From Brokenness to Openness

What do you do when you reach the end of your rope? Who do you turn to when your family and friends turn their backs on you when you are down to your last few dollars in finances? What happens when you feel like not even God hears your prayers? What do you say when you feel like you are in a place of hopelessness and brokenness and feel the darkness creeping in on you from every direction?

I don’t know about you but a situation like this has happened to me more than once in my lifetime. I think we both agree that this is not a desirable position in which to find ourselves. However, all is not lost. When I am in a situation like this I remind myself of the words of an iconic United States Marine named Chesty Puller. The timeframe was during the Korean War. Chesty (whom I believe was a general at that time) and his men were surrounded on all sides by the enemy and the situation was desperate.

When informed of the situation and asked what he was going to do, Chesty made the following comment: "So they've got us surrounded, good! Now we can fire in any direction, those b*****ds won't get away this time!" Chesty and his men fought their way out of that situation, and I suggest that it will take a fight for you to get out of your situation. I am sure that Chesty and his men developed tactics and a strategy in order to fight their way out.

As Christians we know that if we are doing God’s will then the battle does not belong to us, but to the Lord. However we still have to be present in order to learn from the circumstance or situation. We cannot merely wish that the Lord fight our battle. We have to be there to develop a strategy and put some skin in the game. I don’t know if you know it but we live in a participative universe. God won’t help us unless we help ourselves.

If you are looking for tactics or a strategy in order to turn your adversity into an advantage. Then I suggest you come to my “Straight Talk about Success and Spiritual Growth” public seminar on May 15, in Houston, Texas. In this seminar, we will discuss how to overcome the obstacles that stand in the way to having success in every facet of our lives. We will provide you a strategy that will turn your brokenness into freedom and openness through a better relationship with God

We will also provide a CD set via the Internet which will discuss in greater detail the information provided in this seminar. For more information about the seminar and how to register, you may go to the following website: www.asapresents.com/Seminars.html.

Servant Leadership

About one week ago I was talking with my friend Jesse (who is a West Point graduate and now semi-retired after a very successful business career). We spoke about the lack of effective leadership in this country, more specifically about the lack of true servant leaders. A servant leader is one who helps the members of his/her team to reach their full potential and therefore perform at their best for the organization. This concept of servant leadership was developed by Robert K. Greenleaf in his book titled “Servant Leadership”.

A servant leader is not a “me first” leader. Let me see if I can illustrate this point. As a Naval Aviator in the United States Marine Corps I always made sure that the people who reported directly to me ate before I did. My rationale was that these were the people that worked on the aircraft that I flew and as much as possible I wanted them to have the best of everything including the best cuts and pieces of meat. Many times my men wanted me to go to the head of the line but I always refused and followed them through the line and then I ate what was left.

My payback was the fact that many times when I was scheduled for a flight I would notice that “my guys” would spend extra time pre-flighting the aircraft and making sure that every system was operating to the best of its ability. This not only helped keep me safe but also affected the operational readiness of my squadron, which increased the operational readiness of the entire Marine Corps.

You see I learned early in my military career that if I worked hard for my men then my men would work hard for me. Additionally when we were deployed I would spend time with my men to determine how their family members were doing back home. When necessary I would point them towards proper resources in order to resolve concerns and issues.

My point is that we need more servant leaders in our businesses, organizations and homes. A servant leader is made and not born. I do not believe that this theory of leadership is taught enough in our organizations and schools. I do however believe that the reason it is not taught more often is that not enough people know about it or have experienced its benefits. We can build strong organizations and countries by putting the needs of others before your own. Just take a look at what a man named Jesus Christ accomplished using this model of leadership.