Radical Grace in Life and Leadership

People of the Second Chance

ARE YOU THE COCKROACH OR THE T-REX?

Posted by Mike Foster:

I love this fictional Facebook status update. (see pic above)

First it made me chuckle.

Then it made me think about how we respond to bad news, tragedy and when the crap hits the fan.

So are you more like the cockroach? Confident. Positive. Know you will survive.

Or are you more like the Earth and the T-Rex? You tend to respond with a big FML!

I’M CURIOUS. COCKROACH OR T-REX?

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20 THINGS IM LEARNING IN BANGKOK

Posted by Mike Foster:

Tomorrow marks the 3rd week my family and I have been in Bangkok. 5 more weeks to go. Here are some things I’m learning:

1. Skype is a beautiful thing. 5am meetings on Skype…not so much.

2. The Thai people are amazing. Generous. Kind. Full of love.

3. If you’re not paying attention to what’s happening in Asia, you should start today so you’re not left behind.

4. Fox News and MSNBC are embarrassingly irrelevant here. CNN and BBC actually broadcast what I consider to be REAL news.

5. It’s better to follow your heart and passion then follow the “rules.”

6. I got a haircut today. I told the stylist I was from the United States. I think she thought I said UNITED STATES MILITARY! Holy cow they cut it short! Well I guess my hair will eventually grow back…by January. (See pic above)

7. My wife and my kids are studs. Took them about 48 hours to adjust to a completely new way of life. Btw, Thai women are seriously crazy in love with my 8 year old daughter. It’s fun to watch.

8. Excited to be connecting with so many great social justice organizations doing incredible work in this city.

9. In September we are traveling to Chiang Mai to meet Kirapaw. She is one of the 4 beautiful children we sponsor through Compassion International. I’m super excited!

10. Bangkok is a city of extremes. You can buy a $250,000 Lamborghini at the most beautiful mall I’ve ever been in. Then you walk out of that mall and see a Mom and her newborn baby begging for spare change.

11. I’m worried that I’m not going to see a NFL game until I get back.

12. I have very little to offer the Thai people. That’s why I listen intently, watch closely, and take good notes.

13. It is true that Bangkok has evil and darkness in it. But it is also true that this city is full of light and life and great hope. We sometimes can lose sight of that truth.

14. I’m very thankful to work with such an incredibly talented and capable team back home.

15. Everyone has a cell phone. And I mean EVERYONE! A lot have 2 phones. Forget E-commerce. They are going to go straight to Mobile Commerce.

16. Heading to Hanoi, Vietnam next week for some meetings, learnings and to speak. Then to Beijing in 2 weeks.

17. I’m 6 foot 4 inches tall. Nobody else is. So I work hard at being a gentle giant.

18. Respect for others translates in every culture. So if you are not familiar with that idea, you better learn it.

19. The Newsong Bangkok community has been great for my soul and restores my hope in the future of the church.

20. Thai portions of food are smaller than the US. That’s probably why we are fat and they are not. Also, no free refills on drinks.

Have a great weekend!

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THANKS FACEBOOKERS

Posted by Mike Foster:

Just wanted to say thanks to all those who participated in our Facebook “Invitational.”

Once again I’m blown away by the incredible support of this community. We have almost reached our goal of 10,000 peeps and couldn’t be more pleased.

Btw, it is not too late to invite a few friends or to do a status update of support. Just tag your Facebook status with @People of the Second Chance.

I wanted to say special thanks to our Starbucks gift card winners:

Lindsey Tripple, Jeremy Thomas, Karen Kress, Joanna Kinney, Mike Hammer, Rob Edwards, Tara Hughes, Christopher Wiseman, Jessica Hill, Thom McGuire, Dawn Nicole Baldwin, Bryan Christopher Bolanos, Manda Kirk, Joe Sidoti, Shanna Rivas, Scott Ross, Sheri Munsell, Joshua Mcafee, Michael Entiger and Josh Wagner.

Great job guys! Make sure to send your info to Kristen(at)Ethur.org so we can shoot you your cards.

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MOVEMENTS VS. SCANDALS

Posted by Mike Foster:

I like movements and I love my friends who are leading them. I’ve also been lucky enough to work on a few.

It is interesting to me how a lot of people are using the word movement these days. I cringed last week when I saw a new product being described as one. Yikes!

Honestly, at this period of my life, I want to be a part of something a little different. So this week I tweeted this.

Just so you know, POTSC is not a movement…nor do I dream of it becoming one. Truthfully, it would probably drive me to quit if it ever headed in that direction.

However, I do like to think of POTSC as a scandal. When I talk about it, thats how I refer to it. And that’s what I want to be a part of.

Here are the differences in my mind:

A movement is popular. A scandal is blasphemous.

A movement is organized. A scandal is disruptive.

A movement will target the professionals. A scandal is made up of misfits, nobodies, lunatics and crazies.

A movement is something people want to be associated with. A scandal is something you worry about being connected to.

A movement probably has offices. A scandal has a table at Starbucks and is based out of a garage.

A movement implements strategic principles. A scandal is wild and messy.

A movement makes sense. A scandal is backwards.

A movement is known for success. A scandal is known for failure.

Just to be clear, I’m not hating on movements or those who are doing great work through them. I’m saying for me personally, it’s just not my thing.

So I’m curious on your thoughts about movements vs. scandals?

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STRIPPER STANDOFF ENDS WITH HUGS

Posted by Mike Foster:

Last week I posted this story about strippers doing a counterprotest at New Beginnings Church.

In the post, after 4 years of each group fighting each other, I suggested the people from the church and the strip club go to Applebees, order some potato skins, and work things out.

Well that didn’t happen, but something better did.

A ministry called JC’s Girls went out to Ohio and met with the church. Anny Donewald and Sheri Brown who are part of JC Girls spoke at the church and helped pave the way for a meeting between Pastor Bill Dunfee and Tommy George, owner of the Foxhole strip club.

After Anny and Sheri shared at the church, Bill and his congregation did an incredible thing. Here is the quote from The Columbus Dispatch:

“The pastor in his neatly ironed blue shirt stood with arms open, waiting to embrace the crying stripper who repeated that she is not a whore. After a long pause, she accepted.”

Both groups will be sitting down later this week to try and work things out.

CLICK HERE TO READ THE STORY.

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE PICS.

FOR MORE DETAILS ON JC’S GIRLS PART OF THE STORY CLICK HERE.

(Big thanks to Lori Albee, the co-founder of JC’s Girls and a great friend, for alerting me to this update!)

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