The Seabourns

Thoughts

Reading on a Kindle

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Kindle and iPad Books Take Longer to Read than Print

I found this article interesting. Not sure I agree, but it is interesting.

I’ve actually felt that I read more quickly on my Kindle 2. I can get into a rhythm of clicking the Next Page button regularly and intentionally moving my eyes fairly quickly down the screen in time to click Next in rhythm. I recognize that this is a subjective measurement so perhaps I’ve been deceiving myself!

I’ve noticed that Amazon has announced a new Kindle DX with a 50% higher contrast e-ink screen.

What about you? Do you “feel” that reading is 10% slower on your Kindle? I assume the Nook might have a similar result.

Note: I’ve been waiting for my Kindle 2.5 update. It hasn’t come yet. Amazon is releasing the updates in batches. Want to get yours more quickly? Amazon has explained how on their manual update page.

Falling leaves, in the spring

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There are leaves everywhere. It’s spring and the leaves are falling!

We have laurel oaks in our yard. These are similar to the live oaks. They lose their leaves in the spring. It seems that when the sap rises and new leaves are budding, these oaks give up their old leaves.

There is even a period of time where the old leaves co-exist with the new growth. But their time is limited. They are dead and dying. They will drop away.

Interesting.

And very much like the Spirit-filled life. Paul outlines this in Ephesians 4:22-24. We are to put off the old and to put on the new. It doesn’t all happen at one time. For the rest of my life, I will be putting off the old, and putting on the new.

Some stuff is dead, I just don’t realize it yet. Kind of like the oak tree in my front yard.

Initial thoughts on Linchpin by Seth Godin

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According to my Kindle, I am 32% through Linchpin: Are You Indispensable? by Seth Godin. I think I like it now. I didn’t like it at first. The title grated against my understanding of humility and servant-leadership. The opening sections did nothing to change my perception.

But people I respect spoke highly of the book (such as Michael Hyatt here and here, especially since his company did not publish the book). Jay Lorenzen (onMovements) is reading it so I look forward to his thoughts.

It is growing on me. I’m intrigued by the concept of emotional labor. Some statements from Godin’s book:

  • Emotional labor is the hard work of making art, producing generosity, and exposing creativity.
  • Every interaction you have with a coworker or customer is an opportunity to practice the art of interaction [emotional labor].
  • One of the most difficult types of emotional labor is staring into the abyss of choice and picking a path. [This is especially meaningful to me as a leader where I regularly stare into the abyss of choice and am responsible for leading us in a path towards our mission.]
  • Emotional labor is available to all of us, but is rarely exploited as a competitive advantage. We spend our time and energy trying to perfect our craft, but we don’t focus on the skills and interactions that will allow us to stand out and become indispensable to our organization.

Then I thought about my partners in ministry — those who engage in the mission with Kay and me through faithful prayer, funding, and encouragement. Am I indispensable to them? Am I producing generously and creatively with them? Am I practicing effective emotional labor from their perspective?

I’m still working through thoughts. What about you? If you’ve read Linchpin and have thoughts, write them in the comments.

Email thoughts

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I read a good article today. 11 Things to Consider Before You Send the Next Email.

Recently a friend sent an email that had some hard things that needed to be communicated. Email is typically not a good place for hard things, but my friend used a very creative idea.

He started his email with: Sorry for the robust nature of this email. I’d much rather have this discussion face-to-face, but given the timely nature of this issue, I felt it couldn’t wait. Here comes the truth. I’ll stop by your desks later to give you hugs of grace.

I don’t know how others received this, but for me, it worked!

11 Things to Consider Before You Send the Next Email

I choose uncommonness

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i-do-not-choose-to-be-a-common-christianWhy do so many settle for commonness?

I was reading in 1 Samuel 8 this morning and came across this thought:

“We want a king over us. Then we will be like all the other nations, with a king to lead us and to go out before us and fight our battles.”

We want to be like everyone else. We want someone else to fight our battles. We want to be led.

I dug out an old poster given to me by Larry Poland in 1976. It has marked my life for many years.

I Do Not Choose to be a “Common” Christian

I cannot separate my faith in Jesus of Nazareth from my everyday life, conduct and speech.

I cannot justify loving only those who love me, aiding only my friends, and praying only for fellow Christians.

I have no desire to carry the name of the Son of God to the level of my own base intentions.

I aspire to be like Him, to live on unseen resources by faith, to tap the unlimited supply of His love through the life of His indwelling Holy Spirit, to emerge from my moral conflicts “more than a conqueror” through His power, and to rise above all earthly standards to the completeness of His perfection.

I acknowledge that this is an impossible quest but accept the challenge of its impossibility in the knowledge that its pursuit will force me to rest on Him.

I desire no little challenges, expect no unrippled seas, and abandon all personal “rights.”

My present failure to fulfill these intentions merely proves that God isn’t finished reshaping my raw materials.

What about you? Will you join me today in choosing to be uncommon?