Spring2011_Department_EJ
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V A L I D L e a d e r s h i p : V I S I O N n REFLECTIONS Something’s Bugging Me “Search me, O God. … See if there is any offensive way in me”(Psalm 139:23,24). While I was reading a biblical devotion online one day, a message popped up from my computer antivirus program:“Warning, your virus protection is out of date. Click here to update.”Most of us who own computers have an antivirus program. It protects our computers from harmful viruses. Sometimes we fail to update the program and a virus infects our computer. Like my computer, I am virus prone, too. I still make mistakes and download the wrong things. God knows we are human and that our hearts are prone to infection by spiritual bugs — pride, unforgiveness, anger, gossip, and selfishness. How many times have I allowed chronic discontentment or an addiction to worldly lifestyles enter my life and bug me? Sometimes I dismiss the warning by clicking on“remind me again later.”I convince myself I will handle it later. When our hearts get infected, our sensitivity to love and serve others is blocked. Like the antivirus program that detects and fixes the threats to my computer, God’s Spirit has the power to search my heart and cleanse it from the threats to my spir- itual health and service. We need to continually ask the Holy Spirit to search our hearts, minds, and actions. Then, with God’s help, we can change what needs to be changed and reflect the example of Christ in our life and ministry. PATTI ANN THOMPSON, Kansas City, Missouri Spring 2011 n LEADING THE WAY Next to integrity, vision is arguably the most impor- tant aspect of leadership. Vision is seeing the future and blazing a trail toward it. Without a vision there is no need for a leader. A strong, believable vision creates excitement, and ex- citement creates enthusiasm. Enthusiasm creates energy, and energy creates inertia. It is easier to lead enthusiastic people with inertia than those without any momentum. Leaders with vision create their own momentum. Will you commit to follow someone who does not know where he is going?Will you have a greater level of confidence following someone who only knows the next step or someone who has an entire plan mapped out? Proverbs 29:18 states,“Where there is no vision, the people are unrestrained” (NASB 1 ). We can interpret un- restrained as impotent and uncontrollable. Trying to lead people under these conditions is similar to herding cats. It cannot be done. There are two ways to describe vision. The first is tan- gible sight. The things we see each day. We know they exist because we can touch and smell them. We do not need faith. The second type, leadership vision, is intangible — an imaginary place. Successful leaders must have the ability to cast their vision and then cultivate the vision through- out the organization until it becomes part of the culture. All great accomplishments start with a vision. What are you looking for? JAMES L. CASTELLANO, Emmaus, Pennsylvania NOTE 1. Scripture quotations taken from the New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission (www.Lockman.org). n THE CULTURE CHRONICLES GROWING UP WITH GOOGLE AND BOTTLED WATER iStockphoto iStockphoto iStockphoto 10 enrichment / Spring2011 T his year’s high school and college grads are children of the late eighties and early nineties, often considered the end of the Modern Age and the dawn of the Postmodern Age. During their childhood, ethnic conflicts abounded and wracked the globe, and terrorist attacks threatened international peace.The House of Representatives impeached President Bill Clinton following a sex scandal with a White House intern, Nelson Mandela was released from a South African jail to become the first black president in South African history, and Germany was reunited. But while this year’s grads might not remember these historical events surrounding the years shortly after their birth, they grew up with these cultural touchstones — compiled by Beloit College and published on their website as“Mindset List for the Class of 2014.”For this year’s graduates: iPhones and Blackberries are a must-have, e-mail is just too slow, and writing in cursive is a lost art. Colorful lapel ribbons have always been worn to support a cause, DNA fingerprinting has always existed, and cross burning has always been deemed protected speech. “Viewer Discretion”has always been an available warning on TV shows, Russians and Americans have always been living together in space, and Nirvana is on the classic oldies station.Water comes in bottles, presidential inaugurations have always featured rock bands, and Google is a verb. Culture is constantly evolving, much like the way we get news or read books. Do not assume your younger audience understands the world the same way you do. SUSY FLORY, Castro Valley, California
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valiD
leadership: Vision
n ReflectionS
Something’s bugging Me“Search me, O God.…Seeifthereisanyoffensivewayinme”(Psalm139:23,24).WhileIwasreadingabiblicaldevotiononlineoneday,amessagepoppedupfrommycomputerantivirusprogram:“Warning,yourvirusprotectionisoutofdate.Clickheretoupdate.”Mostofuswhoowncomputershaveanantivirusprogram.Itprotectsourcomputersfromharmfulviruses.Sometimeswefailtoupdatetheprogramandavirusinfectsourcomputer.
Likemycomputer,Iamvirusprone,too.Istillmakemistakesanddownloadthewrongthings.Godknowswearehumanandthatourheartsarepronetoinfectionbyspiritualbugs—pride,unforgiveness,anger,gossip,andselfishness.HowmanytimeshaveIallowedchronicdiscontentmentoranaddictiontoworldlylifestylesentermylifeandbugme?SometimesIdismissthewarningbyclickingon“remindmeagainlater.”IconvincemyselfIwillhandleitlater.Whenourheartsgetinfected,oursensitivitytoloveandserveothersisblocked.
Liketheantivirusprogramthatdetectsandfixesthethreatstomycomputer,God’sSpirithasthepowertosearchmyheartandcleanseitfromthethreatstomyspir-itualhealthandservice.WeneedtocontinuallyasktheHolySpirittosearchourhearts,minds,andactions.Then,withGod’shelp,wecanchangewhatneedstobechangedandreflecttheexampleofChristinourlifeandministry.
patti ann tHoMpSon,KansasCity,Missouri
spring 2011
n leaDing tHe Way Next to integrity, visionisarguablythemostimpor-tantaspectofleadership.Visionisseeingthefutureandblazingatrailtowardit.Withoutavisionthereisnoneedforaleader.
Astrong,believablevisioncreatesexcitement,andex-citementcreatesenthusiasm.Enthusiasmcreatesenergy,andenergycreatesinertia.Itiseasiertoleadenthusiasticpeoplewithinertiathanthosewithoutanymomentum.Leaderswithvisioncreatetheirownmomentum.
Willyoucommittofollowsomeonewhodoesnotknowwhereheisgoing?Willyouhaveagreaterlevelofconfidencefollowingsomeonewhoonlyknowsthenextsteporsomeonewhohasanentireplanmappedout?
Proverbs29:18states,“Wherethereisnovision,thepeopleareunrestrained”(NASB1).Wecaninterpretun-restrainedasimpotentanduncontrollable.Tryingtoleadpeopleundertheseconditionsissimilartoherding
cats.Itcannotbedone.Therearetwowaystodescribevision.Thefirstistan-
giblesight.Thethingsweseeeachday.Weknowtheyexistbecausewecantouchandsmellthem.Wedonotneedfaith.
Thesecondtype,leadershipvision,isintangible—animaginaryplace.Successfulleadersmusthavetheabilitytocasttheirvisionandthencultivatethevisionthrough-outtheorganizationuntilitbecomespartoftheculture.
Allgreataccomplishmentsstartwithavision.Whatareyoulookingfor?
JaMeS l. caStellano,Emmaus,Pennsylvania
note 1. ScripturequotationstakenfromtheNewAmericanStandardBible®,Copyright©1960,
1962,1963,1968,1971,1972,1973,1975,1977,1995byTheLockmanFoundation.Usedbypermission(www.Lockman.org).
n tHe cUltURe cHRonicleS
GrowinG up with google and bottleD WateR
iStockphoto
iStockphoto
iStockphoto
10enrichment/Spring2011
This year’s high school and college grads arechildrenofthelateeightiesandearlynineties,oftenconsideredtheendoftheModernAgeandthedawnofthePostmodernAge.Duringtheirchildhood,ethnicconflictsaboundedandwrackedtheglobe,andterroristattacksthreatenedinternationalpeace.TheHouseofRepresentativesimpeachedPresidentBillClintonfollowingasexscandalwithaWhiteHouseintern,NelsonMandelawasreleasedfromaSouthAfricanjailto
becomethefirstblackpresidentinSouthAfricanhistory,andGermanywasreunited.Butwhilethisyear’sgradsmightnotrememberthesehistoricaleventssurroundingthe
yearsshortlyaftertheirbirth,theygrewupwiththeseculturaltouchstones—compiledbyBeloitCollegeandpublishedontheirwebsiteas“MindsetListfortheClassof2014.”Forthisyear’sgraduates:iPhonesandBlackberriesareamust-have,e-mailisjusttooslow,andwritingincursiveisalostart.Colorfullapelribbonshavealwaysbeenworntosupportacause,DNAfingerprintinghasalwaysexisted,andcrossburninghasalwaysbeendeemedprotectedspeech.“ViewerDiscretion”hasalwaysbeenanavailablewarningonTVshows,RussiansandAmericanshavealwaysbeenlivingtogetherinspace,andNirvanaisontheclassicoldiesstation.Watercomesinbottles,presidentialinaugurationshavealwaysfeaturedrockbands,andGoogleisaverb.
Cultureisconstantlyevolving,muchlikethewaywegetnewsorreadbooks.Donotassumeyouryoungeraudienceunderstandstheworldthesamewayyoudo.
SUSy floRy,CastroValley,California
