Contributing

I read this from Seth Godin this morning...

If you want to get things moving at a meeting or in an online forum, start discussing what to order for lunch. Even the most reticent attendee has something to contribute.

Same thing when you start discussing the logo for your new venture, or what to call the subcommittee on committees... Have you noticed how many people are willing to weigh in on redecorating your office?

It's so easy to speak up on the things that are trivial, defensible, matters of taste. So easy to imagine that you're a valuable contributor because you're willing to share your personal taste on a matter that's beyond reproach.

If I want your opinion, I'm going to want it for something where you might be wrong, for something that actually makes a difference and most of all, for something where you are putting yourself at risk. Not lunch.

I am in a lot of meetings every week. It is easy to stay on the surface and talk about things that are trivial. As long as we stay at that level, no one is stretched, everyone is comfortable, but honestly we don't get very much done. It takes great risk to go deeper. People have to be willing to be vulnerable to be stretched and uncomfortable. It is when we get to this place that we are most open to each other, but more importantly we are open to the leading of the Holy Spirit.

The most productive meetings that I am in each week are the ones that drill down to places that God has to show up and we have to set ourselves aside. My heart beats fast in those meetings. I love it when everyone around the table sets aside their own agendas and personal attachments and seeks the Kingdom of God. When everyone at that table opens themselves to the possibility of what God wants to do, then we will see lives changed for eternity. It begins with moving beyond the surface to risking opening ourselves up to each other and God. It's scary, but even more so, it is glorious!