GreatRidge Station

The tag line for this blog, as you see above is: “Equip - Delight - Encourage.” Twenty years ago, they would have been morphed into a useless (and, probably, mostly meaningless) mission statement. To my good fortune and great blessing, they took on a far less structured, but more meaningful form. I choose those three words more than 11 years ago, and they capture much of who I am, in all of life.

I worked these out during a weekend-long retreat I took during a particular career crisis in my life (the dissolution of the department of which I was a part). I used the book The Path by Laurie Beth Jones, along with a wonderful little book by Dale Dauten, The Max Strategy, to help me wrestle through some of these issues. Incidentally, when you look at the size to price ratio of these two books, you are likely to object–the price to quality ratio makes them a bargain even at full list price. I can’t say I agreed with everything in these books, but I will say that I found them very helpful–keep in mind that you should always read with a critical eye or two.

These words show up on my screen-saver, on this blog, on my Great Ridge Group business cards, and various other places in my life. They are a constant reminder that I must be about the work to which God has called me.

I decided against doing a series, highlighting each of these concepts. The whole thing bothered me from the beginning, and seems a bit self-serving. I’ll tell you what, I’ll try to live them out, and you hold me to them.

Well, the future stadium for the Minnesota Twins now has a name. They decided to call it Target Field. Or, more accurately, Target Corporation paid a lot of money–more than the next-highest bidder–for the right to call it anything they wanted.

This should be a cause for concern. Target is a fine company, and aside from some philosophical issues, I have no complaints about them. Here’s the problem: The sphere of markets, selling, and finance have taken over significant parts of our lives. These “monunuments to our success” signal a change in values. The current Twins stadium is named for Hubert H. Humphrey, one of Minnesota’s favorite sons, and1968 presidential candidate.  This new one is Target Field, but maybe the Tom Burnett, Junior Ballpark would have been far more appropriate. Kids ought to know the answer to that question, too.

Culturally, we’ve given up the idea of commemorating our heroes. The not-so-subtle message is that our highest model to be emulated is not to be found in the great people who have influenced our state, but in the corporate economic giants.

For years, at Twins and Viking games, children have asked their parents “Who is Hubert H. Hump-hrey?” And parents (even Republican parents) knew the answer and told them.

In Indiana, their domed stadium was called the Hoosier Dome for many years, until RCA paid millions of dollars to rename it “The RCA Dome.” By the way the Hoosier/RCA Dome has been replaced by the Lucas Oil Stadium.

The point is that no kid is likely to ask “Who’s Target?” They know, at least they do now, and that’s what’s most important. Someday, kids might ask about Target, just as kids now have reason to ask “Who’s RCA.” Those questions ultimately become irrelevant. Those with the money create monuments to themselves, and when the money goes away, the next “economic-trollop” gets in line to play the game. Target has a 25 year naming rights arrangement for the new stadium in Minneapolis, but if tough times hit, they can always cut their losses and bow to the highest bidder.

Shame on us, when we celebrate companies, and cast off our true heroes. Empire is turning us into economic beings, to the exclusion of all else.  And they think they own us.

Ah yes, the United States finds itself in its quadrennial blizzard of political rhetoric. There was a time in my life when I loved politics, but not so much, anymore. I still love it when politics is motivated by the public good, and not, as is most always the case, by financial gain (this, by definition, makes me a cynic).

None of our major political parties has a monopoly on truth. In fact, it appears that truth and American politics have nothing whatsoever to do with one another. If you want to make sense of the politics of the next few months, you have to be smarter than a commentator.

Here’s my recommendation: Get David T. Koyzis’s book, Political Visions and Illusions. Dr. Koyzis is a friend, a long-distance colleague, and a fellow Bethel alum, and his book is a great help in making sense of our foolish committment to political illusion. See beyond the smoke and mirrors. Read this book. And read his blog.