Christmas is one of the most hectic times of the year. Traffic is terrible. One trip down Dixie Highway or Route 747 or a visit to Tri-County Mall or Kenwood Mall will test your calm sweet spirit.
We are all besieged with many activities, dinners, gifts to buy, guests coming and going and, as a result, stress begins to build. Counselors tell us that emotions intensify around Christmas time to the extent that there is more drinking, marital problems, suicides, frayed nerves, and strained relationships at this time of year than any other.
Isn't it interesting that the Bible says that Jesus came as the "Prince of Peace." ? Almost all Christmas cards have something to say about peace. The most popular Christmas carol talks about "All is calm; all is bright". But do we really have peace at Christmas?
One of the most unusual incidents in the history of war occurred on the first Christmas Eve of World War I. The war was only five months old yet 800,000 men had already been killed or wounded. Chemical warfare was being used and bombs were dropped for the first time. It was a killer war.
On that Christmas Eve something unique happened. All was quiet on the Western Front. There was no fighting going on. The British troops raised some signs above their trenches which said "MERRY CHRISTMAS" . To their surprise the German troops did the same. Christmas carols, in different languages, began to be heard. Christmas day found them unarmed.
Soldiers from both sides were meeting out in the middle in an area known as "no man's land." Christmas day passed peacefully and at one spot along the battle line the British soldiers played the Germans in a soccer match. The Germans won 3 - 2.
Peace followed the next day because neither side was willing to fire the first shot. Finally the fighting resumed but only after fresh troops arrived.
If we would let it, Christmas could be a pocket of sanity in a world full of turmoil, hurt, heartache and despair. We can have peace regardless of circumstances.
Monday, December 22, 2008
Prince of Peace II
We must remember that peace is not just the absence of conflict. Our world is full of war. We need to hear the words of Jesus as He promised peace in the middle of turmoil and stress " Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." (JOHN 14:27 ).
Have you ever been stalled in traffic in a major roadway. Traffic is creeping along. It is backed up for miles. Everyone is getting more and more tense. Horns are honking, people are shouting to one another and you are about ready to lose it.
You look over and there is a teenager with earphones on. He is smiling, snapping his fingers and thumping the steering wheel. He is thoroughly enjoying himself. Why?
He is tuned to outside music. We need to be tuned that way. In the midst of heartache, sickness, loss of loved ones, we need to follow Jesus' admonition, in Matthew 11:29, when He said, "Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and you shall find rest (peace).".
We get so caught up in the activities that we spend more time making fudge than we do spending time with the one who can give us that peace. Sometimes I think we ought to go ahead and call it "fudge-mas," or "cookie-mas," or "pie-mas"? Why don't we honor the day as "Christ-mas"?
On this great holiday make room for the Prince of Peace. Don't let Jesus be forgotten! Don't forget Him! Please?
Have you ever been stalled in traffic in a major roadway. Traffic is creeping along. It is backed up for miles. Everyone is getting more and more tense. Horns are honking, people are shouting to one another and you are about ready to lose it.
You look over and there is a teenager with earphones on. He is smiling, snapping his fingers and thumping the steering wheel. He is thoroughly enjoying himself. Why?
He is tuned to outside music. We need to be tuned that way. In the midst of heartache, sickness, loss of loved ones, we need to follow Jesus' admonition, in Matthew 11:29, when He said, "Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and you shall find rest (peace).".
We get so caught up in the activities that we spend more time making fudge than we do spending time with the one who can give us that peace. Sometimes I think we ought to go ahead and call it "fudge-mas," or "cookie-mas," or "pie-mas"? Why don't we honor the day as "Christ-mas"?
On this great holiday make room for the Prince of Peace. Don't let Jesus be forgotten! Don't forget Him! Please?
Thursday, October 30, 2008
A Boomer’s Guide to Understanding Twentysomethings Part I
By Margaret Feinberg Ones
Retro Versus Metro
Just as every generation is different, every generation also has things in common. Today’s baby boomers and today’s twentysomethings are no exception. Understanding the differences between these demographics is important when it comes to both mentoring and ministering to twentysomethings.
“My culture was filled for the most part with stable families, Judeo-Christian values and a relevance of faith to living,” said Carol Harris, a boomer parent of two twentysomething daughters living in Houston, Texas. “Twenty-year-olds have none of that now. The traditional family is broken, values are based on each individual’s own thinking and faith is not seen as relevant to life. We boomers should simply remember what it was like to be 20 and confused...and then at least quadruple the complexity of what we remember feeling and thinking to even begin to understand what it's like to be 20 now.”
This article is designed to highlight some of the differences between boomers and twentysomethings. It explores how these generations process information, respond and react. As you reflect on the differences, remember that the characteristics found in boomers can be found in twentysomethings just as the characteristics found in twentysomethings can be found in boomers. Being a twentysomething or boomer is more of a mindset and approach to life, and at times, it crosses all ages.
THE BOOMER BLOGGER
Retro Versus Metro
Just as every generation is different, every generation also has things in common. Today’s baby boomers and today’s twentysomethings are no exception. Understanding the differences between these demographics is important when it comes to both mentoring and ministering to twentysomethings.
“My culture was filled for the most part with stable families, Judeo-Christian values and a relevance of faith to living,” said Carol Harris, a boomer parent of two twentysomething daughters living in Houston, Texas. “Twenty-year-olds have none of that now. The traditional family is broken, values are based on each individual’s own thinking and faith is not seen as relevant to life. We boomers should simply remember what it was like to be 20 and confused...and then at least quadruple the complexity of what we remember feeling and thinking to even begin to understand what it's like to be 20 now.”
This article is designed to highlight some of the differences between boomers and twentysomethings. It explores how these generations process information, respond and react. As you reflect on the differences, remember that the characteristics found in boomers can be found in twentysomethings just as the characteristics found in twentysomethings can be found in boomers. Being a twentysomething or boomer is more of a mindset and approach to life, and at times, it crosses all ages.
THE BOOMER BLOGGER
A Boomer’s Guide to Understanding Twentysomethings Part II
Institution Versus Relationship
Boomers tend to value commitment and involvement in an institution. They like knowing that the organization they’re a part of is trustworthy. If the institution is well-established and a has a history within the local community that’s even better.
Twentysomethings, on the other hand, are less interested in the institution and more concerned with the people who comprise the institution. Twentysomethings are driven by their relationships. A boomer goes to church to learn a new spiritual lesson, sing familiar songs and fulfill their commitment to the local church. A twentysomethings goes to church to see their friends and hopefully learn, grow and serve along side them. So a boomer will walk into a service and ask, “What’s going on here?” whereas a twentysomething will ask “Who’s here?”
THE BOOMER BLOGGER
Boomers tend to value commitment and involvement in an institution. They like knowing that the organization they’re a part of is trustworthy. If the institution is well-established and a has a history within the local community that’s even better.
Twentysomethings, on the other hand, are less interested in the institution and more concerned with the people who comprise the institution. Twentysomethings are driven by their relationships. A boomer goes to church to learn a new spiritual lesson, sing familiar songs and fulfill their commitment to the local church. A twentysomethings goes to church to see their friends and hopefully learn, grow and serve along side them. So a boomer will walk into a service and ask, “What’s going on here?” whereas a twentysomething will ask “Who’s here?”
THE BOOMER BLOGGER
A Boomer’s Guide to Understanding Twentysomethings Part III
Settled Versus On the Move
Boomers tend to be more well-established, largely due to their age and stage in life. They are more likely to own a home and have several children. Boomers are more likely to have a resume that will actually impress someone and actually have a plan for retirement.
Twentysomethings are little more free-spirited, but not necessarily by choice. Since twentysomethings are getting married between four and five years later in life on average than their predecessors, many twentysomethings are still single. The majority of twentysomethings are saddled with so many student loans and so much credit card debt that they haven’t been able to buy a home. And children will only come after they find Mr. or Mrs. Right… which still may be a few years off.
Most twentysomethings are surprised that their lives don’t mirror their boomer parents. They expected to meet “the one” in college, get married and begin having children by the age of 25. They look at boomers with a quiet sense of envy in some regards. The delay is causing a lot of twentysomethings to ask God tough questions about their singleness and at the same time make the most of it by traveling, changing lives and living a more adventurous lifestyle.
THE BOOMER BLOGGER
Boomers tend to be more well-established, largely due to their age and stage in life. They are more likely to own a home and have several children. Boomers are more likely to have a resume that will actually impress someone and actually have a plan for retirement.
Twentysomethings are little more free-spirited, but not necessarily by choice. Since twentysomethings are getting married between four and five years later in life on average than their predecessors, many twentysomethings are still single. The majority of twentysomethings are saddled with so many student loans and so much credit card debt that they haven’t been able to buy a home. And children will only come after they find Mr. or Mrs. Right… which still may be a few years off.
Most twentysomethings are surprised that their lives don’t mirror their boomer parents. They expected to meet “the one” in college, get married and begin having children by the age of 25. They look at boomers with a quiet sense of envy in some regards. The delay is causing a lot of twentysomethings to ask God tough questions about their singleness and at the same time make the most of it by traveling, changing lives and living a more adventurous lifestyle.
THE BOOMER BLOGGER
A Boomer’s Guide to Understanding Twentysomethings Part IV
Information Versus Conversation
Boomers want information.
Twentysomethings want conversation.
Boomers are satisfied with a lengthy presentation on a topic, whereas twentysomethings are looking for an interactive examination of an issue. While boomers appreciate the time given to a particular topic, twentysomethings want depth. Twentysomethings don’t want to “get it” as much as they want to discuss it and wrestle with it.
“What it means to be "seeker sensitive" is totally different,” said Mark Batterson lead pastor at National Community Church (www.theaterchurch.com) in Washington, D.C. “I think twentysomethings are more spiritually attuned. I think many churches watered down or dumbed-down the message for boomers, but twentysomethings are looking for something supernatural, something they can't explain. I think our generation is more in touch with mystery and paradox. So ironically, the more seeker-sensitive you want to be the more spiritual you need to be. I think twentysomethings are looking for a high-octane experience.”
While a self-help title or article featuring six easy steps is appealing to a boomer, a twentysomething would look at the same piece and find it suspect. Certainly, things can’t be that simple. Thus, while boomers enjoy finding a short-cut to the answer, twentysomethings want to take the scenic tour at discovering the same truth.
THE BOOMER BLOGGER
Boomers want information.
Twentysomethings want conversation.
Boomers are satisfied with a lengthy presentation on a topic, whereas twentysomethings are looking for an interactive examination of an issue. While boomers appreciate the time given to a particular topic, twentysomethings want depth. Twentysomethings don’t want to “get it” as much as they want to discuss it and wrestle with it.
“What it means to be "seeker sensitive" is totally different,” said Mark Batterson lead pastor at National Community Church (www.theaterchurch.com) in Washington, D.C. “I think twentysomethings are more spiritually attuned. I think many churches watered down or dumbed-down the message for boomers, but twentysomethings are looking for something supernatural, something they can't explain. I think our generation is more in touch with mystery and paradox. So ironically, the more seeker-sensitive you want to be the more spiritual you need to be. I think twentysomethings are looking for a high-octane experience.”
While a self-help title or article featuring six easy steps is appealing to a boomer, a twentysomething would look at the same piece and find it suspect. Certainly, things can’t be that simple. Thus, while boomers enjoy finding a short-cut to the answer, twentysomethings want to take the scenic tour at discovering the same truth.
THE BOOMER BLOGGER
A Boomer’s Guide to Understanding Twentysomethings Part V
Print Versus Image
Twentysomethings process information differently. While boomers are more print oriented, twentysomethings are more image-driven. A boomer will read a book written with linear knowledge to explore and understand a concept. Boomers will respond to the plain black and white text. Twentysomethings, on the other hand, respond and react to film, music and the arts. They grab onto word-pictures—whether spoken or written—and are compelled by images.
The new iWorship DVD tracks from Integrity Music are a good example. They’re used in our church whenever the worship team isn’t able to practice. They provide a soundtrack of popular worship songs. Instead of just having the words projected onto an overhead, there are moving images of nature, people and scenes that play as the words are displayed. A number of boomers within the church have complained that the images are just too much—they distract them from worshipping God. But only one twentysomething has commented that the images are distracting. Most of the young adults appreciate the extra layer of images used in worship.
Church leaders who effectively use graphics and videos in their sermons can help capture the imagination of this generation.
THE BOOMER BLOGGER
Twentysomethings process information differently. While boomers are more print oriented, twentysomethings are more image-driven. A boomer will read a book written with linear knowledge to explore and understand a concept. Boomers will respond to the plain black and white text. Twentysomethings, on the other hand, respond and react to film, music and the arts. They grab onto word-pictures—whether spoken or written—and are compelled by images.
The new iWorship DVD tracks from Integrity Music are a good example. They’re used in our church whenever the worship team isn’t able to practice. They provide a soundtrack of popular worship songs. Instead of just having the words projected onto an overhead, there are moving images of nature, people and scenes that play as the words are displayed. A number of boomers within the church have complained that the images are just too much—they distract them from worshipping God. But only one twentysomething has commented that the images are distracting. Most of the young adults appreciate the extra layer of images used in worship.
Church leaders who effectively use graphics and videos in their sermons can help capture the imagination of this generation.
THE BOOMER BLOGGER
A Boomer’s Guide to Understanding Twentysomethings Part VI
Absolute Truth Versus Postmodern
Twentysomethings have grown up in a postmodern world—a land of gray—often lacking a foundation or belief in absolute truth whereas most boomers still believe that absolute truth exists. Thus twentysomethings are more likely to question and wrestle with issues than boomers. They want to know how something works and all its implications. For example, a boomer may say that something is absolutely wrong. A twentysomethings will look at the response and begin thinking of situations—even if they’re far-fetched—that will challenge that proposition and look for an exception.
“Not only are boomers in a different stage of life, but they are often in a different stage of their faith,” said Chad Wible, assistant to the lead pastor at Pathways Church. “Boomers also typically come from a different philosophical mindset since they were brought up in a modernist world and twentysomethings were brought up in a postmodern world. Therefore, boomers need to realize that twentysomethings are often seeking out their faith, capturing the faith as their own, or working through much of their skepticism.”
Twentysomethings often desire a transcendent element in their lives, the spiritual realm is a reality to them. “This means that the church cannot be solely focused on doctrinal or exegetical studies,” Wible said. “Of course, I am not saying that we do away with doctrine and exegesis, but it needs to be incorporated in a way that also brings the person into presence of a mystical God.”
THE BOOMER BLOGGER
Twentysomethings have grown up in a postmodern world—a land of gray—often lacking a foundation or belief in absolute truth whereas most boomers still believe that absolute truth exists. Thus twentysomethings are more likely to question and wrestle with issues than boomers. They want to know how something works and all its implications. For example, a boomer may say that something is absolutely wrong. A twentysomethings will look at the response and begin thinking of situations—even if they’re far-fetched—that will challenge that proposition and look for an exception.
“Not only are boomers in a different stage of life, but they are often in a different stage of their faith,” said Chad Wible, assistant to the lead pastor at Pathways Church. “Boomers also typically come from a different philosophical mindset since they were brought up in a modernist world and twentysomethings were brought up in a postmodern world. Therefore, boomers need to realize that twentysomethings are often seeking out their faith, capturing the faith as their own, or working through much of their skepticism.”
Twentysomethings often desire a transcendent element in their lives, the spiritual realm is a reality to them. “This means that the church cannot be solely focused on doctrinal or exegetical studies,” Wible said. “Of course, I am not saying that we do away with doctrine and exegesis, but it needs to be incorporated in a way that also brings the person into presence of a mystical God.”
THE BOOMER BLOGGER
A Boomer’s Guide to Understanding Twentysomethings Part VII
Denominations Versus The Emerging Church
Boomers are comfortable with the institutional church. They can easily identify themselves with denominations and their systems of belief. Twentysomethings are more uncomfortable with the traditional institutional church. They’re more likely to venture out of the denomination they were raised in and look for a body of believers where they can have their needs met as well as be a valued member.
A number of twentysomethings attend services on a weekly basis and quietly wonder, “Isn’t there more?” As a result, some have opted to change denominations or join a non-denominational church. Others have chosen to join home church movements. And some, unfortunately, have dropped out of church altogether.
THE BOOMER BLOGGER
Boomers are comfortable with the institutional church. They can easily identify themselves with denominations and their systems of belief. Twentysomethings are more uncomfortable with the traditional institutional church. They’re more likely to venture out of the denomination they were raised in and look for a body of believers where they can have their needs met as well as be a valued member.
A number of twentysomethings attend services on a weekly basis and quietly wonder, “Isn’t there more?” As a result, some have opted to change denominations or join a non-denominational church. Others have chosen to join home church movements. And some, unfortunately, have dropped out of church altogether.
THE BOOMER BLOGGER
A Boomer’s Guide to Understanding Twentysomethings Part VIII
Final Word
No matter how different boomers and twentysomethings may seem, young adults desperately need older adults to be involved in their lives. Boomers can be incredible mentors for twentysomethings despite any apparent differences. Mentoring can help break down and perceived differences between the generations as people understand each other on a one-on-one basis.
--Margaret Feinberg Onies (www.margaretfeinberg.com) is an author and speaker based in Sitka, Alaska. She’s author of Twentysomething: Surviving & Thriving in the Real World and How To Be A Grown-Up: 247 Lab-Tested Strategies to Conquer Your World. In addition, she’s written God Whispers: Learning To Hear His Voice, Simple Acts of Faith, Simple Acts of Friendship, Simple Prayers of Hope, Just Married: Surprises From the First Few Years of Marriage and way too many magazine articles. You can reach her at margaret@margaretfeinberg.com.
The Boomer Blogger
No matter how different boomers and twentysomethings may seem, young adults desperately need older adults to be involved in their lives. Boomers can be incredible mentors for twentysomethings despite any apparent differences. Mentoring can help break down and perceived differences between the generations as people understand each other on a one-on-one basis.
--Margaret Feinberg Onies (www.margaretfeinberg.com) is an author and speaker based in Sitka, Alaska. She’s author of Twentysomething: Surviving & Thriving in the Real World and How To Be A Grown-Up: 247 Lab-Tested Strategies to Conquer Your World. In addition, she’s written God Whispers: Learning To Hear His Voice, Simple Acts of Faith, Simple Acts of Friendship, Simple Prayers of Hope, Just Married: Surprises From the First Few Years of Marriage and way too many magazine articles. You can reach her at margaret@margaretfeinberg.com.
The Boomer Blogger
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
We Need Models and Mentors
Join with others in following my example, brothers, and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you. Philippians 3:17 (NIV)
For us to mature, we need models and mentors.
Many people make the mistake of thinking all they need to grow spiritually is God’s Word and prayer. But the truth is, we need people to help us grow.
Christlike character is built through relationships, not in isolation. There are many things God wants you to learn about life that you’ll never learn on your own. You’ll only learn them in community.
We always grow faster and stronger with living, breathing examples who can model for us what a purpose driven life looks like. We need more than explanations, we need examples.
Paul realized the power of a pattern when he advised, “Join with others in following my example, brothers, and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you” (Philippians 3:17 NIV). To grow, we need to see principles in practice. We need to see what beliefs looks like when they are translated as behavior in everyday situations.
When Paul would travel to a city to start a church, he would begin by simply living among the people. He was a “living Bible,” echoing the life of Jesus, where “the word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14 NKJV).
After Paul left a city, he would write back, “Keep putting into practice all you learned from me and heard from me and saw me doing, and the God of peace will be with you” (Philippians 4:9 NLT).
Who are your models for following Christ? Who are you watching and learning from?
Here’s a tougher question: Are you an example for anyone else? In elementary school, you probably enjoyed “Show and Tell.” As believers, we’re often better at “telling” than “showing.”
In today’s culture, the world desperately needs people who can show us how to love our spouse and make a marriage last, how to relate to our kids, how to do business with integrity, how to handle conflict in the way Jesus would. These are lessons we learn by watching others.
Not only do we need models to grow, we need mentors. Mentors are people who’ve followed Christ longer than we have and are able to share their life lessons. You’ve heard that it’s wise to learn from experience, but it is wiser to learn from the experiences of others. Life is too short to learn everything by experience! And some painful experiences can be avoided if you’re smart enough to learn from mentors in your church family.
Ask yourself this: “What’s been the greatest positive influence on my life?” Most likely it was not a sermon, seminar, or small group lesson. It was somebody who shaped your life through a personal relationship.
Can you see God’s wisdom in creating the church, a family full of mentors and models for our benefit?
That’s why being connected to a small group is so crucial to spiritual growth. It’s a regular opportunity to learn from each other.
Today, spend a few moments getting intentional about this. Write down the names of people in your church and small group that you’d like to learn from. Then identify what you’d specifically like to learn from them. Remember, they don’t have to be perfect to be a model or mentor.
To grow spiritually, you must also be willing to be a model or mentor to others. That may scare you but all it takes is being one step ahead.
People don’t expect you to be perfect – they already know you aren’t. What they want you to be is honest! So let them see your struggles, not just your successes. We usually grow as much from others’ weaknesses as we do from their strengths.
© 2008 Purpose Driven Life.
Rick Warren is the founding pastor of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif., one of America's largest and best-known churches. In addition, Rick is author of the New York Times bestseller The Purpose Driven Life and The Purpose Driven Church, which was named one of the 100 Christian books that changed the 20th Century. He is also founder of Pastors.com, a global Internet community for ministers.
The Boomer Blogger
For us to mature, we need models and mentors.
Many people make the mistake of thinking all they need to grow spiritually is God’s Word and prayer. But the truth is, we need people to help us grow.
Christlike character is built through relationships, not in isolation. There are many things God wants you to learn about life that you’ll never learn on your own. You’ll only learn them in community.
We always grow faster and stronger with living, breathing examples who can model for us what a purpose driven life looks like. We need more than explanations, we need examples.
Paul realized the power of a pattern when he advised, “Join with others in following my example, brothers, and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you” (Philippians 3:17 NIV). To grow, we need to see principles in practice. We need to see what beliefs looks like when they are translated as behavior in everyday situations.
When Paul would travel to a city to start a church, he would begin by simply living among the people. He was a “living Bible,” echoing the life of Jesus, where “the word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14 NKJV).
After Paul left a city, he would write back, “Keep putting into practice all you learned from me and heard from me and saw me doing, and the God of peace will be with you” (Philippians 4:9 NLT).
Who are your models for following Christ? Who are you watching and learning from?
Here’s a tougher question: Are you an example for anyone else? In elementary school, you probably enjoyed “Show and Tell.” As believers, we’re often better at “telling” than “showing.”
In today’s culture, the world desperately needs people who can show us how to love our spouse and make a marriage last, how to relate to our kids, how to do business with integrity, how to handle conflict in the way Jesus would. These are lessons we learn by watching others.
Not only do we need models to grow, we need mentors. Mentors are people who’ve followed Christ longer than we have and are able to share their life lessons. You’ve heard that it’s wise to learn from experience, but it is wiser to learn from the experiences of others. Life is too short to learn everything by experience! And some painful experiences can be avoided if you’re smart enough to learn from mentors in your church family.
Ask yourself this: “What’s been the greatest positive influence on my life?” Most likely it was not a sermon, seminar, or small group lesson. It was somebody who shaped your life through a personal relationship.
Can you see God’s wisdom in creating the church, a family full of mentors and models for our benefit?
That’s why being connected to a small group is so crucial to spiritual growth. It’s a regular opportunity to learn from each other.
Today, spend a few moments getting intentional about this. Write down the names of people in your church and small group that you’d like to learn from. Then identify what you’d specifically like to learn from them. Remember, they don’t have to be perfect to be a model or mentor.
To grow spiritually, you must also be willing to be a model or mentor to others. That may scare you but all it takes is being one step ahead.
People don’t expect you to be perfect – they already know you aren’t. What they want you to be is honest! So let them see your struggles, not just your successes. We usually grow as much from others’ weaknesses as we do from their strengths.
© 2008 Purpose Driven Life.
Rick Warren is the founding pastor of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif., one of America's largest and best-known churches. In addition, Rick is author of the New York Times bestseller The Purpose Driven Life and The Purpose Driven Church, which was named one of the 100 Christian books that changed the 20th Century. He is also founder of Pastors.com, a global Internet community for ministers.
The Boomer Blogger
Saturday, August 9, 2008
Consider the Decisions You Make!! Generations will be affected!! (Part I)
“Which of the following people would you say is the most admirable: Mother Teresa, Bill Gates or Norman Borlaug? And which do you think is the least admirable?
For most people, it’s an easy question. Mother Teresa, famous for ministering to the poor in Calcutta, has been beatified by the Vatican, awarded the Nobel Peace Prize and ranked in an American poll as the most admired person of the 20th century.
Bill Gates, infamous for giving us the Microsoft dancing paper clip and the blue screen of death, has been decapitated in effigy in “I Hate Gates” Web sites and hit with a pie in the face.
As for Norman Borlaug . . who the heck is Norman Borlaug?”
Norman Ernest Borlaug (March 25, 1914- ) was born on a farm near Cresco, Iowa, to Henry and Clara Borlaug.
Borlaug enrolled in the University of Minnesota where he studied forestry. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in 1937. He returned to receive his master's degree in 1939 and his doctorate in 1942.
For twenty-seven years he collaborated with Mexican scientists on problems of wheat improvement; for the last ten or so of those years he also collaborated with scientists from other parts of the world, especially from India, Pakistan and nations in Africa, in adapting the new drought resistant wheat and other grains to arid lands and in gaining acceptance for their production.
Mexico presented a unique opportunity. Initially, his work had been concentrated in the central highlands where the problems with rust and poor soil were most prevalent. But he realized that he could speed up breeding by taking advantage of the country's two growing seasons. In the summer he would breed wheat in the central highlands as usual, then immediately take the seeds north to the Mexican state of Sonora. The difference in altitudes and temperatures would allow more crops to be grown each year.
One of the most significant developments that Dr. Borlaug brought about was the dwarfing of the wheat plants. Dwarf plants produce thick stems and do not lodge. The plants Borlaug worked with had tall, thin stalks. Taller wheat grasses better compete for sunlight, but tend to collapse under the weight of the extra grain—a trait called lodging—and from the rapid growth spurts induced by nitrogen fertilizer Borlaug used in the poor soil. To prevent this, he bred wheat to favor shorter, stronger stalks that could better support larger seed heads.
By 1963, 95% of Mexico's wheat crops used the semi-dwarf varieties developed by Borlaug. That year, the harvest was six times larger than in 1944, the year Borlaug arrived in Mexico. Mexico had become fully self-sufficient in wheat production, and a net exporter of wheat.
In Pakistan, wheat yields nearly doubled, from 4.6 million tons in 1965 to 7.3 million tons in 1970; Pakistan was self-sufficient in wheat production by 1968. Yields were over 21 million tons by 2000.
In India, yields increased from 12.3 million tons in 1965 to 20.1 million tons in 1970. By 1974, India was self-sufficient in the production of all cereals. By 2000, India was harvesting a record 76.4 million tons (2.81 billion bushels) of wheat. Since the 1960s, food production in both nations has increased faster than the rate of population growth.
He was involved scientific research in genetics, plant breeding, plant pathology, entomology, agronomy, soil science, and cereal technology. Within twenty years he was spectacularly successful in finding a high-yielding short-straw, disease-resistant wheat.
Wheat production in Mexico multiplied threefold in the time that he worked with the Mexican government; “dwarf” wheat imported in the mid-1960s was responsible for a 60 percent increase in harvests in Asia, Africa and the sub-continent Pakistan and India. He was credited with saving over 1 billion people from starvation. For that he was awarded the 1970 Nobel Peace Prize.
On September 27, 2006, the United States Senate by unanimous consent passed the Congressional Tribute to Dr. Norman E. Borlaug Act of 2006. The act authorizes that Borlaug be awarded America's highest civilian award, the Congressional Gold Medal. On December 6, 2006, the House of Representatives passed the measure by voice vote. President George Bush signed the bill into law on December 14, 2006, and it became Public Law Number 109–395.
According to the act, "Dr. Borlaug has saved more lives than any other person who has ever lived, and likely has saved more lives in the Islamic world than any other human being in history." The act authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to strike and sell duplicates of the medal in bronze. He was presented with the medal on July 17, 2007.
Such a high honor ……..but wait!!!! There is more!!!
THE BOOMER BLOGGER
For most people, it’s an easy question. Mother Teresa, famous for ministering to the poor in Calcutta, has been beatified by the Vatican, awarded the Nobel Peace Prize and ranked in an American poll as the most admired person of the 20th century.
Bill Gates, infamous for giving us the Microsoft dancing paper clip and the blue screen of death, has been decapitated in effigy in “I Hate Gates” Web sites and hit with a pie in the face.
As for Norman Borlaug . . who the heck is Norman Borlaug?”
Norman Ernest Borlaug (March 25, 1914- ) was born on a farm near Cresco, Iowa, to Henry and Clara Borlaug.
Borlaug enrolled in the University of Minnesota where he studied forestry. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in 1937. He returned to receive his master's degree in 1939 and his doctorate in 1942.
For twenty-seven years he collaborated with Mexican scientists on problems of wheat improvement; for the last ten or so of those years he also collaborated with scientists from other parts of the world, especially from India, Pakistan and nations in Africa, in adapting the new drought resistant wheat and other grains to arid lands and in gaining acceptance for their production.
Mexico presented a unique opportunity. Initially, his work had been concentrated in the central highlands where the problems with rust and poor soil were most prevalent. But he realized that he could speed up breeding by taking advantage of the country's two growing seasons. In the summer he would breed wheat in the central highlands as usual, then immediately take the seeds north to the Mexican state of Sonora. The difference in altitudes and temperatures would allow more crops to be grown each year.
One of the most significant developments that Dr. Borlaug brought about was the dwarfing of the wheat plants. Dwarf plants produce thick stems and do not lodge. The plants Borlaug worked with had tall, thin stalks. Taller wheat grasses better compete for sunlight, but tend to collapse under the weight of the extra grain—a trait called lodging—and from the rapid growth spurts induced by nitrogen fertilizer Borlaug used in the poor soil. To prevent this, he bred wheat to favor shorter, stronger stalks that could better support larger seed heads.
By 1963, 95% of Mexico's wheat crops used the semi-dwarf varieties developed by Borlaug. That year, the harvest was six times larger than in 1944, the year Borlaug arrived in Mexico. Mexico had become fully self-sufficient in wheat production, and a net exporter of wheat.
In Pakistan, wheat yields nearly doubled, from 4.6 million tons in 1965 to 7.3 million tons in 1970; Pakistan was self-sufficient in wheat production by 1968. Yields were over 21 million tons by 2000.
In India, yields increased from 12.3 million tons in 1965 to 20.1 million tons in 1970. By 1974, India was self-sufficient in the production of all cereals. By 2000, India was harvesting a record 76.4 million tons (2.81 billion bushels) of wheat. Since the 1960s, food production in both nations has increased faster than the rate of population growth.
He was involved scientific research in genetics, plant breeding, plant pathology, entomology, agronomy, soil science, and cereal technology. Within twenty years he was spectacularly successful in finding a high-yielding short-straw, disease-resistant wheat.
Wheat production in Mexico multiplied threefold in the time that he worked with the Mexican government; “dwarf” wheat imported in the mid-1960s was responsible for a 60 percent increase in harvests in Asia, Africa and the sub-continent Pakistan and India. He was credited with saving over 1 billion people from starvation. For that he was awarded the 1970 Nobel Peace Prize.
On September 27, 2006, the United States Senate by unanimous consent passed the Congressional Tribute to Dr. Norman E. Borlaug Act of 2006. The act authorizes that Borlaug be awarded America's highest civilian award, the Congressional Gold Medal. On December 6, 2006, the House of Representatives passed the measure by voice vote. President George Bush signed the bill into law on December 14, 2006, and it became Public Law Number 109–395.
According to the act, "Dr. Borlaug has saved more lives than any other person who has ever lived, and likely has saved more lives in the Islamic world than any other human being in history." The act authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to strike and sell duplicates of the medal in bronze. He was presented with the medal on July 17, 2007.
Such a high honor ……..but wait!!!! There is more!!!
THE BOOMER BLOGGER
Consider the Decisions You Make!! Generations may be affected!! (Part II)
Henry A. Wallace inherited a passion for the modernization of agriculture, a talent for genetics, statistics and agricultural research and a conviction that farmers, who had not shared in the fabled prosperity of the 1920s, required federal support to achieve stable incomes.
Wallace was a shy young man, something of a loner, devoted to hybrid corn, econometric analysis of farm prices and the McNary - Haugen bill to raise farm income.
He was born on a farm in Iowa in 1888. He became a corn scientist who realized the commercial implications of cross-breeding and started Pioneer Hi-Bred International, the world's first commercial hybrid seed corn venture. He was also a prominent agricultural economist and a long-time editor of Wallace’s Farmer, a leading farm publication founded by his grandfather, "Uncle Henry," the first Henry Wallace.
Named as Secretary of Agriculture in 1933 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Wallace became a powerful spokesperson for sound conservation practices, believing they should be a central part of farm policy. The high cost of soil erosion, he often said, was of more importance than the low cost of production. Wallace favored certain practices which have been referred to as organic agriculture, and lately as alternative or sustainable agriculture.
Wallace also launched the Rural Electrification Administration, the Farm Security Administration, the first food stamp plan, and dozens of other programs designed to help American farmers. His goal was to establish a viable farm economy and, at the same time, conserve the nation's natural resources. Wallace was responsible for the creation in 1938 of the "ever-normal granary," which played a critical role in supplying food to Americans during World War II, and was one of his proudest achievements.
Wallace is considered the greatest secretary of agriculture. In 1933, a quarter of the American people still lived on farms and agricultural policy was a matter of high political and economic significance. Farmers had been devastated by the depression. His ambition was to restore the farmers' position in the national economy. He sought to give them the same opportunity to improve income by controlling output that business corporations already possessed.
In time he widened his concern beyond commercial farming to subsistence farming and rural poverty. For the urban poor, he provided food stamps and school lunches. He instituted programs for land-use planning, soil conservation and erosion control. And always he promoted research to combat plant and animal diseases, to locate drought-resistant crops and to develop hybrid seeds in order to increase productivity.
Today, as a result of the agricultural revolution that in so many respects Wallace pioneered, fewer than 2% of Americans are employed in farm occupations--and they produce more than their grandfathers produced 70 years ago.
He is said to be the greatest Secretary of Agriculture of all time!!
Maybe he should have gotten the Nobel Prize!!
But wait!! There is more!!!
The Boomer Blogger
Wallace was a shy young man, something of a loner, devoted to hybrid corn, econometric analysis of farm prices and the McNary - Haugen bill to raise farm income.
He was born on a farm in Iowa in 1888. He became a corn scientist who realized the commercial implications of cross-breeding and started Pioneer Hi-Bred International, the world's first commercial hybrid seed corn venture. He was also a prominent agricultural economist and a long-time editor of Wallace’s Farmer, a leading farm publication founded by his grandfather, "Uncle Henry," the first Henry Wallace.
Named as Secretary of Agriculture in 1933 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Wallace became a powerful spokesperson for sound conservation practices, believing they should be a central part of farm policy. The high cost of soil erosion, he often said, was of more importance than the low cost of production. Wallace favored certain practices which have been referred to as organic agriculture, and lately as alternative or sustainable agriculture.
Wallace also launched the Rural Electrification Administration, the Farm Security Administration, the first food stamp plan, and dozens of other programs designed to help American farmers. His goal was to establish a viable farm economy and, at the same time, conserve the nation's natural resources. Wallace was responsible for the creation in 1938 of the "ever-normal granary," which played a critical role in supplying food to Americans during World War II, and was one of his proudest achievements.
Wallace is considered the greatest secretary of agriculture. In 1933, a quarter of the American people still lived on farms and agricultural policy was a matter of high political and economic significance. Farmers had been devastated by the depression. His ambition was to restore the farmers' position in the national economy. He sought to give them the same opportunity to improve income by controlling output that business corporations already possessed.
In time he widened his concern beyond commercial farming to subsistence farming and rural poverty. For the urban poor, he provided food stamps and school lunches. He instituted programs for land-use planning, soil conservation and erosion control. And always he promoted research to combat plant and animal diseases, to locate drought-resistant crops and to develop hybrid seeds in order to increase productivity.
Today, as a result of the agricultural revolution that in so many respects Wallace pioneered, fewer than 2% of Americans are employed in farm occupations--and they produce more than their grandfathers produced 70 years ago.
He is said to be the greatest Secretary of Agriculture of all time!!
Maybe he should have gotten the Nobel Prize!!
But wait!! There is more!!!
The Boomer Blogger
Consider the Decisions You Make!! Generations may be affected!! Part III
It is rare to find a man of the caliber of George Washington Carver. A man who would decline an invitation to work for a salary of more than $100,000 a year (almost a million today) to continue his research on behalf of his countrymen.
Agricultural chemist, Carver discovered three hundred uses for peanuts and hundreds more uses for soybeans, pecans and sweet potatoes. Among the listed items that he suggested to southern farmers to help them economically were his recipes and improvements to/for: adhesives, axle grease, bleach, buttermilk, chili sauce, fuel briquettes, ink, instant coffee, linoleum, mayonnaise, meat tenderizer, metal polish, paper, plastic, pavement, shaving cream, shoe polish, synthetic rubber, talcum powder and wood stain. Three patents were issued to Carver.
He began his formal education at the age of twelve, which required him to leave the home of his adopted parents. Schools segregated by race at that time with no school available for black students near Carver's home. He moved to Newton County in southwest Missouri, where he worked as a farm hand and studied in a one-room schoolhouse. He went on to attend Minneapolis High School in Kansas. College entrance was a struggle, again because of racial barriers.
At the age of thirty, Carver gained acceptance to Simpson College in Indianola, Iowa, where he was the first black student. Carver had to study piano and art and the college did not offer science classes. Intent on a science career, he later transferred to Iowa Agricultural College (now Iowa State University) in 1891, where he gained a Bachelor of Science degree in 1894 and a Master of Science degree in bacterial botany and agriculture in 1897. Carver became a member of the faculty of the Iowa State College of Agriculture and Mechanics (the first black faculty member for Iowa College), teaching classes about soil conservation and the industrial use of organic substances obtained from soybeans and peanuts for example.
In 1897, Booker T. Washington, founder of the Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute for Negroes, convinced Carver to come south and serve as the school's Director of Agriculture. Carver remained on the faculty until his death in 1943.
(Read the pamphlet - Help For Hard Times - written by Carver and forwarded by Booker T. Washington as an example of the educational material provided to farmers by Carver.)
At Tuskegee Carver developed his crop rotation method, which revolutionized southern agriculture. He educated the farmers to alternate the soil-depleting cotton crops with soil-enriching crops such as; peanuts, peas, soybeans, sweet potato, and pecans. America's economy was heavily dependent upon agriculture during this era making Carver's achievements very significant. Decades of growing only cotton and tobacco had depleted the soils of the southern area of the United States of America. The economy of the farming south had been devastated by years of civil war and the fact that the cotton and tobacco plantations could no longer (ab)use slave labor. Carver convinced the southern farmers to follow his suggestions and helped the region to recover.
Carver also worked at developing industrial applications from agricultural crops. During World War I, he found a way to replace the textile dyes formerly imported from Europe. He produced 500 different shades of dye and he was responsible for the invention in 1927 of a process for producing paints and stains from soybeans.
Carver did not patent or profit from most of his products. He freely gave his discoveries to mankind.
Most important was the fact that he changed the South from being a one-crop land of cotton, to being multi-crop farmlands, with farmers having hundreds of profitable uses for their new crops. "God gave them to me." he would say about his ideas, "How can I sell them to someone else?" In 1940, Carver donated his life savings to the establishment of the Carver Research Foundation at Tuskegee, for continuing research in agriculture.
George Washington Carver was bestowed an honorary doctorate from Simpson College in 1928. He was an honorary member of the Royal Society of Arts in London, England. In 1923, he received the Spingarn Medal given every year by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. In 1939, he received the Roosevelt medal for restoring southern agriculture.
On July 14, 1943, U.S. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt honored Carver with a national monument dedicated to his accomplishments. The area of Carver's childhood near Diamond Grove, Missouri preserved as a park, this park was the first designated national monument to an African American in the United States.
"He could have added fortune to fame, but caring for neither, he found happiness and honor in being helpful to the world." - Epitaph on the grave of George Washington Carver.
Maybe he should have gotten the Nobel Prize!!
But wait!! There is more!!!
The Boomer Blogger
Agricultural chemist, Carver discovered three hundred uses for peanuts and hundreds more uses for soybeans, pecans and sweet potatoes. Among the listed items that he suggested to southern farmers to help them economically were his recipes and improvements to/for: adhesives, axle grease, bleach, buttermilk, chili sauce, fuel briquettes, ink, instant coffee, linoleum, mayonnaise, meat tenderizer, metal polish, paper, plastic, pavement, shaving cream, shoe polish, synthetic rubber, talcum powder and wood stain. Three patents were issued to Carver.
He began his formal education at the age of twelve, which required him to leave the home of his adopted parents. Schools segregated by race at that time with no school available for black students near Carver's home. He moved to Newton County in southwest Missouri, where he worked as a farm hand and studied in a one-room schoolhouse. He went on to attend Minneapolis High School in Kansas. College entrance was a struggle, again because of racial barriers.
At the age of thirty, Carver gained acceptance to Simpson College in Indianola, Iowa, where he was the first black student. Carver had to study piano and art and the college did not offer science classes. Intent on a science career, he later transferred to Iowa Agricultural College (now Iowa State University) in 1891, where he gained a Bachelor of Science degree in 1894 and a Master of Science degree in bacterial botany and agriculture in 1897. Carver became a member of the faculty of the Iowa State College of Agriculture and Mechanics (the first black faculty member for Iowa College), teaching classes about soil conservation and the industrial use of organic substances obtained from soybeans and peanuts for example.
In 1897, Booker T. Washington, founder of the Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute for Negroes, convinced Carver to come south and serve as the school's Director of Agriculture. Carver remained on the faculty until his death in 1943.
(Read the pamphlet - Help For Hard Times - written by Carver and forwarded by Booker T. Washington as an example of the educational material provided to farmers by Carver.)
At Tuskegee Carver developed his crop rotation method, which revolutionized southern agriculture. He educated the farmers to alternate the soil-depleting cotton crops with soil-enriching crops such as; peanuts, peas, soybeans, sweet potato, and pecans. America's economy was heavily dependent upon agriculture during this era making Carver's achievements very significant. Decades of growing only cotton and tobacco had depleted the soils of the southern area of the United States of America. The economy of the farming south had been devastated by years of civil war and the fact that the cotton and tobacco plantations could no longer (ab)use slave labor. Carver convinced the southern farmers to follow his suggestions and helped the region to recover.
Carver also worked at developing industrial applications from agricultural crops. During World War I, he found a way to replace the textile dyes formerly imported from Europe. He produced 500 different shades of dye and he was responsible for the invention in 1927 of a process for producing paints and stains from soybeans.
Carver did not patent or profit from most of his products. He freely gave his discoveries to mankind.
Most important was the fact that he changed the South from being a one-crop land of cotton, to being multi-crop farmlands, with farmers having hundreds of profitable uses for their new crops. "God gave them to me." he would say about his ideas, "How can I sell them to someone else?" In 1940, Carver donated his life savings to the establishment of the Carver Research Foundation at Tuskegee, for continuing research in agriculture.
George Washington Carver was bestowed an honorary doctorate from Simpson College in 1928. He was an honorary member of the Royal Society of Arts in London, England. In 1923, he received the Spingarn Medal given every year by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. In 1939, he received the Roosevelt medal for restoring southern agriculture.
On July 14, 1943, U.S. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt honored Carver with a national monument dedicated to his accomplishments. The area of Carver's childhood near Diamond Grove, Missouri preserved as a park, this park was the first designated national monument to an African American in the United States.
"He could have added fortune to fame, but caring for neither, he found happiness and honor in being helpful to the world." - Epitaph on the grave of George Washington Carver.
Maybe he should have gotten the Nobel Prize!!
But wait!! There is more!!!
The Boomer Blogger
Consider the Decisions You Make!! Generations may be affected!! Part IV
Moses Carver (1812–1910) was a German-American settler.
Moses Carver and his brother Richard mi¬grated to Diamond Grove, Missouri around 1838 from Ohio and Illinois. The Preemption Act of 1841 allowed farmers who lived on and improved 160 acres of land for six months to buy the land from the government at a low price. Moses Carver purchased a total of 240 acres in Marion Township, Newton County, Missouri.
As an early settler in the area, Carver selected a good site with an abundant water supply. He built a one-room log cabin with a window, a fireplace, and no floor. This is where he and his wife Susan initially lived, along with three nieces and nephews, whom they raised after Richard's death in 1839.
Though opposed to slavery on principle, Moses needed help as the farm prospered. In 1855, he purchased Mary Washington, a thirteen-year-old pregnant slave girl,from a neighbor. George Washington was born to Mary Washington. His father had died during her pregnancy in an agricultural accident.
In a state strongly divided by the tensions leading to the Civil War, the independent-minded and eccentric Moses Carver was in a difficult position, since he offended Confederates by being a Unionist, and Unionists by owning slaves.
Washington and his mother were taken from the farm by the feared Quantrill’s Raiders. These kidnappings were not unusual during the Civil War. When the Raiders got back to Kansas, the baby Washington was found to be too sick to be of any value to them.
A letter was sent to Moses Carver offering to trade the baby for a horse. Moses saddled up his best horse and headed for Kansas. When he got there, he took the baby, wrapped him in a blanket, put him inside of his coat and walked back to Missouri. George Washington was to remain sickly through-out his youth. The loss of his mother would remain with him throughout his life.
Moses and Susan Carver took the baby into their home and even gave him their name. George Washington became George Washington Carver. During that time, he was taught how to read by Mrs. Carver. He showed early promise in agriculture and developed a desire to further his education.
George left the farm when he was eleven to go to the black school in Neosho, Missouri. He returned to the Moses Carver farm on weekends, but never lived permanently with the Carvers again.
The Moses Carver farm became the George Washington Carver National Monument by an act of Congress in July 1943. The National Park Service maintains 210 acres of the original 240-acre farm.
Moses Carver should have received the Nobel Peace Prize!!!
The Boomer Blogger
Moses Carver and his brother Richard mi¬grated to Diamond Grove, Missouri around 1838 from Ohio and Illinois. The Preemption Act of 1841 allowed farmers who lived on and improved 160 acres of land for six months to buy the land from the government at a low price. Moses Carver purchased a total of 240 acres in Marion Township, Newton County, Missouri.
As an early settler in the area, Carver selected a good site with an abundant water supply. He built a one-room log cabin with a window, a fireplace, and no floor. This is where he and his wife Susan initially lived, along with three nieces and nephews, whom they raised after Richard's death in 1839.
Though opposed to slavery on principle, Moses needed help as the farm prospered. In 1855, he purchased Mary Washington, a thirteen-year-old pregnant slave girl,from a neighbor. George Washington was born to Mary Washington. His father had died during her pregnancy in an agricultural accident.
In a state strongly divided by the tensions leading to the Civil War, the independent-minded and eccentric Moses Carver was in a difficult position, since he offended Confederates by being a Unionist, and Unionists by owning slaves.
Washington and his mother were taken from the farm by the feared Quantrill’s Raiders. These kidnappings were not unusual during the Civil War. When the Raiders got back to Kansas, the baby Washington was found to be too sick to be of any value to them.
A letter was sent to Moses Carver offering to trade the baby for a horse. Moses saddled up his best horse and headed for Kansas. When he got there, he took the baby, wrapped him in a blanket, put him inside of his coat and walked back to Missouri. George Washington was to remain sickly through-out his youth. The loss of his mother would remain with him throughout his life.
Moses and Susan Carver took the baby into their home and even gave him their name. George Washington became George Washington Carver. During that time, he was taught how to read by Mrs. Carver. He showed early promise in agriculture and developed a desire to further his education.
George left the farm when he was eleven to go to the black school in Neosho, Missouri. He returned to the Moses Carver farm on weekends, but never lived permanently with the Carvers again.
The Moses Carver farm became the George Washington Carver National Monument by an act of Congress in July 1943. The National Park Service maintains 210 acres of the original 240-acre farm.
Moses Carver should have received the Nobel Peace Prize!!!
The Boomer Blogger
Consider the Decisions You Make!! Generations WILL be affected!! Part V
Norman Borlaug, Henry A. Wallace, George Washington Carver each have received enormous credit for saving millions, even billions, from starvation.
Moses and Susan Carver had no idea how many people would be impacted by their decision to save the baby Washington from certain death.
We do not realize the far reaching implications of the decisions we make on a daily basis. We are all inter-connected and are affected by our collective decisions. We should think of what the long term effect might be as we consider the decisions we are facing.
The Boomer Blogger
Moses and Susan Carver had no idea how many people would be impacted by their decision to save the baby Washington from certain death.
We do not realize the far reaching implications of the decisions we make on a daily basis. We are all inter-connected and are affected by our collective decisions. We should think of what the long term effect might be as we consider the decisions we are facing.
The Boomer Blogger
Monday, July 21, 2008
Are We Winners or Whiners?
After spending some time re-reading all of my blog entries, I have come to the conclusion that I am on the verge of becoming a whiner.
Let’s look at where we are:
1. 572,000 people over 45 in Cincinnati Metro Area
2. 429 ministry openings for youth and teens…no openings for “Seasoned Believers” ministries
3. the most prominent church model is the “commissary” model
4. It is unlikely, for many reasons, that there will be any shift to the "caravan" model in the foreseeable century.
So, given those factors, what are our options?
Option 1
Continue to bang our heads against a brick wall and become more frustrated, or
Option 2
Become pro-active and enlist our fair share of the demographic in which we find ourselves.
I can hear it now: “But ________!! (fill in the Blank)
Do you mean that I need to encourage other “Seasoned Believers” to become a part of a “commissary” that has nothing of any significance me or them?? In a word YES!!
How do we do it??
First of all, the “Seasoned Believers” already a part of a local church must cease being passive, come down off the shelf, make it known that they are not finished yet and that they desire to become s significant part of the local body.
Secondly, if we begin to increase the number of people who are in this demographic, the significance factor will be recognized.
How do we do it??
I am so glad you asked!!
I will give some suggestions as to how this can be done.
Stay Tuned!!! Don’t touch that dial!!
The Boomer Blogger
Ron
Let’s look at where we are:
1. 572,000 people over 45 in Cincinnati Metro Area
2. 429 ministry openings for youth and teens…no openings for “Seasoned Believers” ministries
3. the most prominent church model is the “commissary” model
4. It is unlikely, for many reasons, that there will be any shift to the "caravan" model in the foreseeable century.
So, given those factors, what are our options?
Option 1
Continue to bang our heads against a brick wall and become more frustrated, or
Option 2
Become pro-active and enlist our fair share of the demographic in which we find ourselves.
I can hear it now: “But ________!! (fill in the Blank)
Do you mean that I need to encourage other “Seasoned Believers” to become a part of a “commissary” that has nothing of any significance me or them?? In a word YES!!
How do we do it??
First of all, the “Seasoned Believers” already a part of a local church must cease being passive, come down off the shelf, make it known that they are not finished yet and that they desire to become s significant part of the local body.
Secondly, if we begin to increase the number of people who are in this demographic, the significance factor will be recognized.
How do we do it??
I am so glad you asked!!
I will give some suggestions as to how this can be done.
Stay Tuned!!! Don’t touch that dial!!
The Boomer Blogger
Ron
If Not A Caravan, Then A Complete Commissary!!
Since it would be nearly impossible to transform a “commissary” modeled church into a “caravan” model, the best, in my judgment, one can hope for is a blend of each.
I have talked to several pastors who understand that they are pastoring a “commissary” model but recognize the need for some sort of “caravaning” effort.
If that is the case, then we must make sure that everyone is served by the “commissary”.
I would like to call your attention to a response, by Paula Clare, to a previous blog entry (7/12/08)dealing with this subject.
“I agree the Seasoned Believers have been put "in the wagons." It's really poignant when you think about the reasons the wagon train did this with the women and children:
1. They couldn't keep up and would impede progress
2. They were seen as "weaker" and couldn't contribute to the movement of the wagon train
3. They were never given weapons to defend themselves, but had to rely on the skills of others to be protected.
Wow. Double wow. No WONDER so many boomers are dropping out...we feel like a hindrance instead of a help!”
There are Children’s Departments, Youth Departments, Teen Departments, College and Singles Departments, Young Married Departments, Married with Children Departments galore. These groups have ample opportunities to be served by their particular commissary departments.
There is virtually no recognition nor effort to provide the “Seasoned Believers” with fellowship or resources to assist them in their journey.
I recently had conversations with several Bible College representatives about this lack of recognition of the “Seasoned Believers”.
Three responded with similar statements that they planned to begin graduate programs for “Geriatric Ministries”.
Paula was correct when she said “No WONDER so many boomers are dropping out...we feel like a hindrance instead of a help!”
Dr. Thom Rainer, in an article titled The Church In 2011: Catching The Age Wave, that appeared in Lifeway Biblical Solutions for Life indicated that his research showed that 2/3 of the Baby Boomers are unchurched.
If that is true, then out of the 858,000 people over 45 in the 9 metropolitan Cincinnati counties, there are some 572,000 unchurched and church alumni among us.
My guess is that, if we are not “caravaning”, then it would behoove us to develop some significant “Seasoned Believer” departments.
THE BOOMER BLOGGER
RON
I have talked to several pastors who understand that they are pastoring a “commissary” model but recognize the need for some sort of “caravaning” effort.
If that is the case, then we must make sure that everyone is served by the “commissary”.
I would like to call your attention to a response, by Paula Clare, to a previous blog entry (7/12/08)dealing with this subject.
“I agree the Seasoned Believers have been put "in the wagons." It's really poignant when you think about the reasons the wagon train did this with the women and children:
1. They couldn't keep up and would impede progress
2. They were seen as "weaker" and couldn't contribute to the movement of the wagon train
3. They were never given weapons to defend themselves, but had to rely on the skills of others to be protected.
Wow. Double wow. No WONDER so many boomers are dropping out...we feel like a hindrance instead of a help!”
There are Children’s Departments, Youth Departments, Teen Departments, College and Singles Departments, Young Married Departments, Married with Children Departments galore. These groups have ample opportunities to be served by their particular commissary departments.
There is virtually no recognition nor effort to provide the “Seasoned Believers” with fellowship or resources to assist them in their journey.
I recently had conversations with several Bible College representatives about this lack of recognition of the “Seasoned Believers”.
Three responded with similar statements that they planned to begin graduate programs for “Geriatric Ministries”.
Paula was correct when she said “No WONDER so many boomers are dropping out...we feel like a hindrance instead of a help!”
Dr. Thom Rainer, in an article titled The Church In 2011: Catching The Age Wave, that appeared in Lifeway Biblical Solutions for Life indicated that his research showed that 2/3 of the Baby Boomers are unchurched.
If that is true, then out of the 858,000 people over 45 in the 9 metropolitan Cincinnati counties, there are some 572,000 unchurched and church alumni among us.
My guess is that, if we are not “caravaning”, then it would behoove us to develop some significant “Seasoned Believer” departments.
THE BOOMER BLOGGER
RON
Monday, July 14, 2008
Constantine-Commissary Builder vs Moses - Cavaran Leader
To be part of a caravan is much more demanding than joining the clientele of a commissary. Given a choice, "the people" will go for the commissary every time.
That is why Moses got the reaction he did!!
After 450 years of captivity, Moses lead them out of Egypt. They were on their way to the Promise Land. The people were exuberant about being free from slavery. They rejoiced as they began their journey. Not So McGee!!
Three days after they were led out of Egypt, the people were fed up with their “caravaning”. They challenged Moses with taking them out of Egypt because Egypt didn’t have enough graves for them.
They complained that at least while they were in Egypt they ate red beans and rice. Oh yes, another question they asked was “Where is the water? Did you bring us out here to die of thirst!!”
Israel preferred the commissary of Egypt to the caravan of freedom. That is why the church is where it has been since the time of Constantine. The church is smart enough to see what works best with the people.
With that, the distinction between a commissary and a caravan church ought to be very clear. It is up to you to decide how this applies to your particular congregation and what is to be done about it.
But, as you do your analysis, be aware that the basic distinction has its effect on almost every aspect of congregational life and structure.
For example, the commissary model had 429 open ministries in the children and/or youth department. There were no ministry openings in the Adult or Senior (Seasoned) Believer’s Department.
Compare that to the Caravan model where no one is left behind.
THE BOOMER BLOGGER
RON
That is why Moses got the reaction he did!!
After 450 years of captivity, Moses lead them out of Egypt. They were on their way to the Promise Land. The people were exuberant about being free from slavery. They rejoiced as they began their journey. Not So McGee!!
Three days after they were led out of Egypt, the people were fed up with their “caravaning”. They challenged Moses with taking them out of Egypt because Egypt didn’t have enough graves for them.
They complained that at least while they were in Egypt they ate red beans and rice. Oh yes, another question they asked was “Where is the water? Did you bring us out here to die of thirst!!”
Israel preferred the commissary of Egypt to the caravan of freedom. That is why the church is where it has been since the time of Constantine. The church is smart enough to see what works best with the people.
With that, the distinction between a commissary and a caravan church ought to be very clear. It is up to you to decide how this applies to your particular congregation and what is to be done about it.
But, as you do your analysis, be aware that the basic distinction has its effect on almost every aspect of congregational life and structure.
For example, the commissary model had 429 open ministries in the children and/or youth department. There were no ministry openings in the Adult or Senior (Seasoned) Believer’s Department.
Compare that to the Caravan model where no one is left behind.
THE BOOMER BLOGGER
RON
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Characteristics of the Caravan
From 1957 to 1964, there was a popular TV series called “Wagon Train” which depicted the journeys of a wagon train as it left post-Civil War Missouri on its way to California through the plains, deserts and Rocky Mountains.
It was apparent that the caravan had professionally trained leadership to give it direction, protection and unity. This leadership consisted of the Wagon Master, Chief Scout and several other scouts who looked after the needs of the people on this journey.
The women and elderly always rode in the wagons. The men walked alongside. The children generally brought up the rear when the circumstances permitted it. When they were under attack or one of the men was injured, the wagon train stopped and made sure no one was left behind or put in harm’s way.
Because of the influence of Willow Creek and the emphasis on being “seeker sensitive” toward the Baby Boomers, the church has generally reversed the caravan model by putting the younger people (children, teens and 30-40 year olds) in the wagons and relegated the “Seasoned Believers” to walking alongside.
I can hear some of you saying, “HOW DARE YOU SAY THAT!!”
After researching several Bible Colleges’ open ministry lists, I found that out of a total of 593 ministry positions (excluding pulpit ministries) that were listed on nine web sites, 429 (72%) were for people who were trained to minister to children or youth. There were no ministry openings for Adult or Senior (Seasoned) Believers.
Abraham, on his journey to the Promised Land, went as far as Haran. It was there he stopped. Then the account says, interestingly, that Tarah, his father, had died.
Why do you suppose Abraham stopped the caravan when he did? He did not want to leave his elderly and ill father behind!
We will explore other Scriptural examples in future blog entries.
THE BOOMER BLOGGER
RON
It was apparent that the caravan had professionally trained leadership to give it direction, protection and unity. This leadership consisted of the Wagon Master, Chief Scout and several other scouts who looked after the needs of the people on this journey.
The women and elderly always rode in the wagons. The men walked alongside. The children generally brought up the rear when the circumstances permitted it. When they were under attack or one of the men was injured, the wagon train stopped and made sure no one was left behind or put in harm’s way.
Because of the influence of Willow Creek and the emphasis on being “seeker sensitive” toward the Baby Boomers, the church has generally reversed the caravan model by putting the younger people (children, teens and 30-40 year olds) in the wagons and relegated the “Seasoned Believers” to walking alongside.
I can hear some of you saying, “HOW DARE YOU SAY THAT!!”
After researching several Bible Colleges’ open ministry lists, I found that out of a total of 593 ministry positions (excluding pulpit ministries) that were listed on nine web sites, 429 (72%) were for people who were trained to minister to children or youth. There were no ministry openings for Adult or Senior (Seasoned) Believers.
Abraham, on his journey to the Promised Land, went as far as Haran. It was there he stopped. Then the account says, interestingly, that Tarah, his father, had died.
Why do you suppose Abraham stopped the caravan when he did? He did not want to leave his elderly and ill father behind!
We will explore other Scriptural examples in future blog entries.
THE BOOMER BLOGGER
RON
The Caravan Model
In the caravan model, the members are seen as integral, functional, and functioning constituents without whom the body cannot be the body it was meant to be.
But is the New Testament model all that anti-institutional and all that committed to caravaning? The earliest term used to identify the corporate Christian enterprise (before it was called "a church" or its members called "Christians") was "the Way," its constituents being simply "the followers of the Way," or "those of the Way." The term occurs eight or nine times in the book of Acts (9:2; 18:25, 26; 19:23; 22:4; 24:14, 22) and not elsewhere.
However, we should hardly expect to find it elsewhere, Acts being the only account we have of the primitive church. But whether or not these references in Acts can be taken as proof positive that "the Way" was the earliest nomenclature for the church, it is easy to demonstrate that this basic concept underlies much of the New Testament.
Stephen, in Acts 6:8-7:60, is determined to show that the church is called to be a "caravan"; the first characteristic of the people of God is that they ever are "on the way" and never secure in a state of accomplishment. He begins by using Abraham as a model and makes it clear that his significance is as one who continually has to get up and go in response to the forward call of God. He passed through much territory but had "nothing in it to call his own, not one yard." All he had was a "promise" of possession addressed to him and his posterity.
THE BOOMER BLOGGER
RON
But is the New Testament model all that anti-institutional and all that committed to caravaning? The earliest term used to identify the corporate Christian enterprise (before it was called "a church" or its members called "Christians") was "the Way," its constituents being simply "the followers of the Way," or "those of the Way." The term occurs eight or nine times in the book of Acts (9:2; 18:25, 26; 19:23; 22:4; 24:14, 22) and not elsewhere.
However, we should hardly expect to find it elsewhere, Acts being the only account we have of the primitive church. But whether or not these references in Acts can be taken as proof positive that "the Way" was the earliest nomenclature for the church, it is easy to demonstrate that this basic concept underlies much of the New Testament.
Stephen, in Acts 6:8-7:60, is determined to show that the church is called to be a "caravan"; the first characteristic of the people of God is that they ever are "on the way" and never secure in a state of accomplishment. He begins by using Abraham as a model and makes it clear that his significance is as one who continually has to get up and go in response to the forward call of God. He passed through much territory but had "nothing in it to call his own, not one yard." All he had was a "promise" of possession addressed to him and his posterity.
THE BOOMER BLOGGER
RON
Monday, July 7, 2008
The Caravan Versus The Commissary Model
The New Testament pictures the church as a caravan. This "caravan" understanding seems to have been normative until the time of Constantine, when Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire. This acceptance of Christianity by the world brought with it a different concept of the congregation--a concept that has dominated the church scene to the present day. According to this understanding, the church is pictured basically as a commissary.
A caravan, on the other hand, is something entirely different. It (and a walking caravan best fits our idea) is a group of people banded together as a community with a common cause in seeking a common destination. The being of a caravan lies not in any signed and sealed authorization but in the way it functions. Its validity lies not in its apparatus but in the performance of its caravaners--each and every one of them. A caravan is a caravan only as long as it is making progress--or at least striving to make progress. Once the caravaners stop, dig in, or count themselves as having arrived, they no longer constitute a caravan.
A commissary, for its part, is and has its existence simply in being what it is, what God has commissioned it to be. A caravan, conversely, has its existence only in a continual becoming (and in allowing that existence continually to be called into question), in a following of the Lord on his way toward the kingdom. With a commissary, the question is: "Has this institution a valid charter, and is it operating within the terms of that charter?" With a caravan, the question is: "How are the people doing? Is the group operating so that all are being helped on their common journey in discipleship?"
In this regard, it should be made very clear that we are not at all suggesting that the modern church should switch to a caravan model for the purpose of making the church more successful and attractive for Christians or people in general. On the contrary, to be part of a caravan is much more demanding than joining the clientele of a commissary. Given a choice, "the people" will go for the commissary every time. That is why Moses got the reaction he did. This is why Stephen's opponents reacted the way they did. That is why the church is where it has been since the time of Constantine. The church is smart enough to see what works best with the people. If there is to be a new move toward caravaning in our day, it can and should come only out of a sense that this is what Jesus asks of us.
RON
THE BOOMER BLOGGER
A caravan, on the other hand, is something entirely different. It (and a walking caravan best fits our idea) is a group of people banded together as a community with a common cause in seeking a common destination. The being of a caravan lies not in any signed and sealed authorization but in the way it functions. Its validity lies not in its apparatus but in the performance of its caravaners--each and every one of them. A caravan is a caravan only as long as it is making progress--or at least striving to make progress. Once the caravaners stop, dig in, or count themselves as having arrived, they no longer constitute a caravan.
A commissary, for its part, is and has its existence simply in being what it is, what God has commissioned it to be. A caravan, conversely, has its existence only in a continual becoming (and in allowing that existence continually to be called into question), in a following of the Lord on his way toward the kingdom. With a commissary, the question is: "Has this institution a valid charter, and is it operating within the terms of that charter?" With a caravan, the question is: "How are the people doing? Is the group operating so that all are being helped on their common journey in discipleship?"
In this regard, it should be made very clear that we are not at all suggesting that the modern church should switch to a caravan model for the purpose of making the church more successful and attractive for Christians or people in general. On the contrary, to be part of a caravan is much more demanding than joining the clientele of a commissary. Given a choice, "the people" will go for the commissary every time. That is why Moses got the reaction he did. This is why Stephen's opponents reacted the way they did. That is why the church is where it has been since the time of Constantine. The church is smart enough to see what works best with the people. If there is to be a new move toward caravaning in our day, it can and should come only out of a sense that this is what Jesus asks of us.
RON
THE BOOMER BLOGGER
Saturday, July 5, 2008
Are We a "Commissary" or a "Caravan"?
In the two blogs posted today (Review Parts I and II), there are two areas that I believe the church must address.
The first one is making preparation for the onslaught of almost 375,000 Baby Boomers, in Metro Cincinnati alone, who will reach the traditional retirement age by 2012.
As I have considered this phenomenon, there is a second area which, in my judgment, must be considered.
The Commissary Model
Since the early 80s and the advent of the “seeker sensitive” movement, most churches have evolved into many different segments (4 different age groupings of children, Jr. High, High School, College, Singles, Young Married, Married with Children, Empty Nesters and Seniors).
Instead of a body of believers, most churches have become a disconnected group of “body” parts where each one makes it a point to visit the “commissary” to get what they need or what they think they need for the coming week.
There is a major problem with the commissary model. The problem is, unlike a super store, they do not necessarily have everything their customers need.
The reality is that, unless the “Seasoned Believer” comes to the spiritual commissary looking for a monthly pot-luck and a quarterly trip to Branson or Gatlinburg, there is nothing else in the “Senior Department” for them.
The next blog entry will describe the Scriptural model to which we should pay attention.
Ron
The Boomer Blogger
The first one is making preparation for the onslaught of almost 375,000 Baby Boomers, in Metro Cincinnati alone, who will reach the traditional retirement age by 2012.
As I have considered this phenomenon, there is a second area which, in my judgment, must be considered.
The Commissary Model
Since the early 80s and the advent of the “seeker sensitive” movement, most churches have evolved into many different segments (4 different age groupings of children, Jr. High, High School, College, Singles, Young Married, Married with Children, Empty Nesters and Seniors).
Instead of a body of believers, most churches have become a disconnected group of “body” parts where each one makes it a point to visit the “commissary” to get what they need or what they think they need for the coming week.
There is a major problem with the commissary model. The problem is, unlike a super store, they do not necessarily have everything their customers need.
The reality is that, unless the “Seasoned Believer” comes to the spiritual commissary looking for a monthly pot-luck and a quarterly trip to Branson or Gatlinburg, there is nothing else in the “Senior Department” for them.
The next blog entry will describe the Scriptural model to which we should pay attention.
Ron
The Boomer Blogger
Friday, July 4, 2008
Review Part II
In the 9 metro Cincinnati counties, according to the 2006 U S Census estimate, there are 554,940 Baby Boomers. According to Dr. Thom Rainer, in an article entitled The Church In 2011: Catching The Age Wave, estimates that two thirds of the Boomers remain unchurched.
I do agree with him about the 2/3 figure (373,880), but I do not agree that all of them are unchurched. Many of this group are what would be more accurately defined as "church alumni".
In these same 9 counties, according to the US Census estimates(2006) , there are approximately 647,743 members of the “Silent Generation”. Many of these folks are still able to take an active part in the life of the Body. In many churches, they are recognized once a month when an announcement in the bulletin alerts them to the monthly potluck luncheon and a monthly or quarterly bus trip to either Gatlinburg or Branson.
In this era where we are constantly encouraged to recycle and conserve energy etc, I am concerned that we are wasting some of the most significant resources God has given us.
The next blog entry will address a legitimate solution to which I referred in Part I.
Ron
THE BOOMER BLOGGER
I do agree with him about the 2/3 figure (373,880), but I do not agree that all of them are unchurched. Many of this group are what would be more accurately defined as "church alumni".
In these same 9 counties, according to the US Census estimates(2006) , there are approximately 647,743 members of the “Silent Generation”. Many of these folks are still able to take an active part in the life of the Body. In many churches, they are recognized once a month when an announcement in the bulletin alerts them to the monthly potluck luncheon and a monthly or quarterly bus trip to either Gatlinburg or Branson.
In this era where we are constantly encouraged to recycle and conserve energy etc, I am concerned that we are wasting some of the most significant resources God has given us.
The next blog entry will address a legitimate solution to which I referred in Part I.
Ron
THE BOOMER BLOGGER
Time for a Review Part I
During the past several months, I have made an attempt, through this blog, to challenge us to prepare for the oncoming boomer wave.
It is obvious, by any measure, that churches have not made provision for the thousands of boomers who will be approaching retirement age starting in 2012.
I decided to see if the churches of my own denominational background were getting ready to minister to the large number of adults in society. It seemed that one way to do that was by reviewing current ministry openings listed on the web sites of nine different Christian groups. They were seven Bible Colleges, CrossLink (which connects people and ministries) and a weekly national church publication.
There was a total of 593 ministry positions, excluding pulpit ministries, listed on nine web sites. Out of the 593 jobs listed, 429 (72%) were for people who were trained to minister to children or youth. There were no ministry openings for Adult or Senior (Seasoned) Believers.
An additional area of research included a web site of a week long national church convention. The daily program listed only one event for “Seasoned Believers”. It was a social event: a “Senior’s Luncheon”.
In an encouraging discovery, I found that the Assemblies of God recently appointed a part time National Director of Senior Adult Ministries.
My next blog entry will continue reviewing previous research in order to lay the goundwork for what I believe is a legitimate response to the oncoming boomer wave.
THE BOOMER BLOGGER
Ron
It is obvious, by any measure, that churches have not made provision for the thousands of boomers who will be approaching retirement age starting in 2012.
I decided to see if the churches of my own denominational background were getting ready to minister to the large number of adults in society. It seemed that one way to do that was by reviewing current ministry openings listed on the web sites of nine different Christian groups. They were seven Bible Colleges, CrossLink (which connects people and ministries) and a weekly national church publication.
There was a total of 593 ministry positions, excluding pulpit ministries, listed on nine web sites. Out of the 593 jobs listed, 429 (72%) were for people who were trained to minister to children or youth. There were no ministry openings for Adult or Senior (Seasoned) Believers.
An additional area of research included a web site of a week long national church convention. The daily program listed only one event for “Seasoned Believers”. It was a social event: a “Senior’s Luncheon”.
In an encouraging discovery, I found that the Assemblies of God recently appointed a part time National Director of Senior Adult Ministries.
My next blog entry will continue reviewing previous research in order to lay the goundwork for what I believe is a legitimate response to the oncoming boomer wave.
THE BOOMER BLOGGER
Ron
Monday, June 9, 2008
Ageism is the New Sexism
Regardless of your politics - this should be read
Ageism is the New Sexism
By Craig Crawford | CQ Politics|June 9, 2008 6:00 AM |
At a town hall in Iowa last year John McCain got The Question. A silver-haired woman appearing to be close in age to the Republican presidential hopeful's 71 years asked if he was really up to the job.
"You're getting pretty old!" the Iowa woman said. "And it's such a hard job!"
McCain deadpanned, "I'm sorry I called on you."
While McCain deftly turned the moment to his advantage, getting a big laugh, the joke might be on him if the presumed GOP nominee's age subjects him to the sort of ridicule that underscored sexist gags aimed at Hillary Rodham Clinton.
Expect open season in the coming campaign for implicitly bashing the elderly as McCain's political foes and some media personalities stereotype him in ways that are justifiably considered off limits regarding Barack Obama's race.
Still, there is a silver lining for McCain if Clinton's experience is any guide. Women voters rallied to Clinton in response to the rampant sexism. If not for such a backlash in New Hampshire, for instance, she might not have won that state's primary and kept her candidacy alive at a crucial juncture in the Democratic nomination race.
Although some older voters, like the woman in Iowa, might question McCain's fitness, Democrats and media commentators who relentlessly mock his age could end up rallying elder votes to his side.
Ron
The Boomer Blogger
Ageism is the New Sexism
By Craig Crawford | CQ Politics|June 9, 2008 6:00 AM |
At a town hall in Iowa last year John McCain got The Question. A silver-haired woman appearing to be close in age to the Republican presidential hopeful's 71 years asked if he was really up to the job.
"You're getting pretty old!" the Iowa woman said. "And it's such a hard job!"
McCain deadpanned, "I'm sorry I called on you."
While McCain deftly turned the moment to his advantage, getting a big laugh, the joke might be on him if the presumed GOP nominee's age subjects him to the sort of ridicule that underscored sexist gags aimed at Hillary Rodham Clinton.
Expect open season in the coming campaign for implicitly bashing the elderly as McCain's political foes and some media personalities stereotype him in ways that are justifiably considered off limits regarding Barack Obama's race.
Still, there is a silver lining for McCain if Clinton's experience is any guide. Women voters rallied to Clinton in response to the rampant sexism. If not for such a backlash in New Hampshire, for instance, she might not have won that state's primary and kept her candidacy alive at a crucial juncture in the Democratic nomination race.
Although some older voters, like the woman in Iowa, might question McCain's fitness, Democrats and media commentators who relentlessly mock his age could end up rallying elder votes to his side.
Ron
The Boomer Blogger
Monday, May 19, 2008
Comments on Previous Post "Health Benefits of Volunteering"
Previously, I posted a blog entry entitled Health Benefits of Volunteering.
In that blog entry, I referenced several quotations re the healthy aspect of volunteering.
One of those quotations was: Medical and scientific documentation supports that volunteering results in a heightened sense of well being, improves insomnia, strengthens the immune system, and hastens surgery recovery time. (The Healing Power of Doing Good, Allan Luks & Peggy Payne)
I received two comments from Peggy Payne who was one of the authors of the book noted above.
I found this Book Description on Amazon that caused me to do some additional research on both the author and the book.
"Conventional wisdom has always held that when we help others, some of the good we do flows back to us. That satisfaction has always been thought to be largely emotional, feeling good when you do good. Now important, widely discussed research shows that helping others regularly produces significant health benefits as well. In fact, it has effects similar to those many of us experience when we exercise.
It is almost impossible to read this book without wanting to do good. Both for those who are already volunteering and for those who are considering it, this valuable personal guide tells you how to choose an activity that's right for you, how to maximize the health benefits, and how to overcome the main obstacle to getting started: lack of time.
The Healing Power of Doing Good reaffirms and explains that when we care for others we care for ourselves. It is an important book for those suffering from chronic health problems as well as the health conscious, anyone interested in how our mind affects our body, and people in the helping professions. And it reminds us that never has there been such a need for caring as there is today."
This book is worth your time to read it.
The Boomer Blogger
In that blog entry, I referenced several quotations re the healthy aspect of volunteering.
One of those quotations was: Medical and scientific documentation supports that volunteering results in a heightened sense of well being, improves insomnia, strengthens the immune system, and hastens surgery recovery time. (The Healing Power of Doing Good, Allan Luks & Peggy Payne)
I received two comments from Peggy Payne who was one of the authors of the book noted above.
I found this Book Description on Amazon that caused me to do some additional research on both the author and the book.
"Conventional wisdom has always held that when we help others, some of the good we do flows back to us. That satisfaction has always been thought to be largely emotional, feeling good when you do good. Now important, widely discussed research shows that helping others regularly produces significant health benefits as well. In fact, it has effects similar to those many of us experience when we exercise.
It is almost impossible to read this book without wanting to do good. Both for those who are already volunteering and for those who are considering it, this valuable personal guide tells you how to choose an activity that's right for you, how to maximize the health benefits, and how to overcome the main obstacle to getting started: lack of time.
The Healing Power of Doing Good reaffirms and explains that when we care for others we care for ourselves. It is an important book for those suffering from chronic health problems as well as the health conscious, anyone interested in how our mind affects our body, and people in the helping professions. And it reminds us that never has there been such a need for caring as there is today."
This book is worth your time to read it.
The Boomer Blogger
Saturday, May 17, 2008
"as he thinks within himself, so he is" (Prov 23:7)
I am a "Seasoned Believer"
I am also part of the "Silent Generation"
Many of us know what do to.
We want our time to be our own and to live in freedom.
We know we should look for opportunities,
take the most promising ones and move forward.
If we want different results in our lives, we focus on change. The problem is that we do not change ourselves or our mindset.
We focus on the negative by giving into fear - fear that we will fail- and so it becomes self-fulfilling.
It is important to understand that which we think about we will become.
It is a conscious decision to accept the mindset of expansion, and it takes effort.
GOD AIN'T THRU WITH US YET......LET'S REFIRE
Whatever we think, we become
The Boomer Blogger
I am also part of the "Silent Generation"
Many of us know what do to.
We want our time to be our own and to live in freedom.
We know we should look for opportunities,
take the most promising ones and move forward.
If we want different results in our lives, we focus on change. The problem is that we do not change ourselves or our mindset.
We focus on the negative by giving into fear - fear that we will fail- and so it becomes self-fulfilling.
It is important to understand that which we think about we will become.
It is a conscious decision to accept the mindset of expansion, and it takes effort.
GOD AIN'T THRU WITH US YET......LET'S REFIRE
Whatever we think, we become
The Boomer Blogger
Health Benefits of Volunteering
“People who do volunteer work are much less likely to suffer illness. The close interpersonal relationships and community involvement that occur with volunteer service are tailor-made to enhance the healing process.”
—The Healing Power of Service by Edward V. Brown
Volunteering helps to rebuild communities and solve serious social problems. And, according to research, it can also improve your physical and mental health!
Volunteer work improves the well being of individual volunteers because it enhances social support networks. People with strong social support networks have lower premature death rates, less heart disease, and fewer health risk factors. (Fact Sheet: Volunteering as a Vehicle for Social Support and Life Satisfaction, Public Health Agency of Canada)
Volunteering can improve self-esteem, reduce heart rates and blood pressure, increase endorphin production, enhance immune systems, buffer the impact of stress, and combat social isolation. (Research Summary: Graff, L. (1991). Volunteer for the Health of It, Etobicoke, Ontario: Volunteer Ontario.)
Volunteering lowers the risk of physical ill health because it boosts the social psychological factors that healthy people have. (The Effects of Volunteering on the Volunteer, John Wilson and Marc Musik, 62 Law & Contemp. Probs., Autumn 1999)
Medical and scientific documentation supports that volunteering results in a heightened sense of well being, improves insomnia, strengthens the immune system, and hastens surgery recovery time. (The Healing Power of Doing Good, Allan Luks & Peggy Payne)
Volunteering puts people into highly social situations, increasing the opportunity for close interpersonal relationships and strengthening a sense of identity. (Peer Counseling Perspectives, April 2003 Survival News, Mary Lynn Hemphill, “Volunteer For Your Health”)
The Boomer Blogger
—The Healing Power of Service by Edward V. Brown
Volunteering helps to rebuild communities and solve serious social problems. And, according to research, it can also improve your physical and mental health!
Volunteer work improves the well being of individual volunteers because it enhances social support networks. People with strong social support networks have lower premature death rates, less heart disease, and fewer health risk factors. (Fact Sheet: Volunteering as a Vehicle for Social Support and Life Satisfaction, Public Health Agency of Canada)
Volunteering can improve self-esteem, reduce heart rates and blood pressure, increase endorphin production, enhance immune systems, buffer the impact of stress, and combat social isolation. (Research Summary: Graff, L. (1991). Volunteer for the Health of It, Etobicoke, Ontario: Volunteer Ontario.)
Volunteering lowers the risk of physical ill health because it boosts the social psychological factors that healthy people have. (The Effects of Volunteering on the Volunteer, John Wilson and Marc Musik, 62 Law & Contemp. Probs., Autumn 1999)
Medical and scientific documentation supports that volunteering results in a heightened sense of well being, improves insomnia, strengthens the immune system, and hastens surgery recovery time. (The Healing Power of Doing Good, Allan Luks & Peggy Payne)
Volunteering puts people into highly social situations, increasing the opportunity for close interpersonal relationships and strengthening a sense of identity. (Peer Counseling Perspectives, April 2003 Survival News, Mary Lynn Hemphill, “Volunteer For Your Health”)
The Boomer Blogger
Volunteering also offers numerous health benefits specific to older adults.
Volunteering gives older adults an opportunity to participate in fulfilling activities, which can make a difference in the lives of others.
Helping to better situations for others contributes to healthy communities. Older adult volunteers feel a sense of community inclusion which has a positive impact on their health and overall well being.
Volunteer activities help older adults improve self confidence and self esteem, which helps reduce blood pressure and improves immune function.
Volunteer activities help older adults form interpersonal ties and develop social networks. Like family and friends, these networks act as a buffer against stress and illness.
Older adult volunteers live longer than non-volunteers. Studies report that engaging in regular volunteer work increases life expectancy because social interaction improves quality of life.
The Boomer Blogger
Helping to better situations for others contributes to healthy communities. Older adult volunteers feel a sense of community inclusion which has a positive impact on their health and overall well being.
Volunteer activities help older adults improve self confidence and self esteem, which helps reduce blood pressure and improves immune function.
Volunteer activities help older adults form interpersonal ties and develop social networks. Like family and friends, these networks act as a buffer against stress and illness.
Older adult volunteers live longer than non-volunteers. Studies report that engaging in regular volunteer work increases life expectancy because social interaction improves quality of life.
The Boomer Blogger
Resources and Research on Health Benefits of Volunteering
The following are U.S. studies that have documented the health benefits of volunteering.
University of Michigan, Institute for Social Research, March 1999. (Marc A. Musik, A. Regula Herzog and James S. House, Volunteering and Mortality among Older Adults: Findings from a National Sample)
Cornell University, Cornell Applied Gerontology Research Institute, 1998. Social Integration and Longevity, Cornell Retirement and Well Being Study)
Duke University, Durham, North Carolina. Department of Sociology. John Wilson, author, “Volunteering”.
Paul Arnstein, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Nursing, Boston College, “From Chronic Pain Patient to Peer and Benefits Risks of Volunteering,” (evaluated patients suffering chronic pain and discovered those who volunteered reported a reduction in pain and depression.)
Stephanie Brown, Randolph Nesse, Amiram D. Vinokur and Dylan M. Smith, “Providing Social Support May Be More Beneficial Than Receiving It: Results from a Prospective Study of Mortality,” Institute for Social Research, The University of Michigan, as printed in American Psychological Society, Vol. 14, No.4, July 6. 2003.
Roger King, “Volunteerism by the Elderly as an Intervention for Promoting Successful Aging,” March 28, 1996.
Doug Oman and Kay McMahon, Buck Centre for Research in Aging in California; and Carol E Thoresen, Stanford University, Volunteerism and Mortality Among the Community-Dwelling Elderly.
The Boomer Blogger
University of Michigan, Institute for Social Research, March 1999. (Marc A. Musik, A. Regula Herzog and James S. House, Volunteering and Mortality among Older Adults: Findings from a National Sample)
Cornell University, Cornell Applied Gerontology Research Institute, 1998. Social Integration and Longevity, Cornell Retirement and Well Being Study)
Duke University, Durham, North Carolina. Department of Sociology. John Wilson, author, “Volunteering”.
Paul Arnstein, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Nursing, Boston College, “From Chronic Pain Patient to Peer and Benefits Risks of Volunteering,” (evaluated patients suffering chronic pain and discovered those who volunteered reported a reduction in pain and depression.)
Stephanie Brown, Randolph Nesse, Amiram D. Vinokur and Dylan M. Smith, “Providing Social Support May Be More Beneficial Than Receiving It: Results from a Prospective Study of Mortality,” Institute for Social Research, The University of Michigan, as printed in American Psychological Society, Vol. 14, No.4, July 6. 2003.
Roger King, “Volunteerism by the Elderly as an Intervention for Promoting Successful Aging,” March 28, 1996.
Doug Oman and Kay McMahon, Buck Centre for Research in Aging in California; and Carol E Thoresen, Stanford University, Volunteerism and Mortality Among the Community-Dwelling Elderly.
The Boomer Blogger
Baby Boomers and Volunteering
Nearly a third of all boomers – comprising some 25.8 million people – volunteered for a formal organization in 2005. (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)
At 33.2%, the volunteer rate for baby boomers is the highest of any generational age group, and more than four percentage points above the national average of 28.8%. (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)
A typical boomer volunteer serves 51 hours a year, or approximately one hour a week. (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)
The percentage of retired baby boomers who volunteered increased steadily, from approximately 25% in 2002 to approximately 30% in 2004. (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)
Volunteering tends to peak at mid-life, around the current age of baby boomers, and then decline slightly; declining further among the oldest old (typically 75+).
The biggest single inducement for baby boomers to volunteer is being asked by someone with whom one has an established relationship.
Baby boomers are less likely than older age groups to volunteer out of a sense of duty or obligation and more likely to volunteer as part of a social interaction.
Baby boomers are more likely to volunteer as a result of social, self development, self-esteem, or leisure-focused motivations. Episodic, familiar, community-based opportunities are also preferred.
Four out of five boomers see work as playing a role in their retirement years, with only 20% anticipating retiring and not working at all (AARP):
Of U.S. workers over 45, 69% plan to work in some capacity during retirement, with only 28% expecting not to work at all.
More than 75% of workers 45+ feel that work is important to their self-esteem.
(Research taken from the 2004 “Reinventing Aging – Baby Boomers and Civic Engagement” report, Harvard School of Public Health & MetLife Foundation Initiative on Retirement and Civic Engagement, unless otherwise cited.)
The Boomer Blogger
At 33.2%, the volunteer rate for baby boomers is the highest of any generational age group, and more than four percentage points above the national average of 28.8%. (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)
A typical boomer volunteer serves 51 hours a year, or approximately one hour a week. (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)
The percentage of retired baby boomers who volunteered increased steadily, from approximately 25% in 2002 to approximately 30% in 2004. (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)
Volunteering tends to peak at mid-life, around the current age of baby boomers, and then decline slightly; declining further among the oldest old (typically 75+).
The biggest single inducement for baby boomers to volunteer is being asked by someone with whom one has an established relationship.
Baby boomers are less likely than older age groups to volunteer out of a sense of duty or obligation and more likely to volunteer as part of a social interaction.
Baby boomers are more likely to volunteer as a result of social, self development, self-esteem, or leisure-focused motivations. Episodic, familiar, community-based opportunities are also preferred.
Four out of five boomers see work as playing a role in their retirement years, with only 20% anticipating retiring and not working at all (AARP):
Of U.S. workers over 45, 69% plan to work in some capacity during retirement, with only 28% expecting not to work at all.
More than 75% of workers 45+ feel that work is important to their self-esteem.
(Research taken from the 2004 “Reinventing Aging – Baby Boomers and Civic Engagement” report, Harvard School of Public Health & MetLife Foundation Initiative on Retirement and Civic Engagement, unless otherwise cited.)
The Boomer Blogger
Baby Boomer Facts
About Baby Boomers
Approximately 77 million babies were born in the U.S. during the “boom” years of 1946-1964. (US Dept. of Health & Human Services)
In January 2006, the first boomers will turn 60. In 2011, the oldest baby boomers will turn 65, and, on average can expect to live to 83.
One in four Americans is a baby boomer. This is the largest population group in U.S. history.
A baby boomer turns 50 every 18 seconds and 60 every 7 seconds.
Baby boomers comprise 28% of the U.S. population, nearly 3 in 10 Americans.
Half of all baby boomers and 2/3 of younger boomers have children under 18 living in their household. More than one third of boomers care for an older parent. (AARP)
Boomers are concentrated in metropolitan areas, as opposed to rural counties. Regionally, they are more highly concentrated in New England, the Mid-Atlantic States the upper Great Lake states and the Pacific Northwest. (U.S. Census Bureau)
The Boomer Blogger
Approximately 77 million babies were born in the U.S. during the “boom” years of 1946-1964. (US Dept. of Health & Human Services)
In January 2006, the first boomers will turn 60. In 2011, the oldest baby boomers will turn 65, and, on average can expect to live to 83.
One in four Americans is a baby boomer. This is the largest population group in U.S. history.
A baby boomer turns 50 every 18 seconds and 60 every 7 seconds.
Baby boomers comprise 28% of the U.S. population, nearly 3 in 10 Americans.
Half of all baby boomers and 2/3 of younger boomers have children under 18 living in their household. More than one third of boomers care for an older parent. (AARP)
Boomers are concentrated in metropolitan areas, as opposed to rural counties. Regionally, they are more highly concentrated in New England, the Mid-Atlantic States the upper Great Lake states and the Pacific Northwest. (U.S. Census Bureau)
The Boomer Blogger
Monday, April 21, 2008
Companies find ways to retain expertise of older workers
By Marsha King
Seattle Times staff reporter (Exerpted)
A serious health scare a decade ago convinced Dave Gromala that there's more to life than work. Someday, he'd find a way to retire early from Weyerhaeuser so he and his wife could explore more of the fun stuff in life before growing old.
But late last year, after he crunched the numbers, the dream looked premature. "When you even think of trying to retire at age 55, the calculator explodes," he said.
His pension hadn't grown enough, the stock market was having fits and his future medical needs were unknown.
Gromala started searching for an alternative. His timing was perfect. Worried about an impending labor shortage and the loss of expertise, Weyerhaeuser had just joined the ranks of employers nationwide that are creating strategies to delay the retirement of valued older workers.
Historically, senior workers have received incentives to leave their jobs early to make room for the next generation. But a change in thinking is under way. As baby boomers march toward retirement, too few younger workers may be available to fill the gap.
Weyerhaeuser asked Gromala if he'd like to help kick off a new delayed-retirement program by going part time while still accumulating a pension and enjoying company-paid health insurance.
"It was like finding a bunch of Easter eggs," Gromala said.
The graying of the work force is expected to challenge many countries. In the United States, employment is expected to increase by nearly 19 million jobs over the decade ending in 2014, about 2.6 million more than the previous decade. But in that same period, 36 million people are expected to leave the work force permanently, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
At Weyerhaeuser, company research found that 40 percent of employees nationwide would be eligible to retire by 2010. Decades of knowledge and institutional memory could vanish.
For now, the company is most concerned about certain job categories, such as scientists and engineers in the forestry division, which require deep expertise.
"If we were in a growth mode, this would be even harder to deal with. We'd be scrambling for even more talent and we'd be scrambling across the board," said Sally Hass, director of retirement education.
Census data show that by 2030, nearly 20 percent of the population will be age 65 or older, compared with about 12 percent in 2000.
In King County, some of the employment sectors significantly affected by the aging work force are education, public administration, manufacturing, health care and utilities.
As more people retire, many industries could see a dramatic impact on productivity and profits, according to a February report of the Task Force on the Aging of the American Workforce, launched in 2006 by the U.S. Department of Labor.
Most people say they'd like to work in some capacity even after traditional retirement age, the report says. But age discrimination, limited opportunities and federal pension and tax laws can discourage working in older age.
The task force and others urge an array of remedies: recruitment of older workers, flexible work arrangements, financial education and new scrutiny of federal regulations forged decades ago to make room for baby boomers.
"We're all facing this challenge," said Cindy Wall, a spokeswoman for Boeing. "Right now we're able to get all the people we need. But will that be the case in five years? "
<A gradual retirement
Weyerhaeuser's new delayed-retirement project, called Gray Matters, is grounded in research about the attitudes of its employees age 55 and over. The vast majority say they want to work longer rather than completely retire. But they want it all — a flexible schedule, health-care benefits and no negative financial impact. And they want the work to be meaningful.
In response, Gray Matters offers selected employees the opportunity to retire gradually, but they must average 25 hours of work a week in order to keep health benefits. The part-time work also shouldn't go on for too many years or it could negatively impact their pension. Still, working part time rather than retiring entirely ultimately builds a bigger nest egg.
During this phase-down, they're expected to create a plan to transfer knowledge and mentor younger workers. The company also is participating in a talent bank, to be run by an outside firm, that will offer retirees a chance to work on a temporary basis.
"What we all want as employers is the best talent we can have," said Hass, retirement educator at Weyerhaeuser. "And what we ought to recognize is that the best talent can come at any age."
When the program started in January, Gromala cut back to three days a week as director of codes and product acceptance, a highly specialized job he's held for 18 years. His pay is 40 percent less and his pension is accumulating at a slower pace.
His time is divided among long-term projects, solving problems and guiding younger employees. Already, the more junior staff no longer asks, "How should I handle this?" Instead, they just keep him informed.
It feels a little scary, like maybe he's not needed anymore. But "so be it," Gromala said. Meanwhile, he insists he's really not partially retired. He simply bought an extra 10 weeks of vacation. And if this mix of more free time and less job keeps feeling right, why stop?
mking@seattletimes.com
Seattle Times staff reporter (Exerpted)
A serious health scare a decade ago convinced Dave Gromala that there's more to life than work. Someday, he'd find a way to retire early from Weyerhaeuser so he and his wife could explore more of the fun stuff in life before growing old.
But late last year, after he crunched the numbers, the dream looked premature. "When you even think of trying to retire at age 55, the calculator explodes," he said.
His pension hadn't grown enough, the stock market was having fits and his future medical needs were unknown.
Gromala started searching for an alternative. His timing was perfect. Worried about an impending labor shortage and the loss of expertise, Weyerhaeuser had just joined the ranks of employers nationwide that are creating strategies to delay the retirement of valued older workers.
Historically, senior workers have received incentives to leave their jobs early to make room for the next generation. But a change in thinking is under way. As baby boomers march toward retirement, too few younger workers may be available to fill the gap.
Weyerhaeuser asked Gromala if he'd like to help kick off a new delayed-retirement program by going part time while still accumulating a pension and enjoying company-paid health insurance.
"It was like finding a bunch of Easter eggs," Gromala said.
The graying of the work force is expected to challenge many countries. In the United States, employment is expected to increase by nearly 19 million jobs over the decade ending in 2014, about 2.6 million more than the previous decade. But in that same period, 36 million people are expected to leave the work force permanently, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
At Weyerhaeuser, company research found that 40 percent of employees nationwide would be eligible to retire by 2010. Decades of knowledge and institutional memory could vanish.
For now, the company is most concerned about certain job categories, such as scientists and engineers in the forestry division, which require deep expertise.
"If we were in a growth mode, this would be even harder to deal with. We'd be scrambling for even more talent and we'd be scrambling across the board," said Sally Hass, director of retirement education.
Census data show that by 2030, nearly 20 percent of the population will be age 65 or older, compared with about 12 percent in 2000.
In King County, some of the employment sectors significantly affected by the aging work force are education, public administration, manufacturing, health care and utilities.
As more people retire, many industries could see a dramatic impact on productivity and profits, according to a February report of the Task Force on the Aging of the American Workforce, launched in 2006 by the U.S. Department of Labor.
Most people say they'd like to work in some capacity even after traditional retirement age, the report says. But age discrimination, limited opportunities and federal pension and tax laws can discourage working in older age.
The task force and others urge an array of remedies: recruitment of older workers, flexible work arrangements, financial education and new scrutiny of federal regulations forged decades ago to make room for baby boomers.
"We're all facing this challenge," said Cindy Wall, a spokeswoman for Boeing. "Right now we're able to get all the people we need. But will that be the case in five years? "
<A gradual retirement
Weyerhaeuser's new delayed-retirement project, called Gray Matters, is grounded in research about the attitudes of its employees age 55 and over. The vast majority say they want to work longer rather than completely retire. But they want it all — a flexible schedule, health-care benefits and no negative financial impact. And they want the work to be meaningful.
In response, Gray Matters offers selected employees the opportunity to retire gradually, but they must average 25 hours of work a week in order to keep health benefits. The part-time work also shouldn't go on for too many years or it could negatively impact their pension. Still, working part time rather than retiring entirely ultimately builds a bigger nest egg.
During this phase-down, they're expected to create a plan to transfer knowledge and mentor younger workers. The company also is participating in a talent bank, to be run by an outside firm, that will offer retirees a chance to work on a temporary basis.
"What we all want as employers is the best talent we can have," said Hass, retirement educator at Weyerhaeuser. "And what we ought to recognize is that the best talent can come at any age."
When the program started in January, Gromala cut back to three days a week as director of codes and product acceptance, a highly specialized job he's held for 18 years. His pay is 40 percent less and his pension is accumulating at a slower pace.
His time is divided among long-term projects, solving problems and guiding younger employees. Already, the more junior staff no longer asks, "How should I handle this?" Instead, they just keep him informed.
It feels a little scary, like maybe he's not needed anymore. But "so be it," Gromala said. Meanwhile, he insists he's really not partially retired. He simply bought an extra 10 weeks of vacation. And if this mix of more free time and less job keeps feeling right, why stop?
mking@seattletimes.com
Seasoned Believer's Biblography
I would strongly encourage those who are interested in learning more about this demographic phenomenon called The Boomer Wave to read the following books and articles:
Books
Generation Ageless, J. Walker Smith and Ann Clurman, Harper Collins Publishing 2007
Made To Stick (Random House, 2007) Chip and Dan Heath
Ageless Marketing: Strategies for Reaching the Hearts & Minds of the New Customer Majority, David B. Wolfe, Robert E. Snyder, Dearborn Trade Publishing, a Kaplan Professional Company, 2003
Exit Interviews, William Hendricks, (Chicago: Moody, 1993), p. 260.
Halftime: Changing Your Game Plan from Success to Significance, Bob Buford, Zondervan Publishing, 2001
Stuck in Halftime, Zondervan Publishing, Bob Buford, 2004
Finishing Well: What People Who "Really Live" Do Differently, Bob Buford, Integrity Publishing, 2004
Unlimited Partnership: Igniting a Marketplace Leader's Journey to Significance, Lloyd Reeb and Bill Wellons, B & H Publishing, 2006
The Power Years: A User's Guide to the Rest Of Your Life, Ken Dychtwald and Daniel J. Kadlec, (2005)
Practicing Greatness, Reggie McNeal, Jossey-Bass, 2006
Baby Boomerang: Catching the Boomer Generation As They Return to Church , Regal Books,(1990), Doug Murren
The Boomer Century 1946-2046: How America's Most Influential Generation Changed Everything, Alexandria Productions, (2007) Richard Croker and Ken Dychtwald
For Entrepreneurs Only: Success Strategies for Anyone Starting or Growing a Business, The Career Press, 1994, Wilson Harrell
The Wellness Revolution: How to Make a Fortune in the Next Trillion Dollar Industry, John Wiley and Sons, Paul Zane Pilzer, 1994
ARTICLES
One of the most helpful websites I have found for those who want to retool the church's paradigm and develop "sticky" ideas is www.JoshHunt.com. He is a nationally known Christian coach and educator.
Pew Research Center, "Baby Boomers Approach Age 60"
"The Case of the Missing Boomers," Ministry Currents, January - March 1992,
Aging Adults: Boomers, Builders, and Beyond, Enrichment Journal, Winter 2002
“Targeting the Mature Mind,” David Wolfe, American Demographics, March 1994, 32–36
Editorial: "Involved Seniors"/It's Time for Boomers to Plan July 5, 2004, Minnesota Star Tribune
Report on "Reinventing Aging: Baby Boomers and Civic Engagement,", MetLife/Harvard School for Public Health,2004
Me Generation' becomes 'We Generation,( USA Today 8/2/2006) by Daniel J. Kadlec.
How can your church reach baby boomers? Steve Mills, Executive Director of Church Ministries, Northwest District, The Assemblies of God,
Churches Neglect Older Folks; Potlucks Won't Do, Lillian Kwon, Christian Post Reporter Fri, Jan. 12 2007
The Church In 2011: Catching The Age Wave, (Lifeway Biblical Solutions for Life, 7/10/06), by Thom S. Rainer
Books
Generation Ageless, J. Walker Smith and Ann Clurman, Harper Collins Publishing 2007
Made To Stick (Random House, 2007) Chip and Dan Heath
Ageless Marketing: Strategies for Reaching the Hearts & Minds of the New Customer Majority, David B. Wolfe, Robert E. Snyder, Dearborn Trade Publishing, a Kaplan Professional Company, 2003
Exit Interviews, William Hendricks, (Chicago: Moody, 1993), p. 260.
Halftime: Changing Your Game Plan from Success to Significance, Bob Buford, Zondervan Publishing, 2001
Stuck in Halftime, Zondervan Publishing, Bob Buford, 2004
Finishing Well: What People Who "Really Live" Do Differently, Bob Buford, Integrity Publishing, 2004
Unlimited Partnership: Igniting a Marketplace Leader's Journey to Significance, Lloyd Reeb and Bill Wellons, B & H Publishing, 2006
The Power Years: A User's Guide to the Rest Of Your Life, Ken Dychtwald and Daniel J. Kadlec, (2005)
Practicing Greatness, Reggie McNeal, Jossey-Bass, 2006
Baby Boomerang: Catching the Boomer Generation As They Return to Church , Regal Books,(1990), Doug Murren
The Boomer Century 1946-2046: How America's Most Influential Generation Changed Everything, Alexandria Productions, (2007) Richard Croker and Ken Dychtwald
For Entrepreneurs Only: Success Strategies for Anyone Starting or Growing a Business, The Career Press, 1994, Wilson Harrell
The Wellness Revolution: How to Make a Fortune in the Next Trillion Dollar Industry, John Wiley and Sons, Paul Zane Pilzer, 1994
ARTICLES
One of the most helpful websites I have found for those who want to retool the church's paradigm and develop "sticky" ideas is www.JoshHunt.com. He is a nationally known Christian coach and educator.
Pew Research Center, "Baby Boomers Approach Age 60"
"The Case of the Missing Boomers," Ministry Currents, January - March 1992,
Aging Adults: Boomers, Builders, and Beyond, Enrichment Journal, Winter 2002
“Targeting the Mature Mind,” David Wolfe, American Demographics, March 1994, 32–36
Editorial: "Involved Seniors"/It's Time for Boomers to Plan July 5, 2004, Minnesota Star Tribune
Report on "Reinventing Aging: Baby Boomers and Civic Engagement,", MetLife/Harvard School for Public Health,2004
Me Generation' becomes 'We Generation,( USA Today 8/2/2006) by Daniel J. Kadlec.
How can your church reach baby boomers? Steve Mills, Executive Director of Church Ministries, Northwest District, The Assemblies of God,
Churches Neglect Older Folks; Potlucks Won't Do, Lillian Kwon, Christian Post Reporter Fri, Jan. 12 2007
The Church In 2011: Catching The Age Wave, (Lifeway Biblical Solutions for Life, 7/10/06), by Thom S. Rainer
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Celebrate The Diversity of Seasoned Believers
The Old Testament writer reports on how generations of old responded to God or failed to respond. Paul points out that we are many and we experience Christ in different ways. We are given these experiences of grace so we can contribute our perspectives to help one another and to up build the church.
In Christ we are made one. We are united into one body. Unity involves diversity. Unity is not uniformity. Because of our unique life histories we have different graces that the Spirit gives us. Jesus teaches that our unity is manifested in our willingness to serve and to let others serve us.
None of us is sufficient in and of our self. God has made us so as to need each other.
The inclusive church welcomes the insights, perspectives, gifts and graces of each generation and each generation type. Membership in the church is intergenerational. It is the covenantal response of generations that unites us as one family through the Spirit.
The Spirit makes the church, the family of God, an inclusive body – a celebration of diversity.
Today in the name of religion many don’t trust diversity. We want everyone to think and behave as we do. Those who are different or who don’t conform to our expectations we tend to demonize.
This addiction to uniformity is a worldwide phenomenon. We see it played out in many Islamic countries and we see it played out in our churches and denominations. Our mainline denominations are being torn apart because there are leaders who tolerate and encourage diversity. The church whose motto is “reformed and always reforming” is in danger of becoming the church conformed and always conforming.
God brings many parts together so the whole will be greater that its parts. Togetherness brings about synergy; it’s creating a work that is greater than anything we could expect from individuals working separately. It’s a transforming power that can remake each of us and transform the whole world -- generation to generation -- into one holy orchestra where many parts join together to honor and praise our God who makes us one.
"Thy Kingdom come, O Lord;
Thy will be done on earth,
Even as it is done in heaven."
In Christ we are made one. We are united into one body. Unity involves diversity. Unity is not uniformity. Because of our unique life histories we have different graces that the Spirit gives us. Jesus teaches that our unity is manifested in our willingness to serve and to let others serve us.
None of us is sufficient in and of our self. God has made us so as to need each other.
The inclusive church welcomes the insights, perspectives, gifts and graces of each generation and each generation type. Membership in the church is intergenerational. It is the covenantal response of generations that unites us as one family through the Spirit.
The Spirit makes the church, the family of God, an inclusive body – a celebration of diversity.
Today in the name of religion many don’t trust diversity. We want everyone to think and behave as we do. Those who are different or who don’t conform to our expectations we tend to demonize.
This addiction to uniformity is a worldwide phenomenon. We see it played out in many Islamic countries and we see it played out in our churches and denominations. Our mainline denominations are being torn apart because there are leaders who tolerate and encourage diversity. The church whose motto is “reformed and always reforming” is in danger of becoming the church conformed and always conforming.
God brings many parts together so the whole will be greater that its parts. Togetherness brings about synergy; it’s creating a work that is greater than anything we could expect from individuals working separately. It’s a transforming power that can remake each of us and transform the whole world -- generation to generation -- into one holy orchestra where many parts join together to honor and praise our God who makes us one.
"Thy Kingdom come, O Lord;
Thy will be done on earth,
Even as it is done in heaven."
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
The Silent Sandwich Generation
For the last 30 years, the emphasis has been on the “seeker sensitive” approach to reaching the “boomer generation”.
The Boomer generation was heralded as the cure-all, both financially and numerically, for the church. Paradigms were changed dramatically in the hopes that they would recognize and appreciate the changes that were made on their behalf.
Based on the 2006 U. S. Census estimates there are some 78 million boomers born between 1946 and 1964. In the 9 counties in the Cincinnati metro area, there are approximately 577,000 Boomers who will be in their “bonus round” by 2012.
Dr. Thom Rainer, in an article entitled The Church In 2011: Catching The Age Wave, estimates that two thirds of the Boomers remain unchurched.
A second people group that has been highlighted, and rightly so, is the generation referred to as the “Greatest Generation” (WWII or the GI generation). This generation has provided the leadership and stability for the church for many years.
However, sandwiched between these two generations is a generation that has been largely forgotten. They have been called the Silent Generation. This generation has stood silently by while the hymns they grew up singing have been scuttled. Many have patiently endured many “seeker sensitive” watered down feel good sermons. Many have faithfully given their tithes. They have remained faithful while “contemporary” has been redefined in ways that are foreign to them.
Consider this: In these same 9 counties, according to the US Census estimates(2006), there are approximately 647,743 members of the “Silent Generation”. Many of these folks are still able to take an active part in the life of the Body. In many churches, they are recognized once a month when an announcement in the bulletin alerts them to the monthly potluck luncheon and a monthly or quarterly bus trip to either Gatlinburg or Branson.
In this era where we are constantly encouraged to recycle and conserve energy etc, I am concerned that we are wasting some of the most significant resources God has given us.
The Boomer Blogger
The Boomer generation was heralded as the cure-all, both financially and numerically, for the church. Paradigms were changed dramatically in the hopes that they would recognize and appreciate the changes that were made on their behalf.
Based on the 2006 U. S. Census estimates there are some 78 million boomers born between 1946 and 1964. In the 9 counties in the Cincinnati metro area, there are approximately 577,000 Boomers who will be in their “bonus round” by 2012.
Dr. Thom Rainer, in an article entitled The Church In 2011: Catching The Age Wave, estimates that two thirds of the Boomers remain unchurched.
A second people group that has been highlighted, and rightly so, is the generation referred to as the “Greatest Generation” (WWII or the GI generation). This generation has provided the leadership and stability for the church for many years.
However, sandwiched between these two generations is a generation that has been largely forgotten. They have been called the Silent Generation. This generation has stood silently by while the hymns they grew up singing have been scuttled. Many have patiently endured many “seeker sensitive” watered down feel good sermons. Many have faithfully given their tithes. They have remained faithful while “contemporary” has been redefined in ways that are foreign to them.
Consider this: In these same 9 counties, according to the US Census estimates(2006), there are approximately 647,743 members of the “Silent Generation”. Many of these folks are still able to take an active part in the life of the Body. In many churches, they are recognized once a month when an announcement in the bulletin alerts them to the monthly potluck luncheon and a monthly or quarterly bus trip to either Gatlinburg or Branson.
In this era where we are constantly encouraged to recycle and conserve energy etc, I am concerned that we are wasting some of the most significant resources God has given us.
The Boomer Blogger
Friday, March 14, 2008
The Church: Is She Ready For The Boomers??
From the beginning, I have suggested that not only has society failed to prepare for the (Current Builder) and oncoming Boomer Wave but neither is the church ready or getting ready to welcome and integrate the most important resource of Seasoned Believers in history.
As I was thinking about this developing crisis earlier today, I decided to do some research to validate or challenge my impressions.
My research process was simple. I decided to see if the churches of my own denominational background were getting ready to minister to the large number of adults in society. It seemed that one way to do that was by reviewing current job openings listed on the web sites of nine different Christian groups. They were seven Bible Colleges, CrossLink (which connects people and ministries) and a weekly national church publication.
The data seems to validate my intuitive hunch. Here is what I found:
There were a total of 547 ministry positions excluding pulpit ministries listed on the five web sites. Out of the 547 jobs listed 383 (70%) were for people who were trained to minister to children or youth. There were no ministry openings for Adult or Senior’s-Seasoned Believers.
An additional area of research included a web site of a week long national church convention. The daily program listed only one event for “Seasoned Believers”. It was a social event, a “Senior’s Luncheon”.
One large denomination’s website also had a number of open jobs. The listing included 46 for ministers of children and youth. There were no jobs listed for Ministers to Seasoned Believers.
In a very happy discovery, I found one Pentecostal denomination that was recognizing the issue that faces us. The Assemblies of God recently appointed a part time National Director of Senior Adult Ministries.
Out of a total of 443 job openings, I found 0 Ministry Positions for Adult Ministries in churches and 1 for Adult and Seasoned Believers at the denominational level.
If you know of a congregation or denomination that has recognized the need for a Ministry to Adults or Seasoned Believers, please send the church name, address and contact number to me.
The Boomer Blogger
As I was thinking about this developing crisis earlier today, I decided to do some research to validate or challenge my impressions.
My research process was simple. I decided to see if the churches of my own denominational background were getting ready to minister to the large number of adults in society. It seemed that one way to do that was by reviewing current job openings listed on the web sites of nine different Christian groups. They were seven Bible Colleges, CrossLink (which connects people and ministries) and a weekly national church publication.
The data seems to validate my intuitive hunch. Here is what I found:
There were a total of 547 ministry positions excluding pulpit ministries listed on the five web sites. Out of the 547 jobs listed 383 (70%) were for people who were trained to minister to children or youth. There were no ministry openings for Adult or Senior’s-Seasoned Believers.
An additional area of research included a web site of a week long national church convention. The daily program listed only one event for “Seasoned Believers”. It was a social event, a “Senior’s Luncheon”.
One large denomination’s website also had a number of open jobs. The listing included 46 for ministers of children and youth. There were no jobs listed for Ministers to Seasoned Believers.
In a very happy discovery, I found one Pentecostal denomination that was recognizing the issue that faces us. The Assemblies of God recently appointed a part time National Director of Senior Adult Ministries.
Out of a total of 443 job openings, I found 0 Ministry Positions for Adult Ministries in churches and 1 for Adult and Seasoned Believers at the denominational level.
If you know of a congregation or denomination that has recognized the need for a Ministry to Adults or Seasoned Believers, please send the church name, address and contact number to me.
The Boomer Blogger
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Read "No Country for Old People" in Key Links
After 4 months of digging for information to emphasize that society in general and the church specifically are going to be flooded by 76 million Boomers who, by 2012, will be finishing their first careers.
Neither the government, the media nor the banks have made any provision for the oncoming Boomer Wave.
Marc Freedman, chief executive of Civic Ventures, a think tank focused on the aging society, is the author of "Encore: Finding Work That Matters in the Second Half of Life." In the latter part of January 2008, he wrote an article "No Country for Old People" in the Washington Post. I have a link to that article in the Key Links list to the left. I encourage you to read it. Very well done and focuses with clarity on this neglected element of our society.
We are going to have a second round of meetings in April at the River Hills Christian Church in Loveland, Ohio. We will encourage Seasoned Believers (Christian Boomers) to share their dreams and their experiences in a collaborative way to create new businesses (both for profit and non profit) in order allow them to fulfill their desire to continue to contribute in a significant way to the community.
In the greater Cincinnati Metro Area (9 counties), there will be, according to the U S Census Bureau, some 577, 000 Boomers who will be in their “bonus round” by 2012.
An article quoted in a book I read about boomers called The Boomer Century 1946-2046: How America's Most Influential Generation Changed Everything by Richard Croker caught my attention. The article (page 237)is entitled The Church In 2011: Catching The Age Wave by Thom Rainer. Dr Rainer makes some observations (listed below) based on his research of the topic that reflect how I have been feeling too.
Dr. Rainer says, “Most cutting-edge ministries in the church for the past 40 years have been aimed at reaching the younger generations. Indeed, churches should continue to reach young people with the gospel. But few churches have given much thought or resources to reaching older generations. And if something does not change in our churches, this age wave will pass by with millions never connecting with the church, and with millions never responding to the gospel of Jesus Christ.”
He continues, “Most leaders admit that they have not even thought about the issue, much less strategically planned to reach this older generation.”
A few more observations by Dr. Rainer:
"About two-thirds of the 76 million boomers are unchurched, which means they attend church no more than twice a year.
The senior boomers will have the largest accumulated wealth of any group in America’s history.
This age wave will include tens of millions of men and women who want to make a difference in their older years. They have pursued many paths to happiness, and the unchurched boomers tell us that none have proved satisfactory.
These older adults will respond poorly to most forms of senior adult ministries in churches today. They will walk away from churches that focus on travel and entertainment as the primary “ministries” to senior adults. They want to invest themselves in something that is meaningful and longer-term.
These new senior adults will not perceive themselves to be older adults, and any organization that communicates to them that they are old will quickly lose the allegiance of this generation.
THE BOOMER BLOOGER
Neither the government, the media nor the banks have made any provision for the oncoming Boomer Wave.
Marc Freedman, chief executive of Civic Ventures, a think tank focused on the aging society, is the author of "Encore: Finding Work That Matters in the Second Half of Life." In the latter part of January 2008, he wrote an article "No Country for Old People" in the Washington Post. I have a link to that article in the Key Links list to the left. I encourage you to read it. Very well done and focuses with clarity on this neglected element of our society.
We are going to have a second round of meetings in April at the River Hills Christian Church in Loveland, Ohio. We will encourage Seasoned Believers (Christian Boomers) to share their dreams and their experiences in a collaborative way to create new businesses (both for profit and non profit) in order allow them to fulfill their desire to continue to contribute in a significant way to the community.
In the greater Cincinnati Metro Area (9 counties), there will be, according to the U S Census Bureau, some 577, 000 Boomers who will be in their “bonus round” by 2012.
An article quoted in a book I read about boomers called The Boomer Century 1946-2046: How America's Most Influential Generation Changed Everything by Richard Croker caught my attention. The article (page 237)is entitled The Church In 2011: Catching The Age Wave by Thom Rainer. Dr Rainer makes some observations (listed below) based on his research of the topic that reflect how I have been feeling too.
Dr. Rainer says, “Most cutting-edge ministries in the church for the past 40 years have been aimed at reaching the younger generations. Indeed, churches should continue to reach young people with the gospel. But few churches have given much thought or resources to reaching older generations. And if something does not change in our churches, this age wave will pass by with millions never connecting with the church, and with millions never responding to the gospel of Jesus Christ.”
He continues, “Most leaders admit that they have not even thought about the issue, much less strategically planned to reach this older generation.”
A few more observations by Dr. Rainer:
"About two-thirds of the 76 million boomers are unchurched, which means they attend church no more than twice a year.
The senior boomers will have the largest accumulated wealth of any group in America’s history.
This age wave will include tens of millions of men and women who want to make a difference in their older years. They have pursued many paths to happiness, and the unchurched boomers tell us that none have proved satisfactory.
These older adults will respond poorly to most forms of senior adult ministries in churches today. They will walk away from churches that focus on travel and entertainment as the primary “ministries” to senior adults. They want to invest themselves in something that is meaningful and longer-term.
These new senior adults will not perceive themselves to be older adults, and any organization that communicates to them that they are old will quickly lose the allegiance of this generation.
THE BOOMER BLOOGER
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Boomer Entrepreneurs Part II
When George Bush (#41) accepted the nomination, he told us that in the previous eight years - the Reagan Years – that there had been 17 million jobs created. What he did not say was that during the exact same period, the Fortune 500 lost 3.5 million jobs.
If it hadn’t been for entrepreneurs and the 20 million net new jobs that they created, where do you think we would be today?
In the years from 1994 to 1999, 1/3 of the Fortune 500 companies failed. It took the previous 25 years for that many to disappear. By 2010, if the same pattern prevails, my guess is that another third will have bit the dust.
Guess who is going to replace them? The entrepreneurs who dared to step out. It will not be the media, the banks and certainly not the government.
How is it possible for humongous companies, with all their resources, to be clobbered by a bunch of upstarts? For the last 20 years, entrepreneurs all over the country have been creating havoc by replaying the David and Goliath story by smiting giants.
Why are so many companies failing?? My guess would be that most large companies are dinosaurs waiting for their food to run out. They will be replaced by other dinosaurs whose fate will be the same.
The Boomer Blogger
If it hadn’t been for entrepreneurs and the 20 million net new jobs that they created, where do you think we would be today?
In the years from 1994 to 1999, 1/3 of the Fortune 500 companies failed. It took the previous 25 years for that many to disappear. By 2010, if the same pattern prevails, my guess is that another third will have bit the dust.
Guess who is going to replace them? The entrepreneurs who dared to step out. It will not be the media, the banks and certainly not the government.
How is it possible for humongous companies, with all their resources, to be clobbered by a bunch of upstarts? For the last 20 years, entrepreneurs all over the country have been creating havoc by replaying the David and Goliath story by smiting giants.
Why are so many companies failing?? My guess would be that most large companies are dinosaurs waiting for their food to run out. They will be replaced by other dinosaurs whose fate will be the same.
The Boomer Blogger
Boomer Entrepreneurs
I have made several remarks, in previous blog entries, as to the value of collaboration and the creation of new businesses (both for profit and not for profit) for those Boomers who do not want to retire but to RE-FIRE.
Having been involved in the creation of 501{c}3 ventures (non-profits organized for religious purposes) for the last 25 years, I recognize that many may be a little hesitant to enter this arena for any one of many “reasons”.
But Ron, “We are entering into a recession !!!!”
To quote Gabriel Heatter, a well known newsman, who, during WWII, began each radio broadcast with “There is good news tonight."
Now, I am not an advocate for recessions but, if you think about it, a recession, real or imagined, is the best time for entrepreneurial creativity.
What do companies do when there is a recession?
They retrench, cut back on advertising and services, fire people, close divisions, withdraw products, and so on.
What does this add up to?
They abandon “niches”. And those “niches” are fertile seedbeds for entrepreneurs, who listen carefully to the sad and mournful stories of the Fortune 500 companies. Maybe even shed a tear or two and then engage their creative entrepreneurial skills and get up and clobber them.
Just remember, for the last 20 years, entrepreneurs have been the subset of the economy that has prevented our country from sinking into another depression like infamous one in the 30’s
The Boomer Blogger
Having been involved in the creation of 501{c}3 ventures (non-profits organized for religious purposes) for the last 25 years, I recognize that many may be a little hesitant to enter this arena for any one of many “reasons”.
But Ron, “We are entering into a recession !!!!”
To quote Gabriel Heatter, a well known newsman, who, during WWII, began each radio broadcast with “There is good news tonight."
Now, I am not an advocate for recessions but, if you think about it, a recession, real or imagined, is the best time for entrepreneurial creativity.
What do companies do when there is a recession?
They retrench, cut back on advertising and services, fire people, close divisions, withdraw products, and so on.
What does this add up to?
They abandon “niches”. And those “niches” are fertile seedbeds for entrepreneurs, who listen carefully to the sad and mournful stories of the Fortune 500 companies. Maybe even shed a tear or two and then engage their creative entrepreneurial skills and get up and clobber them.
Just remember, for the last 20 years, entrepreneurs have been the subset of the economy that has prevented our country from sinking into another depression like infamous one in the 30’s
The Boomer Blogger
Retirement To Re-Fire-Ment Part I
Existing community-service organizations have not always been very creative in designing volunteer opportunities. They have tended to think in terms of simple tasks that can be done without much planning or supervision, rather than in terms of the mission they are trying to accomplish and how to use volunteers to achieve it.
There are many accounts of underutilizing volunteers, such as the case of a retired physician who volunteered her efforts at a local community hospital, only to be offered a job refilling patients’ water pitchers.
If volunteers are to become genuinely committed, they must feel that they are a valued and integral part of the organization, not a group apart. It is exactly these more complex and sustained opportunities that will promote both personal growth and social growth. Creating such roles, however, will not be easy.
The case for collaboration and creation of new faith based non profit non profit ventures is even more important.
In my next blog entry, I will give more reasons for this approach to fulfilling the need for Boomers to continue to contribute to the community in a significant way.
The Boomer Blogger
There are many accounts of underutilizing volunteers, such as the case of a retired physician who volunteered her efforts at a local community hospital, only to be offered a job refilling patients’ water pitchers.
If volunteers are to become genuinely committed, they must feel that they are a valued and integral part of the organization, not a group apart. It is exactly these more complex and sustained opportunities that will promote both personal growth and social growth. Creating such roles, however, will not be easy.
The case for collaboration and creation of new faith based non profit non profit ventures is even more important.
In my next blog entry, I will give more reasons for this approach to fulfilling the need for Boomers to continue to contribute to the community in a significant way.
The Boomer Blogger
Retirement To Re-Fire-Ment Part II
Faith-based organizations, which have traditionally served as the most extensive home base for voluntary community service in the United States, will most likely remain a critical component of any new infrastructure.
Compared to many secular organizations, organizations of faith appeal to a broader spectrum of the population, including racial and ethnic minorities, immigrant populations, and people at varied income and educational levels. They are well positioned, therefore, to help provide the social connections that can link disparate members of the community together.
Consider, for example, Habitat for Humanity, a faith-based organization whose wide appeal extends across the lines of age, religion, political orientation, gender, income level, ethnicity, and geography. Moreover, older individuals often turn to organizations of faith when they are searching for meaning in their lives.
What is key for this new vision of the future, however, is that faith-based organizations direct a significant component of their attention outward to the larger community, as well as inward to their individual constituents.
This potentially puts them in a position to support the Boomers who have completed their first careers and are transitioning to their second careers and are exploring new areas and new possibilities as they leave behind some of the demands of full-time work and family.
The Boomer Blogger
Compared to many secular organizations, organizations of faith appeal to a broader spectrum of the population, including racial and ethnic minorities, immigrant populations, and people at varied income and educational levels. They are well positioned, therefore, to help provide the social connections that can link disparate members of the community together.
Consider, for example, Habitat for Humanity, a faith-based organization whose wide appeal extends across the lines of age, religion, political orientation, gender, income level, ethnicity, and geography. Moreover, older individuals often turn to organizations of faith when they are searching for meaning in their lives.
What is key for this new vision of the future, however, is that faith-based organizations direct a significant component of their attention outward to the larger community, as well as inward to their individual constituents.
This potentially puts them in a position to support the Boomers who have completed their first careers and are transitioning to their second careers and are exploring new areas and new possibilities as they leave behind some of the demands of full-time work and family.
The Boomer Blogger
Monday, March 10, 2008
Retirement To Re-Fire-Ment Part III
The capacity to address the varied needs of aging boomers has yet to be developed. Communities have not yet developed plans to take advantage of the potential resource of retired boomers.
Changes in infrastructure and policies will be needed across all sectors of society—public and private, for-profit and voluntary, faith-based and secular. The process by which such changes occur may be slow, halting, and even contentious.
Yet, boomers will not—and need not—simply wait for others to create such structures. Out of necessity, they will likely make something new and different of this new life phase, as they have done with earlier phases of life. The question is, what will they make of it? And what can be done in the meantime to reach across the social spectrum and help them envision a life that achieves meaning by connecting in new ways to the community around them?
Faith-based institutions can foster the social networks that encourage members to connect not only to each other, but to the larger community as well.
As boomers enter later life with many relatively healthy, productive years ahead, they have the potential to become a social resource of unprecedented proportions, and create a new vision of what it means to grow older in America.
This possibility offers a way to reframe public discussion about the implications of the aging baby boom, shifting the focus away from the expectation of frail and dependent aging to one of activity and productivity.
Three conclusions will help realize this vision:
(1) large-scale efforts will be needed to mobilize boomers to contribute their time, skills, and experience to address community problems at the local level;
(2) many organizations that utilize volunteers will require substantial retooling if they are to attract and retain boomer volunteers; and
(3) the news media and the advertising industry can play key roles in helping society rethink the meaning, purpose, and status of the older years.
The Boomer Blogger
Changes in infrastructure and policies will be needed across all sectors of society—public and private, for-profit and voluntary, faith-based and secular. The process by which such changes occur may be slow, halting, and even contentious.
Yet, boomers will not—and need not—simply wait for others to create such structures. Out of necessity, they will likely make something new and different of this new life phase, as they have done with earlier phases of life. The question is, what will they make of it? And what can be done in the meantime to reach across the social spectrum and help them envision a life that achieves meaning by connecting in new ways to the community around them?
Faith-based institutions can foster the social networks that encourage members to connect not only to each other, but to the larger community as well.
As boomers enter later life with many relatively healthy, productive years ahead, they have the potential to become a social resource of unprecedented proportions, and create a new vision of what it means to grow older in America.
This possibility offers a way to reframe public discussion about the implications of the aging baby boom, shifting the focus away from the expectation of frail and dependent aging to one of activity and productivity.
Three conclusions will help realize this vision:
(1) large-scale efforts will be needed to mobilize boomers to contribute their time, skills, and experience to address community problems at the local level;
(2) many organizations that utilize volunteers will require substantial retooling if they are to attract and retain boomer volunteers; and
(3) the news media and the advertising industry can play key roles in helping society rethink the meaning, purpose, and status of the older years.
The Boomer Blogger
Saturday, March 8, 2008
Five States Lead the Way in Recognizing the Upside of Aging Baby Boomers
With a new understanding of the upside of the aging baby boom generation, leaders of several state governments are taking the initiative to develop policies and programs that make the best use of boomer experience.
In a new policy paper, Building an Experience Dividend: State Governments Lead Call to Engage Boomers, released today by Civic Ventures and funded by The UPS Foundation, Arizona, California, Maryland, New York and Massachusetts stand out for their efforts to engage adults over 50 in meaningful work and community service.
"The most interesting and innovative policy work on the aging of America is taking place at the state level," said John Gomperts, president of Civic Ventures. "From Sacramento to Annapolis, state legislatures are shifting the focus from the same old doom and gloom scenario to a much more complex and hopeful picture."
In Arizona, where more than 25 percent of the population of several counties is over the age of 60, a diverse group of stakeholders has joined together through the Mature Workforce Initiative to develop policy recommendations and launch new programs, such as a certification program given to businesses deemed "mature-worker friendly."
California is focusing on matching boomers’ desire to serve with specific labor shortages, such as the demand for math and science teachers and qualified managers in the public sector. California’s eServices office has created a database for retired job seekers to input their skills and interest, and for employers to search for employees.
And in Maryland, the Baby Boomer Initiative Act spurred the creation of the Boomer Initiative Council, which is tasked with developing a strategy to keep boomers engaged in their communities through work and volunteer opportunities.
The Boomer Blogger
In a new policy paper, Building an Experience Dividend: State Governments Lead Call to Engage Boomers, released today by Civic Ventures and funded by The UPS Foundation, Arizona, California, Maryland, New York and Massachusetts stand out for their efforts to engage adults over 50 in meaningful work and community service.
"The most interesting and innovative policy work on the aging of America is taking place at the state level," said John Gomperts, president of Civic Ventures. "From Sacramento to Annapolis, state legislatures are shifting the focus from the same old doom and gloom scenario to a much more complex and hopeful picture."
In Arizona, where more than 25 percent of the population of several counties is over the age of 60, a diverse group of stakeholders has joined together through the Mature Workforce Initiative to develop policy recommendations and launch new programs, such as a certification program given to businesses deemed "mature-worker friendly."
California is focusing on matching boomers’ desire to serve with specific labor shortages, such as the demand for math and science teachers and qualified managers in the public sector. California’s eServices office has created a database for retired job seekers to input their skills and interest, and for employers to search for employees.
And in Maryland, the Baby Boomer Initiative Act spurred the creation of the Boomer Initiative Council, which is tasked with developing a strategy to keep boomers engaged in their communities through work and volunteer opportunities.
The Boomer Blogger
Friday, March 7, 2008
Baby Boomers Retiring - How Will It Affect The U.S. Economy
In an investigation conducted to discover how baby boomers expect retirement, here are some of the key findings:
For baby boomers, retirement is an occasion to dedicate themselves to the family and to enjoy their leisure time by pursuing their interests and hobbies. Anyway, they view retirement as a chance to improve their skills and find other career opportunities for their age.
Baby boomers quest for both personal and career fulfillment has becomes a driving force for them when preparing and planning for retirement. They secure social security by accessing health and life plans.
Baby boomers are an optimistic generation with conservative financial hopefulness.
So compared with their parents, baby boomers are far more likely to be continuously working while enjoying their leisure and comparatively the boomers made more money than their parents.
Tracing back to the annals of American history, the US economy has predominantly prospered since the baby boomers matured to enter the labor force. Historically, they are considered to be the prime source of the work force. But now that there is the expected demographic decline of baby boomers, the Unites States Bureau of Labor Statistics expect labor shortages that must be resolved quickly. Otherwise, it will inflict dire consequences to the economy.
However, there are some solutions to address the foreseen labor shortage by targeting the other variables that affect the demographic landscape. Organizations and firms can consider retaining the older workers, correcting the gender imbalance in work designations, outsourcing and hiring immigrants.
Since the baby boomers entered the labor force, the US economy has grown faster than its overall population. And the impending decline in the participation of baby boomers to service, will mean a slower rate of labor force growth as well as impact the economy.
To make up for the threatening flux of baby boomers’ contribution to work force, they should be encouraged to remain in service for a longer span. To encourage the aging baby boomers to stay in the labor force, enterprises and organizations should consider the following:
In the years to come, the minimum age of retirement of the recipients of Social Security pension shall eventually be raised to 70, affecting the baby boomer generation. With this incentive, baby boomers will likely to continue working over the age of 69-70.
Since baby boomers enthusiastically prepare for their retirement, these offers will boost their will to stay in the labor force. The aforementioned suggestions will offer mutual benefits for both the corporations and the baby boomers.
As the company understands the effect of the baby boomers’ retirement, they can thoughtfully prepare the upcoming adversities to the labor rate. These corporations and organizations involving the baby boomers need to start their investigation on how to customize their system to accommodate the aging employees. And they must find alternatives to ride the crest of the demographic wave caused by retiring baby boomers.
And learning the distinctive characteristics and views of the baby boomers towards retirement is a good strategy to learn how to deal with the situation.
Hello Boomers Magazine
The Boomer Blogger
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Boomer Entrepreneurial Collaboration
This Article appeared in Money Magazine (Dec 2006) by Pat Regnier, Senior Editor
Boomers and retirement: Trouble ahead!
Boston College’s Center for Retirement Research has surveyed employers, and they predict that half of their Boomer workers won’t be financially ready to retire at the traditional age. Not surprisingly, many of the employers also say that a big chunk of those Boomers will want to keep on working.
Working after the age of 65 can make a lot of financial sense. If you can do it, that is. I wrote a fairly upbeat article about delayed retirement a year ago, but the more I reflect on it–and the more reporting I do on this beat–the more skeptical I am that employers will happily welcome older workers as more Boomers hit their 60s. Management gurus and HR consultants often warn of a coming labor shortage, but of course it’s their job to scare employers into thinking they’ll need help finding good workers. As I wrote last year: “Peter Cappelli, an economist at Wharton, does think more older workers will stay on the job. But, he notes, hiring them won’t be the only option for employers. Just behind the busters [the smaller group of workers born after the Baby Boom] is a huge group of new workers: the boomers’ own kids. And taking on older folks is just one way for companies to deal with a tight labor market; they might invest more in technology or ship jobs to Bangalore.”
Beyond the macroeconomics, there’s the human factor. I’ve talked to lots of laid-off professionals in their 50s and 60s, and they complain that its hard to get younger managers to take them seriously. This is particularly tough on the most accomplished people, such as those who have run departments or even entire companies. There are only so many positions near the top of the pyramid, and once you get knocked off it’s hard to climb back on. Meanwhile, you’ve spent the past 15 or 20 years focusing on management tasks, so your technical skills (which you’ll need to find work lower down on the pyramid) might have grown stale. And even if they haven’t, age discrimination is common enough that you won’t get the credit you deserve for what you can do.
The growing importance of technology at work, and the breathtaking pace of technological change, may only make this worse. I’m just 35 and relatively tech-savvy–hey, kids, I’m blogging!–but I often feel like there’s a huge gap between myself and people in their 20s. I struggle to get my head around new Web applications such as social networking, and I’m sort of amazed and often a bit disgusted by the ability of the young’uns to multitask. Not long ago, and to my mild shame, I lost my temper with someone who, on the phone, sounded youngish, and clearly was both reading emails and finishing up a conversation with someone else on a cell phone. (In my day, phones connected to walls and we had to talk to one person at a time… and we liked it!) So how am I going to do fifteen years from now, when all of the kids coming out of college have communication chips implanted in their skulls and nobody gets my Dana Carvey references anymore?
Wait… that last part has already happened!!!!
The Boomer Blogger
Boomers and retirement: Trouble ahead!
Boston College’s Center for Retirement Research has surveyed employers, and they predict that half of their Boomer workers won’t be financially ready to retire at the traditional age. Not surprisingly, many of the employers also say that a big chunk of those Boomers will want to keep on working.
Working after the age of 65 can make a lot of financial sense. If you can do it, that is. I wrote a fairly upbeat article about delayed retirement a year ago, but the more I reflect on it–and the more reporting I do on this beat–the more skeptical I am that employers will happily welcome older workers as more Boomers hit their 60s. Management gurus and HR consultants often warn of a coming labor shortage, but of course it’s their job to scare employers into thinking they’ll need help finding good workers. As I wrote last year: “Peter Cappelli, an economist at Wharton, does think more older workers will stay on the job. But, he notes, hiring them won’t be the only option for employers. Just behind the busters [the smaller group of workers born after the Baby Boom] is a huge group of new workers: the boomers’ own kids. And taking on older folks is just one way for companies to deal with a tight labor market; they might invest more in technology or ship jobs to Bangalore.”
Beyond the macroeconomics, there’s the human factor. I’ve talked to lots of laid-off professionals in their 50s and 60s, and they complain that its hard to get younger managers to take them seriously. This is particularly tough on the most accomplished people, such as those who have run departments or even entire companies. There are only so many positions near the top of the pyramid, and once you get knocked off it’s hard to climb back on. Meanwhile, you’ve spent the past 15 or 20 years focusing on management tasks, so your technical skills (which you’ll need to find work lower down on the pyramid) might have grown stale. And even if they haven’t, age discrimination is common enough that you won’t get the credit you deserve for what you can do.
The growing importance of technology at work, and the breathtaking pace of technological change, may only make this worse. I’m just 35 and relatively tech-savvy–hey, kids, I’m blogging!–but I often feel like there’s a huge gap between myself and people in their 20s. I struggle to get my head around new Web applications such as social networking, and I’m sort of amazed and often a bit disgusted by the ability of the young’uns to multitask. Not long ago, and to my mild shame, I lost my temper with someone who, on the phone, sounded youngish, and clearly was both reading emails and finishing up a conversation with someone else on a cell phone. (In my day, phones connected to walls and we had to talk to one person at a time… and we liked it!) So how am I going to do fifteen years from now, when all of the kids coming out of college have communication chips implanted in their skulls and nobody gets my Dana Carvey references anymore?
Wait… that last part has already happened!!!!
The Boomer Blogger
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