CATALYST MONTHLY

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This month the Catalyst Podcast brings you up close and personal with Louie Giglio, founder of the Passion Movement. Gain insights into this generation as Louie talks about what it means to be a spirit-led leader.

Click here to download the most recent episode of The Catalyst Podcast.

The Waldorf Principle
By Dr. Tim Elmore

One stormy night many years ago, an elderly man and his wife entered the lobby of a small hotel in Philadelphia . Trying to get out of the rain, the couple approached the front desk hoping to get some shelter for the night.

"We'd like a room, please," the husband requested. The clerk, a friendly man with a winning smile, looked at the couple and explained that there were three conventions in town. "All of our rooms are taken," the clerk said. "But I can't send a nice couple like you out in the rain at one o'clock in the morning. Would you perhaps be willing to sleep in my room? It's not exactly a suite, but it will be good enough to make you folks comfortable for the night."

When the couple declined, the clerk insisted. "Don't worry about me; I'll make out just fine," he told them. So the couple agreed to spend the night in his room. As he paid his bill the next morning, the elderly man said to the clerk, "You're an exceptional man. Finding people who are both friendly and helpful is rare these days. You are the kind of manager who should be the boss of the best hotel in the United States . Maybe someday I'll build one for you."

Two years passed. The clerk was still managing the hotel in Philly when he received a letter from the old man. It recalled that stormy night and enclosed was a round-trip ticket to New York , asking the young man to pay him a visit.

The old man met him in New York , and led him to the corner of Fifth Avenue and 34th Street . He then pointed to a great new building there, a palace of reddish stone, with turrets and watchtowers thrusting up to the sky. "That," he said, "is the hotel I'd like you to manage."

The old man's name was William Waldorf Astor, and the magnificent structure was the original Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. The clerk who became its first manager was George C. Boldt. This young clerk never foresaw how his simple act of sacrificial service would lead him to become the manager of one of the world's most glamorous hotels.

The way to the top with people is not just through service. It's through extravagant, sacrificial service. When someone goes out of their way to help you, it makes all the difference in the world.

It's the difference between getting a grumpy, inattentive waitress vs. a professional, friendly server who you actually enjoy talking to and who allows a special order to fit your tastes.

It's the difference between calling customer support and plowing through automated menus, verses being instantly connected to live person who goes out of their way to help.

It's the difference between having a professor who just tolerates your questions vs. having one who spends extra time and goes the extra mile to help you really grasp the material.

When others do their very best to serve us, their influence increases. We don't look down on them for serving us. On the contrary, our respect level for them rises. We're often so impressed that we start considering ways we can serve them in return! Their attitude and initiative is attractive. As I discuss this with people, few disagree with the idea. However, many don't buy it. Most don't serve others this way because they fear being looked down upon. They struggle with pride. They feel serving others creates a view of them that is lower; after all-those at the top are being served! Let me play a little game with you to show how wrong this assumption is.

Question: In your past, who has served you more than anyone else in the world? The answer for most of us is our mother. Moms usually do anything to serve their kids. Now, think about this. Do you think LESS of your mother for serving you, or MORE of her? My guess is, your love and respect for her goes up when she sacrificially serves.

It's no different with us. When we serve others, our influence increases as well. My friend Zig Ziglar is famous for saying "You can have everything in life you want if you will just help enough other people get what they want!" It's true. He's one of the most humble servant-leaders I've ever met, and he's at the top of his field.

He's not the only one. Most of the great leaders I've run across have embraced the Waldorf Principle. Case in point: When Michael Eisner was CEO of Disney, his job description included "trash collecting." Just imagine, the CEO of a billion dollar organization, picking up trash at his own theme park. Think about the kind of effect that must have had on his employees. He could have just ordered someone else to do it.

It's ironic. You'd think that true influence would come through force - ordering others around and letting people know you're the boss. But just the opposite is true. Real influence comes through humbly serving others. It's one of the greatest leadership paradoxes in existence.

Reprinted from Habitudes #2: The Art of Connecting With Others, ©2006 by Tim Elmore. Used by permission of Growing Leaders.

Tim Elmore is founder and president of Growing Leaders, Inc. He has worked with students for over 25 years and is committed to developing next generation leaders who love God and know how to influence their world. Tim is the author of several other books, including Habitudes: Images that Form Habits and Attitudes (2004). For more information on these resources check out www.GrowingLeaders.com.

Losing the Need to Pretend

By John Burke  

If we say we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves. - 1 John 1:8 NLT  

When my wife, Kathy, was in preschool she fell in love with a comic strip character, Zelda. Kathy wanted to be like Zelda. She wanted to do everything Zelda did. Then Kathy decided she was Zelda. Her teachers came to her mom concerned because Kathy would no longer answer to the name Kathy, she wanted to be called Zelda. We've all pretended to be someone we're not. It's fairly common for kids to pretend they are someone else. And it's acceptable if kids pretend because they are still forming their identities. But the goal is to learn to be yourself by the time you are an adult. Unfortunately, few adults seem to be comfortable enough with themselves not to pretend.   

Our generation longs for something authentic. They are searching for "the real thing," though they don't really know what "the real thing" is. Because this generation has endured so much "me-ism" and letdown from those they were supposed to follow and trust, they want to see a genuine faith that works for less-than-perfect people before they are willing to trust. They want to know this God-thing is more than talk, talk, talk. They desperately want permission to be who they are with the hope of becoming more. They aren't willing to pretend, because hypocrisy repulses them. Most have yet to realize that every person is a hypocrite to some degree-the only question is whether we realize it and are honest about it.  

It Starts with Authenticity

When we launched Gateway Community Church in 1998, the first service was entitled "Losing My Need to Pretend." Everything we did that morning contrasted the inauthentic ways of the religious leaders whom Jesus deemed hypocrites with an authentic spirituality of the heart. The religious leaders of Jesus' day were focused on religious rule-keeping. Jesus reserved his harshest words for these pretenders: "Woe to you Pharisees, because you give God a tenth of your mint, rue and all other kinds of garden herbs, but you neglect justice and the love of God. You should have practiced the latter without leaving the former undone."(Luke 11:42 NIV) The religious leaders of Jesus' day were so focused on the traditions they had formed around the heart of God's message that they were neglecting the things most on God's heart.   

That September morning in the delivery room of our new church, I told our newborn congregation that these stories are a warning against inauthentic, incongruent living. Jesus is basically saying, Lose the religious pretense; it's destructive to authentic faith. Shed the mask of hypocrisy you hide behind. I want honest, authentic people-not hypocrites who pretend to be something they're not.

I asked the congregation a question at the end of the message: "Can we be this kind of a church? The kind where people don't have to pretend? Where we can be ourselves and stop pretending we're more or less than what we are right now? That's the only way we can help each other grow to be all God intended us to be. If we can't do this, we're just playing church!"  

Authenticity is hard work. It always works from the inside out. It begins with the inner life of the leader, being authentic with God. It manifests itself in personal vulnerability before others as an intimate connection with God displaces the fear of transparency. This opens for others a view into an authentic spiritual life of a real human-not a religious salesperson.

Finally, it becomes embedded in a culture so that authentic, growing communities of people can be formed and transformed.   

Hear John discuss strategies for creating a "Come-As-You-Are Culture" at the A2 Conference: Innovating with Acts 2 Thinking on October 25-27 at Willow Creek Community Church in Chicago . www.willowcreek.org/A2

John Burke is pastor of Gateway Community Church in Austin, Texas www.gatewaychurch.com and author of No Perfect People Allowed: Creating a Come As You Are Culture in the Church (2005, Zondervan). He is president of Emerging Leadership Initiative www.elichurchplanting.com. He and his wife, Kathy, have been married for 14 years and reside in Austin with their two children.

Title: Ask for What You Want

By Valorie Burton

A few months ago, we moved our boat from the Potomac River in Washington, DC to the Chesapeake Bay. Our new marina has a wonderful community atmosphere and on weekend mornings, many of the boaters have breakfast in a small, outdoor pavilion near the docks. Recently, as I was sitting on one of the many benches in the pavilion reading a book and enjoying my breakfast, I overheard a little boy engaging in a conversation behind me that serves as a lesson I'd like to share with you this week:

"Jake, do you make little omelets?" the boy said to the marina's talented, but laid-back chef who, for $5, will cook you a delicious omelet at his portable omelet station.

I glanced behind me to get a look at the boy, who looked about eight years old. He was sitting on the table behind me with his feet planted firmly on the bench seat. His elbows rested on his knees as he leaned forward and talked to Jake with several one-dollar bills spread out in his hand like playing cards in a poker match. He was ready to do business. I glanced at Jake and noticed the kind of smirk on his face that adults get when kids ask funny questions.

"A little omelet?" Jake replied curiously.

"Yeah," the boy said precociously.

"I suppose I could make one with less eggs," Jake said. "Why do you ask?"

The boy explained further. "I had five dollars earlier, but I spent a dollar in the Coke machine, and now I want one of your omelets but I don't have enough money so I was wondering if you could make me a little omelet for $4."

"Well," Jake replied. "What if I just make you a regular omelet for $4 this time?"

"Great!" the boy replied. Mission accomplished.

I smiled to myself and went back to reading my book.

You never know if you don't ask. I was struck by the directness of this young boy, who without hesitation, asked for what he wanted-and got it.

Is it time for you to ask for what you want in some area of your personal or professional life? I challenge you to be bold, ask for what you want and negotiate. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

Is it time to negotiate for something important to you at work?
Whether it's more money, more flexible hours, help from a co-worker or a resource that will help you do your job better, speak up.

Is it time to ask for what you want in a relationship?
Whether it is an energy-draining habit a friend has imposed on you or a listening ear you need to help you sort through a challenge, ask for what you want in your relationships . And be just as willing to give what you ask for.

What do you need to ask for financially?
Perhaps it's a call to request someone finally pay you money that is owed to you or request a lower interest rate on a credit card. Or maybe it is time for you to start earning what you are worth by raising your rates if you are in business for yourself and seeking better compensation if you are an employee.

Is it time to ask God for what you want?
"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened," Jesus said in Matthew 7:7-8. You must have the faith to believe that when you seek and serve God, he wants to give you the desires of your heart (Psalm 37:4).

What "little thing" do you need to ask for?
Little requests can have an immediate impact on how you feel about life. Having an exceptionally busy week? Ask for some help or a pass on the invitation to go out. Find a solution to get what you need while giving others what they need.

The little boy negotiated in a way that didn't request that Jake give him 100 percent when he could only compensate him 80 percent. He was creative and asked for a "little omelet." He asked for a compromise, and in the end, he got more than what he asked for.

In what area of your life are you holding back because you are not asking for what you want? What do you need to ask for? When will you ask for it? Ask for what you want. Consider a fair compromise and offer it. You may just get exactly what you want-or more!

Valorie Burton, a life coach and speaker, is the author of Listen to Your Life, Rich Minds, Rich Rewards and her latest, What's Really Holding You Back?. Subscribe to her FREE, inspirational e-newsletter at www.valorieburton.com.

Engaging the World

By Dr. James Emory White:

Catholic scholar George Weigel writes that in June 1959 the commission preparing the agenda for the Second Vatican Council wrote to all the bishops of the world, asking them what they'd like to talk about. A forty-year-old auxiliary bishop of Krakow named Karol Wojtyla- the future Pope John Paul II-sent a single, sharp question: What in the world has happened? How did a twentieth century that had begun with such high expectations for the human future produce, within a handful of decades, two world wars, three totalitarian systems, Auschwitz, the Gulag, mountains of corpses, oceans of blood, the greatest persecutions in Christian history, and a cold war that threatened the future of the planet? What happened? What happened, Karol Wojtyla suggested, was that the great project of Western humanism had gone off the rails. As John Paul's biographer, Weigel summarizes the thinking of the late pontiff: "Ideas have consequences, and bad ideas can have lethal consequences."   

Our purpose in developing our minds is our love for God; our mission, however, is to contend with the darkness for the sake of the Light. The exercise of our intellects does not exist merely to explore ideas and arguments. Those who study the history of Christianity as merely an intellectual history miss the point. As Robert Louis Wilken noted, "the study of . Christian thought has been too preoccupied with ideas. . It's mission . is] to win the hearts and minds of men and women and to change their lives."   

. This is what our mind must be developed to understand in order to then offer something to the world's mind for consideration and challenge. If we cannot rise to this endeavor, we will have lost our place in the most critical of conversations-indeed, the only conversation that matters.  

The mission of the church is paramount, and what propels the mission forward is an awakened mind; a mind ablaze with God and the things of God. This is the heart of the cultural commission within the Great Commission. The Great Commission calls us to reach out to every person with the gospel of Jesus Christ; the cultural commission calls us to lay hold of every nook and cranny of our world for the kingdom of God. They are not separate endeavors-they are the two edges of the single sword we are called to wield. Though frighteningly few Christians embrace the true dynamic and practice of the Great Commission, even fewer take hold of the cultural commission. Too often we retreat into our Christian sub-culture, with its books and magazines, radio stations and bumper stickers.   

Henri Nouwen writes of a priest who told him that he cancelled his subscription to the New York Times because he felt that the endless stories about war, crime, power games and political manipulation only disturbed his mind and heart and prevented him from meditation and prayer. "That is a sad story," writes Nouwen. "A real spiritual life does exactly the opposite: it makes us so alert and aware of the world around us, that all that is and happens becomes part of our contemplation and meditation and invites us to a free and fearless response."   

This is the difference between a Christian who is intelligent and a Christian who has an intellect. No one, argues Richard Hofstadter, questions the value of intelligence; that excellence of mind that is employed with narrow, immediate, predictable ranges that are undeniably practical. Intellect, on the other hand, is the critical, creative, and contemplative side of things.   

It is also the activist side of things.    

For our minds to break free and loom large on the world's stage, we must recapture the lost art of thinking itself. Having a Christian mind means to think - and to think widely and broadly. This goes beyond the practice of reflection, important as this practice is, for reflection is more of a discipline or skill to be embraced. We are talking about application-prayerfully setting the mind to the task at hand. Nouwen's friend purposefully avoided the New York Times. Nouwen's reminder should not be lost: the point is to purposefully engage it.  

This brings us to the heart of the mind applied. It is not simply thinking Christianly, for to know is to do. Our goal is to think in such a way as to know how to live. So what does it mean for Christ to lay claim to medicine? To law? To politics? To the economy? To a child in the womb? To sexuality? Consider the words of the prophet Micah: "And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." It is not enough to simply understand the nature of justice and love from within a Christian perspective. Then "we must go on," writes Dennis Hollinger, "to think about the strategies of justice and love in issues like poverty, race relations, abortion and political life."   

This is the vanguard of Christian thinking-knowing how to live, and then working to make the kingdom of God a reality for others to be able to live as well.

  Excerpted from James Emery White's A Mind for God (InterVarsity Press, 2006).Used by permission.  

James Emery White is the president of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. He holds M.Div. and Ph.D. degrees in theology, history and biblical studies. White is the author of twelve books, including Embracing the Mysterious God, A Search for the Spiritual, Serious Times and The Prayer God Longs For.