Book

The Rolling Credits of Superhero Movies

When we were children, we didn’t understand why a few people would remain in their seats to sit through the never-ending rolling credits at the end of movies. Some of the credits were so long that if we would have left the theater when they started, we would have been…
Ali & Nick
November 26, 2020
BookFrameworkFutures Thinking

Why We Love Kaleidoscopes

With every twist, light bounced off ordinary objects in the room and refracted through the lens to produce wondrous and intricate designs. Whether you used a simple homemade tube filled with beads, strings, and paper clips, or a higher-end prism adorned with colored plastic, glass, or marbles, the angled mirrors…
Ali & Nick
November 26, 2020
BookFutures Thinking

Nearsighted vs Farsighted

One of the essential traits of leadership is the ability to create, articulate and carry out vision. Jack Welch, CEO of GE for 20 years and someone who is regarded as one of the greatest leader of his era, once said: “good business leaders create a vision, articulate the vision,…
Ali & Nick
November 26, 2020
Book

All our favorite quotes

One of the hard parts of writing a book is being able to decide which quotes we are going to include. We LOVE good quotes and we included many of our favorites in What Comes Next? Below are the words of wisdom we used in the opening of the chapters.…
Ali & Nick
November 22, 2020
BookIntroduction

Wayfinding (Who this book is for)

We work with a lot of clients who are struggling with what to do about the future. They feel overwhelmed.  They are tired. They aren't doubting the truth of the Gospel or the reliability of the Scripture as their plumbline - it's the world around them that they don't know how…
Ali & Nick
November 22, 2020
BookFrameworkIntroduction

Introduction to the Futures Framework

In the Lord’s Prayer, we’re instructed to pray: “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matt. 6:10). For all of us who follow Christ, heaven is our preferred future. It’s the ultimate destination, the grandest of all possibilities, and the perfect example of…
Ali & Nick
November 22, 2020
BookForcesFramework

Invisible Forces

Have you ever almost been blown over by the wind on a stormy day? Even if you haven’t, you’ve witnessed the effects of this invisible force in the world in some way. The wind is uncontrollable and often unpredictable. Scripture tells us that it “blows where it wishes” (John 3:8).…
Ali & Nick
November 22, 2020
BookIntersections

Emerging Patterns

A framework is a set of rules or principles that you use to define a decision making process. It identifies boundaries so that you can find a place to start. The Futures Framework is exactly the same, only using a vision of the future to frame a starting place instead…
Ali & Nick
November 22, 2020
BookIntroduction

Asking Better Questions

We’ve learned that asking better questions is the best place to start when applying the futures framework. Asking good questions is hard!  Our brains are programmed to find a good enough solution right away and act upon it. However, when facing the toughest problems, we need to build a deeper…
Ali & Nick
November 20, 2020
BookIntroduction

The Future Belongs to the Curious

Did you grow up reminded that “curiosity killed the cat?” Don’t stick your nose where it doesn’t belong, the proverb reminds us - it can be dangerous. Augustine even wrote in the Confessions that God "fashioned hell for the inquisitive." We’re quick to remind children of the (potential) dangers of…
Ali & Nick
November 20, 2020