LeadershipConneXtions

Mentoring Leaders in Puebla, Mexico (John Hilliard)

I returned last week from a training session on mentoring in Puebla, Mexico. This was my second trip to this part of the world and it was another enriching experience.  Each time I am able to share in Latin America I have a better appreciate for the beauty of the culture, the strength of their relationships and the hard work they are doing there, sharing the gospel of Jesus in a world that has a form of godliness but denies the power thereof.  

This was the fourth time I have taught this material in the Latino world.  In one sense I am more comfortable in facilitating this material but in another sense I am continually challenged to bring it to the students in their culture.  In many ways they are far more engaged in relationships than we are in North America.  They already have the relationship part down and they do it well.  Where we spend the greatest amount of time relates to things like accountability, spiritual formation, and sponsorship.  These areas don't seem to come as easily and we have great discussions exploring how that might look in the Latin American culture.  

A new feature that was added this sessions was a recommendation from my host and translator Roger Oliver.  The Pixar movie Ratatouille is entertaining in itself but there are some additional features which I had not seen. If you are interested in a practical example of mentoring I would highly suggested that you check out the extra interview with the film producer Brad Lewis, and the head chef Thomas Keller of the French Laundry restaurant where they modeled the movie.  It is all about mentoring and has some excellent insights.  It had Spanish subtitles so worked well with these students.  

In addition to the movie clips we also explored 8 significant biblical mentors from Moses, to Paul, to Jesus. It set the stage for some excellent discussions about the role of a mentor in the life of the church and the transcendent purpose furthering God's kingdom.

John Hilliard  
Leadership ConneXtions International  
www.lci.typepad.com

Simplicity and Downward Mobility (Part Two)

My Friend John Hilliard and his wife have made some significant decisions over the years for simplifying their lives... and this continues. I am always inspired as I listen to John's reflections about his personal journey on this matter.  -bkr-

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Wendell Berry, in the anthology 'Fidelity', presents the world of the early 20th century agrarian United States.  People live in community bereft of the technology we have now they support each other, care of each other's needs and live a life that builds each other up and provides a foundation for living well. It is a world long since gone but looking back shows the price we are paying for what we call 'progress'.

For most of my life I have been a good disciple of the school of getting everything out of life that it has to offer. ' Work hard',' pull yourself up by the bootstraps',' keep your nose to the grindstone' (whatever that means),  'if it's meant to be, it's up to me' and a host of other trite sayings which lead us to more and more stuff, titles, accomplishments, and toys.  Much of the goal setting experiences were around temporal things that usually rust, rot or deteriorate.  

As I sail into the autumn of my life I am finding that many of these goals I have achieved have filled my life with lots of stuff.  The problem I am finding now with the stuff is that it takes a tremendous amount of time, money and energy to sustain all of these things. Where do I put it all? If I haven't used it in the past 2 years or it is in the same box it has been in for the past 15 years does that make any sense?

It also goes into the realm of time.  If I have cable, cell phone, internet, and social networking where do I have time to have a one on one conversation with someone else without the intrusion of some other distraction? What is the ultimate price for all of these distractions in terms of intimacy in relationships, sensing a person's emotional state because I can look in their eyes and see the pain.   

I have decided to be intentional about simplicity by giving up cable and it's 100 options to distract my time. We are now going through the menagerie of our stuff and giving much of it away. In a unique perspective a friend of mine is teaching his children the concept by having them donate 3 older toys for every new toy they purchase. What a great way to teach the concept of simplicity early in life. 
 

(By the way, this is not John's "menagerie of stuff"... just an illustration of what it looks like for many of us."

  

John Hilliard 
Leadership ConneXtions International  
www.lci.typepad.com

Puebla, Mexico Mentoring Course (John Hilliard)

I have the opportunity to travel to Puebla, Mexico to teach the Mentoring Module to a group of graduate students at The Puebla Bible Seminary. This will be my fourth opportunity in the past year to teach this course in Latin America.  The participants have great insights into the relevance and applicability of mentoring.   In addition to teaching this course I will also have the opportunity to spend time with my friends Roger and Marcy Oliver who give leadership to the seminary and who have a heart to develop and mobilize leaders.  (skyline for Puebla with volcano in the background)

I have been challenged and encouraged each time I present this material.  This course is designed to prepare the participants to be mentors in a ministry leadership environment.  The term mentor does not have a comparable word in Spanish so a good part of the introduction is devoted to a practical definition of what mentoring is about.  We use a number of biblical examples to show how important it is in the church context.  For us to have the right kind of leaders in the future it is critical for mentors to guide and direct younger leaders.  This includes six different aspects: spiritual formation, counseling, coaching, training, discipleship, and sponsorship.  When it is done well there can be a long lasting impact in the life of the mentee.

As I travel, I would appreciate God's favor in the travel portion, that all of my connections would go as planned without aircraft or weather delays.  Also pray that I would be sensitive to the Holy Spirit's guidance and discernment in bringing the topic in a way that the fits into the cultural context of the students who attend.  I also pray that the translation will connect the principles well.

John Hilliard  
Leadership ConneXtions International  
www.lci.typepad.com 

Difficult Conversations (John Hilliard)

I sometimes find myself struggling with a relational challenge, issue, or situation that I know I have to deal with but it's a tough one and I don't like confrontations.  As a result I go passive and bury the issue hoping that it will go away.....but it never does.  It just gets worse and more challenging.

Douglas Stone, Bruce Patton and Sheila Heen authored a book called Difficult Conversations: How to Discuss What Matters Most.  It opens up opportunities to take these conversations to new levels and certainly better results.  The 'catch' it is going to require you to face yourself and what you bring to the problem.  For me, I often don't go there because it is a lot more comfortable to know I am 'right'. It's the other person who needs to change.  If only they would be more dedicated, responsible, concerned it would all get resolved.  The problem is we both bring our 'below the waterline' issues to the table and that just compounds and already difficult problem.

A number of years ago I participated in a seminar, it was about communications, and listening.  We were broken into two groups one told the story and the other were listeners.  I was chosen to tell the story.  It was a story about a difficult conversation you had with someone.  That wasn't hard.  I had terminated an employee recently and it was a difficult discussion.  

The first step was to explain to the listener my side of the story. That came very easy.  I knew all the details down to my feelings, experience, expectations, disappointments, frustrations and objectives.  I filled the 15 minutes.   We were then to change partners and explain the story again but this time we were to explain it from a news reporters perspective, just the facts. What happened from an objective perspective.  That was a bit harder to do.  I had to detach myself from my emotions and look at the problem from a higher level.  I didn't have so much to say then.  I found myself a bit more thoughtful and even confused.

The final step was to change partners again and , you guessed it, we had to tell the story from the other persons perspective.  I was at a loss.  I could only guess what the other person felt, what they experienced, how they perceived the situation, what they brought to the conversation.  I didn't have very much to say but it hit me hard that the difficult conversation was difficult because I really didn't engage. I wasn't curious about where the other person was coming from, what they felt, understood, expected. It was a great lesson and one that I am still learning.  I wish I could say that I have never made that mistake again but unfortunately it is 'still about me' much of the time in conversations

John Hilliard  
Leadership ConneXtions International  
www.lci.typepad.com 

Musings on Power and Powerlessness (John Hillard)

Over the past year I have been pondering the journey of  ‘grace’ that my friend Mike Johnson has been on.  His experiences walking and being with the homeless of inner city Baltimore, Maryland has been both enlightening and convicting.  Taking time to be with those who are more ‘resource challenged’ than you.  It sure sounded like being ‘Jesus with skin on’ in a real and practical sense.

Later reading the beatitudes in Matthew I come across similar concepts like ‘blessed are the poor in spirit, they that mourn, the meek, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, or persecuted for righteousness sake’.  All of these teachings started to take on new meaning when I was all of a sudden confronted with the concept of power.  There is social power, economic power, emotional power, political power, and physical power.  Jesus was confronting all of these types of power throughout his life and most of it was contrary to his way of life and ministry. 

I am a white, late middle aged (not quite a senior yet but close), male, protestant, North American, who has a higher income and resources than many of the people I know and billions of people I don’t know.   I have a good education, secure job, burgeoning ministry, a great family, close friends and a nice house.  In other words I have economic capital, social capital, emotional capital, physical capital, and political capital.  Lots of resources that I can use to ‘MY’ benefit whenever or however I choose.  

Challenge Day is a high school program that is conducted throughout the United States to help breakdown prejudice, discrimination and contempt for others. 

Last month I participated in Challenge Day in a local high school as a community supporter.  During the program they have a ‘cross the line’ exercise where all 130 participants stand on a line and then cross it if the explanation applies.  The topics relate to having a single parent, being abused, being a female, being under age 18, living in a place where you hear gunshots on the street, having a relative in jail, etc. etc. 

There were 35-40 of these situations and many of the individuals crossed multiple times.  Some individuals crossed the line as many as 25 or more time showing the depths of their pain and powerlessness.

Personally I only crossed 4 times.  That was a powerful and sobering message to me.

While others are living lives of great discrimination, pain, abuse, and powerlessness, I am living a life of power, privilege and protection.  

I have to ask myself what am I doing with that power?  Am I using it for me, for my wants, my security, my protection?  Am I desperately trying to control my life so that I am comfortable, insulated, and not vulnerable? Am I abusing my power lording over others in a variety of ways and times? Or am I “poor in spirit for they are blessed and theirs is the kingdom of heaven...?” 

I’m afraid not.

John Hilliard  
Leadership ConneXtions International  
www.lci.typepad.com

Jayber Crow (John Hilliard)

In my journey with Jesus there has been an increasing realization the there is a different way of seeing the world.  Our walk with him can be very different from what we have been living.  Our western culture has changed us and caused us to live a life chasing after the gold ring, recognition, power, the next promotion or pay raise. We spend a little more than we have hoping that we will make more to pay those bills. 
 

I recently read Jayber Crow by Wendell Berry.  Berry is a profound writer who sees our western culture in a very different way.  He sees it in a way that makes me look at my life, my position, my influence and the comfort that I live in.  It is becoming more challenging in light of the Sermon on the Mount. 
 

Towards the end of the book he writes, “I watch and I wonder and I think. I think of the old slavery, and of the way the Economy has now improved upon the old by giving the new slaves the illusion that they are free. The Economy does not take people’s freedom by force, which would be against its principles, for it is very humane. It buys their freedom, pays for it, and then persuades its money back again with shoddy goods and the promise of freedom. ‘Buy a car’ it says, ‘and be free. Buy a boat and be free. Buy a beer and be free.’ Is this not the raw material of bad dreams? Or is it maybe the very nightmare itself?”
 

I find myself profoundly moved by this quote.  

Its truth cuts me to my core.  I am grappling with the abundance of ‘stuff’ that I have accumulated these last 58 years.  This stuff encumbers me, it ties me down and insulates me from my real needs and ministry. I am a slave to the Economy, a master who is very enticing; the persuasion is all around me and draws me everywhere I look.  I am drawn to more and more, wanting to increase my stuff and experience all the excitement and gusto that the advertising promises.  But the more I am drawn toward that goal the more I am enslaved by the Economy. 

 

It is’slavery’, which is difficult to extricate myself from.  Coming to that realization and deciding consciously to move away from this slavery is not easy.  It takes effort, sobriety, and denial but I believe examples like Mother Theresa, Shane Claiborne countless missionaries and others who are sacrificing are examples to follow. It will be a difficult and counter cultural one but I am committed to dying to self and learning about the life Jesus encourages me to live. 

John Hilliard 
Leadership ConneXtions International
www.lci.typepad.com 

Some Thoughts on Mentoring in Latin America

John Hilliard is a partner with LCI, one of the elders at Living Word Community Church, a gifted leader who is currently providing leadership for the Men's Ministry of LWCC, and one of the guys in our spiritual friendship group. 
 

John has been going through some significant spiritual experiences in recent months and I really appreciate and respect the integrity with which he approaches all of life. I also deeply respect the time and energy John puts into mentoring others and in constantly learning more about mentoring.
 

Here are a few of his reflections about mentoring, after he returned from his recent trip to Paraguay.

Thanks John...  -bkr-

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 I have had the opportunity to teach the mentoring module for R.E.G. twice this year in Latin America.  I has been a blessing and a privilege to interact with ministry and church leaders in Argentina and Paraguay. They are engaged in the topic and bring new insights into the material which are both wise and transformational.  

An initial disadvantage in presenting the material is that there are no words in Spanish for either 'mentoring' or 'accountability'.  This gap in vocabulary points to some of the differences in culture voiced by Skye Stephenson in Understanding Spanish Speaking South Americans.  Our orientations are different in many ways neither better than the other, just different.  As a result I spend a significant amount of time describing the terms using other concepts.  For example mentoring comprises spiritual direction, teaching, coaching, disciplining, counseling, training, and sponsoring. When they understand that mentoring is an umbrella concept which incorporates all of the other tools it brings more clarity to the training.  

The trip to Paraguay brought out a couple of insights that were new to me about the mentoring process: 

1)   To be an effective mentor you need to have a clear view of why you are mentoring this specific person.  What is your purpose? What does your mentoree need that this engagement will bring?  Is there a purpose for the mentor like empowering a Timothy to be the pastor God called him to be? The clearer the purpose the more effective the mentoring will be.  If the mentor and mentoree and unclear about that purpose the engagement will tend to drift and deteriorate over time, 

2)   We were studying the book of Joshua as he received the mantle from Moses.  One of the students asked why didn't Joshua have any mentorees?  It was a good question and as we studied the book of Joshua one of the students found an amazing verse, Joshua 24:31. 

 Israel served the Lord throughout the lifetime of Joshua and of the elders who outlived him and who had experienced everything the Lord had done for Israel.

 
Wow.  Joshua didn't have a mentoree who was specifically mentioned in scripture but all of the leaders under Joshua appeared to have finished well, they served the Lord through their entire lifetimes even after Joshua was gone.  It wasn't until they were all gone that Israel turned away from God.  What a great insight into the power of a level 5 leader as Jim Collins would put it. 

My desire is to continue to mentor others individually, as a group, and to listen to God and stay away from mentoring in my own strength but be open to what God is doing and join him in the process.  Thanks to my brothers and sisters in Argentina and Paraguay, they mentored me well as I mentored them.

 John Hilliard  
Leadership ConneXtions International  
www.lci.typepad.com

The image came from Mad Mentors.com

Report on Asuncion Paraguay Trip and the Power of Mentoring

John is back from Asuncion, Paraguay. Asuncion is one of those places that it just takes awhile to get there. You can't fly directly into Asuncion from the USA, so you inevitably have a layover somewhere. John was in transit for about two days coming back to the States. He told me that one of the participants spent three days traveling from Bolivia, by bus, to get to the class. When we have participants like that, we want to give them the very best life transforming ideas and leadership shaping training we can. 

And that is what John did with the Mentoring Course. Here is one of John's reflections at the end of the course.  -bkr-
 

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“New Insights into the subject of Mentoring”

Being able to journey with another leader, especially cross-culturally is a marvelous experience.  I find myself pretty entrenched in our English Speaking North American context which is very individualistic and in many cases narcissistic and egocentric.  It is when I can visit another culture that these negative aspects of our culture become more obvious. 

In my recent trip to Asuncion, Paraguay I was privileged to work with ten top-level pastors and missionaries from South America.  The topic was mentoring which, in one sense is done quite frequently in the Latino culture but often more haphazard and without accountability.  Interestingly enough neither, ‘mentoring’ nor ‘accountability’, have equivalents in Spanish.  So we spend a good part of the class unpacking what those terms mean and how to apply them to the Latino culture.  Their engagement in the discussion was very enriching for all of us.  As they struggle with the day to day activities of ministry they were able to see how their lives parallel Moses example in Exodus 18:1-27. 

We focused on the purpose of mentoring and why it is so important as a multiplication factor for leaders and will help them to avoid burnout.  It is an activity that requires the four mindsets of a leader.  With all of the other demands of ministry the mentor must be strategic, intentional, self aware and surrendered.  Short of those disciplines the mentoring effort will just be another activity added to a long list of things to be done, like Jethro pointed out to Moses.

If it is done well the rewards are great encouragement in Joshua 24:31 “Israel served the Lord throughout the lifetime of Joshua and of the elders who outlived him and who had experienced everything the Lord had done for Israel”.  Moses mentored Joshua and Joshua mentored the elders leading to multiple generations of leaders who served Israel well.  I want to be part of that legacy and it appears that through mentoring it is possible. Thanks to all the participants in Asuncion for the blessing of sharing their lives with me.

John Hilliard  
Leadership ConneXtions International  
www.lci.typepad.com

 

Update from John Hilliard in Asuncion, Paraguay

Here is an update from John Hilliard about his time teaching on mentoring in Asuncion.  -bkr-

The lessons are going well. Each of the students are engaged at high levels and the material is being well received. They can see the value in mentoring and how it could make a difference in their ministries. I was able to demonstrate a mentoring session with one of the students yesterday and will do the same today.

Thanks for the prayers, God is ever present

In His service

John Hilliard
Leadership ConneXtions International
www.lci.typepad.com

John Hilliard Teaching in Asuncion, Paraguay

John Hilliard will be doing the mentoring course for Leadership ConneXtions and REG in Asuncion, Paraguay. This is the same course John has taught before in Argentina. Here are a few thoughts and prayer requests from John about his upcoming trip.

You are reading this on the first day that John begins teaching in Asuncion.  

Blessings my friend.  Brian

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I appreciate the opportunity to meet with the group of leaders from Paraguay this next week.  A couple of things that stand out most significantly: the Latinos are very comfortable with relationships, it is a strength of the culture that I am learning more about each time I minister there.  What I hope to share with them is to be more intentional in those relationships. There is no word in Spanish that accurately defines ‘mentoring’.  We will spend time understanding that mentoring is more than just being a teacher but also includes things like coach, discipler, counselor, encourager, and  trainer.  I have learned so much from the previous sessions I have facilitated and hope that I can connect with everyone at the session in Asunción. 

My prayer requests for this trip would involve health, safe travels, sensing God’s leading in each session, connecting with the participants in spite of the language barrier and that God would use me in the process at a transformational level.

Looking forward to reporting on where God was present…

John Hilliard  
Leadership ConneXtions International

Post-Argentina Trip Reflection (John Hilliard)

Here is a reflection by John Hilliard on his recent trip to Argentina to teach on mentoring to missionaries and pastors.  Thanks John, not only for this reflection but for your ministry in Argentina. There are a few pictures at the end of this post.        -bkr-

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Trans cultural ministries have so many aspects that satisfy a longing in my soul.  For most of my Christian experience, I had supported missions financially but had not actually been on a missions trip.  It was not convenient; I had many other priorities, already contributing time in my local church, there was no particular mission passion, etc. etc.  That all changed when I started attending Living Word Community Church, which has a very strong missions passion.  I went on my first missions trip to Warsaw, Poland in 2006 and this past week was my fifth trip.

My passion for missions has recently been focused on leadership development in Latin America.  Having been exposed to Omar Gava and the mission of R.E.G. I found a place to use my gifting and training to resource current and emerging pastors and missionaries in leadership.  Recently I was honored to work with two different groups.

For 1½ days I was at HACIA in Rosario, Argentina. This is a group of young adults who are preparing to be missionaries.  They were energetic, engaged, and excited about the work they were preparing to do.  We talked about the importance of not only having a mentor but being a mentor as well.  To many of them, it was a new concept and yet they had experienced many aspects of mentoring as they grew in their faith.  I enjoyed engaging with them.  It was a blessing to be accompanied on that portion of the trip by Omar and a young man Jorge Esandi, who is a promising up and coming leader.  He ably assisted me in applying the concepts from his practical experience.

The next 3½ days I lead the mentoring seminar at the master’s program facilitated by R.E.G. in Cordoba, Argentina. This group was quite different than the first.  They were a combination of senior and emerging leaders from throughout Argentina and Guatemala.  It was a very engaging and enriching conversation about how to be a mentor to those you work with. 

Much of the time was spent contextualizing the concepts in Latino terms.  It was enlightening to both them and me about aspects of both the North American culture and Latino culture.  The discussions were honest and revealing as we looked at scriptural examples of mentoring, challenged some preconceived ideas about what mentoring is, and evaluated our current mentoring abilities and effectiveness.  All of those who attended the session actively participated and enriched my experience because of their wisdom, insights, and commitment to serving God.

I was also struck by some subtle and not so subtle generational differences that existed in the seminar.  Half of the group was over age 50 and half the group was under age 35.  I could see that the reactions to many of the concepts differed based on age.  I will be spending more time processing the experience as I continue to develop this module. It was a very satisfying experience knowing that God is doing some great things in the Latino church and that I could be an observer of some of what He is doing.  I especially appreciate the time I was able to spend the Omar Gava.  I just wish that I could do that more often.  I also realized that my lessons in Espanol are also beginning to pay off although I am a long way from being fluent….

John Hilliard

Leadership ConneXtions International

Omar Gava and John Hilliard

 

Omar and John teaching on Mentoring.

The Master's Class Participants in Cordoba, Argentina.

 

Distracted (John Hilliard)

Here are some wise thoughts from John about the need for leaders to be attentive in a highly distracting world. This hit me for the distractions seem to be multiplying in my world as of late.  -bkr-

 

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Having flown Air Force aircraft for 6 years and as a result, had significant hearing loss over time, it grieves me that young people who don’t have any idea how damaging excessive sound can be.  Losing your hearing is a slow distancing from the world around you.  To voluntarily expose ourselves to that level of damaging sound is not only foolhardy but it won’t come to completion until many years after it could be mitigated.

 

Mars Hill Audio Ken Myers references the fact that in many communities there are smoking bans now in restaurants and he suggests that we might do well to have bans on Blackberrys, cell phones, and iPhones.  Is the shared public space any less polluted by sound and noise than by smoke.  We are having fewer and fewer spaces to have quiet noise free spaces.  We are not respecting each other’s shared public sound space. 

 

Something that is REALLY bothers me are the cars that have the 1,000 watt sound systems that actually make my rear view mirror vibrate with the bass sounds.  It actually hurts my head when I am close to those vehicles and I do my best to avoid the pollution as soon as possible.  How often have we been in a seminar, play, worship service, or library and someone’s electronic device sounds off. 

 

Distracted: the Erosion Of Attention And The Coming Dark Age

by Maggie Jackson, was recently reviewed by Ken Myers in Mars Hill Audio, volume 94.  I have listened to the article a number of times to absorb the content and find it challenging and at the same time troubling. 

Jackson exposes the impact of technology on our ability to be attentive to the world around us.  When I see young people texting, working on a computer, and talking on the phone the multitasking aspect of these encounters somehow diminishes our connection with others.  We are learning how to talk to many others at one time but the depth of the conversation is shallow and decidedly non-intellectual. 

As spiritual beings paying attention to what God is doing in our lives is hard and the distractions around us are tremendous.  Disconnecting ourselves from this technology may be an act of rebellion as well as salvation. 

 

John Hilliard

Leadership ConneXtions International

Men's Fraternity (John Hilliard)

John Hilliard is involved in a number of different ministries that are "developmental" of others. One of the areas where John has given a lot of his time this past year was to the launching of a new men's ministry at LWCC, called Men's Fraternity. John tells us a little about this story in this blog.   (bkr)

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Over the years there have been a variety of bible studies and events specifically designed for men. Some examples are ‘Measure of a Man’ by Gene Getz, ‘The Man in the Mirror’ by Patrick Morley, and the ‘Promise Keepers’ movement.  They have brought men together and addressed a number of issues specific to men. 

In 1990 Dr. Robert Lewis developed a series called ‘Men’s Fraternity’ which is currently available through Lifeway Press.  It is a three-part series including ‘The Quest for Authentic Manhood’, ‘The Great Adventure’, and ‘Winning at Work and Home.’ Thousand of churches worldwide are offering it this year. 

As part of my ministry at Living Word Community Church, we began The Quest for Authentic Manhood training back in September and will be finishing this week.  It is encouraging to see that men will respond to the challenge to step up as leaders.  

There are four primary concepts that the course is built around: 

1) reject passivity, 
2) accept responsibility, 
3) lead courageously and 
4) expect the greater reward, God’s reward.  

There are 90+ men who have been going through this series and they are coming to grips with each of these concepts. The end assignment is to put together a plan for moving forward, their ‘manhood plan’ as Men’s Fraternity calls them.  As I review these plans it is both humbling and exciting to see how God has touched these men. There are deep examinations of how they have been living their lives and what needs to change.  

John Hilliard

Leadership ConneXtions International

Washington's "Rules of Civility"

John Hilliard enjoys reading history and leadership biographies. Here is a reflection by John on the ways in which the military commander conducted his work, especially in the treatment of his enemies.

Brian Rice,  LCI

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As we approach Presidents Day, the impact of our nations leaders is recognized and honored.  Their character, wisdom and restraint in times of great trials set the foundation for a new nation.  One example profound example is a leadership decision that General George Washington made. 

At one point in the war, the young revolutionaries encountered British and Hessian troops at Drakes Farm in New Jersey.  Seven of them were abandoned on the field and their leader Lieutenant William Kelly volunteered to surrender.  The British however, brutally killed the seven prisoners.  When the word got back to Washington’s army, the raw impulse of the young nations soldiers was to act in revenge with an “eye for eye – tooth for tooth” response.

 

When Washington learned that they had been killed without provocation, he declared that whatever the American soldiers may feel about the British and Hessians, “we will not respond in kind, we must treat them with humanity. They have the right to life.”  Washington issued an order “We will not kill them, we will feed them, house them, and protect them.  They will not be harmed. Our cause requires that we behave with honor."  Washington appealed to the honor of the men throughout the war.  They had behaved with honor and glory and they must not diminish that honor.

 

That is apparently what happened as we have numerous reports from the Hessians that they were treated well.  As an example, the Americans captured 900 in Trenton and 500 in Princeton who were taken as prisoners.  They moved them to Virginia. The Hessians feared the worst upon their capture.  They were however, surprised to find that they were treated well.  So well that they were escorted thru Pennsylvania and from there to Virginia they marched on their own without escort.  Twenty-five percent of them turned from combatants against America to allies and they actually married and permanently settled into the new land.

 

 

What an amazing example of leadership courage and counterintuitive military wisdom.  Another key to Washington’s character comes from his “Rules of Civility” which are made up of 110 maxims he used to guide his life.  More information about Washington can be found in Robert Bookhiser’s Rules of Civility. 

John Hilliard

Leadership ConneXtions International

Mars Hill Resources for Life Long Learning

In a recent post, I challenged leaders to spend one hour a day in life long learning. John spends 2+ hours every day in this pursuit. He is always sharing his learning journey with me. Recently when he was in my office, John commented on how much he appreciated one particular source that feeds his intellecutual curiosity.  He blogs about that source on today's post.   (Brian Rice)

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For many leaders who are life long learners but either have limited time to read or are not visual learners, I would like to suggest a subscription to the Mars Hill Audio Journal, at Mars Hill Audio.  Hosted by Ken Meyers, it comes in a variety of formats including MP3 downloads. Of the many things that I look forward to each month, this is at the top of the list.

 

 

Their website provides the following definition: “MARS HILL AUDIO is committed to assisting Christians who desire to move from thoughtless consumption of contemporary culture to a vantage point of thoughtful engagement. We believe that fulfilling the commands to love God and neighbor requires that we pay careful attention to the neighborhood: that is, every sphere of human life where God is either glorified or despised, where neighbors are either edified or undermined.”

 

 

It is a compilation of an eclectic blend of interviews with various authors on subjects that matter from a Christian perspective. Each month the topics are new, innovative, provocative, and ‘cutting edge’.  There have been 94 different journals on subjects from science, education, economics, art, aesthetics, faith, films, psychology, and many, many more.  

 

  

In addition to their audio journal Mars Hill also has a monthly publication called ‘Addenda’ which is available to subscribers. It provides reviews of books, conferences, and CD’s.  The website provides a number of search functions by topic, guest index, what they are currently reading, and resources for clergy.  It is a rich resource for leaders and will challenge your thinking and expose you to new and thoughtful topics. It is one of the top resources I use for a broad and comprehensive look at the world in which I live.

John Hilliard

Leadership ConneXtions International

Blessings (John Hilliard)

On Christmas Eve, the day we become very aware of how blessed we are, I find John Hilliard's reflections about blessings, to be especially powerful.

Brian

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I was recently discussing the concept of blessings with some friends and a number of interesting observations came out.  To some, blessings are directly tied to wealth, power, a feeling of well being, having a good job, a nice house, clothes, etc. etc. To others, it may represent relationships that are satisfying, or having good health, or a sense of peace and refuge.  Unger’s Bible Dictionary refers to the fact ‘that God blesses nature, mankind, the Sabbath, nations, classes of men and individuals.  To bless God, we should adore Him and worship Him and praise Him’.  Webster’s dictionary defines among others at ‘bringing comfort or joy, as well as to favor or endow, to make happy or prosperous.’

I am sensing that God has something much greater in store.  Those things that we typically look to as blessings may, in fact, be blessings. It also might be that profound disappointments, struggles and challenges may fit in the category of blessing as well.  My wife Joanne had heard that blessings could be defined as a place where God interrupts your day.  I like that concept.

 

It was the pain that Job endured through his trial that brought him to the place where he could say in Job 42:2 ‘I was talking about things I knew nothing about and did not understand, things far too wonderful for me!’.  I can’t compare myself to Job but I have recently experienced some significant personal disappointments and although painful I can look to them as blessings.  Not because they ended up well but because God was in the midst of them and that He has become even more real to me, transforming my response to these types of disappointments.  For a leader to be ‘level 5’ it might be good to reflect and possibly redefine what a blessing really is.   May He interrupt your day today….

 

John Hilliard

Conflict Management and the Church (John Hilliard)

My LCI colleague and LWCC Leading Edge colleague and friend, John Hilliard is very committed to peace making, conflict resolution, and helping people live in harmony and reconciliation.

 

So it didn't come as any surprise when John was really motivated by some material he worked through recently on those subjects. Here are his thoughts.

 

Brian Rice

Leadership ConneXtions International

 

 

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Conflict Management and the Church

One of the most damaging parts of ministry, which drives good people away, is the area of church conflict.  Unresolved problems between people in a congregation or with the minister damage relationships and compromise effective ministry.  Effective and faithful servants can be discouraged and damaged by these interpersonal battles.

 

 

Conflict is an inevitable aspect of people interacting with each other and should not be a surprise or shock to a leader.  In order to be an effective leader you must be able to manage conflict and understand the nature of conflict.  There are a number of excellent books on conflict resolution.  The ‘level 5’ leader (Collins) must be aware of the nature of conflicts and how to navigate them. 

 

 

The Peace Maker by Ken Sande has become a foundational book for Christian conflict management and is a ‘must read’ for the Christian leader.  Sande is a lawyer and full-time Christian conciliator.  In this third edition since 1991, he lays out the four basic principles used by Peacemaker Ministries called the “Four G’s.”

1) Glorify God,

2) Get the log out of your eye,

3) Gently restore, and

4) Go and be reconciled. 

The book is structured with these basic principles in mind.

 

As the four basic principles suggest, it is both an internal as well as external work. The leader must be aware of their own issues that lead to conflict as well as the brokenness of those who you work with.  Each chapter provides a ‘summary and application’ section which provides a series of easy to use questions for the leader to review. 

Other recommended conflict management books are:

 

Church Conflict: The Hidden Systems Behind The Fights by Charles Cosgrove and Dennis Hatfield

 

Conflict Management in Congregations, by David Lott

 

Discover Your Conflict Management Style by Speed Lea

 

Church Conflict by Norma Cook Everist. 

 

These books provide a balanced approach to managing conflicts. If this is an issue of concern and need, pick up one of these books. Read it, talk about it with a friend, and find ways to implement what you learn.

 

 

For more information on The Peacemaker by Sande and his ministry, check out Sande's website.

 

John Hilliard

Ethical Lapses

John Hilliard works in the insurance industry and he recently told me about a very moving seminar he had attended. As he spoke about it, I could tell it made a real impact on him. Here are some of his thoughts.

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This past year, as part of my profession, I attended a continuing education program on ethics.  It was lead by Patrick Kuhse (to the left) who was in the financial services industry but was arrested and convicted on fraud and did time in prison after defrauding investors.  He is uniquely qualified to address the “8 Critical Thinking Errors Common in All Unethical Behavior”.  The concepts are relevant to the financial services industry but apply especially to leaders in any capacity.

 

The personal aspects of his story included a significant amount of pain and damage to himself and those around him.  The slippery slope of ethical, and ultimately moral, failure begins with some basic mindsets.  They begin with:

 

1) Entitlement or I deserve it,

 

2) Ultra-optimism or invulnerability, nothing can go wrong and

 

3) Rationalization or everybody does it, nobody else will be affected. Kuhse goes on to describe a disconnection with others who provide a balance and correct our moral compass. 

 

 

Having paid for his crimes with incarceration he has experienced the full impact of these failures.  In his case they were life changing.  He literally lost everything including all he owned and his family. 

 

It was a riveting and sobering seminar that caused me to reflect on how slippery that slope is and how it easily we can falter.  If our life is not firmly planted in the foundation of God we can find ourselves in a moral wasteland.  Looking at some of the recent failures of prominent spiritual leaders we are all vulnerable.

 

John Hilliard

 

 

Silence by Shsaku Endo (John Hilliard)

John Hilliard has been a good friend and leadership development colleague for about four years now. John and Joanne moved to the York area and visited our church one day. Another staff member at LWCC met them and told me "You must meet this couple. You'll love them. And the guy is really interested in leadership development and spiritual formation."

 

Well, ever since then, John and Joanne have become friends and colleagues in both leadership and spiritual formation pursuits. They have both been through about all the training we offer in both areas and they are both involved in multiple ministry and leadership capacities at LWCC.

 

John has also become a valuable partner with LCI. He is on the Board of LCI and he is a trainer that does work for LCI in Latin America.

 

John is a voracious reader and thinker. He has an incredible heart for people. He is one of the most gifted mentors I know. (I think he has about 164 mentorees, just a slight exaggeration, it is only 134 mentorees.)

 

I'm delighted that John will be doing some writing for the LCI blogsite. His first post is on a book that deeply moved him.

 

Brian Rice

Leadership ConneXtions International

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Silence by Shsaku Endo

Shusaku Endo is a Japanese Catholic priest who is a brilliant writer along the lines of Fyodor Dostoevsky.  He explores the challenges between eastern and western thought and orientation.  Through his magnificent character development and understanding of human nature and the Christian walk, he confronts issues like faith, apostasy, sin, martyrdom, and betrayal. 

 

As I read this book I became profoundly aware of how protected and naïve I am about my faith in God.  On a global scale, we live lives of luxury and plenty. We seldom face the conflicts between faith in God and a contemporary worldview that is out to destroy any vestige of Christian influence. 

 

My walk with God is a journey that is filled with new insights and observations around every corner. Silence brought me face to face with more of the "messy and mysterious" nature of my spiritual journey. I would love to say that I could relate to the protagonist taking the high road in difficult situations but the reality is, I'm not sure my character would match up. It was a humbling experience in the sense that I am still early on in my journey.

 

This insightful and allegorical book will lead you to ask deep questions about your journey with Jesus.  How much do you really trust in Jesus and what set of circumstances would lead you to renounce your faith?  It will be hard to look at commitment to Jesus in a cavalier way after experiencing Silence. 

 

John Hilliard