As our nation’s 233rd birthday is upon us I wanted to ramble about one of its founding principles—liberty. Mostly this word gets reduced to a synonym—"freedom." Or it may be reduced even further to mean "being free," i.e. without restraint.

Liberty is something more than just being free. In the political context in which it used in the Declaration of Independence, freedom means being released from arbitrary governance by another political entity, England. The separatists or Puritans left England to establish a colony where they were free from the restraint of the Church of England. Their liberty came from the elimination of religious constraint.

While exercising their religious liberty, they did not establish freedom of religion. We can just look to Roger Williams for that evidence.  Williams preached religious tolerance and the right for people to pursue God in their own way, and he was exiled from the colony. Eventually, he founded a new colony based on these principles of religious liberty at Providence, Rhode Island. This colony is the birthplace of the Baptist congregation in America.

Through this principle of religious liberty grew a founding tenet of the United States of America, the separation of church and state. It grew out of an understanding of liberty that allows the individual to throw off the shackles of an oppressor to pursue God in their own way.

Religious toleration is at the heart of our country’s founding, and it is very much alive today. Despite its abuses, this tolerance makes possible a forum for dissenting voices. Fifty years ago, the voice of the atheist was crushed in the United States. Today, that voice is allowed to be heard and is openly debated in many Christian media outlets. Christopher Hitchens and Richard Dawkins have a voice in our country because the overwhelmingly Christian populace allows it. That's religious liberty.

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Here’s a quote from Howard E. Butt, Jr. It’s from a staff workshop in 1998:

To practice servant leadership as modeled by the Holy Trinity—God the Father is the leader, God the Son is the servant—that's where the whole idea of servant leadership comes from.  To practice servant leadership as modeled by the Holy Trinity to renew ourselves, our families, our institutions, and society—now, that's our vision.

This is a reminder that Jesus lived out what Paul wrote to the Philippians.

Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
but made himself nothing,
taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to death—
even death on a cross!

Jesus struggled with this type of obedience the same as we struggle with it. Being a humble, totally obedient servant is not easy. In Gethsemane, Jesus prayed, "My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will." Not just once. He makes the same request a few verses later: "My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done" (Matt. 26:39, 42).

It’s comforting to know that God understands how difficult obedience is for us. Simple obedience, like following rules, can be difficult enough for us. But obedience that requires a blow to the ego or even suppression of the ego can be really hard. So when Jesus accepted the role of obedient servant in his prayer at Gethsemane, he understood the cost of that obedience. He knew he would face public humiliation, ridicule, and rejection. He knew his friends would abandon him. Obviously, it was painful.

The problem with obedience is that it’s hard. However, there is an up side. Obedience is what makes working together successful. If there is consistent or constant challenge to any idea anyone puts forward and no one is willing to follow or abide by the rules, then failure is certain. Someone has to follow in order to have successful leadership. Being a follower is difficult for most of us. We like to lead, or at least have others listen to us.

Another side to the problem of obedience is the fitness of the leader.  A controlling, power-hungry leader who cannot share leadership is doomed to failure.  The same is true of a leader who can’t step back and be obedient when appropriate.

There’s a sense of mutuality to obedience.  A give and take between leader and servant is evident in healthy leadership and healthy service that encompasses obedience. Genuine care for the greater good or overall goal of the group is a mark of that healthiness. So Jesus trusted the Father. Regardless of the personal anguish Jesus anticipated, he knew that his goals and the Father’s goal were one.

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L. L. Barkat’s article, “Personal Business," got my attention. It’s about personal information in emails at work contrasted with a doctor’s personal concern for his patients. L. L. reminded me about the importance of relationships and how often we overlook that importance in the workplace. Somehow we think relationships are a soft subject that has no place at work. Work is about work, and anything personal should be left at the door.

So let’s talk about a hard subject. Maximum security prisons are all about hard time. For the last twenty years or more, I’ve carried with me the images from a TIME article about these prisons titled "Living on Death Row" (unfortunately, the images aren't available online). The photos from death row showed inmates holding mirrors outside the cells trying to connect with other inmates.  Another photo showed inmates using hand signals to communicate with prisoners they couldn’t see. What struck me was the desperate need to connect with others.

Sunday on 60 Minutes, I saw a report on a "supermax" federal prison. It is the federal government’s prison for the most notorious and violent criminals. A former warden refers to it as “a clean version of hell.” The worst part of being incarcerated at a supermax is the limited contact prisoners have with other people. Visitation is highly restricted. They receive only one fifteen-minute phone call per month. Even letters are restricted to approved senders.

A former inmate described his incarceration at supermax like this: “The connection to the outside, the phone calls to the outside, are pretty much stopped.” When asked about the brutality of isolation he replied, “It breaks down the human spirit, the human psyche. It breaks your mind.”

It seems obvious that we are meant for relationship with others. It’s a deep need within us. Yet we leave the action of building healthy relationships to chance.  There is a treatise that we can consult. It’s Matthew 5. The entire chapter is an illustration of how we should live out healthy relationships. Our emotional intelligence requires it. The idea of emotional intelligence originated in the work of Peter Salovey of Yale and John Mayer. Then Daniel Goleman summarized the idea for a general audience in his book Emotional Intelligence.

Let’s think more deeply about everyday relationships and how we should respond appropriately. Take a look at these articles about being transparent with your coworkers to understand what appropriate working relationships can look like.

On a related side note, L. L. deserves some congrats this week! Last night she finished the manuscript for her next book as she explains in this blog post to her editor at Intervarsity Press. I'm sure meeting that deadline will be good for that relationship.

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I was thinking about my earlier post, “Work Is Noble,” and the image of knights, squires, and pages has been flashing through my mind. Using that imagery of classic nobility helps me to see my role clearer. But it also helps me keep a healthy perspective on the role of manual labor and the idea of craftsmanship.

My brother was like a squire to our father. He assisted our father in mechanical functions. I was like a page, assisting in the most menial tasks such as handing over the appropriate tool. I never got close to the real action, not even in training. Those tasks were for the knight and his squire.

Aspiring to be a squire never interested me. Most of what I learned about all things mechanical came from junior high shop classes. There I learned enough to get by but never enough to make me in any way proficient.  It became obvious that I should look elsewhere for my unique skills.

There were, however, two times where I developed enough mechanical proficiency to experience joy in the work.

First, I experienced the joy of manual labor while working on a KS-125 motorcycle that I modified enough to be a passable motocross bike. I spent hours working on the bike and learning the intricacies of the two-stroke engine. It was never enough to allow me the knighthood of being considered a mechanic, but perhaps enough to reach the level of squire.

My money and interest ran out about the same time, but I soon learned of another craft that captured my interest.

Second, I experienced the joy of craftsmanship while working on a pair of cross country skies. I enjoyed cross country skiing immensely. It was a great workout, and it got me out into the woods in the winter. I even had my own pair of classic wood skis which I learned to tar and wax for maximum performance.

In the basement of my parent’s home, I spent hours with a propane torch heating pine tar and spreading it across the bottom of the skis to seal them from moisture. Then I would apply the base coat of wax, for the glide. This provided a smooth surface for the skis to glide over the snow. Finally, I applied kick wax, a specific wax to grip the snow and meet the weather conditions for that day.

Alas, this craftsmanship was also short-lived as I soon moved to Texas. I left the skis behind and poured my energies into teaching and coaching. But the sense of physical labor and craftsmanship were an important part of how I defined myself.

Gradually, my identity shifted over time, and it was a frustrating process. I began to understand that the philosophical and theological questions of life were what motivated me and where my gifts were best suited.  This was not an easy transition for a couple of reasons. Philosophy and theology tend to emphasize ideas and not products. Such intellectual pursuits conflicted with my understanding of what constitutes meaningful work.

I thought craftsmanship and physical labor were noble work. Philosophy and theology, however, were just glorified ways to describe daydreaming. This conflict took years or decades to resolve.  The resolution has played out as a battle to remain faithful to what Christ was teaching me about who I was meant to be as opposed to what the world taught me about what I was supposed to be.

The first steps were the physical relocation that I described in “What You Might Become.” This latter phase of transformation has been more difficult and taken more time. I liken it to the Exodus and the uncertainty of wandering in the desert for forty years. There are times when it’s easy to become distracted and choose another direction. It’s harder to battle through the uncertainty on faith alone.

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In an earlier post, “The Power of Story,” I suggested looking at colleagues through the lens of common themes in literature. This can be an interesting activity to help us understand those people we work with closely. I gave the example of Katie in another post.

The following is a story that deals with pain. How do we make sense of difficult times, and the pain they bring? One way we deal with it is through story. The following is about the pain of losing a colleague.

When I first met Don, his wife Pat was in remission from breast cancer. Shortly after Pat and Don came to work with us, Pat’s cancer came back. She fought well with dignity and bravery but finally succumbed to the disease. As death took Pat, Don entered an intense grieving process. He was a pastoral care professional himself and so quite familiar with grief and how to help others through it. Now Don faced the battle himself.

Don chose to work through the grief with a counselor friend. They sequestered themselves for about ten days, and the process drained Don. I encountered him briefly during the period of grief, and he looked defeated. The next time I saw Don, he was subdued but hopeful. He had lost the mother of his children, the grandmother of his grandchildren, but still he saw hope.

His clash with death took another turn a few short years later. He stood by his older daughter’s side as she delivered her first child, stillborn. Again Don faced the pain of death, and again he chose hope over despair. Not many years later, Don succumbed to cancer. He faced it with dignity and courage. His life and his life story are a beacon of hope for all of us who knew and loved Don.

Death is one of the common themes of literature. Applying this theme to my late colleague, Don, I am better able to cope with his loss but also more deeply appreciate his life.

 

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Growing up, I saw particular value in physical labor. One time when I was boy, I told my father that I’d never work in an office. I said, “I want to do real work.”

It’s funny how things work out. The only skills that I had in the area of manual labor were digging ditches and carrying heavy supplies. My brother was mechanical. He and my dad would work on cars. I stood there bored to tears waiting to fetch the next tool they needed.

I discovered through painful trials that working in the trades was not my forte.  That didn’t stop me from trying to find meaningful work in factories. There was plenty of good work, but it just didn’t fit my core identity. So I struggled to find my calling and finally went back to college.  What a painful decision that was. For me, the only thing worse than working in a factory was sitting in a classroom. But back to school I went.

I have a strong belief that work is noble. Books like Shop Class as Soulcraft by Matthew Crawford, The Mind at Work by Mike Rose, or Working by Studs Terkel reinforce this view. Work derives nobility from its concrete nature. Work is real, not abstract or conceptual. Work is true because I can feel its reality. Work produces something tangible. The material nature of things is good. Even God became corporeal.

Jesus is the Incarnate Word of God. He is corporeally human and fully God. Also he is logos, the fullness of reason.

"In the beginning was the Word [logos], and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.

Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it" (John 1:1-5).

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Here is an example illustrating the power of story in the life of one of my coworkers. I’ve created a story about Katie's journey as I understand it. Some people may say I’ve projected a story onto my colleague. No matter, the following example helps me better understand my relationship with a colleague. And it’s a fun way to try to understand someone.

Katie came to work at Laity Lodge Youth Camp straight from college. She worked as an intern , then as an assistant director. And now she is an associate director. Working with Katie and observing her journey has always been a joy.

There exists in Katie an authenticity that is refreshing. She is earnest in her faith and open about her struggles as well as her triumphs. She is devoted to Christ and his leading in her life. In fact, Katie is so fervent about her faith, it is both encouraging and startling at the same time.

One day in our staff devotion, Katie shared some health concerns. She was in constant pain and doctors weren't sure what was causing the pain. Over the months as Katie continued visiting different doctors, her pain increased. No relief was in sight. Each new report she shared was bleaker than the previous report. When she did receive a diagnosis, the doctor said she had rheumatoid arthritis. Katie was only twenty-five.

Her medication included some difficult side effects. It was serious, but Katie’s outlook never changed. She remained upbeat and faithful even as she shared her fears. Eventually, doctors determined that Katie had suffered because of a virus that brought on symptoms like arthritis. After the virus finished running its course, Katie was perfectly healthy again.

For nearly two years, she struggled with pain and uncertainty. But then Katie was restored to full health. She moved forward with her plans to be married. After this summer, Katie moves to another adventure as she and her new husband, an Air Force pilot, take an assignment in Japan.

Journey or “The Great Journey” is one of the common themes of literature. Applying this theme to my coworker, Katie, I am better able to identify her uniqueness. I continue to marvel at her enthusiastic and encouraging spirit and the power of her faith. All life is a journey. Sometimes we encounter people who inspire us with their journeys. Katie is one of those people.

Katie's journey through illness isn't the end of the story though. Katie’s whole life will be a journey, and she is just at the beginning of that journey.

Now it's your turn. Think about two or three people you work with on a regular basis. Apply one or more of the common themes listed below to each of the people you selected. Create a story around their lives.

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Here’s an idea. Have some fun looking at the people you work with on a daily basis and thinking about them in terms of common themes found in literature. View them from a story perspective. It’s a fun exercise that can provide fresh insights into your relationships with your coworkers. It may help you better understand them. It may help you better understand how you view others. Either way, it can improve the way you communicate with the people around you.

Start with these five common themes from literature: alienation, coming of age, justice, love, and death.

Alienation is being isolated or apart from the group. Do you work with someone who is alienated? Typical characters of alienation are Clint Eastwood in most of his westerns or in Dirty Harry as Harry Callahan, James Dean in Giant and Rebel Without a Cause, Denzel Washington in The Manchurian Candidate and American Gangster. In each of these examples from the movies, the characters are misunderstood outsiders who have decent hearts.

Coming of age stories such as Tom Sawyer, Harry Potter, and Jane Eyre are about young people growing up and coming to terms with adulthood. You can also think about the coming of age story as a loss of innocence when naïve outlook or idealism fall away. This is the case with Michael Corleone in The Godfather. Although Michael Corleone is an adult coming home from the war, he is still facing the cruel realities of his family for perhaps the first time.

Justice themes may include economic or social justice such as A Christmas Carol, Eight Men Out, The Invisible Man, or The Milagro Beanfield War. These stories contain deep moral principles and often have religious significance.

Love is an interesting theme because it is so multifaceted, even more than justice. There is romantic love like Romeo and Juliet; or family love such as Little Women, Great Expectations, and The Brothers Karamazov. Then there is brotherly love or friendship like Band of Brothers, Shawshank Redemption, and Of Mice and Men.

Journey is another theme with different variations. There are literal journeys like Around the World in Eighty Days or Journey to the Center of the Earth. Then there are journeys through time like The Time Machine or Back to the Future. Also there are journeys through life such as Long Day's Journey into Night. Often, stories with a strong journey theme will combine literal and metaphoric journeys. For example, The Grapes of Wrath combines a literal journey to California with emotional and spiritual journeys.

Everyone around us has a story. Telling the stories of the people we work with can help us develop a deeper understanding and appreciation for their lives. In the process, we may find that their lives have had a significant influence on our lives.

In my next post, I'll provide an example of this by telling you the story of Katie's journey.

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I came across an interesting article this morning and wanted to share it with you. "Small Businesses Get Social" outlines how small businesses are using social media. Most of what I’ve seen written concerns large corporations and how they’re incorporating social media into their marketing plans. Here’s an article referencing a study of more than 260,000 small businesses.

Professional social networking sites such as LinkedIn haven’t been a focus of this blog. I’ve written mostly about general social networking sites. Another area I’ve given almost no attention to is wikis. These are powerful tools with tremendous potential. And it’s not just about Wikipedia either.

Take an area of expertise that you or your company is engaged in and ask if there might be an advantage to be gained through opening a wiki? Can shared experience and expertise help grow your business? If you think it can then perhaps a wiki is for you.  Here are a few links to wikis that may illustrate how you can use or build your own wiki. Gospel Translations,  wikiHow, and Wikispaces are just three examples that might help you see the power of wikis.

Professional social networking provides contacts with business associates through user-defined criteria. Wikis help us to gain and share knowledge. Social media is an effective tool if managed properly and it's just in its infancy. The future will connect us in new and effective ways defined by our needs. It's worth developing a strategy to engage it effectively.

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Benedict of Nursia, in the early sixth century, founded several communities devoted to living a godly life. Through his efforts, he developed his "Rule" for governing daily life. Benedict honored work and understood it to be a high calling. Today, The Rule of St. Benedict is growing in popularity.

Chapter Seven of The Rule is "Humility." Each person should strive toward humility. Benedict provides twelve steps in the process.

1.       Fear God and recognize your sins (Ps. 36:2).

2.       Love God and his will more than your own (John. 6:38).

3.       Be obedient to God and others in authority. (Phil. 2:8).

4.       Have patient endurance (Matt. 10:22).

   5.       Humbly confess (Ps. 37:5).

   6.       Be content in difficult times (Ps. 73:22-23).

   7.       Consider yourself lowly, being nothing without God (Ps. 22:7).

   8.       Submit to the common rule and the example of the elders.

   9.       Keep from speaking until asked (Prov. 10:19).

  10.     Practice restraint in words.

  11.     Speak gently and wisely.

  12.     Be humble at heart and humble in all activities (Luke 18:13).

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