{"id":32529,"date":"2023-04-24T02:02:04","date_gmt":"2023-04-24T09:02:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/?p=32529"},"modified":"2023-04-24T02:02:04","modified_gmt":"2023-04-24T09:02:04","slug":"a-picture-is-worth-a-thousand-words-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/a-picture-is-worth-a-thousand-words-2\/","title":{"rendered":"A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words"},"content":{"rendered":"

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, and this book certainly paints an inspiring picture. \u00a0It\u2019s encouraging to think of leveraging the unseen networks all around us to bring real transformation. Using numerous real-life examples, Greg Satell explains how \u201csmall groups, loosely connected, but united by a common purpose\u2026 grow as the density of connections between small clusters increases, eventually hit a critical mass, and finally explode\u201d[1]<\/a> thus creating what he calls a cascade. However, he quickly adds a word of caution: \u201cSuccessful movements, however, don\u2019t merely wait for lightning to strike, but develop clear strategies to gain support long before circumstances trigger a window of opportunity.\u201d[2]<\/a><\/p>\n

Since reading this book, I\u2019ve been genuinely curious to know, how are you all, my cohort, applying this to your contexts? I don’t know that any of us are aiming to start a revolution or turn the tide of a war. Yet, we are all hoping to affect change in one way or another. How are you leveraging this reading in your own contexts?<\/p>\n

At first, I struggled a bit to know how to apply the cascade principles to my own leadership. Then I thought of Jesus (good option when you feel stuck, right?). I thought of all the times that he taught about the Kingdom of Heaven. He was certainly working to bring about transformational change. I don\u2019t think it\u2019s a stretch to say that Jesus was painting a picture of a better future reality when he taught about the Kingdom, just like Satell talks about: \u201cTo create meaningful change, you must put forward an affirmative vision for what you want the future to look like\u2026You have to define an alternative that is actually better, not just for those who agree with you, but for the vast majority of those who will be affected by the change you seek.\u201d[3]<\/a><\/p>\n

What is the affirmative vision for the future that Jesus teaches? What is the Kingdom of Heaven like? \u201cThe Kingdom of Heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.\u201d (Matthew 13:44) Could this be related to what Satell was talking about when he said, \u201cmovements tend to start slowly, sometimes taking years or even decades to gather strength\u201d?[4]<\/a> What powerful, unseen networks lay dormant in the years leading up to Jesus\u2019 ministry, only to cascade at just the right moment in response to Jesus\u2019 itinerant teaching?<\/p>\n

\u201cAgain, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a net which was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind; when it was full, men drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the good into vessels but threw away the bad.\u201d (Matthew 13:47-48). Jesus\u2019 Kingdom revolution certainly reached \u201cfish of every kind\u201d. It seems like Jesus knew that he had to reach the \u201cunconvinced, the skeptical, and the oblivious. If the desire for change remains with the zealots, it won\u2019t go anywhere. It\u2019s only when everybody else joins in that a transformational change can take place, whether that change is in a community, an organization, an industry, or throughout society as a whole.\u201d[5]<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cNot everyone who says to me, \u2018Lord, Lord,\u2019 will enter the\u00a0Kingdom\u00a0of\u00a0Heaven, but only the one who does the will\u00a0of\u00a0my Father who is in\u00a0Heaven.\u201d (Matthew 7:21) While much of Jesus\u2019 teachings about the Kingdom of Heaven focuses on its surprising and unpredictable nature, He also underlines that we as His followers have an active role to play. We have agency, and as David Rock taught us, a sense of agency and particularly being able to determine the future, increases our general sense of well-being.[6]<\/a> That sense of hopefulness, of being able to change your future reality, is foundational in any cascading movement.<\/p>\n

If my reasoning was a bit circular in this post, it\u2019s because I\u2019ve taken you along on my mental journey as I seek to apply Cascades<\/em> to my current context. None of us know the future. I don\u2019t know if my team\u2019s church plant will spark a movement, which has been our vision from the outset. I don\u2019t know if my NPO work with parents will bring about real and lasting change on a grand scale. I do know that I can lean into Greg Satell\u2019s three clear principles for affecting transformation: \u201cLook at any successful movement for change, and it contains the three elements we\u2019ve discussed: a clear vision for fundamental change, breaking through increasing thresholds of resistance within the Spectrum of Allies, and institutional shifts within the Pillars of Support.\u201d[7]<\/a> I might add one more very important principle: \u201cIf you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in\u00a0prayer.\u201d (Matthew 21:22).<\/p>\n

______________________________________________________________________________<\/p>\n

[1]<\/a> Greg Satell, Cascades: How to Create a Movement That Drives Transformational Change<\/em>, 1 Edition (New York: McGraw-Hill Education, 2019), 19.<\/p>\n

[2]<\/a> Ibid., 20.<\/p>\n

[3]<\/a> Ibid., 117.<\/p>\n

[4]<\/a> Ibid., 19.<\/p>\n

[5]<\/a> Ibid., 91.<\/p>\n

[6]<\/a> Rock, David. Your Brain at Work. (New York: Harper Collins. 2009), 86.<\/p>\n

[7]<\/a> Greg Satell, Cascades: How to Create a Movement That Drives Transformational Change<\/em>, 1 Edition (New York: McGraw-Hill Education, 2019), 138.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, and this book certainly paints an inspiring picture. \u00a0It\u2019s encouraging to think of leveraging the unseen networks all around us to bring real transformation. Using numerous real-life examples, Greg Satell explains how \u201csmall groups, loosely connected, but united by a common purpose\u2026 grow as the density […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":186,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[2768],"class_list":["post-32529","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-dlgp02-satell","cohort-dlgp02"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32529","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/186"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=32529"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32529\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":32530,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32529\/revisions\/32530"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=32529"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=32529"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=32529"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}