Keep a lid on it! A.I.M.'s 13th shot.

This is Mt. St. Helens.  Pretty, right?  It's no Mt. Rainier, but it'll do.  Of course, this pic was taken in the 1960's, when the St. was silent & serene.  31 years ago today, however, (May 18, 1980), the St. got heated, and let loose.  I was living in Seattle at the time, and it was big news.  Hats, t-shirts, mugs - everything had a picture of the erupting volcano on it. 

Where I lived, everything had ash on on it.  Soon afterwards, containers of all sorts and sizes filled with ash would be sold in local stores.  An active volcano is a big deal.  And, let's face it, as long as nobody gets hurt, it's kind of cool too (except when street football games are postponed due to ash curfews - that's no fun).

An exploding leader, on the other hand - not so cool, (and people usually do get hurt).  Any of us who have been under or even near this kind of eruption know that it is anything but fun.  Nothing you'd want to take a picture of.  The fallout is not something you'd want to bottle-up and sell.  You just run for cover. 

There's a singer-songwriter I've listened to since about the time St. Helens blew.  His name is Mark Heard.  He achieved Sainthood himself in 1992.  That is to say he's walking with the Saints.  One of his songs "It's Not Your Fault" includes this lyric;

I get angry sometimes

It's not your fault

I let the molehill simmer like Vesuvius

And hold up in Pompeii until all hell breaks loose



Vesuvius - destroyed Pompeii in AD 79

As a Christian leader, you and I are called to serve OTHERS in love.  Loosing our cool, getting hot-headed, blowing our top, allowing our anger to erupt and overflow, leaving devastation & destruction in its path has nothing to with Christian leadership. 

Angry people stir up a lot of discord;
   the intemperate stir up trouble.

Proverbs 29:22 (The Message)



Maybe on this anniversary of one Saint loosing her cool, the rest of us Saints should commit to keeping ours?  I'm in.  My Mom used to count to 10 before speaking if she was upset.  That can't hurt.  There are plenty of ways we can avoid letting the "molehill simmer like Vesuvius".   Take a walk.  Phone a friend.  Listen to music (something soothing).  Say a prayer.  Anything beats pouring out our wrath on poor old Pompeii.  I don't ever want my leadership style (or yours) or my actions (or yours) to get in the way of street football, or any of the other important things in life.

Profiles in Courage(ous) Leadership - A.I.M.'s 12th shot.

Stacy and I recently watched The Kennedys mini-series.  Wow!  I thought I knew a lot about America's Royal Family, but this show included some things I hadn't read.  I won't go into them here.  Suffice it to say - they had some issues.
I've always been fascinated by JFK and, to some extent, the whole Hyannis Port clan.  When I was a kid in school, whenever we had to write a report on a famous person, I would always choose JFK or Abraham Lincoln. I guess I'm drawn to leaders who serve justly, and pay the ultimate price for their service.  In fact, I love and serve One. Anyway, here are a few things I picked up while watching this part of American history unfold 45min. or so at a time.

God uses flawed leaders. 
There's no getting around the fact that JFK had at least one area of his life that was out of control.  Some might blame his upbringing or his good looks or the stress of leading the free world...I blame him.  He wasn't faithful to his wife, and that is wrong no matter the accent or political party or work-related stress.  The fact remains, however, that he was an effective leader.  God seems to have a habit of using leaders (female & male) who have failed Him and others miserably, (check out the Old Testament). Why?  Well, when you think about it, if God didn't use flawed leaders, who would He use?

Courageous leaders aren't always fearless.
Before he entered politics, JFK served in the Navy as a PT boat Commander during WWII.  Late one night, his vessel was rammed by a Destroyer, and he and his crew had to swim to an island and await rescue.  His heroic service most definitely helped to eventually propel him into the White House, but that didn't mean he never again had reason to fear.  Kennedy wasn't even president for a full four year term, but his administration faced its share of tough calls. From the Bay of Pigs, to race riots, to the Cuban Missile Crisis, to threats on his life, JFK experienced fear - and responded with courage. 

Good leaders gather trusted advisors
(and usually take their advice). 
In the interest of fairness and balanced-ness, I wrote about Lincoln's Team of Rivals in the 6th shot of A.I.M.  While Kennedy didn't copy Abe's style in cabinet choice, he did choose a team of advisors he trusted.  With all the troubling threats (both foreign and domestic), Kennedy would've been foolish to go it alone.  Nobody is an expert on everything.  Time after time, when faced with a seemingly "no win" decision to make, Kennedy listened to the various viewpoints around the table, and then made a decision. After all, leaders make decisions, not cabinets, councils, or committees.

Leaders can accomplish a lot in less than three years. 

JFK took office in January of 1961, and he was assassinated in November of 1963.  A few of the important accomplishments of his administration include; the Peace Corps was created, the U.S. Space Program was advanced, & the Civil Rights movement was championed.  Of course, as is true with any leader, one could make a list (possibly a longer one) of all the things JFK did wrong, or didn't get done at all.  For my part, that doesn't take away from what he did get done.  (Possible SA context: Short appointments don't have to be fruitless appointments).

The "Camelot" years weren't perfect.  Nor was the 35th President of the United States a perfect leader.  Neither am I.  Neither are you.  But if we admit our flaws, face our fears, & listen to good advice, we can accomplish a lot for the Glory of God and for the good of OTHERS.

"And so, my fellow leaders:  Ask not what the Kingdom can do for you, ask what you can do (with God's help) for the Kingdom".  - a paraphrase of JFK's 1961 Inaugural Address