These are quotes which stood out to me, possibly for use in a sermon someday. Their presence here does not mean I agree with them, it merely shows that I might want to reference them later. The default view is five random selections. Use the tag list on the right to view all quotes relevant to that theme.
It is estimated that 85% of arranged marriages work out.
id: 800 | source: The Love Chronicles: Arranged Marriages 5/27/2000 | tags: Commitment, Love, Marriage
A Japanese company and an American company decided to have a canoe race on the Missouri river. Both teams practiced long and hard to reach their peak performance before the race.
On the big day the Japanese won by a mile.
Afterwards, the American team became very discouraged and morally depressed. The American management decided that the reason for the crushing defeat had to be found. A "Measurement Team," made up of senior management was formed. They would investigate and recommend appropriate action.
Their conclusion was that the Japanese had 8 people rowing and 1 person steering, while the Americans had 1 person rowing and 8 people steering. So American management hired a consulting company and paid them incredible amounts of money. They advised that too many people were steering the boat and not enough people were rowing. To prevent losing to the Japanese again next year, the rowing team's management structure was totally reorganized to 4 steering supervisors, 3 area steering superintendents and 1 assistant superintendent steering manager. They also implemented a new performance system that would give the 1 person rowing the boat greater incentive to work harder.
It was called the "Rowing Team Quality First Program," with meetings, dinners and free pens for the rower: "We must give the rower empowerment and enrichments through this quality program."
The next year the Japanese won by 2 miles.
Humiliated, the American management laid off the rower for poor performance, halted development of a new canoe, sold the paddles, and canceled all capital investments for new equipment. Then they gave a High Performance Award to the steering managers and distributed the money saved as bonuses to the senior executives.
id: 1099 | source: Anonymous | tags: Effectiveness, Organization
You cannot run away from a weakness; you must sometime fight it out or perish. And if that be so, why not now, and where you stand?" -- Robert Louis Stevenson
id: 2179 | source: Anonymous | tags: Character, Personal Growth, Spiritual Formation
...your remark about "dead, white guys" is a little too flip for me in this context. It implies a view of doctrinal development that I find shockingly reductive of the Holy Spirit's work in the Church throughout the last two thousand years.
And do we really want to lump together, say, 1st-century Jewish Christians with 4th-century North African Christians with 10th-century Russian Christians with 13th-century Italian Christians with 16th-century Saxon Christians with 18th-century English Christians with 20th-century American Christians--and call the fruit of their collective reflection merely the work of "dead, white guys"? That seems a little indiscriminate--not to mention ungrateful--to me.