So, I’ve been co-hosting the something beautiful podcast for a little while now but my first interview with someone else is this week’s episode!  I spoke with Ron Buford, the man behing the UCC’s Still Speaking campaign while we were both at FURY Assembly a couple of weeks ago.

Ron Buford

Have a listen and let me know what you think!

The Something Beautiful Podcast crew have produced a pretty cool crowd-sourced advent episode.  Listeners and regular contributers were invited to read one of the 9 Christmas Bible passages and send in Christmas wishes.  It’s turned out pretty good!  Avril and I read one and all the family read another.  I think our three boys do a particularly good job of shepherds and angels!  Have a listen at something beautiful.

I’m becoming a bit of a regular on the Something Beautiful Podcast, maybe because I’ll do pretty much anything for a latte and a cake.  Check out this week’s discussion where Thomas and I have a chat about Advent, hope, expectation, disappointment and recontextualisation (Thomas’ favourite word this week), all with the wonderful noises of Starbucks in the background.

Listen to the latest episode here and let us know what you think.  I’m sure some of what we say is not complete nonsense!!!

Peter Johnston and Scott Rennie have the first part of a fascinating conversation about the book ‘Why Liberal Churches Are Growing’.  Listen HERE to their discussion about the challenges facing the ‘progressive’ church, creating community, the church and young people and much more.

I mentioned that I had recoreded a discussion on Tribes for the Something Beautiful Podcast… well it’s edited and part 1 is online now… HERE.

Some further thoughts:

Tribes are everywhere.  We are all part of tribes.  Tribes form around interests and passions.  Tribes are big and small.  Tribes share a sense of purpose and belonging.

Godin’s book is one that all churches should read.  Not just church leaders.  But church people.  This is a book for leaders.  Some of those leaders are already leading tribes but some are waiting for their moment or waiting for their tribe.

So, what’s the book about?

Faith, Religion and Heretics.  Those aren’t necessarily words you would expect to read in a marketing book, but then Godin isn’t just any marketer.  He’s a heretic.

Faith, according to Seth, is a good thing.  Faith is something we all share.  Some have faith in God, others faith in Apple or Starbucks but that faith is mostly that the world can be better, that we can do better.  Faith helps us to reach further, to attain, to aspire.

Religion, well that happens when people who share a faith get together and start a club.  There are rules for the club and sooner or later those rules become more important than the faith they were made to celebrate.  This happens because people want to protect the status quo.  People want to preserve their faith.

Heretics are the people who lead change.  Martin Luther was a heretic.  Joan of Arc, Ghandi, Rob Bell…

Rob Bell?  Yes, Rob Bell.  The connection is that heretics change the rules.  Bell started a new church.  A new kind of church.

The thrust of Godin’s argument is that there are lots of people who are waiting to be led.  People are dissatisfied with the status quo.  Others have left their religion and are out there with their faith waiting and hoping for someone to come and lead them.  Waiting for someone to inspire them.

These people need leaders.

Leaders are all about how it could be.  Managers are about how it is.

Leaders are about what’s possible.  Managers are about what is.

Leaders deliver change.  Managers deliver the status quo.

Simple really.  Leaders lead.  People want to be led.  They want to form tribes around ideas and create movements.  Once the tribe is formed the leader’s role is to tighten the tribe.  To find ways to bring people together, to deepen relationships and to grow the tribe… if the tribe wants to grow.

Sound familiar?  Sound like something you want or need?  What’s the catch?

Leading is hard.  It takes committment and effort.  It takes people who don’t mind being called a heretic.

Seth Godin’s audiobook Tribes is available on iTunes ahead of the release of the book in a week or so.

This evening I’m meeting up with Thomas aka Headphonaught for a chat about Tribes (book or audio), the new book by Seth Godin.

Our chat is being recorded as part of the Something Beautiful podcasts so I’ll try to speak clearly and even make sense.  All I’ll say for now is that I liked the audio book and it resonates with lots of the things I’ve written about and spoken about over the past few years so expect lots of soapbox rants!

I’ve been thinking of posting podcasts for a while so have a look in the sidebar for last Sunday’s sermon or listen here and let me know what you think. UPDATE – or get it on iTunes!