Tag: Servant Leadership

With You I Am Well Pleased

What are you motivated by? A lot of us are motivated by praise. We want to know that we’ll be appreciated and that our diligent work will be acknowledged. In general, people like to be thanked and honored. Whether you are a leader, a co-worker, a parent, a friend – we’ve learned that people get braver when when love gets expressed.

Jesus was no exception. In reading the gospel according to Mark, we find in the beginning a brief account of Jesus being baptized by his cousin John the Baptist. It was a significant act that honored John and fulfilled the work he came to do: “prepare the way for the Lord.” God honored them both as John raised Jesus up out of the water by speaking over them saying, “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”

Who are people that you need to speak into today? Who needs encouragement in your home? Who should be honored at work? Who of your friends do you need to affirm and appreciate? This is more than just being nice. This is the kind of stuff that sustains life and gets us through the tough times.

the-gospel-of-mark

The very next story in the gospel of Mark has the Spirit of God sending Jesus out into the wilderness. The same Spirit that descended upon Jesus at the baptism, bringing with it words of love and affirmation was the same Spirit that sent Jesus out among the wild animals and the satan to be tested and tempted for forty days.

The Father knew that his Son needed to be strengthened with encouraging words because a very difficult test was coming. John also will soon face a terrible test. While Jesus was out in the depths of the wilderness, I imagine the words of his Father echoed deep in his heart: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”

ChristInTheWilderness_1

Most people are under-encouraged. And most people are going through a tougher time than you imagine. So take time to notice. Make space to be present and pay attention. Don’t just throw out empty platitudes. Give a gift of speaking into someone’s life, noticing them and giving honor and kindness. Words can heal, embolden, and sustain.

It may be that the tough times people are going through are designed by God as part of their mission in life; it could be the tough times are just because life is rough; and sometimes tough times come from our folly and sins. But all of it can be used by God for good, if we let him. And sometimes that gets spurred by our diligent work of speaking words of kindness and hope into the those around us enduring tough times.

A lot of life is preparation for what is next. And a lot of times what is next is going to be hard – especially if you are a leader, and are one who is being sent to bring healing and reconciliation to our world through Jesus. So as followers of Jesus, we know that tough times are ahead, testing is part of our path, we must endure temptation – but it’s for a purpose.

In the midst of your wilderness, remember these words of honor and love from your Father in heaven: “You are my Daughter, You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.” Now go, and do likewise.

Everyone Wins When A Leader Gets Better

This core conviction is at the heart of the Global Leadership Summit, produced annually by the Willow Creek Association, which is led by Rev. Bill Hybels.

My big takeaway of the day:  build character in others and INCREASE YOUR PAIN THRESHOLD!

Fort Wayne is one of many satellite locations for this event which is hosted on the campus of Willow Creek Community Church in Chicago, and then broadcast live to cities around the world. About 300,000 leaders attend the event, with over 3,000 in Fort Wayne (making it the largest satelite venue in the world).

A big plus of this big event is seeing so many friends, reconnecting, networking, and sharing insights gleaned from the two day conference. I’m thankful to the YMCA of Greater Fort Wayne for sending 20 of us to participate in the Summit.

gls banner

Here’s a few takeaways I had from the Thursday sessions:

  • The highest virtue in leadership is humility. It’s the willingness to learn from anybody in any situation, it’s about mutual respect, and honoring what we hold in common.
  • Humility is not about low self-confidence, or thinking less of yourself or discounting your passions or talents – humility is more about putting the Golden Rule into practice, from a servant’s heart. Like Jesus Christ.
  •  Leaders are better when they help those they lead become better leaders. This happens best when the focus turns from I to We, and from Me to Service. (Alan Mulally, CEO Boeing & Ford)
  • “People want to lift up their own lives.” Melinda Gates was the most inspiring leader who opened up about their work and life (Mulally was a close second). Leading and serving must be infused with dignity for the humanity of one another. All lives have equal value.
  • The work and spiritual practices Gates pours herself into are shaped by early influences in Catholic Social Justice, primarily in her gradeschool education. She submits her brilliant intellect and ambitious spirit to the Lord through daily practices of solitude, spiritual direction, and dwelling on the Word. The same practices of being present, attentive, and open to the Lord are what she does with the poorest in the world, and the richest. And this caring spirit is a beautiful example of leadership that serves.
  • Enlarge Your Vision / Empower Your People / Embrace Risk (Jossy Chacko, a church-planter Asia/India, with a goal to see 100,000 communities transformed).
  • We respond emotinally to our experiences before we can think about our experiences. Everyone is emotional, and everyone analyzes. But if we ignore or discount our emotions, we’ll distort our reflection about it.
  • Three Virtues of an Ideal Team Player: Humility, Hungry, EQ Smart

gls faculty

The Beginning Of The Good News

Sometimes you don’t know how good the news really is until well after the fact, when you can look back with lots of perspective and experience. Hindsight isn’t always 20/20, but it’s usually full of more insightful than foresight (although if we learned from hindsight you’d think we’d have more informed foresight)!

Everyone in life has someone they are leading and those they are serving. When it comes to our contributions in their life, we’d all much rather be bearer of good news. The real gift, though, is not the tidbit of information we share that is called good news; the real gift is when we embody the good news, the best gift is when we ourselves are the good news. What’s better then someone being glad because you showed up to serve and lead?

stock-footage-good-news-newspaper-headline-reveal-loops

But sometimes we aren’t always aware of what kind of good news we are bringing into a situation. And sometimes those we serve and lead don’t always know what kind of goodnews we bring with us when we show up.

In the Gospel According to Mark, we get a sense that Jesus can fully relate with us on this point (and many others). The opening sentence is: “The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” This gospel was written over three decades after the crucifixion, resurrection and ascension of Jesus. In that time the stories of Jesus’ words and works were written down, shared, and retold in small communities. But it wasn’t until that generation started to die that Mark’s gospel and the other three were compiled to remind us of what kind of good news Jesus really is for Israel and the world.

the-gospel-of-mark

The word gospel means “good news” – when we preach the gospel of Jesus we are proclaiming the good news of Jesus’ life and death, his words and works, his resurrection and reign over the world as Savior and Lord. With a king like Jesus ruling over the earth, how can we not celebrate this good news! Except that sometimes we don’t know how good the news is until we can look back over a lifetime with perspective and experience.

Not all of Israel recognized Jesus for the good news he was for them. He was rejected, betrayed, and crucified by his own people. Mark wrote his gospel a generation later, when many, many, many thousands of Israelites had repented of their rebellion and believed the good news that Jesus really was sent by God as their true king. Within four centuries the followers of Jesus would number in the millions, becoming adopted as the official religion of the Roman Empire (a great irony, and tragedy, but that’s another story…).

Sometimes we have to take the long view when bad things happen in our life. Sometimes what we call bad news becomes good news. Sometimes we don’t know the impact we are making on the lives of those we serve, lead and love – it looks like nothing is happening, but down the road we become known as good news.

And that’s what God wants you, for us, for the Church, for the body of Christ, for those that are followers of Jesus -to embody the gospel of Jesus, live it out in our life together, be good news when you show up to work, when you serve and lead at home, in your YMCA, and in your neighborhood.

Jesus came to serve and lead Israel and then the world – his healing words and work, his wise rule as Christ and Lord are meant to be good news (gospel). When we share the gospel, we are giving witness to the good news we’ve experienced in and through our life because of King Jesus. Our lives are always a testimony to the words and works of Christ Jesus in the world today.

Sometimes our lives aren’t good news though. But then, it’s not the end of our story yet. In fact, it may be the beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, in your life!

What might a new beginning with Jesus look like for you? What would good news look like in you? In what ways might the Lord be wanting to proclaim good news through your life? To whom?