Consistent Living

Weekly Thought – March 29, 2016

Fred’s book, Learning to Lead was published by Christianity Today, Inc. in 1986. Although out of print, the wisdom continues to challenge generations of leaders. We will be drawing from the well of these writings to inspire and motivate.

The Breakfast With Fred Leadership Institute allows us to meet, mentor, and befriend men and women on Christian college and university campuses. It is with great joy we undertake this work. Thank you for your continual support.

Consistent Living

I often speak at Christian retreats. Sometimes I feel like there are those who attend with the sole purpose of fulfilling their spiritual obligations. I get the mental picture of children who are not allowed to leave the table until they have eaten their spinach. Finally, with a grimace they gulp it all down at one time, then beat a hasty exit from the table.

For two or three days, the participants talk about their faith. But if you say, “Hey, fellas, this is great, why don’t we get together every weekend and do this?” “Uh, NO,” would be the embarrassed but automatic response.

A mature faith is homogenized, not sectionalized. I am very impressed with one church which created a program called “Growth.” They meet one Saturday each month and lay people get to consider their whole lives, not just the “religious” part. Some of their topics have been: investments, ambition and office politics, family discipline, decision making. At other times they talk frankly about money, not just whether tithing is gross or net! In developing these programs the church is acknowledging that our faith is fully integrated into all of life.

Another key area of integration is our relationship with non-believers. As Christians we shouldn’t be antagonistic. We should seek to find commonalities rather than continually pointing out the differences. We just seek to draw close, not move away into our little holy huddles. In being transformed by the renewing of our minds, we are called to freedom in Christ. Our lives are to be redemptive, not vindictive.

A major part of that is the way we live with Christ at the center, not as an add-on. When we set redemption as a goal we strive to demonstrate victory over death. The fully integrated Christian lives a resurrection life. This is maturity.

This week think about: 1) How integrated is my life? 2) How strong a thread is my faith in my life? 3) What can I do to experience freedom in Christ?

Words of Wisdom: “A mature faith is homogenized, not sectionalized.”

Wisdom from the Word: “Therefore we must progress beyond the elementary instructions about Christ and move on to maturity, not laying this foundation again: repentance from dead works and faith in God.” (Hebrews 6:1 NET Bible)

Spiritual Scattershooting

Weekly Thought – March 22. 2016

Fred never entered into active politics, but he understood those who did. He gave the entire process much thought and analysis. The one time he engaged was for the unsuccessful gubernatorial run of Maxey Jarman in Tennessee. Even then he had great vision and profound grasp of the principles involved. “You ran against the other party’s opponent before you secured your own party’s endorsement. You ran the wrong race.”

Thank you for your consistent and continual support. We are less than one month away from our BWFLI events at Lindsey Wilson College and Alice Lloyd College – both in Kentucky. Lift up the teams as they prepare, travel, and engage on these campuses. If you would like to join us in praying for Christian higher education, please come together with us in the BWFLI Prayer Network.

Spiritual Scattershooting (thoughts on various subjects from January 2, 1964)

C.S. Lewis observed that the most fertile soil for infiltration of Marxism will be within the field of religion, because religious people are the most gullible and will accept almost anything if it is couched in religious terminology. This may be a bit broad-brushed, but sadly when it is only religion and not spiritual relationship this blindness occurs. It is also true that many orthodox, fundamental Christians block out truth which is not clothed with religious terminology. I like the think of this as the difference between ritual and reality. Sometimes the vestments hide what is behind them. And sometimes truth resides there – sometimes not.

That is why we are warned to guard against believing someone is “the Christ” just because they have the demeanor, the language, and the outward expressions. The Spirit must witness to the truth – not the terminology, language, place, ritual, or even organization.
Christianity sacrifices its power when it is no longer personal. Change religion and God into a vague, indefinable, universal force and the wilderness ensues. God must be personal.

Too many clergymen have apparently come to regard their jobs as being formulators of public opinion on social problems. They ask the government to be a modern day Robin Hood, taking money legally away from one group and redistributing it to another.

In today’s pulpit we hear ministers with two solutions to the problem of sin: spiritual rebirth or social, governmental activity. When they focus on the second and ignore the first they are doomed to failure.

Only the impossible is adequate in the spiritual life. God is bigger than man’s understanding of Him. It is tragic to think of God being reduced down to man’s best thinking about Him. When Jesus chose His disciples He didn’t tap the intellectual elites, but men whose finite minds were open to infinite ideas.

This week think about: 1) When I am just scattershooting about God, what comes to mind? 2) How can I think more consistently about scripture? 3) Who models “thinking Christianly” in my life?

Words of Wisdom: “Change religion and God into a vague, indefinable, universal force and the wilderness ensues.”

Wisdom from the Word: “The law of their God controls their thinking; their feet do not slip.” (Psalm 37:31 NET Bible)

Not Just A Game

Weekly Thought – March 15, 2016

Fred and Mary Alice enjoyed sports. No one criticized the Cowboys when she was around – and you didn’t carry on casual conversation during the game! Fred’s friendship with All-America, All-Pro Bill Glass lasted over 50 years. He enjoyed talking with “Big Bill” about life principles he found in sports. Here are some of those ideas jotted down in the 1970s.

Not Just A Game

Sports are valuable for they not only teach us how to play, but also how to live. In sports we see the benefit of opposition. You can’t miss it when you watch Joe Green compete against Craig Morton. What if the league decided to ban opposition? What if Joe kept his hands down so Craig could pass better? What is Craig stood still so Joe could sack him easier? The crowd would kill them both! The game is thrilling and exciting because of opposition… the successful handling of opposition.

Life is like that – we succeed as we face and overcome opposition. We get stronger as we shoulder our burden – as we shove aside temptations and climb the hill of our adversity.

The hand is a wonderful thing. It carries its own opposition. It is the thumb. All the fingers press against it. This way we can lift, grip and twist. Without the opposition of the thumb we are crippled. I am told disability insurance pays more for the loss of a thumb than for a finger.

In life we learn to use our opposition. As we do, we get experience. Confidence comes with experience and then we learn to win. So be thankful for opposition.

A distinguished psychiatrist once told me it isn’t what we see in that’s important – it’s what the person sees. One of those the athlete sees is the will to win… the drive to be a pro. The doctor went on to say if we can know what the person sees we can forecast behavior. When we know what is going on inside the athlete we can see if there is the willingness to play hurt, the ability to concentrate on being the best at one thing. I like to call this “Pauline focus: ‘this one thing I do.’”

This week I played golf with an executive who told me: “We can test ability and personality, but we can’t test price he is willing to pay for success.”

This is where championship starts for all of us – the will to win… the will to win… to stay in the game even when losing and keep coming on. This isn’t true just on the football field but in the factory, the home, the office, the church, and the community. We can all be pros.

This week think about: 1) What is opposing me right now? 2) How can I distinguish healthy opposition from negative? 3) When did I identify my will to win?

Words of Wisdom: The hand is a wonderful thing; it carries its own opposition.”

Wisdom from the Word: “But although we suffered earlier and were mistreated in Philippi, as you know, we had the courage in our God to declare to you the gospel of God in spite of much opposition. (1 Thessalonians 2:2 NET Bible)

Emotional Stability

Weekly Thought – March 8, 2016

Fred was never without paper and pen. He was constantly thinking, processing, analyzing, and jotting. Thousands of these thoughts ended up on 3 x 5 cards sorted according to topic. He thoroughly enjoyed taking a topic and trying to exhaust it by following logical trains of thought.

Thank you for responding to the invitation to join our Prayer Network. Please come pray with us for Christian higher education.

Emotional Stability

* The present is more than a down payment on the future – it is part of the future and should be as you would like the future to be. If you are sincere in wanting the future to be different then you prove it by making today different.

* The best solution for many of our problems is to simply outgrow them.

* Sometimes the only antidote for fear or pessimism is to do something outrageously optimistic.

* Some people become isolated because they have a fear of random events which they might not be able to handle.

* Not everyone is willing to go through the pain of being cured.

* People have a potential for happiness as they have a potential for greatness, but often they are not attained because discipline is lacking.

* Those who are surveyed as to happiness show that the happiest are those who are less guilty and more conscious of love. All the other things seem to be less significant.

* A happy life includes commitment and involvement. The more involved a person is the greater his capacity for pleasure, but also for pain.

* Those who pride themselves on their hardness of heart are emotional cowards.

* Mental health professionals can isolate the factors that go into happiness, but they cannot always come up with the recipe with the correct elements and proportions for its development. The recipe for happiness varies from person to person.

Think about this week: 1) What makes me happy? 2) How do I define emotional stability? 3) When do I experience commitment and involvement?

Words of Wisdom: “The best solution for many of our problems is to simply outgrow them.”

Wisdom from the Word: “As your words came to me I drank them in, and they filled my heart with joy and happiness because I belong to you, O Lord, the God who rules over all.” (Jeremiah 15:16 NET Bible)

Sin is Real

Weekly Thought – March 1, 2016

Fred clearly believed in “original sin.” He never doubted the need for grace and forgiveness. When asked about it he explained it was the only reasonable explanation for life. He held strongly to the goodness of God.

Sin is Real

We are so afraid of minimizing sin, we find it difficult to accept forgiveness for fear we will begin to enjoy sinning. We start to set up artificial measures of whether a person is a believer or not by how much they do or do not enjoy sin. Then we start to look at how long we last between sinning and feeling remorse.

The weakness in this thinking is that we fail to see the change of attitude toward past and future sin. Our gratitude for grace is evidenced in our attitude toward future sin. We accept that expecting to stop sinning leans on our own human efforts. We have to soberly think about our attitude toward all sin.

If we fall into the immaturity of thinking sin is covered so we can sin in order that “grace may abound,” we are simply accepting grace as a bromide for the morning after sickness. If we accept grace as the only answer for our sin (original nature of man) then we realize it isn’t ours to handle. Only the power of the Holy Spirit can deliver us. Moving on in grace is as much a work of the Spirit as is our salvation.

When we allow guilt (created by ourselves) over sins of the past, we cloud over the future. There is certainly divine discipline and God works in us to point us to Him, but He doesn’t create a situation in which we repeatedly beat ourselves up over past sins.

Those who try to deny others the reconciliation through repentance are holding them accountable through human efforts, not Godly relationship. Too often we try to hold others by the throat bringing up past sins. When forgiveness comes, it is not our job to dredge up the details. We are to be people who live in grace with others. We are to live in an “attitude of forgiveness” which allows us to experience restoration.

This week think about: 1) How do I define sin? 2) What areas in my life are most susceptible to sin? 3) When do I celebrate grace with myself and with others?

Words of Wisdom: “We are so afraid of minimizing sin, we find it difficult to accept forgiveness.”

Wisdom from the Word: “to give his people knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins.” (Luke 1:77 NET Bible)

Yes or No

Weekly Thought – February 23, 2016

Fred “took a dim view” (as he would say) of those who saw themselves as exceptions to the rule. Or, those who treated exceptions as the norm.

The BWFLI Prayer Network is committed to praying for our Christian colleges and universities. We are standing with them as they educate the next generation of men and women who take Christ to the world. If you want to join us, please email brenda@bwfli.com

Yes or No

As leaders, our decisions determine the character of our organizations. We cannot make exceptions for ourselves. The leader is responsible for keeping options in line with right character.

Character decisions must be disciplined decisions. However, I see several undisciplined patterns, responses, and rationales. Here are a few:

1) Trying to maintain control – Some organizations create structures for personal control, not for leadership development. Generally, the control-driven leader is self-serving. Dictators do not develop great succession plans. The extreme controller damages the organization by sabotaging others who are viewed as competition or threats. Instability is often the negative result.

2) Trying to outdo the competition – Healthy competition is part of the infrastructure of commerce, but conniving, fraudulent practices to undercut other companies or products makes for bad decisions. Keeping two sets of books, hiding safety reports, undercutting prices, or corporate espionage are examples of character degeneration. Unhealthy leaders give birth to unhealthy environments.

3) Refusing to admit mistakes – Leaders must name and claim mistakes as soon as possible. They must minimize the loss, and start remedial actions immediately. They now call it damage control, but when I grew up it was called taking responsibility for my actions. In the 1960s the sitcom Happy Days featured the Fonz. He was incapable of saying, “I was wrong.” That style never works for real leaders.

4) Hiring or firing people based on politics – A leader’s first question should be: “Will this appointment help the organization to fulfill its mission?” not “Will this person vote my way or forward my personal goals?” I was once asked to sit on a friend’s board. I asked, “Will I have the freedom to disagree with your decisions?” “Fred, I think this probably isn’t a good idea.” He wanted a “yes man,” but that wasn’t the best for the organization.

This week think about: 1) Do I ever take a shortcut and make a self-focused decision? 2) How easy is it for me to admit I am wrong? 3) What can I do to encourage disciplined decisions in my home or organization?

Words of Wisdom: “Unhealthy leaders give birth to unhealthy environments.”

Wisdom from the Word: “An honorable man makes honorable plans; his honorable character gives him security.” (Isaiah 32:8 NET Bible)

Swimming Up Stream

Weekly Thought – February 16, 2016

Fred advocated for leaders who wisely considered the impact of cultural pressure. He understood the target which is permanently painted on the backs of leaders. “Going along to get along” was never his mantra. These thoughts from Fred were written decades ago, but hit the bull’s eye today.

BWFLI is committed to hope. Hunter Baker in an essay on higher education and civility remarked: “…Christians are not free to live without hope.” Teams are ambassadors of God in Christ. And teams receive the encouragement of seeing men and women growing in Christ, preparing to lead the world.

Swimming Up Stream

The integrity of a leader often is shown in the stand he or she takes for right against mistaken, but popular, concepts. They do this not to just be different or difficult, but daring enough to be right, avoiding the temptation to join in the swim downstream by challenging the direction of the flow.

I heard writer Chaim Potok say, “A true leader is never absorbed in the stream in which he swims.” Scripture calls this being transformed rather than being conformed.

Our society is facing many positions that need challenge and clarification. For example, relativism, situational ethics, personal responsibility versus rights, acquisition and distribution of wealth, equality, political expediency, self-love as expressed in image and significance, and the power of peer pressure.

While these issues rage, values and ethics have become a hot subject – almost to the point of becoming a cultural fad. Big philanthropic dollars are pouring into think tanks to study the subject; colleges are opening up departments to investigate their impact; and writers are prolifically cranking out page after page for best seller lists.

I once spoke to a conference built around “values-based leadership.” Everything that was said was well and good, but I felt I needed to point out we need to root our human values in divine virtues or we end up being controlled by our human desires and vacillating according to our human interests.

True authenticity requires the foundation of virtue (which is scriptural!) not just manufactured in convenience and social exigency. We need values based on virtues given by God.

Just as Newton did not create gravity, but discovered it, so we cannot create true virtues, but discover them, making them the bedrock of our values. We must be careful we don’t sacrifice truth on the altar of popular acceptance. Values without virtues are barren.

This week think about: 1) What is the bedrock of my values system? 2) When am I tempted to “go along to get along?” 3) How can I be a person of hope this week?

Words of Wisdom: “Values without virtues are barren.”

Wisdom from the Word: “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of his own, so that you may proclaim the virtues of the one who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” (1 Peter 2:9 NET Bible)

People Patterns

Weekly Thought – February 9, 2016

Fred spoke and wrote much about matching organizations and people. The concept of “fit” is important to the effective organization. He believed leaders needed to use the art and science of discernment when making good personnel decisions.

The BWFLI season is well underway. The steering committees at Lindsey Wilson College, Alice Lloyd College, Asbury University, and Palm Beach University are diligently planning venues. Continue praying for all who are preparing as team members. And pray for the students to find a connection.

People Patterns

Strong leaders identify patterns of behavior in their associates, especially those who are close to them. I have found it helpful to employ people in the area of their gifts, and passions. Then you only have to coordinate them, not supervise. I want to know about:

1) Character – This determines how a person uses his or her intelligence.

2) Confidence level – This is critical because it permits someone to attempt a task with a positive attitude and concentration. Loss of concentration is often disastrous.

3) Concept of self – This reflects how a person sees themselves. I am not talking about self-image, but self-worth. This has a lot to do with a person’s willingness to accept responsibility and self-development.

4) Collegial abilities – This assists to maximize team environments. Loners can be stars, but rarely make good team members. It is good to know whether a person is cooperative or competitive and under which conditions and circumstances.

5) Commitment – This is particularly critical because understanding of the organization’s vision and mission make a difference in the progress of the associate and the organization. Matching a person’s skills and passions with the overall vision is one of the key responsibilities of the strong leader.

This discernment is particularly important as measured by the size of the organization. One person out of place in a group of 100 represents 1%. The wrong person in the wrong place in a group of 5 represents 20%. Trying to continue with a misfit is like trying to run a marathon with a pebble in the shoe. Understanding behavior is the key to peak performance.

This week think about: 1) What concerns do I have about fit? 2) How can I tell my associates are being optimized? 3) What can I do to strengthen my people reading skills?

Words of Wisdom: “It is good to know whether a person is cooperative or competitive and under which conditions and circumstances.”

Wisdom from the Word: “God gave Solomon wisdom and very great discernment; the breadth of his understanding was as infinite as the sand on the seashore.” (1 Kings 4:29 NET Bible)

Leading The Charge

Weekly Thought – February 2, 2016

Fred often asked “What is the object of the exercise?” He sought clarity before taking action. He particularly appreciated leaders who valued vision as a key responsibility.

BWFLI is moving quickly into the 2016 schedule. Planning for all four schools is well underway. Your prayer and financial support is greatly appreciated. Please lift up Lindsey Wilson College, Alice Lloyd College, Asbury University, and Palm Beach Atlantic University. And pray for the teams as they prepare.

Leading The Charge

Max DePree, author of Leadership Jazz once said, “The number one responsibility of top management is to define reality.”
Why are we operating? What are we about? What are we dedicated to? Once those questions have been addressed and a consensus around their answers develops, a leader has a mandate – a foundation out of which to determine programs, recruit leadership, establish organizational culture, and figure out what and what not to do.

1) Loyalty to the mandate, not the leader is critical. The leader has to say, “I am subservient to this mandate. You don’t serve me. Your job isn’t to make me happy. And don’t keep me in charge unless I fulfill the mandate.”

2) Narrow the focus. There needs to be specificity in the mandate – no broad umbrella statements which cover like tents. It should not be possible to interpret a mandate except in a narrow sense.

3) Create the right team. When a leader is sure of the mandate, he or she can create a more effective team. The needed leadership can be defined. Selection can be largely determined by the mandate.

4) Call is different from mandate. Mandate is institutional; call is personal. A leader needs to have a sense of call and dedication to serve effectively. Leaders continue to measure their call against the organizational mandate to assess the sync.

As leaders think about the mandate for their organizations, they should remember: the simplest way it can be accomplished is the most effective. Organizations tend to let what they do become too complicated. Albert Einstein once said, “God does what he does in its simplest form.” How can we improve upon that?

This week think about: 1) Do I operate with clarity in both my mandates and my call? 2) How effective are my teams? 3) What can I do this week to simplify my operations?

Words of Wisdom: “As leaders think about the mandate for their organizations, they should remember: the simplest way it can be accomplished is the most effective.”

Wisdom from the Word: “He prayed: ‘O Lord, God of Israel, there is no god like you in heaven above or on earth below! You maintain covenantal loyalty to your servants who obey you with sincerity.’” (1 Kings 8: 23 NET Bible)

Understanding Each Other

Weekly Thought – January 26, 2016

Fred’s grasp of human nature gave him an almost uncanny ability to “read” people. His understanding of fundamental principles allowed him to assess motivations, habit patterns, and behavior. As in many situations, Fred knew there was an art and a science to the study of people.

Understanding Each Other

Those who use discernment in leadership can be helped by these principles:

1) Everyone is logical according to his or her reasoning base. I used to believe everyone who disagreed with me was illogical (since I was the measure of logic, of course). Alfred Adler showed me that everyone is logical if you understand the fundamental premise from which he/she is operating. It is important to recognize you don’t know the person’s base until you can accurately predict future behavior. Understanding their base enables me to understand their logic.

2) Dependence can create hostility. One of my psychiatrist friends introduced me to this concept. It has been emotionally helpful in business, and mentoring, as well as with the family. This occurs when someone is dependent emotionally, financially, or spiritually on someone else, and gets angry about it. In older age physical dependence can create this hostile environment. We see this in long term employment situations, and even in long term marriages. People who grow dependent deny their need while continuing to accept the benefits of the situation. “Don’t bite the hand that feeds you” is a perfect example of hostile dependence lived out.

3) Psychic space requirements differ from one person to another. In a small group a woman became extremely emotional and shouted out, “I hate you, I hate you!” What happened? The leader of the group invaded her personal space and triggered an outburst. As leaders, we need to be careful to correctly identify boundaries and not create emotionally compromising situations. Those who head cross-culturally certainly understand this concept for these limits change dramatically from one culture to another, creating possibilities for misunderstanding and mistrust. We have spiritual space, as well. Too often people jump into another’s space with “penetrating” questions that border on the curious not the interested. We must earn the right to be invited into “soul space.”

Understanding these principles helps us lead with integrity. Facts are always preceded by feelings and using discernment allows us to match one with the other.

This week think about: 1) How can I grow in the use of discernment? 2) What examples can I think of to demonstrate each principle? 3) How well do I know the people around me?

Words of Wisdom: “People who grow dependent deny their need while continuing to accept the benefits of the situation.”

Wisdom from the Word: “indeed, if you call out for discernment – raise your voice for understanding” (Proverbs 2:3 NET Bible)

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