John tells us that "because of this, many of his disciples turned back" (v. 66).

In v. 61, the scripture tells us that the disciples were complaining about his words, and Jesus said, "Does this offend you?"

So then these words are spirit in life, and they cannot be understood except by those who a) are being drawn by the father and b) are working to believe.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 11:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On Adding a Fifth Element to the PLT Formulation
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 04/04/08
Written: 11/25/07
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

I am not sure if Pervasive Spiritual Transformation (PST), with its current formulation involving content, distribution, energy and reception, needs to address the issue of context or environment.

Where does the notion of politics figure in to this illustration/equation? I have thought about this frequently. There is something to be said for a proper environment. This, itself, may serve the delineation.

It may be that I keep the current equation intact. It may be that content, distribution, and energy, as a form of convergence, operate within this and influence this fifth element.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 9:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On i58 as a Dispersed Community
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 04/03/08
Written: 01/21/08
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

How to Use the Daily Office

As I read through the Celtic Daily Prayer for the Northumbria Community, I am struck by the parallels with the development of the i58 group. The concept that impacted me the most was simply this: Dispersed Community.

That is a lovely description of i58. The parallels between Northumbria and i58 are remarkable.

The two key scripture passages that impacted their leadership are the two key scripture passages that have impacted my leadership. Below, I have listed some of the important passages for further reflection:

With such Celtic heroic history seemingly etched into every stone and rising out of the very ground itself, it is easy to understand how the Northumbria Community feels irresistibly drawn to the powerful words of Jeremiah 6:16: "Stand at the crossroads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths where the good way lies; walk in it, and find the rest of your souls." Here, at this prayer hole, I too feel a tugging, a longing, for the ancient paths.

At the same time, John Skinner and his wife Linda, who were both crucial to the foundation of the Community, were struck by the passage in Isaiah 58:11-12, which speaks of restoring foundations from times long past; of springs whose waters never fail; and of building out of brokenness.

Years of struggle followed as the families and individuals journeying together, locally, struggled to discover what is meant to live as contemplatives with growing children, financial pressures and a constant stream of visitors.

The Nether Springs serves as one expression of the "monastic heart" of the Community's ethos as well as being an administrative centre for much of the mission and work of the wider community.

At the heart of them lies the Daily Office – the prayers to be used, either individually or communally, each day in the morning, at midday and in the evening. It was discovered very early that one of the precious gifts handed down to us through the monastic tradition is the persistent rhythm of the daily offices – repeating words of timeless, spiritual truth, drawn largely from the Psalms, until they grow in to the very core of our being, helping to define who we are and to whom we belong.

As we researched and studied these saints (and the Desert Fathers, who were their spiritual predecessors) we found that many of the lessons they taught gave us hope and coherence on our own journey: that people matter more than things, and relationships more than reputation, that prayer and action and contemplation and involvement, all belong together.

We were being slowly drawn into a monastic way, but this was a different monasticism which only has in common with the old an uncompromising allegiance to the Sermon on the Mount. It is high time people banded together to do this.

This involves availability to God and to others – expressed in a commitment to being alone with God in the cell of our own heart and to being available for hospitality, intercession and mission.

Intentional vulnerability is expressed through being teachable in the discipline of prayer, saturation in the Scriptures and being accountable to one another, often through soul friendships.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 11:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On Discipleship in the Home
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 04/01/08
Written: 10/04/06
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

These are some thoughts regarding our primary discipleship effort.

First of all, discipleship begins in the home. We cannot easily pass our responsibilities there on our way to working with others. Moreover, we need to make this discipleship central to our ministries.

The third "wave" of the Holy Spirit is to emphasize the events in the life of Jesus. We must balance this emphasis with the attention to the processes in the life of Jesus.

The Jesus who healed the sick is the Jesus who built his ministry upon the process of discipleship. This requires a disproportionate investment into a few people.

I need to stress the significance of a disproportionate investment. It means spending more time, more money, more energy, on a group of people than at first seems justifiable.

One must recognize the significance of impacting a few important lives.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 11:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On Learning to Extract the Maximum Value from Material Goods
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 03/18/08
Written: January 2008
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

How does one measure the value of a particular material good (which I shall call a thing)? In most cases, these things are mere instruments for a measure of satisfaction. This point implies the possibility of an extreme differential between the cost of the thing and the value of the thing.

It seems possible, then, that one might spend significant amounts of money to acquire a thing which yields an insignificant amount of satisfaction. On the contrary, one might spend an insignificant amount of money on a thing which yields a significant amount of satisfaction. In this way, one must reconsider the definition of wealth.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 9:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On Reviving the Appreciation of Management
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 03/14/08
Written: 10/22/07
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

For some time I have been sensing and stating that the real key to accomplishing the most is valued in today's leadership culture. It is the concept, "management." I have fallen in love with this word.

The more I ponder the more I realize that management is the lever by which most can be accomplished. Somehow, in our society, the concept of management has taken a second position to the concept of leadership. I do not believe in a leadership model that is devoid of a core management competency. I prefer the word "management" over the word "leadership." Management is a more humble term.

In the meantime, I have come across a text that seems to underscore my point. This morning I was reading Jim Collins and Gerry Porras' book "Built to Last." Yes, I have waited a long time to read it. I did so intentionally. In any event, its second chapter corroborates my recent perception. They constantly extol those organizations whose focus was on building the company as opposed to building the product.

The authors call it "clock building," not "time telling."

They prefer the word "architect" over the word "leader". I know instinctively what they are trying to say. It does not surprise me that their analyzed data indicate that charismatic leaders have not been as effective in the long term as careful managers. These findings are so encouraging.

It takes one's emphasis off, "the next big thing" and it puts one's emphasis on building the organization.

I think this corroborates the New Testament model. I must resist the temptation to build around personality.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 9:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On Challenging the Notion of Doing Your Best
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 03/13/08
Written: 02/25/07
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

I have been told that one must focus so that one can do the best. In general, I agree with this proposition.

All of my life I have sought to focus, but I have found myself doing many things.

Underneath it all is the nagging concern that I will be unable to do anything best, because I am engaged in so many things, because I am engaged in so much.

Now every new thing I do goes through a rigorous criterion. I don't do it unless I believe I am supposed to do it.

I value the virtues of diligence. It is my goal to finish each pursuit. Nevertheless, I am anguished, at times, over my complex pursuits.

I believe in simplicity. I believe in focus. But, I am afraid of over-simplifying, and I am afraid of saying "no" to something that I should be doing.

The point of these reflections is only this: We need to examine the foundational premise that it is best to do the best at something. Now, I am not giving up my hope of being best in the one area that matters most, but on the other hand I am cognizant of the fact that we must examine the concepts of "best" and of "focus."

Could one offer a cogent argument that it is better not to be best but rather good at multiple pursuits?

In doing so, isn't one simply engaging in a different kind of "best?"

The answers deserve more attention.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 9:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Observations/Reflections: On Reading Fast
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 03/10/08
Written: 05/17/07
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin

I read fast so I can read slow. By reading fast, I can determine what I do not need to read, in turn helping me determine what I do need to read. This gives me the liberty to slow down and taste every word that I should read. Reading fast for the sake of reading fast is an evil.

Posted by Flint McGlaughlin at 8:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)