The Church in the Gig/Global Economy It isn’t a surprise to anyone who has been watching such things, but our economy is not what it used to be. For many areas across the country, jobs are scarce. Other areas are decimated in regard to work, and the young families of the workforce are moving to cities for employment and educational opportunities. For those churches in the city-centers, the effects of this trend are not felt as harshly as is experienced by churches that are outside of the urban sprawl. The truth is that our economy has moved to a “gig economy” in a global environment. No longer do young people expect to go to college, get a career, and work one job until retirement. The average “careers per lifetime” sits somewhere north of three. That means that you are unlikely to be still working in the same field as you are now in ten year’s time. The offset of this “gig economy” is the “global economy”. No longer are the members of our church vying for a limited pool of employment in their small town. Now, they apply for and accept positions across the country, and even around the globe – and move to take those jobs. Part of this global economy is a vast pool of “freelance” workers that gain their income working online in everything from writing and coaching to graphic design and journalism. This is where things get interesting for a church family that wants to take advantage of global trends to reach the world. This gig/global economy combination offers the local church some significant global opportunities. Online freelance work can: Provide work and keep church members in town working from home rather than moving away.Allow a small church to get secretarial, design, translation, and a multitude of other helps at a reasonable cost from Christians located in other parts of the globe without hiring full or part-time.Give missionaries who need to work to supplement their missions support the opportunity to work online, from the field, without breaking the laws of the nation in which they reside. (Most missionaries cannot work where they live because their host nation sees that as taking a job from a native of that country. However, online work originating in North America is seen differently.)Allow the possibility of tent-making in remote areas of the country to become a very real opportunity.Give church members the opportunity to serve Christ by serving other churches in distant / remote places. Open the door to part-time and seasonal foreign missions as gig/global employees work from international locations while helping full-time missionaries.Enable churches at home to give work to members of missions churches in foreign countries. Whether the gig/global economy will last till Christ returns is hard to say, but it is certain that this is not going away anytime soon. Because of this, we should seriously consider some of the positive ramifications of this new global dynamic and the doors of opportunity that are opened up for both the local church as well as foreign missions.
Where are the Cheerleaders? I am convinced that more can be done for God. I am convinced that more can be done for our communities. I am convinced that more can be done for our country. I am convinced that there are people who want to, are even begging to do this work. But there is something missing — cheerleaders! Think about it. Whatever accomplishment you have in life is a direct result of at least one cheerleader. There was at least one person who, whether they truly believed in you or not, cheered you on. Unfortunately, today’s society (and today’s church) has turned away from being cheerleaders. So, I have to ask myself, why is this? 1. Isolation: The tendency of North American society is toward isolating ourselves and only caring about our own problems, challenges, dreams, and goals. If we don’t care about others we cannot encourage others. 2. Jealousy: This monster gets in the way of many who could and should be cheerleaders. Their thinking seems to be that if they didn’t think of the idea and if they cannot benefit from the idea then they want nothing to do with it; because they are jealous. 3. Control: Ronald Reagan said that much can be accomplished as long as “no one cares who gets the credit”. This could also be said of control. If you can’t be enthusiastic and encouraging without having a measure of control then there is something desperately wrong with you. 4. Laziness: To be a cheerleader takes effort. To do it effectively will take a piece of you; your time, your talents, and yes, at times your money. Being a cheerleader means being emotionally invested in the team and enthusiastically invested in the team’s success: winning! 5. Professional Perfectionism: We live in a society of professionals. In fact, “Leave it to the professionals,” is actually something that we say! Because of this we tend to look at someone’s idea or vision with skepticism. Instead of encouragement, our first thought is all of the reasons why that individual cannot or should not pursue their passion and vision. Here’s the deal. “Done is better than perfect.” Yes, it is nice to have everything pretty, perfect, and professional, but sometimes good enough is good enough. Be a cheerleader of the “good enough” today and it will grow into the excellent. Do not cheer on the “good enough” and your church, community, and country won’t even experience “good enough” I am thankful for the cheerleaders in my life. My parents, my wife, teachers, and senior citizens who have taken the time to encourage and invest in my life. The other day a man that I have looked up to all my life grabbed my arm as I passed by him in a hallway at a meeting and said, “Keep writing Brother Homan”. First, I was encouraged that he even knew that I was doing a little writing. The fact that he took the time to be a cheerleader made a difference for me. So, what’s the deal? Why aren’t you a cheerleader? Has pride and the flesh so consumed you that you have the warped idea that only you can do things “right”? Do you really think you have all the answers? Have isolation, jealousy, control, and laziness so bound you that you cannot see past yourself to catch the vision of the massive amount of work that could be accomplished if you chose to be an encouragement to others? There is much to be accomplished in our churches, our communities, and our country. There is much that can be done. There are people that have the desire and vision to do it, but they need that one person to be a cheerleader. By being a cheerleader you are able to see much more accomplished than what you can do on you own and in the process become one of those people that others point to as a help and an encouragement in their lives. Cheerleading = people inspired and work multiplied
Determine to Be an Awesome Dandelion I can’t remember if it was on television or a picture on the internet. It wasn’t anything I hadn’t seen before. It was a green lawn full of yellow dandelions. I thought to myself. “You know, the contrast between the green the bright yellow is beautiful.” Then somewhere in the back of my mind, this truth kicked into high gear. Here it is: If there are no roses around, a dandelion is a striking beauty. Now everyone knows that most homeowners want to rid their lawns of this flowering weed. This is mostly because of the little thorns that are in the leaves of the dandelion plant. Now here is thought number two: Roses have thorns too! Funny, you don’t hear people whining too much about the thorns on roses. (Mind you, most people aren’t stupid enough to step on a rose bush!) Okay, let’s wrap these thoughts up with a nice little bow. You may not think of yourself as a rose. Maybe you see yourself more like the weed no one wants around. However, you have to realize that even the yellow dandelion has beauty and gives pleasure to those who are willing to open up their eyes to its beauty. So, in the absence of a rose, the dandelion will do just fine. And, you can determine to be an awesome dandelion. There aren’t too many mothers whose hearts have been warmed by a child running into the house and proudly presenting them with a fistful of handpicked long-stem roses, but a fist full of dandelions has brightened up the day and put a smile on the faces of thousands of weary mothers. Secondly: If the rose is so great, why does it have thorns too? It is simple. The rose isn’t so great. It just has a better publicity department than the dandelion. Its thorns are bigger and its flower is more fragile than the dandelion’s flower. So, you see that person that you consider to be a “rose”? The one that you are afraid to stand beside in case you might look bad in comparison? They have thorns too. In the end, it is about fulfilling your role in your place. It is about making your little area a little more beautiful. After all, it is doubtful that a rose is going to move into the backyard that you occupy and do a better job of “prettifying” it than you are doing. And even if that rose does move into your yard or a yard nearby, remember: it’s just another flower with thorny problems of its own. You can determine to be an awesome dandelion! Thanks for reading. If you enjoyed the post, share the article with anyone you think needs it. Let’s also connect on Twitter, LinkedIn, or Facebook.
The Only Easy Day Was Yesterday Every day has its challenges. Every one of us has to tackle the day that is set in front of us no matter how much we would like to go and hide. Our days will be easier, however, if we latch onto this simple concept. “Every day has its problems.” And, the only easy day was yesterday. It is funny. We think, “Oh, if I could just go on vacation! I could get away from my problems and have a week or two where my days have no challenges!” I guess theoretically that may work, but in reality, it won’t. Vacations have stresses as well. Travel, flights, schedules, illnesses, betrayed expectations, and contrary traveling companions all conspire to attempt to make you have a bad day, even a bad vacation. You see, even on vacation we discover that the only easy day was yesterday…easy because it is over and done with. So if it is impossible to avoid the many and varied challenges that each day brings, what do we do? 1. Accept that your day is going to have problems, interruptions, and annoyances. To think otherwise really denies reality. 2. Make room in your schedule and your attitude for these wrenches that are thrown into the gears of the engine that makes your day go smoothly. If you do not make room for them, they will squeeze their way in anyway. 3. Try to approach the challenges / problems of the day as opportunities to practice patience and display love and acceptance. I know this one is tough, but most of the time your problems come carried in on the backs of people. Problems will come and go, but your relationships with others is important. Practice patience and show love and acceptance. 4. Get real! You won’t ever in your life have one day that doesn’t have at least one speed bump in it. Yes, you think you remember lots of days that were smooth sailing. The truth is that your memory isn’t all that great. What made those days good? Two things: First, those days are in the past so it is easy to paint them with a rosy brush stroke. Second, your attitude toward challenges makes a difference. Why can you let the rude waiter, the lost cab driver, or the mediocre meal slide when ou are on vacation? Easy! You say, “Doesn’t matter. I’m on vacation!” Funny how the things that we throw a fit about at home become something that we can forgive when we are in another mindset. I was in line at the coffee shop the other day. There, three people ahead of me was a short mouthy young fellow giving the cashier a tongue lashing because she had rung in his order in such a way that it cost him an extra $1.15 I felt terrible for the older lady on the receiving end of his tirade. Fortunately, her supervisor came along and smoothed things over. But that’s not the point. The point I wanted to make to that mouthy young twerp was, “Is $1.15 really worth being unkind to another human being? Sure, no one likes being overcharged, but it happens. If this is the worst thing you have to deal with today, count yourself among the fortunate few.” Count on it. You will have something today that will test your patience and threaten to burst your bubble of happiness. The only easy day was yesterday, but you can handle it. Thanks for reading. If you enjoyed the post, share the article with anyone you think needs it. Let’s also connect on Twitter, LinkedIn, or Facebook.