Am I A Freelancer? Part II

Back to my freelancer’s course.

After a few more “lessons” from the Goden-meister, I get to my next assignment: What Do You Provide? 

What do I provide?

The first question under this topic is, What do people buy when they buy something from you?

I watched the series of videos leading up to this "quiz" several days ago, but haven’t been able to come up with a really good answer to this question until this morning – trust. I “sell” trust. If I don’t, everything else I do just isn’t worth doing. I suspect Mr. Godin was wanting something a bit more “hands-on”, but I don’t sell “hands-on” anything. I provide trust first, then everything else follows.

Maybe I’m not a freelancer.

The second and last question in this segment, which I’m finding even more difficult is, Leave out the easy, repetitive, generic stuff . . . What are you doing that’s difficult?

Well, certainly this course! It’s making me think in ways I’ve never considered. 

The whole thinking and research process for a potential alternative to Title IX funding is certainly a challenge, and there are the hotel / resident hall partnership discussions / decisions that are currently underway, and now a bond funding project to carefully research and implement. 

I guess now that I think about it, while I’m not so sure I’d call these “difficult”, they are most certainly challenging and they are not “easy, repetitive, generic stuff”. Actually, these kinds of things are the fun stuff!

Hmmm. Moving on . . .

Smart Phone or Just Dumb Me

It dawned on me the other day that I have become a slave to my smart phone. I’m convinced that they (whoever “they” are) call them smart phones because those phones have truly outsmarted all of us! Back when it was just a dumb phone, and only sent and received calls, it stayed in my pocket until I needed to make or take a call. In those days I was jealous enough of my limited minutes that I didn’t take every call, and was pretty careful about who and how long I talked when I called.

I was still the master of my personal phone!

                But, alas and alack, in the bowels of sterile laboratories in Cupertino, California, mad scientists like Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak continued their wild experiments, and in less than a generation developed devises that were much more than phones. Now I find myself reading cryptic notes from other slaves, checking and rechecking the news every time I get a free moment, tweeting my occasional brilliant thoughts, tracking the blue dot that is me on the GPS, watching an occasional NCIS episode on Netflix, and a host of other things when I could be, should be, relaxing, or praying, or reading my Bible.

                Oh yeah, and I can read the Bible on the smart phone, too, although I’m not sure yet about texting Jesus.

                And it’s not just me. I watch people all across the Ohio Christian University campus, walking around, never looking up, glued to their smart phones, thumbs all ablur. The hapless few that are looking up have ear buds and brightly colored wires running down their chests into their pockets, connected to . . . you guessed it . . . their smart phones!

                So my daughter calls me this afternoon and asks, “Are you at home?”

                “No, I’m still at the office.”

                “Mom isn’t answering her phone again.”

                I get home and the phone is still in her purse from when we returned from a trip, a trip in which she did not use her smart phone one time, and subsequently forgot about it and let it run out of juice in her purse. Hmmm. Perhaps not everyone has become enslaved after all.

                Believe it or not, this isn’t an article about smart phones or our presumed dependence upon them. It about values for living, just like the name of this column implies. It’s about finding balance in our lives, and understanding what is truly important. Before smart phones, it was just something else.

                I’ll never forget back in the 80s when I was a pastor in Indianapolis. My daughter was somewhere between 8 and 10, and the two of us were in the car one Saturday afternoon, driving from parishioner to parishioner making pastoral calls. Back then I wasn’t a slave to smart phones. I was a slave to Indiana University football. (Why, I have no idea, because they weren’t much better then than they are now, but that’s what slavery does to a person.)

                Anyway, I was listening to the game between visits while my daughter chatted away about only God knows what. I sure didn’t know what because I was chained to that game, when I was suddenly and clearly aware of a “voice” and a “presence” beyond the game and my daughter’s chatting that said words to this effect; “You’re always asking for me to help you get through to Heather. Now she wants to talk and you’re chained to that radio.” I was so startled that I turned around to see if someone was in that car besides Heather and me. There wasn’t, or at least no one I could see.

                I turned off the radio, and focused my full attention to that wee girl, and never let anything interrupt a conversation with her again.

                Some may think this is a remarkable and possibly unbelievable story, and I get that; but I was there, and it changed the way I interact with children from that day to this.

                In Mark 10: 17 through 22 Jesus was approached by a young man who became a slave to his possessions, and instead of forsaking his stuff and following Christ, that young man went away sad because his smart phone, or his IU football, or his whatever, was just more important to him that the most foundational value for living of all; a relationship, not with his daughter, but with God’s son, Jesus.

                Don’t let it be so with your family and you, or more importantly with Jesus and you! Be smarter than the phone.

Am I a Freelancer?

I signed up for “A course for freelancers who want to move up” by Seth Godin, which is kind of odd because I’m not at all a freelancer . . . at least right now I’m not. It cost me $27.00, so I’m taking it pretty seriously. 

Anyway, after the first four lectures I was given the task to “Do these exercises online, in public. Blog them or put them on Facebook. Speak up. Speak out.”

Well now, that kind of creeps me out because I’m honestly a closet introvert, so sharing the answers to the six questions of this first quiz to the countless thousands that read this blog (*cough, choke*) is a bit intimidating.

Regardless, here goes!

What do you want to do? (Not your job, but your work, now, tomorrow, and in the future?

This first question really threw me and, to make matters worse, in an italicized asterisk-ed statement Godin said that “If you’re having trouble answering this, you’re going to have trouble moving up, because you’ve abdicated your dream to whoever walks in the door next.”  OUCH!

Had he asked “What do you want to see done?” instead of “What do you want to do?”, I would have said that I want to see the world in general, and Christian private higher ed in particular, to quit running to the government with hat in hand looking for yet another handout. I personally know of only two accredited colleges that have completely rejected the US Department of Education’s Title IV funding, and the myriad strings (or more accurately ropes and chains) that go with it. I marvel at their conviction and commitment, and the hard work it took to get them there. 

But what can I, a singular CFO at a small private Christian college do to see that happen at my school . . . or more importantly, across all of Christian higher education?

Who do you want to change, and how do you want to change them?

How can such a simple question make me sit here and think so long? It isn’t “who” I want to change, but “what” I want to change . . . or see changed. (I clearly haven’t accepted this as my personal responsibility yet.)

But then again, doesn’t “what” begin with “who”? I want to see college presidents and trustees change the conventional wisdom that their institutions must have those government grants and loans in order for their students to pay for their education, or in other words, for their institutions to survive.

How? Well, we know at least two colleges have already done it. Why not just ask? (Which, by the way, I have already done.) Why couldn’t every private Christian college do this, or better yet, why couldn’t a consortium of private Christian colleges create a gigantic grant / loan fund  similar to (but more efficient than) the government’s?

How much risk? (from 1 [a little] to 10 [bet everything]), how much are you willing to put at stake to make the change you seek?

I “preach” risk taking to my business and economics students, but personally am a rather risk averse person. What I’m proposing is a really big deal, and probably impossible when you consider all of the personalities that would have to be on board.

I can’t think of anything off the top of my head on which I’d “bet everything”, but on this project I might score myself a 5. For me, that’s the equivalent of “bet everything”.

How much work are you willing to do to get there? Be specific about the tradeoffs.

Well, what I do know is that ever since I visited Hillsdale and Grove City, I’ve not been able to get it out of my head, and quite frankly my heart. Passion about any idea transforms work into fun, but it’s still work and takes a lot of time, this being no exception.  My full time gig does position me well to pursue this to a certain degree, and my recent appointment to the ABACC  (Association of Business Administrators of Christian Colleges) board provides yet another venue. I would use those connections to begin the “preaching and evangelization” process.

Sitting here thinking about it for a few minutes, I realize that the “preaching and evangelization” process has actually been going-on for 2 or 3 years now, and following a recent list-serve dialogue with peers across the ABACC membership, Bruce Hoeker, the Chief of ABACC, has determined to set up a webinar to dig more deeply into it. What does that say about willingness?

Does this project matter enough for the risk and the effort you’re putting into it?

In the words of Tom Arington, a successful entrepreneur I highly respect, “It matters”. The real question is, “Can I convince enough other Presidents, CFOs, and financial backers into believing it matters?” That, quite frankly, I honestly do not know.

Is it possible — has anyone with your resources ever pulled off anything like this?

As I said earlier, it’s definitely been done, but not at the scale I’m dreaming. 

Thus ends the first assignment of this course, and I’ve worked off and on all weekend to get it done. Geez, this is worse than my MBA days!!

Truth

I’ll never forget Big D.

    He was a rather big fellow (hence, “Big” D) with kin folk trailing all the way back to the Dalton Gang, legendary outlaws of the post-Civil War period. Needless to say, he was an interesting character, with quite an index of aphorismic phrases he’d picked up from his mother. One that stuck with me all these years was his mother’s explanation for why she and Big D’s father divorced when he was just a wee lad. All she would say was, “Well son, there’s (sic) three sides to the story. My side, his side, and the truth, and it’s the truth that’s the hardest to get at.”
   
    I laughed out loud when he told me that, but the longer I let it soak into my brain, the more sobering the reality of it became, and my mind raced to the words of that gloomy old prophet Jeremiah who said, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?” (Jeremiah 17:9) If we are to believe Big D’s Mom, we can’t know it! We’re held so captive by our own sinful prejudices that our hearts fool us every time. It’s the primary reason I get cold chills whenever I hear advice like, “Follow your heart”, or “Let your heart be your guide.” If we are to believe Jeremiah then that advice will only lead us into trouble.

     Having intellectually and experientially come to believe the old prophet, I cringe when the television show therapist asks the actor-patient, “And how does that make you feel?” I’m sitting there in my chair shouting at the TV, “Who cares how she feels! Just tell her the truth?”  I know, I know, the therapist’s objective is to get her to realize the truth on her own, but don’t forget Jerry’s admonition that “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?” If the old prophet is right, then how on earth can she get there on her own? Well, she can’t, but the good news is, there is a way, and interestingly enough, the “Good News” is that way.
The Bible is full of great wisdom and guidance to help us really learn and know the truth, things like “ . . . in the multitude of counselors there is safety.” (Proverbs 11:14), which takes us back to our TV therapist example; only find a therapist that’s actually going to tell you the truth!

    Then there’s one of my favorites, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and unbraideth not; and it shall be given him. (James 1:5), and I emphasize that “ask of God” part. Counselors and therapists are humans, too, so their hearts aren’t any more pure than the rest of us, and the best of them make mistakes; but God . . . now there’s the resource for truth, and all we have to do is ask.

    If you really want the truth, and you’re brave enough to ask (read James 1:6-8 for a better context of what I mean by “brave enough”), be ready, because the truth . . . not Big D’s Mom’s truth, or Big D’s Dad’s truth, but THE truth . . . is often quite a bit different that we think it is. I’ve seen people get so close to it that it started to hurt, and that’s when they walked away and continued to cling to “their” truth.

    It takes a remarkable man or woman to acknowledge their own prejudices and misconceptions, and Big D’s Mom was certainly a remarkable woman; but it takes a miracle of grace find and accept the truth.

    Fortunately, His grace is abundant.

Who Eactly are "They"?

Ever wonder who ‘they’ are?

I’m sure you’ve heard the old refrain, “You know what ‘they’ always say . . .” which of course is followed by some snappy little phrase ‘they’ supposedly always say. The more I hear about ‘they’, the less interested I am in the snappy little phrases, and the more interested I am in precisely who ‘they’ really are.

The same principle holds when we hear from ‘The White House’. Everyone knows that the Executive Mansion itself didn’t say anything, so who exactly in ‘The White House’ is making all of these pronouncements? If it’s the POTUS, then why not come right out and say so, because if it’s the butler, then who cares? (I suppose this way they can always say ‘The butler did it.’)

Then of course there’s ‘Congress’. A recent Gallup poll (bit.ly/SmY7xw) states that “Americans’ approval of Congress is 13% in April, inching down from 15% in March”, yet according to Charlie Mahtesian, writing for Politico (politi.co/U5ydA0), the 2012 reelection rate for Congress was 90%! How is this possible if the approval rate of Congress is hovering at near historic lows? Apparently, as Mr. Mahtesian says, “Voters hate Congress, but like their own member.”

When any one of us can either blame or take the word of the proverbial ‘they’ for what we believe is right or wrong at any given moment, or when an individual Congressperson can blame an entire institution for not leading and doing, or on the other hand for leading and doing but doing it badly, or the POTUS can blame an inanimate object for things he may or may not have said or believe, then it seems to me that personal responsibility has gone right out the window.

But none of this is new.

Some time or other between 55 and 56 . . . and no, I don’t mean between 1955 and 1956, but I really mean between 0055 and 0056 . . . the Apostle Paul got a letter, or some form of communique from the Board of Trustees of the First Church of Corinth, accusing him of deceiving them about his travel plans, of all things. (See 2 Corinthians 1:13-19 for some context. The New Living Translation is the easiest to follow this particular story line in my opinion.) These people must have been lied-to so often by the Corinthian political, business, and religious communities that they assumed Paul must be just like them, or at the very least Corinthian-lite. But the old evangelist makes it crystal clear that he leaves “nothing written between the lines and nothing you can’t understand.” (verse 13) It’s like they were reading and re-reading his letter, looking for what he really meant instead of what was plainly written, kind of like what we do when ‘They’ or ‘The White House’ or ‘The Congress’ runs all around the questions and never can quite say what ‘they’ really mean, leaving the rest of us scratching our heads, wondering.

But Paul wasn’t your typical religious whacko, spouting scary stories just to get people to kow-tow to his will, only to personally live differently than his congregations. He meant what he said, and he said what he meant, and he lived it every day . . . and so should we! (When you’re finished reading this article, read the entire first chapter of 2 Corinthians and you’ll have a better picture of this guy’s intentions.)

It’s the easiest thing in the world to blame our spouse, or our boss, or our parents, or a host of other ‘theys’ for our problems, but none of that will change our circumstances. We’ve become a society of victims, looking for someone, anyone but ourselves, to bear the burden of whatever current dilemma we face. “For Jesus Christ, the Son of God, does not waver between ‘Yes’ and ‘No’”, rather “he always does what he says.” (verse 19).

Again, so should we, and then take personal responsibility for the results.

The Use & Misuse of Capital

“ . . . the Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by the story of a man going on a long trip. He called together his servants and entrusted his money to them while he was gone. He gave five bags of silver to one, two bags of silver to another, and one bag of silver to the last—dividing it in proportion to their abilities. He then left on his trip. The servant who received the five bags of silver began to invest the money and earned five more. The servant with two bags of silver also went to work and earned two more. But the servant who received the one bag of silver dug a hole in the ground and hid the master’s money. After a long time their master returned from his trip and called them to give an account of how they had used his money. The servant to whom he had entrusted the five bags of silver came forward with five more and said, ‘Master, you gave me five bags of silver to invest, and I have earned five more.’ The master was full of praise. ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!’ The servant who had received the two bags of silver came forward and said, ‘Master, you gave me two bags of silver to invest, and I have earned two more.’ The master said, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!’ Then the servant with the one bag of silver came and said, ‘Master, I knew you were a harsh man, harvesting crops you didn’t plant and gathering crops you didn’t cultivate. I was afraid I would lose your money, so I hid it in the earth. Look, here is your money back.’ But the master replied, ‘You wicked and lazy servant! If you knew I harvested crops I didn’t plant and gathered crops I didn’t cultivate, why didn’t you deposit my money in the bank? At least I could have gotten some interest on it.’ Then he ordered, ‘Take the money from this servant, and give it to the one with the ten bags of silver. To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away.’”
Matthew 25:14-29, NLT

It would be hard to find a more classic, biblical example of the use and, yes, the misuse of capital. To be sure, the underlying principle here is a spiritual one; however, Jesus again and again uses financial principles throughout the Gospels to illustrate the spiritual. The lesson here is two-fold: take what God has given you, be it a little or a lot, and maximize His gifts to their fullest potential, and “To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance.” Invest wisely, and you will reap the rewards, spiritually and financially. Unfortunately, results of the fearful side of human nature are also forecast. “But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away.” Sit around and watch television all evening, spend everything you earn, and never think about tomorrow but simply live for today and you’ll end up with nothing, spiritually and financially.

Incentives

“‘Have you seen the giant?’ the men were asking. ‘He comes out each day to challenge Israel. And have you heard about the huge reward the king has offered to anyone who kills him? The king will give him one of his daughters for a wife, and his whole family will be exempted from paying taxes!’”
I Samuel 17:25, NLT

Talk about an incentive program! Kill the giant and get the King’s daughter and tax exemption for the rest of your life. It’s got me looking for a sling and five smooth stones myself.

The first King of Israel understood the power of incentives more than 1,000 years before God became a man via The Man Christ Jesus. What really fascinates me about this story is that only one person took advantage of the King’s incentive program. Sure, there were risks in the King’s proposal, but there were also huge rewards for the successful, and David was determined to be successful.

He was no fool, but realized that conventional methods weren’t the answer for this job. Here was a man, wise beyond his years, smart enough to not believe it couldn’t be done, but instead looked for new methods for Giant Killing. The old ways weren’t working anymore, but that didn’t mean it couldn’t be done. He just had to figure out how, and figure it out he did.

It’s amazing what the right incentives just might inspire us to accomplish.