Why bother innovating if we serve God?

Philip had this great question to my blog post about Ancient Inspiration:

"Why do we need innovation when we have God? Surely He will pass on what he wants us to be innovative about. It is His will and all our fates are determined by Him."

Let me share with you my reply:
Dear Philip,
Great question. I don't think that human innovation and God's revelation are mutually exclusive. In fact, I would say that God created us to innovate and uses the feature in us to inspire us. Innovation is simply us using the brains and experiences God gave us in coordination with Him to bring Him glory.

Now I know that people innovate without thinking about God at all, but I think that God still gets the glory for that since He made those people too. The study of innovation from a Biblical perspective is then our opportunity to see how God moves through us to accomplish things in this earth.

What do you think of my take? How would you respond to Philip?

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.

My Innovation Ended Up Where?

So you come up with an idea, find your gang of co-conspiritors and launch it. Soon it is a huge success and you are off and running. But that isn't the end of the story. What you birthed could end up leading to many things that you would never expect or dare to imagine. Are you ready for that?

A great example is a wonderfully documented article by Christianity Today about the diffusion of innovation that happened as a result of launching Kiva.org. For those of you who haven't experienced Kiva, it is a site that brings microenterprise down to the individual level allowing people to make loans to individuals around the world through qualified partners. In short, it crowdsources relief and development work and allows individual people to be a part of the global solution in a personal and transformational way.

Well, the article shows how a variety of international development ministries have now started similar projects or joined Kiva's network in order to harness the innovation that Kiva identified. 20 years ago the idea of individuals doing something as complex as lending money to a shoe maker in Guatemala would have been unthinkable. But the founders of Kiva saw how the Internet was democratizing everything and acted on that major change in the area of microfinance.

Their innovation has made many new efforts possible that the founders could never have imagined. Here are a few of them:

• Opportunity International
• World Vision

So now lets turn to your idea. What are you working on? What have you rolled out that is changing your area of minsitry? Are you ready for that innovation to spread?

One of the keys to being ready is to hold it lightly. So many times when we invest so much in a new idea and an innovative project, we close our hands around it and tell everyone to back off. But the rules today require the opposite. The power of your idea and its impact will depend largely on your ability to hold it loosely.

Matthew 6:20 commands us to store up our treasures in Heaven and avoid the great mistake of putting our hope and trust in things that will disappear in the face of Eternity. This means that we will have to hold our efforts loosely. But what does that look like?

Holding your innovation loosely means:

1. Mentoring those who want to learn from your work
2. Giving others access to your ideas is wise and sustainable ways
3. Supporting new applications of your innovation
4. Being generous in your encouragement of those who enter your arena
5. Defining your success based on obedience to Christ not in the metrics of finance, fame or personal enjoyment

I know many in the ministry world who have failed to do this and it is important to consider what happens to the innovation. Those that hold their hands tightly closed see the innovations shrivel up just as the innovator becomes old and frail. They see their whole area of ministry become competitive and focused on success and notoriety. They foster all the things that might look successful in earthly terms but lead to isolation, greed and selfishness.

So you can choose how you will handle your innovation and that may make all the difference in how God will use it for His Kingdom.

The Ordinary Innovation

In my relentless pursuit of debunking the idea of the lone innovator sitting in the garage creating the next mode of transportation or a faster way to cook a burrito, I would like to submit to you this thought shared with us by Oliver Wendell Holmes in The Autocrat of the Breakfast Table:

"A thought is often original, though you have uttered it a hundred times."

Do you believe this? I do, and let me tell you why. For many years I have been stymied by the notion that new ideas come in a burst of brilliance that dazzles the mind and immediately sets you to writing down formulas, couplets, strategic plans or recipes. So in an effort to create the right scenario that would lead to innovation I would go to great lengths to . . .

1. Make sure the lighting was right

2. Read innovative writers

3. Find that creative place that seems to be dripping with new ideas

4. Build up expectations of what would come from my time of thinking

5. And the list goes on and on

It is a bit like the person who goes to the end of the world to find the world's smartest man. There is this expectation that if all of the situational elements are just right that you can force new ideas into existence. So many times I see leaders of organizations go away to plan and pray with the hope that this will happen. I see writers looking for just the right setting to create their masterpiece. But are we taking the right approach?

More and more I'm wondering whether the greatest innovations are ideas that slowly and quietly ooze into our lives as we work away at what God has called us to. It is much less exciting and it doesn't make nearly as good of a story, but I wonder if it isn't more a reflection of reality.

One of the reasons I am leaning towards this approach to innovation is that I am becoming convinced that the level of learning you need to define something new is much greater than most of us imagine. In a world that is flooded with information, we don't consume enough of it on any one topic to build a foundation to let us innovate. More and more I see innovations happening over time as we gain that key level of knowledge.

In Malcom Gladwell's latest book "Outliers" he talks about how anyone who has reached expert level in a field has had at least 10,000 hours of practice or experience. I think that innovation requires a similar amount of experience. That is why innovation is really rare and when it does happen it is usually a surprise to the world because the innovator has been quietly learning, thinking, processing, and developing the idea for a long time.

So as you consider this alternate way to view innovation, here is my question for you - What are you investing a significant time over a long period to learn and master? I think that there is where your innovation will arise from and I imagine that it will come at the most unexpected moment of your lifelong learning process.

Innovating in a Generation

So many times when we come to the idea of innovation we focus on the old stand by - the industry. We talk about innovations in media, health care, ministry, sports, and on and on it goes. This focus on industry innovation is of course one very good way to think about our creative efforts. But it isn't the only way.

One of the keys to breaking out of the moulds that bind us is to think about the world through different perspectives and different categories. Are you following? If you only think about innovation in regards to a particular industry, then you will be limited to industry categories as you try to be creative. Sure it can lead to creativity ... but what if you thought about the same problem through a completely different category.

Lets take generations. I have a friend named Cavin Harper - president of the Christian Grandparenting Network. He saw the great challenges that families are having and especially the children. He could immediately have gone to innovate in the school system or through the government services. But he took a different approach.

Instead, he decided to ask the question, "How could grandparents be part of the solution?" Very interesting approach considering the billions of dollars we have spent in programs and services. Instead Cavin side stepped all those things and latched onto the relationship between a grandparent and their grand kid as a key tool to teach a new generation about Jesus and equip them in their faith. You have to check out what they are doing. I get to work with Cavin through my new job at .W. What a privilege to watch him take a completely different approach to innovation in this key area of training up the next generation.

From his Grand Camps to the upcoming Legacy Conference in Minneapolis. If you live in the Minneapolis area or know grandparents or parents that do, I would encourage you to consider going to this event on October 23-24. It is a great opportunity to experience a new approach to an age old challenge. If you are too far away to go, please be praying for the event and take some time to explore Cavin's approach.

But the best thing to do is hear from Cavin himself. Check out this short video where he shares his heart.

Now it's your turn. I want you to think through the innovation you are working on right now and ask these questions:
1. What is the innovation I have been working?
2. What categories have I put my work in - maybe without even realizing it?
3. What other categories might apply to my work?
4. What would a solution to my challenge look like through those other lenses?

Enjoy your re-framing work!

Tell me a story friend!

One of the keys to adoption of new innovations is the story we tell people about the need and the solution. The ability to share the story in a convincing way is absolutely critical and this is one area where we often make a pretty big mess.

Have you been to a seminar where the presenter is trying to convince you of a need for a new solution but completely looses you in the explanation. I was in one recently (I'm not saying who or where :) ). He hooked the group in the plenary by challenging those who saw the problem to meet in a smaller room after the main session. But then we went there and immediately got lost in details, numbers and definitions. By the end we forgot why we were there.

In the Heath brother's latest blog post on "making it stick" they talk about the importance of explaining statistics in clear and understandable ways. Take a minute to read their thoughts. The key is the story that you build. But you've probably heard that and it doesn't necessarily give you a next step when you go to explain your next cool idea to the world.

So here we go, let me give you an outline that will help you build the story around your innovation:

A. Start with the need

• Don't start with facts
• Share a story that depicts the need in a very human and tangible way.
• One example is if you are sharing about an innovation in clean water technology, show a glass of dirty water and explain what might be in it and how many people drink water just like that in a given day.

B. Share how you fit in

• People want a human element
• Share about your journey (quickly)
• Explain the spiritual element and your response

C. Explain the facts

• Using the Heath brother's example, build a story with the facts that bring them to life
• Take your top 10 facts and ruthlessly eliminate all but 3 to share

D. Present your solution

• Take out all the jargon / industry speak
• Give the reasons why your innovation is key to meeting the need
• Provide clear outcomes of what will happen if you are to succeed
• Share endorsements of trusted people who believe that this solution will work

Ok, now it's your turn. Take this outline and insert your need, journey, facts and solution. Post your specific outline in the comments of this blog and we can all encourage each other in our communication.

Where does Innovation Training Come From?

As I have watched innovators grow and develop, I often wonder how they get to be where they are? Was it all circumstance or maybe it was sheer effort. Well, in God's economy we know it was neither. We know that our understanding of God, of His values and of His direction gives us the opportunity to innovate in dynamic ways.



Recently I have been thinking alot about discipline. The nonprofit world is not all that disciplined I have noticed. We regularly miss deadlines, fail to think through issues properly and regularly invest time in things that don't have much significance. Now one could argue that it is no different from the for profit world but it seems to be allowed much easier in the nonprofit world.

After all we are working for God and He will get it done in the end . . . right?

But is that they attitude that sparks innovation? No, innovation and dynamic ministry come from a disciplined life that is finely tuned to God's voice and is willing to courageously act in God's name. How do we prepare ourselves for that kind of life?



Recently I read through a book called "Stand: unleashing the wisdom of God" by Alex McFarland. This is a small devo for young people on the book of Proverbs. As I read it I realized that one of the keys to innovation as a ministry person is learning the disciplines taught in Proverbs when we are young. That foundation is such a powerful piece of what it takes to make innovation happen.



In this short book, Alex walks through the Proverbs in a topical way based on the issues that young people are dealing with. I really enjoyed the section on leadership and self control. The idea that following God's prescriptions for life don't just lead to missing out on things that give us pleasure - they lead to significance and impact.

In the end, I think this is one of the key lessons I am learning. If I am willing to live as God asks me to, then I will be in a position to have a part in His Kingdom work. If I ignore Proverbs and other admonitions in the Bible, I will not have the Kingdom impact.

As we think about where innovation comes from, we have to go back to basic decisions like this. Our obedience to God at these basic levels will open us up to be used by Him and to innovate in incredible ways. Our unwillingness will relegate us to a life of missteps, self-focused patterns and insignificance.

Begin with the End in Mind Part II

This topic is so important that I want to park here and talk about it just a little more. I hope each of you will indulge me. But more than that, I hope you will realize how critical this topic is to innovation.

If you do not have an end identified when you go out and seek to innovate, then you will not be doing your cause any favors. Now I know many people are thinking - what about those innovators that just tinkered around until one day they invented Post-it Notes (that is the famous one from 3M).

Let me make a distinction. If you are a scientist looking to further your field then that is your end. At that point you might not have a specific cause you are focused on - instead you are wanting to see knowledge increased and new ideas/resources be brought to market. That may look like meandering but most of those people did have an end in mind.

In the case of this blog and of innovation within mission, we have "ends" that are a bit more focused. For some of you it is church planting in Africa. For others it is Internet evangelism, and still others it is new discipleship tools. Whatever the cause that God has put you on, beginning with the end in mind is critical to innovating for the Kingdom.

Let me share a few things that you are more able to do when you begin with the end in mind:

1. Identify the key players: If you know where you are going, it is easier to identify the key individuals that you need to build relationships with, network with and partner with.
2. Stay focused: By defining what you believe God wants you to be reaching for, you can avoid the many other "nice but not necessary" things that will pop up all around you. We all know brilliant people who can't focus on their main objective and keep getting taken down side paths to the detriment of their main project.
3. Spot Opportunities: When you have a clear goal in mind, the "windows of opportunity" that God brings along will be very evident to you. They will jump off the page and you will be ready to engage with the opportunity that God puts in front of you. Many other people who do not have a clear focus let these opportunities pass by just because they are not sharp and focused.
4. Learn Strategically: With focus comes intentionality. When you are focused you then look for the things you need to learn and grow in so that you can better accomplish your goal.
5. Be Spiritually Alert: Those who are intentional about mission innovation will be spiritually alert. You will be praying about the thing God has put on your heart. You will know what sacrifices He is asking you to make. You will also be more aware of changes in the direction that God has you going. You will be able to flex and modify your focus based on how God changes the ends He has given you.

I hope this is an encouragement in the disciplines of focus, intentionality, and learning. Now here is the question: What End has God put on your heart that He would have you be focused in achieving for Him?

Begin with the End in Mind

"As for you, go your way till the end. You will rest, and then at the end of the days you will rise to receive your allotted inheritance." Daniel 12:13

When Daniel received this word from God, he had just been given a revelation about the end times. But as with many of those revelations, he didn't understand much of what he saw. He was trying to be a diligent God-follower and "get it right" but you can imagine the frustration when the pieces God was sharing didn't quite make sense. Daniel wanted to understand the "how" of the prophesy but in the end God was more interested in him focusing on the "why" and the "what now".

Then, as the last verse in the book of Daniel, God tries to calm Daniel down and focus him. I love the line "go your way till the end." God had shared what would happen in the end and why it must happen, now Daniel was supposed to live out his faith with expectation of that end.

I had lunch with a friend yesterday and we were talking about innovation in organizations. He shared with me an exercise he did during his masters studies that captured my imagination. The professor told the class that they should pick an age at which they think they might die (75, 80, 85, etc). Then he asked my friend and the rest of the people in the class to work their way backwards to today and try to plan out the goals they had for their lives.

My friend shared how powerful this exercise was to define values, goals and priorities. What is so special about beginning with the end in mind? Well for one it clarifies the picture quickly. When time is flowing out in front of us, then it seems like we have all the time in the world to accomplish what is on our heart. But when we start at the end and work back to today, then we have a limited space of time that we must invest wisely based on God's call on our lives.

This exercise also helps us to think through next steps. If we know where we are trying to end up, then it is easier to break it down and think through all the pieces that must come together. For example, if your goal is to innovate in how member care is carried out for missionaries from new sending countries, then you can begin to think through what experiences you must have to understand the challenges and the victories. You can think about the education you need. You can decide about the mentors you need in your life. Finally, you can think through the time it will take to build the relationships and connections that will give you a say in that particular area.

The amazing thing about this exercise is that a life becomes much shorter than we would ever imagine. From where many people sit, life flows out in front of them and there seems to be enough time to do just about anything. But when we really count our days and ask God to help us see how we should spend them, they become much more limited than we would ever realize.

As you consider the innovations that God has put on your heart, are you beginning with the end in mind? God promised Daniel that if he went his way based on all he had heard then he would receive an inheritance. What is "the way" that God is calling you to? Will you measure it and invest it for the Kingdom?

Innovation in Organizing Relationships

One of the most important resources an innovator has are his/her relationships. Think about it. Where do you get your inspiration, go to ask for help in brainstorming, go for money to fund your idea, etc. Your relationships are the fabric that allow you to innovate.

But what happens in a world where relationships are exploding through social media. Now if you are a well connected person you might have up to 1000 friends on facebook and your twitter feed might have several thousand followers. But do you know any of these people? How do you organize these relationships to be effective in your ministry innovation?

I recently posted a cartoon about social networks and relationships on facebook and began a great discussion about this topic with a fellow innovator. As we talked, he shared a system he has come up with to manage relationships and make them effective in this sea of information.


Listen to him in his own words:
"I think there is a difference between "friends," "acquaintances," and "followers." I usually think of things in terms of Dunbar's number: I have my best 15 relationships, my close 50, my near 75, and my "tribal" 150. Anything beyond that is "distant horizon associates": people who follow me or whom I follow because we share common ideas, visions . . ."


The great thing about this system is that it allows you to prioritize the sea of information and connections out there and proactively stay connected to those people that you really believe are key in your life and spiritual growth. At the same time it gives you a way not to avoid the larger group - but to keep the mass of information in context.

I love what he says about the flow of information:
"The great thing is that I don't try to keep up with every Facebook/Twitter/Friendfeed post. I view them as a river or a stream that I dip into at various times."


One of the things I appreciated about his approach is that it is not static. He focuses on those relationships that are closest, but as he reads, interacts and grows personally, his system allows people to change their connection to him - closer or further away.
"The closer someone is to me, the more often I will probably be in touch with them.... my close 15 I'm probably in touch with at least once every other week if not weekly... so I'll find out what's going on in their lives from FB posts, emails, phone calls etc. typically daily or weekly. I have different levels of involvement with each of the levels (15-50-75-150-followers). I don't attempt to deepen connections with followers unless they "move" into one of the other levels..."


But you may be asking, how can you manage this in a practical way? Here is his approach:
"I have rules set up in my gmail account to automatically tag all messages from certain people according to which category they are in "best15," "close50", "near75," "tribe150" and slot them in. Then I have multiple inbox views in Gmail that let me see newest emails, as well as newest emails from best15 ... Read Moreand close50. I always respond to best15 and close50 first and then deal with everything else. And I make it a point to check in with best15 at least once a week or once every other week, just to see what they're doing, if I haven't talked to them before."


Innovation requires a proactive approach to relationships and ideas. How will you organize your relationships for greater Kingdom Impact?

Transitions Provide New Opportunities for Innovation

Many times, transitions provide key opportunities to re-evaluate our assumptions and find breakthroughs in our thinking. I am going through several key transitions and it will impact my writing on this blog significantly. I would like to share the transition with you.

Please read my full post on our Generous Mind Blog.

The Innovation Mix

My verse all summer has been Romans 12:12 "Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction and faithful in prayer." I'm not good at memorizing so I love verses like this. They are short and have 3 things!


Anyway, this has been a key verse for me because of its implications to ministry and innovation. Let me break it down for you:


1. Joyful in hope: An innovator has to be joyful. This is key because there are so many challenges and half steps in innovation work. I can guarantee you will struggle if you are depending on your own strength. But if you rely on hope in Christ, you can overcome the great obstacles that you will encounter. It is because of the hope we have that we can see beyond challenges to the big goal in front of us. That big goal is your innovation that God has set before you.

2. Patient in Affliction: When you suffer in the innovation process, be patient. So many times we demand that things be set right immediately or fixed quickly. But I have witnessed that in the pain of struggle to accomplish an innovation God will provide new opportunities and ideas that I would never have had if the pain had been avoided. Pain is an important part of what God uses to refine our ideas and our vision.

3. Faithful in Prayer: Hope is impossible to attain and Affliction is impossible to overcome without prayer. Prayer is how God keeps us steady and reassures us in our work. We tend to wander in our thinking and in our emotions but prayer brings us back to the core and reminds us of what God has put in our hearts. If we seek Him in prayer, God will not let us loose site of the vision He has given us.

I know that many of you are struggling today. You are discouraged, tired, out of ideas, questioning . . .

This verse in Romans is for you! Be encouraged.

Who is TED anyway

You have heard me talk about the TED conference many times in my innovation posts. It is the premeir conference of innovators in the US. This conference is very difficult to get into and requires applications as a fellow.

I would love to see some Christian innovators as part of that group for 2010. Would you take the time to fill out the application and see what God will do. So many times I think we assume that we will not be accepted by the secular world of innovation, but we are discounting God's will be be glorified through our work.

I challenge you to dream big and apply to be a TED fellow:
http://blog.ted.com/2009/08/apply_to_be_a_t.php

Accountability as a Foundation of Innovation

When we think about innovation and the foundations that make it possible, we can't overlook accountability. If we do not have relationships of accountability, how will we ever push through on the challenging issues that are in front of us as innovators?

But so many times we decide to go it alone. Either we are scared of rejection, we don't want to take the time, or we don't want to share our big idea. But those reasons are all from our flesh - not from God. God requires us to be accountable to Him and wants us to be accountable with other believers along the way.

Read my Generous Mind post on this issue of accountability:
http://generousmind.blogspot.com/2009/08/generous-accountability.html

The Innovation In Mission Ebook is Here

I know that so many of you live around the world and have had trouble accessing the "Innovation in Mission" content. Well, our publisher has launched the book as an ebook available to purchase at a lower price. I hope that this resource will be more accessible to you and others you know. Please share the link with others:

http://www.ibsdirect.com/p-1095-innovation-in-mission-ebook.aspx

Blessings as you innovate!

Harnessing a Movement

In Matthew 4:25 the Gospels describe the crowds that followed Jesus as He spoke and healed. These were not small clusters of people interested in a curious man. These were large gatherings surrounding Jesus on all sides . . . pushing in and grasping for His hand. This was a movement. People were desperate and empty and Jesus was giving true life.

Take a minute and watch this video with me and then lets talk about it.



Jay Walker is talking about a movement. But in this case it was not the movement that surrounded Jesus 2000 years ago. It is a movement of people learning English. What does this have to do with innovation? EVERYTHING!

Innovation comes out of movements because movements represent crying needs expressed by a significant group of people. Out of movements come solutions, new ideas, creative expressions of truth and on and on. They jump of the pages of history because there is momentum behind them. The movement encourages solutions to the need that began it all.

What movements are going on in your world? How can you meet the needs of those movements through innovation and thus bring people closer to Jesus? This is the question you should be asking.

One example might be the movement of social media. How can you use that momentum to create new innovation. Another example is micro enterprise. This is a growing area that is empowering many to work and countless more to be a part through giving.

These are just two examples of movements. Now it's your turn. Share a movement in your sphere of influence and how you might use it to innovate for the Kingdom.

Open or Closed

Talking about this subject reminds me of Ecclesiastes. But it is true, there is a time to be open and a time to be closed. What do I mean by that?

One of the greatest lessons in innovation is this: knowing when to be open to new ideas and knowing when to stop soft thinking and drive the idea into reality.

This is a very hard lesson. So many times we cannot distinguish between the creative time (soft thinking) and the implementation time (hard thinking). This means that we are either always in development or we never bother to brainstorm and rush right into roll out. Both leave our project missing so much of the innovation that it could have had.

Why does this happen?
1. We do not clearly set perameters and expectations when we start a project.
2. We are not confident in our innovation and leave it open for constant revision
3. We don't value input from others so we move straight into implementing our idea
4. We are behind schedule and cannot afford to build in the time to innovate

Do these sound familiar? They should. I can't think of a ministry that doesn't struggle with this. And if that weren't hard enough let me through in another twist. Sometimes after you have done your brainstorming, come up with a plan and are in rollout, you have to open up your mind again because something has changed.

So how do you decide when to open your mind to new possibilities and when to close it and get the job done?
1. Create an environment where innovation is celebrated and decisions are honored.
2. Always be willing to entertain new ideas but keep them insulated from items already being rolled out unless they are game changers.
3. Manage expectations daily so that people know what is open for innovation and what must be closed for implementation.
4. Even while you are rolling out today's idea, be promoting and developing people's ideas for tomorrow

As you can see, it isn't black and white. Things are in constant states of opening up for innovation or closing down for implementation. But your ability to facilitate those processes will determine your success.

You will know them by their tweets . . .

Part II of "What do green, twitter and innovation have in common?"

As we continue to explore how information is validated and affirmed in this brave new world, I stumbled across a powerful example as I was following www.twitter.com/persiankiwi. This person consistently shared the reality on the ground in a powerful and honest way. You felt their pain as they saw fellow countrymen beaten, their fear as they had to move locations to avoid detection, their anger as they shared about perceived injustice, and their joy as they imagined what might be. As I followed along with their feed, I saw that these people were for real. I wasn't the only one. On Tuesday of last week they had 8,000 followers and now they have over 30,000!

But then something strange happened, the Iranian secret police started infiltrating twitter and other social media sites to spread disinformation and catch this new generation of journalists. As this began to happen, @persiankiwi shared the following stream of tweets:

ok - tonight twitter is full of gov usernames. all users IGNORE all post
except from reliable sources - #Iranelection

IMPORTANT to all tweeters in iran - follow my next message carefuully -
#Iranelectionabout 2 hours ago
from mobile
web

do NOT follow any instructions on twitter except from the trusted sources -
cont...... #Iranelectionabout 1 hour ago
from mobile
web

ignore all instructions from new twitters or twitters with no history of
accurate posts - cont.... #Iranelectionsabout 1 hour ago
from mobile
web

i cannot name the reliable sources because we are now the main attention of
censors - but .. cont.... #Iranelection20 minutes ago from mobile
web

you will know them by looking at their past tweets -
cont.... - #Iranelection6 minutes ago from mobile
web

When I read this, I couldn't help but think about the profound statement that these simple little phrases had made. What they were saying was simple - look at what the person has said over time and if there is truth there follow them.

In other words, find those authentic voices around you and stick close to them. But what makes a voice authentic? What makes it true? Websters Dictionary defined authenticity as:
–conforming to an original so as to reproduce essential features
–made or done the same way as an original

In our lives as Christians, authenticity means "conforming to" Jesus Christ in every aspect of our lives and representing that to others. Just like the Iranian twitterer who challenged us to look for those voices who were speaking truth about the situation in Tehran, we are challenged to be voices that represent Jesus.

In Acts 6:3 the disciples realized that they were not taking care of the needs of the believers adequately. So, in order for them to focus on preaching, they looked around for some authentic Jesus followers to take up this task. The result was the choosing of Stephen and his preparation for the ultimate sacrifice.

The apostles knew that only an authentic voice could carry out the mercy ministries in a loving and compassionate way. They looked for someone who was conformed to Jesus to "be Jesus" to others.

What a challenge. This isn't a challenge to do nice things or to look smart. This is a challenge to be the truth of the Gospel in our relationships with others. Just like Jesus represented God's love incarnate, He has now commissioned us to represent His love through our lives (although we are far from perfect as He is).

I love John 17:22-23 where Jesus prays, "I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me."

As I have been processing these ideas, I went to lunch with a new friend and a wonderful generous mind - Eric Foley. We talked about this idea of truth through relationship and how we can be Jesus to others and bring His truth to others in powerful ways. Eric definitely brought truth to me that day over an amazing lunch of asian cuisine.

So what does this have to do with innovation - besides the reference to twitter? Well, plenty. What is innovation? It is bringing a new idea - a new reality - into the world. If you are not an authentic voice with a long history of truth-telling in your life, then no one will be interested in your ideas. Only authentic voices have the opportunity to help bring innovations into this world.

What is your track record like? If your life was posted on twitter, would your tweets show a life that represents Jesus? What would people say about that long stream of thoughts, feelings and actions? Would they say, "Wow, I want to know that Jesus!" or would they say "What is this person all about - I don't get it?"

An authentic trail leads to many new opportunities . . . an innovator's dream. But a trail of lies, double-talk and selfishness leads to more of the same - a focus on self and little chance to bring new ideas into the world or impact the world in any useful way.

So are you an authentic voice?

What do green, twitter and innovation have in common?

The world is a-twitter about http://www.twitter.com/. And as with any hype, this is all we are hearing about. Twitter has eclipsed facebook as the tool of the moment. But we know that in 6 months there will be another tool that is getting all the attention.

But this week there is a convergence that represents a new innovation that has great potential for ministry. As many of you have been following along with the turmoil in Iran, you have undoubtedly heard about the opposition's use of twitter, facebook and other tools. In a wired world, this is one of the most dramatic examples to date of a people using social media to take their cause to the world.

I followed along captivated to www.twitter.com/persiankiwi (one of the more reliable feeds) as they shared about speeches, beatings, moving to new hideouts and finding new cracks in the blanket Iranian police were trying to put over the Internet. I also watched as they went from 8000 followers on Tuesday to almost 30,000 on Saturday.

As @persiankiwi along with many others began sharing what was going on people started to put #iranelections at the end or beginning of their twitter or facebook posts. This tag allowed all the feeds that included it to be searched and streamed together. You can go to: http://search.twitter.com/search?lang=en&q=iranelections to see the constantly growing list of messages with this phrase.

What this did was unite thousands of people - some in Iran getting out messages and others in various parts of the world sharing those messages or responding with their encouragment.

This feature has become a key part of mobilizing people around events and ideas. So I gave it a try early this week. On Tuesday morning I started using #iranprayers and encouraging others to do the same. You can now go to http://search.twitter.com/search?q=iranprayers and see over 6 pages of messages with that tag.

One of the innovations in technologies like twitter is the ability to have countless people anywhere in the world engage in one discussion. This is a powerful tool for ministry. Where before we tried to beam messages about missions to people we had to push them out and hope that someone listened. Now we can launch a message and then watch as the world jumps in. For instance, you can connect with countless people talking about missions by searching http://search.twitter.com/search?q=%23missions.

Now think about your cause - whatever it is. How could you harness the power of these tools to begin a global conversation about your cause and to raise awareness just as people are doing about the protests in Iran? How could you build your tribe of people with a passion for your cause using tools like this?

Give it a try and let us know how it goes.

Reimagining Reality

In my last post, I threw out the Innovation Challenge: What did the top 10 most creative people (according to Fast Company) do to change their industries.

Here is the answer: Reimagine Reality.

Dan Elliott, from Tyndale House Publishers, is our winner with this answer, "each of these innovative leaders did something unexpected, combining multiple disciplines to create a product that is remarkable, worth talking about."

This lesson is so critical for us as innovators. An innovative leader has to do two things to change the rules and think in new ways:

1. Accurately Define Reality:
First an innovator has to define reality accurately. So many times we see people flounder because they do not correctly define reality. What does this mean? This means that we have to be brutally honest about the circumstances in which we find ourselves. If your church is shrinking each month, you have to look at the reasons. If your ministry project is stuck in the mud, you have to ask the tough questions. Only when we define reality accurately can we think creatively about solutions.

2. Reimagine Reality:
What each of the 10 people that I shared with you did was to clearly understand reality and then turn it on it's head. Whether they redesigned how we listen to music, rethought the infrastructure to power electric cars or reimagined comedy, each of them took that clear view of reality and then got creative with it.

Ministry Application
In ministry we are afraid to look at reality clearly because of the many challenges we face. And so, when we try to brainstorm and think creatively we are usually doing it from a faulty understanding of our surroundings. It is only when we take the time to really understand the forces at work and the dynamics of our situation that we can truly be innovative.

This means that you have to take time before the brainstorming sessions and they consultants to understand your world with it's blessings and it's challenges. Once you understand it and accept what God has given you to work with, then you are in a position to reimagine it.