From the SKY to the CLASSROOM
This is the bird we flew on!
Perspective is so important in the journey of an individual. We tend to be either destination people, journey people or a combination of both. Some love to set their sights on the goal and never look back until the destination is conquered. Others, enjoy the process of the journey looking around them at the things on either side of the path, taking it all in. There is no right or wrong way to gain perspective, but a combination of both is key to a proper perspective on life. We never want to miss the moments day in and day out with those closest to us, but we also need to set our sites outward toward the destination we long for. I had the great privilege of flying in the PrayerOne Helicopter this month with some of my dear friends. Christian, Bethany and I were invited by Jude DelHierro and Jeff Puckett who pilots to take the sky and gain perspective of our city. We left Centennial Airport and went around Downtown Denver and back. I was shocked by how small and together the Denver Metro area seemed from 500 feet in the air. It was hard to see the boundaries of the differing neighborhoods, cities or counties. It seemed as though this is how God sees a city. We are so quick to divide and label everything to line up our perspectives based on our experience. I just wonder if often times we make these boundaries based upon our own path, verses the truth gathered from the right perspective and a God’s eye view? I found myself praying through the headset that morning, “God forgive us for only seeing through the eyes of our own cities and experiences, please allow Denver to be known as a place where people work together for the wellbeing of the city.” I believe this is beginning to happen in two ways, people and organizations in cities are really taking serious the importance of working together for the common good and they are also beginning to cross-pollinate with other cities to share needs and resource with one another. We in the faith community across Denver are beginning to catch this wave as well. It has been such a privilege to sit with pastors from all over this metro area who are asking, “how can we do a better job of working together and caring for the people in our cities”? A wave of collaboration around common belief systems and values is surfacing and challenging our perspectives. Lets be sure to never forget some of the basics principles of the faith!
– To love God with all our mind, heart, soul and strength
– To love our neighbor as ourselves
– How beautiful it is when God’s people dwell together in unity…it is there He commands a blessing
– The world will know who we are by our love for one another
See the co-pilot, the smile tells it all!
From the CLASSROOM
One of the great opportunities I get throughout the year is working with students from Youth With A Mission who are preparing and training in leadership. I just came off of a great week with 29 of these students studying leadership. We looked at life in the trenches and discuss together a perspective on leadership and the daily habits of a leader. We studied a healthy balance for character development and gift/skill utilization. We examined the life of Queen Esther for our character study and looked at many principles of leadership that is built over time, faithfulness and integrity. We ended the week with 6 real life leadership scenarios for them to work through and a panel of the Hillside Community Church leaders for great practical Q & A’s with discussion. A few of encouraging things that stood out this week:
– We nailed the truth that, “often times our gifts and abilities take us places our character cannot keep us.” As a leader I don’t care how gifted you are, if your home life is falling apart, your integrity is always in question or you just seem to always be to busy for what matters in life. Leadership in earned through trusted relationships and developed with time and intentionality.
-I asked the students to go around the classroom and share with us the answer to this question, “who has had the most influence on your life and why”? It was so eye-opening for them to see that 90% of them said it was a Dad, Mom or grandparent who had the most influence, and it seemed to alway boil down to the fact that they were present and involved. I followed this question with, why then do we as young people underestimate the opportunity to one day become a “great parent”? When asked what you want to do when you grow up, how many young people say, “I just want to be a really great dad or mom”?
-I gave the students an assignment this week which had a big impact on their lives. They had to leave the classroom Wednesday night and go find or call someone close to them they trusted, who knew them well and ask this question, “what area in my life do you see as the most vulnerable to the enemy’s attack, where does he (satan and his forces) seem to mess with me the most”? This was after we studied about King Saul in Israel’s history. Saul was asked by God to completely destroy the Amalekites in First Samuel, and he disobeyed God, leaving some, even King Agag alive. Later at the end of his life in Second Samuel it was an Amalekite who finished him off in his depression and shame. The principle is, “the enemies we don’t destroy in our strongest moments will be the ones that destroy us in our weakest moment.”
I hope this challenges your perspectives on life and leadership!
Dan
Leadership Panel discussion at GIHOP
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