Give Your All For God

Going to the Smokies. It has been so long since I have been in the Smokies, and I cannot wait.

Going out of town tomorrow, and wanted to share a Friday tune. Faithfulness is a topic that I have trouble with from time to time. The music group 4Him had a song several years ago called “Where There is Faith”. This song has brought me encouragement from time to time, and I hope it will do the same for you..

I believe in faithfulness
I believe in giving to myself for someone else
I believe in peace and love
I believe in honesty and trust but it’s not enough
For all that I believe may never change the way it is
Unless I believe Jesus lives

Where there is faith
There is a calling, keep walking
You’re not alone in this world
Where there is faith
There is a peace like a child sleeping
Hope everlasting in He who is able to
Bear every Burden, to heal every hurt in my heart
It is a wonderful, powerful place
Where there is faith

There’s a man across the sea
Never heard the sound of freedom ring
Only in his dreams
There’s a lady dressed in black
In a motorcade of cadillacs
Daddy’s not coming back
Our hearts begin to fall
And our stability grows weak
But Jesus meets our needs if only we believe

Where there is faith
There is a calling, keep walking
You’re not alone in this world
Where there is faith
There is a peace like a child sleeping
Hope everlasting in He who is able to
Bear every Burden, to heal every hurt in my heart
It is a wonderful, powerful place
Where there is faith

3 For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. 4 Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5 so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. 6 We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. 7 If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; 8 if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully. Romans 12:3-8

I recently read Good to Great by Jim Collins. One of the authors observations, which was supported by case studies, was that great companies were lead by executives who were low key. Collins called these leaders, Level 5 Leaders. Rather than being “Rock Star CEO’s” like GE’s Jack Welch, or Donald Trump, these executives were focused outwardly.

It’s not that Level 5 Leaders have no ego or self-interest. Indeed, they are incredibly ambitious, but their ambition is first and foremost the institution, not themselves. from JimCollins.com

Servant Leadership is 1) finding our place in the maze, as outlined in Romans 12:6-8, and 2) realizing that the other rats in this maze are just as important as described in Romans 12:3.

I stayed up late last night working on a project and was surprised when I woke up at 5:20 for my devotional (after only about 4 hours of sleep). As I slid the Bible open, it fell to Psalms 112. Songs of praise flowed for the next chapters. It would only be fitting to offer a praise hymn then as the Friday tune.

This has been a great week for me personally. For many around me though, this has been a tough week, and I offer prayers that you have found joy in the passing of this week, and that you have reason for praise.

Praise Him! Praise Him! Jesus, our blessed Redeemer!
Sing, O Earth, His wonderful love proclaim!
Hail Him! hail Him! highest archangels in glory;
Strength and honor give to His holy Name!
Like a shepherd, Jesus will guard His children,
In His arms He carries them all day long:

Praise Him! Praise Him!
Tell of His excellent greatness.
Praise Him! Praise Him!
Ever in joyful song!

Praise Him! Praise Him! Jesus, our blessed Redeemer!
For our sins He suffered, and bled, and died.
He our Rock, our hope of eternal salvation,
Hail Him! hail Him! Jesus the Crucified.
Sound His praises! Jesus who bore our sorrows,
Love unbounded, wonderful, deep and strong.

Praise Him! Praise Him!
Tell of His excellent greatness.
Praise Him! Praise Him!
Ever in joyful song!

Praise Him! Praise Him! Jesus, our blessed Redeemer!
Heav’nly portals loud with hosannas ring!
Jesus, Savior, reigneth forever and ever.
Crown Him! Crown Him! Prophet, and Priest, and King!
Christ is coming! over the world victorious,
Pow’r and glory unto the Lord belong.

Praise Him! Praise Him!
Tell of His excellent greatness.
Praise Him! Praise Him!
Ever in joyful song!

at Adams Blog. Great posts on the church, as well as Lent and Easter. My post on servant leadership is mentioned.

Andrew Fastow is expected to testify today in the trial of Kenneth Lay, and Andrew Fastow. Fastow, is the ex-Enron CFO, who was the architect of the Raptors, and the dubious LJM partnerships. Fastow attempted to funnel millions in illegal profits.

“Fastow might not make the most sympathetic or believable witness because he lined his pockets,” said former prosecutor Kirby Behre, now a partner at Paul Hastings in Washington, noting some believe Fastow’s personality may turn off jurors.

I am curious to see how loudly Fastow sings. I think the Feds were so bent on getting Lay, that they gave Fastow a lighter sentence to sing. Considering what Fastow has confessed to, I wonder if he got off light.

Fastow’s credibility did come under attack late last year after newly unsealed documents in the case showed the former CFO denied being involved in a tax conspiracy with his wife. Despite the earlier denials, his wife, Lea Fastow, later pleaded guilty in the tax case while Andrew pleaded to other charges and agreed to testify against his former bosses.

1When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God.[a] 2For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. 3I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. 4My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, 5so that your faith might not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power. 1 corinthians 2:1-5

Servant Leadership is not about weakness or fear.

Servant Leadership is not the exercise of abdicating authority to employees. A leader who has been put in a position of leadership has been placed there by God.

In the scripture above, Paul describes how he comes to serve in weakness and fear, but in demonstration of the Spirit’s power. Paul in his person brings his hangups and fears, but to his audience he appears composed, confident, wise, and energetic.

When I was a kid, I loved the Wizard of Oz. In the end, the wizard is shown to be a timid man, who with microphones, smoke and curtains becomes the great and powerful Oz. Paul is the man behind the curtain, saying “Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain”

Servant Leadership is a powerful transformational process. From our weakness, to his strength, to serve our employers, our employees, our customers, and our vendors.

I have often described by management style as servant leadership. It sounded good, and it was something that I worked to try to live by. Over the years, I have had the privilege of working with several people who I felt were great Servant Leaders. As time goes by though, I look back on their leadership, and my own leadership and wonder if Servant Leadership, as I have defined it is really what my management style is.

I have defined Servant Leadership as the process of leading teams by serving them. That is, to emphasize the role of the team members, and to deemphasize the role of the leader. The idea of Servant Leadership is based on Jesus’s call to his disciples to service.

25Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. 26Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 27and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— 28just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Matthew 20:25-28

Over the next days, I will share my study of Servant Leadership, and encourage all observations.

Remember the story of the autistic boy who hit 20 points off the bench. He was the team manager, deemed to small to play ball.

It turns out his 15 minutes of fame may last a little longer.

At school, he’s now signing autographs for just about everybody and their sister.

“We’ve got 25 right now,” Debbie McElwain says of the offers, adding “we’re gonna decide what to do.”

From CBS.

Spent this morning watching Thomas sing in the play at school. Thomas “introduced” Ed Sullivan, who introduced the Beatles. What a blast the kids had in pretending to be everyone from Elvis (Thank Ya, uh Thank ya very much) to the Supremes, with James Brown thrown in for good measure.

Whether your taste runs from DC Talk, to 4 Him, to Sandi Patti, to The Gaithers, this weeks Friday tune is one that you enjoy. And after watching his angels sing, what more is there to say; God, How Great Thou Art.

O Lord my God! when I in awesome wonder
Consider all the worlds Thy hands have made,
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,
Thy power throughout the universe displayed:

Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee:
How great Thou art, how great Thou art!
Then sings my soul! my Savior God, to Thee:
How great Thou art, how great Thou art!

When through the woods and forest glades I wander
And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees;
When I look down from lofty mountain grandeur
And hear the brook and feel the gentle breeze:

Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee:
How great Thou art, how great Thou art!
Then sings my soul! my Savior God, to Thee:
How great Thou art, how great Thou art!

And when I think that God, His Son not sparing,
Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in;
That on the cross, my burden gladly bearing,
He bled and died to take away my sin:

Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee:
How great Thou art, how great Thou art!
Then sings my soul! my Savior God, to Thee:
How great Thou art, how great Thou art!

When Christ shall come with shout of acclamation
And take me home, what joy shall fill my heart!
Then I shall bow in humble adoration,
And there proclaim, my God, how great Thou art!

Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee:
How great Thou art, how great Thou art!
Then sings my soul! my Savior God, to Thee:
How great Thou art, how great Thou art!

Sorry Guys. I should not have written about the Vols yesterday. Went and Jinxed them. Oh well. What a great season though. I can remember a few years ago Kentucky coming into Knoxville and just flat out whipping them, so this is progress.

I had a great boss one time who was a great servant leader. He was always encouraging progress. He wanted the company going forward, yet he knew that we would sometimes hit failures. How you respond to those failures was the difference in whether you would be ultimately successful. By recognizing progress, and dedicating ourselves to hitting the target next time, we spent less time thinking about the failure.

When it comes to college sports, I bleed Orange, and this years incarnation of the mens basketball program has brought pride to a program which was temporarily humbled in football.  Bruce Pearl has brought an enthusiasm that is contagious to the campus.  From exhorting students in the cafeteria, to bringing his team into the stands on a road trip to thank the fans who came, Pearl is proving to be a fantastic coaching addition on the hill.

At the Orange and White game last spring, he made a point to come over and introduce himself to Thomas and Elisabeth.  We had heard about him before this  time, and I really didn’t know what to think.  For so long, Tennessee mens basketball fans have had little to cheer about.  When Thomas and I went for our annual Father/Son football game, Bruce was dancing the jitterbug on the sidelines at halftime with the Pride of the Southland Marching band.

Hopefully I have not jinxed the team as they take on Kentucky tonight in Knoxville.  They have the opportunity to sweep the Cats this year, which would be tremendous.  Regardless, Bruce Pearl with the extremely Orange Sports Coats, and Sweaty Suits has brought pride and enthusiasm and has been a blast to watch.  GO VOLS!

David Delainey, the former head of the energy services unit, said that Skilling signed off on a controversial accounting move that involved shifting losses. “There was no business purpose but to hide the loss and I knew that was not proper,” he testified. In a moment revealing Skilling’s softer side, Delainey testified that Skilling became overcome with emotion when Delainey told him that his unit was so profitable that it would give the company financial flexibility for a few quarters. “He gave me a hug,” said Delainey. from the WSJ Law Blog.

In his book Conspiracy of Fools, A True Story, Kurt Eichenwald (who is a very good business author), portrays Jeff Skilling as a ruthlessly ambitious, yet conflicted individual. On one hand, he wants to quit Enron to protect his family, yet on the other hand he is working the angles so hard and fast, that ultimately the corners become round. In Eichenwalds book, Andy Fastow is portrayed as the chief crook, while Kenneth Lay, and Skilling serve as willing and silent accomplices.

Fastow’s guilt is easy to see. It is written in checkbooks, and legal documents everywhere. Lay and Skilling’s crimes are harder to see. I have felt, that the truth to this, as is most often the case lies somewhere in the middle, and that Lay, and Skilling were complicit in the crimes. Their crimes were not written in emails, contracts or checks, but in the consience of the team they served. This testimony seems to validate this.