I was often accused of having joined a cult when I asked Jesus to be my Lord and Saviour. I laughed at the idea since I knew what the Bible said about salvation. Rom. 10:9,10. Upon reflection, I now think my experience of salvation was and is very real but with some very cult like practices mixed in.
Isolationism
Some of these practices were lifestyle issues like not playing cards, not dancing, not drinking and not working on Sundays. Other groups have other lists to be adhered to. These issues tended towards isolating one from others outside of the group.
I didn’t start out going to Sunday School, a morning service and an evening service, Wednesday night Bible study, men's fellowship? (another bible study with just men), plus a score of volunteer positions and evenings out. It was a process of aligning myself with these practices in order to show that I belonged. Spending a minimum of 12 hours a week at church was normal, lots of weeks were 20+.
These rules were not written down but to advance (grow) in maturity or leadership they were required. Faithfulness meant living within the boundaries of the group’s standards. We did not find these things a hardship but rather a joy to practice. We wanted to belong and this was proof that we did.
Conformity to the group was all that mattered. Not having a beer was more important than building friendships outside of the group. Our glorious message to our unsaved friends was accept Jesus and cut out the evil beer drinking.
Elitism
My group has the best interpretation of the Bible. Wow, I was one smug dude over this one. The idea that “we don’t know what we don’t know”, never occurred to us. If I didn’t have the answer our pastor surely did.
PRIDE trapped us into a rigid belief system that could not be challenged. Everyone was told to “grow” but that simply meant accepting the group’s values (almost always the unwritten ones), one point at a time. Groups tend to have a paralyzing effect on new ideas. Amazingly, even groups with completely opposing ideas manage to use the Bible to justify them.
If I saw something in the Bible that the leader didn’t believe, obviously it was an error on my part. The idea of the Holy Spirit leading us into all truth was constantly emphasized, but in reality simply meant following the leader as he was “led” by the Spirit.
There is an unstated but real belief that when we finally get to heaven the way our group functioned will be the blueprint for everyone else. And we’ll be able to say, “See, I told you so.”
Leadership
Aligning oneself with the leader is of utmost importance. Don’t expect to advance or belong if you don’t. His interpretation is final: including how one interprets the Bible or how one interprets a prophetic word. Failure to do so will result in not being trusted and set aside. The secret of disagreeing and being able to belong at the same time is to keep your mouth zipped tight.
The leader has significant influence since their voice is the one that everyone hears religiously. The amount of time and money devoted to a leader’s speaking unquestionably gives them a significant amount of power. Not surprisingly, these monologues are not meant to support an open learning model but in reality manage to isolate everyone to only hearing a very one sided view.
Some leaders are very gracious in their style of leadership while others are very autocratic, the point is that it is their vision that is to be followed. Gather a few people in your church to look after an orphanage without the leader giving his ok and test this out. The smooth leaders will include this type of plan into the overall vision of the church and will even give it their blessing so that they can be seen to be leading this worthy cause. Other leaders will be jealous that people are spending money on something they didn’t start and may be seen to compete with what they are doing.
Money
The lion’s share of all giving should be done within the group. It doesn’t matter if the group teaches tithing or free will giving. The way God chooses to bless the world through our finances is through giving to the group. Ironically, 80-99% of offerings are spent on the group and not the world. The amount of money spent on buildings and leaders (in the name of evangelism, of course) is astounding.
Relationships
Friendships only exist within the confines of agreement within the group. If you leave the group expect to be shunned: either overtly or quietly. From the more gracious groups there will be a genuine feeling of sadness that you left and that you didn’t get how important they really are. I’ve been fascinated by how fragile friendships (if that's what they ever were) are compared to the idea of solidarity within the group’s thinking.
The Church as the Body of Christ
This is often talked about but is rarely embraced. A group’s identity is far more important. The single greatest unifying factor (Jesus is a distant second) practiced by all groups is that one should belong to a group. What is shocking about this is that the New Testament never mentions the name of a single church but only identifies Christians by the city which they live in. Try telling some Christians you're simply part of the church of (name your city) and watch the weird look that comes on their faces.
Maturity
Growing as a Christian should be a lifelong adventure. No group can ever say they have all that Christ has for an individual. Sadly, because of a group's need for identity, thus the cultlike practices that strengthen that idea, tend to snuff out an individual's development and growth in Christ. Not many groups have ever celebrated an individual's growing beyond the group's limitations. To do so, would reveal the tenuous house of cards that any group's identity has been built on.
Can you grow beyond your group's limits? Of course you can. Just don't tell anybody.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Monday, November 24, 2008
The High Cost of Low Prices
These are some points I had after listening to a lecture entitled, Youth and Globalization by Dr. Anton L. Allahar, Distinguished Professor of Sociology, at the University of Western Ontario.
He gave an example from his native country of West Indies to show how corporations manipulate people for their own gain.
The West Indies had a fully functioning dairy industry that supplied milk to the population for 18 cents a liter. It also bolstered the economy with decent jobs for many of the people.
The U.S. dairy industry had a surplus of milk and decided to “bless” these people with cheaper powdered milk that cost about 11 cents per liter. The people were so thankful for this improvement in their cost of living. That is everyone, except those whose livelihoods depended on the local dairy industry. Farmers went bankrupt and labourers were unemployed.
Once the local dairy infrastructure was completely destroyed something surprising happened to the cost of powdered milk. It nearly doubled in price to 21 cents a liter.
Due to the higher rate of unemployment, factories that supplied retailers like Walmart could come in and offer the people less pay than they had been making on the dairy farms. A simple way to Roll back the prices.
He also talked about factories that make Nike shoes where the workers that make the shoes can’t even afford the laces for the shoes.
The worst story was what Dr. Allahar called the long shift in Indonesia. It’s 36 hours long with a break at the 16 hour mark. The workers, usually women, have plastic bags under there work table to go potty in. They make less than $5 for this entire shift.
Each one of us has likely bought something made by these workers.
We are thrilled to shop at Walmart because they have RRRRolled back the prices. We should be outraged by Walmart’s Rollback campaign but our ignorance manages to pacify us with cheaper soothers.
He gave an example from his native country of West Indies to show how corporations manipulate people for their own gain.
The West Indies had a fully functioning dairy industry that supplied milk to the population for 18 cents a liter. It also bolstered the economy with decent jobs for many of the people.
The U.S. dairy industry had a surplus of milk and decided to “bless” these people with cheaper powdered milk that cost about 11 cents per liter. The people were so thankful for this improvement in their cost of living. That is everyone, except those whose livelihoods depended on the local dairy industry. Farmers went bankrupt and labourers were unemployed.
Once the local dairy infrastructure was completely destroyed something surprising happened to the cost of powdered milk. It nearly doubled in price to 21 cents a liter.
Due to the higher rate of unemployment, factories that supplied retailers like Walmart could come in and offer the people less pay than they had been making on the dairy farms. A simple way to Roll back the prices.
He also talked about factories that make Nike shoes where the workers that make the shoes can’t even afford the laces for the shoes.
The worst story was what Dr. Allahar called the long shift in Indonesia. It’s 36 hours long with a break at the 16 hour mark. The workers, usually women, have plastic bags under there work table to go potty in. They make less than $5 for this entire shift.
Each one of us has likely bought something made by these workers.
We are thrilled to shop at Walmart because they have RRRRolled back the prices. We should be outraged by Walmart’s Rollback campaign but our ignorance manages to pacify us with cheaper soothers.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Sunday, November 16, 2008
What Education Didn't Teach Us -- Trusting Others
Our educational system has taught us to rely on ourselves and our own work ethic. 12 – 20 years of constantly being told to study harder and not depend on others is a significant chunk of time to hear a very one sided message.
When were we ever taught that trusting others was a means to success? Of course we’ve all had experiences in group work that tried to teach us that value. Most came away from those experiences with a negative view of co-operation.
In a book titled, “Rich Dad, Poor Dad”, Robert Kiyosaki explores this idea and looks at it through a very simple grid.
Our educational system, almost exclusively, taught us to study hard to fit into the Employed quadrant. Even a graduate with an MBA making $200,000 a year is on the employed side. The Self-employed quadrant can include a mechanic who owns his own garage to a doctor who owns his own practice.
It was a rare course in high school that taught us anything from the right side and that would only have been offered as an elective. Who learned about the advantage of tax write offs in high school?
Most people live on the left side and some have become successful. The financial mantra on this side has generally been security. The overwhelming fixation in these two grids is that it all depends on you: your work ethic and your abilities. That's great till you or a family member gets sick or your employer closes down.
Due to the heavy emphasis on personal abilities in these quadrants, the idea of trusting others for financial gain has been all but lost. Not only has it been lost but some extreme views would even suggest that it is morally corrupt to benefit from another person’s work. Thus some have concluded, that all business owners are corrupt users of others.
There is a significant emotional investment that has gone into people living on the left side. Ignorance tends to fear what it does not understand. Therefore, even looking over at the right quadrants is a fearful experience for many.
I’ve been working at developing a business in Network Marketing. I have been surprised by the number of people who have failed in this type of business. It seems they were not able to transfer a very simple idea of trusting others in order to succeed.
Why is that? They were trained to live on the emotional side of the left quadrants. They don’t really believe that one can succeed by simply transferring a simple plan to a few others who in turn will transfer that idea to a few others.
The Network Business model is unique in that it allows people from the left quadrants to easily move into their own business. The weakness in the Network model is that most people have been trained away from thinking in terms of being successful through others.
Even business owners have a difficult time understanding networking. There means of making money was to get people trained in the left quadrants to work for a paycheque. They never wanted to develop people to be successful like themselves.
The CEO of my company, Wayne Badavinus, has a very successful history in working in the business world. He says this, “Even though I was very successful in taking companies from $200 million dollars per year to $1.2 billion per year over a 5 year time span, I never made one person in those companies rich. However, I did do a good job of making somebody on Wall Street richer.”
Wayne was very proud of his ability to transfer his ideas throughout his companies, so much so that the janitor in his company understood his purpose in cleaning a washroom had a significant impact on customer service. But the janitor in Wayne’s company could never become a successful business owner with full financial freedom. Wayne is a quick learner and has discovered a new passion to see others succeed beyond their wildest imagination.
In a day when people are realizing that job security is a thing of the past, education is no guarantee of a better job and investments can be lost overnight, I’m excited about being in a business that can help others get past inadequate teaching about financial success and allowing them the independence of owning a successful business.
The challenge is getting people free to trust a few others for their personal success. That seems like a worthwhile investment of my time.
When were we ever taught that trusting others was a means to success? Of course we’ve all had experiences in group work that tried to teach us that value. Most came away from those experiences with a negative view of co-operation.
In a book titled, “Rich Dad, Poor Dad”, Robert Kiyosaki explores this idea and looks at it through a very simple grid.
Employed _________________Business
Self-Employed ________________Investments
Self-Employed ________________Investments
Our educational system, almost exclusively, taught us to study hard to fit into the Employed quadrant. Even a graduate with an MBA making $200,000 a year is on the employed side. The Self-employed quadrant can include a mechanic who owns his own garage to a doctor who owns his own practice.
It was a rare course in high school that taught us anything from the right side and that would only have been offered as an elective. Who learned about the advantage of tax write offs in high school?
Most people live on the left side and some have become successful. The financial mantra on this side has generally been security. The overwhelming fixation in these two grids is that it all depends on you: your work ethic and your abilities. That's great till you or a family member gets sick or your employer closes down.
Due to the heavy emphasis on personal abilities in these quadrants, the idea of trusting others for financial gain has been all but lost. Not only has it been lost but some extreme views would even suggest that it is morally corrupt to benefit from another person’s work. Thus some have concluded, that all business owners are corrupt users of others.
There is a significant emotional investment that has gone into people living on the left side. Ignorance tends to fear what it does not understand. Therefore, even looking over at the right quadrants is a fearful experience for many.
I’ve been working at developing a business in Network Marketing. I have been surprised by the number of people who have failed in this type of business. It seems they were not able to transfer a very simple idea of trusting others in order to succeed.
Why is that? They were trained to live on the emotional side of the left quadrants. They don’t really believe that one can succeed by simply transferring a simple plan to a few others who in turn will transfer that idea to a few others.
The Network Business model is unique in that it allows people from the left quadrants to easily move into their own business. The weakness in the Network model is that most people have been trained away from thinking in terms of being successful through others.
Even business owners have a difficult time understanding networking. There means of making money was to get people trained in the left quadrants to work for a paycheque. They never wanted to develop people to be successful like themselves.
The CEO of my company, Wayne Badavinus, has a very successful history in working in the business world. He says this, “Even though I was very successful in taking companies from $200 million dollars per year to $1.2 billion per year over a 5 year time span, I never made one person in those companies rich. However, I did do a good job of making somebody on Wall Street richer.”
Wayne was very proud of his ability to transfer his ideas throughout his companies, so much so that the janitor in his company understood his purpose in cleaning a washroom had a significant impact on customer service. But the janitor in Wayne’s company could never become a successful business owner with full financial freedom. Wayne is a quick learner and has discovered a new passion to see others succeed beyond their wildest imagination.
In a day when people are realizing that job security is a thing of the past, education is no guarantee of a better job and investments can be lost overnight, I’m excited about being in a business that can help others get past inadequate teaching about financial success and allowing them the independence of owning a successful business.
The challenge is getting people free to trust a few others for their personal success. That seems like a worthwhile investment of my time.
Friday, November 14, 2008
Choice Equals Faith
I was recently asked to expand on the idea of faith as it pertains to the life of a Christian.
I take a fairly straightforward approach to faith. The simplest example I have used is turning on a light. The act of flicking the switch is a demonstration of faith. That may not sound like some deeply mysterious, mystical experience. Some would even say it is not faith because I knew for sure that it would work. But that is my point. That is a demonstration of true faith. When Jesus healed someone or when He multiplied the loaves and fishes he knew that these things would happen with an even greater certainty (faith) than turning on a light. (The light bulb could have been burned out.)
What led up to this assurance of faith? This confidence that exemplified everything that He did. It was His choice to always abide in His father’s heart and will. His acts of faith were never greater than His moment by moment living His life. There was no less faith in operation when He simply sat with his friends enjoying their company. He didn’t need to perform to show his faith. He didn’t need a miracle to know who He was. He did what He did each day as a complete abandonment of himself to His father.
His first 30 years of life were simply lived out like any other Jewish man. He worked, had friends and took care of His family. He obeyed all of the law since the laws were simple choices or acts of faith. For these things His father was well pleased with Him.
The simplicity of knowing our heavenly Father’s will: love mercy, act justly and walk humbly is available as a choice to everyone of us. Sadly, many people rebel at these choices and become angry or distant from God. They see others not making these choices and somehow think that they can use those examples to opt out of the Father’s will. They don’t really make choices but simply react with fight or flight mechanisms. Living by faith is not something they consider as they are simply swept along by peer pressure or personal reactions to outside forces.
Relationships are not valued but are simply something to be used for their own personal agendas. This happens with Christians and non Christians alike. They might demand others to do the things they do, violating the very concept of choice. Faith is minimized and conformity or anarchy are what typifies their life.
None of us are immune from fight or flight reactions to circumstances. These reactions simply have nothing to do with faith.
Faith isn’t perfection and can make mistakes. We may not always get it right but that is also the point. Choosing to walk in humility (a cornerstone of faith) allows us to admit the mistakes and make better choices. Choosing mercy and justice allow us to interact with others without living under the tyranny of merely reacting.
Will this living by faith look the same for everyone? Of course not. Embracing the differences of how people live a life of faith is what should truly unite us.
Living by faith is simply making real choices about why we do what we do.
I take a fairly straightforward approach to faith. The simplest example I have used is turning on a light. The act of flicking the switch is a demonstration of faith. That may not sound like some deeply mysterious, mystical experience. Some would even say it is not faith because I knew for sure that it would work. But that is my point. That is a demonstration of true faith. When Jesus healed someone or when He multiplied the loaves and fishes he knew that these things would happen with an even greater certainty (faith) than turning on a light. (The light bulb could have been burned out.)
What led up to this assurance of faith? This confidence that exemplified everything that He did. It was His choice to always abide in His father’s heart and will. His acts of faith were never greater than His moment by moment living His life. There was no less faith in operation when He simply sat with his friends enjoying their company. He didn’t need to perform to show his faith. He didn’t need a miracle to know who He was. He did what He did each day as a complete abandonment of himself to His father.
His first 30 years of life were simply lived out like any other Jewish man. He worked, had friends and took care of His family. He obeyed all of the law since the laws were simple choices or acts of faith. For these things His father was well pleased with Him.
The simplicity of knowing our heavenly Father’s will: love mercy, act justly and walk humbly is available as a choice to everyone of us. Sadly, many people rebel at these choices and become angry or distant from God. They see others not making these choices and somehow think that they can use those examples to opt out of the Father’s will. They don’t really make choices but simply react with fight or flight mechanisms. Living by faith is not something they consider as they are simply swept along by peer pressure or personal reactions to outside forces.
Relationships are not valued but are simply something to be used for their own personal agendas. This happens with Christians and non Christians alike. They might demand others to do the things they do, violating the very concept of choice. Faith is minimized and conformity or anarchy are what typifies their life.
None of us are immune from fight or flight reactions to circumstances. These reactions simply have nothing to do with faith.
Faith isn’t perfection and can make mistakes. We may not always get it right but that is also the point. Choosing to walk in humility (a cornerstone of faith) allows us to admit the mistakes and make better choices. Choosing mercy and justice allow us to interact with others without living under the tyranny of merely reacting.
Will this living by faith look the same for everyone? Of course not. Embracing the differences of how people live a life of faith is what should truly unite us.
Living by faith is simply making real choices about why we do what we do.
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Saturday, November 8, 2008
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