Maytricks

Jose Bernardo

(Reading: 2 minutes)

The nineties where interesting years in business. There was a pressure for innovation, perhaps because of the imminence of a new millennium, therefore every consultant or specialized writer was trying to sell something new. Those years left the impression that many ideas in administration were, actually, the same old things but painted in brighter colors. The Matrix concept made its debut in those years, calling for a new organizational structure. The flow of information and application of skills would not only run upside down, but horizontally as well. The flow would move in between departments, different units, other countries, and, eventually, even within independent businesses. It all sounds new, but the tensions that compose and distinguish this idea have always been known in management.

Youth and the city

Jose Bernardo

(Reading: 2 minutes)

City life has an intense impact on humanity, their worldview, their expectation, and their behavior. These changes define the postmodern person. In Brazil, urbanization currently concentrates more than 82% of Brazilians in cities (IBGE2010), which is associated to the industrial acceleration of the fifties. At the same time, we’ve had the expansion of the Evangelical Church, which is also an essentially urban and postmodern phenomenon. Within this reality, we perceive the youth and the evangelical youth.

Scripture engagement

Jose Bernardo

Reading: 2 minutes

In our ministry for the Lord, when we decide to bear fruit, it is necessary to define a clear indicator of success, something that we can measure to demonstrate that our mission is being accomplished. This is so important that Jesus conditioned our discipleship and worship to a fruitfulness that can be counted: “This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.” John 15:8. However, churches frequently fail in defining such indicators. Even worse, when they are done, the wrong indicators are defined, for example, the mere quantity of people attending events. Worst of all, sometimes churches will define false indicators showing mercy in a way that does not please the Lord.

Still Life with Bible (1885), Vincent van Gogh

Critical thinking

Jose Bernardo

Reading: 2 minutes

Which is harder for postmodern youth to do in critical thinking, affirm or challenge? This question reminds me of the entrance exam for my psychology major in university. An essay would grant the highest score and my strategy, long before knowing the subject, was to disagree. I don't even remember what it was, but started with a simple 'I disagree' and developed the argument around that. I knew the adults who eventually evaluated the essay would pay more attention to a young man who disagreed. I scored 19th among 500 candidates. Our urban culture expects a challenging behavior from the younger ones and, ironically, they agree to disagree.

The Thinker by Mats Eriksson