lisapierce – Lisa

Psalm 146: Who Do You Trust, How Do You Serve?

January 8, 2021

This week, I have reflected on Psalm 146. As I lay it beside all the events of this week including the Capitol breach and continued ravages of Covid-19, this Psalm offers me perspective and hope.

A) There is always a way to praise our God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit and also Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer. The Godhead still reigns and is sovereign over not just our nation but the world and its governments.

B) Our values, perspectives and actions must align with the Lord’s. I take note of verses 7-9. If any nation is to say it follows God, then it must look like this. Those are the redemptive works and duties of all followers of Jesus.

C) Finally, we can only trust and praise our God. To put our faith and trust in anything else to “save” us or “save America, or France, or Indonesia or any other nation or entity” is idolatry and adultery.I pray this Psalm not only creates a moment of hope but also of focus for where our true responsibilities lie.

Grace and Peace-Lisa

Praise the Lord, my soul.

2 I will praise the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.

3 Do not put your trust in princes, in human beings, who cannot save.

4 When their spirit departs, they return to the ground; on that very day their plans come to nothing.

5 Blessed are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord their God.

6 He is the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them— he remains faithful forever.

7 He upholds the cause of the oppressed and gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets prisoners free,

8 The Lord gives sight to the blind, the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down, the Lord loves the righteous.

9 The Lord watches over the foreigner and sustains the fatherless and the widow, but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.

10 The Lord reigns forever, your God, O Zion, for all generations.

Praise the Lord.

My Soldier’s Creed

As a uniformed Soldier with a duty to defend and protect citizens of the United States and the United States Constitution, and as a follower of Jesus and the Gospel, I hereby resolve:

Because all people are created by God out of unconditional love, I will preserve and protect the inherent worth of all people;

Because I do not fight against flesh and blood but against principalities and authorities and this present darkness; I will counter and oppose all forms of racism, classism, sexism, homophobia, ageism and all other forms of discrimination as ills created by humans and perpetuated at individual levels and through intricate power structures;

Because a Solder defends and protects those who might be exploited, I will stand against those who stand to harm others;

Because I am a Soldier charged to defend the Constitution, I understand its evolution and historical context;

Because I understand the Constitution’s evolution and historical context, I know the dark places in history where sacrifices were made to extend the freedom and liberty promised to all but not realized; to minorities, to the poor, to women, and to the LGBTQ communities. I recognize this freedom still must be extended where it has been withheld;

Because I am a Soldier, I will uphold law and order that protects life and property recognizing that violence unchecked begets violence;

Because I am a Soldier and follower of Jesus, I will live by the creed that I must overcome evil with good, that I must counter all forms of injustice and stand up for the person that is exploited, demeaned, and robbed of equal and fair opportunity, whose life is devalued because of color, ethnicity, age, orientation, and gender;

Because I am a Soldier and follower of Jesus, I realize that the ills of society have institutional ties eliminating devalued persons and groups access to critical faculties of finance, education, work and more;

And because I am a Soldier and follower of Jesus, I must accomplish this with peace and non-violence never seeking to harm in word, deed, or intent;

To this, I will defend. I am a follower of Jesus and a Soldier.

REV COL Lisa Pierce

Recovering Hurts

Recall a time when you were in an accident, surgery or something from which you had to recover. Maybe you tore an ACL or had an injury requiring physical therapy. Or possibly, you have given care to someone in physical or occupational therapy and listened to the feelings, frustrations, and pains of one in recovery. Do you remember how you felt? Do you remember your frustrations? Frustration-the feelings we have in the gap between expectations and reality in which we feel powerless. Frustration can present as anger, fear, maybe sadness but its source is feeling we have no power or control. I believe there are five principles that are necessary in helping someone recover and meet healing expectations: choice, time, deliberateness, position, and resilience.

Nearly six months have passed since the Lee County Tornado. We are now, as a community, in the recovery period. Survivors are stabilized. Their immediate needs after the storm have been met and there is no longer a need for rescue related urgent needs of food, water, clothing and shelter. Those with storm injuries are coming back to the community although their home may be gone. We are in the stage of long- term recovery.

“Long-term” recovery often needs more definition. Our definition is based on a formula developed by FEMA. The number of days for search and rescue (rescue phase), multiplied by 100 is the number of months in long term recovery. The search and rescue process was 3-4 days. Therefore, it is 30-40 months for the long- term recovery process. This could be recovering through grief, medical trauma, getting homes repaired or replaced and various combinations. It is also reflective of individual recovery as well as the community rebuilding.

Our community’s long- term recovery group, called MEND, represents a beautiful image of healing. Rich with meaning, the name MEND recognizes care, compassion, and a deliberateness to each person as well as the Lee County community. For me, the word mend evokes the image of a grandmother carefully mending holes in worn socks. With painstaking patience, the crochet needles methodically work to patch, one stitch at a time, the ragged hole as a sweet smile gleams over her face. Mending is a process and it takes time, deliberateness, and love. Our healing process, in the stage of long- term recovery, is much like physical therapy. There are five principles I believe represent the processes needed in physical therapy.

Choice: In physical therapy, the therapist recognizes each survivor’s therapy and recovery is unique. An individual recovery plan is developed. The survivor or patient hears the principles but is the one directing the process. The physical therapist becomes a trusted guide to aid the patient/survivor in his/her recovery process. This is the role of the case managers working with the survivors. With deliberateness and love, they are learning what each individual person needs for their recovery and helping develop the plan so they can mend, heal, and ultimately recover.

Time: In physical therapy, the pace is based upon the patient and survivor. Although the physical therapist sets goals with the patient, it is up to the patient to live into those. The patient can shut the process down and circumvent or even jeopardize the healing. They can also set high expectations and even exceed goals initially set. How many times have we seen where a doctor or therapist told someone they might never walk again… and the patient beats those odds? Conversely, how many give up to soon because the process is too hard or difficult?

Deliberateness: Physical therapy is not a fast process. It can be long and sometimes painful as new muscles and tendons are stretched and worked. Overcoming the trauma from loss or a frightening memory can slow the recovery process. Having to replace a home, grief from loss of a loved one, being out of work, and feeling powerless all at once can be overwhelming. The careful and deliberate therapist and case manager recognizes all these factors and therefore paces the recovery with the survivor and patient. To go too fast and rush a survivor can cause significant damage and even more long- term injury. Moving too slow and not helping get aspects of new ways of living into place can also cause damage. The therapist/case manager balances the tensions of not moving too fast or too slow, instead focusing on the deliberate actions from agreed upon goals and processes.

Position: The therapist/case manager is not the hero! It is never about the caregiver and always about the survivor/patient directing their own recovery. If the physical therapist played the role of the hero, then the survivor would most likely still feel like a victim and possibly never mend completely. Because part of the recovery is repairing and rebuilding homes with volunteers, even the volunteers must realize they are not the heroes either. They must intentionally position themselves as community participants in a survivor’s recovery, part of the therapy team. This means we are working with the survivors not doing things for them or to them. An important part of recovery is never doing something for someone they can do for themselves.

Resilience: Lastly, the therapy and mend process is building back stronger, tougher, and ready for whatever else a survivor might face. Each step in the case management recovery process is building the resilience damaged by the disaster trauma. Every choice and decision the survivor makes in their recovery helps build their resilience. To move too quickly and bypass the survivor’s decision- making ability and “do it for them” so that we can deep down, at the metaphysical level, feel good about ourselves, can cripple them in the long term. The recovery and mend principles described above culminate at this place; resiliency and the ability of the survivor to not only bounce back but have the tools for whatever hardship they may face again. That is where love really shines.

As we work to mend and heal with each survivor and our community; as we recognize our own trauma, I pray we continue intentionally healing and mending together. The recovery process may be uncomfortable. As healing practitioners, we desire to help not hurt. Following these principles are a good start. It takes a community to heal and we are certainly better together. I pray Christ’s spirit will continue guiding us as we rebuild and recover together.

Grace and peace

lisa

War College

Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia. Lush, green, rolling hills. Jagged, blue ridge mountains outlining the sky. Flowing cool mountain streams and rivers. The sites of historic Civil War and Revolutionary War Battle sites. What are now peaceful farmlands also harbor stories of lives lost, brother against brother, freedom against bondage, and willingness to fight for what you believed in even if others disagreed with you.

From June 16-28, I attended the first residence phase of the Army War College. With nearly four hundred Lieutenant Colonels and Colonels, the last several days have been a combination of learning, seminars, dialogue and reflection. It was augmented with tours of historic battle sites and time in Washington, DC where we visited various US embassies and interagency organizations. My itinerary included a visit to the German Embassy as well as FEMA. The War College is just that. An accredited academic program that upon completion results in a Master of Arts in Strategic Military Studies. Although many officers can complete this as a one- year residence phase, many who are National Guard and Reserve are able to pursue as a two- year distance learning option. My nights and weekends are dedicated to reading, developing essays and engaging in online forums from everything from Strategic Leadership to national defense and global hotspots. Additionally, there are two, two- week resident phases and I just completed the first one. Next summer, we will have the second two- week resident phase and hopefully I will graduate. War College is necessary for those who might one day become a general officer. In Alabama, it is a screening criterion for being promoted to Colonel. So, here we are….

What I have enjoyed the most is the fifteen other Colonels and Lieutenant Colonels that make up Seminar 11. For the next year, with a seasoned Field Instructor (FI), we will learn and process together. This past two weeks was a lot of class time but also social events and gatherings. The War College leadership booked us all at the same hotel so we would also meet for breakfast and eat together. Through a unit mishap, I did not receive a rental car and had the additional relationship bonus of having to depend upon others for a ride to class and home each day.

I could spend each day telling you the seminars and what we learned but more, I’ll leave you with some key thoughts about how this experience shaped me from a discipleship perspective.

1) Learning is an attitude: Ever since I can remember, I valued learning. I tend to disengage from those who believe they have arrived and do not have a teachable spirit. Age is inconsequential. My colleagues, all seasoned officers, were willing to learn and improve. Certainly, we remember to “know thyself, and seek self-improvement”. Although it annoys my team at times, living with an evaluation eye towards improvement challenges status quo and complacency. Using a system we call RAD I learned in seminary, we “Reflect, Adjust, and Do”. The process is only as good as the willingness to learn and improve. Jesus admonished his disciples to learn (the very definition of a disciple) and to embrace a spirit of humility.

2) Eat together: There are volumes of books written on building community. One of the easiest and simplest ways is sitting at a table and eating together. Our leadership booked our cohort in the same hotel giving time to share at breakfast and intentional dinners. How many of Jesus’ parables center around meals and weddings? His last interaction with the disciples was in the upper room eating. Most of the tensions we find in scriptures are how we can be at the table and eat together. I love where missiologist, Alan Hirsch, says we could eat our way into the kingdom. These informal moments allowed for hearing more stories and building relationships. Which takes me to the next part.

3) Share stories: As much as the interest in learning an academic topic or theory, is the joy and connection we have learning another’s story. The informal moments of eating, rest after a jog or riding to class together created the space for hearing others. Asking simple questions like, “where do you live?”, “what do you do?”, and about their family, opens up a world and one which you might unearth common ground. In my cohort was another Lieutenant Colonel named Angela. Living in Jacksonville, she serves as a Judge Advocate Officer (JAG). I retorted I live in Auburn, AL. Finding common ground is the key. Her eyes lifted up and she revealed she was born and raised in Lee County near Smiths Station. Although her family dodged the recent tornadoes, she reflected on how she was following the recovery efforts. Then I was able to share our ministry work throughout Lee County and in Beauregard. Was it providential discovering her sister is a rural mail carrier in Beauregard? Sharing our stories unfold places of common ground and connection. It is the very essence of discipleship.

4) Depend upon each other: The cohort is designed for collaboration. Circling back to learning, our shared experiences, perspectives, and life circumstances allow us to work together to get better. Much of our work was designed for collaboration and coordination. The bedrock of collaboration and leaning from each other is trust. At the core of tactics is trusting the person in the foxhole next to you. This rarely changes even at the strategic level. Our learning was enjoyable as we worked together to produce excellent work. Our interns this summer have to rely heavily on each other. Working on a roof or building a wheelchair ramp requires a team effort. Paul’s teaching on being the body of Christ and our different parts indicate the importance we all play while working, creating, and serving together.

5) Laugh: Reverend Charles Fail shared with me as a green, college intern that in ministry, if what we are doing is not fun, it is not worth doing. Fun is marked by laughter. Whether we are in ministry, military strategy, or hosting volunteer groups, creating time to laugh is necessary. It helps us not take ourselves so seriously. It balances out when times get tough. It releases brain chemicals that make us feel good and empowers us for the challenging times. Our two weeks were filled with laughter, stories, jokes and creating new memories. It balanced us when the discussions were challenging and when the moment called for professionalism and seriousness. Working in the recovery efforts is heavy. The stories of lives lost, pain, and confusion are seared into our hearts and minds. Laughter means the God of joy is still with us. There is redemption in our suffering and finding times to laugh is a necessary therapy.

War College was a great experience especially this close to celebrating our independence. The principles I shared cross into other realms of my experience and contexts. I hope they can be reminders to all of us.

See you on the journey,

Lisa

BLESS-Listen

Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One- Deuteronomy 6:4

A few weeks ago I introduced a ministry philosophy ARM adopted that helps us build relationships with our families. It is called BLESS and each letter stands for a method of building relationships. Be in prayer, Listen, Eat, Share Your Story, and finally Serve. Last week, I shared some thoughts on “Be in Prayer” and specifically how we engage in prayer with our home owners. Next is Listen

What are some aspects of listening? Below are 5. I imagine when you see these, they seem fairly, straight forward:

Pay Attention. Give the speaker your undivided attention and acknowledge the message.
Show That You’re Listening. Use your own body language and gestures to show that you are engaged.
Provide Feedback.
Defer Judgment.
Respond Appropriately.

https://www.mindtools.com/CommSkll/ActiveListening.htm

So, how does this get applied with ARM? Think about this. When we take on a home repair project, we can get so engrossed that we may dig in and work until it’s completely finished. Time flies and you may be working so hard you do not even stop for lunch. I actually enjoy working with people with this type of commitment. However, when serving with a family, this can become a hindrance. Why? Because the relationship is always more important than the work we are doing. Listening adds value to a person. It gives them worth and realizes a deep contribution.

Those who live on the margins and are considered “poor” are easily undervalued. Stereotypes form assuming a person on a fixed income is only going to talk about financial constraints or their needs. We may assume they have always lived in the home and never gotten out much, that their life experiences are limited. Listening and actively listening like above can open up a world we never thought existed.

For example, our group from Trinity United Methodist in Fort Walton worked with Mr. Jerido this past summer. Throughout the day, they asked questions and here is what they learned. Mr. Jerido was a pastor when he was younger and a musician. To work out his bass guitar skills, he practiced with Lionel Richie and the Commodores. Wait…what??? Yep! The Commodores started out of Tuskegee University and Lionel Richie’s family still lives there. If you only saw an older man taking care of his wife and only saw them through the repairs they needed, we might miss that rich story and hearing him “shred” his bass!

As students were asking questions about life growing up and hearing the families share their stories, they came across another one. While repairing the roof and building a ramp at Ms. White’s home in the small community of Loachapoka, they learned she was a nurse. Then, discovering she loved children, she went back to school and earned a degree in Education and began teaching. Although beyond retirement age, she home schools at-risk children and looks for ways to coordinate outreach events for elementary school kids. When asked about her baptism, with a gleam in her eye, she lets on that her baptism was in the Jordan River. Like, yes, the chilling and cold Jordan River in Israel where John baptized Jesus! And, with her was BeBe and CeCe Winan that baptized her. Do a Google Search and see what you come up with on the Winans!

Being blessed to be a blessing incorporates active listening. While you are out serving and no matter where you serve, we encourage you to ask questions and listen! Incredible stories may unfold that reveal lives that are rich with memories, travels, and perspectives we would miss if we only focused on screwing nails into wood.

Who might you do to listen today?

I pray you hear Jesus calling us to listen to someone that maybe we have not heard.

On the Journey,

Lisa

Bless-Be in Prayer

Last week I shared an acrostic called BLESS we use for building relationships and friendships with the families of whom we provide home repair. BLESS stands for, “Be in Prayer, Listen, Eat, Share Your Story, and Serve”. Each element frames around relationship almost giving us permission to serve. From an evangelistic perspective, you could switch the two “s’s” so that you did not share your faith story until you had accomplished the other tenants. I guess it depends on your context.

Being in prayer before you serve someone elevates our action into the realm of where the Holy Spirit works. How do we pray? Why should we pray? I take my lessons from James 5:13-18.

13 Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. 16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.

17 Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. 18 Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=James+5&version=NIV

1) Before the mission team arrives, we send them a short bio of the family or families they will meet. It describes how many people live at the home, if there are any children, and where their family worked. Favorite movie, tv show, and hobbies are listed. We will also share the types of repairs the group will be doing such as repairing a roof and if their family has any medical or health issues. All of these lay a ground work to guide prayers. Prayers to find common ground, for healing and God’s provision.

2) Beginning in prayer before the mission team arrives prepares their hearts. Servant leaders take on the mantle of the basin and towel. They pray for the Spirit to soften their hearts, open their minds, and come with an attitude to learn. We invite and challenge them to see the circumstances of justice and mercy. Prayers make us answer hard questions of why people are poor and under resourced and what continues to promote this. We ask them to pray to be givers and receivers.

These all happen before the mission team arrives! Once they get to Tuskegee or Livingston, the next stage begins.

3) Beginning in prayer has many elements. On their first day and each morning, before the mission team loads their vans and trucks and drives to see their families, they center down in a morning watch, then circle up, hold hands and lift up their team and the families.

4) Upon arriving to their work site, they pile out of their vans, stretch and go meet their family. We share names, where we are from and how excited we are to be there. And then, you guessed it, we pray again, this time grasping hands with our family God has led us to.

Prayer is preparing the battlefield. It recognizes we are in partnership with the Spirit and that God’s presence is already with the family. Prayer places a hedge of protection around us. Believe me, the other forces try to hinder us in unique ways-our trucks break down, a tool does not work, a youth gets sick or our family member does not feel well. Prayer invites the Spirit and seeks the Spirit’s power to work this out and overcome!

One of the greatest joys is having a family member, like Ms. Andrea, pray for our team members and seek God’s blessing upon the youth missioners. Being in prayer is powerful and mutual. It must be the first step to Blessing someone else and sensing God’s blessing.

As you serve others, how might God lead you to pray for them today?

On the journey,

lisa

BLESS!

How many of us in the south use “BLESS” for everything? Remember how the phrase, “Bless his Heart” really meant…” you’re so stupid” …ouch! But then, we’d give a little laugh. Mainly, because we realized how many times someone could say that about us. Blessing is a word maybe overused today but certainly rich with meaning!

As mission volunteers come to serve with our families that need home repairs, they share how they want to be a blessing to someone else. After the day or week is done, a deeper reflection reveals how that person was blessed instead. Rich conversations, deep dialogues, and the lines of economics, age, and ethnicity all fade away. What is left are shared moments of loving, serving, praying, and listening. We are blessed to be a blessing!

A few years ago, we came across an acrostic that now guides our ministry theology. Can you guess what it is? Yep, BLESS. Because we are intentional about forming and building relationships with our homeowners, we needed a tool to help missioners engage. BLESS has helped us create this tangible way of sharing with others! The awesome thing about this, is that we can share this with our homeowners about the missioners coming to be with them. It works both ways! What does BLESS stand for?

B– Be in prayer. Prayer undergirds all we do and is the first form of care we offer to our families and day camp kids. Before a mission team ever arrives, they are invited to begin praying for the family of whom they will serve. Prayers are offered throughout the day and no less than three times on a worksite, the team will pray with the family learning of prayer concerns and opportunities. Pray undergirds our action!

L–Listen. Of course there is the musing of having one mouth and two ears. We get to listen first. Listen to what? Stories, common ground, what was life like growing up, family, and elements of the family’s backstory. Amazing information is shared and learned.

E- Eat. Yes, we all have to eat. It is essential and we build our schedules around eating. Who does not love an old- fashioned church pot luck? Our holidays are usually about what we will eat and coming around the table together. Jesus ate with his disciples and communion, the Lord’s Supper, is a foundational part of the Christian faith. Middle Eastern standards of hospitality is killing the fatted calf or goat and sharing in a meal! Eating with our families is a beautiful way of fellowshipping together. The table breaks down so many barriers. Just take a look at how many parables and teachings have to do with food!

S-Share Your Story. When we have engaged in the first three, we now have built trust and mutuality in such a way, we can now share our story. Maybe that is your personal faith story. Maybe it is what life was like for you. Maybe it is the encouraging words that help a family in a hard situation. After we have listened, we are in less danger of being paternalistic and patronizing of a family with a different way of life and different economic situation. It is less about fixing someone or giving advice we expect to be followed and more about encouragement and mutual vulnerability. It is beautiful when in a holistic context.

S-Serve. I love how in this model, serving is not the most important. And, the “S” could be flipped with “share your story” as the last “S”. Either way, the serving is born from a sense that we are all givers and receivers. Serving looks like the friendship Jesus had for his disciples. It is the kind of friendship that would have us take a towel and wash someone’s feet…and allow our feet to be washed (John 13).

B-L-E-S-S!

As you share and serve and think about blessing others, try out this little tool. We would love to hear your stories! Over the following weeks, I am going to do a deeper dive into each one and share a family story with you!

Many blessings on the journey!

lisa

Transitions- Joe is on the Move

"Change Just Ahead" road sign, blue sky and clouds in background.

The word has now most likely reached most everyone’s eyes and ears that we are saying “so long” to Joe Davis. Joe will be serving with Auburn United Methodist Church as the Outreach and Evangelism Director. Part of his position description includes coordination with partnered ministry organizations, so we’ll have continued relationships and connections with him! So, we do not totally say “goodbye”. Although he will be greatly missed and made contributions that words do not do justice, we are excited for him and Cassie! But, I must say, I am sad to see him go as much as I am excited for the next step in his journey.

Paul talks about us seeing through a glass dimly, that many times it feels like we are looking through a veil (1 Cor. 13:12). That are what transitions are like. As we look behind, we see the familiar and comfortable. Even if the ground was rocky with sharp crags, we knew it. Looking ahead is more like a fog. We only see a few feet in front of us as we stumble and creep forward. This happens even if a mental picture, a vision, is set before us.

What are we doing as we walk into this next transition? Seven steps come to mind.

Step 1. Praying for guidance and direction. Seeking the Spirit’s guidance is the number one priority. Bathing our needs in God’s vision and direction puts the transition in his hands. We align ourselves with his direction and listen intently. Simply, we ask for the necessary doors to open and close.

Step 2. Celebrate where we have been. Transition means change and change means loss. Not many of us really like change although it comes many times without us seeking it. Going forward is still better than going back. Celebration can be a powerful expression of God’s faithful presence. In our case, it is all the great ways Joe has committed to ARM and helped us grow. We had a vision about where we wanted ARM to be and Joe got us there. His tireless work and passion, his heart for people, and his steady progress in making everything he touched better, stands as a beacon of all he contributed to the kingdom through ARM.

Step 3. See the path, the vision forward. We celebrate what has been and then move forward to where God will take us. We may not know exactly what it will look like but we can create a destination point. Joe helped us understand what our ministry needs next to grow. We can see that and make the active steps to get there.

Step 4. Recognize loss. Again, transition means change and the reason change is uncomfortable is that we feel we must lose or give up something. Our team discussed all the things Joe has done and the gaps we will temporarily face with his absence and the time it will take for a new person to fill the roles and responsibilities. We will miss a dear friend. We will miss all the details he accomplished. And we’ll miss the incredible wisdom and passion he has had for each of our families, children, and our ministry team. We may have to put some extra tasks on our plate or put some fun projects on the backburner. Loss will occur and we work to not let it surprise us.

Step 5. Plan the work and work the plan. This is an old military adage I learned. We have the vision and destination point. Now we develop our plan, organize our steps and execute. We have a system we call R.A.D. which means we Reflect, Adjust, and Do as part of our process. Keep the vision in front and the pathway clear as we move forward (and continually pray)!

Step 6. Notice the small wins. In the transition process, the incremental steps will matter. We recognize the small wins, recognize the accomplishments and keep progressing forward. If we make a mistake, we recognize it and work to not repeat it.

Step 7. Give thanks. Because we know God’s spirit is leading us, then each small win is an answer to the prayer and evidence of God’s faithfulness. Taking the intentional time to thank him and our colleagues focuses our eyes on God’s work. It humbles us to realize although we are working it is God’s doing. This drives the steps and pushes us forward with a spirit of gratitude and humbleness.

Transition is a necessary part of growth individually, in our work, and in our family. How we go about the process intentionally can make a world of difference. We will miss Joe! In the meantime, God added four interns to our ministry team! Yep, it took four to try to keep up with the one! But God is faithful, and we celebrate what Joe has done and what we will do in his next stages and our next stages as well!

See you on the road!

Higher Leadership

Jan. 10, 2019

Prayers for a King- Psalm 72

Reading the Psalms, with heavy emphasis on a king, challenges me with context. Meaning, I have never lived under a king but only known a president or governor. Living and growing up in the U.S., where our national identity rejected a king as to not resemble England, gives a different vantage point. Never-the-less, there are vital leadership principles for those who wear a mantle of great responsibility for a nation of people.

Psalm 72 is a prayer for a future, national leader and King for Israel.

What are the elements of the prayer?

1. “Give the leader your justice”- A sound leader understands the source of his or her authority. Justice is doing things right and the measuring rod is the justice God established. It is fairness and impartiality to all people. Rendering justice equitably is not conditional upon gender, nationality, or economic status, for God created all people and loves and values them equally.

2. How he/she leads with righteousness- Justice and righteousness are tied together. They must go together! A moral code of decency, fairness, and treating people with dignity and respect is a high form of righteousness. It means taking a high ground to look out for the well being of others and to ensure a balanced and level playing field. God was always looking for fairness and was especially mindful of those taken advantage of and exploited.

3. Judge and discern well the people with righteousness and justice- The first two parts of the Psalm point to God’s standard and this standard is prayed for as the leader leads. S/He must embody these godly principles of justice and righteousness.

4. Let this result in prosperity for the people and the creation- When justice and righteousness abound for all, then all will experience prosperity. All people will live sustainably. Furthermore, is the natural earth flourishing as well? The creative order, air, water, plants, and animals, should benefit from the prosperity when justice and righteousness are wielded well.

5. Defends the cause of the needy- special actions and care are given to those on the lower ends of the economic spectrum. Children, our senior citizens, the sick, those with disabilities, or those who cannot get sustainable wages are the objects of the leader’s care and defense. Does s/he take great strides to ensure they are cared for through the leadership and governmental system?

6. Crushes those who oppress people- When is war appropriate? When it is to crush the oppressor. Our national interest is to destroy that which oppresses others. Today’s leader in a global society might be challenged to think of our overall human standards and not only focused upon a nationalistic mindset. The oppressor might not be a person or nation state. A bad system or set of practices that exploits or abuses others might be what needs crushing.

7. Fears God (respect and followership)- this high level of justice and righteousness which manifests in the care and concern of the needy finds its source in followership with God. The leader must continually seek God, the Creator, and the source of our highest ideals.

The rest of the Psalm identifies these other portions as it reinforces that of which it has prayed. The by-product of justice, righteousness, and care for the needy and oppressed is a nation that flourishes and experiences great peace. Other nations will have a respect that encourages a modeling. This is different from fear or disdain. Finally, the care of the poor and the needy is a continuous element of the kingship and leadership. By leading this way, their name will be remembered and God will be honored.

Psalm 72 points us to Jesus. It identifies the responsibilities of a good king, a good leader, and ultimately points to how Jesus, the man who follows God completely, will lead. Recall that Jesus showed us how to be in perfect relationship to the Father and did not use his divinity as this form of power. This means we can emulate Jesus through the power of the Spirit given to us all.

How are we defining effective leadership today? What are our expectations of kings, presidents, and prime ministers? What about pastors, teachers, and business leaders? Do we also lead in this way in our own sphere of influence?

May we judge rightly and seek the good of those least among us so!

Disappointment

Have you ever had a high hope, an expectation? You feel the excitement of anticipation of the possibility of something good, something joyful. When I reflect on the word disappointment, “APPOINTMENT”, stands out. It references a specific time and event. The “dis” means the time is negative. The gap between the expectation and reality is not met; the wider the gap the deeper the negative feeling.

I dealt with a major disappointment recently. This time last year, I was eligible for promotion to Colonel at the federal level. In March, I received good news that I was selected for promotion. The phrase is called Department of the Army (DA) select. This means I would be recognized as “promotable” at the federal level. In the National Guard, promotions in the state are based upon availability of slots at that rank. This means I had to submit a promotion packet to the state to receive the full promotion this year. I submitted that packet in July.

My expectations were high and I was excited about this next venture and potential achievement. A few weeks ago, I learned the announcement schedule and that congratulation calls would be made on Friday September 28^th. I kept my phone by my side, checked emails occasionally waiting and waiting. Three o’clock came, then 4 pm, and then the close of business of the day. I spent the weekend wondering and checking Facebook for clues from other colleagues if they had heard anything. I wondered if the list had been delayed which would not have been out of the realm of possibility. Yet, I knew in my heart I had not been promoted this time and prepared myself for that news. I remember telling a friend early in the process that I was keeping my expectations low; there was an incredible pool of candidates.

Finally, I saw the official list early this week and I was not on it. The flood of disappointment washed over me and the feeling of let- down hung in my stomach. Yes, it was hard. I recalled praying when I first submitted my promotion packet and asked God to put me where He wanted me. If I was not meant to be promoted, He would work it out. And if not, it was not the right time. With that in mind, despite the feeling of disappointment, I must sense God’s providence and His timing.

Sometimes our answer is “not yet”. We shall see. I was excited to see some of my colleagues move forward and it was well deserved.

I close with a few thoughts in case you find yourself disappointed:

1) When we get a negative answer, we do not get the promotion, or the desired achievement, it does not necessarily mean not ever but could mean not yet. Stay hopeful and keep working.

2) We can be faithful where God plants us. He may need us to grow more before the next step.

3) If able, we can try again. Perseverance builds character.

4) Allow disappointment to give us strength. Experiencing a low causes me us to look back and count blessings and see where God has worked. We recall that we cannot see everything but He does.

We will see what happens with the next promotion board next year. For now, I’ll serve hard and faithfully as a Lieutenant Colonel and see where God leads. I’ll live in an attitude of gratefulness for all He has already done for me.

Have a great rest of your week,

Lisa