He Is There All the Time

I love that song "He Was There All the Time."

Jesus made us many promises. He will not force us to apply them or even to call on Him. He just waits patiently.

The Bible tells us to "cast all our cares upon Him." If we do that he will accept them. He will not just take them. If we want to keep them we can do so.

He is there and waiting.

David Sneed

SKUs

I used the term SKU in an email today to a client.

The response I got was "SKU?"

It was my mistake for using the seller's term. I should have simply said "item number." I got to thinking more about that. Maybe we should be more precise and always use the term SKU. "Item number" to a customer means that it is something the customer wants. Maybe the customer does not know what they want and so they do not know the item number.

I was at the annual Convention and Trade Show of a long running organization. There was an open Board meeting. It made sense as it was a non-profit organization. I could see a private company restricting attendance to stockholders.

At this Board meeting there was a presentation by two of the Executives that would depict the firm as having three distinct parts. One would be the annual Conference and Trade Show. Another would be the leading fee for service product group. The third would be everything else. There was even the suggestion that there be three separate legal entities. I watched the Board members. Zero interest. And both of those executives are now departed from the organization. Plain and simple the first two parts are the cash cows that keep the third one, and all of the bureaucracy, employed. The mission was buried.

What if each if us, individually and in our businesses, had defined SKUs for what we do?  We would not call them "item numbers" because our customers would not have to know them. An item number is something that provides us money. A SKU is something that we must define and give. Yeah I know. It's a fine line. It does not have to be a fine line.

That organization could see fantastic growth if it formed the three organizations. The surplus money from the first two parts would allow them to have some real growth. Everything in the third part would have to learn to perform. The second and third leading fee for service product groups have no reason for being. Under the present model they have no need to perform. They get their share of the total budget and can hide out. Top management does not care because their salary and bonuses are justified by having a large staff.

That organization is imploding. It is not just the decline of total revenue. Adjusted for the value of the dollar over time, it is rapidly going downhill. It stays alive with annual layoffs. The ones laid off are often the only real producers. Others are simply inventory that can later be dumped. They are like sand bags on a balloon. When there is a need to regain altitude they are cut loose. That organization has a ways to go yet like the buggy whip manufacturers it will eventually disappear.

A feature of Cowboy Safety is to make sure that the strategies are black and white. Strategy parts either achieve the mission or they do not. The operation model can reduce overheads by eliminating or outsourcing indirect functions. Initially it is done with tweaking the bookkeeping systems. Budgets are structured to the mission. Users begin to see what can be reduced and what needs to be increased.  Eventually the organization becomes known for its work and not for its bureaucracy.

David Sneed

Why is Religious Affiliation Shrinking?

According to a new report from Pew Research (www.pewforum.org/unaffiliated/nones-on-the-rise.aspx), one fifth of the general public and one third of adults under 30 have no religious affiliation. A variety of reasons are given.

I know something about the issue because I am one of the religious unaffiliated. I do have a religious background while growing up and as an adult. Now I am not a part of organized religion though my faith is stronger than it has ever been.

My reason for being unaffiliated is that I have not been able to find a church that can consistently present and live its fundamentals. Those churches may be there. I'm sure they are. I just can't find one. I'm not looking for saints. I'm looking for teaching that is black and white. Over the years I have seen many humorous quotes about the subject. "You say the church has too many hypocrites? Come on in. There's room for one more." Or "The church is a hospital for sinners." It goes beyond that.

I went to one church in New Hampshire. I had my Bible with me. After the service I noticed that the pastor would not speak to me. Based on things he said in his sermon I suspect he did not much care for the Bible. "Are you a student?" a lady asked me. "I see you have a Bible." "I guess you could call me that" was my response. Church members and pastors not believing their own doctrine is important. It is not a matter of perfection. Not even aiming for perfection is.

Generally I think that as a society we are moving into more authenticity. It is not just due to generational replacement. Many baby-boomers like me are feeling the same way. Don't give me a sermon telling me why the Bible is not true. And if your doctrine is that everyone who is not a member of your church is going to Hell then have the guts to say so. I may not agree but will respect you for taking a real stand.

The report says that the unaffiliated are more likely to become Democrats and to embrace liberal attitudes on abortion and gay marriage. Those may be the ones that never had a religious affiliation.

The report goes on to say that there is a view that the unaffiliated are secular. Maybe it's the other way around. Maybe the churches are secular.

The gospel message is about Jesus, crucified and resurrected. As Paul pointed out, if that  story is not true then nothing else matters. It disturbs me when that message is not first and foremost. The gospel is about Jesus. It is not about me. It is not about my choices on election day. It is not about abortion or gay marriage. The gospel message is not about how I now entitled to a Bugatti Vayron. The gospel should encourage the lost to accept salvation and to tell others.  It is about the finished work of Christ on the Cross.

If I want to hear a prosperity message I'll go to Forbes or Fast Company or Inc to learn how to do it. I don't want to hear it from someone who has never held a real job or owned a business. If I want to hear about Divine Healing I don't want to hear it from someone with health insurance. And if I want to learn about horses the teacher better know how to ride. There is SOME truth to the adage "those that can do, those that can't teach."

The report indicates that the trend is for more people to become unaffiliated and that there is no longer a stigma to that. There is some fear that we are headed in the same direction as Europe where church attendance has had a major decline. Fortunately many of the churches there are state-funded with religion taxes and with indirect funding. When in London I have attended St Paul's and Westminster Abbey. At both churches only a handful of people are present on Sunday. Ironically I find that the preachers do seem to believe what they preach.

The only thing new in the report is that the number of Protestants is now below 50%.

David Sneed