Seth Godin is my pastor because no one cares for their congregation (tribe) more than he does.

Anne Lamott is my pastor because she receives grace better than anyone I’ve ever seen. (I’m sure she’s just as adept at giving out grace as well.)

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In The Way We’re Working Isn’t Working, author Tony Schwartz states that:

How we feel profoundly influences how we perform. Feeling devalued pushes us into the Survival Zone–which increases our fear, distracts our attentions, drains our energy, and diminishes the value we’re capable of creating … Perhaps no human need is more neglected in the workplace than to feel valued.

Wow. That’s a statement. However, I’m guessing there are many people reading this post where this passage rings true. “Check. Check aaaaand check,” you said to yourself silently.

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I’m ankle-deep into Tony Schwartz’s book, The Way We’re Working Isn’t Working, and he drops this bomb on me:
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I’ve made it no secret that I’m a huge fan of Making Ideas Happen by Scott Belsky. It’s easily the best business book I’ve read in the past five years–maybe ever. So when I read this passage in my devotions this morning, my mind immediately jumped to the action method philosophy. Read, from Evelyn Underhill’s The Spiritual Life:
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Wow. It seems quite a few of you feel a similar pull to start asking for things. Big things.

Since yesterday’s post, I’ve heard from some of you who were inspired by the idea:
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“I wonder what would happen if I made a big ask every day for a month?”

This thought nestled in my brain last night and hasn’t left since. I talked to my wife about it. I wrote a list of what I consider to be “big asks”. I thought about what life might look like on the other side of this little thought experiment. The possibilities excited me enough to actually give this a shot. It’s time to start asking.

A “big ask” is something you normally wouldn’t ask of other people. Perhaps fear or inhibition has kept you from picking up the phone, typing up the email or having the meeting. Whatever the ask may be, it’s something that will usually help get us from where we are to where we want to be.

Some examples of a “big ask” might be:
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Fred Phelps and his Westboro Baptist crew aren’t Lady Gaga fans. They recently showed up in St. Louis to protest Gaga’s Arch City show:

The anti-gay protesters from Westboro Baptist Church stood outside the Scottrade Center over the weekend, where they picketed the pop star/gay rights activist’s ongoing Monster Ball Tour with signs reading “God Hates Lady Gaga.” Angry at Gaga’s outspoken support of gay rights, the protesters denounced Gaga for using her art form to teach “rebellion against God.”

Members of the Westboro Church have protested the “PokerFace” powerhouse before, but when parishoners brought their controversial views to her live show, Gaga fired back.

How did she fire back? With Twitter. And with grace. From Gaga’s Twitter feed:
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I was thinking of solutions to combat Internet pornography addiction the other day. While there is some good software on the market already, I see a need for a reliable, fool-proof solution. Something that combines technology with a true desire to help people who struggle with this addiction.We all know the stats, Internet porn is a plague that lots of people, both inside and outside the church, struggle with.

Like I said, there are some solutions out there but I think there’s room for something different. Something dependable and tamper-proof. Something that’s installed blindly and only able to be administered by the person you designate.

This idea’s for free. If you’re in development and see a way to make this happen, go for it. It’s all yours:

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Spend 10 minutes with a Palestinian Christian and your theology will never be the same.
Listen to them as they ask, “Why do our American brothers and sisters in Christ hate us so much?”
Listen as they bear the unfathomable burden of being in conflict with God’s “chosen people.”
Spend 10 minutes with a Palestinian Christian and your theology shouldn’t be the same.