The Lonely Leader

Leadership can be a tumultuous exercise. Circumstances often arise that force a leader to make difficult decisions. Because leadership is ultimately about influencing the people that surround you, the public opinion polls sway with every decision made. The people and their fickle opinions can shift very quickly. A leader who leads based solely upon the approval of the crowds will soon find himself on the loosing side of this battle very quickly.

This is what makes leadership such a lonely venture. The leader will find himself alone, even while surrounded by those he leads. He will be isolated, yet surrounded by crowds of people. He will be forced to make decisions that will test loyalty, challenge friendship, and call upon deep reserves of trust. These decisions will cause low-grade tension, frustration, and often times disdain from those he leads.

How a leader copes with this loneliness will, in many ways, determine the odds of success and endured tenure of a leader. It is in these moments that a leader can cave to the opinions of those he leads for fear of a loss of approval, or will make the hard call, and then run to coping mechanisms after the borage of ridicule. A leader can face a strong temptation to self-medicate his loneliness with things that will ultimately bring little remedy to the actual tensions he feels.

We have a many scriptural example in King David who faced incredible ridicule. 1Sam 30 tells us the story of a poor leadership decision made by the great King. For fear of King Saul and the threats on David’s life, he had found asylum among the Philistines. He had taken shelter in the shadow of his enemies. He had created a guise of partnership with his enemies to ensure safety for his rag-tag band of misfits that followed him. Little did he know in the moment that his decision would have serious consequences in the days ahead.

Shortly after his alignment with the enemies of God, they prepared for battle. As they rode towards the battle lines David learned that they were headed to face the nation of Israel, His very own people whom he had already been anointed to be king over. Fortunately for him the Philistine generals did not trust his loyalty and forced him to return home. During the short stent in the battle lines of the Philistines, the Amalekites raided Ziklag, the defenseless home of David. With all of the men of war returning from the averted battle with the nation of Israel, the city was vulnerable to attack. The city was burned with fire and all of the bounty of David’s people were taken captive along with the wives, women & children.

Upon the return of David and his men, they witnessed the destruction of their city and the evidence of abduction of those whom they loved. David’s men were so distraught and angry that they considered stoning David for his decision to align themselves with the Philistines and hide among the enemies of God. (1Sam 30:6) The public opinion has turned, his popularity has been stolen from him, and his leadership has been placed in question.

How does a leader respond in times like this? What should a leader do when faced with such opposition? It is a lonely place for a leader to be. At this moment a leader is all along with no one to talk to, no one to lean on, and no one to confide in. 1Sam 30:6 gives us the answer. The text simply tells us, “David strengthened himself in the Lord his God.” It sounds so simple, yet carries with it profound implications. David did on turn to man, nor the things of this world to find solace. He did not try to woe back the crowds, nor did he allow his countenance to fall. Instead, he found strength in the core of his calling as a leader and the divine presence of the Lord in his life. His position as a leader was not a matter of his own choosing, nor was it a career path that he set out to pursue himself. David understood that God had called him to lead. God had set him apart. God had already anointed him to be King. David simply sank deeply into the one in whom his identity was truly found.

He also learned the art of self-leadership. He was not dismayed by the jeers of the crowds; instead, he learned how to lead himself through difficulty. He drew upon the rich reservoir of God’s love for him. He did not listen to the voice of the disgruntled, but instead listened to the voice of truth that the Father spoke into his life.

He had made a terrible leadership decision by putting his small band of followers in league with the enemies of God, but he realized that his worth to God was not based solely on his leadership track record, but rather who he was in God’s eyes. He found value, meaning, identity, and worth in the reality that he was God’s chosen King and that he could rest in the one who called him from the fields to the throne.

Do you find yourself in a difficult leadership situation? If so, draw strength from the one who called you unto Himself. You can listen to the voices of the crowds, because there may be a nugget of truth in their words, but listen to the voice of God in your life with an even greater volume. Recognize that there will be times in your leadership where you will feel along, isolated, and exposed; yet it is in those very moments that you, like David, can “strengthen yourself in the Lord your God”.

Give Us A King

For years I have been fascinated with the people of God. From the beginning of creation in the Garden with the first man Adam, throughout the entirety of scripture their track record is stained with unfaithfulness, idolatry, selfish ambition, and personal indulgence. The people of God demonstrate a consistent disregard for God’s word and an unceasing desire to pursue rational as a rule of life rather than obedience to God. At almost every turn, the people set aside the divine for the tactile. Whether it’s Eve and the fruit, Aaron and the Golden Calf, or Samuel and the coronation of Saul, the people always seem to long for that which is seen.

1Sam 8 captures the nations concern for their leadership. They had been led, thus far, as a Theocracy. (Kratos – to rule, Theos – by God) God had ruled His people. He had created them, protected them, delivered them, provided for them, and led them. Yet, they wanted a King “like the other nations”. I think it is interesting that the King that they wanted was similar to the nations around them. Why did they want that? Remember that these were a nomadic people that had settled in their land and surrounded by enemies. These people had battled their neighbors for centuries. So warfare had become a normal part of the ebb and flow of their lives. They had grown weary of the toil and saw the great Kings that surrounded them and began to shift from obedience to rational. They “saw” the Kings that led their armies to battle and were impressed.

Upon reading 1Sam 8 this past week, I think there may have been another reason why they wanted a King. Samuel had been dedicated to the Lord by his parents and had become quite a man of God. 1Sam. 3:19 says that, “Samuel grew and the LORD was with him and let none of his words fail.” He had become a tremendous leader of Gods people and served as a judge for them. According to 1Sam 7:15-16 he served as a circuit Judge for the people and would travel from city to city mediating and providing leadership. In his prophetic role, he would communicate Gods word to the people and serve as a mouthpiece for the Lord according to 1Sam 3:20. As I read his job description, I see a recipe for a driven man with a busy schedule, and a full plate.

If you were to take a look into his personal life, you can begin to see the seeds of compromise and collapse creeping in. There is virtually nothing said about his wife. Though the scriptures do not always include spouses in the text and there is certainly other men of God that were used by the Lord who’s spouses are not mentioned, it does seem interesting to me that we hear no word of his marriage, his home life, or his role as a husband.

Then there are his kids. According to 1Sam 8:1 he tried to set his kids up to win. He put them as judges over Israel as well. It seems that he is trying to put his children in positions of influence and to create a smooth succession plan. It seems that Samuel is getting old and is looking at retirement. Who better, in his mind, to take his place than his own children? However, 1Sam 8:3 tells us that his sons did not walk in his ways and were corrupt leaders. They were on the take with those in they ruled and led with a heart for personal gain.

It seems that the “busy” Samuel did not take care of his home. I can almost hear the dinner table conversations. Maybe his wife had noticed behavior issues with her boys and tried to tell Samuel about them, but he was too busy with the things of God to stop and talk with his boys, so the behavior was unchecked. I’m sure he kept his calendar full and his horse saddled. What’s wrong with that? He was their leader… their prophet… their judge… Isn’t that what he was supposed to do? How could he tell the people no?  Shouldn’t he be available for the people when they needed him? Shouldn’t he respond when there was an issue? Wasn’t that his job?

I have no doubt that Samuel found great value in his “job”. I am confidant that he felt needed, wanted, loved, affirmed, and even respected by the people. The voices of the people stirred him on as he road long distances from city to city. The praise of the people motivated him as he spent long hours mediating for them. All the while the accolades from the crowds fed an insidious narcissistic addiction in his life and blinded him to what was truly important.

Samuel joins a long and iconic list of godly men who forsook their families for the rush of public approval and the narcotic of being needed. Men like Abraham, Jacob, Judah, David, Solomon, all forsook their families for the sake of the allure of the crowds. That’s the problem with “crowds”; they call your name, speak into the darkness of a driven leader, and corrupt the purest of hearts. They speak to the allure of the temporal and the disregard of the divine.

God is not tempted by the crowds, nor should his people be. If we are going to learn from the lessons of the past, then we must begin to recognize the warning signs. Are you a driven leader? What can you learn from Samuel and his demise?

The reason the people of God fascinate me, is that I find myself looking at myself in the mirror as I read through the pages of scripture. I resonate with their struggles and can connect with their temptations. Our culture certainly bring with it unique challenges. There are issues that call to us continually. We are more accessible than every before, more productive, more affluent, more needed, yet more relationally bankrupt. We find ourselves working longer hours, taking that overtime shift to make a few dollars, and picking up that second job to make ends meet.

I wonder what would happen if instead of trying to become richer financially, we set our sights on becoming rich relationally? What could it look like for families to downsize if necessary, but to begin to invest in the greatest gift and responsibility entrusted to us. God has given us families to lead, shepherd, and nurture. If we are to truly glean wisdom from those who have gone before, we will begin to see the futility of the pursuit of praise from the crowds and the greater reward of obedience to God and the cultivation of that which honors the Lord.

The Trip in Pictures

Here are a few photo galleries that capture the trip a bit more than words. Though you can’t capture the smells and feelings that come from these experiences, I hope the pictures can begin to frame our time in Africa for you.

Africa Pictures

You can check out the albums from various locations:

• Kijabe & Mashani
• Nairobi
• Train Ride
• Mombasa (Day Off)
• Naivosha
• Heart of the Bride

Thoughts from Africa

“Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this:

to visit orphans and widows in their distress,

and to keep oneself unstained by the world.”

– James 1:27

House of Hope Children

We connected with a multi-national organization called The Heart of the Bride. The focus of their ministry is to practice true religion by coming alongside orphans, widows, and those in distress. We worked with an orphanage called “House of Hope” in the city of Naivasha. The Children were incredible.  The ladies cared for the children, the men built a new outhouse or a “Choo” as they call it. The Choo that we were building is two squatty potty openings over a 50’ hand dug hole. We carried huge stones, enjoyed the hard work of mixing concrete with a shovel. As with most things in Kenya, the work was slow going and the materials were not always readily available, but we enjoyed the time together.

The Sleeping Fundi

The Fundi Apprentice

That is one of the observations with the Kenyan culture. Though they live in poverty they are relationally rich. We paused the work every morning at about 10:30 for Chai and Mondazi (little doughnut pastries). They were never rushed in the work and would often stop to take a rest, have a chat, or simply laugh together.  This is my friend Shoto. He is, what it called in Kenya, a Fundi (expert in his field) He was very good with the work and kept things moving at a steady, Kenyan pace.They were very archaic in terms of the tools and techniques they used, but the projects came together nicely. We were a bit frustrated that we didn’t finish the project, but they seemed more interested in the relationships than the work. (so we learned to live like Kenyan’s)  We were definitely not Fundy’s, but we got the Choo about half way done. It’s not quite the plush toilets of the US, but when it is finished, it will be an upgrade from the little one that it is next to.

Enjoying the fruit of our labor!

We enjoyed our evenings of rest at a missionary guesthouse in the middle of the bush. It is about 30 minutes off of the main road and is surrounded by the glory that is Africa.  An incredible missions family who are living on the property hosted us. They are fantastic people! They took us to a young man who is from the Dorobo Tribe. (one of the hunting and gathering tribes in Kenya) He brought us up to a hive of Killer Bees. The intent was to smoke out the bees and pull out some of the honey. I have always had a bit of a hankering for some honey, but this was crazy. There were African Killer Bees flying everywhere! This guy just took a coal from the fire, put it in a bundle of moss, and blew on it to smoke them out. These bees were lighting him up but he just kept blowing. There were hundreds of bees all over him and he just brushed them off. The bees were flying all over us, but you had to keep still and not freak out. So we stood there, Killer Bees all over us, standing like idiots waiting for some honey… but man was it good!

Africa Pics

Here are a few links to some of the pics from the trip…

Africa – 1

Africa – 2

Africa – 3

To Mombasa

What a ride…

Today we began our 15-hour train ride from Nairobi to Mombasa. We will have the distinct privilege of riding this 1900’s British throwback for the next four days. This trip has been full of experiences that words seem inadequate to describe. Most of the experiences thus far have been difficult to handle, the train ride however, has been the comic relief of the trip. I’m hoping to put some of the video online as soon as possible.

Jen and I are sharing a 7×8 sleeper car with the Downs. We have been neighbors for several months, but now, things are getting intimate. You can learn a ton about people when you are functioning without sleep and stuck in an all night sleeper train with your friends. The smells and sounds of a train are fascinating to experience. We enjoyed dinner in the dining car. I felt like I was in a Harry Potter or Chronicles of Narnia movie. The train clanked its way from Nairobi east towards Mombasa. The slow rocking was almost lulling us to sleep. Except for the loud noise and the heat, it was a very pleasant night.

We watched the sunrise over the African wilderness. Even as I write this we are slowly clanking our way through the middle of nowhere.

The team is doing well. All are healthy and moral is high. They have worked hard and are ready for a day of rest.

Kijabe Men

A Choir of Men

I had the privilege of sharing the word with the men of the church in Kijabe this week. What a night! The men gathered to hear the word and to sing together as brothers. We heard Swahili songs sung and prayers offered to the Lord by the men of Kijabe. The sound of 40 men singing together in Swahili was amazing. Though our cultures are different and we share the same love for the Lord and a desire to glorify God in our lives.

After the time of singing and share in the word, there was the customary drinking of Chai and the enjoyment of a Mondazi (sort of a doughnut type of pastry) The men sat and chatted, laughed and enjoyed one another’s company. It was fun to see the similarities in our cultures. For example: the men went around the circle introducing themselves and telling us what village they were from. The introductions made there way around the circle to a man who had no thumb. The Pastor stopped the introductions to tell us the story of why this man had no thumb. He said that he was walking down the road and was attacked by a Hyena. While the Hyena was eating his thumb, he was beating the Hyena with a stick. Fortunately for this man, he was able to strike enough blows to the Hyena that he let go of the thumb and ran away. The humor in it all for me was that they busted this guys chops all night for his incident. They laughed about it together and he seemed to have become a local hero. Everyone knew him as the guy that beat up the Hyena with a stick.

Kijabe

Kijabe – Rift Valley Academy – Africa Inland Church

Last night we had the opportunity to minister to the youth of the church in Kijabe. It was an exciting time of singing and incredible dancing. The Kenyan people really know how to throw it down. They laughed, danced, drank Chai, and enjoyed the word… until the power went out. Charlotte Teisinger was in the middle of leading a worship song when the power cut out. We grabbed a few flashlights, lit her up with those, and she kept right on going. (she did a great job… all things considered) When she was done with her song, they all looked around a bit wondering what do to next, so I stood up with my flashlight and began to teach. Over my time at The Well the power had cut off as well, so in many ways, that served as a good training ground for this as well. We laughed about the power, and then turned to the word. It was a good time in 1Thes 4:3-8 talking about God’s will for our lives being our personal purity.

Kibera

This has been a very difficult post for me to write. Truthfully, I have sat here for quite a while just watching the blinking curser mocking me. I began several times, only to delete the words in frustration. Everything that I write seems woefully insufficient. They say that a picture is worth a thousand words. They are right in so many ways. Yesterday the pictures that are in my mind cry out for words, words and more words. I fear that in all of my attempts, I could not capture adequately the images, faces, and experiences of the day.
We knew that our day at the Kibera Slum would be difficult. We were warned of the extreme poverty and the dilapidated living situations. We were cautioned about the crime, and the sanitation, but these warnings could not adequately prepare us for what was ahead.
As we pulled up to Kibera, I felt like I was living in a scene from “District 9”. There were tin roves as far miles and mud walls on little box houses everywhere. There was sewage in the streets and smells that caused us to gag and look the other way, and the flies were so large you could put a leash on them and call them pets.
Through a narrow door in a large metal fence was a school in the middle of Kibera. The school taught the children the word of God and worked with a church to provide for the needs of the people and point the to Christ. Though surrounded by such poverty, there was hope & joy. The children were obviously malnourished and wore tattered clothes, yet their smiles lit up the room. Their classroom was a large open room with small wooded desks all throughout. They sang for us, danced for us, and showed us tremendous honor. We told the Christmas Story, sang songs, and did a few skits for them.
We met some wonderfully committed people while in Kibera. Some of them were street kids, displaced from their homes and being raised on the streets and had been let to Christ by Pastor (Bishop) Timothy. He has been ministering in Kibera for thirty years. He has been given many opportunities to move, but feels called to Kibera and the people who live there. He is a church planter, evangelist, and disciple maker. There were several of these “street kids” who are not elders in the church and even church planters. We were introduced to Pastor Kennedy. He is the pastor of the church that meets in the school and has been married for three weeks. He is somewhat of a local hero and role model due to his recent marriage and the fact that they remained sexually pure throughout their relationship. (a total anomaly in the Kenya culture)
The Kenyan culture, like many others, is very promiscuous. The men are encouraged to experiment and enjoy the pleasures of sex before they settle down to get married. Of course they are discouraged from marrying a woman that has been with a man, promoting a grouse double standard. This behavior is the primary cause for the spread of HIV and Aids in Kenya.
The language barrier made communication difficult. Swahili is an Arabic based language that is very difficult to understand, yet beautiful when spoken. Though we could not share words, the universal language of love was easily understood. The children would come and crawl in our laps, want hugs, and enjoyed a shared smile. They would hang onto our legs and grab our hands as we were walking. I couldn’t help but wonder how many of these kids had ever been held, loved, or cared for. For Jen, it was a little piece of heaven. Within thirty seconds of our arrival she was dancing with a beautiful little African girl. Her heart of compassion and disarming smile made her a hit at Kibera. She laughed, played, and was a breath of fresh air to all.
Overall the day went relatively smoothly. We were able to provide a meal for the children and some of the helpers in the school as well as share the gospel with them throughout the day. The difficulty came at an unexpected time. During our trip preparation we had gathered trinkets and toys to be distributed to the children of Kivera. We had cazoos, teddy bear trinkets, even Chik-Fil-A cows donated for the kids to enjoy. When it was time to give the gifts to the children we lined them up in their perspective classes and began to distribute the toys. In that moment, it all changed. These children, who waited in line for over an hour for their meal quietly and respectfully, began to loose control. Their sense of contentment was lost. They began to covet the toy that was given to their friend or sibling. Greed caused them to try to grab two or three of the toys at one time. They began to push in line and shove each other out of the way for these little trinkets. Those cute little children were hijacked by the sinful nature of greed, covetousness, and pride.
As we debriefed the time in Kibera, we were definitely glad that we came, but learned a ton in the process. These kids were content before we introduced this “stuff” into their lives. It was seeing what they didn’t have, or what they now wanted, that caused the meltdown. We wondered how much of the discontentment in our culture is caused by the same issue. Maybe the root of discontentment is the same in the US as it is in Kenya. We are fine with what we have until we see something that we don’t have. Want rises in us and we begin to compare. In our comparison we then covet. In our covetousness we then sin. All of this made us wonder if we ought to focus on our portion, our provision, our state in life. Maybe God has given us more, maybe He has given us less, but He has given us what He wants us to have at this point.

Only In London

It was early morning when the taxi pulled up to the “Highbury Center”. Due to the potentially precarious nature of taxi rides, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. The taxi was a nice Mercedes with leather interior and a driver that could probably disarm North Korea and bring peace to the Middle East if he could just get the leaders into his car. The Apple sticker on his windshield gave us some immediate conversation fodder. Our driver is apparently “The” driver for Apple execs when they come into the UK. He has driven most of the Apple “Top Dogs”, or at least claims to have. He knew their names, titles, and security protocol. He was a wealth of insider Apple information.

The conversation drifted about like a ship on the sea, moving here and there through various topics of conversation. In our short car ride we chatted about Apple, London, the lifestyle of the people in the UK, the reality of male promiscuity, the allure of female style, the interesting correlations between all religions and the importance of family. It was fascinating to hear his point of view. He seemed well educated, well informed and highly opinionated. He spoke with authority to just about every subject discussed. I appreciated the candor and dialogue, but I was not prepared for the final point of conversation. During our time in the car, we came to find out that he was born in Greece and was therefore Greek Orthodox. His grandfather was a priest and he learned much from him along the way; including how to be a healer, in the Old Testament sense. (To use his words) Apparently, he’s a faith healer of sorts, though he confessed, he wasn’t in it for the money, though sometimes people did pay him. As it turns out, he is called upon from time to time to come over and lay hands on people so that they would be healed. He says that he keeps it on the down low for fear of the Orthodox Church persecuting him as a witch. It was all I could do to hold in the laughter. I thought to myself, “this kind of thing only happens in London”.

So… if you’re looking for a good leather interior taxi ride in a Mercedes driven by a Greek Orthodox faith healer who likes to meditate with his Hindu friends… just let me know.