Introverted faith in an extravert church

At church this morning, after a great worship time, we had a speaker called Ray Lowe, who seems to be an itinerant Bible teacher. He’s spending a couple of weeks with the church and is well known to most people...except me, as we’re pretty new to the church.

He was teaching from Acts on how God creates situations for us to communicate our faith, how our task is be aware of the opportunities, to be prepared and give a ready reason for our faith. The sermon was pre-empted by a prophetic word about being passionate and infectious about God.

Ray’s teaching was biblical, engaging, convincing and funny, you could tell people’s hearts were stirred, and this sermon would impact a lot of folk. He told stories of how God had brought people across his path, in fact there were lots of stories, and lots of people whom God had touched through Ray’s life and activities.

As a card carrying introvert, this sermon was a rollercoaster of emotion for me, I bought into the words and the passion, but felt uncomfortable that I should try and be someone I’m not . He was gracious enough to say that not everyone is a extravert, and you don’t have to force yourself, as God leads you into the places where he wants you to connect with people, and our job is to be open to that.

Our Church is part of New Frontiers which is a charismatic church, where outward expressions of faith, such as exuberant worship, speaking in tongues are a regular part of a service. These are very extravert activities, but I enjoy being part of this group.

So how can introverts cope where the values and dna of a church are very extravert?

I think there are several ways....

1. Don’t worry!...It’s important not to let this become a defining problem about church. It is more important to find a church family you can commit to, and be a part of.
2. Don’t feel under pressure...you don’t have to be someone you’re not, you don’t have to perform. You just have to be faithful to God, and open to the church.
3. Get to know a few people....that way you can have easy conversations without having to permanently mingle with the crowd!
4. Join a home group... a smaller group is easier to connect with, and allows for a different sort of connection to people.
5. Find a spiritual escape route...use retreats, books, blogs as an additional element to your spiritual life. I was part of Carlisle Cathedral for a number of years, so I go there and a retreat centre called Launde Abbey for my spiritual bolt holes.

I’ve just ordered a copy of “Introverts in the Church” by Adam S McHugh, it’s been well reviewed, and I think could be very helpful.

It is possible to be an introvert in an extravert church, it takes some work, it can be challenging at times, but there are great rewards as well...at least there will be a queue of people ahead of you to volunteer for the up front jobs! That doesn’t mean to say that introverts don’t have a great deal to offer all parts of church life, but that’s another post.

Seth Godin may just be right

I'm reading Seth Godins book Linchpin.

For me it maybe the most important book since 7 Habits by Stephen Covey. It is really a stimulating read and a unique book, it's not a business book or a self-help book, it goes far deeper than that. It challenges you to look at work very differently.

It describes work as "art" and "emotional labour", and talks through the resistance, both conscious and unconscious that we put up against all releasing ourselves into achieving all that we want to achieve.

I’ve marked up the book all the way through, and will have to go back and read it again, write a synopsis for my journal, and then implement some of the changes in my life. One of the most powerful points that Seth Godin makes about creativity was the concept of “shipping”, which is being able to, and known to be able to turn ideas into action, and action into delivery.

Time to ship on the blog, hence the first post for 10 months!

That’s the power of books, which is I love being involved in bookselling.

Why stores will win

So you can choose to shop in a store, online or on the phone

On my last blog I said that the service that I got from the 3 telesales team was rubbish, they sent me all over the place to get what I needed...yuk.

So on Saturday I needed to sort out a new dongle (mobile broadband) and I hit the High St, vowing not to go into the 3 store. As a guy I kinda enjoyed doing all the techie shops and ended up thinking that I'm going to have to go into 3, I know they have the largest 3G network, and they're probably going to be cheaper.

I went in, the guy serving really knew his stuff, he listened to me, asked good questions, gave me the solution I wanted, and I so bought it.

So retail can work, it needs to be a good experience, but the reason why stores will win in the end is the human contact. We are social, tactile, community loving PEOPLE and we love it when others make us feel valued. In a way no computer or phone can do it.

Get it right, and stores have a really good long term future.

and the award for worst customer service ever goes to....

I'm about to move over to an iphone and so need to extract myself from "3". I've been pretty happy with them up till tonight. I sent them an email, and they called me straight back, pretty good I thought, until they put me on hold, for 30 mins!

remember they called me!

Then I got transferred twice, having to give all my details again & again.

The guy at the end of the line obviously had a tick sheet of questions to go through, and boy was it painful. Even when I asked, politely, not to waste any more of my time, he plowed on. Needless to say it wasn't UK call centre so the line was bad, ( ironic for a phone company) and his accent made conversation difficult.

So I'm leaving 3, not as a satisfied customer ,but a disgruntled one.

And after 18 months of good service, they ruin it in just 38 minutes.

I learnt from this

1. How easy it is to ruin your reputation.
2. How fickle I am.
3. How high our service expectations are.

Tough ol' world...

Confidence and leadership

I have a confession, I support Carlisle Utd football team. I started going to watch them soon after I moved to Carlisle 7 years ago, and caught the "live sport" bug. Over the last few years they've being steadily improving, refinancing the club, bringing in new players etc, and they've done pretty well, moving up a couple of divisions, nearly making it into the championship.

But all of a sudden they're performance have fallen away dramatically, they've lost 10 put of the past 11 eleven matches, and are playing really poor football.

Why is this? The bulk of the team are still the same players, against opposition they have beaten. I think the answer is confidence and leadership, or should that be the other way around.

The team have lost all self confidence, unable to play to their potential. They aren't playing together. How much is leadership a part of this?

I'm starting to read Seth Godin's Tribes which talks about movements being led not managed, rallying around a cause rather clocking into work. Powerful stuff.

I thinking about how this affects my life, I'm going to send Greg Abbott, the new Carlisle Utd manager a copy, he needs to hear this!

This is getting scary

This global banking crisis sounds like something you'd read in a Grisham or Clancy novel. In these stories there is normally some hidden fiendish plot run by some bad guys that are behind all the troubles. So the prime minister/president will send in the SAS or whoever, kill the bad guys and the world returns to normal.

But what is happening today is not a story, it is real, and was caused by each of us by choosing to spend when we want, on what we want, no matter what the cost. It's no good just blaming the bank bosses, becuase I'm sure if we were in their positions we'd have gambled in the same way.

So what do we do, change our lifestyles and pray for forgiveness.

London at midnight

Last Wednesday I was standing in Piccadily Circus at midnight with hoards of people around me. The bars/coffee shops & restaurants were all open and buzzing. The pavements were full of people moving with purpose....

Now I live in Cumbria where you struggle to find a restaurant open after 8pm.

So I began reflecting on how different the world of London is to Carlisle.

So here's what I love about Cumbria.....

1. No background noise of M25, A3, A406, A1 etc etc
2. Walking around without an aeroplane droning overhead
3. The views from my village of the back of Skiddaw, or Criffel in Scotland
4. The gentler pace of life
5. The way Cumbrians laugh at anything that happens further south than Kendal
6. Carlisle Utd... the only team to support within 50 miles
7. Farms
8. The fact that Cumbrians don't care what happens in London
9. Being in the Fells in 20 mins
10. Jennings Brewery

Here's what I love about London

1. Vibrancy
2. Progressive culture
3. The vast number of people
4. Resources
5. Life after 8pm
6. Friends
7. Church
8. The culture of optimism
9. Money/Influence
10. Foyles Bookshop
    

So where would I really like to live.....

Tues/Wed/Thurs - London
Fri - Mon - Cumbria

One day!

B&B rant

so why can't us Brits run B&B's ( bed & breakfasts) properly

Yep sorry but this is a rant.....

I stayed in a B&B last night in Bath, great city but what a rubbish B&B. The website made the place look great, but talk about over promise and under deliver! The room was tiny, the shower nonexistent, the walls paper-thin, the owner preferred not to take credit cards... the list of disappointments goes on and on.

I stay in a lot of hotels with work, not expensive ones, the regular budget chains, so not luxurious, but consistant, clean and good for business travellers. So when I had to go to Bath on a last minute visit, I couldn't get into one of these hotels, so I booked for the same sort of price, a B&B. It was like going back 20 years, I half expected Basil Fawlty to walk out...( OK that was a hotel but you can see where I'm going).

So why can't we do excellence as standard. When I travel to the US, they have a completely different view. Their start point is excellence as standard (which more often than not they are) rather than making you feel like you've an unwanted interruption .

Sorry rant over...am home now. with family who do make me feel wanted.