tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-187931832024-03-07T05:50:40.436+00:00nofancytitlejust a rag-bag collection of thoughts - some theological, some poetical, others merely alphabetical. All original material copyright Richard Myerscough.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger759125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18793183.post-67795277894936280012012-11-19T09:54:00.000+00:002012-11-19T09:54:24.010+00:00mind the gap<blockquote class="tr_bq">
There is a gap between our love for the gospel and our love for godliness. This must change. It's not pietism, legalism, or fundamentalism to take holiness seriously. It's the way of all those who have been called to a holy calling by a holy God.</blockquote>
Kevin DeYoung, <i>The Hole in our Holiness</i>, p.21<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18793183.post-12986083984834146202012-10-06T16:43:00.004+00:002012-10-06T16:43:47.274+00:00the sermon of a man who stayed up all night praying<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Preparing to speak on Jesus' 'sermon on the plain' in Luke 6. It's hardly a model to follow by today's standards of what makes for an effective sermon - no neat illustrations, no clever introduction and no technology to help the wandering mind. But it had this (and this is what challenges me most): <i>"It is a sermon of a man who has stayed up all night praying."</i> (Michael Card)</span><span class="fullpost"></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18793183.post-25017702454563238432012-03-31T09:00:00.000+00:002012-03-31T09:00:01.651+00:00Did Paul have a mission strategy?<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #1f0909; font-family: 'PT Serif'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;">The point of <a href="http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/kevindeyoung/2012/03/30/did-the-apostle-paul-target-strategic-cities-in-his-mission-work/">this post</a>–and Schnabel’s point–is not to overstate Paul’s strategy. For the most part he didn’t have one. He went where people were, where people needed to hear the gospel, and where he had opportunity to share the gospel. That led him to cities, but also smaller towns and villages too.</span></blockquote>
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<span style="color: #1f0909; font-family: 'PT Serif'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"><b>Kevin De Young</b> (citing the work of Eckhard Schnabel)</span></div>
<span class="fullpost"></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18793183.post-72076656191594604932012-03-07T09:27:00.001+00:002012-03-07T09:29:06.958+00:00How will you help those who follow?<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">There is always a sense in which every minister must finish his life's work in the same position as Moses: on top of Mount Pisgah, overlooking the promised land but not having entered it. I don't mean to suggest that ministers conclude their lives outside God's Kingdom (that would be somewhat discouraging) but rather that our ministries will mostly conclude before Jesus' return in glory and, hence, before the fullness of God's kingdom is known. We will end our ministries with more work still to be done.<span class="fullpost"></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Given that is so, what help and encouragement do those that remain need from those whose work is done? Moses reminds Joshua,<span style="color: #1f0909; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; text-align: left;"> <i>"You have seen with your own eyes all that the Lord your God has done to these two kings. The Lord will do the same to all the kingdoms over there where you are going.</i></span><span style="color: #1f0909; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; text-align: left;"><i> Do not be afraid of them; the Lord your God himself will fight for you"</i> (Deut 3:21f). And t</span>he LORD's instructions to Moses are to <i>"commission Joshua, and encourage and strengthen him"</i> (Deut. 3:28).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Joshua is to draw strength and hope from the Lord's previous dealings with his people and is to proceed with courage, trusting in the Lord. It is all so very general, so imprecise, so indistinct. But maybe precisely and distinctly so. Joshua does not need a detailed strategy; he needs a vision of hope. He doesn't need tactical insight but strength and resolve. There will be time enough for the Lord to direct him in detailed terms for the work he calls Joshua to do; for now, he needs what the LORD and Moses offer him.</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18793183.post-37963571287406808342012-02-04T15:49:00.000+00:002012-02-04T15:49:09.775+00:00church & numbers<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Kevin deYoung has an interesting piece <a href="http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/kevindeyoung/2012/01/31/numbers-in-the-church-is-bigger-badder-or-better/">here</a> on numbers in church (people, not the OT book). It includes some helpful observations by Leslie Newbigin and concludes with these words by DeYoung:</span><span class="fullpost" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"></span><br />
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<span style="color: #1f0909; line-height: 24px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">We love to see more people loving Jesus and living in greater accordance to his commands, but we should not think church size, when judged by the only Judge that really matters, is a reliable measure of a church’s success or a pastor’s faithfulness.</span></span></blockquote>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18793183.post-55219241121855290612012-02-03T15:39:00.001+00:002012-02-03T15:39:20.662+00:00you need to waffleWell, sort of...<a href="http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2012/01/the-waffle-paradox.html">Seth Godin</a> identifies that most issues are both simple and complex and, somewhere along the line, nuance is necessary. Substitute 'gospel' or 'the Christian life' for 'issues' and you've got some wisdom we all need.<span class="fullpost"></span><br />
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Viewed from 10,000ft they are indeed simple and we need to be able to communicate that simplicity of vision to others, as well as hold it before our own eyes. But we will never pastor well unless we know that what looks simple at a distance is complex when nearer and learn to apply the requisite biblical nuances to the vision.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18793183.post-71071789212372459232012-01-25T09:42:00.003+00:002012-01-25T09:44:10.198+00:00my first book has just been published!OK, I'll admit that sounds rather grand, so I'll come clean and humble: it's a self-published book, available on Kindle only (don't forget, you only need a Kindle app, not a Kindle device, to buy it...) and it's only an experiment - to see how easy or otherwise it is to publish that way.<span class="fullpost"></span><br />
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But in case you want to go ahead and buy it......</div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Living-the-Gospel-ebook/dp/B0071BY5Q6/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1327484388&sr=1-1">Living the Gospel</a></div>
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It's just some Bible study questions on Paul's letter to the Philippians - no Bible text included, just the questions. In 18 sessions. If you buy it and find it helpful, I'll be glad. If you buy it and find it rubbish, I'll refund you. If you don't buy it and simply laugh at me, I'll......retire.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18793183.post-32889986325869281552012-01-20T09:21:00.000+00:002012-01-20T09:21:24.927+00:00don't go to sleep angryWhy not? Well, the Bible encourages you not to do so. And now <a href="http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-01-unpleasant-emotional-memories.html">science</a> is chiming in, too...<span class="fullpost"></span><br />
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Their take-away point? "S<span style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #1f0909; font-family: 'PT Serif'; font: inherit; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;">leep strongly 'protects'...negative emotional response(s)".</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18793183.post-42118804317651402942012-01-18T09:09:00.004+00:002012-01-18T09:09:59.321+00:00how to kill your missionIn <a href="http://www.christianitytoday.com/le/2012/january-online-only/secularculture.html">this interview</a>, John Dickson was asked about how to effectively engage the broader culture. His remarks, although pertaining to Australian society, have much to say to the needs of the church in the UK:<span class="fullpost"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-weight: bold; line-height: 13pt; text-align: left;">What advice do you have for church leaders in America about how to engage the broader culture effectively?</span>I think the very first thing is to do is adopt a stance of mission instead of admonition toward the world. Here's an example. In the Australian context, there are church leaders who remember the glory days when about 20 percent of the nation went to church. They look at how Australia is secularized today, and their stance toward the world is basically admonition, the way you would talk to a backsliding Christian. <em style="z-index: 0;">How dare you slide away? How dare you legislate against Christian morality?</em> I call that the admonition paradigm.<br /><b>What's wrong with this approach?</b><br />I reckon that's how you kill your mission, because if you speak with a sense of entitlement, you won't be flexible, you won't be humble, and you won't take hits and just bear it. You'll want to strike back. And people will think you're arrogant. Quite rightly, probably.<br /><b>What do you recommend instead?</b><br />When you move out of admonition into mission, you realize Australia is no longer Jerusalem; it's Athens. Then you instantly adopt a humbler approach to non-Christians. You don't expect them to live Christian lives if they don't confess Christ. You don't expect Parliament to pass Christian-specific laws. But as a leader, you try to persuade the nation with winsomeness, with gentleness and respect, as Peter says in <span style="cursor: pointer; outline-color: initial; outline-width: initial; z-index: 0;">1 Peter 3:15</span>.</span></blockquote>
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The Song helps us relearn what nearly every civilization before ours already knew: <i>Sex</i> is allegory, and as allegory it is metaphysics and theology and cosmology. For Christians, sexual difference and union is a type of Christ and the church: How could an erotic poem (and in the Bible!) be <i>anything but</i> allegory? From the Song we relearn that poetic metaphor does not add meaning to what is itself mere chemistry and physics. Nor is erotic poetry a euphemistic cover for Victorian embarrassment. Poetry elucidates the human truth of human sexuality, and it seems uniquely capable of doing so. Only as allegory does the Song have anything to teach us about sex. Only as allegory can the Song play its central role in healing our sexual imaginations.</blockquote>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18793183.post-61897804350755926292012-01-12T09:23:00.000+00:002012-01-12T09:23:18.264+00:00the justification for reading novels<a href="http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2012/01/the_business_case_for_reading.html">This piece</a> might be all you need to convince yourself it's a valid, pastorally-wise, humanity-enhancing activity. And it is.<span class="fullpost"></span><br />
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<br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18793183.post-3664932513315427242012-01-12T09:19:00.000+00:002012-01-12T09:19:21.463+00:00the effects of stress in utero<a href="http://wisecounsel.wordpress.com/2012/01/11/health-effects-of-traumatic-stress-on-infants/">This</a> is a helpful insight into how the experience of stress in the life of a pregnant mother can have ongoing implications for her child in their response to stressors.<span class="fullpost"></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18793183.post-3377643049934021512012-01-10T11:29:00.000+00:002012-01-10T11:29:24.713+00:00making a difference<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large; font-weight: normal;"><span style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; border-collapse: separate;">One option is to struggle to be heard whenever you're in the room...</span>Another is to be the sort of person who is missed when you're not. The first involves making noise. The second involves making a difference.</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large; font-weight: normal;">Seth Godin</span></div>
<span class="fullpost"></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18793183.post-39835485914521773642012-01-06T07:00:00.000+00:002012-01-06T10:07:12.056+00:00Oh no!Apparently, <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2012/jan/06/memory-loss-begins-at-45-says-study">memory loss</a> begins earlier than previously believed - can't remember where I read that, mind you.....<span class="fullpost"></span><br />
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Doing something nice for someone else often leaves people feeling good about themselves and positive about their place in the world.</blockquote>
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But does that mean practicing random acts of kindness has scientifically proven therapeutic value in treating mood disorders like depression?</blockquote>
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Yes, according to a growing body of research that has found that "positive activity interventions" -- like helping someone with groceries, writing a thank you note or even counting your blessings -- can serve as an effective, low-cost treatment for depression.</blockquote>
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To read the rest, go <a href="http://www.doctorslounge.com/index.php/news/hd/25650">here</a>.</div>
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HT: David Murray</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18793183.post-48933787524211591102012-01-03T08:58:00.001+00:002012-01-03T08:59:36.408+00:00access to books at home & a child's educational progress<a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/educationnews/7750167/Books-in-the-home-boost-childrens-education.html">This piece</a> over at The Telegraph draws on studies into children's educational prospects in relation to whether their homes contain books or not. Apparently,<span style="font-family: inherit;"> <i>"<span style="color: #1f0909; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; text-align: left;">being raised in a household with a 500-book library would result in a child remaining in education for an average of three years longer than those with little access to literature."</span></i></span><span class="fullpost"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #1f0909; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; text-align: left;">I wonder if that is susceptible to change where books are stored in the home electronically - e.g. on a Kindle. That is, does the positive impact of book at home in part lie in the ability to browse a physical bookshelf?</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #1f0909; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; text-align: left;">And how would it apply to the availability of specifically Christian books in the home?</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">humility is about redirecting of your powers, whether physical, intellectual, financial or structural, for the sake of others.</span><div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">(Not to be confused with modesty) </span></span> h<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">umility is more about how I treat others than how I think about myself.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">Heavy reliance on authority is often the result of laziness, since enforcing is much easier than energizing and creating momentum.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">Character or example is central to leadership. Unless a leader is trusted by the team, she will not get the best out of them.</span> </div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">Since life is fundamentally about relationships, the relational virtues such as humility, compassion, trustworthiness and so on are keys to virtually all spheres of life.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">All of us tend to believe the views of people we already trust...</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">Aristotle rightly observes that even a brilliantly argued case from someone we dislike or whose motives we think dubious will fail to carry the same force as the case put forward by someone we regard as transparently good and trustworthy.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">Expertise could legitimately be described as uncovering the depths of my ignorance. It is a principle that leaders should ponder regularly.</span>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">Humility involves both a sense of finitude and a sense of inherent dignity.</span>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">Humility is not an ornament to be worn; it is an ideal that will transform.</span>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">Humility generates learning and growth.</span>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">Humility not only signals security; it probably fosters it too.</span>
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</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18793183.post-31498442087547298392011-12-31T15:38:00.001+00:002011-12-31T15:38:48.573+00:00creative animation; great song<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/8O4U0KTV4Ac?rel=0" width="640"></iframe><span class="fullpost"></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18793183.post-63081711729733914982011-12-31T13:26:00.006+00:002011-12-31T15:13:43.434+00:00predicting outstanding achievementModesty probably prevents you from listing 'outstanding achievement' as an ambition but this article by <a href="http://the99percent.com/articles/7094/The-Future-of-Self-Improvement-Part-I-Grit-Is-More-Important-Than-Talent">Jocelyn Glei</a> has some helpful insights into the kind of character traits and approaches to life and work that seem to make a real difference. Chief among those she lists:<br />
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<strong style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-weight: bold; font: inherit; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;">1. The tendency not to abandon tasks from mere changeability.</strong><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 24px; text-align: left;"> Not seeking something because of novelty. Not "looking for a change."</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-weight: bold; font: inherit; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;">2. The tendency not to abandon tasks in the face of obstacles. </strong><span style="line-height: 24px; text-align: left;">Perseverance, tenacity, doggedness.</span></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 24px; text-align: left;">In a follow-up article she adds a third tr<span style="font-family: inherit;">ait: </span></span><i style="font-family: inherit;">a formidable capacity for self-analysis</i><span style="font-family: inherit;">...</span><i style="font-family: inherit;">"we need to be able to step outside of ourselves, observe how we are operating, reflect on what could be better, theorize how we could change it, and then test out a solution. The problem is: </i><span style="font-family: inherit;">This is very, very hard for most people.</span><i style="font-family: inherit;">"</i><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Putting it all together, she concludes that </span><i style="font-family: inherit;">"This ability to tolerate, and even embrace, uncomfortableness may well be the "X factor" that underpins outstanding achievement. Self-control, grit, self-analysis... these are not comfortable qualities."</i><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 24px; text-align: left;">I think we could helpfully apply this to ministry.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 24px; text-align: left;"><br /></span></span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18793183.post-58426525618288817112011-12-31T13:17:00.000+00:002011-12-31T13:17:32.867+00:00tips for decision-making<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">From an interesting article over at <a href="http://the99percent.com/tips/7043/Dont-Overthink-It-5-Tips-for-Daily-Decision-Making">the 99%</a>, here are the 5 takeaways:</span><span class="fullpost" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1. <i>Satisficers or maximisers?</i> <span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22px;">Gathering additional information always comes at a cost. We’re better off setting our criteria for making a decision in advance (as in, “I’ll make the call once I know X, Y, and Z”). Once you have that information, make the choice and move on.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22px;">2. <i>Less can be more.</i> </span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22px;">We are designed to process information so quickly that "rapid cognition"</span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> – decisions that spring from hard thinking based on sound experience – can feel more instinctive than scientific. Trust your gut.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22px;">3. <i>Different intuitions.</i> </span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22px;">We should trust our expert intuition (based on experience) when making choices about familiar problems. But when we need a break-through solution, we shouldn’t be too quick to jump to conclusions.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22px;">4. <i>Trust experience.</i> </span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22px;">If you’re wrestling with a difficult decision, consult a friend or colleague who’s been in your situation before. Their insight will likely be significantly more valuable than almost any research.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22px;">5. <i>Choose your battles.</i> </span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22px;">Ask yourself if this decision is really that meaningful. If it’s not, stop obsessing over it, and just make a call!</span></span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18793183.post-52139321893453045082011-12-31T11:57:00.002+00:002011-12-31T14:52:58.142+00:00making your preaching worth the cost<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Actually, the title of the article is <a href="http://www.lifehack.org/articles/communication/making-your-presentation-worth-the-cost.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+LifeHack+%28lifehack.org%29">Making your <b>presentations</b> worth the cost</a> but it has a lot of helpful advice for preachers - none of it ground-breaking but worth reminding oneself of.<span class="fullpost"></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Simon Raybould</b> makes the point that, in its simplicity, "<span style="line-height: 24px; text-align: left;">All a presenter has to do in a presentation is think of two things: </span><span style="line-height: 24px; text-align: left;"><i>What do I need to tell my audience?</i> and </span><span style="line-height: 24px; text-align: left;"><i>How do I need to tell them it?</i>"</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; text-align: left;">He goes on to underline the importance of filtering your material (on the basis that 'less is more') and then checking your assumptions, on the basis that you, the presenter, are likely to know more about your subject than those listening - so make sure you take nothing for granted and open-up your jargon, workings and assumptions.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #1f0909; font-family: 'PT Serif'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; text-align: left;"><br /></span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18793183.post-11649846445636716452011-12-31T11:42:00.000+00:002011-12-31T11:42:42.602+00:00the doctrine of creation and the state of the economyAnother article in today's <i>Guardian</i> ruminates on <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/dec/30/doing-it-german-way">Why Britain Should Think About Doing Things The German Way</a>, highlighting the decline in the UK of manufacturing. It struck me that the points it made chime nicely with a robust doctrine of creation. Here is its concluding paragraph:<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">At its best, the making of things is an all-absorbing activity. It seems odd to have so many people in Britain making things purely as a hobby, when we might be earning our living making high-quality modern products every bit as desirable in their own way as bright new BMWs. The truth is, a consumer or service economy will never make us happy. It is time to curb the shopping, and the environmental destruction this involves, and to rescue ourselves economically, and in terms of wellbeing, through more of us making intelligent, useful and profitable things contentedly and well. (Jonathan Glancey)</span></span></blockquote>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18793183.post-76209698814985585532011-12-31T11:38:00.000+00:002011-12-31T11:38:08.039+00:00hardwired to read booksOver at <i>The Guardian</i>, <b>Gail Rebuck</b> has <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/dec/30/humans-hardwired-read-books">written</a> about humans being hardwired to read books. She makes the point that technology has shown that <span style="font-family: inherit;">"r<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;">eading a book leaves us with new neural pathways" and, thus, <span style="font-family: inherit;">"</span></span></span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">our brains are physically changed by the experience of reading". Why is this significant: Rebuck answers,</span></span><span class="fullpost"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">This is significant because recent scientific research has also found a dramatic fall in empathy among teenagers in advanced western cultures. We can’t yet be sure why this is happening, but the best hypothesis is that it is the result of their immersion in the internet and the quickfire virtual world it offers. So technology reveals that our brains are being changed by technology, and then offers a potential solution – the book.</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Rationally, we know that reading is the foundation stone of all education, and therefore an essential underpinning of the knowledge economy. So reading is – or should be – an aspect of public policy. But perhaps even more significant is its emotional role as the starting point for individual voyages of personal development and pleasure. Books can open up emotional, imaginative and historical landscapes that equal and extend the corridors of the web. They can help create and reinforce our sense of self.</span></blockquote>
</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18793183.post-71284056103423159892011-12-31T11:30:00.000+00:002011-12-31T11:30:50.362+00:00ending the year at zeroOne of my aims for today is to make sure that:<span class="fullpost"></span><br />
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- my inbox is empty (it usually ends most days that way, so not such a big one)</div>
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- my google reader starred items are emptied (either deleted or sent to instapaper or evernote, talking of which....)</div>
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- my instapaper/instafetch is empty of articles waiting to be read</div>
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- notes tagged 'ReadItLater' in evernote have been read and either saved or deleted.</div>
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ok, let's go to it........</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0