Weekly Thought – December 21, 2021

Fred carried a reputation of integrity. He spoke, wrote, and mentored from a position of understanding the true responsibilities of leadership. Anyone who heard or read him were reminded of character and the critical role it plays in personal and professional decisions.

Freedom to Lead

Some leaders in business and in ministry I know feel trapped. “I’m called by God to do this, but I don’t like aspects of the job, and I don’t feel free to change them.” My experience with pastors is that many feel like slaves to the church with very few options. My corporate executive friends express the same emotions.
They do have emotional options, of course. They can choose to be dedicated, enthusiastic, willing to use their best talents, or they can drag their feet, be insolent, and hostile. Internal control is the often the only available control.

When feeling trapped Christians need to recognize they may be serving the wrong master. We are all called to be slaves of Christ, not of the church, or the business career. This freedom to serve Christ alone requires discipline. It comes with a price – all freedom does. One of Mary Alice’s friend commented, “Fred has more freedom to say what he really thinks than anybody else I know.” My wife replied, “He pays a price for it.” It is true. We who want to serve Christ as our master understand the cost. Bonhoeffer discussed the “Cost of Discipleship.”

The willingness to be disliked comes with the commitment to character and integrity. The world is uncomfortable with those whose standards exclude convenient compromise. When we make the decision to serve Christ alone, the price tag is high. It may cost a job, a relationship, or social position. Joshua asserted his leadership philosophy when he challenged the people to declare their loyalties. He wasn’t mandating but announcing when he said, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

I was approached by a high profile Christian businessman who asked me to sit on his board. I said, “You don’t want me. I would see my responsibility to the organization, not to you. You couldn’t count automatically on my vote.” In saying this I was insisting on my freedom to discharge my responsibility. He quickly agreed I wasn’t the person he wanted on the board.

Freedom is not irresponsibility. I believe one reason for America’s productivity is the environment where responsible people live in freedom. The Puritan conscience is the central element: “you have a talent, you’re responsible for it, and one day you will stand before God and give an account for its use.”

This week think about: 1) How free do I currently feel? 2) What do I need to do to clarify my direction? 3) Who can help me more fully commit to Christ?

Words of Wisdom: “Freedom is not irresponsibility.”

Wisdom from the Word: “Or you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity to indulge your flesh, but through love serve one another.” (Galatians 5:13 NET Bible)

Weekly Thought – December 14, 2021

Fred grew up moving frequently as his pastor father accepted different church assignments. They experienced financial hardships, but always kept their family compass focused on true North. During his lifetime he faced difficult career decisions, and setbacks. But he established a moral base early in life which served him well.

Setting Priorities for Troubled Times

Major troubles challenge our priorities. It also revises, and may I say – purifies. We decide what is really important. Trouble also gives us an opportunity to look at the situation realistically, assessing the odds. A friend called to tell me of his leukemia diagnosis. “I chose to ignore the spiritual things thinking I would deal with them later. I wasn’t in a hurry. Cancer changed that.”

Trouble makes us distill the essence of life. Let’s look at three ways:

1) What are the necessities? Too much of life is spent, or wasted, on the superficialities.
2) We ask ourselves, “Who am I becoming?” Often I ask someone if they are becoming who they want to be and many times the answer is “Oh, no, but I intend to – someday.”
3) How do I want to be remembered? What do I want on my tombstone? Fannie Crosby, author of thousands of hymns and choruses, asked her family for these words: “Aunt Fannie – she did what she could.”

Answering those three questions, we know how to spend our time, energy, and attention. Rather, we know how to invest, not spend, our resources. The answers will build a framework for reprioritizing. Good life management periodic inventories to insure we are making the “highest and best use.”

During the dark financial days in the 1980s, a couple came by the office to see me. They told of making a list of all their social relationships. Then they went back and created a second list of those who would be their friends if (and when) they went broke. This much shorter list represented their new list of true friends.

Their situation reminded me of the man who asked his wife, “Will you still love me after I’m bankrupt?” “Of course I will,” she answered sweetly, “and I will miss you, too.” She would not have been on the list of true friends.

In crucial situations it is important to assess the odds. When you are moving with the odds there is no question of progress, just the rate of progress. Some of my most successful friends work with the situations, not giving into the circumstances. My longtime friend Dr. Howard Hendricks of Dallas Theological Seminary always his new students laugh when they give him a long story of incomplete assignments introduced with, “Under the circumstances…” Prof. always instantly responds, “Son, what are you doing under there?” When we are going against the odds it requires extra effort, more intense concentration, better vigilance, and keener intelligence because there is less margin for error.

Trouble clarifies; trouble verifies; and trouble makes a way to maturity.

This week think about: 1) Where are my troubles right now? 2) How am I growing from trouble? 3) Where am I finding strength and hope?

Words of Wisdom: “Trouble makes us distill the essence of life.”

Wisdom from the Word: “For there is a time and a way for everything, although man’s trouble lies heavy on him.” (Ecclesiastes 8:6 ESV Bible)

Weekly Thought – December 7, 2021

Fred appreciated a prayer from William Barclay and studied its line often in preparation for speaking or teaching. One of his favorite principles of speaking was: “speak from the overflow.” He wanted to be fully prepared, not just with specific material for one lesson, but with ample content to provide a robust quality to his talks. He desired to impart life principles leading to wisdom, not just information.

The Process of Wisdom

“Lord, grant us in our work, satisfaction; in our study, wisdom; in our pleasure, gladness; and in our love, loyalty.”

William Barclay who spent his life studying, realized that wisdom comes by process. Scripture talks about getting knowledge, and then understanding, and then wisdom. In America we are long on knowledge, but short on wisdom. We educate the head so much better than we educate the heart. Often you hear, “How can anyone that smart be that dumb?” Their head may be smart, but their heart is ignorant.

The major problems we face today are not because we are uneducated, but because we are unwise. We see this in political confrontations. Those are educated men and women. They may have knowledge, but greatly lack wisdom. Wall Street scandals are not from lack of knowledge, but from lack of wisdom which manifests itself in lack of character.

One of the most interesting columns I’ve read in a long time is “The heartless lovers of mankind.” The author points out how dangerous intellectuals are who have theories about the welfare of mankind without regard for individual life. The writer points out Marx, Lenin, Mao, and Stalin as men who had an intellectual theory about the construction of society. Each had no regard for individuals, even those close to them. These theorists used what is called “useful murders.” Mao killed 300,000,000 while working out a social theory and philosophy. All of these men saw mankind as raw material for experimentation. They did not love people. They loved power and played with lives as pieces on a chess board.

Let me quote from T.S. Eliot: “where is the life we have lost in living? Where is the wisdom we have lost in knowledge? Where is the knowledge we have lost in information? The cycles of heaven in twenty centuries bring us further from God and nearer to the dust.”

God made us from dust to move toward God. Eliot points out that we are moving quickly back to the dust.
Knowledge will never be enough. In our high technology world we fail to complete the process moving from data to information to knowledge to wisdom. We get stuck and wisdom loses.

May we understand and believe Barclay, “in our study, wisdom.”

This week carefully consider 1) Who are the wisdom figures in my life? 2) How tempted am I to stop at knowledge? 3) What am I doing to attain and apply wisdom in my relationships?

Words of Wisdom: “Their heads may be smart, but their hearts are ignorant.”

Wisdom from the Word: “Wisdom, like an inheritance, is a good thing; it benefits those who see the light of day.” (Ecclesiastes 7:11 NET Bible)

Weekly Thought – November 9, 2021

Fred learned the value of planning from his mentor, Maxey Jarman. He also watched the leadership and executive habits of successful men and women, drawing on them for his own approach. In true Fred fashion, he distilled the subject down to three points which are useful and applicable.

Each month a group of men and women pray for Christian higher education – the students, parents, faculty, staff, and administration. Please sign up and join us in a time of serious need for prayer support.

Elements of Planning

I was in New York riding down to Wall Street in a cab. A priest stopped the driver asking, “Son, which way to 15th street?” The cabbie very politely explained the directions, let the priest go across the street in front of his vehicle, then turned to me and laughed. “He knows the way to heaven, but can’t get to 15th street!” Planning is both short and long range.

Effective planning includes three elements: simplicity, flexibility, and objectivity.

1) Simplicity. A lot of times I have people come into my office to tell me what they are going to do. Many times I stop them and don’t let them tell the story. Why? Too often they lose steam just telling me. I have seen people experience the thrill of the action just by telling me then avoid the execution. “Just surprise me” is what I usually say. “Tell me about it after you have done it.” Planning, if it gets too complicated, get to be an end in itself and not a means to accomplishment. Complexity is often an ego problem. When someone’s plan becomes too complicated, check for the ego involvement.

2) Flexibility. Henry Ford and his Model T exemplify the problem of rigidity. Ford definitely had a plan – the Model T. He liked it and for years so did the buying public. The jokester said, “Henry Ford offered the Model T in any color the customer wanted – as long as it was black.” Market trends changed and Ford suffered because the plan that once worked beautifully no longer satisfied the buying public. A good plan should be flexible enough so that circumstances don’t have to be forced to fit. Instead, the flexibility of the plan should allow changing circumstances can alter without self-destruction.

3) Objectivity. This means deleting the emotional aspect as much as possible. Common sense should be a key ingredient of the process. To increase the odds of a successful outcome the scientific approach is recommended. I recognize personal interest can never be completely removed, but a workable plan is better devised from an emotional distance. Enthusiasm can sell plans, but strategic thinking should take the lead in the development. Planning should be an exercise in improving the law of averages, don’t you think?

This week think about: 1) Which of the three elements is my strongest? Weakest? 2) What is my planning process? 3) How effective am I in both planning and executing?

Words of Wisdom: “Effective planning includes three elements: simplicity, flexibility, and objectivity.”

Wisdom from the Word: “Plans fail when there is no counsel, but with abundant advisers they are established.” (Proverbs 15:22 NET Bible)

Weekly Thought – November 2, 2021

Fred loved going to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN for his annual physical. He developed a cadre of friends whose conversations in their late night sessions stimulated his thinking. When he required surgery to remove a tumor along his jaw bone in the early 1950s he opted for Minnesota knowing he would receive excellent medical attention and time with his cohorts. One of his favorite visits was with Dr. Howard Rome, whose psychiatric prowess made him internationally known. They spent hours batting around philosophical questions. One was always emotional health.

Emotional Balance

Emotional balance is necessary for a healthy life. Pressure is a fact of life. Without internal tension the stem of a flower droops. Without positive tension humans tend to be unproductive. I like to think of vertical and horizontal stress: the first pulls us together and strengthens; the other pulls us apart and destroys.

I have always been intrigued with car racing and race car drivers. One of the reasons is their ability to avoid panic. This, to me, is one of the signs of emotional balance. One year a client invited me to watch the Indy 500 from the pit area. Their professionalism and disciplined demeanor is impressive. You never expect a driver in trouble to close his eyes, throw his hands up, and scream in panic. No, their minds and bodies are trained to do everything possible to avoid the wall, getting the car off the track and into the infield. Panic is not an option.

I participated in a TV show with Craig Morton. During a break I asked him what it took to be a professional quarterback. “You have to have the ability to stay cool in the pocket.” The training and natural ability to stay emotionally balanced is required.

A sense of humor is key to balance. It is the oil that lubricates, reducing life’s friction. I think of laughter as the “oil of gladness.” I don’t believe I have ever seen a list of qualities of maturity that didn’t include sense of humor. It should be a permeating trait, not separated from the other aspects of the personality. It flavors the whole. Norman Cousins, in his famous work Anatomy of an Illness, demonstrated the power of humor. We hear often “laughter is the best medicine.” Cousins proved that through his own hospital experiences. Of course, scripture spoke of that in ancient times: “A merry heart doeth good like a medicine.” It is true.

My friend Jim Smith underwent serious cancer surgery. In the hospital he wanted to volley back and forth with funny stories, even though it hurt to laugh. As we sat there, he pulled his pillow tight against the incision and went right on laughing.

Emotional balance is critical for the all-important mind/body connection. I am convinced we can transmit messages of health from one to another if we maintain that balance.

This week carefully consider: 1) When was the last time I really laughed? 2) How prone am I to panic? 3) What do I need to do to be better at staying cool in the pocket?

Words of Wisdom: “A sense of humor is the oil that lubricates, reducing life’s friction.”

Wisdom from the Word: “Banish emotional stress from your mind and put away pain from your body, for youth and the prime of life are fleeting.” (Ecclesiastes 11:10 NET Bible)