Get your Easter Shopping done early!

I heard a great story tonight!

A senior was telling her God-story. This was a woman who had been to church all of her young life. It was just what her family did. Then after coming to college she just began to hang out with people who were a bad influence in her life and she began to do things that took her in a direction away from the faith that she grew up with.

It was in her senior year, over Christmas break, that 2 things happened. First she began to read a book called _Lord, Teach me to Pray_. From this book she discovered that faith was not religious activity but it was a relationship. She realized her life had been going away from God, she wanted that to change. Second, she remembered a friend from class who told her about Greek Impact, a Christian Fellowship on campus that helped fraternity & sorority students grow in their faith and learn about God. When she returned after Christmas she talked to her friend and began going to Greek Impact. She has discovered a community and a fellowship that helps her deepen her relationship with God. She has stopped the activities that distracted her from Jesus Christ and has placed Him at the center of her life.

ah yes! the International Service Project!

So many students from W&M(& other schools) took the opportunity of Spring Break to do an International Service Project (or some may call it Alternative Spring Break). A chance to see the world and serve the less fortunate. Students went to Nicaragua, Dominican Republic, Haiti among others. They either did work with orphans, building houses or building camping facilities. They had a true cross-cultural experience, both in nationality & socio-economics.

Let's think about the progression of this. When I first came to W&M as a Campus Minister. It seemed like the whole campus went on the typical "Spring Break Blowout" event. College students flooded Daytona, Ft. Lauderdale, Destin, South Padre Island, and on and on. It was seen as an opportunity to go crazy for 1 week for 4 years that you would never have back. MTV in the early nineties would literally move to So. Florida to capture the antics of millions of students. It was legend!

Sometime in the late 90's the trends changed, the Wild & Crazy Beach Scene was not as popular. Part of this was because local law enforcement increased its activity. But part was because the desire to serve and help others began to increase.

InterVarsity@W&M began to do service projects in the early 90's. At first we went to do hurricane relief with Habitat for Humanity in South Carolina, then eventually we went to Urban Promise in Camden, NJ to work with inner city children & adolescents. When we started in Camden we were the only organization to work with Urban Promise, now each week we are joined by dozens of students from UVA, JMU, U. Maryland, etc. During this time (10 or so years ago) there seemed to be a larger effort to do domestic service. Appalachia, Hurricane Relief (Fla, SC, LA, Miss.), Urban work (Greensboro, Richmond, Philadelphia, Camden, NY, etc).

But lately it seems like the effort has been placed on international work. Of course mostly Caribbean, Latin, central & south American countries.

What are the gains:
1) Cross-cultural experience, new language, new country & a broader global experience.
2) Bigger understanding of USA in the world environment
3) Going South is still popular
4) Seeing poverty at an even more dire circumstance.

What are the losses:
1) Do we really make a difference?
2) Is it good economics? Would it make a bigger impact to just send money?
3) Can we really have political influence?
4) What influence can we have?

Finally: I have 2 thoughts, As we experience more of the world, through travels, reading and relationships I hope that we are beginning to create ways to speak the truth of the Gospel into our localities as well as into the world. All of this service must be translated to Christ's work in our community as well as in the world.

also, as we 'wash the feet' of our brothers & sisters we have got to begin to see it as a broader understanding of what God is about. Tony Campolo once said: "Is my heart broken for the things that break God's heart?" We can't leave Nicaragua saying, "We went down there to serve them, and they served us." unless we are preparing ourselves to serve those in our community today.

Leadership Part 3

Timeless Leadership: A Conversation with David McCullough, an article in the Harvard Business Review.

The author of books including _John Adams_, _1776_, _Truman_, among many others conducted an interview with the editors of HBR (march 2008). It was a fascinating analysis of leadership from an historical basis. McCullough began with a plea: "We need leaders and not just political leaders. We need leaders in every field, in every institution, in all kinds of situations. We need to be educating our young people to be leaders and unfortunately that's fallen out of fashion."

McCullough talked about how leadership requires a unique combination of talents acquired through a set of learned experiences in line with a certain amount of unique talents. For instance, George Washington, had an incredible ability to spot talent even in places where it wasn't obvious. He also was able to let his leaders do their jobs with freedom and he was not afraid to let them fail and it is through the failure that he was able to assess their leadership and strength.

One of the key talents today has to do with the leader having real strength and talent in the arena of listening. Listening beneath the surface. To hear what they aren't saying as well as what they are saying. Knowing how to ask questions. Knowing how to direct the topics to see the deeper and more significant thoughts and actions of the leader or potential leader.

I work with people who have some of the greatest potential for leadership today. I love it! I get to see fledgling efforts. I also see weak initiative, even in the midst of strong potential. (I hate that!)

I overheard a conversation a couple weeks ago between a senior and a Teach For America Representative which gave me great concern. It was obvious this student had great leadership potential. She carried herself well. She had held a number of significant leadership positions on campus. She was well recommended by her professors and peers. It was obvious that she was seriously interested in TFA as a career. When pushed by the recruiter to fill out the application and move onto the next interview, she resisted. When asked by the recruiter, why she wouldn't apply, her answer was (and I'm not joking about this), "I am afraid that I would apply, go for the interview and then be rejected or not placed." I could not believe that someone who seemingly was the right fit in every discernible way would not risk failure by filling out an app!

I have great concern for a certain type of person who fails to risk for the sake of a 'possible' failure. I know many of these folks have never failed at anything. but we know logically that failure will come. In time a level of failure will be apparent. It happens to all of us.

I know for myself that it is only in my weakness that His strength is made obvious. I know this is a paradigm shift, from the lone woman (faith unknown)who chose to not risk. But in all of God's sovereignty His strength is made perfect in weakness.