TheHighCalling.org: Leadership

Leadership and Power (Ramblin' Dan)

Dan Roloff — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 06:00:00 GMT

Leadership is fundamentally the ability to influence another. Power is fundamentally authority in action. If you are a leader who grants functional authority (like a supervisor, parent, elected official, pastor, military officer, etc.), then you have power. Specifically, you have the power to take action and direct others into action.

Jesus has a warning for positional leaders and managers. If you understand what’s expected and you misuse your authority by mistreating people and indulging selfish desires, then you’re in trouble. There’s a price to be paid. Be ever mindful of your faith and live it (Luke 12:35–48).

For a person of influence without a position of authority, power looks different. Power for the influence leader, as opposed to the positional leader, comes from followers who take action freely. They choose to follow a leader based on his or her influence.

Similarly, Jesus has a warning for influence leaders. In each of the Gospels, Jesus warns about leading others astray. (See Matt. 18:6–9; Mark 9:42; Luke 17:1–2.) He says, "It would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around his neck than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin.”

Power can draw a leader in to wanting more. It can distract a leader from the organization's stated purpose. In fact, power can be an agent of sin.

That was Jesus’ warning. When we use our influence to cause others to sin, Jesus tells us that there’s a heavy price to pay. Prayer and discernment are important actions for any leader. They keep us centered in Christ, helping us to avoid temptation or subtle evil. Power is like money. Everybody needs some, but handled selfishly it can lead to destruction.

Good Leaders Are Stewards of God's People (Bible Reflection)

Vera Jackson — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 06:00:00 GMT

"Listen, Janet," Richard said in frustration, "this report is not acceptable. You need to redo it and have it on my desk by the end of the day."

After just six month's of working in his new management position, Richard was almost ready to quit. It was so much easier when he had just been in sales. He was responsible for his own performance and that was it. Now he had a team of 27 direct reports and what felt like reams of paperwork due each month. Some promotion this had turned out to be!

Richard's frustration is not unusual. Each year, thousands of workers are promoted to management in companies of all kinds with little or no training to make them successful at their new duties. Sure they know how to perform; that's why they were promoted. But how do they get others to perform?

While serving in my first management post many years ago, I learned that good leadership meant simply being a good steward over the people God had entrusted to me. We tend to think of stewardship in terms of finances and property, but it is so much more than that. What is a more precious resource in God's eyes than the people for whom he gave his Son? Shouldn't we be more concerned with how we handle them than our silver and gold?

Jesus as a Model of Management

During Jesus' time on earth, he not only taught his disciples, he also managed and supervised them. His example offers us stewardship lessons that are just as relevant today as they were 2,000 years ago. Jesus began with the basics: he knew his team (see John 10:14; John 15:16) and he made sure they knew Him (see Matt. 4:19; Matt.16:24; Luke 9:23). He both instructed and coached his disciples in their ministry work (see Matt. 5; 17:20-21; 28:19-20; Mark 4:34; 13), articulating clear expectations and demonstrating how the job was to be done. Jesus kept them mindful of the "big picture" throughout their time together: the Kingdom vision and strategic plan (see Mark 1:15, 4:11; Luke 8:10; 9:62; 22:16; John 3:3). He encouraged them (see Luke 22:32; John 16) and gave them recognition (see Matt. 16:17-18; 14-37-38; Luke 22:29; Mark 14: 33-34) for a job well done. He protected them (see Matt. 14:30-31; Mark 4:38-39; John 10:29) from those who would harm them and corrected and disciplined them (see Mark 4:40; 8:33; 6:60-67) when they needed it. His work with his disciples is perhaps the greatest demonstration of wise and just management the world has ever seen.

Jesus also led by his irreproachable character and integrity. Whatever our specific position in the marketplace, God is calling us to steward it with holiness and righteousness. We accomplish this by praying and reading our Bible so that we can have benefit of God's counsel (see Judg. 18:5; Ps. 107:11; Isa. 9:6; 25:1; Heb. 6:17) and by refusing to engage in sinful behavior. In Numbers 16, we read about the righteous stand that Moses took and how God not only supported him, but also made the correction of the people a memorable one: they were swallowed up by the earth!

Good Leaders Imitate Christ

It may look like we are giving something up when we discipline staff for performance issues or when we are required to restate the company's earnings because of a loss or mistake. However, our response to challenges like these will reveal our stewardship of both spiritual and natural matters. It will disclose how much God can count on us to be righteous representatives entrusted with his kingdom business. It will also reveal our ability and willingness to perform our jobs for the authorities set over us. The cost of failing to act responsibly can be quite enormous, perhaps resulting in the loss of an opportunity or even the loss of a job.

If someone like Richard can be mindful of Jesus' leadership lessons, he will soon find his job a lot less frustrating. He can ask himself how thoroughly he has instructed Janet about how the report should be prepared and whether he has made it clear exactly what she did wrong. More importantly, he can also make sure he recognizes Janet and others when they perform well, not just when they make mistakes. Lastly, he can work to keep the larger purpose of the department and the company—the "big picture"—before his team at all times so that they can all work together toward a common goal.

As we seek wisdom according to James 1:5, maintain righteousness, and strive for excellence in all that we do, we can become good stewards of the human, material, and financial resources that have been entrusted to us. This is a leadership standard that God has set for us through Jesus Christ—one that we are more than able to replicate with Christ as our guide (see Ps. 48:14; John 16:12-14) and our intercessor (see Rom. 8:34).

Questions for personal reflection, online discussion, or small groups:

Skim back through the many biblical references in the article and choose one to read closely. How do the truths in this passage apply to your daily work?
Think about your specific goals for this week. How can you best steward resources to work toward these goals and honor God?
In dealing with performance issues, have you been clear about your expectations? How can you be more clear?
In serving your boss, do you have a good understanding of his/her expectations for your performance? How can you understand his/her expectations better?

Dr. Vera R. Jackson is president and CEO of a nonprofit organization in the Washington, D.C., area and author of Taking Jesus to Work (Chosen/Baker Publishing Group, www.chosenbooks.com). An accomplished executive, she has senior leadership and consulting experience with government, nonprofit, and for-profit organizations. For comments and/or speaking and ministry engagements, she may be contacted by email at: vjackson@verajacksonassoc.com.

When Layoffs and Fear Enter the Workplace (Personal Reflection)

Glynn Young — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 06:00:00 GMT

At work, we started blogging on our internal website about coming layoffs.

They were announced in June, and then a corporate cone of silence descended. Employees would begin finding out two months later, in late August, but the silence was becoming stifling. Fear had entered the workplace.

There was a time when silence was official policy. But that’s over. The internet, social media, and new workplace expectations and realities have swept official policies away. Announce a layoff, and expect to see it tweeted on Twitter. The employer-employee contract died in the 1980s. We may yearn for the days of two-way loyalty, but they’re gone, swept away by the addiction of repeated downsizings. There’s only forward.

One of the things my team is responsible for is the corporate intranet, including news and blogs. We talked about what to do. If we can’t answer people’s most important question—do I have a job?—could we at least indicate that it was okay to talk about it?

Can You Blog Your Layoff?

My people knew that I had been laid off from a job with another company in 1999. They asked me what happened, and what I’d experienced. I told them.

One of them said, “Can you blog it? Can you blog what happened to you?”

Well, sure, I could do that. I could also think about the possible reactions and potential repercussions.

But then I thought about all of the people and families, worrying about the what-ifs at home, seeing the lousy economic news getting worse. If I blogged my own experience, it still wouldn’t answer their critical questions, but it might say it’s okay to talk about it, and we all share the same fears and concerns. And one thought kept running through my mind: Jesus never hesitated to say what needed to be said, to anyone.

Love your neighbor as yourself.

I talked with my boss and peers. I got the green light. I blogged.

The first post was about what happened to me in 1999—how it happened and how I reacted. And what I did to prevent the layoff from controlling me. The second post was about the questions I got from my family. The third was about a layoff when I wasn’t affected, but a close friend was.

I talked about shame, embarrassment, feelings of inadequacy, and questions from my children (like “Didn’t you work hard enough? Do we have to move?”). And then the ultimate understanding that my job, and the loss of my job, did not define my value. Because my faith defined who I was, and because I tried to practice my faith at church, at home, and on the job, it was my response to my layoff that defined who I was.

People Respond When You Shoot Straight

I can’t say my blog posts went viral, but it was something like that. Within three days, more than 2,500 people had read the first post. Comments got posted. One employee posted a blog himself. I received emails, phone calls, and visits. People stopped and thanked me in the cafeteria. The reactions were fairly uniform—it’s okay to talk about this; it’s okay to talk about what we’re afraid of. We’re all in this together.

The day after the first post, the company operator called me, asking me where to direct a reporter who was calling about a story. I gave her the name and number. She thanked me, and then hesitated.

“I read your blog,” she said. She paused. “It was good.” She paused again. “Thank you.”

In the third blog post, I talked about a time in 1992, when a close friend found out he was losing his job. He called me, and it was hard to imagine that my confident, focused, intense friend was devastated, depressed, and ashamed. And it got worse.

Layoffs Can Leave People Ostracized

We met in the company cafeteria the next day. I was waiting for him at a table. He walked over, lunch tray in his hands, and stood there.

“Are you sure you want to be seen with me?” he asked.

I thought he was joking. He wasn’t. His entire department had stopped speaking to him. He had to stay in the office for the next 45 days, and he was effectively ostracized.

I was stunned. So I did the only thing I knew to do. I stood and hugged him. He cried. What a scene that made, right in the cafeteria.

I told that story, with this point: I promised myself right there that I would never do to anyone what had been done to this man. And I urged the readers of 17 years later to make the same promise. I said that I knew it was awkward, and if you didn’t know what to say to someone who had just lost their job, try this: “How can I help you?” And help them network, be a reference, make some phone calls, and follow up with them later.

In other words, love them as yourself. The odds are good that you will be one of them, some day.

The People Who Don’t Lose Their Jobs

Layoffs not only affect the people who lose their jobs. They also affect the people who don’t. And I’m not talking about so-called “survivor guilt.” No, what usually follows a layoff program is a reorganization, changes in workloads, changes in team structure, and often changes in team leaders.

Team leaders play the pivotal role, and it’s difficult, because they often don’t know the answers to a lot of the questions. How will we work together? Do I have more work to do? Am I expected to work longer hours? Will we stop doing some things? How do we work with other teams? The team that provides the monthly statistics is gone —where do we get the information?

If we’re believers, we don’t leave our faith at the corporate door. While a layoff doesn’t differentiate between those who believe and those who don’t (the rain falls on both alike), the response of each can differentiate them. It’s what Tony Dungy, head coach of the Super Bowl-winning Indianapolis Colts, said in his book Uncommon: Finding Your Path to Significance: don’t let the bad things that happen to you define who you are as a person. The key is how you respond to those bad things.

Questions for personal reflection, online discussion, or small groups:

Have you had to lay a person or people off as part of a general downsizing? What thought processes do you go through? How do you decide, and what do you do when your decisions are not obvious?
If a downsizing has been announced, how do you plan? What do you do, if anything at all? What should you do?
What happens when a close friend or relative

All Leadership Is Local (Ramblin' Dan)

Dan Roloff — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 06:00:00 GMT

"All politics are local." So it is with leadership; influence is local too. I serve on the board of a local Leadership Foundation, Partners in Ministry. Although part of a larger national group of Leadership Foundations, Partners is local and its service and influence are primarily local. It may be connected outside the local area, but that’s more for mutual support and best practices. By concentrating on local needs, a community gets healthy. A healthy community encourages other communities to do the same.

Leadership that focuses on the immediate, close-at-hand, and limited sphere has potential to save the world. Looking to Jesus as a model, we see him surrounded by a group of twelve. These twelve were his primary focus for leadership and his locale was basically Galilee to Jerusalem. We all can acknowledge that Jesus’ leadership and message went way beyond his local sphere of influence.

Managing expectations and staying on course were two challenges Jesus faced as a leader. The Jews were expecting a savior, and for many, Jesus didn’t match those expectations. He didn’t come directly to the priestly class to save the Jews, and he didn’t raise an army to drive the Romans away. Those expectations were never part of Jesus' plan. Also, when he went into the desert and faced temptation, he refused to turn the stone into bread and take care of his most immediate personal need—hunger. The second temptation Jesus faced was something highly seductive—power. Finally, Jesus was tempted with self-importance . . . the trap of leadership—pride (Luke 4:1–13).

Leaders need to look beyond immediate personal need to Jesus’ expectation for the Kingdom of God. There is something more to life than our next want. There is God’s purpose, and a leader should be dedicated to understanding what that means daily, in every circumstance.

Along with leadership comes power. Once a leader influences another, power is realized. With power comes responsibility. Jesus recognized power’s seductive nature, and he did not succumb to it. He used his power wisely and focused on his mission.

With influence comes power, which leads ultimately to pride. Leaders need to battle an over-inflated sense of self-importance. Thinking too highly of oneself puts the leader in the position of testing God by assuming or presuming God’s authority.

Recognize the power of your influence. Use it wisely to God’s purpose. Be aware of the temptations of leadership and be ever vigilant. Leadership is local. It starts with you and those immediately around you who are affected through your influence.

Leadership: Position or Influence (Ramblin' Dan)

Dan Roloff — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 06:00:00 GMT

Not everyone placed in a position of leadership is in fact a leader. Just because a person has a title or position doesn’t mean he or she can lead. Leaders move people. They get people to act in ways the leader deems appropriate.

Leadership, including Christian leadership, is really about influence. A leader is anyone who influences the decisions or actions of others. People follow leaders. That’s why leadership carries with it great responsibility. If the leader is misguided, the followers become misguided as well. So the character of the leader is important.

Sometimes leaders come from places you least expect them. It might be wise to recognize who is leading in your workplace. Don’t just look at titles look to see who people are following. Anyone who exercises influence can benefit the future of any organization.

Joseph was sold into slavery, but rose to tremendous power in Pharaoh’s house. Daniel was also a slave to King Nebuchadnezzar. Jesus was carpenter who gathered common people to spread his message. We can say each of these people rose to positions of power and leadership, but there is another clear message. God’s work can be accomplished by anyone anywhere God chooses. Our responsibility is to be open to Christ’s leading.

If you have the responsibility for an organization, look for leaders. Cultivate influencers by recognizing their impact and building relationships with them. When looking for Christian leadership, follow people who reflect Christ-likeness.

Wake Up to the Sacred: An Interview with Barbara Brown Taylor (Interview)

Becky Garrison — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 06:00:00 GMT

After working as a parish priest for 15 years, Barbara Brown Taylor (www.barbarabrowntaylor.com) left her parish position to become a religion professor at Piedmont College in 1998. In her book Leaving Church: A Memoir of Faith, she shares her experience of wandering through the vocational wilderness to discern where God was calling her to serve.

What prompted you to write Leaving Church: A Memoir of Faith?

I wrote the book seven years after leaving parish ministry, which was a painful and unexpected change for me. In all that time, I had not read or heard anyone speak of the vocational wilderness I had gone through—so I decided to write the book I wished I could have read.

When you were ordained, you say you got exactly what you wanted. But as you observe in this book, you didn't realize how much this would hurt. How so?

At a concrete level, I didn't realize how much my neck would hurt when dozens of people leaned over to lay hands on my head! At a more visceral level, I didn't realize how much being ordained would cost me in terms of my own relationship with God. In a weird way, the demands of doing the job kept me away from the resources I needed to do the job at all.

Any words of advice for others whose dream job has turned sour?

Pay attention both to the dream, which may need revising, and to the sourness, which may be a great prompt to rethink the relationship between your role and your soul. Most of us will have more than one job in our working lives, which means we will have more than one opportunity to seek meaningful work at different stages of our own deepening humanity.

What would you say to others who feel they are in a job where like you, they can't find the time anymore to be quiet or still or pray?

Pay attention to the costs of living without that time and decide if you are willing to keep footing the bill. The older I get, the clearer my priorities are. I don't have time for a job that doesn't leave me time to be quiet or still or to pray. I have already moved once and changed jobs twice in order to protect a still space in my life—so I know I can do it again.

Any words of counsel for those who, like you, feel they are burned out in their job but feel they can't leave due to this economy?

Again, I think every person has to weigh the costs of staying put versus the costs of leaving his or her own particular situation. If I had young children, I would probably work a cash register to make sure they had health benefits. Still, I know people who lost jobs they were not burned out on who say how much they have benefited from learning to live on less.

How do you see your work at Piedmont College as a calling?

The short answer is that I can construe any job that involves working with other human beings as a calling. The longer answer is that I love working with young adults who are making major decisions about how they will live, what they will value, how they will think, and what they will do for a living. Learning how to serve them without doing their work for them is a high calling for me.

What spiritual practices do you use in your current job to keep you from getting burned out again?

Teaching is a good job for an introvert. I am actually expected to spend time in the library! Silence and solitude remain essential spiritual practices for me. Without time to read, think, and pray, I doubt I would have anything worthwhile to say. On the job, I am aware of practicing holy listening as well as a kind of community building that strikes me as sacred. In my classroom, every student has a voice and an honored place at the table. The Golden Rule rules.

How did your spiritual life deepen once you left ordained ministry?

There was more time to read, think, and pray, for one thing. I was also freed to seek God in riskier ways, without worrying that I would lead anyone in my congregation to follow me over a cliff. Pastors are representative people whose words and deeds have consequences for the members of their churches. What I say and do still has consequences for my students and my college, but the stakes are different. Academic freedom is a terrific perk.

Why are you concerned about the church's intellectualization of the faith?

The most important reason is because I don't read the gospels as intellectual treatises. On the night before he died, with all the conceptual truths in the world at his disposal, Jesus asked his disciples to share food and wash feet—apparently trusting these physical practices to teach his followers what they needed to know when he was no longer around to teach them himself. It is very hard to intellectualize food and feet. When I ask Christians to tell me about their faith, 99.9% of them tell me what they believe. Just once, I would love to hear someone describe faith in terms of how he or she lives.

Can you elaborate on what you mean by saying that the call to serve God is first and foremost the call to be fully human?

Sure. I say that first of all to flush the low opinions most Christians have of what it means to be human. This always strikes me as odd, since the Christian church has gone to such trouble through the centuries to assert Jesus' full humanity. So I focus on the word "full," suspecting that both Jesus and the church have something to teach me about what it means to live fully into my humanity with other people and all creation. If I don't start there, then my service to God risks being so spiritual that it is really no earthly good.

Why do you compare your prayer life to hanging laundry on the line?

That passage comes from An Altar in the World where I speak of hanging laundry on the line as an act of devotion—each garment serving as a prayer flag, a tactile and spirit

God Calls Us to Be Leaders Wherever We Are (Bible Reflection)

Gary Klingsporn — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 06:00:00 GMT

My wife Debra and I were sitting on a park bench overlooking a small lake. We were having our morning coffee and talking about the day ahead—the ordinary stuff of life. When our two daughters' names came up, Debra suddenly paused and got a faraway look in her eyes.

After a long silence she said: "My job description as I've known it as a mother for the last twenty years is coming to an end. Soon I'll no longer be able to bury my face in the smell of their soft morning wake-up hair. I won't be running last-minute things up to the school anymore. They won't come bounding in the door, full of life, at the end of the day. The defining priorities of my life as a 'mom' will end. My world is about to be redefined. I don't know what my new job description is going to be."

Then with a tear in her eye she said, "There's a loss in that."

Together we sat in the silence of the morning sun, the wind on the water, the trees stirring in the breeze. Debra had just named our new reality as empty nesters. In its own strange way, that moment became a sacred moment. Something holy happened. In an ordinary conversation on an ordinary morning, we suddenly felt the presence of God.

The story is about calling and vocation. It's about the extraordinary breaking into the ordinary. It's about hearing and responding to the call of God in our lives.

In Exodus 3, Moses was herding ordinary sheep on an ordinary day in the wilderness of Sinai. There was a bush—an ordinary, scrubby bush. Suddenly the holy happened. Everything was transformed. Nothing in Moses' life was ever the same again.

Calling, vocation, purpose is often revealed through our own experience of the call of God. It is always a sacred or holy moment, no matter how small.

When the Holy Happens

When we experience God's presence, or God speaks to us, all is transformed. He tells Moses, "Come no closer! Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground" (Exo. 3:5).

God's holiness requires respectful distance, but God's presence also transforms everything at hand. The burning bush in the barren, lonely desert of Sinai is a sign that God often comes and graces the lowly. He appears in the common places of life.

We can experience God's presence anywhere, anytime, at work, school, home. God's presence happens to ordinary people going about their ordinary routines. So it's important to be watching and listening for those moments. It is the only way to avoid the common disconnect between our faith and our daily life and work.

The words of Frederick Buechner come to mind:

"Taking your children to school and kissing your wife goodbye. Eating lunch with a friend. Trying to do a decent day's work. Hearing the rain patter against the window. There is no event so commonplace but that God is present within it, always hiddenly, always leaving you room to recognize him or not to recognize him, but all the more fascinatingly because of that, all the more compellingly and hauntingly. . . . Listen to your life. See it for the fathomless mystery that it is. In the boredom and pain of it, no less than in the excitement and gladness—touch, taste, smell your way to the holy and hidden heart of it—because in the last analysis, all moments are key moments, and life itself is grace" (Now and Then, Harper & Row, 1983, p. 87).

God Calls Us

God does call Moses to a specific task. He says, "I have seen the suffering of my people in Egypt; I have heard their cry; and I have come down to deliver them. . . . So come, I will send you to Pharaoh to bring my people out of Egypt" (Exo. 3:7-8, 10). There is work to be done.

The specific tasks of our work are part of our calling and vocation. Martin Luther saw all means of livelihood and productive work—even the most mundane and unpleasant labor—as marks of Christian vocation and response to God. John Calvin said that all our actions, not just our work, are a response to God's calling. Taken seriously, this means that our work and all we do in daily life are our vocation. All work given us by God is therefore holy and is done as a service to God.

In our day, Parker Palmer has spoken of the importance of listening inwardly for the call of God: "Vocation does not come from willfulness. It comes from listening. . . . Vocation does not mean a goal that I pursue. It means a calling that I hear. . . . It comes from a voice 'in here' calling me to be the person I was born to be, to fulfill the original selfhood given me at birth by God" (Let Your Life Speak, Jossey-Bass 2000, pp. 4, 10).

The story of Moses invites us to take off our shoes and listen for the voice of God's call, God's guidance, and reassurance. God told Moses, "So come, I will send you to bring my people out of Egypt."

What is your calling, your vocation? What is the work to which God calls you? Are you living out your calling?

It is helpful to think in terms of your various callings in your work, relationships, leisure, family, and community. In his book, Vocation: Discerning Our Callings in Life, Douglas Schuurman distinguishes the primary calling of all Christians to love God and neighbor, from the multiple particular callings in which we carry out the command to love.

Are you living out your callings in your different roles in life?

But Who Am I?

Moses' initial response to God was, "Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?" (Exo. 3:11). What a human moment! The call was overwhelming and filled with risk. Moses felt fearful and inadequate. He was reluctant to go.

Don't we all feel that way at one time or another? Just as it isn't always easy to hear God's call in our lives, it isn't easy to live out our call. But we don't have to do it on our own, nor can we.

God tells Moses, "I will be with you" (v. 12). While in the remainder of the story Moses offered further objections to the divine call, eventually he goes. God's "I will be with you" sustained him from the mud-pits of Egypt all the way to Mt. Nebo.

The story of God's call in Moses' life invites us to reflect on our own calling and vocation. Our work and all we do in daily life are a response to God's call. We discern our calling and vocation by listening for God, and we are promised God's presence as we live our call daily.

That same promise of divine presence gives us hope in our journeys. Created, redeemed, and called by God, we also are given the assurance of God'

Interview with Michael Card: Writer, Musician, Theologian (Interview)

Marcus Goodyear — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 06:00:00 GMT

Michael Card is something of a Renaissance man—part musician, part teacher, part theologian, part writer, part inspirational speaker, and radio show host. The success of his career has certainly surprised him. He has written more than 19 number one hits, including songs like "El Shaddai" and "Emmanuel."

Recently, Michael Card began speaking and leading worship at Laity Lodge retreats. At one of the retreats, we sat down to talk with him about his latest book, A Better Freedom.

At Laity Lodge retreats, you've talked a lot about servants and slaves in conjunction with your new book. Can you tell us the difference between a servant and a slave in the Bible?

I think the words are just sort of nuanced. In Greek, they're different words. A "servant" or a "diakonos" is a person who has more choices. A "doulos," which is based on the word for being "bound" is more of what you and I would think of, traditionally, as a slave—a person who has no choice; who is owned by someone else; who's given up everything, or at least, maybe everything had been taken away from him or her.

Can you talk about slavery in the New Testament, specifically?

First of all, we looked at the fact that Old Testament slavery and New Testament slavery were two fundamentally different things.

New Testament slavery was very severe—more of what you and I would have thought African-American slavery was like. There were virtually no laws to protect the slave. And, what laws there were, were usually disregarded—slaves were mutilated, branded, collared. There was not much hope.

But, there were those slaves who were at the higher echelons, who were professional people—house servants, doctors, lawyers, skilled craftsmen—who did have some hope of getting out. It was a fairly complex system.

There seem to be a lot of passages about masters and slaves. Why is this such a prevalent image in the New Testament?

That's the reason I sort of centered on the subject. It is a really pervasive image, especially owing to the fact that everyone identifies themselves as a slave or identifies themselves with slaves. I mean, Peter, Paul, John, James, Jude, Mary, Jesus' own mother, Simeon, the angel in Revelation. John falls down before the angel, and Simeon says, "I'm just a slave like you; don't do this." And then, most especially of course, Jesus, who Philippians 2 says came in the form of a "doulos," a slave.

When we read these passages, I tend to read the slave and master passages thinking about myself as an employee which is not at all fair to my employer because he doesn't treat me like a slave.

Maybe I need to talk to some of your employees!

[laughing] I don't have any. But I wonder, is there a danger in reading these passages through the lens of our workplaces?

No, not necessarily. First of all, I want people to read these passages any time and any way they can. And, the advice, especially in the household codes that Paul gives to masters, is basically great advice to a modern-day boss.

Paul says they should remember that they have a master; they have a boss, and that's Christ. And, they're subject to Him. He sees everything they do. And, they're to be kind to the slaves, and that sort of thing.

And, likewise to slaves, Paul talks about showing respect to their masters and not doing things just to be seen—not being people pleasers. It's a wonderful word to modern-day bosses and employees.

In your book, you talk about "eye slaves." Can you explain what you mean by that phrase?

I love the word; and Paul uses it twice, once in Colossians and once in Ephesians: the Greek word—ophthalmos—"eye," doulia comes from doulos, the word for "slave." When you translate that word into English, it becomes a whole sentence. It means, "those who do things only when people are watching them."

I don't know about you, Marcus, but for me, I resonated with that, because I'm an eye slave. Sometimes I do things just because I know people are watching me. If no one was watching, I wouldn't do it.

Paul says that in the household codes; but then, Jesus says the same sort of thing in Luke 22, when he says don't do things to be seen by men. Don't be like the Gentiles who lord it over each other. You're not supposed to be that way. Jesus says you're called to be slaves; you're called to be servants. It's not like that with you. You shouldn't be that way.

Romans referred to slaves as "talking tools."

Yes.

At TheHighCalling.org and at Laity Lodge, we hear from a lot of people who feel like they are nothing more than "talking tools." They feel like they're dehumanized by their work. What would you say to these people? What does the Bible say to these people?

Well, it may be true. They may be dehumanized. They may be looked upon as tools of production. I think that's probably true of a lot of companies and a lot of bosses. But, I think the word of Scripture to them is that Christ does give us, I've heard it called, a "concealed dignity" because I belong to Him, because He is my master.

Your boss doesn't own you. The big company you work for doesn't own you; but someone does. And, the Bible says He paid for you; He purchased you out of the marketplace, like a slave is purchased.

For those people who are feeling dehumanized, the Bible has a good word for them—you have a concealed dignity because someone else owns you. That would come as a good word to me, I think, if I was working for some huge corporation that treated me like a guinea pig or something. Someone else owns me, and it's not my employer.

In your book, you talk about these slave stories and slave parables that Jesus told. And you say he was telling them to a culture of slaves.

Well, certainly. When he tells those parables, there are slaves standing arou

Serving One Scoop at a Time (Audio)

Howard E. Butt, Jr. — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 06:00:00 GMT

Jim was CEO of the hospital, but he still served ice cream at the annual ice cream social. During the day, senior staff members scooped gallons and gallons of ice cream for anyone who dropped by—staff, patients, guests, anyone.

The night shift couldn't leave their stations, so Jim loaded everything onto a cart. He rolled it through three different wings and up ten floors. Each year, the CEO worked all night, so that everyone got a scoop of ice cream.

This is Howard Butt, Jr., of Laity Lodge. Jesus modeled servant leadership for us when he washed his disciples' feet. Jim modeled it scooping ice cream. Do you want people to see Christ? How can you be a servant leader? . . . in the high calling of our daily work.

"You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant." (Matt. 20:25-26)

Work & Play: Betraying the Spirit of the Game (Ramblin' Dan)

Dan Roloff — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 06:00:00 GMT

In our sports and games culture, we often betray the spirit of the game.

In the previous post , we answered the question “What is the spirit of the game?” By contrast, we could ask what does it mean to betray the spirit of the game? Consider the evolution of coaching in football, a very modern and American sport.

Full-time paid coaches were established in college football early in the twentieth century. It was a hotly contested issue with concerns about the professionalization of the college game. Those concerns have proven to be true and have even made their way to the level of youth sports, but we seem to have little concern about the dangers of turning play into work.

When professional football overtook college football as a fan favorite, coaches took more control of the game. Most prominently, Vince Lombardi shuttled players into the game with play calls from the coach. Before this, the captains were responsible for the team’s play on the field. The coach worked with the captains to prepare the team. Eventually, the quarterback took control of play calling for the offense. Usually, the middle linebacker handled the defensive calls.

Now, coaches control the play calling from professional football to youth leagues. Coaches have seemingly embraced the Vladimir Lenin philosophy, “Trust is good, but control is better.” The question arises, better for whom? Certainly not for players or people who want to play a game. It robs the player of creativity and reduces the role of player to that of pawn, becoming a piece to be manipulated for a coach’s purposes.

This isn’t to lay blame at the feet of coaches. Rather it’s to point out the dangers of encroaching professional attitudes on amateur sports. As we adopt the professional culture of the game, winning becomes the central focus. The spirit of the game suffers. It’s the culture we’ve allowed to take hold through our actions and our inactions. We’ve determined that to be our best means to win the most.

Manipulation for gain is the purpose of professional athletics, but it should not be part of the amateur ideal. Yet we’ve accepted it. Perhaps it’s grown out of some projected need for our child to succeed and earn a scholarship before proceeding to the pro ranks. Maybe, as a people, we’ve assumed play to be meaningless so we never wasted much time on the debate.

Whatever the reasons, it’s clear that we haven’t given serious thought to play as a cultural imperative. If issues of character development are important for our youth, then a more thorough understanding is essential. Through a more faithful understanding of play, we can incorporate a new ethos emphasizing the spirit of the game.

Work & Play: What is the Spirit of the Game? (Ramblin' Dan)

Dan Roloff — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 06:00:00 GMT

Each sport or game starts with a premise or reason for its existence. I hesitate to call it a philosophy only because that sounds so high-minded. I'm talking about something beyond the rules and beyond the control of coaches or other participants. It is the spirit of the game.

The spirit of the game is where character is built. It goes beyond the rules to the foundation of an individual's character, how he or she responds to trials, successes, and even pain. It’s where we learn that striving for victory can be as beneficial as victory itself.

In the inaugural issue of Sports Illustrated (Aug. 16, 1954), Paul O’Neil gave an account of a race between the world’s only two sub-four-minute mile runners at the time, Dr. Roger Banister of Britain and John Landy of Australia. He wrote, “The art of running the mile consists, in essence, of reaching the threshold of unconsciousness at the instant of breasting the tape. It is not an easy process, for the body rebels against such agonizing usage and must be disciplined by the spirit and the mind.”

O’Neil’s description captures several important elements concerning the spirit of competition.

For another example, consider amateur golf legend Bobby Jones, who lost the United States Open Championship when he penalized himself in the first round for striking his ball after he caused it to move. No one saw the ball move, only Jones. As he was swinging through the grass the ball became dislodged and he technically struck a moving ball. He lost the four-round tournament by one stroke. He revealed great character and preserved the integrity of the game.

In life, we are shaped by the Spirit. In sport, we develop character through adhering to the spirit of the game. Fair play, sportsmanship, and integrity are all part of that process. As participants or players, we recognize the spirit in our play and its added benefit in our lives. Sport is not the only arena of life where spirit plays an integral role. It is, however, a common example that many of us can identify with. In fact, understanding the spirit of the game helps us understand the mystery of the Spirit as it works in our lives.

Talking with Chris Lowney, Author of Heroic Living (Interview)

Nancy Lovell — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 06:00:00 GMT

A Jesuit seminarian walks into J.P. Morgan. . . . If that sounds like the start of a joke, in the case of Chris Lowney, it's not. This one-time Jesuit, by his mid 30s, was a managing director at J.P. Morgan. And the question is: how does a Jesuit seminarian, a guy trained to listen for God, do on a floor of MBAs trained to leap at the opening bell? Chris answers that in two books: Heroic Leadership and Heroic Living. Both books take St. Ignatius of Loyola into the cubicles, trading floor, and boardrooms of investment banking.

The result, for anyone in business, can be blood-stirring. If you find no spiritual growth in spreadsheets . . . if you'll entertain that a workday is potentially rife with teachable, transcendent moments . . . if practical means to uncover spiritual purpose in your secular career appeals to you—Lowney has something for you. The seminarian economist offers no quick fixes and occasional gaps emerge between his vision and your daily operations. But Lowney asks the right questions and offers thoughtful, readable answers.

No joke.

Chris, why does a person leave seminary for the corporate world? Did you believe you had another calling?

Most of the time I was a seminarian I was pretty happy. But that kind of lifestyle is, in a way, a gifted one. I realized I could stick it out but at the cost of being somewhat unhappy, and that's an important indicator of what we're supposed to do with our lives. Many fulfilling jobs are difficult and have difficult moments—but in a deep way, I realized my own path was outside religious life.

That's a relief. I was prepared to envy someone's having, in his mid-twenties, a clear call to serve God in the business world. But you're claiming no master plan.

The last thing I'd done as a Jesuit was to teach economics at a high school. So to get a job to support myself, I just started sending resumes to big banks.

When did concepts of holiness enter your equation?

I didn't think of holiness at work until much later in life. I think what the psychologists tell us bears out in my life experience. When you're young, you tend to focus on promotions, money, family. At some point in our 40s, we begin to think, "Does this make any sense? What's the point of my life? What am I trying to accomplish?" My life, in a way, followed that pattern. I didn't think in that dimension much until I'd been at Morgan for ten years or so.

People start to feel great frustration between what they believe deeply and their daily work: "I can't connect what I believe to what I do all week." Lives are split and it's a source of pain—whether they frame it in religious or life terms. I wanted to take that on and ask: Are there ways to begin to think about what we do to bridge this chasm?

And there you are, a seminary-trained economist working among Harvard business school types. That raises another question: when your associates learned of your background, what reactions did you get?

It would be all over the place. One of the problems in a lot of investment banking firms is that people with homogenous backgrounds operate in ways that lead to tunnel vision and tunnel thinking. It's a little tangential to the point, but I think we see some of the fallout of that in the crises over the last two to three years. They are complicated crises, and I don't mean to oversimplify. But a contributing factor is crowds of people with the same background, training, and approach to problems. You slip into groupthink quickly, and things can easily go wrong. All to say that for some people my background was a curiosity and nothing more profound. They'd all gone to Harvard Business School and knew what those folks were like. A seminarian was an odd piece. Occasionally but rarely, people who by virtue of what I'd done probably looked at me as an intermediary, someone you could discuss ethical concerns with that they might not have raised generally.

Investment bankers tend not to be reflective people?

One important aspect of their work involves short-term decisions—say in foreign exchange or equities. That style of decision-making and thinking tends to pervade entire companies. Yet for many kinds of decision-making, most particularly personal life decisions, that's an unhealthy approach.

In Heroic Living, I ask people to consider what mental approach they have to important decisions. I suggest that the [investment banker] model of decision-making is bad for important life choices.

Do you think business school ethics classes can make a difference in how the students do decisions . . . do life?

I think it's a great dilemma. It's important to put that subject on the table and force people to articulate, in a classroom setting at least, their own points of view. There was a wave of [ethics courses] after the 2000 series of corporate scandals—Enron, etc.—and a flurry of ethical studies in business schools. The great dilemma is the difference between what you know and what you do. A great mystery, not just in business, is what makes people morally courageous. No school course makes people morally courageous. While it's good and important for students to talk about ethical ramifications of what they do for a living, anyone who imagines that [a course] is a panacea for ethics in the workplace is smoking dope.

Are you a special case, then? Do you think you could find "holy ground" in the corporate world apart from your seminary background?

Probably not. I was trained to think a certain way and look for certain things. The book suggests that people must do personal digging to surface what they ultimately care about and stand for. Nowadays everyone wants five quick tips and the longest part of my book has no quick tips. The first half is more reflective and time intensive. That's necessary to transform ourselves into people with an appropriately profound sense of who we are and what we're about.

In Heroic Living, Chri

From Where You Sit (Audio)

Howard E. Butt, Jr. — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 06:00:00 GMT

Brent recently experienced "downward mobility." He was demoted. He had worked hard and long. But new owners had new ideas. And Brent was moved from a corner office to a cubicle—from a large private room to a bullpen with entry-level employees.

Brent lost a little prestige, it's true. But he kept his integrity. No longer a top executive—and without his former influence—day after day, Brent came to work. To every task, he gave his best. Not surprisingly, he soon had the respect of everyone around him.

This is Howard Butt, Jr., of Laity Lodge. Brent's story illustrates that in God's employee ranking, the person at the desk matters far more than where the desk sits—in the high calling of our daily work.
In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity , seriousness and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us. (Titus 2:7-8)

Good Decisions (Audio)

Howard E. Butt, Jr. — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 06:00:00 GMT
At the highest level of professional football, one skill separates the best from the rest—the ability to make good decisions. Bad decisions lead to interceptions or broken plays. Good decisions win the game. Millions watch on TV and decry the poor decisions of a highly skilled, highly trained athlete. We are quick to hold our favorite team's quarterback accountable for his decisions.

This brings me to a question. Are we just as accountable for our own decisions?

This is Howard Butt, Jr., of Laity Lodge. The Bible teaches us with stories of imperfect people taking responsibility for their actions. Then . . . the difference is Christ's forgiveness, which helps us all move on today . . . in the high calling of our daily work.

The Call to Courage in a Time of Fear and Doubt (Bible Reflection)

John Hoyt — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 06:00:00 GMT

The word courage has been on my mind for some time now. It is a little game I play in reading magazines, journals, and the newspaper, to keep a lookout for words of significance, and courage has, for me, become one of those words. Sadly, it has not been much in the media recently. As many of us are in a state of shock or quiet desperation, courage is far from our thoughts.
So what is courage? How do we find it? How do we live it? Webster's Dictionary defines it as "That quality of mind which enables one to meet danger and difficulties with firmness, valor." The word is derived from the French word coeur, meaning heart, and comes from the ancient idea that our character and the best of our emotions come from the heart. The movie Braveheart tried to portray such a life of courage against all odds. A better film and one that reaches deeper into the word's meaning is A Man for all Seasons. This is the story of Sir Thomas Moore, a man of great wisdom and nobility, who refused to bow to the wishes of his king on a matter of principle and lost his life for it.

There is no better passage in Scripture that speaks of courage than Joshua chapter 1. Moses had been the Israelite nation's leader for forty years, and now Joshua was to take over. We find God, knowing his doubt and fears, saying to him three separate times: "Be strong and very courageous" and each time with a different emphasis. First, he promises Joshua, "As I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will never leave you nor forsake you." The second time, he adds "Be careful to obey my instructions." The third time we see his deep concern for his possibly nervous servant. "Have not I commanded you! Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified. Do not be discouraged. I will be with you wherever you go."

What great lessons we can learn from this passage. Joshua had doubts. So do we. He is the same loving God and Father, and his promises to Joshua apply to us now.

For the Christian, there is every reason to be courageous, no matter how dark the external situation may be. How I need this courage as president of a small, vulnerable company, whose financial future looks bleak, even as I am writing this. But I can look back and know that God is faithful and has provided all that I needed in the past. God promised to be with Joshua in difficult times: "As I was with Moses." Being in difficult times myself, that promise has special meaning to me. God's second admonition, "to obey," is just as applicable. If I walk in obedience and love with my Savior, I can trust that he will give me courage. Thirdly, in spite of all my doubts and fears, God is patient and persistent in his encouragement. He will always be with me wherever I go and whatever I do. Nothing can separate me from the love of Christ. Now is the time for courage!

Woman Made (Audio)

Howard E. Butt, Jr. — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 06:00:00 GMT

The First Chronicles genealogy for Ephraim, son of Joseph, lists 19 sons and one daughter named Sheerah. To survive with 19 brothers, Sheerah had to be one tough lady. In fact, the Bible says she built three cities.
In an age dominated by men waging wars and destruction, Sheerah built cities. And that's the point: God chose to highlight a woman—Sheerah, a builder of cities.
This is Howard Butt, Jr., of Laity Lodge speaking to people who daily build life into families, people, careers, legacies, and cities. When you feel discouraged, picture yourself alongside Sheerah: standing in history as a builder . . . in the high calling of our daily work.
The descendants of Ephraim: ...His daughter was Sheerah, who built Lower and Upper Beth Horon as well as Uzzen Sheerah. (1 Chron. 7:20, 24)

Using Technology to Lead and Love People (Personal Reflection)

Dustin Steeve — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 06:00:00 GMT

Editor's Note: In this article, Dustin Steeve refers to the upcoming Christian Web Conference. TheHighCalling.org is proud to be cosponsors of the 2009 Christian Web Conference with the Torrey Honors Institute. Register now to join us at the conference in Los Angeles this Fall and hear Mark D. Roberts (director of Laity Lodge) and Marcus Goodyear (senior editor of TheHighCalling.org) in person.
Near frenzy appears to drive the creation and adoption of web technologies. Just when one masters a blog, here comes a Twitter feed. When MySpace finally makes sense, Facebook changes the paradigm. If you’re a working professional you’re no doubt LinkedIn, check your Gmail on your BlackBerry, and periodically find your head in the tag clouds. As the Senior Director for GodBlogCon, now called the Christian Web Conference, it was my job to be aware of emerging web technologies and help you, the web savvy Christian leader, employ them effectively for the cause of Christ.
When I first was asked to assume leadership of the conference, I was excited. I am a leader at heart and have always dreamed of running my own company. I am especially attracted to the web industry. I observed that smart, trendy young people work for web-based companies. Many of our cultural geniuses and top CEOs reside on the top of mountainous tech companies. Tech is a booming industry and opportunity abounds. Who wouldn’t want the respect, power, and credibility of Microsoft’s Bill Gates? To this day, I really think that the web is going places. I see the web as our new social scene, our new town square. The web is full of useful tools that can plug us into its bustling commerce and social scene.
Through my work with the conference these past three years, I observed Christians giving mixed responses to the web. Some dismissed it as a source of porn and other unchristian indecency. Others saw frivolity or luxury in web based expenditures, preferring to reach people through time-tested, traditional media.
And yet to some Christians, the web appeal was strong. These Christians saw opportunity for local, national, or even global outreach via web technologies. Like these visionaries, I saw grand opportunity for Christians through use of the web. My head filled with ideas about employing web tools for evangelism. When I assumed leadership of the conference, I was hoping to help lead Christians to become masters of web technology, to create a place for themselves in the mainstream media of tomorrow. However, my early desires to conquer the web for Christ were put into a right perspective by the professors at my great-books general education program, the Torrey Honors Institute at Biola University, and Ken Myers of the Mars Hill Audio Journal.
At Torrey, my professors challenged me to think more deeply, to see through the glamorous digital façade of the web to consider the real-life people behind that façade. Professor John Mark Reynolds succinctly gave reason for this when he said,
“Virtual reality is dependent on plain old reality, so it cannot escape harming or helping the souls on line. Because it’s so dependent on the world of concrete, neon, electricity, and physical bodies, it will never replace them. People are not just minds, but minds in bodies. To really know me (all of me), you have to know my whole self which includes my physical self.”
Effective Christian use of the web cannot merely be gauged on site “hits,” awards, or even revenue. It must help people live more Christian lives on- and off-line. Ken Myers pushed me further in my thinking when he reminded me that technology often shapes one’s interaction with the world. “To a kid with a BB gun, everything becomes a target,” Myers said at GodBlogCon in 2008. Myers cited several media ecologists who remarked on the decline in young people’s ability to read deep, extended texts due to habits cultivated by their fast-paced, keyword-search-based web surfing. Myers challenged me to think about the consequences of shallow reading. If the web teaches us to be shallow readers, what does this mean for Christians’ ability to read the Scriptures well?
If we are to fulfill our calling to love our neighbors, then we ought to think beyond mere mastery of our craft to the lives of those who use our products and how those products shape a person’s interaction with the world and walk with God. In the case of the web, conferences like the Christian Web Conference provide a place where Christian leaders can come together, become aware of the latest technologies, but also be immersed in deeply Christian perspective on their impact on the lives of our neighbors. If Christians are going to be leaders using online tools, we cannot lose sight of the web’s potential; simultaneously we cannot be blinded by the flashiness of the web. A leader’s foremost consideration must be the people for whom the web can be useful and how the technology is shaping their lives.

Middle Managers Might Find This a Bit Scary (Bible Reflection)

Gordon Atkinson — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 06:00:00 GMT

People say they love the parables of Jesus, which is understandable. Jesus was a wonderful storyteller. But I sometimes wonder if anyone is actually reading them. I find many to be rather frightening. In fact, the harshest judgment is for those who call themselves children of God and do not live faithfully in their daily lives.

I sometimes think the parables should carry a warning. “Let the reader beware.” One such parable is found in Matthew 24: 45-51. It is often called “The Parable of the Faithful and Unfaithful Steward.”
"Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions. But if that wicked servant says to himself, 'My master is delayed,' and begins to beat his fellow servants and eats and drinks with drunkards, the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know and will cut him in pieces and put him with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."
The story is simple enough: A master leaves behind a servant, whom he puts in charge of the other servants. He is a steward of the workforce. He's the first century equivalent of middle management. Modern readers who exist in the business world on levels below and above middle management will probably enjoy this story. Middle managers themselves might find it a bit scary.
In the story, the steward is tasked with making sure the workers are given their proper allotment of food and drink and supplies. He has control of the schedule, keys to the supply room, and requisitions for new equipment and computers go through him. The CEO is often absent, sometimes for months. So this guy sets up quite a little kingdom for himself. He is abusive and cruel to those below him. He hogs new resources, using them for himself and his cronies, while others struggle to get their work done with aging computers and broken printers. He's pretty liberal with the petty cash too, taking himself and his friends out for long, expensive lunches. People in the office fear him and come to work each day filled with anxiety.
As you can imagine, the good times don't last forever. The manager thinks he knows when his boss is returning. Unfortunately for him, the CEO returns unexpectedly, and there is hell to pay. In the parable, literally.
There are numerous lessons in this wonderful story that have remained relevant for 2,000 years and will remain so as long as we have jobs and workers and people in charge. The abuse of power is, apparently, a thing that makes God quite angry. Woe to those who use positions of power for undue personal gain. The story also reminds us that much is expected from those to whom much is given by God.
The central meaning of the story is, however, faithfulness. God doesn't seem too concerned about what kind of job you have. Some have powerful jobs and others do not. What matters most to God is what you are doing with yourself on average days. On Tuesday mornings, say. And on Thursdays of uneventful weeks.
Happy are those whom the Lord will find obediently serving him when he returns. Happy are those who will be pleasantly surprised and filled with joy when they look up from their work and find that he has come. Happy are those who, being put in charge of others, are not seeking to benefit themselves, but instead carrying out their managerial tasks with grace and honesty and fairness to others.
Yes, happy are the faithful. For the day of the Lord always comes. In one form or another, it comes. And whether His coming is cause for celebration or trembling is determined, in part, by what happens in your life on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
-----------------------------------
Gordon Atkinson is a pastor at Covenant Baptist Church, blogger at RealLivePreacher.com, and editor at HighCallingBlogs.com a network of Christians thinking about the relationship between work and God.

What Are You Doing to Transform Your Workplace? (Wisdom from Howard E. Butt, Jr.)

Howard Butt, Jr. — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 06:00:00 GMT

Incarnational evangelism is sometimes called friendship evangelism. That's the phrase Young Life uses. Think about that for a minute.
Jesus said we are . . .
the light of the world
the salt of the earth
the yeast that makes the whole loaf rise
All three—light, salt, yeast—work by penetration, by permeation, by their influence spreading out. None of these call attention to themselves—they just silently transform, flavor, and lift their environment.
Think about your daily work. What are you doing to transform, flavor, or lift your workplace?

Nehemiah (Audio)

Howard E. Butt, Jr. — Sun, 03 May 2009 06:00:00 GMT

By 430 B.C., the Jerusalem city wall had lain in ruins for decades. Now the Jews began to rebuild. Why not before? Lack of courage . . . no strong leader. Then Nehemiah appeared. He longed to serve and was put in charge. And stirring courage revived a community.
The Jews' enemies scoffed. Building materials were mostly rubble. But Nehemiah was tenacious. He treated workers well and protected them from abuse. He helped the poor. And he was a great man of prayer.
This is Howard Butt, Jr., of Laity Lodge. Let me point you to the book of Nehemiah. You'll find a great study on effective servant leadership—our model for the high calling of our daily work.
Our LORD, I am praying for your servants--those you rescued by your great strength and mighty power. Please answer my prayer and the prayer of your other servants who gladly honor your name. (Neh. 1:5-6)

Overcoming Discouragement (Bible Reflection)

Mark D. Roberts — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 06:00:00 GMT
"Lord, where do I put my hope? My only hope is in you" (Psalm 39:7, NLT).

When "Jim" left my office at church, I was elated. Our meeting had been a tough but productive one. As his boss, I worked hard to help Jim understand my expectations and where he had been falling short. I tried to be gracious as I spoke critically, and Jim received my counsel with a willing spirit. Months of supervisory effort seemed finally to be bearing fruit. An immensely talented young man, Jim had great potential to be an outstanding member of the church staff. Thus I was encouraged by his response to our meeting and looked forward with hope to our future together.

When I arrived at my office the next morning, a blank envelope sat ominously on my desk. It contained Jim's resignation letter. He was finished at the church. There was nothing I could do or say to change his mind.

At that moment I felt deeply discouraged. My hope for Jim's fruitful future at our church shriveled on the vine. I felt like a dismal failure as a boss. Who was I to think I could manage a large church staff? Maybe I should just pack up my bags and find more suitable employment.

You may not have faced something just like my experience with Jim, but I expect you have felt the heavy weight of discouragement. Maybe it came at work, as a project for which you had high hopes fell apart. Perhaps it had to do with a close relationship that splintered owing to a misunderstanding. Or your discouragement might have resulted from frustration with your inability to be the kind of person you know God wants you to be.

Discouragement . . . such a common emotion . . . how can we overcome it? How can we get beyond discouragement, and even learn from it?

Go Ahead and Feel Discouraged

First of all, if you want to overcome discouragement, allow yourself to feel discouraged. No, I don't recommend that you rev up negative feelings that aren't there. But if you are truly discouraged, don't pretend otherwise. Trust God enough to feel what you really feel.

Some Christians think that discouragement itself is something about which to be ashamed, almost as if it were a sin. One of my favorite hymns, "What a Friend We Have in Jesus," urges: "Have we trials and temptations? Is there trouble anywhere? We should never be discouraged; take it to the Lord in prayer." Perhaps in an ideal world we should never be discouraged. But in reality, discouragement is a normal part of human life. The Psalmist asked for God's help with despair (see Psalms 42-43). The Apostle Paul admitted his own deep discouragement (2 Cor. 1:8-9). If we deny our discouragement and pretend we're "just fine," we won't be able to overcome it.

Understand Your Discouragement

If you're discouraged, why? Generally, discouragement follows on the heels of hope that doesn't pan out. For example, I had hoped that Jim would become a valuable employee. Instead, he quit, so I felt discouraged.

Knowing the source of your discouragement is essential to overcoming it. Maybe you were unrealistic in your hopes and need to learn to be more astute in your judgment (as in my situation with Jim). Maybe people you trusted let you down. Or maybe your discouragement is more generalized, a sign of burnout or broad dissatisfaction with your life. Discouragement could reflect underlying depression that is itself the symptom of deeper emotional discord. If you can accurately identify the cause of your discouragement, you'll be on the road to alleviating it.

Share Honestly with Trusted Counselors

If you're discouraged, don't keep it to yourself. Don't let pride or shame prevent you from sharing honestly with people who will listen empathically and respond wisely. Your gutsy openness will bring relief for you and freedom to others.

Throughout the years at Laity Lodge, we have followed the example of Howard Butt by sharing our lives openly, including our joys and our sorrows, our successes and our disappointments. Such honesty has opened our hearts to new experiences of God's grace. In my own life, I have found that the very act of sharing my disappointment at work with my wife or another close friend often leads to a lessening of my discouragement. Their input also helps me understand why I'm discouraged and what I can do about it.

Share Honestly with God

Or, to use more common language, pray about it. Here's where I agree completely with "What a Friend We Have in Jesus." If you feel discouraged, "take it to the Lord in prayer." We can tell him everything, including the fact that we're discouraged. When we do, we begin to experience God's gracious peace.

Moreover, when we share our discouragement with the Lord, we are open to discovering his presence in the midst of our unhappiness. Perhaps God is wanting to teach us something essential through our discouragement. Maybe he is redirecting our energies, our work, or our lives.

When we take our discouragement to the Lord in prayer, we find that our hope is redirected and rekindled. With the Psalmist, we confess, "And so, Lord, where do I put my hope? My only hope is in you" (Psalm 39:7, NLT). This doesn't mean we never trust others or expect their help. But it does remind us that God alone is fully trustworthy and that his help is both necessary and utterly reliable. The more we hope in God, focusing on his trustworthiness, the more we will find our discouragement melting away, replaced by confidence in God. Thus we not only overcome discouragement, but also it becomes an avenue to spiritual growth.

Temp for Christ (Bible Reflection)

Tod Bolsinger — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 06:00:00 GMT

Back when we were first married, we lived in Hollywood and my wife worked for a major entertainment company. That sounds more glamorous than it was, I'm afraid. Beth will be the first to tell you. She was "just a temp," a temporary worker, sent to the company from the temp agency. She ended up staying for eight months.
At the time, I was a minister to young adults at a church in Hollywood, and many of them were "temping" as well. Like Beth, they answered phones, sorted the mail, brewed coffee, and did everything that nobody else wanted to do.

Temping, for some like Beth, was just a way to pay the bills until the next phase of life. (We were trying to get me through seminary.) Others were trying to make it in another industry and were temping until they got a "real job." Indeed, most "temps" complained about how they were treated with low pay, long hours, and the like, but secretly they hoped to follow the road of the famous TV temp, Ryan of "The Office." Ryan went on to become a corporate executive for the Dunder Mifflin paper company (before he got arrested and fired, but that's another story . . .)

There's just something transient about temping. It is so temporary. No matter how bad a real job may be, at least it isn't a temp job. No matter how much you really want a dream job, it's hard to turn down the security, benefits, title, and potential future of working full time for a big company.

In many ways, we Christians are always temps no matter where we work or what we do. It is natural to want the security, position, and perks of belonging to the world, (or even a little part of the world like a corporation). We may work for a company, but Christians are called to see ourselves as temps who actually are owned by someone else. We have been bought with a price. Sure, we make it a priority to serve the company where we are temping, but we serve in the name of the one who bought us. Paul gave instructions to "slaves" regarding their earthly "masters." His language sometimes sounds odd in our ears today, but it is quite helpful: Serve them sincerely because of your reverent fear of the Lord. Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and that the Master you are serving is Christ. (Col. 3:22b-24, NLT).   Once we realize that our true Owner is the one who owns everything, then our work in any setting demonstrates where our true priorities lie. But of course, that raises a bigger issue: Does our work reflect our priorities? Do we intentionally seek to demonstrate the difference that Christ makes in our lives through our work?
Many of us, instead, live out a split-existence: We work for "the man," "the company," or the "corporation" Monday through Friday during business hours. And we serve our "Master" on Sundays and during "free time." (Of course we mostly serve ourselves, through both, but that's another issue, isn't it?) And that split-existence diminishes the effectiveness of our witness.
Instead, we are called to be those who serve in every sector of society, including our careers and in our workplaces as vastly different "workers":
We are to be more in "awe" of God (which is what "reverent fear" in the passage above means) than we are fearful of those who have the power of the payroll.
We know that whomever we serve, we are actually serving the Lord himself (consider that next time you abruptly put a person on "hold" when they call!)
We know that our ultimate "payment" is our Lord's pleasure ("Well done, good and faithful slave!" Matt. 25:21).
Ultimately, no matter how long we work someplace, or for that matter how long we live, we are all "temps" who belong to Christ and are working for the Kingdom of God. May God's Kingdom come and his will be done, in us . . . at work.

Interview with David Ramos, Part 2 (Interview)

Becky Garrison — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 06:00:00 GMT

As the founder of Latino Leadership Circle, the Rev. David Ramos works with other Latino leaders to provide venues for theological reflection, pastoral support, and educational forums. Also, in his capacity as a staff minister at Faith Fellowship Ministries, David serves as the Chancellor of Faith International Training School. In addition, he’s conducted missionary initiatives in Africa, Colombia, Cuba, Dominican Republic, India, Philippines, Turkey, Spain, and Venezuela. We decided to sit down with David to glean his insights regarding how he creates opportunities to give those who feel they’ve been excluded from the conversation the opportunity to have a real voice in the church.
What would you say to those who feel that you have to be ordained in order to serve as a religious leader?

You do not need to be ordained. In fact, the gospel talks about the priesthood of all believers. While I wanted to be ordained and am an ordained minister, for most of my life, I conducted ministry but was not ordained. I was what was known as a marketplace leader, who worked as a professional as well as within the church. Some of the most powerful strategic voices are people who are not ordained, but serve both God and people in strategic places in the kingdom of God and in the world. So, I really would encourage people not to get stuck on that.
Could you elaborate on the term "mosaic leadership" and how this concept informs your work?

Mosaic leadership integrates a tapestry of different people, along with their gifts, talents, worldviews, and various perspectives. This generation necessitates a mosaic leadership, because more than ever before, we've seen both politically and theologically the damage that can be done by ideology and ethnocentrism. But, I believe that if we have a Mosaic leadership that is very deliberate and sensitive to different positions and attempts to responsibly engage the other and create spaces where people's voices can be heard, then people can achieve full participation in the type of things that we're trying to achieve.
It's not always easy. Sometimes you may be deceived to think that you are operating that way until you realize that you, yourself, may have operated within particular enclaves, both theologically, racially, politically. And, hence, we continuously need to be open and sensitive to correction—by the Spirit of God, by friends, and by those who are interlocutors who oppose us. I think they are all educational opportunities.
How do you deal with the turf wars that always seem to happen when different groups try to come together to achieve a common goal?

If you have a heart to serve people, you'll always have opportunities. Some people try to rob your thunder or they try to circumvent you and take over. I think sharing is very, very important, both in process, as well as in distributing credit for any event or initiative that we do.
Also, one needs to step back if necessary. Sometimes, letting other people take the credit is okay. Now, you're not to be a doormat for people, and you need not be politically foolish. One can be wise and shrewd in the world and be able to halt abusive people or people who are solely politically motivated. We can do that without having this ambition for the limelight or an ambition of a personal agenda that auspicates the purposes of God and authentic spirituality.
What advice do you have for others who are working in multi-cultural settings as to how they can build up their leadership?

Get to know the people who know the grounds and include as many people as possible. Also, surround yourself with people who are unlike you theologically, politically, and racially. You can be of like-spirit in the sense of Spirit of God, but have different perspectives or different narratives. I think by us allowing ourselves to be informed and be touched by others, it changes our paradigms and enables us to have a much more global vision. In order for us to do that, we need to have an authentic openness. I don't think that can occur if we are so utterly locked within our own paradigms. If one is truly sensitive, one can be deliberate about a process.
Does it create more work? Sure. Are you going to make everyone happy? No. Are you able to retain control of your own leadership? Yes, if you can say, "Hey, listen. These are the things you want to do. These are the objectives we are trying to accomplish. And we would like to do this together. There are some things we can negotiate, and there are some things that are nonnegotiable." If you effectively communicate these things to the people you invite, I think they can respect you for making an honest attempt at honest dialog.
What advice do you have for those ministers who want to be multicultural but every time they plan an event, the gatherings tend to be almost all people like them?

One of the things is the issue of power. A lot of times we don't realize that our power paradigm speaks volumes to any relationship. If we're going to have authentic cross-cultural and cross-racial events and initiatives, then this power needs to be shared. When there is a shared power that may take you in different directions. Ask yourself if you are willing to do that. Are you willing to allow people to take you in a different path? Are you willing to allow it to look differently than your view of a particular event? How married are you to your vision?
I would highly recommend not to bring people in at the end of a particular thought process but to involve them from the very beginning. The earlier you bring people into the process of developing any type of endeavor, the better it is and the more authentic it is, because people will believe that you're having a valid, authentic dialog that started from the conception stage. If you allow people to inform the conception stage, then you allow them to have authentic ownership of the project.
How can outside organizations partner effectively with local grassroots groups?

A lot of times, people are afraid that their indigenous initiatives are going to be co-opted by outsiders. That could take many forms. For example, money is a form of power. A lot of times when people offer finances, there are very large strings attached. Those strings can be political with various agendas attached to this money that sometimes raises flags for people.
Instead of telling

What is servant leadership? (Ramblin' Dan)

Dan Roloff — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 06:00:00 GMT
In the twenty-four years I've worked here, I've learned a considerable amount from Howard Butt, Jr. One of the clearest examples is my understanding of servant leadership. At its core, the concept is Trinitarian. That means, you can’t fully understand servant leadership without considering the nature of the Trinity.
Servant leadership is a combination of three things:

leading
following
being open to change

Over the years, I've read, heard, and seen people claim servant leadership as their method of operation. Most often, this means that people choose to be servants. They don't want that position to be seen as one of submission. So they choose to exercise their leadership by serving others. Up to a point. Then they exercise their leadership by not serving any longer. Howard Butt illustrates this well in his audio message "A Servant's Thanks." Often, we need control in order to feel powerful. "I'll serve you on my terms."

Other times, servant leadership becomes an opportunity to abdicate responsibility. People don’t know when to claim their leadership. The internal conversation sounds like this, "I know I'm the best suited to lead in this instance, but if nobody asks me I'll just serve everybody by practicing servant leadership." That's one of my favorite internal conversations. When individual leaders refuse to lead, the group suffers. We don’t serve anyone by denying our leadership responsibilities.

The heart of servant leadership is the struggle between two apparently opposite terms. Being a servant means submitting to the authority of another. Being a leader means claiming authority over others or a situation. When we breakdown the terms, servant leadership doesn't look as warm and fuzzy. Some people submit way too much. Others try to control too much. In either extreme, it isn’t servant leadership. If there is no tension between serving and leading, it isn’t servant leadership.

Tension doesn't mean agony or anxiety. It does mean a pulling, twisting, or bending. Servant leadership is constantly aware of the shift between leading—and following another's lead. It's a healthy tension that takes seriously the other people involved in our work.

If there is tension, invariably there is someone saying, "Relax."

That's not bad advice. But a better prescription for tension is flexiblity. It should be clear by now that tension doesn't have to mean rigidity. There needs to be a give and take. The relationship between our service and our leadership should be flexible. When we look at the language of the Trinity, we see a Father and a Son. The Father represents authority. The Son represents submission to the Father's authority. There is some tension in the father-son relationship. How is it resolved? The Holy Spirit introduces flexibility and restores unity.

Interview with David Ramos, Part 1 (Interview)

Becky Garrison — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 06:00:00 GMT

As the founder of Latino Leadership Circle, the Rev. David Ramos works with other Latino leaders to provide venues for theological reflection, pastoral support, and educational forums. Also, in his capacity as a staff minister at Faith Fellowship Ministries, David serves as the Chancellor of Faith International Training School. In addition, he’s conducted missionary initiatives in Africa, Colombia, Cuba, Dominican Republic, India, Philippines, Turkey, Spain, and Venezuela. We decided to sit down with David to glean his insights regarding how he creates opportunities to give those who feel they’ve been excluded from the conversation the opportunity to have a real voice in the church.
What are some of the best leadership lessons you’ve learned from your work as an ordained minister?

I’ve learned to put the people as a primary focus. If I focus on the needs of people and I factor their motivations, their fears, and what they are struggling with, then I’m able to be more sensitive to their needs and able to leverage their gifts in a way that they’ll find meaningful. So, part of my approach to leadership is really trying to get to know my people and to appreciate them individually.
Are there specific Bible verses or stories that have been most helpful to you in your work as a leader?

One of the verses that immediately comes to my mind is when David says about God, "Your gentleness has made me great" (Psalm 18:35). There has been so much talked about in the media about leadership. Ministers were modeling their churches on the paradigm of pastor as CEO; and some were actually taking cues from Donald Trump. So I went the total opposite direction. God had a tender relationship with David. The love David experienced with God enabled his gifts to grow so that he could become a very successful warrior, author, and leader. So, I believe in gentleness.
How do you define the idea of local leadership?

I believe biblical leadership aspires to have people tap into spiritual motivations and questions of meaning and purpose. This style of leadership takes a serious look at spirituality—not just as a luxury or something that one does on the side—but as something that forms one’s identity in a very real way. I believe that people yearn for spirituality. Many people feel divorced from their roles in the workplace. A lot of people suffer psychologically and physiologically, because they hate their work. If we could get people to align their labor with what is most valuable to them, I think they will feel more actualized. And I think that we’ll get better employees.
Why did you found the Latino Leadership Circle?

Back in 2001, I was seeing talented young leaders here in New York City who were divorced from the matrix of what was going on. I wondered, "Where are the mentors? What are they doing with this whole generation of emerging leaders?" I would kind of complain to God about this. Then, I felt God tell me, "Why don’t you do something?" I was a little stunned by that at first.
Then, I decided to gather friends and people I knew in the workplace who were divergent in their political views and their theological views. I invited them to come to have a discussion about their lives. Out of these meetings came the Latino Leadership Circle (LLC), which is a cohort of ministers and marketplace leaders. One of the primary things I wanted to do was to create a safe place where people could come and bleed. People have described the LLC as a lifeline where a great deal of intimacy has occurred. Also, we’ve moved into creating educational events in the city so people have forums available to look at the various issues.
How do you know that this venture is God-centered?

One of the things the Bible talks about is the "fruit of the Spirit"—love, patience, mercy, kindness. I see these reflective characteristics in the people who participate in the LLC. Also, I see it in the way we engage other people when we partner strategically with other organizations. We attempt to value them and really attempt to glorify God in all that we do.
How do you see the LLC working with your partners overseas?

We’ve begun to think of this notion of a global federation of the LLC. We have been approached by many other cities who want to create an LLC. While we just haven’t followed up on that, there is this idea of connecting people who are of like spirit. But it’s not just one particular city or environment. How do the global realities impact what we can do to help our brothers and sisters in a different country? I believe that our generation is seeing that gap being closed because of the Internet and the freedoms we have that generations before us did not have.
What is the impetus behind launching the ACTS Urban Youth Leadership Training program?

As a young minister, I was in a no-man’s land. Not only did I not receive any support, but I had a lot of resistance from my own local church. I didn’t want other young people to have to suffer the things that I suffered. So, I started working with the American Bible Society as a director of Urban Youth Strategy. One of the things that I proposed to them is to create a leadership program.
ACTS is an acronym for Assessment Consultation and Training and Support. The training is a 12-week intensive interactive training where we get urban youth leaders to learn about different things, such as strategic planning, project planning, creating community assessments, leadership team building, and social justice. We’re trying to help urban youth by giving them executive skills so they can actualize the responsibilities they have in their local churches.
How do you mentor others?

We’re looking to return to creating this mentoring dynamic where younger people can come and be able to bleed and then share and discuss their personal and professional journeys. Also, we stay in contact with our graduates and the people involved with LLC by inviting them to participate and collaborate with some of the events we do in the city.
Who have been your mentors?
My pastors in my life have all been mentors. They were men of God, w

We Are in the Middle of a Revolution (Wisdom from Howard E. Butt, Jr.)

Howard Butt, Jr. — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 06:00:00 GMT

Someone on my staff shared this blog post by Clay Shirky, a professor at NYU. (You can read about Clay Shirky here.) His essay is long but worth sharing. Here are some excerpts:
Newspapers and Thinking the Unthinkable
Gordy Thompson, who managed internet services at the New York Times [said] something to the effect of “When a 14 year old kid can blow up your business in his spare time, not because he hates you but because he loves you, then you got a problem.” I think about that conversation a lot these days.
[...]
When reality is labeled unthinkable, it creates a kind of sickness in an industry. Leadership becomes faith-based, while employees who have the temerity to suggest that what seems to be happening is in fact happening are herded into Innovation Departments, where they can be ignored en masse.
[...]
Round and round this goes, with the people committed to saving newspapers demanding to know “If the old model is broken, what will work in its place?” To which the answer is: Nothing. Nothing will work. There is no general model for newspapers to replace the one the internet just broke.
With the old economics destroyed, organizational forms perfected for industrial production have to be replaced with structures optimized for digital data. It makes increasingly less sense even to talk about a publishing industry, because the core problem publishing solves — the incredible difficulty, complexity, and expense of making something available to the public — has stopped being a problem.
[...]
When someone demands to know how we are going to replace newspapers, they are really demanding to be told that we are not living through a revolution. They are demanding to be told that old systems won’t break before new systems are in place. They are demanding to be told that ancient social bargains aren’t in peril, that core institutions will be spared, that new methods of spreading information will improve previous practice rather than upending it. They are demanding to be lied to.
There are fewer and fewer people who can convincingly tell such a lie.
Read the rest of the article here.

Leadership Temptations in Tough Times (Bible Reflection)

Todd Lake — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 06:00:00 GMT

"There are no atheists in foxholes." However, when times are really tough, there may be few genuine Christians in foxholes either. When times get tough, people certainly want enough of God to get them through. But perhaps it is also true that, in the worst of times, we may not want God to get in the way of anything we think might get us through.
How should one lead an organization or team of people through difficult times? I once heard a leader say, only half in jest, "When times get tough, I am willing to rise above principle to get the job done." When things are going well, one has the luxury of doing the right thing even if it costs a bit more in time and money or decreases the efficiency or bottom-line productivity of the team. But when tough times come, the stakes are higher and there is a strong temptation to do whatever it takes to prevail.
In the seemingly endless stories of the leaders of Israel in 1 and 2 Kings and 1 and 2 Chronicles, one notices a sad pattern. King after king is rebuked because "he did not remove the high places." Notice that these kings never stopped worshipping the one true God. But they wanted to hedge their bets, so they never got rid of the pagan altars to the practical gods of rain and fertility.
Like the kings of Israel, we don’t want to give up on pagan ways that may save our skin if the true and living God doesn’t come through. Just in case the gospel way of living proves impractical, we still have access to idols in "high places": selfishness, if generosity is too expensive; intimidation, if kindness doesn’t work; outbursts of anger, if gentleness fails; vindictiveness, if forgiveness doesn’t cut it; and gossip and conniving, if honesty and sincerity aren’t working.
When budgets and salaries are on the rise, even a mediocre leader can bank on some enthusiasm for the tasks at hand. But when budget cuts come and salaries are frozen, outstanding Christian leadership becomes essential. Jesus led a group of disciples who accomplished the mission he had set for them against all odds (and with God’s help). Yet he offered little of worldly value to them, except his assurance that they were colaborers with him in building God’s kingdom.
First, we must show that it’s about them, not us.   After Jesus fasted for forty days, the devil said, "If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread." The temptation isn’t to break a 40-day fast; Jesus was going to do that anyway. The temptation is to use our power for our own benefit. The perks, privileges, and pay that we steer our way as leaders will quickly undermine our ability to lead in difficult times. Later in his ministry, Jesus gladly made bread for thousands, but he never did a miracle for himself. Neither should we.
Second, we must show that we’ll share the struggle, not float above it. Scripture says, "Then the devil took Jesus to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. ‘If you are the Son of God,’ he said, 'throw yourself down.' " It takes a Christian vision of leadership for us to be willing to share the lot of those we lead. We can delude ourselves into thinking that we should be spared the pain and struggle that others on our team are experiencing. Yet Jesus did not float above the struggles of his "team."
Finally, we cannot take God-displeasing shortcuts to achieve a God-honoring goal.
The story of Jesus’ three temptations concludes: "the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 'All this I will give you,'he said, ‘if you will bow down and worship me.' " In the end, Jesus will rule the world, so that is not a temptation. The temptation is to kowtow to the devil to achieve our worthy goal. Leaders who cut corners and compromise their ethics think they are getting the team to the goal more quickly. But it has been rightly said, "The ends don’t justify the means; the means are the end."
May God’s grace show us that tough times in our daily work never require us to abandon our high calling.

Seeking the Spirit, Transforming Life (Ramblin' Dan)

Dan Roloff — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 06:00:00 GMT

I was with some friends not long ago, and the topic of spirit came up. There were a couple of “out there” expressions of spirits—none having to do with Christianity. Suddenly one guy said, “Wait, I want to hear from Dan.” The group stopped to hear my response.
Now, this was a wide-ranging group of nonbelievers, marginal believers, and skeptics. I began by acknowledging that there are many kinds of spirits. In Christianity we acknowledge that, but we choose to embrace the Holy Spirit of God.
So here is an encouragement of the Spirit. Jesus told us of the Counselor, the Holy Spirit in John 14:15-16:15 . Here are some highlights from that text:
John 14:16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever—
John 14:26 But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.
John 15:26 When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me.
John 16:7 But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.
John 16:13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.
Our responsibility as Christians is to listen for and listen to the Counselor Jesus sent. The more we apply this understanding to our faith, the better able we are to live in Christ. Jesus was not a one-time event in any sense. He was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be.

Metaphor for Servant Leadership (Ramblin' Dan)

Dan Roloff — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 06:00:00 GMT
Motherhood is the great metaphor for servant leadership. A baby cannot survive without mothering. The needs of an infant are totally dependent. Yet, with all that power, mothers respond to every need of their infant children. An infant cries and mother responds. Danger is imminent, a mother protects. An infant is hungry, a mother provides food. Mothers don’t control infants; they lead them by serving the infant’s needs.
From Augustine’s mother Monica to Rosie the Riveter, women, as a class, demonstrate the immense potential for leading without power. Monica’s story, told by Augustine in The Confessions, symbolizes the influence of mothers on the growth of the church. It is well documented, starting with the New Testament, that everyone—rich, poor, free, slave, and even women—were welcome to follow the Way of Jesus.

As primary caregivers for their children, women have always had an enormous influence on their children's lives. Monica was no different. Married to a pagan, she raised her boys in the faith of Christ. Augustine, however, was a difficult young man who tested the limits of life and embraced some of his father’s life practices. Monica remained steadfast in her faith and in her son.

Many sources credit Ambrose with finally converting Augustine. I’m sure that he played a significant role in Augustine’s renewal. I don’t think it was any more significant than the role his mother played. But I wasn’t there, so the only thing I have to go on is a history of observing mothers and their influence. Monica is a symbol.

Another symbol, in more recent times, is the role of Rosie the Riveter during WWII. Again, it is well documented that when men left the factories to go to war, women filled those vacant positions to keep supplies moving to the troops. When the men returned, many “Rosies” left the factories.

Women returned to care for the household. The value of such a role has been heavily scrutinized over the last fifty years. Leading without power is not glamorous, widely esteemed, or easy. It is, however, at the heart of servant leadership.

With apologies to Kipling:

If you can meet with slavery and power
And treat those two imposters just the same;

You’ll be a servant leader, in the image of our Lord.

Thank God for Good Teachers (Audio)

Howard E. Butt, Jr. — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 06:00:00 GMT

A man vacationing in Hawaii noticed that the colors of the daily rainbows always appeared in the same order. Why? He Googled his question. Soon, he was watching a video of Professor Walter Lewin at MIT—a teacher famously in love with physics.
Bounding across the stage, Lewin explained the “amazing” and “beautiful” physics of rainbows. Colors repeat order, he said, as light refracts and reflects in water droplets. Suddenly, the man saw the same world with new eyes.
This is Howard Butt, Jr., of Laity Lodge. A good teacher loves a subject so much that you love it too. The next time you see a rainbow, thank God for good teachers . . . in the high calling of our daily work.
Never be lacking in zeal , but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. (Rom. 12:11)