Intersection

I did not lose anyone in September 11th. So I cannot even imagine the mixed emotions and feelings that are flying through the minds and hearts of people that lost friends or family in September 11th. While it may seem insensitive I feel I must say this… My heart is breaking tonight as I watch the American response to Osama Bin Laden’s death.

Some things Christians should consider as they gather their thoughts about this horrible event.

“I say love your enemies. Do good to those that hate you” Luke 6:27

“I take no pleasure in the death of wicked people. I only want them to turn from their wicked ways so they can live.” -Ezekiel 33:11(NLT)

I may or may not write more about this next week as I gather my thoughts. Tonight, there is so much hate flying around in so many directions in my twitter feed because of Bin Laden’s death. Any hate is his legacy. May we decide not to give in.

People PLEASE don’t give in to hate.

The NBA playoffs have started and we have already seen some close exciting games. NBA games
are all about momentum and what some people call “runs.”

Teams look for momentum. They hype the crowd to get it going, and look for every opportunity to turn the tide in their direction.
Coaches worry about stopping the other team when they go on their “runs.”

On the other hand, winning teams understand that momentum will come and go in the game. So it is not about creating or stopping momentum. Instead, the team that knows exactly how to play when they don’t have the momentum… wins.

Shots aren’t falling? Take the ball to the hoop. Can’t get your offense going? Crash the boards.

What about your organization? When the passion is fading, and the hype isn’t there how do you play? How do you work when the momentum is gone? 

Do you know? Does your team know? The way you and your team works when there is no momentum will determine if you will win or lose.

I write mostly about leadership, influence, and culture here at Intersection. But today, at 11:30am, I am getting married!!!  God has done an amazing work, and I am so thankful! So I want to take this time to introduce you to my soon to be wife, Chrissy Conway.

Chrissy is my best friend. When we first met, Chirssy and I went to Rubios, and while we ate she found a chip that looked like a Santa hat. She danced around holding the chip above her head pretending to be Santa. I had only known her a week, but as I watched her pretend to be Santa with her chip hat… I knew that she was my best friend and that I was going to marry her. I have to admit; I still have that chip in my office… a year later…

Chrissy has an essence that brings out the true human spirit in everyone. She also has a knack for clearing a room, and has rightfully earned the nickname, poopy!! People light up when Chrissy is around because there is something about her very presence that makes you feel good about life and valued for who you are. It is more than charisma, confidence, or swag. Chrissy carries a unique spark of the Divine that lights a passion for life in all those she meets.

Chrissy is a mystery. She is a mystery full of crazy voices, noises, goofiness, and the unique ability to create awesome dances in the passenger seat of a car. When I look at her I see a riddle that God has put together asking me, “can you believe I made someone so amazing?” When we first met I frequently got lost in this riddle and would come off like a creeper staring at her with a blank expression while she was talking.

Chrissy Conway captivates me, and I cannot wait to spend the rest of my life wrapped up in the lovely mystery that she is.

An intersection is a space filled with connections, accidents, and decisions. An intersection demands that you make a choice. Which way will you go? It is at the intersection that people change direction, try a new path, speed up, slow down, and follow street signs. Have you noticed how many advertisements are placed near an intersection? Intersections are environments that ripen people for influence.

Ideas are born when people meet at an intersection “moment” and connect their hearts and minds. Organizations are created when leaders intersect their gifts, talents, and resources towards a cause. It seems life revolves around these moments of “intersection.” So many things collide at intersection moments, but on this blog I hope we can discuss influence and culture.

I will post thoughts or stories regarding influence and culture on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Tuesday and Friday I hope to pose questions or present pieces of art that will give us the chance to consider how influence and culture collide, intertwine, dance, and work together at the intersection moments we encounter.

I look forward to having you join in the conversation.

In ministry and in leadership I have learned that you gain momentum often buy shutting something down… reworking it… and then launching it again.

So with that in mind I am very excited to announce that I am shutting down this blog for the month of December. I have been working hard on a redesign and new focus for my blog, and need these next few weeks to finalize all the changes. I am hoping to launch the new blog on the morning of Monday January 3. We have had some great conversations here on Freestyle and I hope you will join me in January when I launch the new blog. The web address will still be jordantwatson.com it will just be a completely different site.

In my new blog I will focus our conversations to culture and influence. Can’t wait to share with you in 2011. See you then.

Do you have ideas that could get you in trouble? What passions reside deep within your bones that if you let them explode out of your mouth some people might look at you like you are crazy? What disturbs you about your organization that you haven’t shared with anyone?

What if these hidden passions are actually the ideas that humanity desperately needs? We don’t need any more of “the same” from our leaders. Instead, we need bold souls that will take the risk and live from their deep passions.

Yes, you may get fired. Yes, you may make some people angry. People may label you with new titles or new words may be written about you on various blogs. Give humanity your true passion and stop dressing up what you think people want to hear as “your passion.”

We need leaders to reveal their hidden voices.

I told our dog, Smokey, to go outside this morning. He refused. In fact, he would run away from me when I approached him to force him outside. Then he decided that he would jump onto the couch, run across it full speed, and throw himself into a flying leap out the door.

Instead of walking outside with his tail between his legs Smokey took a risk. How frequently do you do exactly as you are told? I stared at Smokey stunned as he soared out the door. I told him to go outside, but he chose to be creative and make a leaping dash off of a couch and out the cracked door. Will we merely comply when we are told to stand in line, pick up our pencils, take the test, complete this project for the boss, or work our way up the system of the company?

You have a choice to be innovative with the space that you have been given. Or put your tail between your legs and comply.

I asked my students once, “Why do people think that a sunset is beautiful?” What resulted were about two minutes of awkward silence and then a struggle to come up with something seemingly powerful to say in response.

That question will always spark confusion because the truth is that we must choose to see beauty in a sunset. Some people are to busy to see the beauty, too unhappy, or too driven. Most Christian people want to do good for others or in other words bring beauty into the world.  If we want to bring beauty then we must first make a choice to see the beauty that is around us. How can we bring into the world something we cannot see ourselves?

See the beauty. Bring the beauty into the world.

The simple ways that we interact with people will leave complex imprints in the world. What feelings do we cultivate when we enter a conversation? Everyone can control their own emotions, but our words and body language have the power to fertilize new feelings in others. If we are careless with this power we leave intricate interweaving threads of negativity within our relationships. For example, the simple act of speaking shortly to someone can leave complex feelings of worthlessness in their heart. The effortless act of yawning during a conversation can can cause someone to feel devalued or unimportant.

On the other hand, we have the opportunity to change the world if we can take hold of this power and recognize its potential. We change the world when we look someone in the eyes as they speak with us. We can bring feelings of affirmation and value into someone’s life when we speak a compliment. The world can be transformed through the power of simplicity. Will you take hold of it?

My friend and I sat in the rental car baffled. The Catalyst conference had just ended, and 13,000 people were making their way out of the stadium parking lots. I was amazed at how 13,000 Christian leaders treated each other on the road. Many people were cut off or forced out of line. I watched as some cars drove up to the front and then barged their way in, and I even heard people honk at each other. I thought, every gem of wisdom  gleaned from that conference is worthless if we cannot treat each other with respect and love during the simplest task of driving in traffic.

On the plane we sat next to two women. Once the plane was airborne one woman grabbed her Bible and began to share her favorite Bible verses with the other lady. We sat and listened as this woman “witnessed” to the person sitting next to her. Then a young man with tattoos, a few facial piercings, and a very large afro walked down the aisle. The lady held her Bible in her hands, looked at him, and said, “I guess some people will do just about anything to get a little attention.” I thought, every evangelism  workshop or “witnessing on planes 101″ class is worthless if we do not have God’s simple heart that says, “I love all people.”

These simple aspects of life are critical because they are facets of human interaction that speak louder than any preaching we can do in our relationships.