gifts and leadership

Some people have told me I have a gift for leadership, and they usually follow that up with a comment about my easy-going nature, communication skills, big picture vision, or something along those lines as the reason. I find that very odd, because many times I would rather nominate someone else take point while I stand in the shadows offering advice and assistance from time to time. Don't get me wrong, if I were called to lead something, I would do my best in the role. However, I'd rather it worked out like a military field promotion: picking up the lead role in the midst of a operation because my commanding officer was rendered unconscious, but then relieved of command once the mission is accomplished and everyone is safely back at base camp.

Luckily, in the world that exists in my mind, leadership is not a one-dimensional concept. Leadership does not merely imply possessing skills to be a leader, it also takes the form of mentoring, the ability to influence a group, communicating a vision, acting as a guide, or even taking responsibility to take action. In other words, there are different types and levels of leadership. Stereotypically, a leader fits the mold of our hero archetype: charismatic, visionary, action-oriented, and intelligent. They are the singular leaders who can inspire loyalty and ensure victory be they generals, CEO's, or ministers. However, beneath the glossy veneer of that level of leadership hides another more important layer of leaders, the ones who take on specialized tasks and provide their expertise to those who require it. They are the ones that lead from the margins.

Len Hjalmarson has been writing an excellent series of articles for The Ooze entitled Leading from the Margins, in which a broad spectrum of topics are covered that all revolve around the subtleties, forms, and styles of Christian leadership. I won't pretend that what I am writing directly relates the articles, but I really liked the title and the picture it forms in my mind. To me, leading from the margins implies a form of leadership where your contributions directly affect the overall direction of the group, but the spotlight rarely graces you. It also means focusing your gifts where they are needed and having the courage to step up, making yourself available to the greater community. If you abstract the idea a bit, you can see how this applies to individual leadership, group leadership, community leadership, etc and so on. Whether it is a person lending their experience and skills with web design and Internet culture to local churches (as I hope to do), or a Christian university showing Christ's love to a minority group when other institutions persecute them (Soulforce visits ACU -- check out Equality Ride for accounts of how other universities have treated them), leading from the margins can make a big impact with what seems like very little effort.

Anyway, I would recommend reading the articles if you have time:
[ Leading from the Margins: Part I - II - III - IV - V - VI - VII ]

As always, I would love to hear your thoughts on this topic. Personally, leadership has always been something I've struggled with. I often find myself torn between a deeply felt calling to lead in certain endeavors and subconscious doubts about my ability to succeed. I suppose it is a bit like Moses (Exodus 4:1-17), "I hear what you are asking me to do God, but you aren't listening to me. I don't think I can do this! Surely, you want some one else! I'll help of course, but I'm just not the man for the job!" And probably just like Moses, I know it means relying on God to lead me through it, but sometimes we all are just a little bit stubborn there.

You know what I mean?

version 2.0.1

Big thanks to Debi, who rightly highlighted the fact that I seem to have forgotten to include the "Post a Comment" link, which made it a bit difficult to ... well, comment on the blog. Problem resolved - thanks again!

visually seeking v2.0

Welcome to the re-themed, re-skinned seeking existence blog. Took me about a week to get everything just right, but I think I worked out all the kinks. If you find anything that I missed (bugs, funky formatting), or you find that the text is too small, please don't hesitate to leave me a comment and I'll look into it. As I touched on briefly in a previous post, this change was a long time coming since I was trying to change the look of the site so it wouldn't have that cookie cutter feel. For anyone else out there who has had a similar feeling, but doesn't feel comfortable hacking away at the HTML and blogger tags that the templates consist of, I'm more than willing to lend a hand.

Something of a more spiritually reflective nature to come later this week. Cheers!

creative passion

I don't know about the rest of you, but I am a bit of a tinkerer. Whether it is something I have skills in, like web site design and general computer stuff, or something mechanical that I know next to nothing about, I find a sometimes unquenchable urge to tinker, to build, to create. The urge is never born with an unknown reason, many times it is to learn more about whatever it is I am tearing apart, and often it is to test the limits of my own creative spirit. However, regardless of the motivation I always find a passion in the work that some of my other pursuits might lack, and a fierce drive to complete the task. Sometimes I wonder if that creative spirit many of us have (whatever nature it takes) comes from God's image in which we were formed. Have you ever noticed the sheer joy you feel after putting in the energy, grit, and determination to finish a project? Perhaps it was the tedious fine tuning and balancing of a web site design, editing the last few pages of a manuscript, or fitting the last pieces onto a custom built motorcycle. There is just something about the creative process that feels so fulfilling.

However, that fulfilling emotion is a double-edged sword because one has to ask, are we fulfilled due to our self-congratulatory sense of pride? Are we proud of our work due to some inner need to present an outward show of our skills, perhaps even thinking we can use our work to further God's kingdom? Or are we simply proud at having created - completed an act of creation - regardless of its possible insignificance in the world at large?

Personally, I tend to fall into the two latter camps. I sometimes feel the need to utilize the gifts I have, not at random or for personal gain, but simply to share what I have if possible. However, probably more often I simply enjoy the creative process and the fruits of that labor of love. We are after all created in His image, and don't you think when God sat back and proclaimed all He had made good, 'good' carried with it a vastly more profound level of joy, satisfaction, and love than a simple nod of approval?

And in case you wondered, this all bubbled to the surface as I have been tinkering with a new template to drastically overhaul the look and feel of my blog. I figure its about time I ditched the cookie cutter template I picked from blogger's selection, even if I have moderately hacked it up for my own tastes.

centralized-distributed growth

Yesterday, I watched a really interesting VideoCast at BloggingChurch.com in which Terry Storch chatted with two guys (Pastor Craig Groeschel and Bobby Gruenewald) from LifeChurch.tv. First, let me just say that it was an interesting experience to compare listening to the interview and watching the interview; there is just something about being visual drawn into a conversation that really communicates just a bit better than audio at times.

However, the meat of what I found interesting was the way that LifeChurch developed over the years. Being in a part of the country where often the answer to growth is to build a bigger building or build a new addition with a bigger auditorium, it was refreshing to hear about a group that broke out of the cycle. Since they couldn't keep up with the numerical growth, they embraced spiritual growth and technology. Rather than construct buildings, they spun off "satellite" groups - find a space, put together a pastoral team, and use technology to keep connected: webcast the Sunday message from the senior pastor, convert the webcasts into audio and video podcasts, use the Internet to embrace a geographically distributed yet connected community and at the same time provide rich, personal content. It was also refreshing to hear a group that was recognizing the impact their Internet presence has had, and continue to march down that road towards providing a true online community experience. Also, the fact that they recognize that even though it may make certain members - including leaders - uncomfortable, the younger generation needs to lead the way in uncharted territory because that's where they need to go with the Message.

I may have entitled this as centralized-distributed growth but I actually think the approach LifeChurch is taking could lead to more of a de-centralized, distributed pattern of growth. A situation where many regions are providing leadership on a global scale, each shepherding a pocket of satellite communities. Essentially, imagine the Catholic church hierarchy, but without the rigid structure and pope (i.e. no individual leader who sets precedent, other than God/Jesus). Each level, from local community to global outlook, would focus on ensuring that information flowed to where it was needed and needs on that level were being met. However, connecting every level to every other level is the communication glue of a centralized set of tools (an internet portal for lack of a better example). That centralized portal provides every person the opportunity to tie into the global community, perhaps read stories from local communities around the world, chat with people from other communities, or even provide feedback and ideas that could help shape the future of global ministry. One Church and one community, yet built upon many, each working towards the same Kingdom goal but in individual ways. And in my utopian view, nothing would prevent this global network of Christians from coming from different backgrounds - Baptist, Methodist, Catholic, Congregational, Lutheran, Evangelical, Church of Christ, Orthodox, etc - except their own choice not to participate.

Well enough vision-casting and theological daydreaming for now (even though I have a really great analogy of a technical nature that I would love to extrapolate on and sketch out, which I'd probably lose a lot of people with)... Cheers!

dinner conversations

I really can't put my finger on the reason why certain books really resonate with me, though it probably has some relation to a deep seated need for whatever topic they touch on. While not the longest book I've read by any stretch of the imagination, David Gregory's Dinner with a Perfect Stranger: An Invitation Worth Considering is a great read. If you read anything like me, you can devour this spiritually charged novel in less than an afternoon (I believe it took me somewhere around 2 hours or less to burn through the 100 pages it consists of).

As a quick jump over to Amazon can inform you, the book revolves around Nick Cominsky, a workaholic insurance executive who receives an invitation to dinner with Jesus of Nazareth. While he resolves to go under the impression that his colleagues are pulling a joke on him, he instead finds himself face to face with Jesus of Nazareth (looking rather dapper in a business suit), whom patiently entertains all of Nick's attempts to uncover him as a fake or part of a personalized hoax. Once they come to an agreement to suspend disbelief as to whether Jesus is who he claims, the story takes covers a lot of ground. The conversation moves about from grace and redemption, to faith and organized religion, and provides some unique visualizations along the way - including using some Star Trek to make a point.

Personally, I find the interactions in the book quite thought-provoking. Since I have a penchant for free-thinking and spiritual conversation while dining out, I liked the format and the focus on personal relationship that permeated the book. Since I wouldn't count myself as a seasoned book reviewer, all I can really say is that I enjoyed the book and would recommend it to anyone. Again, there is just something that resonates with me in certain books, and often I can't describe the feelings they leave me with... perhaps it's hope.

cope with interpretation

You'll probably groan at this post's title, but I couldn't resist. Anyway, something I've touched on a few times I think, and grapple with from time to time, was covered quite nicely by Mike Cope today. Check it out, it's a good read...

The B-I-B-L-E

My additional two cents to what Mike said would be that sometimes serious matters require a touch of lightheartedness to keep discussions from getting out of hand. Not that I am saying we should crack jokes while discussing matters of faith, but that we should remember we are all human and at some point we are all going to make mistakes. Our time here is short and I think everyone benefits from focusing on the positives that our faith brings to everyone, rather than the negatives an individual might suffer for their lack of faith.

Enjoy your day!

marker of change

Last year was the first time I ever attended an Ash Wednesday mass, and since I did enjoy it I went again this year. Mass last year spoke to some common misconceptions and brought people to a place where they would think about spending Lent focused on prayer and community. As one would hope and expect, the beginning of Lent for 2006 had a completely different focus.

Lent itself is a call to faith, and so last night the priest who presided over the mass focused on faith and our need to continually repent. No, not repent as in confess your sins to God, repent as in repentance, conversion, change. When the ashes are placed on your forehead, the person doing so reminds you to "Turn away from sin and be faithful to the Gospel." This simple statement wraps up a wealth of knowledge -- we are reminded that we are people of faith, who by acknowledging our need for Christ's salvation should continually strive to change our ways in an effort to walk the path that Christ laid down for us. Turn away from sin, repent of your ways, convert your life, change the way you think...

While last night I was still uncertain whether ashes were available to a non-Catholic, I felt a need to be a part of it. I prayed my own prayer leading up to the blessing of the ashes, I took stock of my spiritual journey, and I made up my mind to receive ashes. I didn't do this as some outward expression of solidarity with Catholicism, nor did I do it out of some need for tradition and ceremony in my life. I received ashes as an outward, physical expression of my spiritual decision; I received a marker of change. The ashes upon my forehead were the seal on a promise made between myself and God - this year things would be different, starting with Lent I am going to make changes in my spiritual life that I have been putting off.

As it turns out, at least one site I found seems to indicate that there are no requirements for receiving ashes. It is considered sacramental, but not a Holy Day of Obligation, so it is a sacramental that can be offered to non-Catholics and non-Christians. While not something that I consider critical to the experience I went through, it is nice to know that I can "legally" partake in the ceremony. After all, it was something inspiring for me and a worthwhile experience I would recommend to anyone who is open to adding a little more spiritual ritual to their lives.