Things Necessary for Leaders, part 2

Self-examination is the key to all action. We all have the gift of a critical eye. The word "critic" is rooted in the word "judge." Judgment is the key to intelligent decision making. Such decision making begins best at home. It's not the other people in my home, either, it's me. If I don't like something about the world (or any specific arena within the world), I can only change it if I find the reason for it in myself. This is what Jesus was teaching in Matthew 7. This is what so many people seem to miss. It's a shame too, because this teaching of Christ's is among His most powerful and liberating. I'm not limited to cursing the evil in the world when I can find its source within myself and submit it to the cross of Christ. If I don't like how something is or isn't done, I first have to figure out my own role in it. We return to football. Notice the coaches. They yell. They criticize. They encourage. They discuss and dispute. The difference between them and people sitting 100 feet higher in the stadium is that they have taken responsibility for the outcome of the game. I know many people who have yet to take responsibility for their own lives, yet have much to say about others. Jesus teaches that this is backwards. If you want to change the world, or anything in the world, now, thanks to Jesus, you know where to start. It can be a pretty exciting adventure. And notice that the one who starts judgment at home, then has a voice in this world as well. Jesus was teaching us how to judge, not that we shouldn't judge. And, yes, leadership is certainly about judgment and having judgment.   

Things Necessary for Leaders

This may end up being a series of postings. Leadership is a much talked about thing. Beyond the talk are those who actually lead and the realities they must confront. This is where the interest is. To get to it, we first have to realize that "Monday Morning Quarterbacks" are not quarterbacks at all. Many people have opinions about what the quarterback (the leader) does after he (or she) does it, but this is radically different from actually being the quarterback. Being the quarterback is all that matters. Here's where the first problem exists for many who might have potential to lead; all "Monday Morning Quarterbacks" know that they are not on the field. They are not part of the game. They don't matter to the game. Few things are more discouraging to someone who cares about football (or whatever other analogy one wants to use for any area of life) than not mattering and having no influence on the outcome of the game. Imagine now, being someone who might actually have some talent for the game still sitting in the bleachers. This is what we have in America and in the church: many people who could do more are doing nothing ... and getting sore about it. Notice the responses left after news stories on the internet. Everyone has an opinion and many are very angry. Some of the anger, I think, stems from the frustration of insignificance. People who believe they don't matter are in pain. At its worst the maxim applies: hurting people hurt people.  

There's good news, though. There is a way to turn the frustration of insignificance around without letting it eat you up on the inside. It's a simple thing to observe in the lives of those who do take action and make a difference. Instead of evaluating the world, successful people evaluate themselves. They turn this energy inward. It's one of the lessons of Paul to the Corinthians framed by two verses:

1st Corinthians 11:28 - A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup.

2nd Corinthians 13:5a - Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith ...      

An honest self-appraisal is one of first things necessary for leaders because it's one of the first things necessary for everyone. This is a tough mountain for some people to climb. Insecurity and pride block self-honesty. People who fear their insignificance tend to be dishonest with themselves in order to protect themselves. Insignificance, then, breeds and feeds on itself. If you know someone suffering like this, pray for her or him. Jesus words in John 8:32 apply here: "And ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free." What an encouragement this is.

The Doing

I just left a conversation where a teaching by another pastor was referred to. The teaching's point: our lives are the sum of what we do. In other words, what we do counts. I know it doesn't sound or read as very revolutionary, but there's meat here. James brought this out. Faith that works is faith that works. In my past, this would rile me up like a boot in my backside, but these days it serves my thinking in new ways. Nowadays, it is pure hope. When I'm frustrated or at a loss, I can always DO something. There's hope in the doing. 

I know, for someone like me, great care needs to be taken here. I've been sometimes justly accused of being a "human doing" instead of a human being. Nevertheless, what a simple source of hope action is. One can always take action. We learn this in the military. There's always one more thing you can do. This is why you usually don't hear pilots of crashing planes screaming when the "black box" recording is played back. They've been trained to keep trying to do something. They die working on the problem. Sometimes, too, they don't die. Sometimes the last thing tried works and the plane doesn't crash. 

There's hope in the doing.

Competing Sanctities?

The elections results are like a piercing light. When there's a sudden change from low light to bright light in a room, everything in the room comes into clear view. Christians in America are spinning from the changes. I've had conversations with people "confessing" they voted for Obama and others with people who seem to think that our pro-life cause is helped by dismissing anything positive about the election to presidency of an African-American. In some cases, abortion just doesn't matter anymore to people. I couldn't object more in my spirit to this than I do. In other cases, Christians seem to be wondering if embracing a new racism makes them more Christian. Ridiculous. The sanctities of life, marriage, and personhood are not in competition. Pro-life, pro-family, and racial reconciliation efforts are all part of a larger effort: that of obeying God. Political arenas - like all our horizontal arenas - reveal our vertical priorities. 

One of the things I've noticed this last week is the weakness of the pro-life convictions of many Christians. And I'm not talking about those who voted for Obama. I'm talking about those who see themselves as faithful to the pro-life cause. Their words, thoughts, and votes all line up, but ... they really don't seem to care about children. They embrace an issue, and that from safe distance. The weakness of the pro-life movement is that most involved are unwilling to offer more than token support: their liability is limited. Bring up adoption, and this becomes clear. I pray for a change of heart for the church of Christ ... for the sake of children ... whose welfare is the point of the abortion debate.

Competing sanctities show that expressed values may not be authentic. In the case of the church of Jesus Christ in America, it is clear that we've allowed our opponents in the critical culture debates to remove God from the conversation. Once God is not the issue, anything goes, and sanctities end up competing with one another because they do not have God behind them. 

The Joy of Voting

I'm an American today. I voted. 

Saturday I watched - from the commander's window overlooking the base - a hearse carry home the remains of Marine Captain Trevor J. Yurista. It brought back, with more force and suddenness than I was ready for, memories of my years as a chaplain at Dover AFB, working in the mortuary and praying for families over flag-draped coffins. Thoughts of Capt. Yurista's family and the apparently great life he lived combine with hundreds of versions of the same story where I played a role greater than that of observer. These memories force me to vote. To not vote would be to personally dishonor every fallen soldier our country ever lost. Our right to vote is protected and provided by God through our military, that and every other aspect of American life covered by the Constitution. No military, no vote, no America. I'm sure not everyone feels this way, but I can't help it. I am reassured by the fact that Jesus Himself held military members in such high regard, as they did Him. As I voted and then watched Shannon vote, I held Kelsie (soon 3 years old), who watched in wonder. I told her how important it all was, and that she was an American. Voting would someday be her privilege and responsibility. Her attention was then captured by the playground she saw through the window of the polling station and there we went. 

God bless America.