Mobile Ministry Magazine

Reading some PDA websites lately has been an excellent lesson in administration and purpose. I have also finished my reading of 1 Chronicles and can see some parallels in the way Isreal was organized by David with the way that companies such as palmOne and PalmSource have done business.

THe most important thing that I have noticed is the very hard stance on vision and following established leadership. In the case of David in 1 Chronicles, he many times said that he wanted to do this or that to bring honor to his father's house. In the same way, leadership in place at PalmSource has made the assessment that if they are to stay a leader in mobile technology, that they will have to live up to the high standards created by the Palm company of just 10 years ago.

Following that, I read one interview that talked about product development and noticed the care to detail they took in making sure that people just didn't get features, but they were really empowered to improve themselves with the technology. Judging from the success of the Treo PDA-phone line, I can say that they are doing a great job. And even still, in Chronicles, David (and the author) spent a lot of time talking about the people who were responsible for maintaining the court, maintaining the temple, and even who would sing psalms. The intent being that if these matters were taken care of, people could concentrate on living their lives for God, instead of being wrapped in doing things that didnt always lead to life in Him.

Now, all of this organization was not without some dissention. Within some of these discussions, there are people who make comments that offend, or short-change what the board or leadership thinks. This is probably pretty discouraging to leadership. In the case of David, he became his own worst enemy when he allowed pride to erode the confidence that he had in God to take care of his people. In some ways, I think that Chronicles probably shouldnt have been written. The assessment of Isreal throughtout the book contradicted what God spoke to David thru Gad when David was told that his pride would cause him to have to choose the fate of Isreal. At least in his case, he chose the hand of God versus the hand of man. In the boards, man runs things, and people will only get a fair shake as it relates to the rules that have been put in place (reminds me too of the scripture that says that the law is made for the lawless).

All in all, I think that for companies today, as much as it was for David in his day, that to walk without a clear vision dooms the people who call you leader. I believe in this time that everyone should have some type of vision; whether that is to run a company, or when to switch lanes on a highway. Without vision, people will have no reason to walk with you, let alone buy your product. Good to see that companies are interested in sharing their vision with those who purchase their products.

Here are links to some of the discussions I have been reading:
Mike Mace at All About Palm
Rob Haitani at TreoCentral
Mike Mace and John Cook at Mobile Read