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The Value Of LifeAugust 28, 2010 I wanted to take a break from the leadership series to blog about an experience I had on Aug 21st. I have waited a few days in order to try to collect my thoughts about what happened. Once you read this blog, forward it to someone. I would like to make this story viral. Sorry this is so long, but bear with me. I think you will find it worth the read. On Saturday evening August 21st my wife and I, along with our two children, were walking down the streets of San Antonio, TX on our way to a meal with several church leaders. We only had 9 blocks to walk, but for some reason we decided to veer off the normal path in order to walk along the River Walk for a block or two. About 40 seconds after descending down the stairs to the walkway below we noticed a very thin, poorly dressed man inching his way into the water on the other side of the River Walk. It was obvious, even from where we were standing, that he very intoxicated and more than likely one of the many homeless men that walked the streets of San Antonio. I grabbed my wife by the arm and told her we better not leave just yet. I was certain that he was not going to be able to make it across the channel. A crowd began to develop rather quickly to watch this poor man struggle to keep his head above water. I was certain that a few of them had pulled out their phones to either take a picture or video his death. After watching him for several excruciating seconds he went down for the last time. I had already taken off my shoes and handed my wife my iPhone and glasses and prepared myself to dive in and rescue him. One man even hollered at me, “Aren’t you going to save him?” I wish I could say that I was super spiritual and let that roll off my back, but I was a little ticked that no one else was preparing to help him. I didn’t really want to get all wet. I was an hour away from any dry clothes and I was going to a meeting with church leaders. However, without too much thought I dove in and did my best to find him under the murky river water. Fortunately I took lifeguard training when I was a teenager and that training instinctively kicked in. I grabbed the man across the chest and started to swim towards the walkway. While I was struggling to get the man to shore, my wife was scolding the men standing around watching. “I can’t pull him up on my own, some of you are going to have to help!” she shouted. Within a few seconds I reached the side of the retaining wall as several bystanders grabbed both of us and helped us out. I tell you this story, not because I want a pat on the back, but because of what happened once we were on dry ground and safe from harm. The crowd pressed in to see if the homeless man, we will call him “John”, was alright. Once they realized he was breathing and safe the crowd dispersed as quickly as it had gathered. Several of the men who had witnessed the whole event came up to me and shook my hand and stated with a tone of surprise, “I can’t believe you did that! Way to go!” The constant encouragement from those who saw the whole incident frustrated me. Seriously, why all the fuss? Isn’t this what people are supposed to do? Isn’t this what we do for fellow human beings who are in need? In fact, I don’t count what I did extraordinary at all. I count it ordinary! Here is where the real sorrow set in for me. When the local police arrived, they took one look at the man and said, “Oh, it’s just John. What kind of trouble are you causing now?” Later, after we were finished eating, we walked by the sub-station and asked an officer if John was okay. His response was both shocking and disappointing. “Are you the one who saved him?” he asked. “Yes, that was me” I responded. “Thanks a lot” he sarcastically shot back. As we walked away from the conversation one of my daughters said, “Dad, did they want you to let him die? Would they have been happier if you hadn’t saved him?” Her question made me cringe. “Some people just don’t see value in a person like that” I said. Listen, don’t misunderstand, I am not trying to make those officers out to be monsters. I am very thankful for their service. They, and others like them, tirelessly and thanklessly serve our cities everyday. The problem isn’t with the police of San Antonio, it goes much deeper than that. It’s a cultural problem, a sin problem. The attitude those officers displayed that night is not a sentiment particular to them. What is that sentiment? Simply this: If you have nothing of value to offer society, you have no value at all. If you can’t do anything to make life better for the whole, if all you do is take, you have little to no value compared to those who can and do. It seems as though we live in a society that has a very skewed view of the value of life. Our new health care system places value on the young and strong. Our laws allow for the termination of an unborn child, and euthanasia laws are just a decade away, if that long. The difficulty for me is that this sentiment exists, not only in our culture, but that it exists within the walls of the Church as well. “God helps those who help themselves!” (1 Society 2:11) is a favorite pseudo scripture often quoted by those who call themselves, “Christian”. Sometimes we cloak this sentiment in punitive phrases, “He made his bed, now let him lie in it!” (2 Opinions 1:3) Here is the question: What is the value of a life? How should we attribute value to a person? By what he/she can do for us, for society, for the church? How are we to determine the value of a homeless drunk like John? In Genesis 1:26 God said, “Let us create them in our image.” Later in verse 31 God looked at what he created and said, “It is very good!” God answers the question for us. Human value is not based on our contribution to society but bestowed on us from the maker. He created us in his image and said, “It is very good.” Because we are all created in His image, we all hold equal value. No one holds greater value than another in the eyes of God. Just because I am a preacher, and have been so for over 24 years, doesn’t mean I hold greater value to God than the bum on the street. I know some of you reading this want to fight back and say, “Yeah but…” Unfortunately, there is no “BUT” Rom 3:23 “We have all sinned and fallen short…” and Eph 2:8-9 “It is by grace you were saved, not of yourselves, so that no man can boast.” Make is painfully clear that we are all in the same boat. And yet, while we were still in the filth of our life, He saved us! (Rom 5:8) If that is true, then how should we now act? As a Christ follower, my response is simple. Love God with all my heart and in doing so, love others as myself. Treat everyone as Christ treated me. He rescued me, a filthy, stained, reprobate from drowning in my sin. My natural response to God is thankfulness. My natural response to society is mercy. “He has shown you, Oh man, what is good. What does the Lord require of us? Do justice, love mercy and walk humbly before your God.” Micah 6:8 God has called us to go to the least, the marginalized, outcast, "widows and ophans" and minister to them. They are near to the heart of God. We must do a better job of looking at and treating all people with the dignity and honr they deserve. Natalie Grant puts it best in her song HUMAN.
Every life has a choice
What do you think? What is the value of a human life?
I wanted to take a break from the leadership series to blog about an experience I had on Aug 21st. I have waited a few days in order to try to collect my thoughts about what happened. Once you read this blog, forward it to someone. I would like to make this story viral. Sorry this is so long, but bear with me. I think you will find it worth the read. On Saturday evening August 21st my wife and I, along with our two children, were walking down the streets of San Antonio, TX on our way to a meal with several church leaders. We only had 9 blocks to walk, but for some reason we decided to veer off the normal path in order to walk along the River Walk for a block or two. About 40 seconds after descending down the stairs to the walkway below we noticed a very thin, poorly dressed man inching his way into the water on the other side of the River Walk. It was obvious, even from where we were standing, that he very intoxicated and more than likely one of the many homeless men that walked the streets of San Antonio. I grabbed my wife by the arm and told her we better not leave just yet. I was certain that he was not going to be able to make it across the channel. A crowd began to develop rather quickly to watch this poor man struggle to keep his head above water. I was certain that a few of them had pulled out their phones to either take a picture or video his death. After watching him for several excruciating seconds he went down for the last time. I had already taken off my shoes and handed my wife my iPhone and glasses and prepared myself to dive in and rescue him. One man even hollered at me, “Aren’t you going to save him?” I wish I could say that I was super spiritual and let that roll off my back, but I was a little ticked that no one else was preparing to help him. I didn’t really want to get all wet. I was an hour away from any dry clothes and I was going to a meeting with church leaders. However, without too much thought I dove in and did my best to find him under the murky river water. Fortunately I took lifeguard training when I was a teenager and that training instinctively kicked in. I grabbed the man across the chest and started to swim towards the walkway. While I was struggling to get the man to shore, my wife was scolding the men standing around watching. “I can’t pull him up on my own, some of you are going to have to help!” she shouted. Within a few seconds I reached the side of the retaining wall as several bystanders grabbed both of us and helped us out. I tell you this story, not because I want a pat on the back, but because of what happened once we were on dry ground and safe from harm. The crowd pressed in to see if the homeless man, we will call him “John”, was alright. Once they realized he was breathing and safe the crowd dispersed as quickly as it had gathered. Several of the men who had witnessed the whole event came up to me and shook my hand and stated with a tone of surprise, “I can’t believe you did that! Way to go!” The constant encouragement from those who saw the whole incident frustrated me. Seriously, why all the fuss? Isn’t this what people are supposed to do? Isn’t this what we do for fellow human beings who are in need? In fact, I don’t count what I did extraordinary at all. I count it ordinary! Here is where the real sorrow set in for me. When the local police arrived, they took one look at the man and said, “Oh, it’s just John. What kind of trouble are you causing now?” Later, after we were finished eating, we walked by the sub-station and asked an officer if John was okay. His response was both shocking and disappointing. “Are you the one who saved him?” he asked. “Yes, that was me” I responded. “Thanks a lot” he sarcastically shot back. As we walked away from the conversation one of my daughters said, “Dad, did they want you to let him die? Would they have been happier if you hadn’t saved him?” Her question made me cringe. “Some people just don’t see value in a person like that” I said. Listen, don’t misunderstand, I am not trying to make those officers out to be monsters. I am very thankful for their service. They, and others like them, tirelessly and thanklessly serve our cities everyday. The problem isn’t with the police of San Antonio, it goes much deeper than that. It’s a cultural problem, a sin problem. The attitude those officers displayed that night is not a sentiment particular to them. What is that sentiment? Simply this: If you have nothing of value to offer society, you have no value at all. If you can’t do anything to make life better for the whole, if all you do is take, you have little to no value compared to those who can and do. It seems as though we live in a society that has a very skewed view of the value of life. Our new health care system places value on the young and strong. Our laws allow for the termination of an unborn child, and euthanasia laws are just a decade away, if that long. The difficulty for me is that this sentiment exists, not only in our culture, but that it exists within the walls of the Church as well. “God helps those who help themselves!” (1 Society 2:11) is a favorite pseudo scripture often quoted by those who call themselves, “Christian”. Sometimes we cloak this sentiment in punitive phrases, “He made his bed, now let him lie in it!” (2 Opinions 1:3) Here is the question: What is the value of a life? How should we attribute value to a person? By what he/she can do for us, for society, for the church? How are we to determine the value of a homeless drunk like John? In Genesis 1:26 God said, “Let us create them in our image.” Later in verse 31 God looked at what he created and said, “It is very good!” God answers the question for us. Human value is not based on our contribution to society but bestowed on us from the maker. He created us in his image and said, “It is very good.” Because we are all created in His image, we all hold equal value. No one holds greater value than another in the eyes of God. Just because I am a preacher, and have been so for over 24 years, doesn’t mean I hold greater value to God than the bum on the street. I know some of you reading this want to fight back and say, “Yeah but…” Unfortunately, there is no “BUT” Rom 3:23 “We have all sinned and fallen short…” and Eph 2:8-9 “It is by grace you were saved, not of yourselves, so that no man can boast.” Make is painfully clear that we are all in the same boat. And yet, while we were still in the filth of our life, He saved us! (Rom 5:8) If that is true, then how should we now act? As a Christ follower, my response is simple. Love God with all my heart and in doing so, love others as myself. Treat everyone as Christ treated me. He rescued me, a filthy, stained, reprobate from drowning in my sin. My natural response to God is thankfulness. My natural response to society is mercy. “He has shown you, Oh man, what is good. What does the Lord require of us? Do justice, love mercy and walk humbly before your God.” Micah 6:8 God has called us to go to the least, the marginalized, outcast, "widows and ophans" and minister to them. They are near to the heart of God. We must do a better job of looking at and treating all people with the dignity and honr they deserve. Natalie Grant puts it best in her song HUMAN.
Every life has a choice
What do you think? What is the value of a human life? | |
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Posted 8/28/2010 in Stephen Gray | 4 Comments - Add Comment |
Leadership Principle #2August 13, 2010
Leadership Principle #2 – Own your part of the problem
Have you ever played the “Blame Game?” Not me! Wasn’t my fault! We live in a culture that seems to expect us to play the game don’t we? We have learned to blame it on the environment we grew up in, or we blame the people we work with. We’ve learned to blame our parents, our children, even our genetic make-up. There seems to be no lack of blame to go around. I dare say everyone here has played the game at one time or the other.
I remember a time very vividly. I was 7 years old and living in Barkeyville, PA. at the time. My father pastored the local Church of God and we lived in the parsonage right across the street. It was a typical parsonage about 300 years old, ready to fall apart and surrounded by a cemetery on three sides. What a wonderful environment for a child to grow up in.
On top of being a pastor, my dad was working several jobs to keep our household afloat. One of his jobs was driving a school bus. Well, one bright Saturday morning my best friend came over to the house and we decided to take our BB guns and go out to the woods and shoot some tin cans. We didn’t quite make it to the woods. As we walked out the door of the house there stood a bright shiny yellow bus with dozens of sparkling glass windows. Billy pulled up first and shot a window. Man when that BB hit the window it created the most awesome pattern of shattered glass. So I decided to try my hand at it. By the time we were done. Every window in that bus had a beautiful spider-web pattern in it. It didn’t sink in, until every window was shattered, that this may not have been such a good idea.
When my dad got home a few hours later, I think the temperature of Barkeyville went up 25 degrees. I swear I saw smoke rolling out his ears. He looked at me and said, “Who did this?” I said “Billy made me. He started it.” Needless to say, blaming him didn’t get me off the hook.
It seems to be a tendency of the human condition to blame someone else doesn’t it? When things don’t go as we expected, or we find ourselves in a mess, we try to find a way of casting blame. Unfortunately, this game is as old as the world itself. Adam started it in Gen 3:12 “The man said, "The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.” Here is a little tip, for married men; don’t try this at home! You may be tempted to blame your wife for your bad behavior, but it never seems to work out when you do. One of the things that impressed me most about Nehemiah was his willingness to admit he was a part of the problem. While Nehemiah reflected on the problems Israel faced, he remembered the instructions God gave to Moses, “If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations…” (Neh 1:8) Here is what impresses me. Nehemiah would be the one who would finally lead this discouraged and beaten people back to a place of restoration and wholeness. But before he could lead them, he had to lead himself. Nehemiah took time to reflect on his own poor behavior and how he had become a part of the problem.
I find it fascinating that Nehemiah, who was removed from the problem by time and distance, took it personal. He didn’t sin personally. He didn’t even live in Israel. Yet, he realized that if he wasn’t a part of the solution, he was by default a part of the problem.
The principle is simple; when you know the right thing to do, even if you did no wrong, and don’t attempt to make a situation right, you are complicit in the wrong action. That concept may not be very popular, but it is proper.
In the corporate world, CEO’s, leaders and managers of every kind have been complicit in the sins of the corporation and allowed good people to be hurt by the system. Knowing the system to be wrong or broken, many turn a blind eye and say, “It wasn’t my idea. It was passed down from the top. Besides, we have been operating this way for years and no one has tried to change it.” In my world, the world of the church, it seems to be even worse. Outdated functional structures and systems, antiquated expectations and self-motivated leaders continue to perpetuate the problem. While these systems and leadership styles may have worked well in the 20’s or 30’s, they appear to remain the standard for daily business. Yet, the Church, at least in America, seems to be sliding into oblivion having less and less essential value in the culture. Nehemiah’s state of mind was simple but profound. He owned the problem as his own. In his prayer he admitted that he was a part of the problem and sought God’s forgiveness. It would have been easy for Nehemiah, to take the memory of God’s words to Moses and use them as a justification to stay where he was. After all, they made their own beds... Fortunately for us, he showed us a better way.
Being a good leader in the midst of chaos requires an ability to own the fact that you may be part of the problem. One thing is for sure; you can never lead people beyond where you have journeyed yourself. | |
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Posted 8/13/2010 in Stephen Gray | 0 Comments - Add Comment |
The Nehemiah PrinciplesAugust 3, 2010 Learning To Lead In Chaos".
Leadership has it's challenges. Let’s get real, even though we would like to live in an ideal world where cute little bunnies hop happily down the street, flowers and sunshine fall gently from the sky and, no child is ever left behind, it just ain’t so. Life happens! The truth is, we live in a fallen world, full of drama, unexpected failures, hatred, racism, selfish self-seeking people and wickedness of every kind. Being a leader, in the midst of a world like this often means leading people through one crisis to another. This constant stress in leadership will either make us or break us. Some call it the “crucible” where the dross of our life is burned off; others call it a defining moment. I just call it par for the course. Living in a fallen world has baggage. Anyone seeking to be in a position of leadership should never be surprised by the chaos that surrounds them, especially if you are in a growing organization. Some of the chaos we cause, and the rest just happens whether we are ready for it or not. Nehemiah was a slave to the king of Persia during the reign of Artaxerxes I around 445 B.C. He was the royal food taster for the king. (Not someone you would think of as a natural leader!) He is not a man you would chose to be on the cover of Forbes 500 or “Man of the Year”. He was a humble, simple slave who served in the place of the king of a nation that had conquered his own. So, why take leadership tips from an expendable slave with seemingly no future? Because Nehemiah actually accomplished something extraordinary. Through a series of I would call miraculous events, Nehemiah was allowed to leave the palace and return to his people in Jerusalem. He was thrust into the most chaotic environment imaginable and would ultimately accomplish the impossible. He was able to cast a vision for a new future, create enormous buy-in, organize an effective work force and generate a culture of “Can-do” that would encourage and calm a frightened group of people. He was able to turn around a bad situation and within fifty-two days do something that other had not been able to do in decades. In my opinion, that is something worth investigating. Nehemiah, a lowly salve to a conquering king, became a great leader. Whether you are leading a corporation, small business, or a non-profit organization, the principles learned from this extraordinary leader have enormous value. If taken seriously, I believe these principles have the ability to radically change the way you lead and take you to the next level.
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Posted 8/3/2010 in Stephen Gray | 0 Comments - Add Comment |