Ancient Inspiration

So many times when we think about innovation, we focus on the new. We look to new industries, new ideas, new perspectives for our inspiration. Think about all the magazines touting the newest trends in technology, business, culture, etc.

But to do that we miss out on a huge "field of meaning," as my partner in ministry Eric Foley likes to say. What does he mean by that? Well, as we search for innovation, we tend to look forward only. We feel that only new things can inform the future. This understanding is at the world view level and we don't even know that we think this way. It comes because progress is such a high value for those of us who are products of modernity. We truly believe that success means always pushing forward to new frontiers, new ideas, new realities.

I want to challenge that perspective on innovation today. I believe that some of our best fodder for innovation may come from our past. You see the past does a few things that the future cannot do. The past has not yet committed some of the errors that we have codified. The past can have a very different perspective on things that we now take for granted. Also, the past is sometimes an amazing lens to see the very mistakes and struggles we are mired in today.

Now the past isn't perfect. Every age is rife with ignorance, prejudice, and faulty thinking. But I would like to impress on you that the past is a source on which we can draw for our innovation efforts. It is a rich story that will give us ideas that no tech magazine could ever draw out. And we need every source we can get in order to effectively innovate in the 21st Century.

So here are some ideas:
1. Identify some innovative thinkers of the past and read their biographies.
2. Read history and look for the patterns that inform our world today.
3. Talk to grandparents and great grandparents and ask them questions about how they see the world.
4. When you find yourself assuming that the future is better, catch yourself and challenge your thinking about progress and it's inherent virtue.

So there you go, are you ready to dive into the past? I pray that God gives you some rich sources of inspiration from what He has done throughout history.

Is Innovation Inspired?

As we have been having innovation discussions with people around the country and around the world, one question keeps popping up and I think it is pretty important to think about it.

Here it is, "Is innovation mandated by God?" I think that the question has been asked for good reasons. Our society has put innovation on a pedestal and so many people who are looking at their ministry wonder whether God cares if we are innovative.

Innovation is a product of progress. As modernity took off on the wings of scientific discovery, innovation was heralded as the spark that made the whole enterprise possible. So we began to view innovators as a special group. We also began to put our hope and trust in them to solve some of the greatest problems that our generations faced. This is the context for innovation.

Now lets look at the Bible. What does God care about in relation to innovation?

God values effort: "To this end I labor, struggling with all his energy, which so powefully works in me." Colossians 1:29

God values sacrifice: "Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, 'I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more ito the treasury than all the others.'" Mark 12:43

God values perserverance: "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." 2 Timothy 4:7

God values faith: "These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect." Hebrews 11:39-40

In the end innovation is a result - not a command. The more I see innovation within ministry, I see it being the result of people who are striving for Christ, perservering for the sake of the Gospel, sacrificing much and above all believing in the God of the universe and his plan for this world.

So don't look at your ministry and get discouraged if you don't see innovation. Instead, ask God to strengthen your heart, your determination, your understanding of His ways. Out of that will come innovation!