“Do you believe that God is with you, right now while the lightning crashes overhead and the creek rises below?” The two college students I addressed had been leading all through the long hard day, and they glanced around them, their eyes wildly looking for some sense of safety and security. We had evacuated an […]
Training Leaders as Player-Coach
I?ve mentioned before how much I?ve benefitted from the writings of Elton Trueblood, a Quaker author and professor of philosophy from the last century. He had much to say on themes of spiritual formation and ministry. I came across this little treasure as I was reviewing some of my excerpts from his book The Incendiary […]
Leadership as Soul Care
One of the spiritual directors whose writings have helped me is Reginald Somerset Ward, an Anglican spiritual director who died when I was one. Here he describes the task of spiritual direction, which he here calls ?the physician of souls.? (The language is male as this was written nearly 60 years ago. FYI). ?The task […]
Relational Delegation
Delegation is central to effective leadership. Most leaders would agree. So, why is it so hard to do well? Leaders struggle with delegating for a variety of practical reasons: We fear we won?t have enough time to explain the task. We fear giving up control. We fear we won?t get any of the credit. We […]
What Excites a Leader?
I often hear leaders talk about how excited they are about this venture or that project. Good work is energizing and invigorating. But I?m struck by what king David describes as exciting and high on his list of celebrations: Ps 31:7-8, ?I will exult and rejoice in your steadfast love,?because you have seen my affliction;??you […]
Life Giving Leadership
A while back, I read these lines in the book of Numbers: ?The staff belonging to the man I choose will sprout, and I will rid myself of this constant grumbling against you by the Israelites?. The next day Moses entered the tent and saw that Aaron?s staff, which represented the tribe of Levi, had […]
Rock Star Leadership
I began playing guitar when I was 13 years-old because I wanted to create beautiful music. Do you believe me? Well, to my 13 year-old hormone-addled mind, I began playing for something much more critical than the gift of beautiful music to the world?girls. Little did I realize that the chords I was learning and […]
