leadership

Leading a Small Group with Discipleship in Mind

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Much has been written about small groups as a valuable way to help believers grow. Churches often have unique names for their small groups depending on the priority of the group. Regardless of what these groups are called, churches that have small groups have an opportunity to disciple those in each group. As a leader, you can use your regular meetings to point everyone to Jesus again and again. This applies whether it is a task small group, friendship small group, or a Bible study small group. Here are a few suggestions for leading your small group with discipleship in mind.

  1. Pray together. Always take time to pray, even if it is just a brief time. Some members of your group may not typically pray in their day-to-day lives or may feel awkward or unfamiliar with praying. By leading in prayer, they see prayer modeled and may then learn how to pray themselves. So prayer will be an opportunity to bring requests to God as well as disciple people in how to pray.
  • Teach your small group to pray. Beyond modeling, you can show your group how to use prayers in the Bible as examples of how they can pray. You could start with the Lord’s Prayer, but there are many other prayers, especially in Paul’s letter and in the Psalms, which could be great examples for the amateur pray-er.
  • Read Scripture. Even if your group is not a Bible study group, you can still take time to read a few verses of scripture. This may be all the scripture some members read or hear that day. Remind them that God speaks to everyday situations. Even if your group is a task group that gathers to accomplish a certain purpose, such as a worship team that meets to practice for Sunday’s service, take time to read from God’s Word. If you are putting discipleship as a priority, then it is always appropriate to read scripture and pray.
  • Get personal. Sometimes we are so focused on the goal of the group, that we forget that we are all people who long for connection. We want to be noticed. We want people to express interest in our lives and concern for our well-being. Sometimes, in a Bible study, we jump so quickly to the Scriptures that we don’t notice that some members of the group are hurting, and others are excited about life and both want and need to share with someone. Take time to share something personal every time so you get to know each other and find ways of encouraging those who need it.
  • Teach something new. I used to think that discipleship only included teaching and equipping believers in “spiritual” things, yet discipleship can be very practical. A music small group may appreciate learning a new song, or a new creative way to engage their audience. A Bible study group may enjoy learning a new Bible Study method that helps them engage with scripture in a new way. Get creative, but look for ways to teach something new.
  •  Equip your small group. While this is connected to teaching something new, this specifically focuses on helping your group members improve a skill or grow in faith disciplines. The goal might be developing new Bible study methods that enable your members to move beyond just reading scripture to interacting and studying it. Maybe you can equip them in something practical such as how to buy a new Bible, how to make friends with their neighbour, or how to lead a small group so new leaders are raised up regularly.
  • Encourage your small group to consider God’s purpose for them. No matter what kind of group you lead, the believers in that group need to recognize that God has a purpose for them. Point them to scriptures that talk about loving God and loving others. Encourage them to try new things and see how God uses them. Encourage them to ask God about their purpose and then to live into it boldly.

No matter what kind of small group you lead in your church, each member needs to grow in their faith. Lead in such a way that they are discipled in the process.

Keep looking up,

Andy Wiebe

When Pastoral Care is Unnatural for You

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I get excited about many parts of church leadership. I love to work on vision and strategy and even bylaws, and the constitution. I enjoy preparing and preaching sermons or teaching lessons, but I am not naturally aware of people’s needs. I don’t mind spending time with people, in fact, I enjoy it when I do, but caring for people is not readily on my mind. My mind is quick to look at how to plan, lead, and direct, but I need help and reminders to slow down and be with people. Maybe some of you can relate? If so, some of the following ideas might help both you and me.

Listen for the needs people express.

This is so straightforward that it hardly seems worth mentioning, yet I don’t always do this well. When people have conversations with me, I may stop and pray for them right there if they mention a need, but I often forget to check in later to see how things went.

Sometimes you hear people raising a prayer request in a group. The other day I heard someone ask for prayer for a test she had to undergo. That was a great opportunity for me to make a note somewhere to check in on her later. If someone makes a worry known, they likely want people to be aware and take notice. This might be a great time to arrange a coffee or make an appointment to meet with them and care for them.

Follow up on cues others notice.

Recently, I was meeting with a Transition Team at a church, going through the church’s Health and Vision Assessment we had just completed together. There were many encouraging and helpful responses from the congregation, but there was one person who consistently answered negatively. I didn’t pay too much attention. I thought he may just be a more thorough person and generally critical, yet a few on the team suggested he may need a visit from me. I hadn’t even considered that but agreed to their suggestion. I met with him and he seemed glad and was very willing to talk. He even indicated that he signed his name to the assessment in hopes someone would meet with him. We had a great conversation. I’m not sure we resolved anything, but he did appreciate the opportunity to be heard. Be alert to other cues that a person needs some attention.

Pause and evaluate the day in light of people.

It might be helpful to stop at one point in your day to think and pray through your interactions of the day, asking God to point out anyone who needs a call, a text, or a visit. You could do this at the beginning of your day, asking God to point out who from yesterday needs your care today. Or you might choose to do this at the end of your day, reflecting on the day that was, and planning how you might connect with people who come to mind.

If this is difficult, it can be helpful to keep a checklist on your desk with questions to prompt you to reflect on your daily interactions. Some questions could include:

  • Who has medical needs that are weighing on them?
  • Who expressed a specific need today?
  • Who is dealing with concerns in their marriage or family?
  • Who is leading or serving in a ministry and needs encouragement?
  • Who is dealing with depression and could use a personal connection?
  • Who has someone else suggested needs care?
  • Who has been absent from church for a while?
  • Who has the potential for greater leadership responsibilities and could use a conversation to discuss the possibilities of this?
  • Who has exciting news personally or in their family that you could celebrate with them?
PASTORAL CARE CHECKLISTDownload

Pastoral care is an important aspect of effective leadership, but it doesn’t always come naturaly. If you are like me in this way, I hope this post encourages you to adopt some of my suggestions or find methods of your own to help you notice ways you can better care for those you lead.

May your ability to notice people who need care expand as you are intentional about it.

Keep looking up,

Andy Wiebe

Don’t Just Examine the Bread!

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So the Israelites examined their food, but they did not consult the Lord.

Joshua 9:14 (New Living Translation)

Christian leaders need to recognize the importance of not accepting everything at face value. It is important that we do the work of evaluating the latest teaching. Even if the speaker or author or podcast host has a good reputation, we must do the work of determining if what they are saying and presenting and teaching is the truth.

Joshua 9 gives us a glimpse into an event in the life of the Israelites as they begin to conquer the Promised Land. They conquered Jericho by walking around it for a whole week and then shouting, bringing the walls down. They conquered Ai next.

After defeating these groups a delegation of strangers showed up on their doorstep. These Gibeonites didn’t live too far away, and heard how God gave them victory against all other people. They were afraid for their lives, so out of self-preservation, they put on a little drama. They wore patched sandals, brought dry and moldy bread, and carried cracking wineskins. They arrive at the Israelite camp looking every bit the faraway people they pretend to be.

The Gibeonites asked for a peace treaty, but the Israelites were clear: if you live nearby “we cannot make a treaty with you” (Joshua 9:7). God told them to conquer all the people. He did not want them to make a treaty with any of the people in the land He is giving them.

In an effort to convince the Israelites that they were from far away, the delegation pointed out the terrible shape of their supplies. And as verse 14 says, “the Israelites examined their food, but they did not consult the Lord.”

Other versions say “they sampled their provisions” or “took some of their provisions.” This can be both a symbol of friendship, as well as a “testing” of the supplies. The Israelites examined the supplies and discovered that they aligned with the story the delegation told. The Israelites felt they had done their “due diligence” and agreed to make a treaty. It is very clear the Israelites did this without consulting the Lord. They believed something and acted on it. They believed a lie and acted by making a treaty.

Only three days later they discover the Gibeonites were neighbours. The Israelites were not impressed, but their leaders convince them they couldn’t destroy the Gibeonites but must honour the treaty. Instead, the Israelites make the Gibeonites do forced labour.

How often do we as leaders think we have done our due diligence because we have in some way vetted what we have been told? Maybe we listen to a speaker and listen to a few other voices and accept what we are hearing at face value. We may do this work, and yet we forget to “consult the Lord” as we accept new ideas or try new ways of doing things.

It may be that the Israelites did not consult the Lord because they were encountering something new. They had seen God do incredible things for them over their history, including conquering Jericho and Ai just recently, but they had not met Gibeonites before, they had never encountered a peace delegation before, and they were still new at this concept of conquering the land God was giving them. Like them, when we encounter something new, we can get caught up in the new experience and forget to consult the Lord.

Instead of following the ways of the Israelites and simply “examining the bread,” we must inquire of the Lord. This should be one of our go-to moves. Ask God, “What do you think about what we have just heard? What do you think of this new idea?” Due diligence for a Christian leader should always include consulting the Lord. Accept new ideas carefully after consulting the Lord. Make new decisions after you have talked to God about them.

Yes, examine the bread, but also consult the Lord.

Keep looking up,

Andy Wiebe

What Your Office Says About You

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What does your office say about who you are or what you value?

When you walk into my office you will be bombarded by my Coca-Cola collection. It began with one unique Coke can years ago, and has expanded a lot over the years. I’m hoping the various cans, bottles, and trinkets show a bit of my human and whimsical side.

You will see picture of my family: my wife and two daughters, at various ages and at various places. A friend of ours drew a picture of my wife and the dog we had at that time, that I treasure. Anyone coming into my office should see that I love my family, and that my family includes my beautiful wife and beautiful daughters.

I have a wooden map of Africa on display, which would give me opportunity to talk to anyone interested about my sister who is a missionary in Zambia, and about a trip I was able to take to be at her wedding.

On the window sill is a small glass award given to me in recognition of 25 years of service as a pastor with the Christian and Missionary Alliance. This tells people that I have been a pastor for a while.

Spread all throughout my office in various shelves and on my desk are books. Anyone looking through my shelves would soon recognize my favorite authors, and favorite themes or topics I like reading about. If they looked closer they would find two books by H. Andy Wiebe. They would realize that I am an author.

My office proudly displays a Tassimo coffee machine, announcing my preference for coffee.

On my desk sits a complete season of six DVD sets of “Corner Gas” in a little case my daughter made for me years ago. People might get a sense of my humor as they see that.

Upon entering my office anyone could see my printer and a paper cutter and hole punch close to hand. I would be able to explain that I love teaching and often build my own booklets to use for boards and churches.

And noticeable to anyone checking out my office would be the number of Bibles on display. I have one shelf full of about twenty Bibles in various sizes and translations. On my desk are another two Bibles which I use most of the time: A New Living Translation Bible and a New International Version Bible. It would be clear that I value the Bible, and hopefully clear from the shape some of them are in, that I read the Bible often.

If someone looked a little closer at my desk, they might find a couple of prayer journals indicating that prayer is important in my life. If they asked, I could explain how I pray and how I long to not only tell God my needs but love to listen to and hear from God.

I would hope that my office reflects a person who loves his family and loves God! I would hope my office would show my love for reading and learning and growing. I hope each person who visits my office sees that I am someone who enjoys life.

What does your office say about you? Would people know something about your values? Would the items in your office give you opportunities to talk with people about what is most important to you?

What does your office say about you?

Keep looking up,

Andy Wiebe

Keeping Your Board Purposeful

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As a pastor, I have spent many evenings around a board table (or plastic folding table), discussing the ministry of the local church with appointed leaders. Each board is different in how the members work together, how they make decisions, and how they attempt to fulfill their role. But how can you, as a board, ensure some basics that will help the board meetings be meaningful and effective?

Do you know why you meet?

Board members do not meet as a church board just because that’s how it has always been, or because the government requires non-profit organizations to have a board. Each board member need to understand what their main purpose is and how they contribute to accomplishing that.

Purpose: A board exists to look after the “big picture” of the church.

This means that you, as a board, need to know the big picture. You need to know the vision of the church, the values and policies and procedures, and how they speak into how the board governs.

This is essential because the board is in place to ensure that the vision, values, policies, and procedures are clearly defined and followed. As a board member you may have been involved in forming these documents or you may arrive after previous members have completed that work. Now each board member needs to understand them clearly so you can help ensure they are fulfilled.

In a church board, much of the work is done by the pastor. If the church is smaller, board members may be involved with the pastor in following through on decision that are made. In larger churches, the board may be more of a policy board entrusting the lead pastor and his staff to do the working out of the decisions. The board sets the policy and entrusts the lead pastor to fulfill what has been decided. He then hands off aspects of that to the rest of the staff to accomplish.

In either case, the board needs to know the guiding documents well enough to know if the decisions they make are in alignment with this guidance and the scope of the board’s mandate. Board members need to know how the guiding principles speak into every decision that is made. These documents are intended to guide the decision making process and keep the board, the pastor, and the church heading in the agreed upon direction.

One aspect boards often forget is their role as “gate keepers” and “protectors.” The board functions as a gate keeper when it makes sure that leadership and the church are not heading in a direction away from what they stand for and believe in. They function as gate keepers when they ensure that vision, values, policies and procedures continue to guide them. As gate keepers, the board must receive regular updates from pastors and ministry leaders to be aware of where these leaders are going and to ensure that it is in the right direction.

A church board needs to also see the importance of its role in protecting the church. This may involve protecting the church from teaching or practices that do not align with what they believe the Bible teaches or what they have agreed upon in their guiding documents. Protection also includes protecting the people of the church from physical and emotional harm. Many churches have clear safety guidelines and practices in place to guide their ministry to children and youth and seniors. Church boards need to ensure they are protecting all who attend, serve, or lead the various ministries of the church.

If you are a board member, remind yourself and your board regularly that everything you do should be about promoting and protecting the big picture of the church. While there are times boards should get involved in day to day activities of the church, they should never relinquish this role of promoting the big picture and protecting the church.

Keep looking up

Andy Wiebe

Good Systems Enable Good Work

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We can create systems that allow our work to be done easier and better.

Systems are the procedures and practices – even rituals – that we put in place in order to do a job. Some of these emerge naturally as we repeat certain tasks, but often we need to carefully think about crafting a system that will enable us to do our best efficiently.

A system includes all the little things we do in order to accomplish a task. Adhering to well-known systems helps people understand new settings or tasks with little training. People generally know where to park when they go to the local mall. There are curbs and signs and pained lines that everyone understands and can follow easily. We don’t need a training session every time we go to a new parking lot because the system is usually pretty clear.

The ushers at my church have a system that allows each usher to know when it is their turn to serve. They know they are to wear an “usher” tag and know where to find it. They know where to stand to greet people and ensure they find a seat.

They know when they will be called on to collect the offering and where to get the offering bags. They know where to take the bags when the offering has been collected. They all do it the same way every Sunday, no matter who is on, because they follow a clear system.

When I write a sermon, I have a system I have developed over the years. I don’t have to learn how to write a sermon every week because I have a system of how I choose a scripture text and create a sermon. I know how I will do my research. I have a list of questions to ask myself to guide the interpretation and research part of the process. I know how to write an outline. I know what questions to ask to make sure I have an appropriate application. I have a list of questions that guide me to bring creativity into the presentation.

A system helps me complete the work efficiently and accurately. Sometimes, when things are not going well in a church or organization it may simply be that we do not have a clearly defined system that everyone follows. This can cause conflict when individuals try to work according to different systems.

If something falls through the cracks, it may be that we have a faulty system. For example, if important announcements are consistently absent from the weekly bulletin, it may simply be that the person responsible for the announcements did not know how to communicate those to the person creating the bulletin.

As we develop new programs or change existing ones, we need to think of what systems to establish to set up the new program for success. Systems give clear directions for what to expect, when, and in what order and help us remember to do things that we might otherwise forget.

In developing systems be clear about the expected outcome. Identify the steps required to achieve the outcome and make it as simple as possible so that new people taking on the responsibility for that area can easily and quickly know what is expected, and then do it efficiently and accurately.

Here are some simple steps to develop a system.

  1. Think through the whole process and what steps would help you get a consistent result.
  2. Determine which person in which role is responsible for each step along the way.
  3. Lay out the best order for the tasks to be completed.
  4. Print out or post the complete system step by step indicating who does what in the process.
  5. Train people to know how to do each step and give them authority to do those steps.

Systems enable good work. Take the necessary time to develop them clearly and make them available to the right people.

Keep looking up,

Andy Wiebe

Reconciliation or a Bumpy Rug?

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The other day, I was speaking with someone who mentioned a “bumpy rug.” She was referring to the practice of ignoring problems and “sweeping them under the rug.” Another similar comment I heard recently was, “Let’s just get this behind us as soon as possible.” In both cases, people were dealing with sin in families and organizations. Both cases reflected a desire to move past the sin and the hurt it caused others as quickly as possible without a desire to actually address the sin and correct it.

Very few people enjoy conflict. The average person will go out of their way to avoid it. It is not fun when others are mad at you, even if you are doing the right thing. Our desire to get along and please people means that we will try to move past problems without confronting the issue and dealing with it.

We need to learn to work through the personal pain of a conflict to pursue correction, forgiveness, and reconciliation. We need to see the value of restored relationships both with God and with each other. We need to see the importance of repentance and forgiveness to help people truly get past a problem brought on by sin. We need to see the importance of pointing out sin that is affecting others in the family and in the church.

We forget that Jesus gave clear direction on how to handle sin with a Christian brother or sister in Matthew 18: 15-17.

“If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over. But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector.

Jesus does not advise getting past sin quickly, and definitely does not suggest sweeping it under the rug. Jesus suggest confrontation. He gives some steps. First, go by yourself to the person you know has sinned and point out their sin. Do not tell others about it. Do not take a party with you. Go by yourself.

The second and third steps are only taken if the first did not resolve the situation. So, second, if the sinner does not respond with repentance then take one or two others with you to confirm you are not just making a personal judgement. With two or three others, you can determine if the person really has sin they need to deal with.

Third, if the first two steps do not resolve the issue, then tell it to the church. The hope is that the church will push for what is right and stand for truth and righteousness rather than sweep it under the rug. Too many churches prefer the bumpy rug to the pain of confronting and dealing with a sinning brother or sister.

There is one last step. If the person does not listen and does not correct their ways, treat them as someone who is no longer part of the church. This is a very difficult step for any church to take, yet Jesus teaches this so we know there must be times when his teaching should be applied.

We need to remove the persistent sinner from any leadership in the church yet continue to love them and pray for them and look for opportunities to draw them back to Jesus.

Jesus did not write off tax collectors and pagans but invited them to follow him. He even called Matthew, the tax collector, to be one of his disciples. Jesus treated pagans and tax collectors as potential disciples, if only they would leave their sin behind. Even as we can’t allow the persistent sinner a place of leadership in the church, we continue to point them to Jesus, with the hope that they will repent and surrender their hearts to Jesus again.

Let’s choose to pursue reconciliation, not allow more bumps under the rug!

Keep looking up,

Andy Wiebe

Leakage Causes Damage!

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Our shower had mushrooms growing next to it. This happened a few months ago, so I did my best to seal up places where they were growing and places where water seemed to have leaked from the shower. All was good for a few months, until recently, the mushrooms were back.

I am not a renovator or construction worker of any kind, but I had to step and deal with this. My temporary fix was just that – temporary. I had to tear out the whole shower, piece by piece until I got down to the bare bathroom floor. I tore out the wet, damaged drywall and put some fans to work drying everything out. I was glad to see there were no other leaks. Whoever installed the shower just didn’t seal things well. I’m now in the process of replacing drywall, mudding, and painting in preparation of reinstalling the shower. This time I will ensure that everything is sealed. Leakage causes damage.

“Leakage” can happen in a number of ways in our lives, as something begins to deteriorate but it happens so slowly we don’t recognize it until a “mushroom” or other weird side-effect pops up that tells us something is wrong.

It could be that we are experiencing leakage in a relationship with a friend. We realize that something is wrong. The friend seems to be avoiding you. Maybe you have even tried a temporary fix like I did with my shower, trying to address the issue without creating a problem, yet you realize something is still wrong. More drastic measures need to be taken for a satisfactory resolution is reached. You need to face the issue head on and ask your friend directly about what is wrong, and how the relationship can be repaired to its original closeness and openness.

Leakage may happen in one’s spiritual life. Sometimes we get lazy in our walk with God. We allow sinful habits to creep in. If we recognize something is wrong, it may already mean it is time for some drastic measures. We can gradually allow others to influence us in directions that are not good and honorable. There are times we need to assess our friendship with Jesus and determine new patterns and habits to address the leakage. It may be beneficial to start practicing a few spiritual disciplines to get us back on track. Depending on the situation, we may want to find a friend or small group to help hold us accountable to the corrections we make.

An organization, a team, a church may all experience leakage of vision and purpose. Over time, the organization, including the leadership team, can forget what their vision is all about. Team members begin to do things that no longer match up with the values and vision agreed to at first. Sometimes a little adjustment of a reminder may be all that is required. Other times, a more drastic measure may be needed. It may require a full day of “re-visioning” with your team, returning to or reviving the vision that you all adopted in the beginning.

Leakage is often not noticeable until the issue is big, because leakage happens gradually over time. Once noticed, it must be addressed.

Leakage can be addressed with a few steps. First, like with my shower, you may recognize something happening that does not line up with the original purpose of the shower. I had no intention of growing mushrooms in my bathroom. Something was wrong.

Second, if a simple fix doesn’t cure the problem, drastic measures may be needed. I had to tear the whole shower out. You may need to address the issue head on.

Third, make sure you get a clear picture of what the problem is so you can then address it correctly.

And, fourth, do the difficult and time consuming work or correcting the problem. You will be glad you did.

Leakage causes damage. Don’t ignore the signs when you see them and address them appropriately as soon as you can.

|Keep looking up,

Andy Wiebe

Unravelling the Tangled Mess

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When I was a kid, I loved flying my kite. I remember one windy summer day in the field just down from our house, releasing my kite into the sky. It was a thrill to feel the pull of the wind on the spool of string as the kite dove back and forth. I let out more string, and more string. The kite grew smaller as the string rolled off the spool until… oh no! The string was not tied to the spool in my hand! I had let the string reel out and suddenly the string was all gone – the kite was no longer tethered to the spool in my hand! I panicked! I scrambled after the kite, desperately trying to grab the string. After a few frantic attempts I managed to snag the string. In my panic I hauled the string in, not rolling it up neatly on its spool, but gathering it in a tangled pile at my feet until I had the kite back in my hands. I never managed to untangle that pile of string again.

Sometimes, in an attempt to control our busy lives, it seems we end up with a tangled mess of roles and responsibilities at our feet. We do everything we are supposed to do or have signed up for, but we desperately try to untangle the mess and get a sense of control back. Each of us needs to manage various roles in work and life.

Recently I felt like my life was resembling that pile of tangled string. I had some family issues that took precedence over all my other responsibilities. Everything else got put on the shelf for a week or so. I focused on the one thing that was most important in the moment. After that week, I recognized I had some untangling to do.

I needed to figure out which strings to pull to start unravelling the mess. I had to take out a calendar and plot out my responsibilities to make sure I was working on the right things at the right time. We can’t work on everything at once. No matter how many responsibilities we think we can handle, we can only work on one at a time. I had to break down my responsibilities into manageable periods and schedule them on my calendar. I had to plot when I would focus on my transitional pastor responsibilities. I needed to chart when I would work on my transitional coaching duties. I needed to clearly schedule when to work on my doctorate work. I needed to schedule some family responsibilities. It took some work to sort it all out, but the end result was a plan that gave me peace. I could see my way through.

Whatever is in your tangled mess of string, you can find your way through. Ask God to help you sort it out. And ask God to give you the time you need to accomplish what is on your plate. I know from experience, that God can enable you to work faster or to somehow stretch your time to do all He is asking of you. He will help you sort it out. Don’t panic or give up. Sort it out and begin working on one responsibility at a time.

Carve out a time of retreat. Even a hour or so away from everything may give you the necessary time to evaluate your priorities and determine what you need to focus on and in what order. Then after the retreat you can advance with a plan.

We all have numerous responsibilities. Sometimes they pile up and its hard to know where to start in addressing all the needs, but with God’s help you can do it.

Keep looking up,

Andy Wiebe

Book Reviews: Andy’s 2024 Reading Experience

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I will be sharing a brief review of every book I read this year. Hope you enjoy and hope it encourages you to keep reading.

THINKING, FAST AND SLOW – by Daniel Kahneman

As the title says, this book is about thinking. Slow and fast refers to the two systems Kahneman describes in the book. System 1 is like instinct. This is our automatic thinking system where we don’t have to exert any effort to know certain things like one object is bigger than another or that 2 + 2 = 4. This is learned thinking, by experience or by effort. System 2 is where we have to take time to ponder something in order to come up with the right answer. Our choices and decisions originate from system 2. The first part of the book and the explanation of how these two systems work, is the best part of the book. The rest of the book then works through various examples of how our understanding of these systems affects our everyday lives. A great book on thinking to make you think!