Category: Leading in Life

Nancy and I have been staying in Marion, South Carolina for the past couple of nights. The town and the county in which it is located are named for Francis Marion, an American patriot who served during the Revolutionary War. He was known to the British as “The Swamp Fox,” because he used surprise attacks, and trickery to overcome British troops even though the British troops’ numbers were nearly always greater than Marion’s.  As I’ve been reading about Colonel Marion and watching some videos based on his life, I’ve discovered that he is one of three American patriots on whose life the main character in Mel Gibson’s movie The Patriot is based.

In one of the videos I watched about Marion, he gives a rousing speech about why despite being outnumbered, outgunned and in virtually every way being the underdogs in the war for independence they will win: they are fighting for their land, their families and their country. They have a cause worthy of defending. He points out that the British are there because they are paid to be there. They aren’t defending their homes. They are simply taking orders. The point is obvious: When we have a worthy cause, a cause for which we would be willing to die, we have a reason to live! As I listened to Colonel Marion’s speech, I thought, “Yes! I would serve him. I would serve his cause. I would be glad to fight and even die for such a leader.”

We have such a cause, and an even greater leader, if Jesus Christ is the one we serve as Savior and Lord. He has already lived, died and risen again for us. He has given us new lives empowered by His Holy Spirit. The enemy we fight is real. The stakes are eternal. Sometimes it’s easier to watch a video of a leader from more than 200 years ago and say, “Yes, I would follow him!” than to remember that we’re following a leader and living out a cause who is superior to any leader or cause in history. Until we remember that what we are living as Jesus’ followers in His cause which is worth dying for if necessary, we will never live with the passion, zeal and integrity we need in a time such as this. Francis Marion helped me to remember that great leaders are worthy of being followed in any era.

One of the most common questions we hear about leadership today is, “Where are the great leaders?” We ask this question every four years when we have presidential elections. We ask it every time we read about or watch the news of another leader in the business world, or field of education, or in the ministry who has compromised his or her integrity for personal gain or personal indulgence. As you and I seek to live as leaders at home, work, church or in the world, we may think, “I’m never going to be president,” or “I’m never going to lead an understaffed group of soldiers against an occupying army,” or “I’m never going to be the president of the company,” but each of us can and must remember that we are leaders in the army of Jesus Christ. We often want to downplay the military terminology when it comes to our participation in the cause of Jesus Christ, but the truth is we are engaged in a spiritual battle every moment of every day of our lives.

What role do we play in the battle? At different times we may be foot soldiers, or members of the cavalry, or sergeants, captains or even generals. The position we hold doesn’t matter nearly as much as how we discharge our service in each moment. Whether we’re “privates” or “generals” our cause is worthy. We are not mercenaries, merely at our posts because we’re being paid a sum of money. We’re patriots. We’re part of the cause of eternity, and we’re called to use every bit of wisdom, truth, strategy and love God has given us as we engage our enemy. We must remember the Apostle Paul’s words that tell us our battle is NOT against flesh and blood, in other words not against people, but against spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms (See Ephesians 6:10 and following.). Then we must remember that spiritual battles must be fought with spiritual weapons. We must wear the armor of God and engage the enemy with the sword of the Spirit, which is God’s word.

As we engage the battle we must remember that we have already won. Jesus won the victory over sin and death 2,000 years ago on the cross. As Francis Marion spoke to his troops so long ago, he spoke with the conviction of one who knew his cause was just and that the victory was already theirs, even though the reality of that victory seemed far from certain in the moment. We must always remember that there is no doubt about the ultimate outcome of the war in which we are engaged. We have already won. Let’s live as leaders on the victorious side, being gracious to those who have been defeated, because they have served the losing side out of ignorance and being deceived. As Paul said our battle is NOT against flesh and blood, against people, but against the spiritual forces that have controlled them. At the end of the battle there will be some people who are separated from us because they have chosen to follow the enemy. As long as the battle continues we have the opportunity to win them over to our side. That is part of what it means to be a leader in God’s army.

I saw this clearly in one of the videos I watched about The Swamp Fox. Some of the “Tories,” those loyal to Great Britain, were burning the homes of their patriotic neighbors. In one case a Tory leader brought his group to the home of his brother, who was in the Continental army. He locked his brother in the barn and set it on fire. Colonel Marion and a few of his men showed up in the nick of time, drove off the Tories and saved the man. A few scenes later a group of patriots, some who served in the Continental army and some who did not, are shown marching toward the home of a family of Tories. They are intent on burning the home to the ground in retaliation for what had been done to them. The Swamp Fox shows up and reminds the group that after the war, they are going to be neighbors and family members. He tells the group that the Tories will forget their allegiance to Britain, but they will never forget that their friends and neighbors burned their homes.

It was a pivotal moment. It showed the merit of the patriotic cause. It showed the noble nature of Marion. It reminded me that our battle is not against flesh and blood, but in the evil spiritual forces behind what human beings do to one another, and that after the battle we will be neighbors. As leaders in God’s army we must remember that we serve the cause of Jesus Christ, and the goal is to draw all people to Him, that each of us may live together as brothers and sister for eternity. The war is already won. The battles continue and casualties can and will come. We must do all we can do to lead from the virtue of our cause, and the reality that at the end of the day all who remain will live as brothers and sisters forever. Let’s live that cause, whatever our role may be at this moment, to God’s glory and to the end that as many as possible may experience the life that is truly life now and forever through Him.

Here’s to leading by living our cause fervently and effectively–today!

On Tuesday evening while Nancy and I were at the Pittsburgh Pirates game, Manager Clint Hurdle put Tony Watson in to pitch in the 7th inning. If you are any kind of a Pirate fan, you know that has been something quite typical over the past several years. In either the 7th or 8th innings Hurdle has relied on Watson to come into games and hold leads. Watson has done that extremely well–until the last several games. In fact, over his previous three appearances Watson had been hit hard, given up a number of runs and lost a couple of the games.

So why put Watson into the game on Tuesday night with a slim two-run lead? Because Clint Hurdle trusts Tony Watson. Because good leaders base their trust on experience not feelings. Watson has proven his effectiveness over the past several years, and the past several outings are most likely an anomaly. The only way for Hurdle to know whether that was the case was to put his trust in Watson and give him the opportunity pitch again. Had Watson blown another lead, which led to another Pirates’ loss, the trust may have seemed misplaced. Thankfully, (speaking as an avid Pirates fan!) Watson came through and pitched a “clean” inning, giving up a single hit and no runs.

One of the important characteristics of leaders is they trust people. While we live in a world where it seems increasingly difficult to trust others, my experience has been when you put your trust in people, they generally give their best to show themselves worthy of that trust. I need to be clear that trusting someone doesn’t mean being gullible. It wasn’t gullibility that led Clint Hurdle to trust Tony Watson on Tuesday night, but several years of demonstrated competency. I remember the words of former President Reagan when he was asked whether we ought to trust other governments, particularly when it came to nuclear arms. He said, “Trust and verify.”

Great leaders in life practice trust with verification, not gullibility or wishful thinking. As you consider whether to trust a co-worker, an acquaintance at church, someone who serves on a community board with you or anyone in your spheres of influence, it’s always helpful to base your trust on what you know of the person’s track record. Has he or she been trustable in your experience in the past? If you don’t know the person well are you willing to demonstrate trust and then verify that it is well placed? In other words, are you willing to entrust the person with responsibility or with sensitive information and then respond based on how he handles the trust. It is never good leadership to trust blindly regardless of performance or faithfulness in a relationship. Good leadership trusts and responds according to the response of the other person.

People have asked me why I am so trusting, and why I assume people will do what they say they will do, despite the reality that sometimes people aren’t trustable. My short response is that I have found most people, probably 95%, have responded positively to my entrusting them with responsibility, sensitive information, or friendship. I’m not going to let the small percentage who have not been trustable turn me into a cynical or suspicious person. Life is far too short to always expect the worst of people.

I’ll admit when I saw Tony Watson warming up before the 7th inning the other night, I turned to Nancy and asked, “Why is Clint Hurdle putting Watson in the game?” My memory was too short, clouded by the past few days, rather than remembering the past several years. I once heard Clint Hurdle say, “You all have an opinion about what I should do in any situation, and you’re entitled to it. In that moment my opinion is the one that matters, and I make the best choice I can based on the best information I have available to me at the time.” As it turned out, Hurdle was right to trust Tony Watson, and after the 7th inning my trust was reinforced as well. I hope the next time you have the opportunity to trust or mistrust someone, you will make your decision based on the best information you have available at the time, because about 95% of the time the person will be worthy of your trust.

Here’s to leading better–today!