Barnabas File

“I haven’t failed.  I’ve just found a thousand ways not to make a lightbulb.”—Thomas Edison   In  The Career Game Loop , author Jessica Lindl reminds us that failure is a necessary part of personal and professional growth.  She writes, “For great achievers in games and in life, failure isn’t something to fear. Failure isn’t an endpoint, and it isn’t a reflection of who they are.”  She makes these points:   First, failure is inevitable. When you try something that you (or no one else) has ever done, you can expect that you won’t be successful the first time.  One of the things that holds back innovation (especially in churches) is the idea that something needs to be perfect the first time out of the box. Let’s give each other a bit or grace and freedom to make mistakes.   Second, failure is data.  Something is a failure only if you fail to learn from it.  When something doesn’t work, it still provides da...

Each of us wants to give our best in the places where we serve, but have we given adequate attention to developing the skills needed to succeed?   In her book  The Career Game Loop , author Jessica Lindl suggests two types of fundamental skills to consider in employing someone:   technical skills  and  durable skills.   Technical skills would be understanding new software, new coding language, or new tools.  For those not in the gaming industry, these might be effective oral communication or basic computer skills. Often these are specific to a particular industry or type of work.  Durable skills include adaptability, resilience, and emotional intelligence.  These are valuable in any context.   Lindl writes, “These abilities often get mislabeled as  soft skills , suggesting that they possess less power or import than technical skills.  But the reality is that durable skills take us farther, faster, ...

Several decades ago, Richard Bolles wrote  What Color is Your Parachute?  on identifying and pursuing your career goals.  In some ways,  The Career Game Loop  is “parachute” for a new generation.   Author Jessica Lindl’s background is in computer gaming.  Her book applies the process of gaming to the world of career discernment, development, and achievement.  Even if you are not a gamer, you will appreciate the approach (and learn a lot about gaming along the way).  Lindl recognizes that one’s career path is no longer linear and provides a new model to take its place.   The process is basically four stages:  choose quest, level up, job hunt, and job craft.  There are echoes of Joseph Campbell’s “hero’s journey” because that is what good games are all about.  Lindl develops each stage in depth with not only personal stories but examples of gaming development.   There’s a lot to absorb...

I ironically refer to May 8, 1970, as “the day I knew everything.”  After three years of study at  an accredited theological seminary, I received a Master of Divinity degree and was ready to launch into my first full-time ministry role.  Of course, this was not true, and I realize that no one at the seminary I attended ever promised me that I was.   A theological education is important.  I have had the opportunity teach classes at two seminaries and serve as an adjunct faculty member at another.  But I have discovered that engaging in Christian ministry requires lifelong learning and some unlearning.   To its credit, the Association of Theological Schools understands that ministers find themselves being asked to do things that they never learned in seminary.   In an article published in the Pinnacle Leadership Associates e-news in January, I provided a brief overview of a study conducted by ATS that suggests a disconn...