Ask yourself not "What service can I render as a leader?" but rather "What leadership can I exercise as a servant?" - Peter Vail, 1998
Peter Vail wrote these words in his foreword to Robert K. Greenleaf's masterpiece on leadership entitled The Power of Servant Leadership. Of the untold hundreds of thousands of books written in the past fifty years on leadership, Greenleaf's writings, especially this one book, stand out above the pack. It is a remarkable compilation of his finest essays on leadership and has become a classic.
Vail's quote captures the heart of the matter and the essence of Greenleaf's eloquent and profound writings. It is a huge difference in approach to render service as a leader, implicitly as an aside, or render leadership out of one's core commitment to serve. The latter is at the heart of many of the contributions of the world's most respected leaders throughout history. Servant leadership is the essence of such highly regarded institutions such as the internationally renowned Salvation Army, whose motto is "Others" and the US Centers for Disease Control, whose history is resplendent in the protection and promotion of health and well being of countless millions.
The calling to develop authentic Servant Leaders is the compelling mission of values oriented, faith based universities like Trinity Western University in Langley, BC. It is what the world desperately needs to bring truth, compassion, reconciliation, and hope to the challenges of the world today and in the future. It comes to us as a fulfillment of the ancient scriptures found in the book of Micah (6:8) - "What does the Lord God require? To do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God." The enormous promise of the future in the midst of daunting global challenges ahead rests squarely on the shoulders of redemptive institutions, public and private, that can develop and encourage "servant leaders" whose leadership is an expression of their commitment and resolve to serve others.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Thursday, May 21, 2009
More Than Gold
Every four years the winter and summer Olympics occasion the gathering of the world to a desirable and desirous venue; desirable because the destination holds some promise of discovery for persons who not only wish to see the games, but also experience some exotic or historic part of the world, and desirous because the venue hopes to attract further fame and fortune believing the Olympics to be an economic engine for the local and national economy for years to follow. That is the promise of the winter Olympics as they are to be held in Vancouver and Whistler, British Columbia in 2010. In hosting this grandest of grand sports events, Canadians will hope for a treasure trove of gold medals and identify with every success by Team Canada.
There is a whole side to the Olympics that holds ever greater promise, the promise of something more than gold. It is the promise of radical hospitality. Radical hospitality is more than the occasional, superficial tea party on a Sunday afternoon, or beverage offered on a flight to Vancouver. Radical hospitality is “Making Room” which is the title of a wonderful book by Christine Pohl, Associate Professor at Asbury Theological Seminary in Kentucky (USA). In Pohl’s book, such hospitality intentionally goes out of the way for the good of the stranger. It is hospitality after the teaching and example of Jesus Christ whose directives included feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, giving shelter to the those without, and otherwise making room for the marginalized, dispossessed, and forgotten. In short, Christ’s priority is on radical hospitality to the poor, to those in need, to the estranged. It is a radical priority on the importance of making room to love even the unlovable. The inherent value to be found in such hospitality is worth more than gold.
As the world comes to Vancouver, there is the tremendous opportunity for more than merely economic gain. There is the prospect of being known as a city, region, and country that makes room for others, all others. For Christians, it is an opportunity to lead the way, to be exemplary, to set the bar high in making room and living out radical hospitality. To do so is to live out the Gospel, the Good News found in the foundational verse about the identity of Jesus, John 1:14 – The Word became flesh . . . full of grace and truth.
When radical hospitality is lived out in ways that bless the world, the grace of Christ makes the truth of the Gospel self-evident, clear, and transparent for all to see. We are reminded of the accompanying scripture in the gospel of Matthew, chapter 5:12 - “Let your light so shine that the world sees your good works and glorifies the Father."
Radical hospitality brings rewards to the world worth more than gold!
PS. To know how you can participate in radical hospitality and bring More Than Gold to the 2010 winter Olympics held in Vancouver, British Columbia, check out this web site: www.morethangold.ca
There is a whole side to the Olympics that holds ever greater promise, the promise of something more than gold. It is the promise of radical hospitality. Radical hospitality is more than the occasional, superficial tea party on a Sunday afternoon, or beverage offered on a flight to Vancouver. Radical hospitality is “Making Room” which is the title of a wonderful book by Christine Pohl, Associate Professor at Asbury Theological Seminary in Kentucky (USA). In Pohl’s book, such hospitality intentionally goes out of the way for the good of the stranger. It is hospitality after the teaching and example of Jesus Christ whose directives included feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, giving shelter to the those without, and otherwise making room for the marginalized, dispossessed, and forgotten. In short, Christ’s priority is on radical hospitality to the poor, to those in need, to the estranged. It is a radical priority on the importance of making room to love even the unlovable. The inherent value to be found in such hospitality is worth more than gold.
As the world comes to Vancouver, there is the tremendous opportunity for more than merely economic gain. There is the prospect of being known as a city, region, and country that makes room for others, all others. For Christians, it is an opportunity to lead the way, to be exemplary, to set the bar high in making room and living out radical hospitality. To do so is to live out the Gospel, the Good News found in the foundational verse about the identity of Jesus, John 1:14 – The Word became flesh . . . full of grace and truth.
When radical hospitality is lived out in ways that bless the world, the grace of Christ makes the truth of the Gospel self-evident, clear, and transparent for all to see. We are reminded of the accompanying scripture in the gospel of Matthew, chapter 5:12 - “Let your light so shine that the world sees your good works and glorifies the Father."
Radical hospitality brings rewards to the world worth more than gold!
PS. To know how you can participate in radical hospitality and bring More Than Gold to the 2010 winter Olympics held in Vancouver, British Columbia, check out this web site: www.morethangold.ca
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Thanksgiving Every Day!
A little book on the shelf at home is entitled Plato and a Platypus Walk Into A Bar: Understanding Philosophy Through Jokes by Thomas Cathcart and Daniel Klein. I read it about once a year for the philosophy, but even more for the jokes. Here's one I love:
"A grandmother is watching her grandchild playing on the beach when a huge wave come and takes him out to sea. She pleads, "Please God, save my only grandson. I beg you, bring him back." A big wave comes and washes the boy back onto the beach, good as new.
She looks up to heaven and says: 'He had a hat!' "
I love that joke because it reminds me that we so often want God to solve our problems and when we are on the receiving end of God's grace we so easily forget providence and move quickly to complaint. A friend of mine, Lyell Rader, once prayed "Dear Lord, thank you for your grace which often goes unrecognised and unacknowledged." The joke and Lyell's prayer help me remember that thanksgiving is something I can do every day, not just once a year.
"A grandmother is watching her grandchild playing on the beach when a huge wave come and takes him out to sea. She pleads, "Please God, save my only grandson. I beg you, bring him back." A big wave comes and washes the boy back onto the beach, good as new.
She looks up to heaven and says: 'He had a hat!' "
I love that joke because it reminds me that we so often want God to solve our problems and when we are on the receiving end of God's grace we so easily forget providence and move quickly to complaint. A friend of mine, Lyell Rader, once prayed "Dear Lord, thank you for your grace which often goes unrecognised and unacknowledged." The joke and Lyell's prayer help me remember that thanksgiving is something I can do every day, not just once a year.
In Rememberance - World Press Freedom Day
My dear, old friend Jerry Michael often said to me - "Life is on the one hand and on the other." So, on the one hand, while the 20th century was the bloodiest century in human history, it ended with democracies on the rise around the world. Imperfect in their varied expressions, they remain the most effective and promising form of governance guaranteeing freedoms and respect for human dignity of individuals, marginalized groups, and vulnerable peoples. On the other hand, hundreds of millions of people live daily under the guise of democracy, vulnerable to suffering, injustice, and oppression. So called democracies engage in "elections", but the vote does not guarantee democratic outcomes and the sequella of freedom and human flourishing.
True democracy goes well beyond the vote, the ballot box, and a free, open, unconstrained election. Democracies are safeguarded by independent judiciaries and free press. It is this last element, the necessity of a free press, that makes a short brief article in the Calgary Herald newspaper (May 3, 2009) so disturbing.
In recognition of World Press Freedom Day, the article reported that in the past sixteen years since the first celebration of World Press Freedom Day in 1993, nearly 700 journalists have been killed worldwide by repressive governments. Many of these governments have the appearance of democracy by way of the vote, but in fact have no independent judiciary and no free press.
The guise of democracy is insidious. These countries use the appearance of free elections to elevate their global status while engaging a controlled judiciary to persecute a "free" press through the manipulation of justice. The result is gross injustice targeting and eliminating on the average forty-three journalists worldwide each year. The courage and valour of these journalists has often gone unrecognized and unacknowledged. They are martyrs in a global struggle for "shalom" - peace - which is not merely the absence of conflict, war, and civil strife, but in the words of Nicholas Wolterstorff, "human flourishing."
Most readers of this blog will recognize the issue. I only highlight it once again to underscore the necessary role and heroic contribution of journalists to the cause of democracy in support of a greater good - shalom - the flourishing of all peoples. Jesus said - "I have come that you might have life, and have it more abundantly." That remains the greatest good! Fallen journalists deserve remembrance and reflection in light of their sacrifice.
True democracy goes well beyond the vote, the ballot box, and a free, open, unconstrained election. Democracies are safeguarded by independent judiciaries and free press. It is this last element, the necessity of a free press, that makes a short brief article in the Calgary Herald newspaper (May 3, 2009) so disturbing.
In recognition of World Press Freedom Day, the article reported that in the past sixteen years since the first celebration of World Press Freedom Day in 1993, nearly 700 journalists have been killed worldwide by repressive governments. Many of these governments have the appearance of democracy by way of the vote, but in fact have no independent judiciary and no free press.
The guise of democracy is insidious. These countries use the appearance of free elections to elevate their global status while engaging a controlled judiciary to persecute a "free" press through the manipulation of justice. The result is gross injustice targeting and eliminating on the average forty-three journalists worldwide each year. The courage and valour of these journalists has often gone unrecognized and unacknowledged. They are martyrs in a global struggle for "shalom" - peace - which is not merely the absence of conflict, war, and civil strife, but in the words of Nicholas Wolterstorff, "human flourishing."
Most readers of this blog will recognize the issue. I only highlight it once again to underscore the necessary role and heroic contribution of journalists to the cause of democracy in support of a greater good - shalom - the flourishing of all peoples. Jesus said - "I have come that you might have life, and have it more abundantly." That remains the greatest good! Fallen journalists deserve remembrance and reflection in light of their sacrifice.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
IN THE PAST, HOPE FOR THE FUTURE
Sometimes it helps to look back a few generations to discover a reason for hope in the future. This became a powerful reality for me recently around the USA presidential campaign and subsequent inauguration of President Barack Obama. You may recall an escalating commentary by many about how the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK) made it possible for the USA to elect its first black American president and what that means to the world today. The other profound commentary we heard was the significant regard that the new president holds for the 16th president, Abraham Lincoln. You may be intrigued by a little known part of history subsequent to Lincoln twenty years after his tragic death.
On January 3, 1884 in Clarksville, Maryland, E. Stanley Jones was born. Nineteen years later Jones was a student at Asbury College in Wilmore, Kentucky graduating from the college and soon thereafter journeying to India as a young Methodist missionary. He immersed himself in India for the next fifty-five years. During that time, Jones wrote twenty-eight books out of his pastoral experience ministering to the people of India and preaching and sharing "Christ and Christ's Kingdom". Along the way, Jones became very close to Mahatma Ghandi. They were contemporaries and became close friends. Jones wrote often about his friendship with Gandhi. Two of his books were entitled "Christ of the Indian Road" and "Christ of the American Road." Both books were written around the time of World War II (early 1940s).
Fast forward a decade (early 1950s) and the story jumps to the library at Methodist Divinity School at Boston University where several of Jones' books are on the shelf. A curious divinity doctoral student, Martin Luther King Jr., reads Jones' writings on India and his friendship with Gandhi AND through Jones' friendship and writings MLK encounters Gandhi's major tactic in addressing British colonization and occupation of India: non-violence. He reads how Gandhi learned from his discussions with Jones about Jesus Christ and non-violence, non-cooperation. Jones directly impacted Gandhi's thinking. This led eventually to the liberation of a nation. Jones and Gandhi impacted MLK leading to the civil rights movement.
Fast forward a decade (early 1950s) and the story jumps to the library at Methodist Divinity School at Boston University where several of Jones' books are on the shelf. A curious divinity doctoral student, Martin Luther King Jr., reads Jones' writings on India and his friendship with Gandhi AND through Jones' friendship and writings MLK encounters Gandhi's major tactic in addressing British colonization and occupation of India: non-violence. He reads how Gandhi learned from his discussions with Jones about Jesus Christ and non-violence, non-cooperation. Jones directly impacted Gandhi's thinking. This led eventually to the liberation of a nation. Jones and Gandhi impacted MLK leading to the civil rights movement.
Recently I received a personal communication from E. Stanley Jones' granddaughter, Anne Mathews-Younes. In a lovely note, she shared with me the following: in a recent article in the Washington Post (February 18, 2009) regarding a trip to India by MLK's son - a connection was made "of King to Gandhi - perhaps E. Stanley Jones's role has been set aside. My parents have a wonderful picture of MLK telling them about my grandfather's role in his (Gandhi's) decision to pursue non-violence and MLK's archive includes my grandfather's
book on Gandhi - where MLK wrote in the margin - 'This is it!' referring to comments in Jones' book on the significance of non-violent, non-cooperation. So we stand on the shoulders of others."
This last comment is so true and profound. We stand on the shoulders of others. Gandhi on Jones (and Jesus), Martin Luther King, Jr. on Gandhi, and perhaps Barack Obama on MLK. Sometimes it helps to look back a few generations to discover a reason for hope in the future. Across the generations, God is at work and his means of grace and hope is often the faithfulness of human agency. In this case it was E. Stanley Jones who answered a call to India, disciplined himself in immersion into the culture, opened himself up to a wonderful friendship, wrote about his experience and had an impact on a young divinity student looking for answers that he found along the way of his own faith journey. We can look back a few generations. We see God at work using Jones' obedience to his calling to India. God worked in and through him as a means of blessing the world. Through a significant cross-cultural friendship, through Jones' discipline of writing throughout his life about his experiences, and through his testimony of Christ and his Kingdom, Jones impacted a young divinity student at Boston University (MLK), and through him millions of people today who hold great hope for the future.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
SOME THINGS WE CAN CARRY
No one questions the fact that we are in difficult economic times. The evidences of global economic challenges are felt at the local level in every corner of the world. In this volatile environment, rumours and falsehoods can proliferate. Despair can take hold. Truth is bent. Predictions about the future can run wild.
How shall we respond? The Apostle Paul's words to the faith community gathered in his day at Ephesus bear repeating (chapter 4, verses 14 & 15) - ". . . we will no longer be like children, forever changing our minds about what we believe because someone has told us something different or because someone has cleverly lied to us and made the lie sound like the truth. Instead we will hold to the truth in love, becoming more and more in every way like Christ . . ." Children are beautiful, but they are unstable, insecure, and egocentric. Instead, to be like Jesus is to be connected, to be focused and missional, to work at our calling, to be full of love for others.
The words of Dietrich Bonhoeffer in the chapter on ministry in his classic work "Life Together" helps keep these difficult times in perspective - "Some things we can not change, but we can carry." We carry some tough loads right now, but these burdens shall pass.
How shall we respond? The Apostle Paul's words to the faith community gathered in his day at Ephesus bear repeating (chapter 4, verses 14 & 15) - ". . . we will no longer be like children, forever changing our minds about what we believe because someone has told us something different or because someone has cleverly lied to us and made the lie sound like the truth. Instead we will hold to the truth in love, becoming more and more in every way like Christ . . ." Children are beautiful, but they are unstable, insecure, and egocentric. Instead, to be like Jesus is to be connected, to be focused and missional, to work at our calling, to be full of love for others.
The words of Dietrich Bonhoeffer in the chapter on ministry in his classic work "Life Together" helps keep these difficult times in perspective - "Some things we can not change, but we can carry." We carry some tough loads right now, but these burdens shall pass.
Friday, February 20, 2009
TWU At The Top Again In Canadian University Standings
I hesitate to brag, but I don't hesitate to celebrate. Once again Trinity Western University is at the top of the standings among Canadian universities. In a recent issue of Macleans magazine (February 16, 2009), the 4th Annual Student Issue, university students across Canada graded their schools. Along with the Globe and Mail Report Card on Universities in the Fall, the Macleans issue is the ultimate in a university consumers' report. The report "finds small schools in the lead." Why am I celebrating? Out of the 52 Canadian universities participating in the National Survey of Student Engagement, Trinity Western University ranked consistently near the top in all eleven areas and within the top four universities in 8 of the 11 categories. This confirms the three years in a row that TWU has received an A+ in several areas including Overall Quality of Education in the Globe and Mail Annual Report Card on Canadian Universities. The recent Macleans results look like this:
Category Ranking
Level of Academic Challenge 4th out of 52
Student-Faculty interaction 4th/52
Enriching Educational Experience 1st/52
Supportive Campus Environment 2nd/52
Evaluation of Educational Experience (1st year): 3rd/ 54
Evaluation of Educational Experience (4th year): 3rd/ 54
If starting over, would go to same university (1st year): 4th /53
If starting over, would go to same university (4th year): 3rd / 53
On two other scales in the survey by the Canadian University Survey Consortium we scored above the middle of the pack: Satisfied with the quality of teaching - 11th/31; and satisfied with my decision to attend this university - 14th/31.
Overall, I am more than satisfied with our results. I am please and plan to celebrate. But this raises questions: What is it about smaller university settings that occasion such good responses from students who are the consumers of university education? What is it about Trinity Western University as a particular university, a private independent Christian university, that results in high marks by its students? I think a big part of the answer is that 1) we have remarkable faculty and staff and 2) we are fiercely, doggedly committed to maintaining an environment and an ethos that is optimally supportive of each and every student's well being and success. We define success as transformation in competence and character so that as graduates they are prepared to seize the world's greatest opportunities and address the world's greatest needs, and frankly to do that in Jesus' name!
But, I would be curious to hear from our present students, our 20,000 alumni in over 80 countries around the world, from our student's parents (present and past), and from the thousands of employers who seek our graduates for jobs even before they are graduated. Why do you think we are blessed with such high marks and such high ratings among the 54 Canadian universities in the Macleans 4th Annual Student Issue? Let me know by writing and sharing your response. Write your comments at - Jonathanraymond.blogspot.com
Category Ranking
Level of Academic Challenge 4th out of 52
Student-Faculty interaction 4th/52
Enriching Educational Experience 1st/52
Supportive Campus Environment 2nd/52
Evaluation of Educational Experience (1st year): 3rd/ 54
Evaluation of Educational Experience (4th year): 3rd/ 54
If starting over, would go to same university (1st year): 4th /53
If starting over, would go to same university (4th year): 3rd / 53
On two other scales in the survey by the Canadian University Survey Consortium we scored above the middle of the pack: Satisfied with the quality of teaching - 11th/31; and satisfied with my decision to attend this university - 14th/31.
Overall, I am more than satisfied with our results. I am please and plan to celebrate. But this raises questions: What is it about smaller university settings that occasion such good responses from students who are the consumers of university education? What is it about Trinity Western University as a particular university, a private independent Christian university, that results in high marks by its students? I think a big part of the answer is that 1) we have remarkable faculty and staff and 2) we are fiercely, doggedly committed to maintaining an environment and an ethos that is optimally supportive of each and every student's well being and success. We define success as transformation in competence and character so that as graduates they are prepared to seize the world's greatest opportunities and address the world's greatest needs, and frankly to do that in Jesus' name!
But, I would be curious to hear from our present students, our 20,000 alumni in over 80 countries around the world, from our student's parents (present and past), and from the thousands of employers who seek our graduates for jobs even before they are graduated. Why do you think we are blessed with such high marks and such high ratings among the 54 Canadian universities in the Macleans 4th Annual Student Issue? Let me know by writing and sharing your response. Write your comments at - Jonathanraymond.blogspot.com
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