Smart Pastor

Perhaps.  In an unscientific Christianity Today online poll, they have found that their readers are gravitating towards voting for Barack Obama over John McCain.

What do we make of that?  Here are a few of my guesses.

1.  Christians may be getting sick of the antics of the “religious right.“  Fruitcake anyone?

2.  The more likable candidate is winning.  For all the issues and talk of the climate of the country, the guy who passes the BBQ test tends to be the winner.

3.  The issues Evangelicals care about is becoming greater than just abortion and gay marriage.  The environment, health care, etc. are more and more being considered as issues of concern for Evangelical voters.

4.  This poll is not accurate.  Remember, this was not a cross section of the population.

5.  Obama has more energy behind him.  Simply put, McCain was most Republican’s second choice.  Obama draws crowds that number over 50,000.  The excitement that Senator Obama has is reflected in something as simple as an online poll.

What do you think the reason is?

photo credit: racreations

Christianity Today has an interesting piece up called, Blessed Insurance (Clever title, huh?), about the struggle more and more churches are having to provide health coverage for their pastors.  There are several factors at work.

1.  An aging pastorate that will have higher group premiums than a younger one.

2.  Denominations not forcing member churches to buy in for pastors thus lowering premiums for everyone.

3.  Younger pastors being forced out of their denominations coverage because the church does not want to pay the higher premiums when they can get away with paying lower ones out of the denominations system.

4.  The skyrocketing cost of health coverage in general.

This problem is most significant with older pastors.

I know a few years ago I was tempted to opt out of my denomination’s plan though not because of the cost but because of the horrific customer service of the provider at the time.

So what are the solutions?  The CT piece did not have many but it seems to me there are a few options.

1.  Try to get smaller denominations to partner together to buy coverage in bulk.

2.  Attempt to start denominational health co-ops.

3.  Wait for some solution from “outside” such as a government take over (my least desirable option) or free market principles to lower costs.  Another outside option I don’t think gets enough attention in this is tort reform as I know the costs that we pay to cover liability insurance for medial providers is staggering.  Every piece of equipment, every technician, every doctor, every nurse, and every medicine is covered by sky high liability coverage.

All have their downsides.  What do you think? What has been your experience?

I loved Freakonomics.  I devoured Stumbling on Happiness. I enjoyed immensely The Tipping Point.  I was fully engaged reading The Wisdom of Crowds.  I was fascinated by The Progress Paradox.

All of these books fall into the pop-psychology genre I so enjoy.  I love this look into the human nature.  I find fantastic sermon illustration in such books.  I find helpful, out-of-the-box, ideas for leading in ministry in these books.

So given these facts and the endorsements it has received, I really expected to love Discover Your Inner Economist by Tyler Cowen…I didn’t.

The basic premise of the book is that incentives, the currency of economics, can be applied more effectively in our daily lives to bring more enjoyment and happiness.

The books covers things like dining out, how to make your dentist more effective, why meetings are an excuse for not getting things done, and the economics of The Seven Deadly Sins, and why self-deception is a virtue…some times.

There is some good information in the book.  For example, I think his chapter on charitable giving has some good ideas for us in ministry.  It can help sort out the issues of giving hand outs and when that is most effective.  I thought he was right on in his assessment of how some charitable actions are actually a poor use of time and resources. I think he raises some great questions with respect to why people give to some causes but perhaps not to other, more pressing, needs.  He brings up the importance of seed money towards giving campaigns and how it can increase the amount collected.  There are some nuggets within this book.

I did not dislike this book, I just did not love it.  If this genre is your cup of tea and you want to read it, I recommend the Library route.  If you want to get an idea about Tyler Cowen before even committing to checking out a book, you can read his blog, Marginal Revolution.

Next up for book notes, Glocalization.  Should finish reading it in the next week or so.

Not only does Sandy make my life easier, but now “she” is helping me with my Google ranking.

Thanks for including me in your “Buzz” section today!

IWantSandy.com is a fantastic tool…used it a handful of times today already. Check it out.

“Nothing is particularly hard if you divide it into small jobs.”

— Henry Ford

THE WORLD’S TEN WORST CITIES

• As your church is hopefully going to the difficult places to make Him known, see just where those dirtiest places are.

GOD ARRESTED

• Seriously, God was arrested for selling drugs.  There has to be an illustration in there somewhere, right?

WJTC

• Chick-Fil-A is sponsoring a huge 40 foot cow doing the tomahawk chop at the Atlanta Braves games. We all know that Chick-Fil-A is a Christian company (or at least run on Christian Principles), so it begs the question, Would Jesus Tomahawk Chop?

ON RELIGION IN AMERICA

• USA today has an informative survey of religion and religious views in America.  I would recommend checking it out.  (Via Scotteriology)

AT LEAST IT WILL NOT PLAY ANY POORLY MADE CHRISTIAN MOVIES PRODUCT OF THE DAY

Have you seen this one? I got a real kick out of it. Even if some people consider him to have fruitcake tendencies, the video is entertaining. Happy Friday.

Yesterday James Dobson talked about Barack Obama…it was not flattering in the least.  According to the A.P. story, Dobson is quoted as saying that Obama has a, “fruitcake interpretation” of the Constitution.  Also regarding his Biblical understanding, Dobson said…

“I think he’s deliberately distorting the traditional understanding of the Bible to fit his own worldview, his own confused theology,” Dobson said.

“… He is dragging biblical understanding through the gutter.” (source)

Now, I tend to agree with Focus on the Family on a number of issues but I have some problems with this.  They include,

1.  Does this really help the cause of your guy?  Doesn’t this just get his people more riled up against the “evil right”?

2.  More importantly, does this really help the cause of Christ?  Does calling someone you disagree with those names and making those accusations build a bridge to those who do not yet know Jesus?  Doesn’t this make powerful Christians look like bullies?  (Something he has been accused of in the past.)

3.  Is it right to be critical of person’s view of Scripture when your own are questioned by very smart and conservative scholars?

4.  Is this really going to change anyone’s mind?

5.  Isn’t there a more effective way to get your point across?

Being halfway though the book, UnChristian, I am more and more convinced that we need to rethink how we engage the world.  This is probably not the way to go.

Am I wrong?

(Photo Source)

It is Monday and I walked into church today fried.  It has been a very busy season and I have been overwhelmed with details and responsibilities.  I knew I needed to do some things to give me some peace of mind.

So here is what I did.

photo credit: snapping turtles

1.  I unsubscribed to 10 blogs.  If you are anything like me, you subscribe via RSS to way to many blogs and web sites.  Every time you open up your reader you are reminded of all you hope to read and have yet done.  Well let me give you permission to do something….give up.  It is okay to not read every blog or web site you like…you just can’t.  So pick 10 blogs you subscribed to on a whim and let them go.  It is okay, if they have great, can’t miss content…someone you like will link to it eventually.  (Of course, this advice does not apply to this site…keep subscribing to SmartPastor.com’s feed!!!)

2.  I cleaned out one drawer.  Over time drawers in most desks, including pastor’s, get filled with pens that no longer work, keys to mystery doors, business cards of people you will not be calling, articles a church member wants you to read, etc.  Drag a garbage can over and pitch those items.  It is okay, you are never going to find what the key opens.  That pen is not going to start working.  You will be able to find that place of business if you need it.

3.  I entered one book I recently read in my information database. I am a firm believer that, “The dullest pencil is better than the sharpest mind.”  Therefore I keep information I want to refer to again from books and articles in an online filing system.  (More on that in a future date)  But when I fall behind, I am letting that information take up mental space.  So I caught up and entered a book to both dump the mental clutter and allow me to find it again quickly and easily.

It is amazing what peace of mind I was able to enjoy when I did these three simple things.  It took about a half an hour to do all three.

Are you feeling a littled fried? Try eliminating from your life and enjoy the peace that comes with it.

Image via Wikipedia

Can you live out these things?
(1) Laziness
(2) Ignorance
(3) Stage Fright
(4) Identity Theft
(5) Cheating
(6) Day-Dreaming
(7) Inefficiency
(8) Think Unrealistically
(9) Procrastination
(10) Forgetfulness

If so, you may be on your way to becoming a very effective, healthy, and balanced pastor. Yes, these 10 skills may not be on Bill Hybels list of must do behaviors, but check out why they matter over at TheOoze.