Healthy Leaders | Issue 5
Food service as a leadership test, what we can do about the information deluge, and wise words from Andrew Murray.
Welcome to Issue 5 of Healthy Leaders.
In this issue – food service as a leadership test, what we can do about the information deluge, and wise words from Andrew Murray. Also, vulnerability is a superpower. Let’s dive in.
You Were Created for Awe and Wonder
How often do we as leaders take the time we need to put down our phones and experience God’s wondrous creation? Joshua Lemayian offers an urgent call to wonder – coupled with a warning against wonder-killers like social media.
“Every true act of worship is an exercise in amazement. We were created with built-in capacities to take in the majesty of the Rift Valley, the burst of tastes on our palate at tasting good food, and the burst of colours in the twinkling stars. As the psalmist declares: “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands” (Psalm 19:1)…
As God’s people, we must protect our sense of awe. We cultivate it that it may grow to take in more of God in the scriptures and in creation. In doing this, we in turn become eloquent pointers to the true source of soul ravishing awe to a world that is in dire need of it.”
Why You Should Stop Reading the News
On the subject of things we probably spend too much of our valuable time on, Brain Food published this thorough critique of reading the news, outlining the dangers and excesses of it. In the process, they offer a master class on critical thinking.
“Rarely do we stop to ask ourselves questions about the media we consume: Is this good for me? Is this dense with detailed information? Is this important? Is this going to stand the test of time? Is the person writing someone who is well-informed on the issue? Asking those questions makes it clear the news isn’t good for you.
The information you consume today becomes the raw material of your thoughts tomorrow.”
By the way, if you’re game to increase your critical thinking skills, we have a design for that.
Leaders Who See the Lowly
Social media and non-stop news may be time-wasters, but according to A.W. Workman, kindness to others will always bear fruit. In this article, he makes the case for food service (where his wife worked during college) as a testing ground for emerging leaders and a case study for established leaders.
“…my wife and others working service jobs always noticed the ones who would indeed slow down and truly engage them as people and fellow heirs of the kingdom. And of course, they would also notice when students or leaders didn’t extend even basic Christian courtesy…. Do we truly see and value those around us whom the world deems unimportant? Do we ever slow down and genuinely engage them, seeking even to delight in them?
…Leaders who see the lowly and unimpressive are the kind of leaders worth following – and the kind of leaders we should want to become. This is because how we treat the lowly is truly a window into our character.”
Preventing Destructive Leadership: Some Reflections for Elders
In light of so many recent failures of Christian leadership, Matthew LaPine highlights “relational reciprocity” as a key indicator of healthy leadership for those looking to avoid promoting abusive leaders in the future.
He proposes that a defining characteristic of good leaders must be their ability to give and receive, to “offer both weakness and strength, vulnerability and help.” Sounds a lot like servant leadership, doesn’t it?
Unfortunately, many churches and ministry organizations aim at influencers, not servant leaders …
“Influencers operate with poor relational reciprocity. They are always the leader or caregiver, but never trust others to care for them or open themselves up to vulnerability…. When things are going well, these leaders may seem heroic and omnicompetent. But the pattern turns destructive under high levels of stress.”
Instead, Matthew suggests that good leaders are those with a posture of humility and vulnerability, an “openness to the influence of others.”
“By assuming they may have a blind spot, they can begin a process of learning to see what they can’t see. If there is a pattern of relational responsibility, the leader may embrace the ongoing opportunity for sympathetic understanding and change. But by inviting ongoing input, they have the opportunity to turn critics into allies.”
In Time of Trouble Say
And to pull all of this together, here are some inspiring and convicting words via Vance E. Christie, from his excellent biography of Andrew Murray.
“In 1895, when 67 years old, Andrew Murray was invited to speak at a number of prominent Christian conferences in Europe and America. In England he preached to large audiences at the popular Keswick Convention, at the China Inland Mission’s Mildmay Conference and at London’s renowned Exeter Hall.
While his ministry was appreciated by most, Murray did attract an occasional critic. Andrew and Emma Murray were being hosted in the home of a Mr. and Mrs. Head of Wimbledon. Mrs. Head related:
‘One evening when the whole party returned together from a great meeting where a rapt and crowded audience had been addressed by Mr. Murray, he found awaiting him a letter from a well-known man, filled with severe censures upon him for teaching error. The way the criticism was expressed stirred indignation in all, except for Mr. Murray. He only said in his gentle way that if he had been teaching anything wrong, all that he asked was that the Lord would show this to him, that he might make it right. Quite simply they knelt down, and put up that petition; then rising they went in peace to rest.’
The next morning Murray stayed in bed for further rest. He was suffering from a weak back, the lingering result of an injury he had sustained a few years earlier when he was thrown from a capsizing cart while ministering in Natal, South Africa. While resting that Lord’s Day morning, Murray penned the following thoughts for his own encouragement:
‘In Time of Trouble Say:
First, He brought me here; it is by His will I am in this strait place: in that fact I will rest.
Next, He will keep me here in His love, and give me grace to behave as His child.
Then, He will make the trial a blessing, teaching me the lessons He intends me to learn, and working in me the grace He means to bestow.
Last, In His good time He can bring me out again – how and when He knows.
Let me say I am here,
(1) By God’s appointment.
(2) In His keeping.
(3) Under His training.
(4) For His time.’
When Mrs. Head brought Murray his breakfast, she informed him that a lady ‘in sore trouble’ had called at their home, anxious for a word of advice from Murray. ‘Well, just give her this, that I have been writing down for myself,’ Murray responded. ‘It may be that she will find it helpful.’ He handed his hostess a sheet of paper bearing the heading ‘In Time of Trouble Say’ which contained the reflections already stated.
Andrew Murray’s name appeared at the bottom of the page along with a Scripture reference, Psalm 50:15, which declares the Lord’s promise, ‘And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.’ Murray’s friends were so taken with the valuable perspectives he had encapsulated for times of adversity that they had them printed on colored card stock and distributed them in large numbers.
Of this incident, Mrs. Head concluded, ‘Next day Mr. Murray went straight to the writer of the [critical] letter and by his loving intercourse made him his faithful friend.’”
Whether we’re facing distractions, trials, or our own inadequacies, turning to Jesus will always be the best medicine for what ails us.
That’s all for this one, friends. If you found something encouraging in this letter, share it with a friend. If you’ve found something encouraging outside of this letter, send it our way. We love to share what our leaders love.
Until next time, we’re with you!
— Chris
(for all of us at LeaderSource)