Recently, my husband and I took a hike near Joshua Tree National Park, intentionally staying away from the popular trails to make “social distancing” easier. Indeed, we encountered no one else along the way, and felt safe from any COVID-19 contamination. The downside of avoiding trails is that the terrain is not well-worn and rocks…
Over the last two months our perception of COVID-19 has been constantly changing, and with it, our internal and external reactions. When mostly isolated in China, it was something foreign, distant, and therefore not very threatening. But as its territory gradually started to expand, infecting people of our nationality, then appearing on our soil, then…
We are equipped for survival in the present, but once the danger is past, it is not always easy to move forward “as usual.” Yet, we read of Paul’s accounts of being beaten, imprisoned, stoned and left for dead, and each time getting up again.
I recently returned from Nigeria, where we work with many who have a heart to help the hurting, and who usually can relate from their own experiences of pain, fear, loss, and sorrow.
(Click Part 1 or Part 2 for the first two posts.) Leaders are influential not only through instruction of others, but by the example they set. One of the challenges of being in a position of authority is that every word and action is more carefully observed. As a result, many leaders feel they have…
(To read the intro, click Humble Leadership, Part 1) When we think of influential people, rarely do we get a picture of someone asking for help. From the perspective of the audience, a powerful speaker may seem to have everything under control, to be fully in charge, and to be confident that what he or…
Humility is the antithesis of worldly politics, where it is all about proving one’s strength, demanding respect, and elevating oneself above rivals.
The trail started out very clearly trodden, even though blanketed with a recent layer of leaves. Every so often a white, spray-painted mark on a tree would confirm that we were still on track, even after climbing over tree trunks that lay across the path and sloshing through pools of mud (some subtly concealed until…
It was the second week of December, with the weather in northern California cool enough to warrant a hat and coat when standing outside, conversing with those who walked toward our door. Most were attracted by the sign that offered restrooms, coffee, and a listening ear; others wanted to know if we had hazmat gear….
