Keeping Your Eye on the Horizon

Henry Ford famously said, "Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal."

Joe Ehrmann, author of the bestselling book InsideOut Coaching, addressed the need for a purpose and a calling in telling coaches:

"Too many coaches have no clear, concise purpose other than winning and choose of path uncertain of where they will end or how their direction will affect their players.  You can't navigate a ship by studying the wind and the waves alone - you have to set your sights on a port, a lighthouse, some WHY - the purpose that keeps us centered and focused on honoring the high calling of being coaches."

Goal ... Purpose ... Calling .... Somehow those terms are intrinsically linked.  God has a goal for all believers - transformation into the likeness of Christ. (Romans 8:29, 2 Corinthians 3:18).  Our purpose in life, then, should be to understand and pursue that goal of Christlikeness, not through some legalistic list of do's and don'ts but by beholding the person of Christ as revealed in the Gospel.  As Jerry Bridges says in his book The Discipline of Grace, "to be like Jesus is not to just to stop committing a few obvious sins such as lying, cheating, gossiping, and thinking impure thoughts.  To be like Jesus is to always seek to do the will of the Father ... to come to the place where we delight to do the will of God ... simply because it is His will."

The path we take to this goal is unique for every person ... that is where our calling comes in.  Just as the body is made up of many parts, the Body of Christ is made up of unique individuals with unique gifts ... a unique calling.  The challenge is to understand our calling and how God wants to use that to lead us to our ultimate goal, Christ-likeness.

Winterim, a special event at HCA that will be taking place in early January, is intended to help our students understand and pursue their calling.  Students in grades 9-12 will attend a special set of courses for four days designed to allow them to explore topics outside the normal curriculum, taught by HCA staff as well as parents and other members of the larger community.  This gives Winterim instructors the opportunity to share an area of passion in a hands-on, interactive setting.  This initiative is part of a larger effort to encourage HCA students to recognize God’s call on their lives ... a call to use the gifts and talents he has given them to His glory ... by Him, to Him, for Him! 

Here's to keep our sights set on the Lighthouse!! 

Leadership Lessons from Blue October

My turn to write a entry for the school blog is upon me and, to be honest, I have been obsessed for the past month with Blue October, the mysterious malady that has infected all of Kansas City like nothing in the last 30 years.   The entire city, myself included, has been obsessed with the Royals run to a World Series title, concluding with a massive celebration where 800,000 people converged on downtown KC for the parade and pep rally.

So what to write about?  Since I have been thinking about Royals baseball 24/7, I decided to look at their epic run to a championship for leadership lessons.  As I have read countless articles, both in the local newspaper (yes, that still exists!) and online, I have encountered a number of recurring themes as skilled writers around the country have tried to capture the essence of this team. 

Leadership is vision - "Good leaders create a vision, articulate the vision, passionately own the vision, and relentlessly drive it to completion." (Jack Welch, retired CEO of General Electric)

When Dayton Moore arrived in Kansas City in 2006, he came with a vision for building a winning franchise from one that had been historically bad in recent years.  His vision included rebuilding the farm system (A few years later, it was rated the best farm system in baseball.), a commitment to the scouting department, especially in Latin America (The Royals have one of the strongest contingents of Latin American players in all of baseball.), and recruiting a stable of athletes suited in play in the confines of Kauffman Stadium (That athleticism was on full display in their recent World Series run.).

He relentlessly pursued that vision, again and again avoiding the temptation to sabotage his plan with short-term, expensive free agent signings.  He knows Kansas City cannot play that game.  Even in the euphoria of this postseason, he has remained resolutely committed to his vision.  

Leadership is teamwork - The Royals mantra "keep the line moving" went viral during this most recent postseason run.  There is no single intimidating individual in that lineup, no 40-HR guys ... but as the much-maligned Joe Buck noted in calling them the best team he has covered, "they can go one through nine in their lineup."  Alex Gordon is projected to earn $100 million dollars as a free agent this offseason - he batted eighth. They were six outs away from elimination against the Astros in the first series, but they "kept the line moving" to erase a 4-run deficit.  They were being dominated by David Price in the second game of the Blue Jay series before the got "the line moving" to complete another of their eight comeback wins.

Leadership is relentless - Josh Donaldson, Blue Jays All-Star third baseman said after one of the Royal's comeback wins, "These guys come to play all 27 outs ... They make you work for all of them."  This is probably the over-riding theme of this postseason ... the Royals set a postseason record for comebacks after the 7th inning.  The simply never gave up.  They continued their late-inning heroics in the World Series.  They had a homerun in the bottom of the 9th in Game 1 of the World Series to prolong the game before winning in extra innings.  They scored three runs in the eight of Game 4 to take a 3-1 series lead.  And they saved their best for last, scoring two runs in the top of the 9th of Game 5 to tie before winning the series with another extra inning victory.

As I look a these qualities, I can't help but think of Nehemiah and the children of Israel coming back to rebuild the city walls.  Nehemiah had a vision, a vision of the former glory of Jerusalem provided by God and passed on by the his ancestors.  The whole process of rebuilding the wall was an exercise in teamwork with different families assigned the part of the wall nearest their home.  And Nehemiah and the children of Israel were relentless in pursuing their vision, resisting efforts from the enemies around them to thwart their work.

#ForeverRoyal

We are entering Blue October, the Major League Baseball postseason in Kansas City.  Royals fans are familiar with the hashtag #ForeverRoyal ... the mantra of support for the recent resurgence of our team into national prominence.  For the Christian, however, #ForeverRoyal has an entirely different meaning.  

As a part of our "Culture of Kindness" initiative at HCA this year, I was recently asked to speak in chapel on a Biblical view of courtesy.  Beyond a simple definition (the showing of politeness in one's attitude and behavior toward others), I am always interested in the etymology of a word, i.e. where does the word itself come from.  It was a pretty simple matter to find that the word comes from Middle English from French from Latin and means "having manners fit for a royal court."  From that origin, it is clear the concept of "courtesy" could be summarized as "act like you are royalty."

Interestingly enough, the Bible tells us we are just that ... royalty.

• "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light." -1 Peter 2:9

• The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs; heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ … Romans 8:16-17

• "How great is the love the father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!  1 John 3:1

In my continued study on this topic, I came across this article by Dr. Roy Alden Atwood.  Dr. Atwood refers to the same passages above to make the case that our children are indeed royalty, just as young Prince George, son of Prince William and Duchess Kate is royalty in great Britain.  And just as George's education is designed to prepare him for his role as royalty, the education of our children must be preparing them for the role as "heirs of the King."  As Dr. Atwood noted, "the House of Windsor pales in comparison to Jesus’s realm and our divine inheritance! How much more, then, should we, who are heirs of the King of kings and Lord of lords, prepare ourselves and our children to be thoroughly and faithfully educated in everything it means to be a son and daughter of the Creator, Redeemer, and Lord of the Universe. Thoroughly and faithfully educated in everything it means to be royalty."

Atwood continues by observing that "education, even that which purports to be Christian, is now often devoted primarily to the goal of producing good little workers for the secular labor force, efficient widgets for our economy’s production line, and little more.  That falls far short of the biblical expectation that Christian children be saturated in the instruction of the Lord and grow up knowing what it means to be royal heirs of Christ the King. An education bearing the name of the King ought, at the least, to offer His royal heirs . . ."

• A comprehensive and integrative understanding of God’s world and of how all things cohere in the Lord Jesus Christ ... in other words, as worldview consistent with Biblical truth, giving "children the “big picture” of how all things, all spheres of creation, are interrelated in the glory of their Creator". (Eph 1:4-11)
  

• Truly godly and wise teacher-mentors.  According to Jesus, the teacher—not the curriculum, not the lesson plan, not the technology, not the facilities, not the accreditation, not the tuition rate—is the single most important factor in a child’s education. (Luke 6:40)

• The shaping of our desires for the things of the Kingdom. Christ did NOT say “Seek first vocational-technical training, and all that kingdom of God and righteousness stuff will be added later.” Rather, he instructs us to seek first the Kingdom of God. (Matthew 6:32-33)  

 I want to enthusiastically commend this article to you. I have only scratched the surface of the wealth of wisdom found there.  

You are the royal heirs of the King of kings; start acting like it.

Your children are royalty; start treating them like it.

Your children are inheriting a Kingdom; so start educating them for it.

 
 

Providing a Compass

Several years ago I was sitting in a theater watching Mr. Holland's Opus, an inspiring tale of a frustrated musician working to write his orchestral masterpiece, his opus, only to realize in the end that the students' lives he had touched over the years were truly his opus.  It remains one of my favorite "teacher movies."

However, right in the middle of this thoroughly secular movie came a statement with profound worldview implications.  Mr. Holland is talking with his principal, explaining that he is doing his job, arriving on time, and doing the best he can to teach his students.  His principal responds, "A teacher is two jobs. Fill young minds with knowledge, yes. But more important, give those minds a compass so that that knowledge doesn't go to waste."

I almost came out my chair.  I wanted to turn to the audience and exclaim, "Did you hear what she just said?  She is stealing bricks from my worldview to build her own!"  The over-riding theme of our time, reflected again and again in our culture, is the denial of anything resembling absolute truth.  The spirit of the times is a very post-modern view, one which says "Everyone must find their own truth.  Your truth doesn't necessarily apply to me; it is just your truth.  What is true for you is not true for me."  Of course, Biblical claims of truth are simply one man's idea in this view.

Yet, Principal Jacobs above, whether she realized it or not, was proudly proclaiming the existence of absolute truth.  You see, of what value is a compass if "true north" does not exist?  If there is not a true north for my compass to point to, then I might just as well be staring into my coffee cup for direction.  The truth of the matter, in a post-modern world there is no use for a compass.

But viewed from a Biblical perspective, Principal Jacobs' statement makes perfect sense.  There is a "true north" found in the person and character of God himself.  As parents and Christian school teachers, our job is to point our students to Him, daily.  The "compass" that Principal Jacobs talks about is called "wisdom" in Proverbs.  In chapter 2 Solomon exhorts his son to "make his ear attentive to wisdom and incline his heart to understanding" so he can "walk in integrity, guarding the paths of justice and understanding righteousness and justice and equity, every good path."

That is a compass pointing to "True North"!!

Character Based Leadership

He who thinketh he leadeth and hath no one following him is only taking a walk.

John Maxwell

In his book Developing the Leader Within You, John Maxwell identifies five levels of leadership and the way in which influence is exercised within each level.  At the lowest level, Positional leadership, people follow you because they have to.  Your influence does not extend beyond the lines of your job description.  He extends the leadership ladder through Permission (people follow you because they want to), Production (people follow you because of what you have done for the organization), People Development (people follow you because of what you have done for them) and concludes with the highest level of leadership, Personhood.  At this level people follow you because of who are are.

As I read this, I reflected on the leadership style of Christ.  Certainly some people followed Christ because of what he had done for them; he was clearly interested in People Development.  But ultimately, he is the perfect example of Personhood leadership.  His disciples followed him because of who he was.  Think of Peter's words in John 6.  Jesus had identified himself as the Bread of Life, alluding to his death for man's sins.  This was clearly not a People Development leadership; in fact this message drove some away.  But when Jesus asked his disciples, "Will you also go away?", Peter responded, "To whom shall we go? ... We have come to know that you are the Holy One of God."  Peter was affirming his personhood ... the disciples were following him because of who he was.

Personhood leadership is, at its core, character-based leadership.  It is based upon the respect the followers have for the leader based upon the character they see in his/her life.  It is those kinds of leaders we are striving to develop at Heritage Christian Academy.  Our Student Outcomes state that we "seek to develop Christ-like behavior in the lives of all student" so that they can "display biblical leadership concepts in church, civic, political, or social organizations.  Toward this end, we have a special school-wide emphasis this year on developing the specific character qualities identified in our Student Outcomes throughout our student body - commitment to Christ, respect of all people, courteous and socially competent, responsive to authority, trustworthy and honest, optimistic and encouraging, responsible, diligent and persevering, thoughtful and discerning, and compassionate toward others.

To quote Maxwell again: The best investment in the future is a proper influence today.

Leadership Redefined

I was recently reading a review of new book, Redefining Leadership,  from Joseph Stowell, current president of Cornerstone University.  The reviewer Steve Dill, Vice President for Academic Affairs with ACSI, notes that the fundamental organization of this book is a comparison of two leadership styles: outcome-driven leaders and and character-driven leaders.  Dill goes on to note in his review that the character driven leader must ask himself three fundamental questions.

1. Am I willing to choose character as a defining priority in my leadership? (If given a choice, character trumps outcome.)
2. Will I choose 'follower' [of Christ] as my leadership identity?  (Will my leadership be shaped by the "will, ways, and wisdom of Jesus" or by my own instincts?)
3. Will I lead with the "counter-intuitive competencies of the kingdom of Christ or with the normative ways" of earthly leadership wisdom?

The outline of Stowell's book can be readily summarized by the following table which lists the identifying characteristics of these two kinds of leaders:

Stowell cites an example from Cornerstone University where during a freshman leadership experience, the students produced T-shirt that proclaimed "Followership: leadership redefined!"  As I read that, I couldn't help but think of Paul's words to the Corinthians:  "Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ."  That's the kind of student leader we want to train at HCA; leaders who recognize that, first of all, they are followers of the Lord Jesus Christ and can with confidence lead others to follow Him as well.

In Critcism of Praise

I was recently listening to my morning inspirational radio show on the way to work (The Border Patrol in 810) and heard Tim Grunhard, former Chiefs All-Pro offensive lineman talking about an experience he had with his daughter at the Kansas state swim meet.  In the preliminaries, his daughter swam the fastest time in the 200M individual medley by 4+ seconds ... that is a blowout in a 2-minute race!!  However, much to her disappointment, she was disqualified in the final and didn't receive a medal.  Tim was talking about her response to this severe disappointment and how he told her "Your response means more to me than any medal or state record could ever mean.  The strength of character you are showing tells me that you know what is really important and are ready to handle life's challenges."

Not unlike the story of Jake Dunn, former HCA student, just finishing his Junior year at a Christian school in Colorado.  His mom Jodi posted a picture of Jake on the podium shortly after taking second place in the Colorado state track meet.  In the photo, in spite of the disappointment, Jake is smiling broadly, congratulating the winner, likely the last thing he felt like doing at the moment.  His mom's comment - "This one made me cry when I got it today. Jake lost a race he badly wanted to win. His smile and sportsmanship with the winner made me one proud mama. He is a fierce competitor but in the end he has his priorities in check. I wish I could have been so good. You make us proud Jake. For God's glory."

These two storied reminded me of an article I recently ready in, of all places, the magazine on Southwest Airlines.   Written by Heidi Stevens of the Chicago Tribune, this article entitled In Criticism of Praise addresses the dark side of the "self-esteem movement" - the results of a culture where every achievement is lavished with praise.  In this article, she cites a study by Stanford University psychology professor Carol Dweek that shows this practice is actually counter productive.  An excerpt from this article (I would encourage you to take the time to read the entire article - it is well worth your time.):

"In the past three decades, parents have turned childhood into a sacred garden i which to plant seeds of self-esteem, cultivate those seeds with enriching endeavors, and fertilize them with heaping helpings of praise.  No gesture is too small to escape exhaltation.  Every achievement- indeed every movement - is an opportunity to rhapsodize.  All this despite clear and mounting evidence that this type of reinforcement is damaging our kids: The more they're called Extra Super Smart Geniuses, the further they go to protect that label - including bowing our of any activity that might challenge their reputation.  They stop taking risks, and their intellectual and emotional growth is stunted." 

Not all praise is counter-productive - the article distinguishes between outcome-oriented praise and process-orientation praise.  While the outcome-orientated variety is potentially destructive, the two real-life examples above are great examples of process-oriented praise, the kind of praise that encourages children to persevere, to accept new challenges - to grow!

Who knew serving God could be this much fun?

By the time you read this post, I will be on my way to the Dominican Republic, serving with Mrs. Chugg as one of the sponsors for the HCA Senior Missions Trip.  We will be working alongside a church there on a variety of children's ministry activities as well as some practical work projects for the church and school there.  This will be a life-changing experience for many of this trip.

As I was thinking about this trip, my mind went back to our first Senior Missions Trip in 2003.  Up until that time, senior trips had been largely educational/recreational with no emphasis on ministry.  The class sponsor of that class was unable to continue during their senior year, so I stepped into that role for the year.  I remember meeting with the students and their parents early in the school year and challenging them to think about a radical change ... to view the senior trip as a ministry opportunity.  The class embraced the challenge, and in May of 2003 we left for a week of ministry in the Czech Republic.

Three things stand out to me about that trip.  The first is God's provision .... This group was late in the fundraising process and had just decided to up the fundraising goal in a significant way.  We wrote traditional missions support letters and each day I came to Bible class and updated our total received on the board.  It was a joy for the students to see God provide in a tangible way.  I also remember a big garage sale we organized in the gym ... I described it this way.  "After looking at all the junk in the gym, I expected $1,000, hoped for $2,000, dreamed for $3,000 ... and God provided $4,000!!" At the end of the year, God had provided so abundantly that we paid for the trip and left a $1,000 deposit toward any class that chose a similar ministry trip.  That "heritage" lives on!

I also remember the flight home; I had a captive audience, so I distributed a trip reflection for the students to complete on the flight.  This included questions such as "What did you learn about God this week?", "What did you learn about yourself this week", etc.  I will never forget the answer I got from one student to the question "What surprised you about this trip?" - he responded "I never knew that serving God could be such fun!"  I still get chills when I think of that response; if we can get every student to grasp the "joy in serving Jesus" we will have been successful.

Finally, as I look back on that class, I see three young men who are in vocational Christian service, serving as youth pastors.  I am confident that this trip was a part of the process God used to call them into this service.  In an earlier blog I mentioned a Cardus survey which identified Christian school graduates as the most engaged church members; I believe this kind of experience is part of the reason for that.

Please pray for us this week as we minister to the people of the Dominican Republic and as God ministers to us through them.

The Bright Side of Technology

Last week Heritage Christian Academy hosted Brad Huddleston of Dark Side of Technology for a parent/student seminar addressing some of the dangers/challenges presented by technology.  Brad, noting recent research on the addictive nature of technology, challenged the those in attendance to develop a balanced approach toward technology for their families.  He reminded us of Paul's exhortation in I Corinthians 6:12 - "All thing as lawful for me, but I will not be dominated by anything."

The challenges Brad addressed are real, and the message he brings is one that is needed in our day. But I can't help but think of another side of technology, a "bright side of technology", that I recently had reason to be thankful for.  One of the most powerful tools available in the technology toolbox is something I am taking advantage of right now - the blog.  Blogs give a voice to people who might otherwise not have a voice.  No longer are publishing companies (newspapers, book publishers) or broadcast companies (radio or television) the gatekeepers of information and ideas.  Now anyone with a computer and internet connection has a potential voice.  Of course, that in itself, gives rise to a host of problems - misinformation, hateful or wicked content, etc- but it also provides Christians the opportunity to express truth to a vast audience.  Let me highlight the blog contribution of three former students I recently came across; I love hearing their heart for Jesus.

Jordan (Huston) Carlsen, currently mother to three and wife of a youth pastor, actually introduced me to social media during the early of days of MySpace, before the days of Facebook.  Jordan began a site for fellow students where she would often post discussion topics of a Biblical nature and encourage here fellow students to respond.  I would "lurk" on that site, many times encouraged and challenged by the depth of insight expressed by Jordan and others.  Jordan has shared posts from her personal blog on Facebook from time to time; her blog is currently on hiatus as her family is transitioning to a new ministry.  Here is a sample of her voice from a couple of years ago.

Ruthie Burrell is a recent graduate of Taylor University and is currently working as a free lance writer in a variety of roles.  One of those roles is her own personal blog.  Here is a sample from her blog I shared on Facebook when she posted it, a transparent reminder that we can't earn God's love.

Most recently I came across this post by Kaleigh Adkins. Kaleigh is currently studying Elementary Education at Pensacola Christian College and is one of the contributors to a blog creatively entitled BeYOUtiful In Christ. They express the purpose of their blog this way: "God has placed a passion in our hearts for young women to help them see the beauty within themselves; the beauty that comes from Christ. Serving our Creator, our purpose is to help young ladies see that in their Father's eyes, they are flawless."  We have used this post from Kaleigh with our own students at HCA.

This is truly the "bright side of technology", God giving these lovely ladies a voice to share His truth.

Kids Who Don't Leave the Church

I recently came across an article on FaithIt.com entitled 3 Common Traits of Youth Who Don't Leave the Church.  (This seemed a fitting follow up to my most recent blog post, Where Are the Future Leaders?)  In this article, written primarily to an audience of youth leaders, the author identifies three characteristics of youth who remain engaged in their faith into adulthood.  Those traits are:

Converted - The author uses the term "unconverted evangelicals" to describe youth who have grown up in the church, learned the church culture and language, and are actively doing all kinds of church stuff.  And this no less true of youth in Christian schools; it is just another part of Christian culture to acclimate to.  I have often likened this to an inoculation, the process of giving a weakened form of a disease in order to prevent infection by the disease.  Youth are exposed to the culture which can "inoculate" them to their need of a Savior.  Toward that end, the author exhorts us to be
"praying fervently for the miraculous work of regeneration to occur in the hearts and souls of our students by the power of the Holy Spirit."

Equipped - Ephesians 4:11-12: "[Christ] gave teachers to equip the saints for the work of the ministry." Here the author issues a call to be "growing churchmen and churchwomen who are equipped to teach, lead, and serve."  I would add to that a call to train youth with a Biblical worldview, to be able understand and articulate how their faith in Christ informs their walk in every arena of life.

Modeled - Here the author addresses the critical role of the home in all this, saying that "the common thread that binds together almost every ministry-minded 20-something that I know is abundantly clear: a home where the gospel was not peripheral but absolutely central ... In general, children who are led in their faith during their growing-up years by parents who love Jesus vibrantly, serve their church actively, and saturate their home with the gospel completely, grow up to love Jesus and the church."

As I read this, I was struck that much like the old three-legged milking stool, all three elements are required:  God's role in conversion, the church's and school's role in equipping, and the parents' role in modeling. Of course, their is some overlap in the last two roles, but it simply reinforces the conclusion of that passage in Ephesians 4 - "We are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

Where Are the Future Leaders?

In his 2006 book, provocatively titled The Last Christian Generation, Josh McDowell addresses a crisis facing churches today.  He quotes surveys from Barna and others that indicate that 70% or more of "churched youth" will find that the church will play a part in their lives when they leave home ... some put that number as high as 90%! (page 13).  McDowell believes the solution lies in "revealing to this generation who Christ really is and then leading them to properly respond to him." (page 69) To do that, he believes we need to change our educational model.  Note what he says as he relates the Hebrew model of education found in Deuteronomy 6:

The goal of the Hebrew model is not mere memorization of repeatable facts; the goal (as Moses made clear) is to live out the truth.  In this approach, truth is designed to lead to transformation.  Truth in this educational approach is to be learned by practicing it in real life.  According to the Hebrew model, the student has not "learned" a thing when he or she can repeat it to the teacher; it is learned when it is reflected in the student's life.  In this approach the testing is in the living.  The question becomes not whether the student has the information correctly stuffed into his or her head, but rather "how has the truth transformed the student (emphasis added) attitudinally and behaviorally?"

Without using the phrase, McDowell is essentially describing the mission/vision of the Christian school.  In the HCA Student Outcomes document, we say that "a Christian education is, therefore, one that not only teaches students the truths of each academic discipline, but also shows students how and why each truth is part of a larger holistic Truth that encompasses all of reality and reflects God's nature.  A Christian education must also equip students to live in the light of that reality so that Truth is not something they simply know intellectually but actually informs the choices they make.  This involves more than information--it involves instilling wisdom so that a student's whole being is engaged and influenced by God's Truth."

Where are the future leaders coming from?  The Cardus Education Survey (2011) studied students in public, private, Catholic, Protestant, and home schools on a variety of measure.  Most interesting was their conclusion concerning church leadership.  After looking at measures like attendance, giving, volunteerism, commitment to an infallible Bible, participation in missions trips, they singled out Protestant Christian schools, reaching the following conclusion: "It is clear that the graduates of Protestant Christian school are ideal church members in many ways ... the Protestant Christian school is having an impact on how its graduates participate in church life." (page 20).

The future leaders of our churches are sitting in classrooms of our Christian schools today ... truth that transforms.