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

 

Moves & Rumors of Moves - A.I.M.'s 11th shot.

Many years ago, an anonymous African-American songwriter gave us these words;

You've got to move when the Spirit says move,
you've got to move when the Spirit says move,
'cause when the Spirit says move,
You've got to move when the Spirit,
move when the Spirit says move.

Years later (but still years ago) Blind (Rev.) Gary Davis & Fred McDowell penned the Blues song; "You Gotta Move" (later recorded by The Rolling Stones, Aerosmith, and The Lost Dogs).   Here are some of the lyrics;

You gotta move
You gotta move
You gotta move, child
You gotta move
And when the Lord get ready
You gotta move

All that to say; it's that time again.  Some International, National and Territorial appointments have already been announced, and there are more to come.  I have been dealing with the Army's appointment process my whole life.  I was raised by Salvation Army Officer-Parents, and I have been a Salvation Army officer for 19 years.  I'm not an expert on it, but since blogging doesn't require any expertise, here goes...

Dear Leaders in our MOVEment,

Here are a few thoughts I'd like to share with you regarding moves & rumors of moves;

1.  If you are an Army leader helping decide who to move and where to move them;

• I'm praying for you during this season.
• I would love to see more consultation in our process.  I know there has been movement (pun intended) in this area, and I'm thankful for that.  I would like to see even more consultation with field officers, and it would be great if Corps Councils could be involved as well.  I would love to see more women receive appointments on the basis of their gifting, strengths, experiences, and passions.
• I acknowledge that I am naive and idealistic.  I also acknowledge that these issues are complex.
• In discussing the appointment process, please be sensitive to the feelings of employees/soldiers/officers present.
• I'm praying for you during this season.

2.  If you are an Army leader who is not involved in the decision process in regards to appointments;

• I'm praying for you during this season.
• Let me encourage you to complete (and be completely honest in) your annual surveys.  Let me further encourage you to engage in conversation with your leaders regarding your current appointment, your family, your gifts, etc.  Some Salvationitsts will strongly disagree with this approach, citing the concern that it conflicts with the concept of complete trust in the process.  Fair enough.  However, it makes sense to me that since humans are making the decisions, they should be well-informed decisions.
• In discussing the appointment process, please be sensitive to the feelings of employees & soldiers present.
• Let's stay in our current appointments until we leave.  What I mean is, let's give our best and our all to those we are currently leading and serving, guarding against the temptation to; covet other Officers' appointments, slow down because we might be on the move, get so wrapped up in moves & rumors of moves that our current mission doesn't move forward.
• I'm praying for you during this season.

3.  If you are an Army leader who is not a Salvation Army officer;

• I'm praying for you during this season.
• If you are an employee, thoughts of losing your current co-worker/supervisor can cause anxiety.  Thoughts of who might replace that co-worker/supervisor can cause even more anxiety.  Those are normal concerns.  As another songwriter wrote; "...take it to the Lord in prayer".
• If you are a soldier, this time of year can press the pause button on the mission-movement of your corps.  Don't let that happen! 
• Whether you are an Army employee or soldier, can I ask a favor of you?  Please avoid talking about the appointment process (moves) like it's no big deal to the Officers involved.  It is a big deal.  Moving is not easy for anyone.  Talking about moves lightly, joking about where an officer might move, thinking out loud about who you'd like to come to your corps/institution, (or who you'd like to leave your corps/institution) is part of our culture, but not necessarily a healthy part. 
• I'm praying for you during this season.

IN CHRIST & OUTreach,

-rob

P.S.  All I know is the Army in the Western Territory.  I realize some portions of this blog entry do not apply to other territories.  I also know that there are no easy fixes.  Please consider this just one more comment in a long, healthy conversation between friends. 

P.P.S.  I'd like to leave you with Acts 17:28 - "For in Him we live and MOVE and have our being".

P.P.P.S.  Since, like Will.I.Am, we in the Army like to "move it, move it" here's something just for fun...

On the road again! A.I.M.'s 10th shot.

The Birksfam just returned from a road trip to SoCal for a few days of training on how to be good mentors.  The kids weren't involved in the training, they went to see their star-cousins @ Crestmont one day, and walk the stars in Hollywood the next.  On the way down, one of our kids asked something about the different routes from S.F to L.A.  I'm sure there are more, but the first three that came to mind were; I-5, Hwy 1, & Hwy 99, (for you fact-checkers - Yes, I'm aware that getting to both the 99 & the 5 from San Francisco requires one to travel other highways first, and that the 99 merges with the 5 a bit North of the Grapevine).  The more I thought about these routes, I began to draw some parallels between them and different leadership styles.  Here are a few notes.

I-5 is the route you take from S.F. if you want to get to L.A. as fast as possible. It has a higher speed limit, and the most lanes.  WARNING:  There aren't too many good places to stop, or beautiful sights to see if you travel this route.  Unless, of course, you consider a million cows with no elbow room (do cows have elbows?) hanging out near Harris Ranch a beautiful sight.  But if you're looking to get to your destination as quickly as possible, Interstate 5 is for you.



Another way to go is Hwy 99.  As I already mentioned, this merges with I-5, just North of the Grapevine.  But for approx. 4 hours before that happens, Hwy 99 takes you through some of California's classic towns; Modesto, Fresno, Bakersfield, etc.  The Hwy 99 pace is a bit slower than I-5, but there are more rest areas & points of interest. Also,  on a hot day, a lot more shade.  Perhaps more important than shade and scenery, Hwy 99 boasts way more In & Out Burgers than I-5.  Aslo, Hwy 99 has a cooler sign.
 
Finally, (for the purposes of this shot of A.I.M.) there is Hwy 1.  If I wanted to, I could pull onto Hwy 1 just outside my neighborhood, and head to L.A.  On the way, I would pass through Half Moon Bay, Santa Cruz, Monterey, Carmel, Big Sur, Morro Bay, Pismo Beach, Santa Barbara, & Malibu (from there you can walk to L.A., but I wouldn't recommend it).  For most if the journey, the Pacific Ocean would be visible on my right.  WARNING:  Only travel this route if you are okay with "long and winding roads", and if you have all the time in the world.  This route is by far the slowest and most enjoyable route from S.F. to L.A.

Later, while preparing for this blog post, I remembered Hwy 101.  I think I had psychologically blocked it out of my mind, due to a $300 speeding ticket I received driving through Santa Maria in the 80's.  So I will just give it an honorable mention here.

As a leader, you have choices available to you everyday.  In every opportunity that presents itself to you, you will need to choose how you will respond.  It won't do too many people too much good if the "path" you choose is always the same, because you see yourself as an I-5, "get 'er done" leader, or a Hwy 99 "slow, but sure" leader, or a Hwy 1 "take it easy" leader.  Different situations call for different kinds of leadership, often from the same leader. Of course, I'm not advocating an ever-changing, chameleon style of leadership -just the discerning, flexible, situation-sensitive kind.  After all, Jesus hardly ever responded or reacted the same way twice to those with whom he interacted.  NEEDED:  Leaders who know that many roads can lead to a good decision or action, but only one at a time.  Pick a route & go with it.  I'll see you on the road.

1 Corinthians 9:20-22 (The Message)

 

Even though I am free of the demands and expectations of everyone, I have voluntarily become a servant to any and all in order to reach a wide range of people: religious, nonreligious, meticulous moralists, loose-living immoralists, the defeated, the demoralized—whoever. I didn't take on their way of life. I kept my bearings in Christ—but I entered their world and tried to experience things from their point of view. I've become just about every sort of servant there is in my attempts to lead those I meet into a God-saved life. I did all this because of the Message. I didn't just want to talk about it; I wanted to be in on it!

Coming Soon: Holy Week! A.I.M.'s 9th shot.

One of the buttons under this box as I type reads SAVE NOW.  Hey, that would be a great name for a song about Jesus entering Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, (since Hosanna means "Save now").  In fact, that song has already been written, and first appeared on The Mercy Seat Sessions, the sophomore album (that sounds so music biz) of The Singing Company, the Territorial Worship Team of the Central Territory.  More recently, that song has been covered by Families, another band of gifted musicians, and it now serves as track #2 on Holy Week, (pictured on the left) a joint effort from the two bands to be released in time to help us observe Palm Sunday through Easter Sunday with a Passion.

If this were a record review, I would tell you about how musically interesting Holy Week is, and how engaging it is from the first note to the last.  I would make sure to include that the lyrics are at once Biblical and poetic, deep and accessible, heavy and whimsical.  I would go on and on in my praise for the sensibility of the entire project, including the fact that companion on-line Holy Week resources such as devotionals, chord charts, lyrics (Spanish & English), accompaniment tracks and sheet music will be made available.  I would definitely include the fact that as I have lived with Holy Week for a while (due to friends in Central places) I have been moved to the point of being speechless and tearful on more than one occasion.  I might even get too clever for my own good, and try a line like; "I've always been a fan of Holy Week, but The Singing Company & Families have just given me 12 new reasons." (See what I did there?  There are 12 tracks on the CD). 

But this isn't a record review, so I won't go there.  This is a blog about Authentic Innovative Missional leadership, and that's why I wanted to bring Holy Week to your attention.  In the 6th shot of A.I.M., "Leaders are Readers", I gave a shout out to a Max DePREE book called; Leadership is an Art.  The artists of Holy Week are leaders.  As far as I know, The Singing Company & Families didn't wait around for someone to ask them to write and record a concept album based on the last days of Jesus on earth.  As far as I know, these two groups weren't "sittin' 'round the table" (that reference will make sense after you've experienced Holy Week) hoping that someone would ask them to add devotionals and other resources to the project, to enhance personal and corporate times of worship.  That's not how leaders or artists work.  Artists (I'm told, not being one myself) not only don't wait around for someone to tell them what to do, they don't do their best work under those circumstances.  Stacy and I were getting coffee recently (doing research for this blog - work, work, work!), and the barista was wearing a pin that read; "Artists make terrible slaves".  That made good sense to me.  I might add that leaders make terrible slaves as well, (they sometimes don't make very good followers either, but I'll tuck that thought away for another shot of A.I.M.).  My point is that these two groups of artists are leading the way by creating this beautiful work of art that is both Heavenly minded and Earthly good.  We need more of this kind of leadership.  We need more of the created creating.  Leadership isn't always about some woman or man standing in front of an audience or a congregation or a small group.  Sometimes leadership looks like a group (or two groups) of friends with a wild idea, and the guts to make it happen.  Enter Holy Week.  Enter whatever wild, Kingdom idea you may have.

One more thing, and this won't surprise you.  Sometimes (read: too often) in our movement, a wild idea and some guts to make it happen are enough only to get you laughed out of a room.  In many cases, and certainly in the case of Holy Week, several other people who are responsible for budgets, etc. need to have the vision to support the wild idea and add guts to guts.  In other words, leaders have the opportunity to either champion or cut down the Authentic Innovative Missional ideas of other leaders. 

When leaders lead leaders well, we tip our caps to them (if we can find caps to tip).  Thank you, Commissioners Paul & Carol Seiler for allowing Holy Week to be approved & produced in time for Holy Week.  You've given me 12 more reasons to like you and respect your leadership, you've shown support to other leaders and you've given a beautiful gift to those who have ears to hear. 

Together with The Singing Company and Families you've proven that Leadership is, in fact, an Art.

The Holy Week CD will be available for purchase and multiple replays on April 1st (no foolin').  For a video promo, click here;

http://holyweek.thesingingcompany.com/

If you'll excuse me, I have to SAVE NOW.  Have a Holy Week & a Holy Week (or 2 or 3 or 10).

-rob

Leaders Unaware? - A.I.M.'s 8th shot.

.

I can't get those beautiful old ladies from The Love Kitchen out of my head, (not that I've tried too hard).  Did you see them?  They were on ABC's new hit show Secret Millionaire the other night.  The premise of the show is that a millionaire spends a week with some people who help OTHERS.  At the end of the week, the millionaire gives these people a pretty good chunk o' change. On the first episode, three small non-profits received $40k, $30k, and $20k, and a family with a terminally ill child received $10k.  The sisters who run The Love Kitchen are amazing!  They should have received the whole $100k, but the Secret Millionaire didn't consult me before making her decision. The show, and the popularity of the CBS show, Undercover Boss, got me thinking about an old Robert Redford movie;  Brubaker. 

Have you seen it?  SPOILER ALERT!  Redford plays a new Warden at a corrupt prison.  Instead of walking in the front door wearing a suit on his first day of work, he comes in as an inmate.  He quickly discovers the severity of the problem, and the uphill battle in which he would have to engage in order to stop the abuse of power that permeated that place. It’s worth a rental (or you can watch it instantly on NETFLIX right now.  Go ahead, I’ll wait).  Powerful stuff, right?  Anyway, just so you don’t get the impression that all I do is watch reality TV and old 80’s movies, I do have a point.  All of this sneaking around reminds me of the exhortation from the writer of the book of Hebrews; 

"Keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters.

Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers,

for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it. 

Hebrews 13:1-2

I don't think the point of these verses was to have the early Jesus-followers going around hugging each other, in hopes of finding a hidden angel like some kind of lucky seat contest.  The verses are matter of factly stating some facts on important matters.  

1.  We should love one another as family. 
2.  We should be hospitable to each other. 
3.  Some angels have been shown hospitality by some humans. 

These verses contain echoes of Jesus' words from Matthew 25:13 "I was a stranger and you did not invite me in".  (Editor's Note: In that same chapter, Jesus also talks about going "undercover" as a sick prisoner - Robert Redford has nothing on Jesus). 

As a leader of a Church, a movement, a ministry, an organization, you never know who it is you're leading.  Chances are it isn't a millionaire who will write you a check to reward your awesome leadership skills.  Most likely it won't be the person who will be your leader - disguised in order to spy on your leadership qualities.  But that's not to say that you aren't leading leaders.  In fact, if you aren't intentionally leading people who will lead people, it could be said/blogged that you're doing it wrong, (I guess it just was).  Apparently, in the early days of the Church, there were some angels who didn't act like angels, and went unrecognized.  As leaders, let's be on the look out for the leaders we are leading.  Just to be on the safe side, we might as well treat everyone like a leader. We don't want to be Leaders Unaware.

In related news:  I have new leaders, (see A.I.M.'s 5th shot). 

Lt. Colonels Stephen & Marcia Smith are the new Divisional Leaders of The Salvation Army Golden State Division.  They aren't Undercover Bosses.  I don't think they're Secret Millionaires. They definitely aren't prison wardens.  They love Jesus, each other, and OTHERS.  I look forward to serving with them.  We are welcoming them officially at Camp Redwood Glen on Sunday, March 20, 2011.  5:00pm-BBQ, 6:30pm-Welcome/Installation.   Feel free to come.  You'll be shown hospitality whether or not we can tell how angelic you are/aren't.

Visiting Leaders: Commissioners James & Carolyn Knaggs, Territorial Leaders, The Salvation Army Western Territory.

In non-related news (except that I am related): 
Happy Birthday, Stacy!  "More than dreams & poetry...".
Happy Birthday, Mom!  I rise up and call you "Blessed"!

Psychology and Life (& Leadership) A.I.M.'s 7th shot.

I'm currently taking two courses at The Salvation Army's Booth College in Canada; Luke/Acts & Psychology and Life.  It is easy to work what I'm learning in the Luke/Acts course into my ministry/leadership life. 

The relationship between the required reading for the Psychology and Life course and the day-to-day of my vocation isn't always as easy for me to recognize.  However, every once in a while something breaks through for me.  Tonight was one of those times.  Near the end of Chapter 2 of the textbook, (pictured here), the authors offer the reader some advice on how to be a "more sophisticated shopper" as we "travel through the supermarket of knowledge".  Granted, not the most exciting metaphor ever, but it is a textbook.  However, while taking notes it occurred to me that these aren't bad leader-tips for any situation requiring wisdom, (have any of those?).
Just in case they will help you in you leadership role, I offer them here.  Besides, typing them will help me remember them for the test.

1.  Avoid the inference that correlation is causation.  Just because there is a connection between two things, doesn't necessarily mean one causes the other.

2.  Ask that critical terms and key concepts be defined operationally so that there can be consensus about their meanings.  It's critical we are all talking about the same things when it comes to being missional.

3.  Consider first how to disprove a theory, hypothesis, or belief before seeking confirming evidence, which is easy to find when you're looking for a justification.  Let's not just be company men & women, spouting the "party line" and doing the things we've always done in the ways we've always done them.

4.  Always search for alternative explanations to the obvious ones proposed, especially when the explanations benefit the proposer.  Let's not be too quick to agree on the first suggestion or solution offered from the first person offering one.  Additionally, let's be aware of the possibility that our own motives and our own ideas might be suspect.

5.  Recognize how personal biases can distort perceptions of reality.  This recognition will be especially helpful when we are dealing with the people we lead and serve.

6.  Be suspicious of simple answers to complex questions or single causes and cures for complex effects and problems.  However, sometimes a squeaky door just needs some oil.

7.  Question any statement about the effectiveness of some treatment, intervention, or product by finding the comparative basis for the effect: compared to what?  I don't fully understand this one yet, but I know it has something to do with Corps & Divisional stats.

8.  Be open-minded yet skeptical:  Recognize that most conclusions are tentative and not certain; seek new evidence that decreases your uncertainty while keeping yourself open to change and revision.  WOW!  Authentic. Innovative. Missional. 

9.  Challenge authority that uses personal opinion in place of evidence for conclusions and is not open to constructive criticism.  Our movement needs more leaders who don't claim to have all the answers and who are open to constructive criticism.  Are you one?  Am I?  By the way, "challenge" does not mean "disrespect" or "rebel against".

Take care, trust God, & Have fun!

-rob