Parks and Providence

~ brandon ~ Leave a comment

Driving through town, we arrived at Broad and Hwy 1. At that corner a left turn takes you to Walmart, while a right turn takes you toward the park. Engrossed in the ‘80s hits playing on the radio, the daughter didn’t notice anything amiss until the car began to turn.

“Dad, you turned the wrong way!” she said, with typical teenage derision.

“Did I?” I asked, as she realized something was up.

“Wait, where are we going?”

“To the park!”

Not exactly the height of excitement for a 13-year-old, her only response was a muttered, “Oh.”

For the next few blocks, she continued singing along with the radio, no doubt now wishing she’d stayed at home instead of tagging along. After a couple of turns, the park loomed in front of us. Being late afternoon on a weekday, I was somewhat surprised to see only one car at the park. On Sundays the parking lot is usually full of park goers. Apparently, this was not a midweek destination.

After maneuvering into a park space, we alit from the vehicle and moved toward the park entrance. As we did, our eyes fell upon a solitary figure, lying face down next to a path. ‘Huh, I wonder what she’s looking at,’ I thought. It didn’t take long to realize she wasn’t looking at anything. Quickly we began to hear a faint, ‘help.’ We hastened our pace, and soon discovered the prostrate park goer to be an elderly woman.

“Ma’am, are you okay?” I clumsily asked. Of course, she wasn’t okay.

“No, I’ve fallen,” came her soft response, “Can you please help me up?”

Over the next few minutes, we tried to make sure she wasn’t injured, then helped her roll over and sit up. She leaned back against me as she used the daughter’s phone to get ahold of a family member. Finally successful, her son dropped what he was doing and drove to the park. As we awaited his arrival, the daughter and I helped this stranger on to her feet and walked her back to the parking lot. When her son arrived, we helped her into the car and wished them both well. Then we began to talk about providence.

Every Sunday we pass a small park just a couple of blocks away from church. Most Sundays I observe to the carload of worshippers, “We should stop by and check that park out some time.” Weather, work, school, and myriad other mundane realities conspired to keep this idea from fruition. As we left for Walmart that day, something inside me said, “Now is the time to visit that park.” Sure, it was out of the way. Sure, the wife needed key ingredients for dinner and stopping at the park would delay the evening meal. Of course, 13-year-olds aren’t too keen to visit a city park with dad. Yet, I just knew this was the time to visit.

Had our visit happened on an earlier date, we would not have gone to the park that day. Who knows how long this elderly woman would have laid there, face down, until someone else happened along. Instead, weeks of busyness paved the way for the daughter and I to arrive at the park on the right day at the right time to lend a hand.

That is a clear sign of providence at work. God providentially caring for people, not through signs and wonders, but through something as mundane as a hectic schedule. Unbeknownst to us, and to the woman in need, God used our hectic schedule to delay a visit to that park so that our arrival allowed us to be present right when we were needed.

Sometimes it is easy to be frustrated by life. There are things we all would like to do, that just don’t work out. There are others which we’d rather not do, but they cannot be avoided. Yet, in all of these circumstances, we are called to trust that our moments are unfolding according to a grander plan. The key, it seems, is to be attentive to the moment we are in, so we may be good stewards of the moments we are given.

Leadership Lessons from Darius

~ brandon ~ Leave a comment

In Daniel 6, we have the rather famous story of Daniel in the lions’ den. The new king, King Darius, decides to outlaw all forms of worship save one: people may worship him. Daniel, a Jewish man living in Darius’ kingdom, refuses to comply and faces the consequence—being thrown into a den of hungry lions. As we encounter the chapter, we tend to focus on Daniel, his faithfulness in the face of persecution, and God’s divine intervention to save him. However, Darius’ actions in this chapter illustrate three, key lessons for leaders.

1. Leaders keep ego in check

Daniel 6 presents us with a King who decides to have everyone worship him for 30 days. No other gods may be worshipped, nor may anyone pray to other gods. All worship, adoration, and supplication is to be presented in name of Darius. Now, the genesis of this decree rises from the recommendation of his advisers. A recommendation which surely stroked the King’s ego. Afterall, whose ego wouldn’t be boosted by entire nation worshipping them?

So, Darius’ fails to keep his ego in check and, therefore, makes a bad decision. The idea of being an object of worship, a god among men, is too enticing. So, he rushes headlong into his decision. The lesson is obvious: ego makes bad decisions. Leaders acknowledge the role ego plays. They recognize our natural propensity toward self-aggrandizement, our need to be recognized, our desire to be adored. With that in mind, leaders keep ego in check when making decisions.

While modern life may not present an opportunity as grandiose as Darius’ decree, leaders still face the temptation of ego. We see it when leaders wonder, “How will this decision make me look,” before asking, “Is this the right decision?” We see it in leaders whose plans revolve around self-promotion and impressing other people. In the end, it is the same ego, the same drive to be praised.

2. Leaders consider second and third order of effects.

In military planning, we talk a lot about first, second, and third order of effects. A first order effect is the intended effect of any given action. Say, destroying a power plant in order to deny power to a nearby enemy installation. Second orders of effect cascade from that first effect. When we destroy the power plant, what else loses power? Perhaps a nearby village also loses power. The third orders of effect are those that flow from the second. What effects will loss of power have on the village? Perhaps a hospital won’t be able to function, or wells will be unusable. Leaders weigh each of those effects when determining if the benefit a target is worth the cost.

Darius does not think of anything but the first order of effects. He seems to only think, “This decision will give me my proper praise from the people.” We see this limited focus in his response to Daniel’s prayers. Once Daniel breaks the new ordinance, Darius sets about trying to free him—a sure sign that the King regrets this second order of effect—Daniel may die.

3. Leaders act swiftly to correct mistakes

Throughout my military career, I hear a quote from President Theodore Roosevelt, “In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing.” The point is simple: while the right thing is ideal, it may not always be clear. In that case, making no decision yields the initiative whereas a bad (read: poorly informed) decision keeps initiative on your side, and allows you to course correct as necessary.

This may be the only laudable part of Darius’ decision. He does act quickly (though, it should have been obvious his decree was not the right thing to do). When confronted by the unexpected 2nd and 3rd order of effects, he quickly corrects course.

Now, there is one common denominator to achieving all three of these leadership practices. It is the practice of humility. Humility is the combination of an honest self-assessment, an outward focus, and a teachable mindset. The practice of humility is taking action that reflects those things. So, practicing an honest self-assessment keeps ego in check. Practicing an outward focus keeps 2nd and 3rd order effects in mind, and practicing teachability means paying attention for errors and committing to learn from them.

Why Fear Is Inadequate Motivation For Following Christ

~ brandon ~ Leave a comment

Why do you follow Christ? What motivates you to pray, to read scripture, to worship? There are two reasons we might follow Christ, two motivators that lead us toward Him. One is fear and the other is love. Sadly, many Christians follow Christ out of fear. They are afraid of hell. They are afraid of upsetting God. They are afraid of missing God’s will. Their choices are predicated upon fear of failure, fear of judgment, fear of condemnation. But that motivation is inadequate for following Christ and experiencing everything He has for us.

To understand this, we will look briefly at the nature of fear, the impact of fear, the limits of fear, and the product of fear. As we begin, please note we aren’t speaking about the Fear of God. That fear, often commanded in Scripture, is about awe and reverence. We are speaking of fear in the more common use. Continue reading →

Acceptable Addictions

~ brandon ~ 2 Comments

Bob was a pastor in the upper Midwest. Growing up in Wisconsin, he’d been raised fishing and hunting all year long. Every season was a season to be outdoors pursuing game. Yet, like many Cheeseheads, deer season was a special time. When deer season opens, it’s fairly common for Wisconsin schools to close. It’s pragmatic, really, because most of those kids will be out in the woods with Dad. Now that he was a Pastor, that pattern continued in Bob’s life. It became a running joke in the church that, once deer season opened, Bob was nowhere to be found. He’d be out in the woods, every day, until he filled his tag for the year. Bob was addicted to hunting. Bob had an acceptable addiction. Continue reading →

Grace on the Barr Trail

~ brandon ~ Leave a comment

Recently my two boys and I decided to tackle Barr Trail—the trail leading up to the top of Pike’s Peak. It’s not an easy hike. About 13 miles long, the trail starts at 6,700 feet and rises to 14,110 by the time you reach the peak. As you progress up the trail you quickly realize how difficult it will be. Steep climbs, endless switchbacks, and thin air all conspire to bring you to your knees.

Well, we arrived at the trail head around 4:30 am and began our ascent. No sooner had we begun and the challenge began. The first few miles are switchbacks along the steepest section of the trail. However, just as I was beginning to think, “Why am I doing this,” the trail leveled out a bit. Not completely flat, really, but noticeably less steep. My legs and lungs immediately registered the decreased exertion. Even though we were still climbing, even though the challenge continued, still those moments restored us and drove us further on.

As we walked through a couple of easy miles, I realized how much like following Christ the Barr Trial can be. Just like walking that trail, following Christ presents times of challenge and difficulty. It isn’t for no reason he invites us to, “count the cost.” Just like walking that trail, the trials and tribulations we face following Christ threaten to bring us to our knees. Just like walking that trail, there are moments we may even wonder, “why am I doing this?”

But just like walking that trail there are times of relative ease, where the path may still be challenging, but not as difficult as before. Those are moments of grace, when Christ restores the soul and whispers, “I won’t let you fall.”

As I walked that trail I stopped for a moment, with the sun just rising over the horizon, and thanked God for the grace that restores soul and drives me on.

 

 

4 Lessons on Manhood from Adam

~ brandon ~ Leave a comment

When you think about being a successful man, you might not immediately think of Adam. You know, Adam, the first man? I mean, he ignored God, fell into sin, lost his job, got evicted from his home, and one of his sons murdered the other! Doesn’t seem to be a very good model for manhood. Yet, if we carefully look at Genesis 2, we can learn 4 lessons from Adam’s example. Continue reading →

A sign of the times . . . PHOTOS – Disney adds metal detectors at park entrances along with ban on toy guns and costumes for adults

~ brandon ~ Leave a comment

Let me suggest that this is a failure of foreign policy. If we aren’t aggressively pursuing and destroying those who would destroy us overseas, we will have to face them at home. I understand Disney is just trying to cover their bases, but how sad is it that we’ve come to this?

Disney has today introduced new security protocols at the theme parks, read on for details.

Source: PHOTOS – Disney adds metal detectors at park entrances along with ban on toy guns and costumes for adults

A modest proposal for the refugee crisis

~ brandon ~ Leave a comment

I don’t post often, but with the recent talk about Christian responses to Syrian refugees, I wanted to offer my humble proposal.

Most of the discussion seems to revolve around to issues: security at home and love for the refugee. It seems to me both could be handled by working with Middle Eastern nations to provide a Middle Eastern alternative.

Providing a safe, secure place for refugees in the Middle East would solve most of the debate. US involvement would allow us to love the refugee. By making sure the facility is safe and clean we could provide a pleasant, temporary home for those displaced by war. By employing them in the care and upkeep of the facility we could also address the human need to work, allowing them to keep their dignity. Finally, by establishing the location in the Middle East we allow for a smoother resettlement of refugees after the war.

On the homefront this also loves our next door neighbor by addressing real security concerns. With attacks in Canada, Europe, and now the US, the concerns of our fellow Americans cannot be boiled down to simple racism. There concerns are based upon real events, not the perceived ‘otherness’ of refugees.

It strikes me that we did something similar in Africa during the last Ebola crisis. The US Military rapidly deployed and built facilities to house and care for the sick. Certainly we could do the same thing in the Middle East, working with a host nation.

Of course this suggestion isn’t without challenges. The greatest challenge maybe finding a Middle Eastern nation to help. However, we must have some leverage we could use to persuade allied nations to support this action.

So, to recap, establishing a refugee center in the Middle East would love the refugee by providing for the safety, security, and eventual return whom, while also loving our next door neighbor by providing security for the homefront.

Thoughts on Poverty and Immigration

~ brandon ~ Leave a comment

via The 4 Types of Poverty, and How to Cure Them.

The article linked above (h/t acton institute) does a good job of showing that generalizations about the poor and poverty aren’t very helpful in solving the problem of poverty. As I read it, I thought about the immigration debate the continues in America and Europe. There are two broad generalizations presented to us: either you are for open borders or you are for building a wall. Perhaps for Christians to answer the immigration immigration question, we first need to determine what we mean by ‘immigrant,’ and stop lumping all folks who cross borders into the same camp.

For example, some cross borders for nefarious reasons while others to do to build a better life. Some cross borders to flee war and genocide, while others cross to take advantage of more prosperous societies. Before we can decide what the Christian view on immigration is, we need to understand a simple truth: not all immigrants are the same, so there is not one solution that fits every situation.