Unity...the glue that binds; Mark 3: 23-27 Do you know who's the glue and who's the solvent  

Posted by Sj

Unity, one of the most crucial ingredients to making any plan succeed.  If you have everyone believing in the same goal, the same mission and are working together to see it thru to the end, almost anything can be accomplished; even more when you have God's help.  But lets get into the mix of what truly makes up this spice called unity.  In every good rub you have a mix of spices that makes your steak or burger or ribs more than what they are.  Unity is no different.  In this mix you have your leader, you have your inner core and you have your followers.  The Army is no different, we just know them as Officers, Non-Commissioned Officers and Enlisted personnel.  Separately not one of these ingredients can make up our "rub" and just having only two of them would make it incomplete.  But as each has its very own purpose, not one could produce what is needed without the other.  But one thing every good cook knows to be certain, you need to have the right mix in order for your special mixture to turn out just right; if you don't your batch turns out too spicy, too sweet or too salty.  Too many Officers in our mix and nothing will get done, they are designed to give guidance and direction.  Too many NCO's and the Officers will be absolutely ineffective as they WILL take over.  Too many Enlisted personnel and nothing will get done as their are not enough people to guide and direct them and make them do work when they just don't want to.


But unity is about more than just working together.  It's also about the timing of putting them together.  You put them together too soon and one will over-power the other, too late and they will not blend in time to produce the effect your after.  So what am I getting after with this whole unity/recipe thing.  Try to stay with me...Leaders love to lead, they like to be in charge, just like that really potent ingredient in your rub.  They are the ones really pressing to accomplish the mission or the goal desired.  But if they are with the other two for too long, pretty soon, the other ingredients will not be allowed to do what they have been designed to do.  The result - absolute frustration from the inner-core and the followers.  They will feel like they are being looked at and judged constantly for there performance.  Soon you will have your NCO's making decisions that they aren't paid to make and because they have greater influence on your followers, the leadership will become ineffective and the end-state will be lost.  Now for your NCOs - these guys are like the main bonding agent that keep the bigger more bland ingredient (Enlisted personnel) and the really potent one (the Officers) together when needed but separate until desired.  If the inner-core (the NCOs) isn't allowed to provide separation from the other two, they will soon loose their ability to manage the mix and your ability to affect your goal will be lost.  Finally your Enlisted, this is the biggest ingredient and comes in many different flavors, how it's doled out will largely affect whether you have a more bold flavor or more of a sweet flavor.  A good cook will be able to tell what the right consistency is when mixing this one up and adding it to the other two.

Well, now that I've talked about the dynamics of the recipe, lets talk about the management of it.  Nowing when to put it together, how much of each to use, knowing when to take some of it out, but also knowing when to let some of it just...breathe.  Jesus understood this aspect of unity like a chef trained at the Cordon Bleu.  As a Leader, He would separate Himself from both the inner-core and the followers but knew the exact time when He needed to put Himself into the mix.  He also knew when the best time was to take some of the other ingredients out.  He had a very keen eye to know when those who could deeply affect His mission, were about to spoil the batch.  He spoke or acted in such a way to make them see that they were not going to work at this time but always left them with the feeling or the mindset that they could be very crucial in the future, as long as they did what they were called to do.  How many times did Jesus tell someone who wanted to follow Him that they weren't ready, whether it was to tell them a story about making choices or to give them the requirements of what it would take to have them as a part of the plan. 
Another thing He allowed for was breathing room.  Knowing when it was His time to step in and take control and when it was His time to let His disciples and followers ask questions and vent their frustrations.  A wise leaders understands that everyone needs to have the ability to "breathe", in other words, vent their frustrations in their own way separate from each other.  This is one thing that the Army has put much stock in and allows for because it has understood the importance of letting Soldiers "breathe".  How we accomplish this is by separating the NCOs and enlisted from each other and from the Officers as well.  Each has times and places in the group they belong to, to get things off their chest without having the ability to spoil the rest of the mix.  This is an extremely important lesson for leaders to  learn and understand.  Having this ability has saved more plans than it has killed.  A good leader understands that your informal leaders have as much if not more influence when gathered together.  You've probably seen these people in just about every group.  They are the ones who will both challenge authority when orders are handed down, but when properly motivated and allowed their own time and voice to be heard, will be your biggest ally in accomplishing your mission.  The biggest issue that leaders have is knowing how mentor these informal leaders so they can be prepared to take over the legacy and continue it.  If not properly mentored, these very influential people will cause your plan to fail quicker than you can lay it out.

So, how do we keep this whole mix together, knowing that we have so many dynamics to work with.  Well, two parting thoughts to tie this all together:
1. Leaders can influence unity by showing complete faith and confidence in the mission but the followers are the key.  The inner-core has the biggest influence in that and they can make or break your plan because of their direct acces to other followers.
2. Unity can be destroyed by anyone from a selfish player on the team to a disgruntled member of your squad or congregation.  Leaders and the inner core need to know these people and give everyone a chance to talk about their unhappiness and vent their frustrations (at appropriate times) to make them feel like they have some say in what's going on.  Wise leader will allow for time in their organization for formal "complaint" sessions but will also allow followers to gather without leadership present so they can voice their frustration to, if nothing else, get things off their chest without fear of retribution from those that lead.  This is healthy and should be allowed and should be expected.  Leaders should also have an avenue to vent their concerns without followers present to let feelings out without giving others a feel that things aren't going right and have them loose faith in the plan.  This is exactly what Jesus allowed to happen with both the disciples and followers.  If you read, you will see that the disciples had times when they questioned amongst themselves but you will also notice that when Jesus had a concern He took it to the appropriate place He had available to Him - God!  The magnificence, though, of Jesus' concerns was that He did it in a way that glorified God asking that His will be done; even when He knew that the odds were against US.  This is what truly helped Him make the sacrifices He had to make, when he had to make them; in order to have the unity needed to continue His legacy thousands of years after He sacrificed himself for us.

0 made there mark »

Stories...The Stuff Legends Are Made Of; Mark 3:22-23  

Posted by Sj

YES, finally a lesson in which I excel at...storytelling.  For those of you who know me, you know that I can tell stories.  I have a story for just about everything...I know, big surprise, right?  I can hear my wife right now, "just give me the Reader's Digest version" (meaning shorten it up).  But it's hard for me, I like to give the details.  I like to describe someone or something in such detail because, for me, it adds a new dimension where my audience (willing or unwilling) can vividly see what I'm saying.  Since most of us remember mostly by what we've seen, to me this helps people remember the story I'm telling; because they can picture pieces and parts of it.  But as I reflect on my storytelling I realize that a lot of my stories are about...me.  As a leader this is a huge downfall of mine.  If I'm the one telling stories about myself, the memory of them are less inspiring and easily forgotten.  A big part of that, I believe, is that I'm not taking note of those around me who are doing things that have the ability to inspire others thru my words.  Take a look at Jesus' teaching methods.  When it was truly important, how did he relate the lesson he was trying to get across to the crowds that gathered?  A lot of it was thru parables.  Take a look thru the Gospels and pick out how many stories were told by Jesus to convey a message.  


For leaders, the most effective way to communicate to others is thru stories.  From Aesop to Jesus, Mark Twain to Ronald Reagan.  They all have one thing in common, the ability to tell a story that holds our very imagination and inspire us to greatness.  We love to be told stories, from the time we are little kids, to have your Mom and Dad or Grandparents read you books before bedtime is the thing that most of our dreams were inspired by.  Even today, we still find books, articles, and movies that make the hair on the back of our necks stand on end or give us that feeling, that burning desire to do something, be a part of something more than what we are.  Why?  Because we need something to motivate us when our tank runs low or even drains out completely.  

So, what kind of stories should I be telling.  I know that I have this gift (although some would call it something else), but how can I use it better?  How can I take what the Lord has given me and turn it into something to forward a cause, my cause, the Lord's cause?  Well, for starters, I need to make sure that my stories are relevant to the cause that I'm supporting.  Using examples of those around me who accomplish the things that I want to foster in my Soldiers.  If I want to motivate my Soldiers to move forward when the enemy is attacking I need to reach into my bag and pull out a story about a time when another Soldier or Soldiers, faced the same situation and won the day - like in the case of SFC Paul Smith.  I won't go into details, but if you don't remember his story you need to search it out and read it.  The short version is that, single-handedly, he saved his company from an attack by Iraqi Army forces by laying down suppresive fire from a .50 caliber machine gun and used hand grenades to defend his position long enough to save everyone else.  He was the only one to die that day and was awarded the Medal of Honor (posthumously) for his bravery.  The medal was presented to his wife and family on the White House lawn.  SFC Smith is a hero, but it's not because he tells the story about his bravery.  Everyone else who remembers, tells the tale of bravery that happened that day.

But not every story needs to be of bravery and heroics on epic levels.  Take a look at the stories that Jesus told.  The Good Samaritan, the Good Virgins, the Good and Faithful Servant.  These people didn't accomplish feats that make up myths and legends.  They merely exemplified acts or behaviors that Jesus used to show His audience what normal, average people are capable of.  I think this is another key to those great and inspiring stories.  They are accomplished by your average Joe or Jane.  They aren't tall tales like Paul Bunyan and his blux ox, or Hercules and his trials, they are just your everyday people doing the right thing; making sacrifices and putting aside personal gain.  

One more piece to this whole storytelling thing.  Jesus never told His stories about Himself, they were always about others.  He wasn't even a bit player or stand-in actor in any of His stories.  This was an intentional and crucial part, in my opinion, on why those stories made it into the Bible.  His stories told of acts and behaviors that He had absolutely no influence on.  These were people doing what was right on their own without Him standing in the crowd or watching over their shoulder.  If He had been there, those who opposed Him could have used this as a way to twist the fact that He was their manipulating them to get the results He wanted.  Those who followed Him would have questioned even more the validity of His stories and would be hesitant to believe what it was that He was saying.  

So, what's the whole point to this storytelling thing, it can't be just motivation and inspiration.  No, Jesus was very specific in the stories He told for the lessons He wanted to convey.  But who were the lessons for?  You could argue that they were for everyone, WE can say that because we have the first hand accounts of those who wrote the Gospels.  But, put yourself back in the time when Jesus was teaching these lessons.  The stories He told to the crowd were just that, stories to the crowd, but the true meaning behind those stories were really for His inner core, His disciples.  If you read, you'll see where Jesus leaves the gathered crowd after telling a story and then gives His disciples the true meaning, the real lesson that he was trying to impart.  This was such a brilliant strategy.  He made sure that His inner core heard the stories but afterward gave them the meaning of them so that, when He was no longer with them, they could tell the same stories and know what the real meaning was behind them.  And the inner core was the key to keeping the true meaning alive.  Have you ever played the game, Operator; where you all sit in a large circle and one person whispers something into the others ear and by the time it gets all the way around, what started off as I'm where a white shirt with a picture of a soccer ball on it, turns into something completely different.  Jesus knew that we, as a large group, would play operator with what we were told, so He entrusted those closest to Him, with the keys to the legends.  It was so effective, that this is how they told their own stories about the legend that was Jesus.  Saviour, Leader, Friend.  

I'll leave today with a story (I know, I couldn't help it).  A few years back my family and I were up at Breezy Point resort over the fourth of July.  It was a day like every other, kids were playing, boats on the water, everyone was enjoying the holiday.  Then, the accident, MaKenzie, our youngest daughter, was on the monkey bars and had fallen off.  My wife heard a scream but didn't recognize it as it was a sound that none of our kids had made before, ever.  A woman came up carrying our daughter and asked my wife if this was our child.  It was then that she realized that the screams belonged to our cute, little blonde haired girl, MaKenzie.  We quickly ran over to her and scooped her up, realizing that something was very wrong.  Now, I won't go into detail about what her arm looked like, but it wasn't right.  But, as we were busy taking care of her, calling 911, giving direction to the ambulence crew and panicing; the hero emerged.  Our oldest daughter, Kelsey, sprang into action.  With her parents flailing around in all directions, she quickly and without being told; packed a bag for her sister to include snacks and toys, grabbed MaKenzie's security blanket (for comfort), grabbed clothes for her, and took her other sisters up to our condo.  Once the intial shock had wash thru us, we started asking Kelsey to do these things, to which she responsed, "I've already got this taken care of and Kailee and Bailee are upstairs".  To this day I am still amazed at her actions and quick response to the mini-emergency our family went thru that day.  She truly did win the day.  Thanks, Kelsey; for everything you did.

2 made there mark »

You want the truth...You can't handle the truth; Mark 3:20-21, Can I go it alone when everyone thinks I'm crazy.  

Posted by Sj

This was a great exchange between two Soldiers in a good movie.  It really highlights tonights lesson and I think you'll see why.  As I continue in my study of the Gospel of Mark thru the book, "The Leadership Lessons of Jesus" I have learned many things.  My eyes have been opened to a whole new level of leadership principles that have added new dimensions to the training I've already received.  Today's lesson is no different.  It's all about Soldiering on even when those closest to you don't share your vision and the fallout that soon comes.


I've already learned (many years ago when I was promoted to the Non-Commissioned Officer ranks) that leadership in not always popular nor is it a popularity contest.  But an issue that I have come across more often than not is when those around you start to question your abilities, your attributes and just plain don't understand your direction.  To a point we all can expect to take the occasional shot when we make a mistake or are unsure what the next step is.  They come from everyone around you, your friends, your co-workers, even your family.  How many times, husbands, has your father and/or mother-in-law questioned your motives or how you handle your life, your business, your household?  How many family arguements have insued over holiday meals and get togethers when your visions cross and neither of you can just agree to disagree?  Well, to be honest with you, no one is immune from these type of attacks.  Even Jesus had to put up with the same issues.  Mostly because no one was capable of truly sharing in his vision lock, stock and barrel.  But He was prepared, both for the attack to come from within, AND the attack that comes from those who thought they knew better and made it their business.  So how did he defend these?  Well, for starters, He had a plan, a vision, one that was worth His life to ensure the accomplishment of.  He had already anticipated those closest to him to ask those questions and make those comments and not understand.  But He also anticipated the attacks that came from everyone else; even his own family.  Those who should have supported Him to the bitter end, questioned His rationale, His motives, His authority and His sanity.  Man, I don't know if I would be able to handle that one.  My family supports me 100% in what I do and what I am about to do.  For that I thank God everyday, just waking up, knowing my Wife and daughters love me and support me is hope enough to muscle thru even the toughest days.  Now, it's not all rosey; their have been many discussions in our house about what I'm doing, and why I have to be gone...again.  But thru it all, they have supported me and for that I am eternally grateful.  But, if my family didn't support my mission, my vision, my ideal...wow, that's a tough pill to swallow.  Jesus' family even said that "we need to take charge of Him because He is out of His mind".

So, how do you deal with it?  For me, I have always put the ideal of what the Army stands for, first.  Second, I take refuge in the fact that they placed me in a position to lead, not follow.  This allows me to act with authority and be the unpopular one in the crowd when no one else agrees or wants to follow orders.  But it's not just that simple.  The biggest question I ask myself when making a tough choice is "am I willing to pay the price for my decision when I've made it?"  And not just dealing with the questions and the comments, that's easy, it's the second and third order affects that come as a result of my decision.  But something else I've learned is to embrace the questioning, welcome the criticism.  It helps me to stop and truly think about the decision I'm making or about to make and use those questions and criticisms to help me decide if I'm still on the right path.  Sometime I can get so wrapped up in the endstate that I could very easily have looked over a very crucial detail that would have absolutely crushed what I was about to do.  I will tell right now, if you don't handle criticism well, you are NOT ready to lead.  The whole point to free-thinking and free-will is that everyone has it and we are all motiviated by different things.  I tell my Soldiers, whether I'm teaching a class, giving a briefing or just handing out guidance; ask questions.  Dig into it, learn about it, and then question it.  Yes their is a time and place where you need to salute the flag and drive on but if you are one to blindly follow orders without question, what are you learning?

Now, it's ok, if you're not cut out to be a leader; but you must understand that about yourself.  And if you don't have someone to mentor you and be your honest broker to let you know if your cut from the right cloth or not...you need to get some better friends.  One's that will truly be looking out for your best interest and in turn, you looking out for theres (that goes for the whole accountability thing too).  But if you are one of those leaders, what are you doing to help mentor those who are subordinate to you?  A practice I picked up on from one of my mentors is developmental counselling.  The Army has a great form that can be used in many different ways and I have both used it and had it used on me to help develop, mentor, punish and reward me for the things I've done and need to do to be a better leader.  That piece of it has helped shape me into the NCO I am today; I may still have tons to learn, but I have also learned so much; the first lesson being, have a thick skin and an open mind.  If you can't have that you will never be ready to lead no matter how badly you want to be the one calling the shots.

The next piece to this is; are you ready to fail?  Are you willing to be so commited to your mission, that you are willing to lay down your life for it?  We had a very humbling yet rewarding example on commitment to mission this last week with Good Friday and Easter Sunday.  Those most fortunate to witness both the crucifiction and the ressurection first hand were able to see, in three days, both the price and the reward for someone completely dedicated to mission first, troops always.  Now, I'm not saying that everything that I do will be worthy of me to fall on my sword, but I have to take a close, hard look at those things that are of the most critical importance and ask myself if I have the intestinal fortitude to see it thru, even when the chips are down.  I have to count the cost and ask myself what am I willing to sacrifice in order to see the mission thru to the end.  Even if it means that I may loose some of my most trusted friends, any personal gain, and yes, even members of my own family.  When I am are prepared to lose everything, I also stand to gain everything.  But, more importantly, when I fail, do I have what it takes inside to lace up my boots, shoulder my pack, grab my weapon and move out smartly.  God willing, I pray it so.

1 made there mark »

Your going to do it because I said so...Mark 3:14-15, Authority, the Stuff of Leadership  

Posted by Sj

I am always amazed at all the different styles of leadership in the military and the different ways some use (or fail to use) the level of authority they've been given.  For me, personally, as I look at the way in which I use it is probably a little hard for people to deal with.  I tend to be of the belief that you need to start off with a ruthless enforcement of standards, policies and expectations.  You can always back off from there but you can't ever start off easy and ratchet it up because you've already set the tone with your Soldiers and that's what they will give you.  So, how can I use the level of authority I've been charged with and turn around and invest that into my Soldiers?  This is where I struggle, not because I don't want to invest in my Soldiers, but the Army has clearly laid out levels of authority based on rank.  The more rank you have the more authority you wield; and the responsibility that comes with that is different if your an Officer or a Non-Comissioned Officer.  So if I'm to learn how to use this "power" that I have, I guess my first place to look for guidance and direction is Jesus.  What I hope to gain from this is how to apply this lesson and adapt it to the construct under which I am bound, both morally and legally.


The first thing I need to understand is that leadership is about authority - aquiring it, using it and investing it - not just issuing directives, that's nothing more than a manager.  I've got the aquiring it part down because of the leadership schools I've been to and the rank that I've attained and over the last 17 years in the military, most of which being a Non-Comissioned Officer, I'm pretty good at using it.  So my focus is going to be on investing it.  I need to understand that as I am a leader, part of my job is to bring along those whom I believe have what it takes to replace me.  I do this by giving them increased responsibilities while providing guidence and direction, what this allows is for them to have the ability to one day, act on their own as leaders.  So, essentially, I'm working myself out of a job, which is exactly what I am supposed to do, train my replacement.  The biggest question at this point is, am I anticipating the time when those who follow me, will lead.  The one struggle that I have, and I assume we all have, is that, once we have a position of authority, most of us probably don't like to give it up.  The expression, "its lonely at the top" clearly tells me that anyone who uses this phrase or has put any stock in it honestly has not thought of the day when they will no longer be there.  So how did Jesus do it?  Well, because of his perfectly laid plan, he already knew the day and the hour when he would no longer be there.  He not only invested his time, energy and effort into those he chose to lead but he also invested in them the authority to do so.  He called to him, twelve, those whom He desired, and appointed them to preach and have the authority to cast out demons.  You see, he didn't hold on to the power he had, he gave the authority to those who He knew would give back to the mission.  If he hadn't invested this kind of authority into those closest to him, the ones dedicated to His mission, He never would have been able to advance the Kingdom of God.  He knew that the only way would be to give us the authority to carry out and act as leaders.  But He didn't just stop there with the twelve, oh no, because that wouldn't have been nearly enough to affect those in the world.  If you look back at Matthew 28: 16-20, you'll see that we have also been given authority to go and make disciples of all nations.  So, He gave those closest to him the authority to preach and to cast out demons but gave everyone of us the authority to teach everyone to observe what He has commanded.  

Now, getting back to my earlier point about styles of leadership and how authority is used; what method(s) did he use to ensure He was going about this in a way that would give a great return on His investment.  Well, for this one, I honestly had to go into the Army's leadership manual to see if I could identify the style or styles he used.  What I found was interesting, the Army's techniques of influencing Soldiers to get done what needs to be done with the level of authority you have are as follows:
1. Pressure
2. Legitimate Request
3. Exchange
4. Personal Appeals
5. Collaboration
6. Rational Persuasion
7. Apprising
8. Participation
9. Relationship Building

Jesus was able to us each one of these methods at different times to get the desired affect he was after in anyone he needed.  But, from what I've observed, His primary means was Relationship Building.  He used this most with those closest to him so they understood what it meant to make an investment in key people who were dedicated to advancing his cause.  But this wasn't met without opposition.  The Pharisees tried in every way possible to perceived what he was doing as something negative and often questioned his authority by trying to trap him in the words He spoke or deeds He performed.  This can only be because they were more interested in personal gain but lacked the self-awareness of what and who they were.  They had gotten so used to having it their way that when someone came along that had true authority, it made them a little more than scared because they had failed as leaders themselves.

So, to wrap this up for me, I have learned that I need to be more commitment-focused in my influence/investment.  Which has the ability to reach much deeper, producing longer lasting and broader effects that can change attitude, belief and behavior in those who follow.  What I need to get away from is compliance-focused influence/investment.  Which only has the ability to change a followers behavior. 

3 made there mark »

Let's meet at that Place, you know the one we always meet at...Mark 3:13  

Posted by Sj

I'm having a hard time with tonights lesson, not because I can't put the thoughts together but because I...well, keep reading.


     I find it difficult to watch a lot of BIG events, whether its on TV or out in the community or even hearing about it on the radio.  It seems like the whole reason for getting together somewhere is to show off our wealth or our power or our status or whatever.  Let me show you what I mean, the Superbowl, should be about a great game with athletes testing their skill and abilities against one another.  Instead, what you get is about a month of hype about "the backdrop here in beautiful (insert city and stadium here)", you have companies paying millions of dollars for adds that are, well, nearly rated R if not beyond, and the athletes throwing themselves to the media gluttons and selling off any part of their values that will make them more money; and the focus is taken completely off the reason why they are meeting in the first place.  Or, how about Joel Osteen's ministry, I have watched his program a number of times and have noticed that almost every single time, during his message, there is always something in it about the way they landed the facility they have...ALMOST EVERY SINGLE TIME.  I know, I can hear you saying, "but Joel Osteen is a positive, dynamic pastor who preaches the gospel, just look at how big his congregation is.  How could you take a shot at him."  Well, I'll tell you, I have not seen him preach the gospel once but on many occasions I've seen him preach the health and welfare message that says that as long as you believe, you'll have.  And if you don't have it yet, you just need to keep on believing - I can't, in all good FAITH put any stock in that alone.  Or how about the Emmy's, the Grammy's, the Tony's, or the Ocscars...I think you get my point.  We have made the whole reason for our gathering more about how much we can afford and put on than really the reason that we gather in the first place.

     Now, I'm not saying that the place for your meeting, gathering, event isn't important, not at all.  Look at the places Jesus used as backdrops for some of his most important teachings and events; the Sermon on the Mount, when he sat down and began teaching right there on the mountain.  How about the chosing of the twelve, do you think that, that spot was deliberately chosen for his setting, of course.  What about the Last Supper, what was it about that place that made it so special to Jesus that He wanted it to be THE place where he would eat his last meal with his closest brothers?  All of these places have one thing in common, they were all chosen for their specific appeal to add to the absolute importance of the message.  In other words, he used it to add to the memory of the event but didn't use the backdrop to deter from anything he was saying.  Do you remember how many people he fed with just a basket of fish and a loaf of bread?  If that event was replicated by people today, do you know how big of a production we would try to make it?  First, it would have been on TV adds for about 6 months; their would have been celebrities speaking in black and white, "feel-good" commercials (you know those, their the ones with the piano music striking a single note or two) telling you about how important it is that this event happens because its all about feeding the people.  Next, a full Hollywood film crew would want to be brought in to stage it, produce it and ensure that we had Vegas show-girls handing out goody bags.  Then, the "behind-the-scene's" crew would want to come in, with a constant camera on Jesus (they'd call it Jesus-cam) and the twelve during the whole production so we can get a closer view of "what really goes on backstage"; AND we'd be force fed every little weird cameral-angled shot from under the table to over the interviewers shoulder.  Then, we'd have E! wrap up the whole thing by desicrating it and revealing that they never really used one fish and a loaf of bread but that the whole thing was staged (and somehow, don't ask me how, but Paris Hilton would get some camera time)...when all Jesus really intended to show us was that with a faith so focused and trusting on God's perfect plan we can do anything by, with and thru him, but not for our own glory.  Here's what I know, Jesus never used any huge production crew to hype his message or his lesson.  He simply used a background that was appropriate for what was about to unfold before our eyes.  Can you imagine being one of the three on the mountain top when Elijah and Moses appeared to Jesus and how brilliantly white his robe was?  Not that the view from a mountain top isn't breathtaking enough, but then to see the brilliance that was shown in front of that.  I can't even picutre how beautiful that must have been.  Amazing. 

     You know, it tough for me to know what to take away from this lesson about chosing "the place".  I'm not a businessman who meets in airport hotels or convention centers; I'm not someone who puts on events that gathers the masses.  I don't even entertain clients for new business over lunch.  So, how does this apply to me?  Or, better yet, how can I bring those closest to me to my most favorite places to teach them what I want them to know.  How do I make it something special for them that they will take with them and remember.  It's funny, as I sit here typing this and asking the Lord for His guidance, I am realizing that I may have come up with something.  As I look back, I realize that I've already been shown a great place and example and how to use it.  My Grandfather (now in the Lord's hands) took me out to the Lancaster golf course every Tuesday and taught me the game of golf, from the age of 10 until I graduated from HS.  He and I talked about so many things out there.  I learned about many of the Lord's lessons from him, there.  I learned about (believe it or not) sex, there.  I learned about patience, maturity, respect, you name it...there.  You know, what if it's not really about the spot itself not being special after all.  Maybe it's about how special that spot was to us and what we did there that made that place so memorable and something I will cherish for the rest of my days.  Thanks, Grandpa, for being my friend and my mentor.  I know it took me a while for those most important lessons you were trying to impart on me to sink in, but I'm a little stubborn at times.  Hopefully I'm continuing the legacy you were trying to pass along to me.  

I think I finally get it.

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Sound the bugle for Retreat! Mark 3:8-12  

Posted by Sj

     Isn't is funny how God's timing is perfect.  Tonight I'm talking about a tactical retreat or withdrawl and I realized that it's almost Easter, keep reading and I think you'll understand what I mean.


     I heard a story on the radio driving to work one day and it dealt with hearing what God was trying to tell you.  It had a man on the roof of his house during a flood, the radio and TV had told him to get out, a boater had driven by and asked if he needed a hand out of there and then finally a helicopter flew overhead telling him to get on because it was time to give it up.  Each time the man's answer was, "no, I have faith and God will save me".  The man wound up losing his life to the water and wound up at the feet of the Lord.  He asked Him why He let him die and didn't save him, after all he had faith.  The Lord's response was simple, "I tried, who do you think sent the radio and TV reports, who do you think sent the boater and the helicopter, each time you refused my help because you failed to listen to me".  You know, if I had a dollar for everytime I didn't listen to what He was trying to tell me I'd be a rich man and my kids would never need to work...ever.  

     See, sometimes a tactical withdrawl is necessary but often times I let my ego and shortsightedness get in the way.  I can think I am leading the charge to victory when really the only one charging forward is me.  I have a huge issue with this, I will fight for every single victory like it's the one that will win the war and wind up losing the battle with all my assets committed and fail miserably.  But, its typically because I failed to make my plan and allow for interuptions and those who will get in the way of what I have set out to accomplish.  Usually this is because its my plan and not God's and its His way of telling me that I'm not walking the path he wants me to.  Jesus didn't have this issue.  His plan was so well-thought out and his plans were so perfectly laid that he had even calculated his strategic withdrawls.  Look at when he was healing so many and the crowds began to grow to the point where he was on the verge of having His plan fail because everyone else was not ready to execute it.  He told his disciples to get a boat ready and meet him somewhere so he could make His fall back.  I'm sure this had people asking questions about what He was really up to, I know I would be.  But Jesus knew that both his disciples and the people were not ready to see his whole plan laid out before them.  I'm sure this was not an easy thing to do, well, it wouldn't be easy for me anyway.  I know that there have been times when I have needed to abandon my plan because it was doomed to fail and I have had a hard time of letting it go and living to fight another day.  But, again, its because I failed to have a plan and a strategy that allowed for battles to be lost.  This is something I need to do better; understand that my plan will not always be what God had intended me to do and that he will use opposition to make me aware that I'm not doing it His way.  At these times I need to excercise some tactical patience (take a timeout) and ask the simple question, "why".  Why am I being opposed and then figure out how to get out of the position I'm in.  
     But this needs to be a part of my plan in the first place, I need to do a better job of establishing decision points along the way to help me make choices when I see certain things happening or not happening; knowing when I should press on or fall back to a spot that will allow me to step off in a different direction that will help me accomplish the mission.

     The next part of this is keeping those around me (inner-core) informed as to what those decision points are.  If I just call for a retreat and haven't told them why, pretty soon they will stop following me and question every choice I make.  I need to understand that not everyone will know why I am taking a time-out, that's ok.  Not everyone needs to know, but those closest to me, those with a vested interest in what I'm doing, do.  I just need to be comfortable with taking my knocks when the strategy I've laid out doesn't work and take full responsibility for it. 

By the way, the time-out I'm referring to is prayer.  If I am to accomplish the plan that God has laid out for me, I need to talk to Him to make sure that He and I have an open line of communication and understanding.  This is the only way I will be able to move in the direction He needs me move.  Without this, I will easily loose sight of the objective and won't have a chance at completing my mission.
     

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"What!? I wasn't expecting that!" Mark 3:8, Leaders Plan  

Posted by Sj

You've heard the phrase, expect the unexptected, I'm sure like a million times.  But have you ever stopped to really take a look at who's saying it?  Usually it's two types of people - those who plan and those who, well, don't.  They use this phrase as their excuse when their plan fails but it usually comes because they've failed to make a solid plan to begin with.  A leader will react to the unexpected opportunity or obstacle to maximize the situation, a manager will try to contain the disaster and slap on the excuse sticker trying to hide the mistakes or holes in the poor plan that was executed poorly to begin with.  Visionary leadership requires both a long range view of opportunity and a short range plan to advance to the next level.  This usually starts off with a goal or endstate in mind.  So the questions I start to ask myself are: Do I have an ultimate goal in mind, do I know how to move to my next steps and have I covered all the details?


Leadership requires both action and reaction; the detailed planning to accomplish the endstate as well as the unexpected.  Here's a key, if you have a vision and you've planned out all the details to ensure you have measure success, those "things that just pop up" are no longer huge kinks in your armor.  You are able to knock down those quick pop-up targets when they show themselves because you have a detailed plan and can envision what the goal is supposed to look like.  If you haven't done any of that, how can you expect to go any where in life.  Here is where I'll admit that I've been lazy, sloppy and have pretty much gotten by on a lot of dumb luck.  Up to a certain point in my life, I had absolutely no plan.  It was pretty much a "comes as it may", carefree lifestyle that I led.  Two major events changed all of that (in chronoligical order): my enlistment in the Army and the birth of my daughters.  I quickly realized that I hadn't really planned for either and just figured that I'd be able to get by like I always did.  Man was I dumb, I don't know how the good Lord let me make it this far in life without a seeing eye dog or some other sort of special helper (I've come to understand that I've had the "seeing eye dog" all along, you have too, He's called the Holy Spirit).  And, for whatever reason, He's allowed me to shoulder all of my weight on Him until I was able to pull my head out of my fifth point of contact.  So, now that I understand that I need to have a goal and need to make my plan (by, with and thru the Lord), what do I do now?

Well, we've all heard that, "the devil's in the details" but other than a catchy phrase, what does that mean?  Here are two examples - 1. Read thru Exodus 25-40 and take a look at the level of detail God gives to build the Tabernacle.  2. Look at the Sistine Chapel.  In both cases the attention to detail was so intricate, it's almost mind boggling.  Here's is the warning though, unless you have your inner core (see how I'm tying this together), often times the only one who will know the level of attention paid to detail will be you.  So, now we expand even further into this whole leadership lesson and ask, to what standard are you holding yourself to, what value and belief system do you exercise when no one is watching?  That's for another time, but, here's another example of detailed planning inside a vision.  Do you remember the colt (or donkey) Jesus talked asked his disciples to get him as he made his way into Jerusalem?  What does the Bible say about it?  Well, to paraphrase, he pretty much tells them to go into town, see this animal and tell its master that it is needed.  THATS IT!  Do you really think that a whole lot of planning wasn't done to ensure that the right piece to the puzzle was at the right place at the right time.  WOW, that takes perfect planning, I mean, did you even hear about this anywhere else previous to that, anywhere?  Maybe once by one of the prophets in the OT but that was it, did you hear Jesus talk about it, I can't find any place where he did.  But that's what it takes, that's the level you need to be looking at when laying out the success of your vision.  Jesus demonstrated His leadership abilities thru precision of planning in the lessons he taught and where he taught them.  But it was also who he taught, from hostile crowds to those more friendly.  The twelve (inner core) - whom He taught much; and finally to the three (inner-inner core) whom he taught the most.  Do you think these lessons were by accident, that the opportunities just presented themselves...no.  He made them happen because he planned for them.

Here's what I need you to do, assess your leadership style and then assess your goal.  Ask yourself the following:
1. Do I have a plan thats feasible, acceptable (to the Lord), suitable (to those I affect) and complete (have I thought out all the details).
2. Does my style of leadership compliment the way in which I execute my plan?  
3. Have I coverall my angles and planned all my courses of action to take me there and can I get that done with how I lead?
4. Who am I leading and who's leading me?

That's all I have for now, do yourself a favor and don't forget this lesson.  As I've heard it said, "Poor planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on mine".

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Tonight for dessert: Mark 3:7-8 The Inner Core  

Posted by Sj

This one was a true eye opener for me as it hit home in so many areas that I could be effective and in so many areas that I was completely ineffective.  The Inner Core.  Most of us have one of these, in fact we probably have more than one and for different parts or aspects of our lives.  You may see them as something else but when I make the connection you'll probably say, "oooohhhh yeah...really, yeah, I guess".  Let me show you: your family, those few co-workers that you tell/vent your work stuff to, the neighbors or couples that you have over for whatever occassion; you get the idea, its those people who you have decided to share more of your life with than everybody else.  We put these groups together because we inherantly feel the need to have to share our pains, struggles, experiences and the rest of our lives with.  Oddly enough, Jesus had the same principal and in fact modeled how effective that small group can be.  Do you really think that Jesus was able to keep the church going by speaking to crowds and healing masses to prove himself to us?  Absolutely not, Jesus was able to get the church to become the largest organization world wide because he taught just a few.  He even had an inner circle inside his inner circle, inside the twelve he had Peter, James and John whom he past some of the most important instructions/lessons on to.  Now when I step back and try to relate to this and figure out where I fit in this, I can see a few places that I have this opportunity but didn't understand how I fit into it or what my role was.  


First, for my family, here is a huge failing of mine.  I never, up until recently, understood my role as husband, father and head of household.  I just coasted thru so much of these first years and blew so many opportunities to be the leader I was supposed to be.  Let me explain, see, I am the head of my household.  Now, by virtue of that position, it comes with some pretty hefty responsibilities; 1. I am, first but a leader among equals - I DO NOT STAND ABOVE MY WIFE BUT BESIDE HER, when we were married the Lord recognized us as ONE, not one before the other.  2. Because I am the man and woman came from man, I am responsible for her.  Every decision that is made out of my house (whether I've personally made it or not) is my responsibility - I am the one held accountable for all of them (in other words, I provide all the top cover), this IS the way it is.  If you have issues with that, you need to take it up with the Lord and have a serious heart to heart if you feel your not up to the challenge.  

Secondly, to my Soldiers, the Army has done a good job of not giving you more than one can handle.  It's weird, I guess I never looked at it this way, but even at the highest levels, those who are in charge, really don't have many people they directly manage or lead on a one-to-one level.  The Army doesn't give you 10,000 Soldiers to manage but what they do give you is 10-20 Soldiers you can affect and pass along your guidance and your mentorship.  Now, I will say that the Army does a good job at teaching me how to be a leader but the linkage on the importance is sometimes fuzzy - and if it's fuzzy even with the amount of material the Army puts together to teach you, its no wonder I've had a hard time trying to figure out this whole husband/father thing.

So, where does that leave me, what can I take away from this to help be a better leader in my house, in my community and for my Soldiers?  Well first, if I aspire to be a better leader, I must assess my strengths and weaknesses and have a plan to improve them.  For my family that means I need to start being that one who teaches them what I've been taught as they are the ones who my legacy will be lived out thru.  This needs to be my inner-inner core, these are the ones who can truly represent me long after I am gone (no, I'm not being prideful in saying that I want to be remembered, but its what about me that I want carried out like my devotion to the Lord and to my family).  I have to find a way to do this, when I get home, maybe I can use a method I read in a book once and use meal times as a way to gather and teach...I wonder where I could have picked that up from.  Next, if I'm not a leader in one of the circles I travel, then who have I sought out as my leader to learn from or am I apart of someone's inner circle to be taught; or am I just a part of the crowd being spoken to.  If that is the case, then I need to be asking myself, "why", "what's holding me back from being part of the inner circle or a leader in that circle", and "who do I need to look to as an example to follow if I want to be either a leader or a better leader?



Another book that I picked up that can help you understand this whole inner-core thing better is called "The Master Plan of Evangelism".  It was a deeper dive into truly understanding the inner-core and why it's so vitally important.

That's all I got for you tonight, keep writing this stuff down, you'll eventually get to apply this to your Soldiers and when you get home - just don't forget the lessons learned with it.

0 made there mark »

Tonights Topic: Mark 3: 1-6; Unwarranted Attacks - Are you prepared as a leader  

Posted by Sj

OK, so I can relate to tonight's topic in so many different ways.  I don't think you'll find, in any other construct, the different number of leaders we have at all the various levels of our hierarchical structure.  Couple that with the many different backgrounds, skill levels and education levels you have in each of these positions and you'd be amazed at the cross-section of leadership styles you'll see.  Obviously with that melting pot...no, scratch that, melting ice cube tray of styles and people, you're going to face opposition in the shape of the Unwarranted Attack.  It's just how it is, right, I mean, I've been both on the giving end and the receiving end - we all have.  But the one thing I need to remind myself of is that I, as a leader, will have this type of opposition regardless of the pureness of my motivations.  Jesus had, arguably the purest motives of anyone to walk this planet in both space and time and look at how many times he was opposed.  Oh man, it was at every turn!  Are you kidding me, this guy had the patience of...well...of God (I know, seems funny to say out loud doesn't it).  But think about how you go about your daily life and the mini challenges you face that you get frustrated at.  And it's one thing for the opposition to be rational and thought out.  That I can handle, if someone comes to me and presents a logical counter to my position, I'm more likely to holster my weapon (in this case, my tongue), start moving down to 50% security on my defenses and calling the president and spinning down the tactical nukes, but when people come up to me and its obvious that they haven't thought this far (       ) past their nose, I'm looking to push the big, red, shiny button and erasing them with all the intellingence I can bring to bear.  I know, I know, I shouldn't be thinking like that.  I should gracefully accept the fact that we all have our differences and should see each others differences and accept the fact that we can agree to disagree.  If we all did this, just think about how many wars we could have avoided...so back to the topic, so how do I as a leader, deal with the unwarranted attack.  Knowing full well that the campaign plan in my head isn't the one I should be executing.  Well, the first thing I need to do is prepare for it.  Good leaders need to expect opposition, great and wise leaders understand that their will be opposition and prepares for it.  That's the difference in reaction usually, the great leader will react with grace under fire (like Jesus).  The one who is probably better suited for something...less challenging will responsd with an equally illogical response.  So, how prepared are you to take the criticism if you want to be a leader?  Can you handle the unwarranted part of this job?


So, over the next month, I want you to evaluate the following part of your leadership ability:
IF you've thought out your mission and have counted all the cost, do you still react to illogical responses/behaviours in the same way that you received them; or do you find yourself handling them more rationally and with less stress?  

Just remember, if you sacrifice your morals and values based on your actions or words in response to an illogical or irrational response, you've just lost the ability to defend that piece of the moral ground your on and will be viewed as a hypocrate by all around you.

2 made there mark »

Making the leap  

Posted by Sj

As I have made a number of observations on my FaceBook account, a few people have suggested I do a blog.  I decided to try it out and see how it drives.  I'll let you know when the new car smell goes away and gets replaced with something that smells like a mixture of french fries and spilt coffee. 


What I hope to get out of this, well, I guess I'll see.  Right now this is my space to talk to myself, put down on "paper" what I'm thinking, feeling, mulling over, whatever.  This is probably going to be a place where I occasionally rant and rave (ok, ok, more than occasionally) but it's going to be me...uncensored (don't worry the kids will be able to read it), my weaknesses, my successes, my life.

As I learn to shift this thing out of Park, take it down the driveway, and out on the road, I'll be making this thing look less...plain, just bear with me until I can get it together.

Have a Good'un

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