Inner Reflections on Leadership

Blog is Moving

2010-08-31T05:51:00.000-04:00

It has been a while since I last posted on this blog - apologies. This blog is moving to www.cbn.com with a new name: Leading beyond influence. I will keep you all posted.

Lenten Leadership

2009-02-25T12:32:00.004-05:00

The ancient Christian practice of Lent has been described at times as a period to confront what is false within us - the false self - with the light and power of the cross and resurrection of Jesus. Thomas Keating has called it a period of Divine Therapy where the false self is confronted by the light of God and transformed into the likeness of God' Son by His Holy Spirit.

Christine Sine at Mustard Seed House has put together a wonderfully inspirational and moving guide to Lent. She writes: "Our Lenten journey begins with an invitation to lay down all the inner burdens of self-centeredness, indifference and greed that distract us from a whole-hearted commitment to God. We come to the cross for forgiveness, reconciliation, and restoration. Only then can we experience the full joy of Easter morning and be resurrected into the new life that God intends for us, a life in which all that we do and all that we commit our time and our resources to is truly governed by our love for God and our love for neighbors around the world."

May this be a time that we as aspiring leaders/servants rediscover the power of God's truth to confront, deliver and transform.

A Prayer for Lent, by Henri Nouwen

"How often have I lived through these weeks without paying much attention to penance, fasting, and prayer? How often have I missed the spiritual fruits of the season without even being aware of it? But how can I ever really celebrate Easter without observing Lent? How can I rejoice fully in your Resurrection when I have avoided participating in your death?

Yes, Lord, I have to die—with you, through you, and in you—and thus become ready to recognize you when you appear to me in your Resurrection. There is so much in me that needs to die: false attachments, greed and anger, impatience and stinginess.... I see clearly now how little I have died with you, really gone your way and been faithful to it.

O Lord, make this Lenten season different from the other ones. Let me find you again. Amen."

Nouwen, Henri (2002). A Cry for Mercy: Prayers from the Genesee. Image Books.

"Meaning at Work" Seminar

2009-02-17T15:31:00.003-05:00

I will be presenting a seminar for the Center for Effective Organization on April 9, 2009. Here is a quick overview of the seminar:

Meaning at Work: Helping Leaders and Followers find Joy and Fulfillment at Work

Seminar Overview

Imagine an organization where people love coming to work, are highly productive on a daily basis, and describe their work as meaningful and fulfilling. Imagine an organization whose leaders measure effectiveness not merely by the “bottom-line” but by how much meaning and fun are being had by all. Could the redemptive and fulfilling nature of work be rediscovered in highly effective organizations? Could spirituality and work be seen as friends, rather than enemies? Could such an organization successfully operate and compete in our world?

Date: April 9th, 2009
Time: 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Location: Regent University Campus - Robertson Hall Virginia Beach, VA
Registration Fee: FREE
Registration Closes: April 6th, 2009

Features
:: Rediscovering the nature of work
:: The redemptive power of work
:: Combating organizational acedia, laziness and sloth
:: Vocation, discernment and meaning at work
:: A Spirituality of work
:: The joy-filled organization

Benefit and Use
:: Develop a renewed understanding of the nature, purpose and power of work.
:: Help leaders and followers to turn their work into meaningful, joy-filled experiences.
:: Help leaders and followers construct a philosophy, theology and praxis of redemptive and meaningful approaches to work that in turn will add to the construction of fully integrated spiritual and joy-filled organizations.

Intended Audience
:: Leaders and followers in organizations.
:: Any person involved in work.

To register for this seminar see here.

Fill me with Fire

2009-02-16T11:05:00.002-05:00

The reading this morning from the Merton Institute's "Weekly Reflection" deeply engaged me. This is who I want to be:

"Justify my soul, O God, but also from Your fountains fill my will with fire. Shine in my mind, although perhaps this means "be darkness to my experience," but occupy my heart with Your tremendous Life. Let my eyes see nothing in the world but Your glory, and let my hands touch nothing that is not for Your service. Let my tongue taste no bread that does not strengthen me to praise Your great mercy. I will hear Your voice, and I will hear all the harmonies you have created singing your hymns. Sheep's wool and cotton from the field shall warm me enough that I may live in Your service; I will give the rest to the poor. Let me use all things for one sole reason: to find my joy in giving You glory."

Thomas Merton. New Seeds of Contemplation (New York: New Directions Press, 1961): 44.

New Edition of Inner Resources for Leaders

2009-02-12T16:49:00.003-05:00

The new edition of Inner Resources for Leader is available. There are four new articles exploring the link between Leadership and Christian Spirituality:

Patience: The fourth in a series of nine leadership devotionals based on the fruit of the Spirit

At the center of each human being dwells a unique spirit. By examining the characteristics of the fruit of the Spirit as a product of Christian spiritual formation, Susan Gibbons provides the fourth in a series of nine leadership devotionals.

Authentic Christological Leadership Revealed through Sacred Texture Analysis of the Philippians Hymn (2:5-11)

In her study Sharon Norris identifies the authentic Christological leadership characteristics of Jesus through sacred texture analysis of the Philippians hymn (2:5-11) to reveal a model of leadership that may answer the call for effective leadership for the modern day.

The Great Commission: Discipleship and Followership

Jon Tomlinson posits that the concept of active followership is most applicable with Jesus' doctrine of discipleship in the Matthean Gospel. Through the lens of followership, he proposes a practical guide to assist congregations in fulfilling the biblical mandate commonly known as The Great Commission.

The Fabric of Christian Leadership: Stretching Minds, Cradling Hearts, and Equipping Hands For Noble, Effective, and Sacrificial Service

David Gyertson describes his pilgrimage into the mission, message, and meaning of spiritually formed leadership. As he shares his process of transformation with his readers he motivates, and inspires to take our distinctive understandings of the call to world-changing leadership to its highest levels.

Here is a direct link to the new edition.

The On-going Quest

2009-02-11T10:09:00.003-05:00

Two of my recent papers were presented at the Second International Conference on the Integration of Spirituality and Organizational Leadership in India this last week. These papers mark my ongoing quest to work with other scholars in this common effort to recover a Biblical and orthodox perspective on Christian Leadership:

"Cultivating Leadership Humility: Insights from Early Western Cenobitic Monasticism." (Corné J. Bekker)

The current global turn to spirituality coincides with the emergence of spirituality-based theories, models and approaches in organizational leadership studies. Contemporary Western ecclesial leaders and thinkers have increasingly participated in the dialogue between the sometimes opposing fields of spirituality and organizational leadership. This article seeks to join in this emerging dialogue by exploring the leadership wisdom of St. Benedict of Nursia (480-540 A.D.), the father of early Western Cenobitic Monasticism; first, by locating early Benedictine spirituality using Waaijman’s (2006) matrix for spirituality research and, then by illustrating the usefulness of St. Benedict’s rule in the cultivation of leadership humility.

"Empty to Lead: Towards a Model of Mimetic Christological Leadership." (Corné J. Bekker and Bruce E. Winston)

This paper proposes an early mimetic Christological model of Christian Leadership in Roman Philippi by exploring the judicial, rhetorical structure and the social function of the Philippians hymn (2:5-11) as a cursus pudorum (course of ignominies) that stands in stark contrast to a cursus honorum, the formalized sequence of public offices in first-century Roman cities. The Philippians hymn challenged the notions and principles of the prevalent shame/honor social matrix of Roman societies by offering an alternative set of behaviors and values that stood in stark contrast with those of the dominant culture. The hymn makes use of a cursus pudorum in which the voluntary abasement, humility and obedience of Christ becomes an exemplum that offers a critique of the tyrannies of the timocratic leadership style of Roman Philippi and offers an alternative vision of service oriented leadership rooted in humility and common mutuality.

Both papers will be published in the accompanying research volume by McMillan Press.

John Michael Talbot on the Feast of St. Anthony of the Desert

2009-02-01T11:56:00.001-05:00

John Michael Talbot gives a small, but great introduction on the live and testimony of St. Anthony of the Desert. May we all learn from the wisdom and insight from these early Christians.

The Value of Community

2008-12-19T09:36:00.003-05:00

"The monastic perspective can assist us specifically with regard to understanding the value of community. Imagine for a moment that the people you encounter at home, work, or school are the very people God has given you to pray with, eat with, and play with for the rest of your life. And you are supposed to thank God for this, every day, several times a day. This is what monastic people take on. And what they've learned from this particular asceticism, in attempting to live in peace with themselves and with others, may constitute their greatest gift to us. How radical to think that we can best know ourselves by embracing commitment, not rejecting it; by relating to others, not callously relegating them to the devilishly convenient category of 'other.'"

From Kathleen Norris, Acedia & Me: A Marriage, Monks, and a Writer's Life.

Leading with the Head bowed down

2008-12-08T11:41:00.002-05:00

Lessons in Leadership Humility from the Rule of St. Benedict of Nursia.

Leadership often draws the wrong kinds of leaders. Positions of power and influence have the tendency to attract the proud and the upwardly mobile individualists[1]. Contemporary leadership authors have gone as far as describing organizational leaders as idols, heroes, saviors, warriors, magicians, and even as omnipotent demi-gods[2]. But recently more voices within organizational discourse have been raised to question our perception and acceptance of these power-vested models of leadership. Could leaders be humble, many wonder[3]? It seems that the tide started to turn as the century did, in favor of a virtuous approach to leadership, culminating in the publication of Jim Collins’ pioneering article on Level 5 Leadership in the January 2001 edition of the Harvard Business Review[4]. Collins proposed that the “most powerfully transformative executives” surveyed in his study all possessed the virtue of personal humility.
Although Collin’s work[5] does not describe the process of formation of humble leaders, it does provide an erudite four-fold description of organizational leadership humility:

Personally humble leaders demonstrate a compelling modesty. They shun public adulation and never boast.
Personally humble leaders act with calm and quiet determination, not relying on inspiring charisma to motivate but rather inspired standards.
Personally humble leaders avoid personal ambition in favor of multi-generational organizational growth and development.
Personally humble leaders are self-reflective and tend to appropriate blame towards themselves are not others.

How then is humility formed in leaders? It might not come as a surprise that Jim Collins is not the first person to describe the possibility and power of leadership humility. A sixth-century Christian monk, St. Benedict of Nursia (480-540 A.D.), the father of Western Cenobitic Monasticism[6], wrote a rule in which he provided his followers with a twelve step process description of how humility is formed in followers and leaders alike. Benedict’s rule on humility has worked well as a guide and “spiritual manual[7]” facilitating personal and communal transformation within the Benedictine Order and others for well over 1500 years[8].

For the rest of the article see this link.

References:
[1] Taylor, Barbara Brown. 2005. The Evils of Pride and Self-Righteousness. The Living Pulpit, October-December 2005:5.
[2] Morris, J. Andrew, Brotheridge, Céleste M., and Urbanski, John C. 2005. Bringing humility to leadership: Antecedents and consequences of leader humility. Human Relations, 58/10: 1323-1350.
[3] See Dickson, John P. and Rosner, Brian S. 2004. Humility as a Social Virtue in the Hebrew Bible? Vetus Testamentum LIV,4:459-479; and Elsberg, Robert. 2003. The Saints’ Guide to Happiness. New York: North Point Press.
[4] Collins, Jim. 2001. Level 5 Leadership: The Triumph of Humility and Fierce Resolve. Harvard Business Review, January: 66-76.
[5]Collins, Jim. 2001. Level 5 Leadership: The Triumph of Humility and Fierce Resolve. Harvard Business Review, January: 66-76.
[6] Cheline, Paschal G. 2003. Christian Leadership: A Benedictine Perspective. American Theological Library Association Summary of Proceedings 57:107-113.
[7] Waaijman, Kees. 2002. Spirituality: Forms, Foundations, Methods. Leuven: Peeters.
[8] Mitchell, Nathan D. 2008. Liturgy and Life: Lessons in Benedict. Worship 82/2:161-174.

Reflective Leadership

2008-12-01T11:57:00.003-05:00

I read a wonderful article on the discipline of reflection and spiritual leadership this morning by Leonard Doohan in the 2007 edition of the International Journal of Servant-Leadership. Doohan proposes that the emerging, post-industrial, values-based models and theories of leadership are no longer based on knowledge, competence or even experience, but rather on critical reflection, imagination, and an openness to "the unknown, the unexpected, and unexplored." This is where the ancient Biblical devotional discipline of reflection offers a sound base for the reflective attention to that which is ultimately real. Who better than Thomas Merton to shape our understanding of how all of this works:

"Puritas cordis [purity of heart] means much more than moral or ascetic perfection. It is the end of a long process of spiritual transformation in which the soul, perfect in charity, detached from all created things, free from the movements of inordinate passion, is able to live absorbed in God, and is penetrated from time to time with vivid intuitions of His action, intuitions which plumb the depths of the divine mysteries, which "grasp" God in a secret and intimate experience not only of Who He is, but of what He is doing in the world. The [person] who is pure in heart not only knows God, the Absolute Being, pure Act, but knows Him as the Father of Lights, the Father of Mercies, Who has so loved the world as to give His only begotten Son for its Redemption. Such a [person] knows Him not merely by faith, not by theological speculation, but by intimate and incommunicable experience."

Thomas Merton. Bread in the Wilderness (New York: New Dimensions, 1953): 20-21

Leonard Doohan. Spiritual Leadership and Reflection. (International Journal of Servant-Leadership,2007) 285.

Stirring Editorial from Charisma

2008-11-27T09:34:00.004-05:00

Lee Grady wrote a deeply stirring editorial in a recent edition of Charisma. It confirms my growing persuasion that our failure to honor the Scriptural guidelines for ministers and ministry has led us down this path (Paul's injunctions against divorce and avarice). We need a renewal/revival back to the Gospel values of Christian marriage and financial simplicity.

Preparing for a Charismatic Meltdown

Three prominent charismatic ministries have suffered huge setbacks this month. What does this mean for our movement?

Foreclosure. Eviction. Bailouts. We’re hearing those terms a lot these days, and not just in the newspaper’s business section. In the last two weeks three charismatic churches that once enjoyed huge popularity have fallen on hard times.

In Tampa, Florida, Without Walls International Church is facing foreclosure. The megachurch, which once attracted 23,000 worshipers and was heralded as one of the nation’s fastest-growing congregations, shrunk drastically after co-pastors Randy and Paula White announced in 2007 that they were divorcing. On Nov. 4 their bank filed foreclosure proceedings and demanded immediate repayment of a $12 million loan on the property.

In Duluth, Georgia—northeast of Atlanta—sheriff’s deputies arrived at Global Destiny Ministries and ordered Bishop Thomas Weeks II to leave the property. According to documents filed in state court, Weeks—who divorced popular preacher Juanita Bynum in June—owed more than $511,000 in back rent to the building’s owners. He was escorted out of the building on Nov. 14 while a church service was in progress.

"The wrecking ball of heaven is swinging. It has come to demolish any work that has not been built on the integrity of His Word."

In another part of the Atlanta area, leaders of the Cathedral at Chapel Hill announced that their church is officially for sale. The massive Gothic building—which at one time housed one of the nation’s most celebrated charismatic churches, with a membership of 10,000—has slipped into disrepair after lurid sex scandals triggered a mass exodus. The church’s founder, Bishop Earl Paulk, has turned the 6,000-seat church (valued at $24.5 million) over to his son, Donnie Earl, who in recent years has abandoned orthodox Christian doctrines and embraced universalism.

In addition, the bank that called the loan on Without Walls also began foreclosure proceedings on its satellite campus in Lakeland, Florida. That massive campus with its 10,000-seat sanctuary was once known as Carpenter’s Home Church. Under the leadership of Assemblies of God pastor Karl Strader it enjoyed huge success, but its membership dwindled in the 1990s, and it was sold to the Whites in 2005.

A crisis hit Without Walls two years later when the Whites announced from their pulpit that they were divorcing. They did not give specific reasons, but Randy said he took “100 percent responsibility” for the breakup. He later told Charisma: “This was a decision of last resort after years of prayer and counseling.”

In the case of the Cathedral at Chapel Hill, many parishioners walked out 16 years ago when it became known that Earl Paulk and other staff members were involved in wife-swapping. Paulk created a bizarre culture of secrecy to cover the immorality, which included his affair with a sister-in-law—and resulted in the birth of Donnie Earl (who thought he was Earl Paulk’s nephew until last year). The church has only had a few hundred members in recent years.

Today, Donnie Earl has embraced the inclusionist doctrines of Oklahoma pastor Carlton Pearson, who left the faith in 2003 and was labeled a heretic by a group of African-American bishops the following year. The younger Paulk now preaches that all people, not just Christians, are saved. He told Charisma last week that the Cathedral “has expanded to include all of God’s creation—Christian, Jew, Hindu, Buddhist, gay, straight, etc.” And this distorted message is broadcast from a pulpit that hosted the premier leaders of the charismatic movement during the 1970s and 1980s.

Even before Weeks was charged with assaulting Bynum in a hotel parking lot in August 2007, the pastor of Global Destiny Ministries defiled his pulpit during a “Teach Me to Love You” marriage conference. He told married men they should use profanity during sex to heighten their experience, and he brought couples on stage to play a game in which men were asked to name their favorite female body parts.

Lord, help us.

Was it supposed to end like this? How did a movement that was at one time focused on winning people to Christ and introducing them to the power of the Holy Spirit end in such disgrace?

I hear the sound of bricks and steel beams crashing to the ground. The wrecking ball of heaven is swinging. It has come to demolish any work that has not been built on the integrity of God’s Word.

All of us should be trembling. God requires holiness in His house and truth in the mouths of His servants. He is loving and patient with our mistakes and weaknesses, but eventually, if there is no repentance after continual correction, His discipline is severe. He will not be mocked.

Romans 11:22 says: “Behold then the kindness and severity of God; to those who fell, severity, but to you, God's kindness, if you continue in His kindness; otherwise you also will be cut off” (NASB).

God is not married to our buildings. If He allowed foreign armies to burn Jerusalem and its glorious temple, He will also write “Ichabod” on the doors of churches where there is no repentance for compromise.

I pray the fear of God will grip our hearts until we cleanse our defiled pulpits. Let’s examine our hearts and our ministries. Let’s throw out the wood, hay and stubble and build on a sure and tested foundation. It is the only way to survive the meltdown.

J. Lee Grady is editor of Charisma.

An Instrument to Measure the Impact of Hope in Strategic Plan Implementation

2008-11-20T10:54:00.003-05:00

I had the privilege to work with several colleagues on an instrument to measure hope in organizations. It is published in the inaugural edition of the International Leadership Journal housed at Thomas Edison State College. The article is entitled:

"An Instrument to Measure the Impact of Hope in Strategic Plan Implementation." by Bruce Winston, Corné Bekker, Karen Cerff, Doug Eames, Martha Helland and Delicia Garnes.

Abstract
This research study presents a 13-item instrument to measure the level of hope in employees relative to their belief in the positive outcome of strategic plans. The singlefactor scale has a Cronbach alpha of .912. The premise of the research is that people may be unwilling to invest time and effort into the implementation of strategic plans if they do not have hope/faith in the success of the plans. Theoretical support comes from Vroom’s expectancy theory, means efficacy theory, Porter’s value chain, and Snyder’s hope theory. The practical application of this study lies in the notion that it may be beneficial for leaders to understand the level of employees’ hope in the success of strategic plans before implementing those plans.

For the full paper see: http://www.tesc.edu/5947.php

The Christ Hymn as a Song for Leaders

2008-11-18T10:23:00.002-05:00

Mark Hardgrove has an inspiring article in the Winter edition of the Journal of Biblical Perspectives in Leadership:

Through the use of hymn and homology, as well as the rhetorical dramatic use of language, Paul is able to illustrate the appropriate attitude for the believer. He also provides, through the example of Christ, a rubric for Christian leadership: humility, selflessness, and servanthood. This approach stands in contrast to the prevailing cultural context of the recipients of the epistle, and continues to be a powerful statement on a leadership paradigm that challenges many traditional leadership models. A socio-rhetorical examination of the text reveals as many questions as answers. Those questions challenge the exegete to take a broader view that takes into consideration the implications of the text in light of the prevailing culture of Philippi in the first century, as well as that of the twenty-first century. This text, in light of contemporary culture, is a corrective comment for modern human leadership endeavors. download/print article

International Leadership Association Conference

2008-11-17T16:11:00.003-05:00

I returned yesterday from the International Leadership Conference in Los Angeles, California. This year's theme was "Global Leadership: Portraits of the Past, Visions for the Future." I had the privilege to present two papers on some of my current research in the recovery of a Biblical and values-based approach to Leadership:

"Towards an Indigenous, Values-based Leadership Approach in Southern Africa": Recent studies have highlighted the desperate need for indigenous, innovative, values-based leadership approaches in Southern Africa. This emerging, post-industrial paradigm of leadership has helped South Africans to start thinking of leadership as something that is done in community instead of the actions--and responsibility--of one privileged individual.

"The Turn to Spirituality and Historic Understandings of Spiritual Leadership."
The presenter will use Kees Waaijman’s matrix for defining spirituality to explore and discuss examples of spiritualities that include leadership as part of their inner values. Two established schools of spirituality, as they relate to spiritual leadership, will be discussed: the asceticism of early Egyptian monasticism and the kenotic mysticism of St. Francis of Assisi.

I was encouraged to see how many researchers and scholars are willing to explore the moral, if not spiritual base for leadership. Many new possibilities arose from these meetings. I remain deeply grateful for the opportunity to work and learn with these fellow-seekers.

Another treat was to work with Jan Spencer on a paper for this conference entitled:

"St. Francis of Assisi and Spiritual Leadership: Integrating Ancient Insights with Contemporary Practice for Greater Leadership Effectiveness."

Spirituality in the workplace is integrated with an historical/practical view of the life of St. Francis of Assisi in order to provide specific examples of how leaders lead an organization that ascribes to Jody Fry’s spiritual leadership theory and model. Each of the traits identified in spiritual leadership theory are defined—transcendent vision, hope/faith, altruistic love, calling, membership, and outcomes—and then discussed in terms of Francis’ example of spiritual leadership. Although 800 years separate Francis from modern research involving workplace spirituality, his inner life transformation and subsequent experiences involving the establishment of the Franciscan Order promote a dialogue about how workplace spirituality should be approached as well as what it will take in the life of the modern-day leader to enable spiritual leadership to function effectively.

Jan's poster presentation was one of the most beautiful and aesthetically moving ones I have seen in years.

2008 Edition of the Journal of Biblical Perspectives in Leadership

2008-11-07T11:01:00.004-05:00

The new edition of JBPL is online: http://www.regent.edu/acad/global/publications/jbpl/

More Than Money - BK Life Book by Mark Albion

2008-10-27T13:35:00.001-04:00

Interesting comments by Mark Albion. This could be a good foundation to explore the values of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount in light of this.

A Couple of New Books

2008-10-27T11:31:00.005-04:00

Two recent secular books have served to confirm my growing persuasion that there is a deep and wide shift occurring in the way that the world thinks about leadership. In the words of Jean Lipmen-Blumen: “…we finally begun to reexamine more critically our traditional concept of leadership. It is based on an outmoded ego ideal glorifying the competitive, combative, controlling, creative, aggressive, self-reliant individualists”. They are both worthwhile reads (the descriptions on each are from the dust covers of the books):

"Community: The Structure of Belonging" by Peter Block Modern society is characterized by isolation and a weakened social fabric. The various sectors of our communities—businesses, schools, social service organizations, churches, government—work in parallel, not in concert. They exist in their own worlds as do so many individual citizens, who long for connection but end up marginalized, their gifts overlooked, their potential contributions lost. This disconnection and detachment makes it hard if not impossible to envision a common future and work towards it together.

We know what healthy communities look like—there are many success stories out there, and they've been described in detail. What Block provides in this inspiring new book is an exploration of the exact way community can emerge from fragmentation. How is community built? How does the transformation occur? What fundamental shifts are involved? He explores a way of thinking about our places that creates an opening for authentic communities to exist and details what each of us can do to make that happen.

"My intent" he writes, "is provide structural ways to create the experience of belonging, not just in those places where people come to just be together socially, but especially in places where we least expect it. This includes those places where people come together to get something done. These are our meetings, dialogues, conferences, planning processes––all those occasions where we gather to reflect on and decide the kind of future we want for ourselves."

Citizens have the power to change the community story and bring a new context into being. Block shows us how we can overcome isolation and anxiety and create communities alive with energy and possibility. This book is written to support those who care for the well being of their communities. It is for anyone who wants to be part of an organization, neighborhood, city, or country that works for all, and who have the faith and the energy to create such a place.

"More than Money" by Mark Albion

What are you going to do with your lucky lottery ticket? That’s a question every MBA faces. A lot of time and money has been invested in you, and once you graduate you’re supposed to cash that ticket in for as much money and status as you can. Your parents and peers expect it. And you may feel that there’s really no other choice. You can’t risk wasting that expensive education. It’s the safe thing to do. Isn’t it?Not necessarily.

Mark Albion doesn’t pretend to have all the answers, but his unique perspective can help you find yours. There are other ways to look at potential risks and rewards, even when you have thousands of dollars of student loans to pay back. Money is important but it’s not the key to fulfillment. The “safe” choice, the most monetarily rewarding one, can carry enormous psychological and spiritual pain.

As Ralph Waldo Emerson put it, “Sometimes money costs too much.”In More Than Money, Albion redefines the typical way the risk/reward equation is written, using his own life story and those of the many entrepreneurs, executives and MBAs he’s met as both cautionary and inspirational tales. He introduces a framework of four crucial questions to consider when thinking about your career choices, as well as “lifelines," principles that can help you answer these questions and guide you to construct your personal, strategic destiny plan.

A consciousness-raising book as well as a career guide, More Than Money encourages MBA students to give themselves permission to be who they really want to be and find their path of service. For, as Albion says, in the end “we won't remember you for the size of your wallet as much as the size of your heart.”

Two New Monographs on Aspects of Pauline Leadership

2008-10-17T14:34:00.002-04:00

I recently reviewed two new monographs on aspects of Pauline Leadership for Religious Studies Review. They are both worthwhile reads and go along way to providing a base for our continued quest to Biblically redefine Christian Leadership. Here are two short excerpts from my reviews:

Paul and Conflict Resolution: An Exegetical Study of Paul's Apostolic Paradigm in 1 Corinthians 9. By Robinson Butarbutar. Paternoster Biblical Monographs. Milton Keynes: Paternoster Press, 2007. Pp. xviii + 275. Paper, $33.99, ISBN 978-1-84227-315-9.

Little scholarly attention has been given to conflict resolution models used in First-Century Mediterranean Christian communities. Butarbutar’s monograph bridges this gap in the literature and provides an erudite foundational work on this topic by examining Paul's apostolic paradigm in 1 Corinthians 9 through a detailed literary and historical exegesis of this pericope. This study defines and locates the argumentative rhetoric of Paul in the larger scope of Paul's unified arguments in 1 Corinthians 8-10, that sought to mediate in the cultural disputes in the Corinthian Christian communities. Butarbutar demonstrates that the conflict resolution model evident in this text is further evident in Paul's rhetoric of refusing to accept financial support from his audience. The monographs concludes by comparing and contrasting this Pauline conflict resolution model with contemporary approaches in Christian communities and argues for the serious reconsideration of Paul’s approach to conflict.

Saint Paul as Spiritual Director: An Analysis of the Concept of the Imitation of Paul with Implications and Applications to the Practice of Spiritual Direction. By Victor A. Copan. Paternoster Biblical Monographs. Milton Keynes: Paternoster Press, 2007. Pp. 342. Paper, $40.00, ISBN 978-1-55635-661-2.

Recent scholarly and popular-press descriptions of spiritual direction have widely disagreed on the nature, theories and applications of this age-old ministry of spiritual formation. It has been become evident to scholars and practitioners alike that a return to a serious re-examination of the Biblical roots of spiritual direction is what is needed. Cohan’s well-written and critical monograph seeks to provide a first step in a contemporary re-evaluation of the Apostle Paul’s approach to spiritual direction and formation. This study uses a case study approach exploring the social, cultural and spiritual functions of Paul as spiritual director in the various Christian communities that he founded along the Mediterranean Sea. Emphasis is placed in this study on Paul’s understanding, aims and praxis of spiritually forming his follower. Cohan concludes by drawing parallels to contemporary approaches of spiritual direction.

New Edition for Inner Resources for Leaders

2008-10-07T21:05:00.003-04:00

The new edition of Inner Resources for Leaders was released yesterday. I contributed a popular-press article on St. Benedict's rule on Leadership humility: http://www.regent.edu/acad/global/publications/innerresources/

Leadership Conversion

2008-09-25T10:49:00.003-04:00

Louise Kretzschmar approaches the study of Christian Leadership from the perspective of a Christian ethicists and philosopher. Set in the context of the moral failures of apartheid leaders in South Africa, Kretzschmar process description of leadership “conversion” that could produce “moral leadership.” Building in the insights of Franciscan spirituality, Kretzschmar invites discussion concerning five distinct elements in the moral formation of Christian leaders:
· Intellectual Conversion. Christian Leaders “constantly rethink or evaluate” their own and others “moral framework” and this involves the disciplines of “self-awareness and critique” in order to develop the virtue of prudence (correct judgment).
· Affective Conversion. Christian Leaders have a high regard for othokardia (right heartedness towards God). Leaders consider the ultimate location of their affections and adopt ascetic disciplines (such as the traditional Monastic vows of poverty, chastity and obedience) to guide their hearts back to God.
· Volitional Conversion. Christian Leaders seek to have a “redeemed human will” that moves from willfulness (identified as arrogant self-sufficiency) to willingness (described as flexible receptivity).
· Relational Conversion. A Christian Leader’s “moral conscience” is formed and challenged in community. Christian Leaders engage in “moral relational power” that brings personal and communal transformation to perceptions and applications of leadership.
· Moral Action. The intellectual, affective, volitional and relational conversions of Christian Leaders result in “moral action” that facilitates the wider conversion of the world in which these leaders operate.

Kretzschmar’s work provides an erudite base for the inclusion of moral theology and spiritual formational studies to the ongoing quest to define Christian Leadership. It deepens the discussion from mere concern of leadership effectiveness to the moral dimensions of personal and communal leadership.

References:
Kretzschmar, L. (2002). Authentic Christian Leadership and Spiritual Formation in Africa. Journal of Theology for Southern Africa, 113:41-60.
Kretzschmar, L. (2007). The Formation of Moral Leaders in South Africa: A Christian-Ethical Analysis of Some Essential Elements. Journal of Theology for Southern Africa, 128:18-36.

Merton on Self-knowledge and Knowing God

2008-09-22T12:03:00.002-04:00

Do you want to know God? Then learn to understand the weaknesses and imperfections of [others]. But how can you understand the weaknesses of others unless you understand your own? And how can you see the meaning of your own limitations until you have received mercy from God, by which you know yourself and Him? It is not sufficient to forgive others: we must forgive them with humility and compassion. If we forgive them without humility, our forgiveness is a mockery: it presupposes that we are better than they.

Thomas Merton. No Man Is An Island. New York: Doubleday and Company, 1955: 163.

Richard Foster on Leadership

2008-09-18T13:37:00.002-04:00

Leadership is an act of submission to God. To be a leader means listening to all kinds of people and situations. Out of that listening, we are hoping to discern the mind of God as best we can. This is the price of leadership—it's an act of sacrifice. So leadership is part and parcel of the work of submission to God.

I could be perfectly happy to go up into those mountains and disappear. But at least up to this point, that has not been my lot. There is a sense of call to take leadership roles. You're serving people and submitting to God as best you can.

We all learn submission because we all have "bosses," whether we're presidents of companies or not. The easiest place to learn it is in family. Paul's words were, "Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ"—there is subordination, husband and wife, parent and child. We're doing that all of the time, looking to the needs of our spouse or our children, even though we have to make certain kinds of decisions they may not like. It's an act of submission to help.

I think of Pope Gregory the Great. He wanted the cloister. He wanted to pray and study, and yet he was thrust into this administrative job, and he submitted to that. And in that submission, he became a great leader. You could say that the only person who is safe to lead is the person who is free to submit.

For the original article see: http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2008/september/27.44.html

New Journal in Strategic Leadership

2008-09-15T09:18:00.003-04:00

Strategic leadership is at the forefront of the newest online journal published by Regent University's School of Global Leadership & Entrepreneurship (GLE).

Launched in early September, the Journal of Strategic Leadership (JSL) is led by the school's dean, Dr. Bruce E. Winston, and provides a forum for leadership practitioners and students around the world—publishing articles that address applied topics of strategic leadership at all levels within a variety of industries and organizations. The published work reflects the top papers submitted by Doctor of Strategic Leadership students and graduates.

"We believe that students studying strategic leadership have something of value to offer the leadership academy and have produced the JSL as a logical outcome of this belief," said Dr. Winston. To stimulate scholarly debate and a free flow of ideas, JSL is published in electronic format and provides public access to all issues free of charge.

To learn more about the Journal of Strategic Leadership and to register for a free subscription, visit www.regent.edu/jsl

Regent University to Co-host International Spirituality and Leadership Conference in India

2008-08-28T11:53:00.001-04:00

Regent University's School of Global Leadership & Entrepreneurship will co-host the 2nd International Conference on Integrating Spirituality and Organizational Leadership February 9-12, 2009, at the University of Pondicherry in Pondicherry, India.

Conducted in English, this conference strives to bring together different perspectives, disciplines and spiritual traditions as leading scholars from the USA, Europe and Asia systematically explore the nature, determination and implications of the spiritual dimensions of organizational leadership.

Those wishing to present at the conference must submit their proposals for poster presentations or abstracts for oral presentations by November 30, 2008. Notifications of acceptance will be provided by December 15, 2008. Full papers will then be due by January 15, 2009.

A pre-conference International Research Workshop on Spiritual and Ethical Foundations of Organizational Development will be held February 5-7 and will provide an opportunity for scholars to discuss on-going or proposed research projects and form collaborative relationships aimed at building a formal research base addressing multiple aspects of spirituality in organizations. Workshop participants will present their projects and studies in a roundtable format.

Those wishing to present in the pre-conference workshop must submit their abstracts by November 30, 2008. Notification of acceptance will be provided by December 15, 2008. Full papers will then be due by January 15, 2009

For more information and to register online for the 2nd International Conference on Integrating Spirituality and Organizational Leadership, go to: www.regent.edu/global/conferences

Waiting In Silence

2008-08-28T10:42:00.002-04:00

I have not blogged for a while. It has been a real busy time as we finish the semester here at Regent and I recover from an extended travel schedule during the summer months. I have been thinking about the value of silence, rest and stillness. Here is a small section from Thomas Merton on the value of these age-old and devotional disciplines:

“Contemplation is essentially a listening in silence, an expectancy... In other words, the true contemplative is not the one who prepares his mind for a particular message that he wants or expects to hear, but who remains empty because he knows that he can never expect or anticipate the world that will transform his darkness into light. He does not even anticipate a special kind of transformation. He does not demand light instead of darkness. He waits on the Word of God in silence, and when he is ‘answered,’ it is not so much by a world that bursts into his silence. It is by his silence itself suddenly, inexplicably revealing itself to him as a word of great power, full of the voice of God.”

Thomas Merton. Contemplative Prayer. Garden City, NY: Doubleday & Company, 1969: 90

New Edition of Inner Resources of Leaders Out

2008-08-08T13:34:00.001-04:00

The Second Edition of Inner Resources of Leaders is out: http://www.regent.edu/acad/global/publications/innerresources/

Wrestling with the Word

2008-08-05T11:49:00.003-04:00

I am re-reading George Cornell's great book; "The Untamed God" again. What struck me again is the way that we have not only shaped our God Image in our own, but also failed to let the Bible speak for itself. The following quote from Cornell is worthy of reflection:

“The Bible is the record of those Divine breakthroughs into human history. ‘God’s search for man,’ it is described, rather than being our search for God. And its accents are considered a key for discerning the continuing Divine activity in the present. Unlike most religious literature, it is not chiefly a collection of noble sayings, but a drum-roll of events, people, struggles, great and terrible, of frailty, doubts, and heroism, of the ultimate might of right. Scripture isn’t meant as [mere] scientific exposition or as mere history. It is ‘salvation history’, a universal spiritual drama of an overarching compassion and concern for human integrity, of an unwavering love that seeks an answering affirmation. It is a vivid, sometimes parabolic account of God’s persistent, unrelenting quest for us and our stumbling, often faithless response.”

Cornell G 1975. The Untamed God. New York: Harper and Row Publishers

The Search for Authenticity

2008-07-31T09:26:00.002-04:00

I am currently reading a lot of material on the search for the authentic self in leadership. But I remain convinced that the authentic/real self is "hidden" in Christ. We find our deepest ground of being in our relationship with our Creator.

Thomas Merton, who wrote volumes on this subject, gives some good insights:

"Every one is shadowed by an illusory person: a false self. This is the man that I want to be but who cannot exist, because God does not know anything about him. An to be unknown of God is altogether too much privacy."

Source: Merton, T (1962). New Seeds of Contemplation. New York: New Directions.

Turning Leadership Ego on its Head

2008-07-30T15:52:00.004-04:00

Leadership often draws individuals with narcissistic and pride-filled attitudes. How do leaders cultivate humility? More than 1400 years ago St. Benedict of Nursia defined a progressive twelve steps of humility in his famous rule, that sets the tone for redemptive organizations and leadership humility. The twelve steps can be summarized in the following ways (Galbraith and Gailbraith, 2004:121-122):

Revere the Simple Rules

Reject your Personal Desires

Obey Others

Endure Affliction

Confess Your Weaknesses

Practice Contentment

Learn Self Reproach

Obey the Common Rule

Understand that Silence is Golden

Meditate on Humility

Speak Simply

Act Humbly In Appearance

"Brethren, the Holy Scripture cries to us saying: 'Every one that exalts himself shall be humbled; and he that humbles himself shall be exalted.' The first degree of humility, then, is that a man always have the fear of God before his eyes shunning all forgetfulness and that he be ever mindful of all that God hath commanded…". - St. Benedict of Nursia

Source: Galbraith, C. S. and Galbraith, O. (2004). “The Benedictine Rule of Leadership”. Avon: Avons Media.

Prayer 12 from the writings of St. Catherine of Sienna

2008-07-26T22:35:00.003-04:00

In your nature,
eternal Godhead,
I shall come to know my nature.
And what is my nature, boundless love?
It is fire,
because you are nothing but a fire of love.
And you have given humankind
a share in this nature,
for by the fire of love
you created us.
And so with all other people
and every created thing;
you made them out of love.
O ungrateful people!
What nature has your God given you?
His very own nature!
Are you not ashamed to cut yourself off from such a noble thing
through the guilt of deadly sin?
O eternal Trinity,
my sweet love!
You, light,
give us light.
You, wisdom,
give us wisdom.
You, supreme strength,
strengthen us.
Today, eternal God,
let our cloud be dissipated
so that we may perfectly know and follow your Truth
in truth,
with a free and simple heart.
God, come to our assistance!
Lord, make haste to help us!
Amen.

Taken from The Prayers of Catherine of Siena. 2nd edition. Suzanne Noffke, OP, translator and editor. (San Jose.: Authors Choice Press, 2001)

Two Papers Accepted for ILA Conference

2008-06-18T16:36:00.003-04:00

I received a notice that two of my presentation proposals have been accepted for the International Leadership Association's International Conference, taking place this November in Los Angeles.

Here are the descriptions of the two presentations:

Towards an Indigenous, Values-based Leadership Approach in Southern Africa

Description: Recent studies have highlighted the desperate need for indigenous, innovative, values-based leadership approaches in Southern Africa. This new, emerging, post-industrial paradigm of leadership has helped South Africans to start to think of leadership as something that is done in community instead of the acts of one privileged individual.

Abstract: The South African Nguni word ubuntu, from the aphorism; “Umuntu Ngumuntu Ngabantu – A person is a person because/through others”; can be described as the capacity in African culture to express compassion, reciprocity, solidarity, dignity, humanity and mutuality in the interest of building and maintaining communities with justice and mutual caring. More than a descriptor of African values, ubuntu should be seen as a social philosophy and a spirituality that is deeply embedded in African culture and can thus be describes as the primary foundation of a South African religious worldview. Even though ubuntu finds its semantic origins in Southern Africa the concept is endemic to Sub-Saharan Africa.

The Southern African social practice of affective community, as in ubuntu, is not a concept that is easily distilled by methodological scrutiny. Superficial and expedient adoption of the construct by corporate South Africa has not helped to foster a deeper appreciation of its inherent values of interconnectedness, foundational humanity and responsibility to all. A correct way of thinking about ubuntu is to consider it as a basic approach to Southern African spirituality that is manifested in mutuality, solidarity with all and communal enterprise. It is part of the very fabric of indigenous Southern African spiritual and intellectual identity.

Ubuntu, seen in the spirit of participatory humanism, has the power to effect a revitalized commitment in South Africans in the reconstruction of organizations marked by integrity and mutuality. Leaders with the inherent values of ubuntu, as it might relate to business, have been described as, (a) people-centered, (b) humble, (c) ready to enter into dialogue, (d) caring, (e) polite, (f) tolerant, (g) considerate, (h) hospitable and (i) as having an attitude of mutual acceptance or mutuality, amongst other descriptors. An ubuntu–inspired approach to leadership sees community rather that self-determination as the essential aspect of personhood. Thus the accomplishments of the individual (leader) are the accomplishments of the community (organization). South African leaders inspired by ubuntu see their inclusive approach to leadership and business as part of their larger quest for identity. It is in reference to the community that an African person is defined. The South African Venda saying, “Muthu u bebelwa munwe – A person is born for the other”, captures the spirit of this approach of interdependence between self and community. This is more than mere interdependence, the identity of the “self” is defined in finding the “other” in community. It is in locating, entering into honest dialogue and takes steps to relocate the “self” in mutuality with the “other” that the “self” is enriched, formed and defined. This relocation of the “self” in mutuality with the “others” is more than just social, it includes economic and familial decisions.

The value and practice of mutuality in ubuntu is defined paradoxically by the differences found in the “other”. Accommodation and respect for the differences in the “other” flow from a recognition of the common humanity of the “self” and the “other” that in turns facilitates an interior transformation that allows for the radical decisions of mutuality that some South Africans business leaders have made.

The spirituality of mutuality in ubuntu, as it has influenced South African business leaders, allows for the breaking down of the superficial and artificial barriers between the individuals in the community and allows them to see the “other”, discover their mutual humanity and in doing so foster the construction of a caring community that allows for the respectful tolerance of social, cultural, economic and philosophical differences.

The Turn to Spirituality and Historic Understandings of Spiritual Leadership

Description: Contemporary research in spirituality, characterized by multi-disciplinary, post-patriarchal, telluric and post-structuralist approaches, locates the phenomena of “spirit” in the ontology of values (Kourie, 2006). Thus defined, spirituality is seen as the “ultimate” or “inner” values that provide meaning in life. This broad, defining approach provides a platform for scholars to examine a wide variety of spiritualities, ranging from religious to secular orientations. This trend in spirituality research is thus not limited to religious contexts and has also been observed in the fields of business, commerce and lately in organizational leadership studies (Winston, 2007). Current approaches in spirituality research advocate a “dialogical-phenomenological” research approach making use of the analytical, hermeneutic, mystagogic, form-descriptive, and systematic tools of theology, sociology and psychology (Kourie, 2006). This is a rich ground to explore the spiritualities that could motivate, energize and sustain the possibility of alternative, current, and sustainable models of spiritual leadership.

Abstract: Current phenomenological investigations in spirituality research distinguish three basic forms of spirituality (Waaijman, 2006): a) established schools of spirituality, (b) primordial spiritualities, and (c) counter-spirituality. Descriptions of established schools of spirituality (Waaijman, 2002) describe movements that have its origin in specific historical and socio-cultural settings that over time give rise to discernable schools or ways of the “spirit”. Research of these established schools/ways are marked by investigations of the source-experience, the formation of pedagogical systems, the socio-historical context, the emergence of a value system, the formation of the consistent whole and accessibility of others to the school/way. Primordial spirituality (Waaijman, 2002) attempts to locate spiritualities that are not closely connected with any school or way, but imbedded in ordinary human experiences such as birth, marriage, having children, experiencing death and suffering. Investigations in primordial spiritualities center around descriptions of everyday spirituality developed in the context of community, forms of indigenous spiritualities and aspects of secular spirituality. Counter movements in spirituality (Waaijman, 2002) describe approaches that offer alternate solutions to existing social and religious power structures and the research in these fields follows descriptions of systems of liminality, inferiority and marginality.

This proposal makes use of Waaijman’s (2006) matrix for defining spirituality to explore and discuss examples of spiritualities that include leadership as part of its “inner” values. The discussions are not comprehensive of the phenomena, but limited in example and brief in overview, with the intention to illustrate the link between the current turn to spirituality and the emerging field of spiritual leadership studies. Two established schools of spirituality, as it relates to spiritual leadership, are discussed: the asceticism of early Egyptian monasticism and the kenotic mysticism of St. Francis of Assisi. In exploring primordial spiritualities, the example of the participatory mutuality of the South African philosophy of ubuntu is explored. Finally one example of a counter-movement in spirituality and the implications for an understanding of spiritual leadership is presented: the witness of the Puritan and Quaker Christian traditions.

The presentation concludes with an overview and critique on past theories and models of Spiritual leadership.

Proposal References:
Kourie, C.E.T. (2006). The “Turn” to Spirituality. Acta Theologica Supplementum 8, 19-38.

Waaijman, K. (2002). Spirituality: Forms, Foundations, Methods. Leuven: Peeters.

Winston, B.E. (2007). Spirituality at workplace: Changing Management Paradigm, in Sing-Sengupta, S. and Fields, D. Integrating Spirituality and Organizational Leadership. Delhi: Macmillan.

Merton on Silence

2008-06-16T11:11:00.004-04:00

It has been a while since I have posted something from my morning readings from the writings and journals of Thomas Merton. This morning reading is on the nature of silence. Leaders often love the sound of their voices. May we learn the wisdom and power of silence.

"Those who love their own noise are impatient of everything else. They constantly defile the silence of the forests and the mountains and the sea. They bore through silent nature in every direction with their machines, for fear that the calm world might accuse them of their own emptiness. The urgency of their swift movement seems to ignore the tranquility of nature by pretending to have a purpose. The loud plane seems for a moment to deny the reality of the clouds and of the sky, by its direction, its noise, and its pretended strength. The silence of the sky remains when the plane has gone. The tranquility of the clouds will remain when the plane has fallen apart. It is the silence of the world that is real. Our noise, our business, our purposes, and all our fatuous statements about our purposes, our business, and our noise: these are the illusion."

Thomas Merton. No Man Is An Island (New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1955: 257.

Spiritual and Leadership Formation

2008-06-12T12:14:00.003-04:00

The current edition of Leadership Talks features a short talk on Spiritual and Leadership Formation done by Dr. Doris Gomez and myself. Here is a link to the talk: http://www.regent.edu/acad/global/leadershiptalks/home.htm

The write-up for the recording is as follows: "The New Testament speaks clearly that God's call upon our lives is to be transformed into the image of Christ. So, how does this process of transformation connect with the concepts of leadership formation? Does leadership formation happen alone or in an organizational context? In this session, Drs. Bekker and Gomez encourage leaders to delve deeper as they discuss the connection between leadership and Christian formation and how our innermost being affects how we lead, our organization and ultimately the world."

Benedict's Rule of Leadership

2008-06-11T13:31:00.004-04:00

In preparing for a Studies Abroad Trip to Italy next week on the leadership of Sts. Benedict, Francis and Clare of Assisi, I came across this wonderful little gem of a book: "The Benedictine Rule of Leadership: Classic Management Secrets You Can Use Today" by Craig S. Galbraith and Olliver Galbraith. It is a worthwhile read and a much needed contribution in our continued effort to recover a truly Christian approach to leadership.

Regent Press Release on Inner Resources for Leaders (IRL)

2008-06-06T15:09:00.001-04:00

Regent University's School of Global Leadership & Entrepreneurship (GLE) explores leadership and Christian spirituality in its newest online magazine, Inner Resources for Leaders, launched May 2008.

Under the leadership of Dr. Corné Bekker and Dr. Doris Gomez, Inner Resources is a popular-press magazine that covers topics such as leadership and spirituality, the devotional habits/disciplines of leaders, devotional reflections for leaders, spiritual direction and leadership, spiritual formation and leadership, Christian leadership in history, theories and models of spiritual leadership, Christian leadership, and religious leadership. Inner Resources also profiles inspirational leaders in Christian history.

"We have a wealth of deeply spiritual and authentic leaders that have walked this difficult road before us, the ultimate being Jesus of Nazareth," noted Bekker. Through Inner Resources, "we hope to explore inner resources that could help us all locate, define and ultimately model biblical, ethical and authentic models of leadership." To stimulate scholarly debate and a free flow of ideas, Inner Resources is published in electronic format and provides access to all issues free of charge. To learn more about Inner Resources for Leaders and to register for a free subscription, visit: www.regent.edu/innerresources .

Locating the Other

2008-05-24T19:40:00.003-04:00

I am deeply saddened by the recent wave of xenophobic violence in my home country of South Africa. It seems that so many of our people have lost their basic humanity and have started to act in an "ubulwane" (animal-like) behavior.

I contributed a popular-press article to the Regent Global Business Review that explores the intersection between embracing our humanity and Gospel value of radical mutuality as it applies to the marketplace in Southern Africa. The summary of the article reads as follows:

"There are strong parallels between the Christian construct of kenosis and the African social philosophy of ubuntu. These parallels allow for the construction of a value–based style of leadership in business that is both African and Christian where leader and follower attain full humanity through a liberating, empowering relationship of mutuality."

Here is a link to the online version of the article: http://www.regent.edu/acad/global/publications/rgbr/vol2iss1/2008%20April_Ubuntu-Kenosis_Bekker.pdf

May we recover our basic humanity that will allow us to recognize the humanity and value of each person.

Guanxi and Perichoretic Hospitality

2008-05-14T13:41:00.002-04:00

I had the privilege of co-authoring a popular-press article with Franco Gandolfi in the current edition of the Regent Global Business Review. The article is entitled: "Guanxi: The Art of Finesse and Relationship Building When Conducting Business in China."

An abstract for the article reads as follows:
The notion of guanxi signifies relationships and relationship building. The concept is an essential part in the development and success of businesses in China. In order for foreign firms to successfully enter China they must have a solid understanding of the concept of guanxi. In this article, the concept of guanxi and its role in contemporary China is explored and compared with the Christian concept of perichoretic hospitality. If foreign firms intend to enter and succeed in China, an understanding of guanxi and its managerial and business implications is critical.

Here is a link to the online version of the article:

http://www.regent.edu/acad/global/publications/rgbr/vol2iss1/2008%20April_Guanxi_Gandolfi_Bekker.pdf

Pilgrims on the Way of Truth

2008-05-10T18:27:00.005-04:00

The metaphor of pilgrimage is one that has been used in Scripture (Psalm 84:5 and Hebrews 11:9) and in the history of Christianity to describe the call to a Spiritual life. The early Church taught that life is like a journey, that this world is not our ultimate destination, and that we are all on our way back to God who is our truest home (see Hebrews 11:13). Michael and Maria Ruiz Scaperlanda (2004) in their book "The Journey: A Guide for the Modern Pilgrim" describe a pilgrimage as, "the journey of those who, deliberately seek answers to the questions of meaning, purpose, and eternity. Instead of seeking fulfillment in things that will never satisfy, the sacred pilgrim sets out to find that which the heart truly desires: God's very presence." This erudite description of a "sacred pilgrim" could easily be used to consider the mission of Christian scholars as those who intend to seek diligently "answers to the questions of meaning, purpose, and eternity" in their respective field of inquiry. If Christian scholars are then indeed pilgrims on the way of truth, what are the tools they carry with them on this adventure of discovery?

There is a story told (Arnold & Fry, 1988) about the twentieth-century pilgrim William McElwee Miller that might help us to think clearly about the travel necessities required in our journey of truth-seeking: "While travelling along the border of Iran and Afghanistan, Dr. Miller had encountered a Muslim sage. Together the missionary and the mullah rode along the narrow path. In the course of their conversion the Persian asked the Presbyterian, 'What is Christianity?' Dr. Miller said, 'It is like a journey. For that trip I need four things – bread, for nourishment; water, for refreshment; a book, for direction; and opportunity, for service. These are my pilgrim fare. Jesus provided me with these things. I trust Him on my way. That is Christianity." This book that we have been given on our journey for direction is a collection of sacred Hebrew and Christian Scriptures, the Bible; through which we are invited to respond to the reality of our Creator and omnipresent God with a love and devotion that includes not only our body and heart, but also our critical faculties (see Jesus' use of the great "Shema" of Deuteronomy 6:5 in Matthew 22:37).

Exegesis is the interpretative process of finding, seeing and hearing God in the Sacred Scriptures (Deist, 1992), the collective history of those faithful pilgrims that have come before us in the journey. Christian Scholars bring their own expertise and the academic disciplines particular to their field to the reading of these Scriptures, and thus to the academic discipline of Biblical exegesis. M.D. Chenu (Holmberg, 1990), a sociologist, comments how the critical thinking skills of the academe assist us in discovering the "revealing" of God in our history and thus by application in the contemporary world: "When God reveals Himself to humans, He does not reveal Himself according to His own knowledge, but according to the human spirit, beginning with the simple rules of grammar and language. When this Divine communication is realized in a community that calls itself the Church, it follows in its humanization the laws and rules of collective knowledge, that any sociologist [or linguist, or for that matter any literate person] can observe in human societies." The literacy of each academic discipline can become a window through which we can once again observe this "Divine communication" in our world.

Richard Foster (2008), in his recent book on reading the Bible for spiritual formation, proposes four steps in reading the Scriptures that are helpful for the Christian scholar's quest for Biblical integration in the various fields of the academe:

Read the Scriptures literally: The Christian scholar uses all the tools of linguistic, rhetorical and communication analyses to enter into the words of the sacred texts.
Read the Scriptures in its historic and social contexts: The Christian scholar avoids anachronistic and ethnocentric readings of the sacred texts by utilizing the disciplines of history, sociology and anthropology to enter into the world of the people of the Bible.
Read the Scriptures in conversation with itself: The Christian scholar allows Scripture to interpret Scripture and forms conclusions and interpretations based on rigorous synthesis so as to enter the larger message of the sacred texts.
Read the Scriptures in conversation with the historic witness of the People of God: The Christian scholar joins the theological and philosophical discussions of two thousand years in a continued quest to enter into the truths of the sacred texts and its implications for our world.

We are a pilgrim people on a sacred journey in a quest to "incarnate" God's truths in our world. We do not walk blindly. We have been given a book for our journey, a sacred book that is God-breathed and "useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness" (2 Timothy 3:16); a book that provides direction for pilgrims on the way of truth.

"Christians feed on Scripture. Holy Scripture nurtures the holy community as food nurtures the human body. Christians don't simply learn or study or use Scripture; we assimilate it, take it into our lives in such ways that it gets metabolized into acts of love, cups of cold water, missions into all the world, healing and evangelism and justice in Jesus' name, hands raised in adoration of the Father, feet washed in company with the Son."
– Eugene Peterson (2006)

References:

Arnold, D. W., & Fry, C. G. (1988). Francis: A Call to Conversion. Grand Rapids: Cantilever Books.
Deist, F. (1992). A Concise Dictionary of Theological and Related Terms. Pretoria: J. L. Van Schaik.
Foster, R. (2008). Life with God: Reading the Bible for Spiritual Transformation. New York: HarperCollins.
Holmberg, B. (1990). Sociology and the New Testament: An Appraisal. Minneapolis: Fortress Press.
Peterson, E. (2006). Eat This Book. Rand Rapids: Eerdmans.
Scaperlanda, M., & Scaperlanda, M. R. (2004). The Journey: A Guide for the Modern Pilgrim. Chicago: Loyola Press.

Inner Resources for Leaders

2008-04-30T10:01:00.007-04:00

Inner Resources for Leaders is a new online popular-press magazine on the subject of leadership and Christian spirituality covering such topics as:

Leadership and Spirituality
The Devotional Habits/Disciplines of Leaders
Devotional Reflections for Leaders
Leadership Profiles of Inspirational Leaders in Christian History
Spiritual Direction and Leadership
Spiritual Formation and Leadership
Christian Leadership in History
Theories and Models on Spiritual Leadership
Christian Leadership
Religious Leadership

I am overjoyed at working with Dr. Doris Gomez as a co-editor on this project. The bi-monthly magazine will launch later this week, but here is a link for an early preview: www.regent.edu/innerresourcesforleaders

Launch of Emerging Leadership Journeys

2008-04-28T17:01:00.003-04:00

A new journal showcasing some of the best papers of first year students in the Ph.D. of Organizational Leadership was launched today. The journal is entitled, Emerging Leadership Journeys and my esteemed colleague and the director of the Ph.D. program at the School of Global Leadership and Entrepreneurship, Dr. Mihai Bocarnea, is the editor.

Dr. Bocarnea introduces the first edition of Emerging Leadership Journeys:

"Welcome to the inaugural issue of Emerging Leadership Journeys (ELJ). This first issue includes the top five student papers submitted during the first two courses of the students’ doctoral journey through the Ph.D. in Organizational Leadership program. In this issue, Roger Given’s literature review investigates the impact of the transformational leadership style on organizational and personal outcomes of the follower. John Smith’s exegesis advances a Spirit-empowered leadership model while Michelle Vondey’s model paper addresses the effect of follower self-concept and self-determination on follower citizenship behavior. Robert Van Engen’s conceptual paper reflects on organizational metaphors, and George West’s model paper considers the relationships among organizational mission, power, structure, and resources. "

One of the articles in this first edition is an exegetic-based exploratory paper by John, P. Smith on a possible model of Spirit-inspired leadership in the writings of Luke. It is a worthwhile read. Here is the abstract of the paper:

Acts 2:1-47 provides a snapshot of the Early Church on the Day of Pentecost; a day that ushers in the promised baptism in the Spirit, also known as the great outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples according to the promise of power for mission (Acts 1:8). This paper utilizes intertexture analysis in socio-rhetorical genre in order to present Luke’s perspective in the Acts of the Apostles as it relates to divine empowerment of leaders. The elements of intertexture analysis include oral-scribal intertexture, historical intertexture, social intertexture, and cultural intertexture. This paper examines how these elements are applied in Acts 2 to formulate a model of Spirit-empowered leadership. Contemporary social and cultural theories of leadership are presented in order to integrate a contemporary leadership understanding with the Spirit-empowered leadership found in Acts 2.

Here is a link to the journal and Smith's paper: http://www.regent.edu/acad/global/publications/elj/

Frugality and Christian Witness in America: Learning from Puritan and Quaker Christian Traditions

2008-04-27T19:43:00.004-04:00

Ethics of frugality have long been part of the economic norm of most Christian traditions (Nash, 1995). Weber (1958) notes that frugality combined with the values of industry, equity, generosity, and solidarity formed the core of a “Protestant ethic” and went on to describe it as “worldly asceticism”. But within the current Western culture of “progressive plenty”, frugality has been portrayed as “unfashionable, unpalatable, and even unpatriotic” (Nash 1995:138). Two spiritual counter-movements that had its start in the seventeenth century (it could be argued that both were birthed in response the religious formalism and economic excesses of seventeenth century Anglicanism) had the ethics of frugality at part of its core, “inner” values (Callen, 2001).

George Fox (1624-1691), a laymen started a counter-movement (later known as the Quakers) centered in the belief that a new age of the Spirit has come and that the ultimate guide of faith was the indwelling presence of the Spirit. Fox encouraged voluntary simple living based on the guidance of the Spirit and did not allow any ministers to receive any form of monetary payment for ministry.

During this same time period another spiritual movement arose from the critique that the emphasis of “salvation by faith alone” of the Protestant churches resulted in little interest in serious spiritual formation. This counter-movement became known as the Puritan revival and soon sought to balance Protestant “faith-alone emphasis” with elements of patristic and medieval spiritualities, amongst those elements the disciplines of frugality and simplicity (Callen, 2001).

The genius of both the marginal counter-movements of Puritan and Quaker spiritualities is that they both “rediscovered the power of moving from speculation to experience, thereby providing verification of the reality of spiritual experience by the only evidence which is convincing, ‘the evidence of the changed lives’…” (Callen, 2001:140). In time, both these counter-movements became known for the radical commitments and stances their adherents embodied, such as resistance against slavery, complete commitment to non-violence and the values of frugality and experiential simplicity. It is important to note that the discipline of frugality and simplicity were not limited to economic and lifestyle choices, such as where to live, what the wear, what kind of work to do; but also intra-personal (such as worship, introspection, etc) and inter-personal dynamics. The contemporary Quaker author, Robert L. Smith (1998:63) summarizes the role of simplicity in Christian witness: “Simplicity helps us to live to the point, to clear the way to the best, to keep first things first.”

Puritan and Quaker spiritualities have long influenced Christian proponents and activists of a simpler lifestyle (Bittinger, 1978, Bush, 1999, and Fager, 1971). The Christian ethicist James A. Nash (1995:140-144), deeply inspired by Puritan and Quaker thought, argues that in order to bring a contemporary revival and reformation to contemporary Christian witness, that one needs to not only bring back the Puritan value of frugality, but also that frugality must be seen as a “subversive virtue”. There is a strong counter-cultural tone inherent to Nash’s language and proposals. Nash (1995:140-144) offers four characteristics of this revitalized virtue as it could operate within a spiritual counter-movement:

Frugality rejects the popular assumption that humans are insatiable creatures, ceaselessly acquisitive for economic gains and goods and egoistically committed to pleasure maximization.
Frugality resists the temptations of consumer promotionalism – particularly the ubiquitous advertising that pressures us through sophisticated techniques to want more, bigger, better, faster, newer, more attractive, or “state of the art.”
Frugality struggles against the various psychological and sociological dynamics, beyond promotionalism, that stimulates overconsumption.
Ethically conscious frugality rejects the prevailing ideology of indiscriminate, material economic growth.

The transformative, witness-facilitating, counter-cultural values of frugality and simplicity have started to make something of a comeback in larger Christianity. At the International Consultation on Simple Lifestyle, sponsored by the Lausanne Committee on World Evangelization’s Theology and Education Group (held at Hoddesdon, England, March 17-21, 1980) a statement was produced and endorsed, entitled, “An Evangelical Commitment to Simple Lifestyle”, which created a kind of Christian manifesto for downshifting. Amongst the many statements concerning the need and practice of simplicity, the following commitments regarding personal witness were expressed (Stott and Sider, 1980): “Our Christian obedience demands a simple lifestyle, irrespective of the needs of others….While some of us have been called to live among the poor, and others to open our homes to the needy, all of us are determined to develop a simpler lifestyle. We intend to reexamine our income and expenditure, in order to manage on less and give more away….Yet we resolve to renounce waste and oppose extravagance in personal living, clothing, and housing, travel and church buildings. We also accept the distinction between necessities and luxuries, creative hobbies and empty status symbols, modesty and vanity, occasional celebrations and normal routine, and between the service of God and slavery to fashion.”

The Puritan and Quaker expressions of simplicity and frugality have recently surfaced in unexpected blends with other Christian traditions. Olson (2005) reports that large communities blending Puritan simplicity and Pentecostal fervor are surfacing in rural Texas, joining their voices with those who offer “an alternative to the American Dream, a competing vision of the future - one that promises fullness of being in solidarity” (Nash 1995:159).

Downshifting in Puritan and Quaker spiritualities is integral to their missiological praxis. The Puritan and Quaker calls to simple living through the practice of the disciplines of frugality are counter-cultural calls to authentic Christian witness and sincere efforts to model the anti-materialism truths of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to a world steeped in an ideology of “more, better and faster”.

"Two things I ask of you, O LORD; do not refuse me before I die:
Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, 'Who is the LORD ' or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God.”
(Proverbs 30:7-9, NIV)

References:

Bittinger, E.F. (1978). The simple life: a chapter in the evolution of a doctrine. Brethren Life and Thought 23.2, 104-114.

Bush, T. (1999). Plain Living: The Search for Simplicity. Christian Century 116:30, 676-681.

Callen, B.L. (2001). Authentic Spirituality. Rand Rapids: Baker Academic.

Fager, C. (1971). Experimenting with a simpler life style. Christian Century 88.1, 9-13.

Nash, J.A. (1995). Toward the revival and reform of the subversive virtue. Annual of the Society of Christian Ethics 15.1, 137-160.

Smith, R.L. (1998). A Quaker Book of Wisdom. London: Orion.

Stott, J.R.W. and Sider, R.J. (1980). An Evangelical Commitment to Simple Lifestyle. Occasional Bulletin of Missionary Research 4.4, 177-179.

Weber, M. (1958). The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons.

Updated Program for the Biblical Perspectives in Leadership Research Roundtable

2008-04-10T17:00:00.003-04:00

I am happy to announce that we have accepted two more papers for the Biblical Perspectives in Leadership Research Roundtable (May 16-17, 2008). Both papers are from Louis Morgan, a phenomenal professor from Lee University and a current Ph.D. student in Organizational Leadership at Regent University (I am deeply fortunate to be the chair for his dissertation work). The titles of Louis' papers are:

"Beyond Serving Others: Continual Self-Sacrifice as Normative Christianity.”
“The Admonitions of St. Francis: Implications for Servant and Transformational Leaders.”

For more information on the roundtable see: http://www.regent.edu/acad/global/conferences/gle/home.shtml

Also check out Louis' blog: http://morganonmission.blogspot.com/

Under the radar: Pentecostalism in South Africa and its potential social and economic role

2008-04-10T13:42:00.003-04:00

There is an interesting new study that has been done by the Center for Development and Enterprise in South Africa on the role of Pentecostal Religion in socio-economic development in Southern Africa. Lydia van den Bergh, who now works at the Center, alerted me of this important study. The write up on this study is as follows:

"Noting the explosive growth in Pentecostal churches in post-apartheid South Africa, CDE, in conjunction with Professor Peter Berger of Boston University and Professor James Hunter of the University of Virginia, obtained funding to undertake research with the aim of opening up a discussion of the possible developmental implications of this phenomenon.

This project has revealed a world of activity, energy, and entrepreneurship previously unknown to this otherwise well-informed South African think-tank. Flying under the radar screens of politicians, intellectuals, academics, and journalists are a large number of institutions and individuals that are actively concerned about and working on questions of values and personal behaviour. These concerns include family life, personal responsibility, unemployment, skills creation, and a range of other national concerns.

This report describes CDE’s project, places it in context, outlines its findings, and suggests ways in which policy debates in South Africa might take account of the phenomenal rise of Pentecostal Christian churches."

For more information and a short summary of this study, see: (http://www.cde.org.za/)

Louise Kretzschmar on Moral Leadership

2008-04-08T12:38:00.004-04:00

I read a great article this morning by an acquaintance from UNISA (University of South Africa) from the Journal of Theology for Southern Africa. Louise Kretzschmar hits the proverbial hammer on the nail with this. A short excerpt:

"Moral leadership is as essential now to the well being of society as it has ever been. Faced with poverty, suffering, injustice and corruption, a deep longing rises up in the human heart for leaders that can be trusted, even loved: for leaders that take individuals and communities where they need to go. towards wholeness of life. Simultaneously, the cost of moral leadership is high, and few are willing to pay the price. Struggle, courage, sacrifice and pain are deliberately avoided in societies that seek comfort, happiness and the promotion of narrow self and group interest. Yet. ironically. Christians believe that it is in the abandonment of selfishness and dishonest defensiveness that true human identity is discovered, and in the relinquishing of narrow group interests that genuine community is found. These difficult truths are encapsulated in Jesus' teachings about leadership as service (Mk 10:35-45) and the need to die. like a grain of wheat, in order to bear fruit (Jn 12:24-26). "

Reference:

Kretzschmar, L (2007). The formation of moral leaders in South Africa: a Christian-ethical analysis of some essential elements. Journal of Theology for Southern Africa no 128 Jl 2007, p 18-36.

Merton on the Mercy of God

2008-04-07T11:04:00.002-04:00

I am persuaded that authentic leadership starts with the simple understanding that all authority in leadership is delegated authority. All power ultimately belongs to God (Psalm 115:1). When we lead, we should be careful to tread lightly, remembering that we are working in God's domain. Thomas Merton helps us in this regard by reminding us of the ever-present refrain of God's mercy in the Holy Scriptures:

The parable of the Good Samaritan is a revelation of God in a word that has great importance through all the Scriptures from beginning to the end. It is a revelation of what the prophet Hosea says, speaking for the invisible God, "I will have mercy and not sacrifices." What is this mercy which we find spoken everywhere in the Scriptures, and especially in the Psalms? The Vulgate rings with misericordia as though with a deep church bell. Mercy is the "burden" or the "bourdon," it is the brass bell and under-song of the whole Bible. But the Hebrew word-chesed-which we render as mercy, misericordia, says more still than mercy.

Chesed (mercy) is also fidelity, it is also strength. It is the faithful, the indefectible mercy of God. It is ultimate and unfailing because it is the power that binds one person to another, in a covenant of wills. It is the power that binds us to God because He has promised us mercy and will never fail in His promise. For He cannot fail. It is the power and the mercy which are most characteristic of Him, which come nearer to the mystery into which we enter when all concepts darken and evade us.

Am I modelling God's mercy in the way that I lead today?

Reference:

Thomas Merton. Seasons of Celebration. (New York: Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 1950): 175.

Program for Biblical Perspectives in Leadership Research Roundtable

2008-04-04T16:07:00.003-04:00

I have completed a preliminary program for the Biblical Perspectives in Leadership Roundtable (May 16-17, 2008). I am looking forward to work and learn with these esteemed scholars!

Program:
1. Banks, Bonnie: "Jesus’ Method of Inclusion in Leadership: A Model for Innovation and Creativity in the Early Church."
2. Banks, Bonnie: "Was Moses Wrong? Ethical Dimensions in Leadership."
3. Bekker, Corné: "“On This Rock: Charismatic Mediators and Weber’s Theory of Religious Leadership in Matthew 16:13-20.”
4. Jenks, Deborah: "Transformation: An Examination of Jesus’ Creative Use of the Matthew 13 Parables and Theory U."
5. Petties, Vivian: "A Biblical Perspective on Women in Leadership: A Fresh Look at I Timothy 2:8-15."
6. Rittle, Dennis: "Managing the Conflict from Within: A Spiritual Model."
7. Self, Catherine: "Incarnational Leadership as Reflected in St. Clare’s Third Letter to Agnes: A Sensory-Aesthetic Study."
8. Self, Catherine: "The Leadership of Jesus: A Literature Review and Research Proposal."
9. Spencer, Jan: "Peter: A Phenomenology of Leadership."
10. Upsher-Myles, Chantel: "Exploring Paul’s Global Leadership Strategy Through 1 Corinthians 9:19-23."
11. Upsher-Myles, Chantel: "Organizational Leadership Lessons Based on the Pauline Epistles."
12. West, Bud: "Implications for Leadership in the Evaluation of Scripture: An Ideological Review of Matthew 8:5-13."
13. Wright, David: "The Leadership of Jesus in the Succession Process of the Disciples: A Dual Focus of Servanthood in Small Groups.”

I will update the program on here as any changes occur. For more information in the roundtable see: http://www.regent.edu/acad/global/conferences/gle/home.shtml

Biblical Perspectives in Leadership Roundtable (May 16-17, 2008)

2008-04-02T12:45:00.002-04:00

This is the second year for the Biblical Perspectives in Leadership Research Roundtable aimed to provide a discussion and research forum for scholars, researchers, practitioners and ministers who work in leadership utilizing a biblical perspective. Representing the multidisciplinary fields of biblical, social-science, historical and leadership studies, the Biblical Perspectives in Leadership Research Roundtable hopes to explore, engage and extend the field of knowledge and understanding of the phenomenon of leadership as found within the contexts of the Hebrew and Christian scriptures.

To stimulate scholarly debate and a free flow of ideas, the proceedings from the Biblical Perspectives in Leadership Research Roundtable will be posted online and papers of high quality will be considered for the Journal of Biblical Perspectives in Leadership (JBPL).

For more information - please see: http://www.regent.edu/acad/global/conferences/gle/home.shtml

John Michael Talbot - God Alone is Enough - from a prayer of Teresa of Avila (1515-1582)

2008-03-28T15:33:00.001-04:00

Let nothing trouble you.

Let nothing scare you.

All is fleeting.

God alone is unchanging.

Patience

Everything obtains.

Who possesses God

Nothing wants.

God alone suffices.

From The Collected Works of St. Teresa of Avila Volume Three translated by Kieran Kavanaugh and Otilio Rodriquez (c) 1985 by Washington Province of Discalced Carmelites ICS Publications 2131 Lincoln Road, N.E. Washington, D.C. 20002 U.S.A.

Study Abroad Trip to Italy 2008

2008-03-24T16:32:00.006-04:00

The following is a press release from Regent University about the Studies Abroad Trip that I led last year and the the one scheduled for later this summer:

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. - Regent University's School of Global Leadership & Entrepreneurship's (GLE) fourth study abroad trip is set for June 20-29. Titled, "In the Footsteps of St. Benedict, St. Francis of Assisi and St. Clare of Assisi," the 2008 tour will take participants to Rome, Montecassino and Assisi, Italy for a 10-day period.

In 2007, Dr. Corné Bekker, GLE associate professor, led participants in the footsteps of the Apostle Paul and ministry of St. Francis of Assisi through Rome and Assisi, Italy. According to Bekker, students were given the unique opportunity "to explore the global leadership of the two pivotal figures in the history of Christianity through lectures, visits to archaeological sites and in-depth discussions." "I was intrigued with not just the study of Paul’s leadership during his time in Rome, but especially so, the idea of studying the leadership of both Francis and Clare of Assisi," said Ph.D. student Catherine Self. Whether standing in cathedrals or sitting under trees at various historical sites, participants discussed and explored in great detail the significance of each site as well as the leader-follower relationship and leadership formation and succession in regard to the Apostle Paul and St. Francis of Assisi. Through this opportunity, participants were able to examine principles of effective global leadership from a biblical and theological perspective.

"Reading the Scriptures and church history documents in their original setting and seeing them come alive to the students was very inspiring. It is a most rewarding experience for a professor to see students grow in their understanding and arrive at greater insights on the possibility of Christian leadership that can change the world," stated Bekker. Italy was chosen for the 2007 trip because Sts. Paul and Francis, both known as radical reformers in Christian history, "offer insights into principles and models of authentic and orthodox biblical leadership that changed their world," stated Bekker.

"It is helpful to see these sites when considering how the Apostle Paul and St. Francis of Assisi served God, ministered to others and inspired followers. It adds a fresh perspective for understanding these individuals’ leadership styles," said Louis Morgan, Ph.D. student. While academic credit was available for this trip, some participants chose to take the trip for their own personal growth. In preparation for the 2007 trip, all participants were asked to read prescribed text books on Paul and St. Francis that dealt with the theology, history and leadership of these figures.

"Under the leadership and teaching of Dr. Bekker, the lives of Paul, Francis and Clare became as real to me as the people I encounter today. His understanding of Mediterranean culture and the social, historical and literary influences of the era fleshed out what are otherwise just black letters on the white pages of a book," said Self. "To suggest that God blessed me through this study is an understatement of what was an experience of a lifetime." In addition, she stated that for others who choose to participate in future study abroad trips through GLE, "it is a simple first step of faith that may be the beginning of a life-changing journey."

Registration is now open for the 2008 study abroad trip. Visit http://www.regent.edu/acad/global/abroad/home.htm for more information and to register for the 2008 tour.

New Book on Simplicity

2008-03-23T20:34:00.005-04:00

ICFAI Books released a new book on the phenomena of downshifting this month. The book is entitled, "Downshifting: A Theoretical and Practical Approach to Living a Simple Life", and is edited by Franco Gandolfi and Helene Cherrier. I contributed a chapter to this timely book on the ancient Christian spirituality of downshifting and its contemporary applications.

The write-up of the book reads as follows:

"Something puzzling yet profound is occurring in consumer-driven societies: an increasing number of individuals from all walks of life are pursuing lower consumption practices and embracing simpler lifestyles. They are ‘getting a life’ and ‘escaping the rat race’. This growing inclination toward simpler lifestyles or downshifting is part of a larger shift in societal values, attitudes, and the notion of what constitutes success and happiness.

This distinctive book constitutes a collection of readings that examines and exposes the various approaches and practices of downshifting. Eleven theoretical and empirical chapters written by prolific writers and distinguished scholars from around the world offer theoretical and practical lenses on the downshifting phenomenon. This book on downshifting is an invaluable resource and instrument for researchers, consultants, executives, and social science students."

The book is available at ICFAI Books: http://www.books.iupindia.org/home.asp

John Chrysostom's Easter Sermon (347-407 AD)

2008-03-23T07:48:00.003-04:00

Let all Pious men and all lovers of God rejoice in the splendor of this feast; let the wise servants blissfully enter into the joy of their Lord; let those who have borne the burden of Lent now receive their pay, and those who have toiled since the first hour, let them now receive their due reward; let any who came after the third hour be grateful to join in the feast, and those who may have come after the sixth, let them not be afraid of being too late, for the Lord is gracious and He receives the last even as the first. He gives rest to him who comes on the eleventh hour as well as to him who has toiled since the first: yes, He has pity on the last and He serves the first; He rewards the one and is generous to the other; he repays the deed and praises the effort.

Come you all: enter into the joy of your Lord. You the first and you the last, receive alike your reward; you rich and you poor, dance together; you sober and you weaklings, celebrate the day; you who have kept the fast and you who have not, rejoice today. The table is richly loaded: enjoy its royal banquet. The calf is a fatted one: let no one go away hungry. All of you enjoy the banquet of faith; all of you receive the riches of his goodness.

Let no one grieve over his poverty, for the universal kingdom has been revealed; let no one weep over his sins, for pardon has shone from the grave; let no one fear death, for the death of our Savior has set us free: He has destroyed it by enduring it, He has despoiled Hades by going down into its kingdom, He has angered it by allowing it to taste of his flesh.

When Isaiah foresaw all this, he cried out: "O Hades, you have been angered by encourntering Him in the nether world." Hades is angered because frustrated, it is angered because it has been mocked, it is angered because it has been destroyed, it is angered because it has been reduced to naught, it is angered because it is now captive. It seized a body, and lo! it discovered God; it seized earth, and, behold! it encountered heaven; it seized the visible, and was overcome by the invisible.

O death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory? Christ is risen and life is freed, Christ is risen and the tomb is emptied of the dead: for Christ, being risen from the dead, has become the Leader and Reviver of those who had fallen asleep. To Him be glory and power for ever and ever. Amen.

South African Trip

2008-02-25T15:34:00.006-05:00

I am preparing to depart tomorrow for a three week trip to South Africa (Klerksdorp, Pretoria, Springs, Johannesburg, Cape Town and Stellenbosch). For all my friends "down south", have a look at my itinerary on the right below - maybe we could meet up - you are all firmly in my heart and prayers.

We will be travelling with five other professors from Regent, speaking at local Universities, churches and ministries. We hope to have many discussions with others on the definition and practice of Christian Leadership that could change our world.

Above all, I ask for your prayers during this time. May we be able to discern God's actions in our world and work with Him.

“I dream of the realization of the unity of Africa, whereby its leaders combine in their efforts to solve the problems of this continent. I dream of our vast deserts, of our forests, of all of our great wilderness.” – Nelson Mandela

Larry Norman - The Great American Novel."

2008-02-25T15:29:00.001-05:00

i was born and raised an orphan
in a land that once was free
in a land that poured its love out on the moon
and i grew up in the shadows
of your silos filled with grain
but you never helped to fill my empty spoon

and when i was ten you murdered law
with courtroom politics
and you learned to make a lie sound just like truth
but i know you better now
and i don't fall for all your tricks
and you've lost the one advantage of my youth

you kill a black man at midnight
just for talking to your daughter
then you make his wife your mistress
and you leave her without water
and the sheet you wear upon your face
is the sheet your children sleep on
at every meal you say a prayer
you don't believe but still you keep on

and your money says in God we trust
but it's against the law to pray in school
you say we beat the russians to the moon
and i say you starved your children to do it

you are far across the ocean
but the war is not your own
and while you're winning theirs
you're gonna lose the one at home
do you really think the only way
to bring about the peace
is to sacrifice your children
and kill all your enemies

the politicians all make speeches
while the news men all take note
and they exagerate the issues
as they shove them down our throats
is it really up to them
whether this country sinks or floats
well i wonder who would lead us
if none of us would vote

well my phone is tapped and my lips are chapped
from whispering through the fence
you know every move i make
or is that just coincidence
well you try to make my way of life
a little less like jail
if i promise to make tapes and slides
and send them through the mail

and your money says in God we trust
but it's against the law to pray in school
you say we beat the russians to the moon
and i say you starved your children to do it
you say all men are equal all men are brothers
then why are the rich more equal than others
don't ask me for the answer i've only got one
that a man leaves his darkness when he follows the Son

Larry Norman (1947-2008)

2008-02-25T15:04:00.005-05:00

I grew up listening to the songs of Larry Norman - who could easily be called the first leader of Christian Rock music. Larry's gentle, vulnerable and honest leadership inspire me to this day. May we all learn to follow Jesus with great honesty and commitment.

Larry dictated the following to a friend on Saturday, a day before going home:

"I feel like a prize in a box of cracker jacks with God's hand reaching down to pick me up. I have been under medical care for months. My wounds are getting bigger. I have trouble breathing. I am ready to fly home.

My brother Charles is right, I won't be here much longer. I can't do anything about it. My heart is too weak. I want to say goodbye to everyone. In the past you have generously supported me with prayer and finance and we will probably still need financial help.

My plan is to be buried in a simple pine box with some flowers inside. But still it will be costly because of funeral arrangement, transportation to the gravesite, entombment, coordination, legal papers etc. However money is not really what I need, I want to say I love you.

I'd like to push back the darkness with my bravest effort. There will be a funeral posted here on the website, in case some of you want to attend. We are not sure of the date when I will die.

Goodbye, farewell, we will meet again.
Goodbye, farewell, we'll meet again
Somewhere beyond the sky.
I pray that you will stay with God.
Goodbye, my friends, goodbye.

Larry."

In the Footsteps of Benedict, Francis and Clare of Assisi

2008-02-21T10:24:00.005-05:00

If you have a passion for discovery, consider joining us for an incredible learning journey as we retrace the footsteps of Saints Benedict, Francis of Assisi and Clare of Assisi.

This study abroad program, offered by the Regent University School of Global Leadership & Entrepreneurship, will take you to some of the most significant sites of our Christian history and examine, firsthand, the dynamics that changed the world.

Retrace the footsteps of Saint Benedict, Saint Francis of Assisi and Saint Clare of Assisi.
Explore key historic sites through private tours.
Examine biblical perspectives, archaeology, theology, religion, humanities and the arts.
Gain spiritual insights and a deeper understanding of biblical leadership and its contemporary applications.
Enjoy the program as a leisure traveler or enroll for optional graduate-level credit (M.A. or Ph.D.).

For the first few years, the Leadership Study Abroad Program concentrated on the work, ministries and leadership of the Apostle Paul in Asia Minor and Greece, covering most of the sites of Paul's first, second and third missionary journeys. The 2008 PROGRAM takes us to Italy, where we will walk in the footsteps of Saints Benedict, Francis of Assisi and Clare of Assisi.

For more information see the website for this tour: http://www.regent.edu/acad/global/abroad/home.htm

Becoming Ourselves

2008-02-18T11:34:00.004-05:00

I am reading Ilia Delio's (O.S.F.) new book on Clare of Assisi, entitled " A Heart Full of Love" (2007). I am deeeply taken by Delio's deep insights and critical engagment with Clare's theology of finding our deepest identity in Christ. My morning reading of Merton reflected a similar thought. We serve God best when we accept who He has created us to be:

"Brilliant and gorgeous day, bright sun, breeze making all the leaves and high brown grasses shine. Singing of the wind in the cedars. Exultant day in which even a puddle in the pig lot shines like precious silver.

Finally I am coming to the conclusion that my highest ambition is to be what I already am. That I will never fulfill my obligation to surpass myself unless I first accept myself and, if I accept myself fully in the right way, I will already have surpassed myself. For it is the unaccepted self that stands in my way and will continue to do so as long as it is not accepted. When it has been accepted--it is my own stepping stone to what is above me. Because this is the way man has been made by God. Original sin was the effort to surpass oneself by being "like God"--i.e. unlike oneself. But our God-likeness begins at home. We must first become like ourselves and stop living "beside ourselves."

May we be brave enought to accept our truest identity in Him.

Thomas Merton. A Search for Solitude. Edited by Lawrence S. Cunningham (San Francisco, HarperSanFrancisco, 1996): 220-221

Spirit and Scripture: A Symposium on Renewal Biblical Hermeneutics

2008-02-13T12:26:00.002-05:00

Pentecostal, Charismatic and renewal movements throughout the world share a common theological experience. However, several seminal questions about renewal biblical and theological studies have not been sufficiently treated for today. For example:

What is the role of the Holy Spirit in biblical hermeneutics?
What are the distinctive presuppositions, methods and goals of renewal biblical hermeneutics?

With the present growth of both renewal scholarship and the movement around the world, we believe that the time has come for a focused and concerted treatment of this topic. You are invited to a gathering of scholars to address this vital subject for biblical and theological studies in the 21st century. Six prominent renewal scholars, representing important trajectories in the renewal movement, will each present a constructive way ahead for biblical hermeneutics:

The Holy Spirit, Scripture and Interpretation: The Perspective of a Pentecostal African-American in Old Testament StudiesHarold V. Bennett (Ph.D., Vanderbilt University; President-Dean, Charles V. Mason Theological Seminary).
The Roadmap to Restoration through the Window of the Spirit of God: The Perspective of a Pentecostal in Old Testament StudiesWonsuk Ma (Ph.D., Fuller Theological Seminary; Director, Oxford Centre for Mission Studies; Co-editor, Asian Journal of Pentecostal Studies).
Faith is a Way of Knowing: The Perspective of a Charismatic Catholic Biblical ScholarFr. Francis Martin (S.S.D., Pontifical Biblical Institute; Professor of Sacred Scripture, John Paul II Institute, Washington D. C.).
The Work of the Holy Spirit in the Interpretation of Holy Scripture: The Perspective of a Charismatic Biblical TheologianClark H. Pinnock (Ph.D., Manchester University; Professor Emeritus of Systematic Theology, McMaster Divinity School).
Biblical Criticism and the Prophetic Spirit: The Perspective of an Anglican Charismatic in New Testament StudiesMark Stibbe (Ph.D., Cambridge University; Vicar, St. Andrew’s Church, Chorleywood, England).
Hearing What the Spirit is Saying to the Church: The Testimony of a Pentecostal in New Testament StudiesJohn Christopher Thomas (Ph.D., Sheffield University; Clarence J. Abbott Professor of Biblical Studies, Church of God Theological Seminary).

The symposium will convene on Friday evening, October 17th, 2008, at 6:00 p.m., and end at noon on Saturday, the following day. This symposium will consist of six, forty-five minute papers, each followed by a ten minute response.

Here is a link to the Registration Page: http://www.regent.edu/acad/schdiv/newsandevents/spirit-and-scripture/home.shtml

The Entrepreneurs' Guild Spring 2008 Series

2008-02-13T12:18:00.001-05:00

The [e] guild is co-hosted by Distinguished Professor and former Regent University President David Gyertson, Ph.D. and Regent Global Business Review Editor Julianne Cenac. Each digitally recorded program features leading and emergent entrepreneurs in dynamic and engaging interviews to uncover each guest's unique path to success.

All recordings will take place at the Regent University Communication & Performing Arts Center.

You are invited to be our guest as part of the studio audience for the live recording of the Entrepreneurs' Guild. A complimentary reception will follow each recording, enabling audience members to meet and speak with guest entrepreneurs.

Spring 2008 Series guests include:

Tom KnoxFounder & CEO, SeniorcorpTuesday, February 19, 20086:00 p.m.

Anne BeilerFounder, Auntie Anne's, Inc.Thursday, February 21, 2008
6:00 p.m.

Seating is limited, so click here for more information and to reserve your seat today!

The Call to the Quiet

2008-02-12T10:38:00.000-05:00

“But I have stilled and quieted my soul; like a weaned child with its mother, like a weaned child is my soul within me.” (Psalm 131:2, NIV)

The Call to Center
Something is seriously wrong in our church communities today. Many people suffer from what Albert Schweitzer[1] once referred to as a “sleeping sickness of the soul.” Its symptoms are loss of vision, community, morality and compassion. Many voices have been raised to lament the loss of soul and heart in our faith communities, where desperate activity and incessant busyness have replaced simple devotion and true worship. How do we regain our focus and balance in a world of distraction and performance-orientated ministry? The ancient witness of the Christian Scriptures calls us refocus our attention and heart on the center of our faith: the reality of a living and active God that chooses to dwell within us (compare Paul’s comment on this in Colossians 1:27).

Centering prayer is a simple, ancient and Biblical approach to prayer that sets up the ideal conditions to enter into that restful place of quiet awareness of God's healing presence. The primary purpose of this kind of prayer (sometimes referred to as Christian meditation or meditative prayer) is to open the "eyes" of our spiritual perception in order to become aware of His indwelling presence and to center our complete attention on Him. Richard Foster[2] speaks of this kind of prayer when he writes: "In meditative prayer we create the emotional and spiritual space which allows Christ to construct an inner sanctuary in the heart." Centering prayer is a simple and quiet resting in the knowledge of the God’s presence within. It is important to note this approach to prayer is powerful in its very simplicity and not complicated at all. This is reminiscent of the admonition of Jesus to approach the Kingdom of God like a little child (see Matthew 18:3).

The Practice of Centering Prayer
The practice of Centering prayer is very simple, it almost so simple that we might want to discard it. Love is simple, intimacy is simple, but it is often the very simple things that we seem to struggle with. This way of prayer is alluded to in many passages in the Old and New Testaments and probably dates from then. The ancient Greek Church Fathers referred to it as monologion, "one-word" prayer. The desert father, Abba Isaac taught a similar form of prayer to John Cassian who later wrote of it in France, transmitting it to Benedict of Nursia. This simple approach to prayer is not only Biblical, but ancient in the witness of the Church. The guidelines for centering prayer as developed by contemporary devotional authors such as Thomas Keating[3], are as follows:
· Let yourself settle down. Let go of all the thoughts, tensions, and sensations you may feel and begin to rest in love of God who dwells within (compare Revelation 3:20).
· Effortlessly, take the name of Jesus, the focus of your intention to surrender to God's presence, and let the name of Jesus be gently present in your heart.
· When you become aware of thoughts or as internal sensations arise, just take this as your signal to gently return to the name of Jesus, the focus of your intention to let go and rest in God's presence.
· If thoughts subside and you find yourself restfully aware, simply rest in God, in His presence. Be in that stillness. When thoughts begin to stir again, gently return to the name of Jesus.
· End your time of prayer with thanksgiving, adoration and intercession.

The Effect of Centering Prayer
The most basic effect of centering prayer is a renewed sense of God’s presence within. Being in the presence of God brings profound changes. Nothing is more powerful than our Lord’s presence in our hearts and minds. This is the foundation for change (compare the Apostle Peter’s words on this great truth in 2 Peter 1:2-4). Being aware of the indwelling presence of Jesus sets a powerful platform for all other forms of prayer and devotion. We can now approach every day, every action, every thought with the powerful knowledge that He lives within us. We are now able to live life from the center. The center of every action, every thought is now Jesus. He has been given pre-eminence in our lives (compare Colossians 1:16-18). Our lives become a living witness of His presence in the world, and in and through us.

One of the most profound results of centering prayer is the transformation of the believer. The central act of centering prayer is the act of beholding, centering upon Jesus. Scripture is very clear that the devotional act of transformation is the same (compare 2 Corinthians 3:18). When we constantly gaze, look and center ourselves upon Jesus we are changed in to His glorious image. As we center upon God and the indwelling presence of Jesus in our hearts, we are bombarded by a myriad of thoughts, feeling and perceptions. This is direct result of us focusing on Jesus. In His presence all that is not pure and holy must flee.

The Power of the Quiet Place
The reason we engage in this kind of prayer is to make our lives, lives of being completely centered in Jesus. Centering prayer is an expression of our faith and love. The way to the center, to the experience of God, is love. From love comes our ability to sense God present. Love for God and faith in Jesus are the two pillars that form the foundation for centering prayer. This does not mean that this might always be easy. Just remaining quietly in the presence of God, listening to Him, being attentive to Him, requires a lot of courage and discipline. This discipline of listening and of attention is a discipline, a rather difficult one to maintain. In this listening, in the tranquil attention to God, God acts directly upon the one who prays, doing it by Himself, communicating Himself to that person. God and the beloved are together in great intimacy. Thomas Merton[4] who lived his life as one sitting at the feet of Jesus and yet had a powerful effect on the world, prayed this prayer of faith before he died and in doing so illustrates the ultimate purpose of centering on Jesus:

“To be here with the silence of Son-ship in my heart
is to be a centre in which all things converge upon You.
That is surely enough for the time being.
Therefore, Father, I beg you to keep me in this silence
so that I may learn from it the word of Your peace
and the word of Your mercy
and the word of Your gentleness to the world.
And that through me perhaps Your word of peace
may make itself heard where it has not been possible for
anyone to hear it for a long time.“

[1] Andrews, C 1997. The Circle of Simplicity. New York: HarperCollins.
[2] Foster, R J 1978. Celebration of Discipline. San Francisco: HarperCollins.
[3] Keating, T 1992. Open Mind, Open Heart: The Contemplative Dimensions of the Gospel. Shaftesbury: Element.
[4] Merton, T 1999. The Intimate Merton. Oxford: Lion.

Leadership Roundtables

2008-02-07T19:06:00.000-05:00

Regent University's School of Global Leadership & Entrepreneurship invites you to participate in the 2008 Annual Roundtables of Contemporary Research & Practice.

Featured Guest
Dr. Warren Bennis is known around the world as the preeminent expert on the subject of leadership and has devoted more than five decades of his life to understanding and sharing the effective practice of leadership.

Roundtables
Each roundtable will provide an opportunity for the presentation and discussion of contemporary research in the areas of business, global leadership and entrepreneurship.

Servant Leadership

Biblical Perspectives in Leadership

Human Resource Development

Global Leadership & Entrepreneurship

Consulting & Strategic Foresight

Call for Papers
Submission Deadline: March 15, 2008

Get more information online or register today at www.regent.edu/roundtables

Teresa of Calcutta's Daily Prayer

2008-02-05T16:18:00.000-05:00

DEAR JESUS,

help me to spread Thy fragrance everywhere I go.

Flood my soul with Thy spirit and love.

Penetrate and possess my whole being so utterly that all my life may only be a radiance of Thine.

Shine through me and be so in me that every soul I come in contact with may feel Thy presence in my soul.

Let them look up and see no longer me but only Jesus.

Stay with me and then I shall begin to shine as you shine, so to shine as to be a light to others.

- Teresa of Calcutta

Listen to Mother Teresa pray this prayer:

http://www.americancatholic.org/Features/teresa/Prayer.asp

Dallas Willard on Organizational Vision

2008-02-02T16:33:00.000-05:00

Gordon Cosby of the Servant Leadership School at Church of the Savior in Washington D.C. once asked Dallas Willard, "Why do churches and ministries so often lose the essence of their founding vision, to the point that the resulting institution, years later, is quite unlike the original dream? What happens along the way?" This essay is Willard's response to that question:

Whoever serves me must follow me,and where I am, there will myservant be also. Whoever servesme, the Father will honor." Jesus (John 12:26)

When you go to Assisi, you will find many people who talk a great deal about St. Francis, many monuments to him, and many businesses thriving by selling memorabilia of him. But you will not find anyone who carries in himself the fire that Francis carried. No doubt many fine folks are there, but they do not have the character of Francis, nor do they do the deeds of Francis, nor have his effects.

What is true in this case is not peculiar to it. Rather, this is simply one of the more obvious illustrations of a general tendency of human life —and of the spiritual life as well. It happens in the professional world, the world of business, of government, education, and the arts: A person of some great inspiration and ability emerges, and rises far above his or her origins and surroundings. Perhaps it is a King David of Israel, a Socrates, a St. Anthony or St. Francis, a Martin Luther or a George Fox or a John Wesley. In each of these people there is a ... well, a certain 'something'.

They really are different, and that difference explains why these individuals have such great effect, and why movements and institutions grow up around them. It is as if they stand in another world, and from there they have extraordinary effects in this world —as God acts with them. Organization of their activities takes place, and other organizations spin off from them as numbers of talented individuals are drawn to them and make their lives in their wake. But these other individuals —usually, but not always, very well-intending —do not carry the "fire," the "certain something," within them. The mission or missions that have been set afoot begin a subtle divergence from the vision that gripped the founder, and before too long the institution and its mission has become the vision.

This happens in "secular" settings as well. Arthur Anderson was a man of rock-solid integrity, with a crystal-clear vision of Accounting as a profession. He built a magnificent accounting firm on strong moral principles. But eventually the people who ran the firm became obsessed with money-making and success, and then with helping clients make money and be successful. Just that, instead of holding those clients responsible ("account-able") to the public goods they all professed to serve. These people —who acted in the good name of Arthur Anderson, but without his vision —brought disaster upon themselves and upon thousands of unsuspecting people who depended upon them. Had the moral fire burned in them that burned in Arthur Anderson, that would not have happened. But a false fire of greed and ambition burned in its place. The cuckold of 'success' laid its eggs in the nest of service-to-the-public-good, and a monster was hatched that destroyed the nest and all in it.

St. Francis and Arthur Anderson are among the more glamorous and notorious illustrations of a hard reality. In most cases, when the original fire dies out, the associated institutions and individuals carry on for a while, increasingly concerned about success and survival, and then they either find another basis to stand upon, or they simply disappear. (Consider the case of Charles Finney and Oberlin college, which he founded, or any number of other originally Christian colleges and universities.)

For the rest of this excellent article see http://www.dwillard.org/articles/artview.asp?artid=96

Ten Steps to be Miserable

2008-01-16T13:01:00.000-05:00

The Ty Mam Duw Poor Clare Colettines in Wales list ten steps to be miserable on their community website (. It is obvious that this ten point scheme for self-hindrance is what should be avoided at all cost:

Sulk - this is highly successful and guaranteed to achieve lasting results.

Grab - make sure that, always and in every place, you come first.

Scowl - there is nothing to smile about, and you should let everyone know it.

Assert yourself - it is the very least you owe to yourself.

Do not complain, all you have to do is say, "I don't want to be difficult, but...". This will always get the point over.

Argue - other people always need enlightenment.

Be sentimental - it will prove that you are a beautiful person who thinks with the heart.

Pick your food - slimmers must eat, no matter how many people may starve.

Worry - this is one of the most genteel and widely accepted methods of avoiding responsibility.

Never forget! Keep an ineradicable charge sheet of your neighbours failings printed on the inside of your eyeballs. And whatever good they may do, do not hold it against them

Gluttons for Power

2008-01-14T10:49:00.000-05:00

Why do we desire to lead? Hint - it is not always because we are humble or want to change the world. Sometimes our desires for fame, fortunate and power drive our aspirations for leadership. I would maintain that authentic Biblical leadership starts with an examination of the "passions"/desires that underlie our desire to lead.

Evagrius Ponticus (349–399 AD), a monastic theologian in Egypt, is believed to be the first writer to record and systematize certain teachings of the predominately illiterate Desert Fathers. A prominent feature of his research was a list of eight evil "passions" (desires). While he did not create the list from scratch, he is credited with refining and developing it. His list of "passions" were, in order of increasing seriousness: gluttony, lust, avarice, sadness, anger, acedia, vainglory, and pride. Acedia (from the Greek "akedia," or "not to care") denoted "spiritual sloth." Evagrius intended for this list to be used for diagnostic purposes. One cannot resist temptation without being aware of how it operates. What is interesting, is that his list starts with gluttony. For Evagrius, sin starts with our surrender to our uncontrolled appetites. This is echoed in the Scriptures, when the Apostle Paul writes: “For, as I have often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things.” - Philippians 3:18-19

The age-old discipline of fasting, or the curbing of our appetites might be the first step in the purification of our desires. The philokalia records that Abba John the Short, advising the young brothers to love fasting, told them frequently: “The good soldier, undertaking to capture a strongly fortified, enemy city, blockades food and water. In this way the resistance of the enemy is weakened and he finally surrenders. Something similar happens with carnal impulses, which severely war against a person in his youth. Blessed fasting subdues the passions and the demons and ultimately removes them far from the combatant. And the powerful lion,” he told them another time, “frequently falls into a snare because of his gluttony, and all of his strength and might disappear.”

May we have the courage to reexamine our desires for leadership - this might have to start in the determined control of our appetites - including our desire for power over others.

Picture: Kendell Geers (2007). Seven Deadly Sins

Joy in the Journey

2008-01-06T21:30:00.000-05:00

I celebrate my birthday today, a date traditionally celebrated as a feast date for the coming of the Magi from the East to worship Jesus. My good friend, Jay Gary reminded me of this wonderful poem that T.S. Elliot wrote marking his journey from agnosticism to faith in Jesus. May this be year filled with God's continued grace on all of us that find the joy in the journey.

The Journey of the Magi

'A cold coming we had of it,
Just the worst time of the year
For the journey, and such a long journey:
The ways deep and the weather sharp,
The very dead of winter.'
And the camels galled, sore-footed, refractory,
Lying down in the melting snow.
There were times we regretted
The summer palaces on slopes, the terraces,
And the silken girls bringing sherbet.
Then the camel men cursing and grumbling
And running away, and wanting their liquor and women,
And the night-fires going out, and the lack of shelters,
And the cities hostile and the towns unfriendly
And the villages dirty and charging high prices:
A hard time we had of it.
At the end we preferred to travel all night,
Sleeping in snatches,
With the voices singing in our ears, saying
That this was all folly.

Then at dawn we came down to a temperate valley,
Wet, below the snow line, smelling of vegetation;
With a running stream and a water-mill beating the darkness,
And three trees on the low sky,
And an old white horse galloped away in the meadow.
Then we came to a tavern with vine-leaves over the lintel,
Six hands at an open door dicing for pieces of silver,
And feet kicking the empty wine-skins,
But there was no information, and so we continued
And arrived at evening, not a moment too soon
Finding the place; it was (you may say) satisfactory

All this was a long time ago, I remember,
And I would do it again, but set down
This set down
This: were we led all that way for
Birth or Death? There was a Birth, certainly,
We had evidence and no doubt. I had seen birth and death,
But had thought they were different; this Birth was
Hard and bitter agony for us, like Death, our death,
We returned to our places, these Kingdoms,
But no longer at ease here, in the old dispensation,
With an alien people clutching their gods.
I should be glad of another death.

- T. S. Eliot

Thomas Merton on Christmas

2007-12-24T11:14:00.000-05:00

May this be a time of increasing wonder at the miracle of God coming into our world in Jesus of Nazareth! (The picture of the left is of the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, Israel - I was fortunate to visit this place of wonder several years back with my wife).

Merton's short reflection on the meaning of Christmas is a worthwhile read during this time of celebration. A short extract:

"Advent for us means acceptance of this totally new beginning. It means a readiness to have eternity and time meet not only in Christ, but in us, in Man, in our life, in our world, in our time. The beginning, therefore, is the end. We must accept the end, before we can begin. Or rather, to be more faithful to the complexity of life, we must accept the end in the beginning both together.

The secret of the Advent mystery is then the awareness that I begin where I end because Christ begins where I end. In more familiar terms: I live to Christ when I die to myself. I begin to live to Christ when I come to the "end" or to the "limit" of what divides me from my fellow man: what I am willing to step beyond this end, cross the frontier, become a stranger, enter into a wilderness which is not "myself," where I do not breathe the air or hear the familiar, comforting racket of my own city, where I am alone and defenseless in the desert of God.

The victory of Christ is by no means the victory of my city over "their" city. The exaltation of Christ is not the defeat and death of others in order that "my side" may be vindicated, that I may be proved "right." I must pass over, make the transition (pascha) from my end to my beginning, from my old life which has ended and which is now death to my new life which never was before and which now exists in Christ."

Thomas Merton. "Advent: Hope or Delusion?" in Seasons of Celebration. New York: Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 1965: 96-97.

Have a wonderful Christ-filled Christmas!

The Wisdom of Tenderness

2007-12-22T10:37:00.000-05:00

A good friend of mine, from the UK, sent me the following recording of an interview with Jean Vanier:

http://speakingoffaith.publicradio.org/programs/wisdomoftenderness/transcript.shtml

I discovered Vanier through the writings of Henri Nouwen. Vanier's radical commmitment to active love as the primary expression of Christianity has had a providential impact on my own developing thoughts on authentic Christian Leadership. I am more than ever convinced that the call to follow Jesus is a call to let go of our desperate desires for prominence, privilege, prestige and self-enrichment. To follow Jesus is to commit to a radical divestment of every claim of self-interest so as to be free to love. Most of my current thinking revolves around the consequences of this commitment to mimetic love. Can I let go of everything on order to love? As Vanier says:

Yes, I come back to the reality of pleasure and to the reality of what is my deepest desire and what is your deepest desire. And what — and somewhere, the deepest desire for us all is to be appreciated, to be loved, to be seen as somebody of value. But not just seen — and Aristotle makes a difference between being admired and being loved. When you admire people, you put them on pedestals. When you love people, you want to be together. So really, the first meeting I had with people with disabilities, what touched me was their cry for relationship. Some of them had been in a psychiatric hospital. Others — all of them had lived pain and the pain of rejection. One of the words of Jesus to the, to Peter —and you find this at the end of the gospel of Saint John — "Do you love me?"

JMT on Advent

2007-12-05T18:18:00.000-05:00

Please accept my apologies for not blogging regularly this month. I have been neck-deep in writing and submission deadlines. I expect to get back to sharing my current thought sometime next week. In the meantime I will let John Michael Talbot' s recent Advent reflection speak for me:

Peace and Good in Christ!

We come to the beginning of another Advent. We have done it many times before, and will probably do so again. Only God knows the future. And we come to the beginning of another liturgical Church year. We come again to a time of penance and conversion; "Lent with a little sugar on top," as I have often said. There is not necessarily anything new to be said. Most of what we would say has been said before by many others. But "repetition is the mother of learning."

What strikes me with this is our notion of moving through time. In the west we usually think of time as having a beginning and an end. It can be seen as a line that starts in one place, and goes to another. In the east people think of time as a circle without beginning or end. There are strengths and weaknesses with both. The weakness of linear time is that it gets so goal oriented that it can fail to live in the present moment. The problem with cyclic time is that it can lull us into a state of sluggishness.

Pope Benedict XVI has put these two concepts together in a kind of "corkscrew" approach to time. It is both cyclic in that it goes round and round, and linear in that it begins and ends someplace. I really like this description. It is typically brilliant and insightful of Pope Benedict XVI.

For many years I have proposed a similar model; that of a spiral staircase that goes up or down when viewed from the side, but seems to go round and round in the same space when viewed from below or above. This model emphasizes that ordinary life tends to go round and round with the same mundane issues over and over again. What makes our progress good or bad is which direction we are going. St. Peter Damien of the 11th century semi eremitical reform of western monasticism, and a leading cardinal of the Church of his day, says that you either go up or down every day of your life. If you try to stand still you begin a downward spiral.

Life is a decision. Love is a decision. The question is what we will do as the same issues of life come around again and again. Will we choose to follow Jesus this Advent, and continue our journey upward to heaven? Or will we just stop trying and begin a slow downward spiral?

Chances are we elder members of the Church will not hear much new this Advent. Chances are that we have heard it all pretty much before. But the challenge of what we do with the message of Jesus for us this Advent remains a matter of life or death for us all. We can choose to follow Jesus, or we can just give up, or block it all out once more.

This Advent, rise to the challenge. Though the issues might seem to get old, the challenge never gets old. It is always new because every day of our life is new. Let's convert, let's do penance, let's rise and walk up the spiral staircase with the help of the grace of God. Let's not get lulled into to a sense of the all too familiar and try to stand still. It only leads to falling back down the stairs. It leads to sin, sadness, and spiritual death. Jesus wants us to have life and have it abundantly. This Advent let's choose life, and live. God grant you a most blessed Advent this year!

In Jesus,

John Michael Talbot

Rebuilding the Church

2007-11-21T14:26:00.000-05:00

A recent post on John Michael Talbot's blog hit home. I am increasingly concerned about the "commercialization" of Christianity. I long for the day that our message and image in the public eye will no longer be characterized by our seemingly incessant greed for money, fame and influence; but rather our love, devotion and passion for Jesus and people. JMT writes:

Luke 19:45-48

My house is meant for a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves. v. 46

The Jews had externalized and commercialized even their place of prayer, so they had come to externalize and politicize God’s peace. They had missed the internal, so God would never give them the external.

FIRST SEEK INTERNAL GRACES

Ironically, God will give external graces if we first seek the internal ones. "Seek first his kingship over you, his way of holiness, and all these things will be given you besides." But we must also have a detachment from the external before we can find the internal. "You cannot give yourself to God and to money. What man thinks is important, God holds in contempt." Or, "If anyone comes to me without turning his back on his father and mother, his wife and his children, his brothers and sisters, indeed his very self, he cannot be my follower." Yet he goes on to say there is no one who has given these things up "who will not receive in this present age a hundred times as much - and persecution besides - and in the age to come, everlasting life."Without internal prayer we can never have lasting peace. We cannot have real prayer with such a gross commercialization of spirituality.

REVERE OUR HOUSES OF PRAYER

And what about today? Never before has there been such an overflowing torrent of Jesus "junk." Today we must return to a reverential use of our houses of prayer. It is fine to have books available as a ministry and service to the people of God, but commercialization in God’s name will surely bring down God’s wrath!Is our present abundance God’s gracing of externals because we have sought only the internal? Are we truly detached and poor in spirit? Or have we simply set up an abundance of money changers’ tables in the house of the Lord? We cannot have peace until we pray, and we cannot pray without overturning these money changers' tables within our own hearts and souls, as well as within our local house of prayer.

by John Michael Talbot

Here is a link to John Michael Talbot's blog: http://johnmichaeltalbot.blogspot.com/

Love louder than Thunder

2007-11-19T11:23:00.000-05:00

When psalms surprise me with their music

And antiphons turn to rum

The Spirit sings;

the bottom drops out of my soul.

And from the center of my cellar,

Love,

louder than thunder

Opens a heaven of naked air.

New eyes awaken.

I send Love's name into the world with wings

And songs grow up around me like a jungle.

Choirs of all creatures sing the tunes

Your Spirit played in Eden.

Thomas Merton. [Selection from] "Psalm" in The Collected Poems of Thomas Merton. New York: New Directions Publishing Co., 1977: 220-221.

A Clean Heart

2007-11-17T21:56:00.000-05:00

"The fruit of silence is prayer

The fruit of prayer is faith

The fruit of faith is love

The fruit of love is service

The fruit of service is peace."

- Mother Teresa of Calcutta

The Right Use of Knowledge

2007-11-15T15:05:00.000-05:00

I was reminded of the following description of the right use of knowledge by a colleague, Dr. Mara Crabtree, this morning. It is always good and prudent to examine our motives in all that we do.

"There are some who desire knowledge merely for its own sake; and that is shameful curiosity. And there are others who desire to know, in order that they may themselves be known; and that is vanity, disgraceful too. Others again desire knowledge in order to acquire money or preferment by it; that too is a discreditable quest. But there are also some who desire knowledge, that they may build up the souls of others with it; and that is charity. Others, again, desire it that they may themselves be built up thereby; and that is prudence. Of all these types, only the last two put knowledge to the right use" (St. Bernard, Sermon on the Canticle of Canticles).

The Power of Small Things

2007-11-13T14:41:00.001-05:00

I have been considering Thérèse de Lisieux's (1873-1897) theology of doing the smallest of things with great love and devotion unto God, as a possible foundational construct in a renewed theology of "redemptive work". It strikes me that the beginning of this exploration must start with the ultimate purpose of all action: love. Thomas Merton puts it as follows:

"We do not exist for ourselves alone, and it is only when we are fully convinced of this fact that we begin to love ourselves properly and thus also love others. What do I mean loving ourselves properly? I mean, first of all, desiring to live, accepting life as a very great gift and a great good, not because of what it gives us, but because of what it enables us to give to others."

How will our perception and practice of work changes when our first and ultimate motive is love?

Picture: Martin Creed, Work No. 567: Small Things.

Small Things with Great Love

2007-11-13T10:15:00.000-05:00

Brown's New Book on Hermeneutics

2007-11-09T12:42:00.000-05:00

Roger Ebertz, a Christian Philosopher at the University of Dubuque recently published an inspiring and erudite article in the Christian Scholar's Review on the call for Christian scholarship to be Biblically grounded and engaged. Ebertz suggests that Christian scholars should extend the traditional worldview analysis methodology of research, an approach that has mostly become normative amongst Christian scholars, to include a central Biblical hermeneutical component. For Ebertz, Christian scholars carry a double duty in that they should not only be competent in the particular demands of their academic disciplines, but also in appropriate methods of Biblical hermeneutics that fit their field of enquiry. Ebertz's proposal is rooted in the conviction that Christian scholars operate within three defining contexts: (a) a specific social and cultural situation, (b) an academic field governed by specific research agendas and methodologies, and (c) a particular faith tradition. His proposal consists of an integrated research approach where these three contexts work together in the pursuit of truth: "The Christian scholar, then, seeks both to interpret her subject matter and to understand the Bible as it speaks to her and to her work as a scholar in the light of historical situation, her community of scholarship and her community faith. Thus the Christian scholar's hermeneutical task is complex. And yet she aims at the unity of understanding that affirms the sovereignty of one Lord."

Christian scholars looking at the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures often make interpreting mistakes because they do not consider the historical and cultural distance between themselves and the authors and audiences of those texts. Biblical hermeneutical methodology assists the serious interpreter of the Bible in reading these texts in an integrative, reflective, analytical, and yet still devotional manner. These models of interpretation are drawn from the conviction that what is needed is a multi-disciplinary approach to reading the Scriptures that keeps in mind at minimum the literary, social, cultural, historical and theological dimensions of the text and its people. Unfortunately, most Christian scholars have not been exposed to contemporary hermeneutical methodology and may not know where to start. This is where Jeanine Brown's new book on Biblical hermeneutics can be of great assistance.

Jeannine Brown's basic introduction to the discipline of hermeneutics offers a clear and practical interpretative model that highlights the communicative nature of the text of the Christian Scriptures. By rooting this communicative model in the theological concept of the incarnation, Brown bridges the world of systemic theology and Biblical studies and by doing so, makes a significant contribution to the various current theories and debates on the nature of the text and the discipline of interpretation. Brown's inspiring and clear approach makes complex theories of interpretation simple while at the same time communicating the wonder and power of the "Divine breath" of inspiration in the text of the Holy Scriptures.

Brown's book is divided into two parts: the first part lays a thorough theoretical foundation on the communicative nature of Scripture, whilst the second part offers practical guidelines for those desiring to read and understand Scripture as God's ever-present communicative act. Brown does not steer away from contentious or difficult issues in discussing the art of interpretation, but translates them for the reader into simple and palatable concepts, whilst pointing the way towards erudite and practical interpretative strategies. The book does suffer at times from an absence of in-depth discussions on the recent developments in socio-rhetorical and semiotic readings of Scripture, but makes up for this lack in its well structured treatment on the quest to derive meaning from a communicative reading of the text.

"Scripture as Communication" is a highly accessible book that lay readers, students, ministers and scholars alike will find to be rich in interpretive theory yet practical in its application. Brown's book makes an important and timely contribution in our common quest to understand and apply the message of Scripture to our own research.

It is my growing conviction that a clearer understanding of the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures holds the promise of a resurgence of moral and values-based approaches to leadership today. Only when our understanding and practice of leadership is utterly informed and fueled by the Word of God will we have the kind of Christian leadership that will change the world. Jeanine Brown's inspiring book is a good place to start in our common quest for the recovery of authentic Christian scholarly leadership.

Love as the Source for Leadership

2007-10-29T11:32:00.000-04:00

The following from Merton had me rethinking the importance of love as the base for all authentic forms of leadership. Merton asks for a redefinition of love in our consumerist society - I could not agree more:

"Psychologists have had some pretty rough things to say about the immaturity and narcissism of love in our marketing society, in which it is reduced to a purely egotistical need that cries out for immediate satisfaction or manipulates others more or less cleverly in order to get what it wants. But the plain truth is this: love is not a matter of getting what you want. Quite the contrary. The insistence on always having what you want, on always being satisfied, on always being fulfilled, makes love impossible. To love you have to climb out of the cradle, where everything is 'getting,' and grow up to the maturity of giving, without concern for getting anything special in return. Love is not a deal, it is a sacrifice. It is not marketing, it is a form of worship.

In reality, love is a positive force, a transcendent spiritual power. It is, in fact, the deepest creative power in human nature. Rooted in the biological riches of our inheritance, love flowers spiritually as freedom and as a creature response to life in a perfect encounter with another person. It is a living appreciation of live as value and as gift. It responds to the full richness, the variety, the fecundity of living experience itself: it "knows" the inner mystery of life. It enjoys life as an inexhaustible fortune. Love estimates this fortune in a way that knowledge could never do. Love has its own wisdom, its own science, its own way of exploring the inner depths of life in the mystery of the loved person. Love knows, understands and meets the demands of life insofar as it responds with warmth, abandon and surrender."

Thomas Merton. "Love and Need" in Love and Living. Naomi Burton Stone and Brother Patrick Hart, editors. New York: Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 1979: 30-31

Leadership: Impact, Culture and Sustainability

2007-10-24T11:18:00.000-04:00

The International Leadership Association's Conference (ILA) will take place next week in Vancouver, Canada. I have three papers that have been accepted for this conference:

Leading from the Desert: The Christian Monastery as a Spiritual Organization (Thursday, November 1):
This presentation builds on the ancient wisdom of the beginnings of Christian monasticism and illustrates the principles of building healthy and effective spiritually-based organizations led by integrated and grounded leaders.

Leadership Sins: Towards an Understanding of Leadership Failure (Friday, November 2):
Applying insights drawn from the philosophical and ontological exploration of sin in the early Christian Monastic traditions to contemporary leadership contexts provides leadership scholars and practitioners with a conceptual base to locate and identify the contributing factors of moral failure in leadership. This allows the possibility for strategically constructing programs and environments that will facilitate the formation of moral leadership in organizations.

Exegetical Assignments as a Form of Spiritual Formation (Friday, November 2):

This study examined the use of structured social-rhetorical exegetic assessments in two on-line doctoral programs, offered by the same school, as a means of stimulating spiritual growth and formation. The article presents background information on the five exegetical analysis phases of: (a) inner-textural, (b) inter-textural, (c) social-cultural, (d) ideological, and (e) sacred followed by the presentation of data collected from 31 doctoral students spanning two cohorts of both a PhD and applied doctoral programs. The data shows conclusively that the students perceive a positive impact on their spiritual formation through the use of the five exegetical assessments. The recommendation of the study is that Christian schools should consider the use of similar exegetic assessments as a means of helping students grow spiritually.

I have also been asked to fill in for a presenter on another panel and will present a recent paper:

The Role of Religion in Economic Development: A Case Study exploring the use of Religion in the Societal and Economic Transformation of the early Matthean Christian Communities (Saturday, November 3):

A recent study proposes that religious activities and beliefs are exogenous or independent variables in political and economic development. This study further shows that the interactions between religion and political economy generally involve two causal directions: economic and political development affects religiosity and on the other side, religious beliefs and activities influence economic performance. It is the second causal direction between religion and economic development, described above, that interests me as a scholar with interests in both the fields of theology and leadership studies. Thus, this paper seeks to describe the role of religion in economic development by exploring the use of religious knowledge to facilitate societal and economic transformation in the early Christian communities in which the Gospel of Matthew was produced.

Louis Morgan on Pentecostal History

2007-10-24T10:44:00.001-04:00

One of our PhD students in Organizational Leadership, Louis Morgan, is the author of the cover article in next month's Charisma Magazine. The article is entitled "The Flame still burns" and is on the history of the Pentecostal church, the Church of God in Christ. Morgan writes: "One hundred years ago a son of slaves brought the Pentecostal message to African Americans in the South. Today, the Church of God in Christ is poised to spread the gospel worldwide." The article can be read at: http://www.charismamag.com/display.php?id=16085

Congratulations Louis!
Link to Louis Morgan's blog: http://morganonmission.blogspot.com/

Jay Gary on Forgiveness in Leadership

2007-10-22T09:31:00.000-04:00

A good friend and colleague of mine, Jay Gary presented an excellent paper on the role of forgiveness in leadership at the recent "Bridging Sunday and Monday" Conference in Seattle. Here is an abstract of the paper:

"A recent leadership survey found that ‘mending relationships’ was considered a vital skill of effective leadership, rising above three skills previously ranked highest: individual resourcefulness, decisiveness and doing what it takes. Can workplace forgiveness help mend relationships that have once been breached? What leadership theories view forgiveness as central to their theories? How do Christ-centered leaders embed a culture of forgiveness, especially in publicly held companies where religious and non-religious employees work side by side? This chapter examines how Christian leaders can draw upon the power of forgiveness to counter workplace dehumanization. It unfolds under five topics: (a) the construct of forgiveness (b) the leadership traditions that encompass forgiveness, (c) the developmental nature of forgiveness, (d) the research and measurements of forgiveness, and (e) how leaders can use interventions to cultivate an organizational culture of forgiveness."

Jay's paper make a significant contribution to our common quest to explore what an authentic Christian and compassionate approach to leadership could look like. His website can be seen at: http://www.jaygary.com/

John Michael Talbot on "Standing for Jesus"

2007-10-21T21:42:00.000-04:00

This has been a real busy time for me - but I wanted to post a short section from John Michael Talbot's blog that really touched home for me today:

Luke 12:8-12: "I tell you, whoever acknowledges me before men - the Son of Man will acknowledge him before the angels of God. v. 8"

The world seldom speaks of Christ except to use his name in vain. Jesus is no longer found on the front page of popular magazines as he was during the days of the Jesus Movement. Today the world is preoccupied with the pragmatic realities of political power and money. It takes courage to stand up for the real Jesus of Bethlehem and Calvary, born in a shepherd's stable and crucified on a criminal's cross. It is not easy to stand up for the poor, or to give one's life for those treated unjustly by the political systems of the world.

THE HOLY SPIRIT WILL TEACH YOU

We may feel at a loss when asked to explain the way of Jesus. How can we put into limited words an infinite Living Word proclaimed throughout eternity? Paul said, "I did not come proclaiming God's testimony with any particular eloquence or wisdom ... my message and my preaching had none of the persuasive force of wise argumentation, but the convincing power of the Spirit." As Jesus tells us in today's gospel, "The Holy Spirit will teach you at that moment all that should be said."

PROCLAIM THE SIMPLE MESSAGE

We need not win an argument. We need only proclaim the simple message of Jesus. "The word of God will not return void," said Isaiah the prophet. Speak in clear simplicity and confidence. Let the Spirit do the rest. You may not win the intellectual argument, but you will win the spiritual battle for the soul! As Socrates wrote, "Just because you win an argument does not mean you possess the truth."Do we rely on the power of the Spirit when we share about Jesus with others? Do we share in the Spirit, or simply argue with the mind? The Spirit leads to humility and gentleness, while the mind only leads to presumption and pride. Do not be afraid. God will use your simple testimony and your personal story to evangelize even the powerful of this world.

- John Michael Talbot

Here is a link to JMT's blog: http://johnmichaeltalbot.blogspot.com/

First Annual Roundtables of Contemporary Research & Practice

2007-10-18T09:50:00.000-04:00

Regent University's School of Global Leadership & Entrepreneurship will host the 2008 Annual Roundtables of Contemporary Research & Practice conference on May 15-16, 2008, at The Founders Inn & Spa in Virginia Beach, Va.

Throughout this two-day event designed to facilitate interaction, learning and collegiality in a cordial environment, participants from around the world will gather to discuss contemporary research in the areas of global leadership and entrepreneurship.

The featured guest, Dr. Warren Bennis, will speak during the Friday morning plenary session and the Friday evening banquet. He is known around the world as the preeminent expert on the subject of leadership and has devoted more than five decades of his life to understanding and sharing the effective practice of leadership.

Papers are invited from the disciplines of business, leadership and entrepreneurship in the following six roundtables:

Biblical Perspectives in Leadership
Human Resource Development
Entrepreneurship and Global Business
Leadership and International Management
Consulting and Strategic Foresight
Servant Leadership

The submission deadline for completed papers is March 1, 2008. Full submission guidelines and the Call for Papers can be found online at www.regent.edu/roundtables. All papers will be reviewed by appropriate roundtable chairs and will be considered for the "Best Paper" award within their roundtable.

For more information, submission guidelines and to register for this event, visit www.regent.edu/roundtables.

Developing Authentic Leadership from the Image of God

2007-10-11T09:41:00.000-04:00

I attended the "Bridging Sunday and Monday" Conference at Seattle Pacific University last week where I presented a paper on the implications of the theological concept of the Incarnation on the development of a possible model for Christian Leadership. One of our Ph.D. students, Rick Franklin presented an excellent paper on the Imago Dei as the source for authentic Leadership. Rick's paper opens many possibilities for exploring the dynamics of spiritual formation as it relates to leader development. The abstract for his paper reads as follows:

"Authentic leadership theory defines effective leadership in terms of self-awareness and self-regulation. In particular, the greater the extent to which a leader is aware of oneself (i.e., identity, values, emotions, etc.) and regulates leadership behaviors accordingly, the more authentic and effective the leader is in leading and empowering followers.

In this regard, self-concept plays a critical role within authentic leadership, in that, it is often the focus of self-awareness. In this paper, I suggest that a secure, authentic self-concept is effectively developed by anchoring it to a self-transcendent source. Specifically, I propose that the image of God (as a self-transcendent source) provides a secure foundation for self-concept. As such, the image of God in humankind provides the fundamental definition of self-concept and thus, can be incorporated into the process of developing authentic leaders.

This topic integrates leadership theory, spirituality, and biblical theology, which is unique in authentic leadership theory studies. It also has practical value regarding developing leaders with a focus on the internal dynamic of self-concept."

Finding our Rest in God

2007-10-01T13:11:00.000-04:00

"The doctrine of man finding his true reality in his remembrance of God in whose image he was created, is basically Biblical and was developed by the Church Fathers in connection with the theology of grace, the sacraments, and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. In fact, the surrender of our own will, the 'death' of our selfish ego, in order to live in pure love and liberty of spirit, is effected not by our own will (this would be a contradiction in terms!) but by the Holy Spirit. To 'recover the divine likeness,' to 'surrender to the will of God,' to 'live by pure love,' and thus to find peace, is summed up as 'union with God in the Spirit,' or 'receiving, possessing the Holy Spirit.' This, as the 19th-century Russian hermit, St. Seraphim of Sarov declared, is the whole purpose of the Christian life. St. John Chrysostom says: 'As polished silver illumined by the rays of the sun radiates light not only from its own nature but also from the radiance of the sun, so a soul purified by the Divine Spirit becomes more brilliant than silver; it both receives the ray of Divine Glory and from itself reflects the ray of this same glory.' Our true rest, love, purity, vision and quies is not something in ourselves, it is God the Divine Spirit. Thus we do not 'possess' rest, but go out of ourselves into Him who is our true rest."

- Thomas Merton. "The Spiritual Father in the Desert Tradition" in Contemplation in A World Action. Garden City, NY: Doubleday & Co., 1971: 287.

Take a risk with Jesus

2007-09-28T10:33:00.001-04:00

The following is an inspiring blog entry from John Michael Talbot's blog:

LOOK TO THE HEART

Luke 7:36-50If this man were a prophet, he would know who and what sort of woman this is that touches him - that she is a sinner. v. 39 Are we like Jesus, allowing ourselves to be touched, kissed, even washed by the tears of sinners? Do we look beyond the externals of morality, culture, and religion to the heart? Do we judge and condemn or practice mercy and justice?

BE SENSITIVE TO REPENTANT SINNERS

The Pharisees provided no water for Jesus to wash his dusty feet, no kiss of greeting, and no perfumed oil of anointing. Despite their rigorous religious exercises, they were sensitive neither to Jesus nor to a sincere repentant sinner. The woman was a known sinner, yet she experienced a radical change of heart. From her repentant heart, tears flowed and fell upon the feet of Jesus. Where she once embraced and caressed men for profit, she instead wiped Jesus’ feet and anointed his head out of reverence. These external acts are made holy because of her change of heart.

LET YOUR HEART BE MOVED

Jesus responded to the Pharisees criticism by saying, "I tell you, that is why her many sins are forgiven - because of her great love. Little is forgiven the one whose love is small ... Your faith has been your salvation." In this, Jesus directly connects faith and love. "God is love, wrote John. Likewise, the book of James reminds us that true religion consists of "looking after orphans and widows and keeping oneself unspotted from the world." How can one look after orphaned children and widowed women and mothers without having their hearts moved? The world tells us to look out for yourselves while James said we must not be defiled by the self-centeredness that hardens the human heart.“Love covers a multitude of sins,” says the proverb. So today let us be people of human love if we profess true faith in God. Today look to the sinner: the prostitute, the whore, the drug addict, and let your heart be moved. Treasure their tears, let them anoint your head. Let them kiss you and touch your life. Ironically, you might find your own life "cleansed" by the "unclean," and your openness may be the door to their salvation.

Take a risk with Jesus.

- John Michael Talbot

To read more from John Michael Talbot see: http://johnmichaeltalbot.blogspot.com/

The Leader as Spiritual Director

2007-09-27T12:44:00.000-04:00

Lately, I have been taken with the idea that the basic premise of the discipline of spiritual directing could be a good metaphor to explore the intersection of leadership and spiritual formation. Barry and Connelly's definition for Spiritual Direction might be a good place to start:

"We define Christian spiritual direction as help given by one Christian to another which enables that person to pay attention to God’s personal communication to him or her, to respond to this personally communicating God, to grow in intimacy with this God, and to live out the consequences of the relationship."

Barry and Connelly's good definition reminds me of a description I once read of the ministry of the Old Testament Prophet, where the purpose of the prophet was to recapture the imagination of God's People back to Him. Christian leaders get the attention of those that follow and lead them back into the presence of God.

Source:

William A. Barry and William J. Connelly, The Practice of Spiritual Direction (New York: Seabury, 1982)

Leadership in the Love of God

2007-09-26T11:15:00.000-04:00

"And today God keeps on loving the world. He keep on sending you and me to prove that He loves the world, that He still has that compassion for the world. It is we who have to be His love, His compassion in the world of today. But to be able to love we must have faith, for faith in action is love, and love in action is service."

- Teresa of Calcutta

Giving all to Jesus

2007-09-25T10:25:00.000-04:00

I recently finished the newly published book on the private writings of Mother Teresa of Calcutta. What struck me was her complete and total determination to offer her whole life as a sacrifice to God. There is story towards the end of the book where one of the missionary sisters in her community witnessed the following a few days before the death of Mother Teresa: "I saw Mother alone, facing....a picture of the Holy Face....and she was saying, 'Jesus, I never refuse you anything.' I thought she was talking to someone. I went in again. Again I heard the same: 'Jesus, I have never refused you anything.'"

May we learn to give all that we have in obedience to Him. Nothing less could be called authentic Christian Leadership.

Creativity, Tribulation and Virtue in Leadership

2007-09-24T09:50:00.000-04:00

Jackie Faulhaber's sacred texture analysis of 1 Peter in the New Edition of the Journal of Biblical Perspectives in Leadership (JBPL) explores the interaction between virtue, tribulation and creativity in leadership.

The abstract of Faulhaber's paper reads as follows:

"God’s strategy to diffuse Christianity in vacillating economic, political, and economic environments is creative and reflects his nature to work in inexplicit and paradoxical ways. In a sacred textual analysis of 1 Peter, employing the exegetical strategies of socio-rhetorical criticism, it is proposed that God uses tribulation and trials to effect individual and collective transformation. This transformative process, predicated on a believer’s grateful response to grace, produces organizational cooperation over competition, forgiveness over grudges, and harmony over discord, which is necessary to attain moral excellence and the good relationships needed for creating innovative organizations that require ongoing renewal for today’s turbulent environments that organizations face. This essay further focuses on the nuances of spiritual transformation and character development, a process similar to that noted by Paul in Romans 5:3-6. It also focuses on the creative tools Peter uses, such as metaphors and opposites, to teach the requisites for spiritual formation/character development, as well as transformational leadership used by Peter in seeking to transform the Christian community toward moral excellence."

For the full paper see: http://www.regent.edu/acad/global/publications/jbpl/

A Martyriological Model of Leadership

2007-09-23T09:58:00.000-04:00

Jack Niewold's paper, entitled "Beyond Servant Leadership," in the new edition of the Journal of Biblical Perspectives in Leadership (JBPL) makes a good case for a renewed and determined examination of our models of Christians Leadership in the light of the sacrifice of Christ and his early followers.

The abstract of the paper reads as follows:
I argue that the servant leadership model that has been widely adopted by Christians has not been an unmixed blessing. Servant leadership in its secular form is based on non-Christian secular and religious ideas. But even in its Christianized form it is reflective of a heterodox and distorted Christology, which it in turn helps to perpetuate. I attempt to identify the elements of Christology that modern evangelicalism and its version of servant leadership neglect. Next, I endeavor to rehabilitate these neglected aspects of Christology in order to formulate a new model of leadership that I call martyria, a biblical term that I briefly explicate. Following a short exercise where I speculate what martyria might look like today, I argue that it is within this new martyriological model of leadership that the servant motif finds its true home. The implication is that when servanthood is lifted from its matrix as adjunct to martyria and permitted to usurp a central role in leadership formation, the result is weak leadership ill-suited to the exigencies of our time. Martyrological or witness-based leadership, on the other hand, contains the role of servant, but is much better suited in critical ways to the present historical kairos.

For the full article, see: http://www.regent.edu/acad/global/publications/jbpl/

Picture by Leon Gerome

Upper Echelons Theory at work in the Church in Ephesus

2007-09-21T08:42:00.000-04:00

Gail Longbotham and Ben Gutierrez have an article in the current issue of the Journal of Biblical Perspectives in Leadership on upper echelons theory and the church in Ephesus. The abstract of this paper reads as follows:

This study relates Proposition 21 of Hambrick and Mason’s (1984) Upper Echelons Theory (UET) to Paul and Timothy’s leadership of the Ephesian church. Proposition 21 states, “In turbulent environments, team heterogeneity will be positively associated with profitability.” Using the texts of Acts, Ephesians, and I and II Timothy, this study demonstrates the merit of this proposition as evidenced in the historical, ministry context of Paul and Timothy as a leadership team in the turbulent environment of the first century and provides rationale for translating these concepts into a contemporary ministry context. A brief sketch of Paul and Timothy’s personal backgrounds (birthplace, family, education, and conversion experience) and leadership experiences provides evidence for the heterogeneity of their leadership relationship. Evidence of heresy and persecution support the contention that theirs was a turbulent environment. The conduct of the Ephesian church in the years after the instruction (documented in Acts, Ephesians, and I and II Timothy) and leadership of Paul and Timothy provides supporting evidence of the profitability of that leadership. A summary of the study, its benefits, and suggestions for future research conclude this study.

For the rest of the paper see: http://www.regent.edu/acad/global/publications/jbpl/vol1no2

What would Jesus Lead?

2007-09-20T09:57:00.000-04:00

Jay Gary's paper in the new edition of the Journal of Biblical Perspectives in Leadership (JBPL) is entitled: "What would Jesus lead: Identity theft, leadership evolution and open systems."

Here is the abstract of the paper:

Recent discussions of “What would Jesus drive?” by environmental groups have raised the issue of whether Jesus of Nazareth would embrace the industrial growth paradigm. This paper evaluates this public policy debate by examining various leadership typologies that have been used to study Jesus. Drawing upon Daft’s four-cell evolutionary theory of leadership studies, this paper lays out an open systems and post-industrial research agenda for leadership scholars as they examine Jesus’ actions within a first-century context.

Link to the full paper: http://www.regent.edu/acad/global/publications/jbpl/vol1no2/JBPLVol1No2_Gary.pdf

Check out Jay Gary's site: www.jaygary.com

Second Edition of the Journal of Biblical Perspectives in Leadership (JBPL)

2007-09-19T12:47:00.000-04:00

It is with great joy that I can announce that second edition of the Journal of Biblical Perspectives in Leadership (JBPL) is finished and have gone "live" on the web today. This edition of JBPL contains a wide variety of views and approaches in our common quest to explore leadership perspectives in the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures. It is our hope that the articles in this edition will serve to further extend the base for rigorous and well-grounded exegetical research in leadership.

I want to thank the members of our international editorial board for their continued guidance and hard work. I also want to thank the dean and faculty of the School of Global Leadership & Entrepreneurship at Regent University for their continued interests and support of the journal.

We welcome any comments, suggestions, and correspondence from our readers. I look forward with great anticipation to our continued interaction.

Peace and all good,

Corne J. Bekker

Editor of JBPL

Here is a link to online version of the Journal:
http://www.regent.edu/acad/global/publications/jbpl/

In the Footsteps of Saints Benedict, Francis and Clare of Assisi 2008

2007-09-18T10:22:00.000-04:00

In the Footsteps of Benedict, Francis and Clare of Assisi Italy June 20-29, 2008

If you have a passion for discovery, consider joining us for an incredible learning journey as we retrace the footsteps of the Saint Benedict, Saint Francis of Assisi and Saint Clare of Assisi. This Study Abroad program, offered by the Regent University School of Global Leadership & Entrepreneurship, will take you to some of the most significant sites of our Christian history and examine, firsthand, the dynamics that changed the world .

Retrace the footsteps of the Saint Benedict, Saint Francis of Assisi and Saint Clare of Assissi
Explore key historic sites through private tours.
Examine biblical perspectives, archaeology, theology, religion, humanities and the arts.
Gain spiritual insights and a deeper understanding of biblical leadership and its contemporary applications.
Enjoy the program as a leisure traveler or enroll for optional graduate-level credit (M.A. or Ph.D.).

For the first few years, the Leadership Study Abroad Program concentrated on the work, ministries, and leadership of the Apostle Paul in Asia Minor and Greece, covering most of the sites of Paul's first, second and third missionary journeys. The 2008 PROGRAM brings us to Italy, where we will walk in the Footsteps of Saints Benedict, Francis and Clare of Assisi.

For more information see: http://www.regent.edu/acad/global/abroad/home.htm

The Entrepreneurs Guild

2007-09-18T09:51:00.000-04:00

Entrepreneurs are drivers of the world economy. They are more than owners of businesses, they are innovators and, in many ways, trailblazers in commerce and industry. Within the many successes and failures are their stories. The Entrepreneurs' Guild seeks to tell those stories through a values-based worldview and, in turn, provide a stage for learning, dialogue and advancement of social business practice.

The [e] guild is co-hosted by Distinguished Professor and former Regent University President David Gyertson, Ph.D. and Regent Global Business Review Editor Julianne Cenac. Each digitally recorded program features leading and emergent entrepreneurs in dynamic and engaging interviews to uncover each guest's unique path to success.

The following notes is from Julianne Cenac, who oversees the work of the Guild:

"All,

I am excited to announce the upcoming fall series of the Entrepreneurs' Guild October 8-10th, 2007. Guests include: Pilar Nores de Garcia, First Lady of Peru; Ogbonna Abarikwu, CEO of CK Engineering, and Dr. M. G. "Pat" Robertson.

The Entrepreneurs' Guild is the vision of Dr. Winston and features leading and emerging entrepreneurs who have successfully integrated their faith in creating, launching and sustaining innovative ventures. Each program is digitally recorded before a live studio audience and will be available for viewing on the Entrepreneurs' Guild website.

While the website is being updated to include all the programs from the summer series, please click on the following link to view the outstanding interview with David Gyertson and Michael Louis of South Africa: http://media.regent.edu/schgle/eguild/ep2_h.wmv

To reserve your seat(s) for the current program series, visit the Entrepreneurs' Guild website at: www.regent.edu/eguild

In His Service,
Julianne Cenan"

Giving Ourselves to God

2007-09-17T13:44:00.000-04:00

"If I am to know the will of God, I must have the right attitude toward life. I must first of all know what life is, and to know the purpose of my existence. It is all very well to declare that I exist in order to have my soul saveed and to give glory to God by doing so. And it is all very well to say that, in order to do this, I obey certain commandments and keep certain counsels. Yet knowing this much, and indeed knowing all moral theology and ethics and canon law, I might still go through life conforming myself to certain indications of God's will without ever fully giving myself to God. For that, in the last analysis, is the real meaning of His will. He does not need our sacrifices, He asks for our selves. And if He prescribes certain acts of obedience, it is not because obedience is the beginning and the end of end of everything. It is only the beginning. Charity, divine union, transformation in Christ: these are the end."

- Thomas Merton. No Man Is An Island. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1955: 63.

Response to a Comment on Yesterday's blog

2007-09-14T18:21:00.000-04:00

I normally do not respond to comments left on this blog, but I would like to comment on an anonymous and good response to yesterday’s blog. It is a great joy that we can interact and learn from one another – so I offer my small contribution to this well thought-through response. The measure of success in leadership that yesterday’s response to my blog proposes - the quality of relationships build with God and others - is precisely the transformation of leadership values that Nouwen hopes for and proposes in his little, provocative book. A close reading of Nouwen will reveal that he does not propose that leadership should not be relevant, spectacular or heroic: it is the desperate temptations to be relevant (in Nouwen’s Dutch-informed sense of writing – a desire to play to the whims and movements of the market), spectacular and powerful that he identifies as the main temptations for those who lead. These are the temptations that often lead to the kind of dysfunctional and ineffective leadership that all of us have witnessed too well. For Nouwen obedience to God equals effective Christian leadership, authentic leadership in the Name of Jesus – and this could end up being very relevant, quite spectacular and full of the right kind of power – but those leadership results are ultimately the work of God. Nouwen’s genius lies in his understanding that authentic leadership cannot start with those desires – it has to start with the determined commitment to follow God – and to leave the effects of that leadership to Him. For too long have we located the phenomena of leadership solely in the person of the leader. I would propose that leadership is much more complex that the desires and actions of one person (as good, needed and intentional as they might be) – at minimum any talk of Christian leadership should include the serious consideration of the empowering presence of God, the community, context, organization, mission and followers. Nouwen proposes in a very simple way, based on his reading of the last chapter of John’s Gospel (21), that the phenomena of leadership includes and depends upon these above-mentioned constituents.

Does Nouwen’s small book on Christian leadership address all the philosophical or Biblical elements necessary to construct an adequate theory for Christian Leadership? I do not think so. But this book, written in the early 1980’s does open the door to start to examine what a communal, values-based approach to leadership could look like. Nouwen is no longer alone in his call to a values-based approach to leadership (one could consider the work of Robert Greenleaf, Richard Barker and even the most recent writings of Bernard Bass for a few examples of this). Leadership scholars world-wide has proposed that a shift is occurring in our understanding of leadership and that this new, emerging, post-industrial paradigm of leadership has helped leaders to start to think of leadership as something that is done in community instead of the acts of one privileged and empowered individual. This paradigm shift from extreme individualism to perspectives in communal leadership is a global phenomena and is contrasted by Jean Lipmen-Blumen (Thorton F. Bradshaw Professor of Public Policy and Professor of Organizational Behavior at the Drucker School of Leadership) with the individualistic, competitive leadership approaches of the past: “…we finally began to reexamine more critically our traditional concept of leadership. It is based on an outmoded ego ideal glorifying the competitive, combative, controlling, creative, aggressive, self-reliant individualist…”

I fully agree that Bruce Winston’s concept of Agapao love as the prime motivator of Christian leadership, is the closest we have come so far to describe this values-driven approach (and in my reading to the concepts Nouwen describes): doing the right thing, for the right reason, at the right time, to the right people will result in authentic Christian leadership that might very well turn out to be spectacularly relevant and powerful – but those results are God’s work, our work is to be obedient to the call to lead in the Name of Jesus.

I would also confess that Nouwen's three temptations: the temptations to be the person of the hour that is known for his spectacular and powerful personage and leadership are all temptations that I can deeply relate to.

Kyrie Eleison (Lord have mercy)

Leadership in the Name of Jesus

2007-09-13T12:46:00.000-04:00

I struggle with the shameless pride and determined self-promotion that so often accompany those of us who present ourselves as "leadership gurus". Am I tempted by the "style over substance" stance that leadership simply equals influence? Where are we leading people to? Henri Nouwen's little book on Christian Leadership, "In the Name of Jesus" remains one of the few voices that calls for a renewed commitment to authentic leadership.

Jeanné Morson's review of Nouwen's book summarizes his most important thoughts:

"The increasing trend of many individuals seeking to nurture their leadership skills is to submit to the motivational gurus who preach well-packaged and dramatically staged formulas for success. The quest for self-direction, personal efficiency and effective leadership habits, however, still leaves many individuals empty over the long run. The late Henry Nouwen provides the link that is essential for those individuals who not only seek effective leadership skills but an approach that is consistent with their Christian identity. IN THE NAME OF JESUS provides a foundational understanding of effective leadership that centres itself in Christ. Any proposal of personal leadership styles that negate or avoid this authentic presence can offer only a partial definition of what genuine leadership and effectiveness is.

Where leadership gurus talk about an individual's internalized habits and methods of empowerment, Henri Nouwen begins his reflections on Christian leadership with a focus on the collective. His wisdom is grounded in the foundation that we are a people 'called'. He acknowledges that it is the real presence of the Holy Spirit who motivates us toward a life that is lived not merely 'with' but 'for' others. This adds a distinctively unique layer to general leadership principles that tend to focus on an individualistic perspective. Nouwen's understanding of leadership is other-centred as opposed to self-centered; it is communal as opposed to individual. Skills are not what 'build me up' as a good leader, but what 'build us up' as a community.

Nouwen regards self-actualization -- that desire to be relevant, spectacular, heroic or powerful -- as a temptation. Leadership is not so much about personal effectiveness and success as it is about one's vocation to proclaim in the word and witness of one's life that God's redemptive presence continues to manifest itself even in the ordinary events of our lives. This emphasizes that it is not so much about what we do or who we are in terms of social labels, but our capacity to reveal WHOSE we are in the way we choose to live out our relationships and involve ourselves with the others in our community. According to Henri Nouwen, all principles by which we live, whether it be honesty, integrity, integrity, fairness, excellence, service, etc., pale in their capacity for effectiveness if LOVE is not at the root of them. Love is the first principle and finds its origin in what Nouwen refers to as God's first love - that creative extension of God's self into the life of the world. Stripped of all the criteria that made him relevant, spectacular and powerful, Nouwen discovered at l'Arche a deeper well-spring with which to identify his contributions as a Christian leader: "Success was putting my soul in danger...my constantly changing involvement in what seemed most urgent were signs that the Spirit was being suppressed." (P.10) Nouwen invites the Christian leader to nurture her/his spirit by contemplative prayer so that "we can keep ourselves from being pulled from one urgent issue to another and from being strangers to our own and God's heart." (p.28) Nouwen defines this balance as something attainable when one responds in the affirmative to Jesus' question: Do you love me?

For a society that measures successful leadership in terms of the effectiveness of the individual, Nouwen offers a counter definition that is witnessed by a "communal and mutual experience". (p.40) He reflects on the success of Jesus' disciples who were sent out in twos to proclaim the good news: Christian leaders are called to live the Incarnation...not only in their own body but... the corporate body of the community, and to discover there the presence of the Holy Spirit. (p.48) For Nouwen, leadership cannot function apart from the community.Like other types of leadership, Christian leadership too can get tangled in the charisma of a high profile individual who has all the skills to function well and be effective within the community. Nouwen challenges all Christian leaders to function WITH and FOR their particular community, not in the radiance of their own name and reputation but IN THE NAME OF JESUS. "

Unmasked Leadership

2007-09-11T14:19:00.000-04:00

"Our media are saturated with images of individuals wearing the mask of 'all togetherness'. I rub shoulders daily with people quick to reassure me of the unreality 'I'm fine, thanks'. I find myself trapped in a superficial community, stuffed in my self-imposed cocoon of fear and shame, afraid to admit my brokenness and weakness. I can't face the possibility of rejection and loss, not making the cut, not fitting in. To break out of this prison, we are invited into the honesty of becoming vulnerable. Vulnerability dismantles our obsession with getting it right.

As I take off the mask of 'all togetherness', I discover a vast world of freedom. In my vulnerability, I become accessible to fellow companions on the journey. My vulnerability invites others in, offers understanding and empathy, but also can be a cry for help. Even though vulnerability's path is often painful, its reward of deepening intimacy is welcome. Being vulnerable opens my heart to a larger worldview. I become free to explore beyond the exhausting self-focus of supporting my false image of 'OKness'. I find myself challenged to deeper transparency as I sing along with Leonard Cohen 'Ring the bells that still can ring, forget your perfect offering, there is a crack in everything, that's how the light gets in'."

- Steve Imbach (A Spiritual Director with Soul Stream in the Vancouver Area)

http://www.soulstream.org/

Gentle Leadership

2007-09-10T11:35:00.000-04:00

"Once in a while we meet a gentle person. Gentleness is a virtue hard to find in a society that admires toughness and roughness. We are encouraged to get things done and to get them done fast, even when people get hurt in the process. Success, accomplishment, and productivity count. But the cost is high. There is no place for gentleness in such a milieu.

"Gentle is the one who does "not break the crushed reed, or snuff the faltering wick" (Matthew 12:20). Gentle is the one who is attentive to the strengths and weaknesses of the other and enjoys being together more than accomplishing something. A gentle person treads lightly, listens carefully, looks tenderly, and touches with reverence. A gentle person knows that true growth requires nurture, not force. Let's dress ourselves with gentleness. In our tough and often unbending world our gentleness can be a vivid reminder of the presence of God among us."

~Henri Nouwen

Leadership Wisdom from Unlikely Voices

2007-09-07T11:57:00.001-04:00

I am rereading Dave Fleming's book, "Leadership Wisdom from Unlikely Voices." It is excellent and practical exploration of the leadership wisdom that the leaders from Church History offer us. Fleming surveys leaders such as Francis of Assisi, Augustine, Hildagard of Bingen and Mother Teresa of Calcutta. It is a worthwhile read.

Here is a link to Fleming's website: www.davefleming.org

And his blog: http://davefleming.typepad.com/