A parent of three of our PCA students passed away over the weekend and so a number of us as staff attended the funeral (actually a memorial service) yesterday afternoon. And so I thought I'd share my 3 funeral principles for leaders:
1) Funerals are mandatory - this principle comes from the title of chapter 11 (Weddings Discretionary, Funerals Mandatory) of Rudy Giuliani's book, Leadership. A great book overall and an especially important reminder for all leaders to simply be there when the families of your staff/friends are going through one of life's most difficult times.
2) Attend a funeral before its someone you care about - I learned this principle from my mom & dad early in life and I was so glad to see many of our PCA parents also bringing their youngsters to the memorial service. Children need to learn to deal with death correctly (ie biblically) as well as appropriately. If at all possible (and admittedly this is not always the case), a child should attend a funeral/memorial service for someone they may not know very well and then feel free to talk about the service and ask questions when the people/family involved are not very emotionally close. Then, when it is a close friend or family member (eg grandma or grandpa), the emotions will be new and can be discussed fully and honestly, and yet the whole situation/context won't be nearly as strange or dreadful.
3) When you begin serving as a leader in a new community, visit the cemetary. Admittedly, this principle may not work in most urban contexts, but in rural Western Canada - where I grew up and still live - you can begin learning a great deal about people's lives and challenges, if you visit the cemetary and then start to ask a local "community historian" about the questions. Of course, when you can take this knowledge and show compassion to your people based on this information, it demonstrates your heart for people as a leader. "They don't care how much you know until they know how much you care."
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Interview about Roe v Wade
Found an interesting interview from a legal perspective on Roe v Wade.
Though I do not have the legal background - which is why this interview is beneficial - I agree that with the progress of medical technology, the issue about whether a "fetus" is a living person is really no longer even the discussion. Any ultrasound clearly shows in every way that a "fetus" is a living person from the moment of conception.
The other argument, "the health of the mother," has also been continually proven in various studies to be harmed/endangered by an abortion - whether physically (eg. increased risk of some cancers), emotionally, etc.
Thus, rather than "yell" (in various ways) about abortion, Christians need to provide answers to the actual reasons that women choose to have abortions - irresponsible "fathers," cycles of poverty, and misinformation or lack of understanding of other alternatives (eg. adoption).
Fortunately, the scholar interviewed also points out the importance of supporting crisis pregnancy centres and other such alternatives that provide necessary assistance and hope for women.
Though I do not have the legal background - which is why this interview is beneficial - I agree that with the progress of medical technology, the issue about whether a "fetus" is a living person is really no longer even the discussion. Any ultrasound clearly shows in every way that a "fetus" is a living person from the moment of conception.
The other argument, "the health of the mother," has also been continually proven in various studies to be harmed/endangered by an abortion - whether physically (eg. increased risk of some cancers), emotionally, etc.
Thus, rather than "yell" (in various ways) about abortion, Christians need to provide answers to the actual reasons that women choose to have abortions - irresponsible "fathers," cycles of poverty, and misinformation or lack of understanding of other alternatives (eg. adoption).
Fortunately, the scholar interviewed also points out the importance of supporting crisis pregnancy centres and other such alternatives that provide necessary assistance and hope for women.
Monday, January 21, 2008
Second Chance - the movie
Not usually a big fan of "Christian" movies though the small summary on the back of the DVD at our local movie store convinced me this movie might be worth a peek... and it certainly was worthwhile! I would recommend the movie "Second Chance" to leaders of any of the following Christian groups:
*Church leaders in North America - it has a serious message to "wealthy" Christians, that is all Christians in Canada & the USA
*Church boards - you can become so busy "building" your church with well-intentioned vision and plans, that you forget where you began and why God "blessed" you (plural)
*Mission leaders for two reasons:
a) in the day-to-day efforts of cross-cultural workers to proclaim the Gospel and deal with immediate needs, we ask for people to give their money rather than really "experience" the immensity of the task
b) it reminds us that if structural change and Holy-Spirit working transformation does not occur, we are just going to be throwing money at an issue/concern for generations, with minimal, if any real progress.
Although the acting, cinematography, and story line of the movie are not particularly outstanding or unique, it brings home a few key points about life, ministry and leadership that are important for 21st century leaders of the Church to come to grips with and talk about.
*Church leaders in North America - it has a serious message to "wealthy" Christians, that is all Christians in Canada & the USA
*Church boards - you can become so busy "building" your church with well-intentioned vision and plans, that you forget where you began and why God "blessed" you (plural)
*Mission leaders for two reasons:
a) in the day-to-day efforts of cross-cultural workers to proclaim the Gospel and deal with immediate needs, we ask for people to give their money rather than really "experience" the immensity of the task
b) it reminds us that if structural change and Holy-Spirit working transformation does not occur, we are just going to be throwing money at an issue/concern for generations, with minimal, if any real progress.
Although the acting, cinematography, and story line of the movie are not particularly outstanding or unique, it brings home a few key points about life, ministry and leadership that are important for 21st century leaders of the Church to come to grips with and talk about.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)