On Leading Well

Category: Leadership

  • What Makes A House A Home?

    On the way to the airport at 0-dark-30 this morning, I realized I had not ridden in a vehicle on Thursday, Friday or Saturday. All I rode was our couch for the long holiday weekend. It’s true what they say: Diligence brings fruit in the long run, but laziness always pays off now. I think that’s a corollary to my brother-in-law Gary’s famous dictum: Sometimes the most spiritual thing you can do is take a nap. Yes, it was a good Thanksgiving.

    Ann has kept a family Thanksgiving Journal since 1990. Each year on the fourth Thursday, no matter where we are, she pulls it out. Our family leisurely reflects on God’s goodness to us over the past 12 months and we fill a few pages with praises. We also review previous years’ entries which never fails to surface laughter and stories. Like one of Amy’s earliest entries: “Raisins.”

    Last year Ann made one request as I began searching for a place to live: “Don’t buy us a house, buy us a home.” Five months into our transition, we can honestly say Orlando has begun to feel like home. We’re thankful to the Lord for his amazing kindness on this journey. Some key elements that help make our house our home include:

    – Sensing God’s presence, peace & favor.
    – Having S P A C E to live, host friends, and nap.
    – A daily sunrise out our back door that inspires wonder ->.
    – Being able to find stuff when we need it.
    – Our pictures & personality decorate spaces.
    – Shared memories & conversations fill each room.

    The Lord provided a guest room in our new home that has encouraged many of these conversations. Since July we’ve hosted both sets of grandparents as well as staff members serving in Australia, East Asia, England, Ghana, Greece, Hungary, Senegal and the US. The guest room also provides the perfect hiding place for sleeping off a pecan-pie-topped-with-ice-cream-blood-sugar-dip. Come on over and give it a try.

    Lesson: There is no such thing as a bad nap.

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  • Enchiladas and Enquiry

    Travis and I just wrapped up a tasty beef and cheese enchilada dinner at Amigos. Topics of discussion included cross-country season, college applications, dating (or not), the need for a few good friends, personal walk with God, and men who might not be worthy to date my daughter. On the drive home we discussed intellectual freedom. True intellectual freedom would support one’s ability to objectively assess multiple points of view on a given issue. To disallow multiple points of view to be expressed, or to expect others to hold to the majority view, would obviously not support the concept of intellectual freedom. Trav’s observation: Teaching only the theory of evolution in a public high school does not allow students to explore alternate points of view. Thus, students are not intellectually free.

    How free are we – are you – to entertain and express divergent points of view?

    Speaking of squelching divergent points of view, here’s a great blog highlighting five types of organizations that shouldn’t blog. Do I see myself, or my organization, exhibiting some of those tendencies? If I do, what attitudes and behaviors can I change that might encourage healthy dissent?

    Lesson to aspiring leaders: Learn to invite dissent.

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  • Knowing & Doing in Africa

    He laid aside his outer garments…and taking a towel…began to wash the disciples’ feet…. “If you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.” John 13

    A New Mindset
    “You will take your meals in here,” we were told by our gracious hosts after our arrival in Lomé, Togo. Simple, tasty servings of fish and rice doused with local spices were set before us in the air-conditioned comfort of our guest quarters. Breakfast arrived on our doorstep the next morning. John, Karen, Dave and I began to wonder if we deserved such special treatment all week.

    “Is it common in your culture for the officers to eat separately from the troops?” I asked Kennedy, the Campus Director for the French-speaking Area of Affairs. “I don’t want to cause offense,” I continued, “but from this point forward our team would like to take meals outdoors with everyone else.”

    This cultural value of over-deference to positioned leaders contributed to an environment that did not encourage risk-taking, rapid learning, empowering leadership or student-led movements. When Jesus laid aside his robe (a cultural cue that he was a Teacher), he also set aside the trappings of his position.

    By coming alongside godly, committed staff members from 18 countries in Africa, we were able to lead in a new way, together, which helped reground all of us in Biblical values. The “work hard, play hard, be overly diligent” values we cherish so dearly in North America and Singapore were challenged head-on with African values of hospitality, deep relationships, and languishing conversations.

    I wish I could tell you that all problems were solved, all questions answered, and that it will be smooth sailing in the future. You know better. The world is a BIG place. There are huge gaps between the compelling vision God has given us for student-led spiritual movements on every campus and what currently exists. We have hope, though. The Lord of the nations is clearly at work. Let’s get up from our knees, roll up our sleeves and do it together.

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