Renewal inside of a helmet
I limited my telephone calls today while I took a few hours to join three fellow clergymen in a motorcycle road trip. It was not a great day weather-wise, 30 MPH head-on winds forced me to totally focus. The H-D Sportster is a very fast bike but it is not designed for this type of driving–too lite on the front end. Several times today I felt like wind gusts would lift me right off the road at speeds over 70 MPH. The challenge was exhilarating and sharing the time with these men made for a special camaraderie. I will sleep well tonight. Two special events made me take time to put my reflections in writing;
First-during my last hour on the road I began to sing and pray. While moving at speeds nearing 80 MPH my spirit began to intercede about places, people and events. I prayed for scores of pastors and congregations in LA. I prayed for my wife and hundreds of other ladies at the national women’s conference in SFO. I interceded for hundreds of US military in Garmish, Germany for the MTTM retreat; I prayed for spiritual renewal meetings scheduled for Amite and Baton Rouge this week. As I prayed time passed, miles clicked under my wheels and a wonderful sense of the Presence of the Lord filled my mind and heart-fabulous!
Second, I witnessed a great example of the very type of courageous confrontation that we discussed in this blog. I was called by a colleague informing me that he had been offended by a decision I had made recently. I value this man’s opinion so I attempted to explain to him how I had come to my decision. He stopped my explanation to say that he was not offended by my choice but rather by the dishonest way he felt I had dealt with him in the process. As I listened to him confront me with his perspective I realized how difficult it must have been for him to do this. He was not acting out of anger but rather a conviction that a breach had been created between us by my apparent dishonesty. He could not let that pass without confronting me and trying to clear this issue up and to do his part to heal the breach. What courage! What strength of charachter! He refused to hold a bad opinion of a brother without confronting me to get my perspective. I had unknowingly communicated to him something I never intended. The truth was that I held in him in high regard and my miscommunication was a matter of focus and priority rather than any deliberate attempt to mislead or manipulate him. I still had to ask his forgiveness. The bottom line; our friendship was preserved, my communication was refocused and my respect for this brother rose signiificantly. The greatest part of the experience was that I felt as though we made God smile.
Courage | Robert A. Moore, Jr. October 17, 2009
11 Comments to “Renewal inside of a helmet”
RSS feed for comments on this post. TrackBack URI
By Ray Waldo, October 23, 2009 @ 8:33 am
I also generally use the more casual style (as opposed to the emotionally “anointed” style). I even removed the pulpit and stopped wearing a coat and tie on Sunday mornings. After I retired, the church rebuilt the pulpit, however. Thanks for your comment on my CS site btw.
By Bruce Kuhlman, October 22, 2009 @ 9:25 pm
I have had a teacher style the bulk of my ministry (1970 to present)but the past 5-7 years I have emphasized a stronger ‘relationship’ with the student…and generally that is an age thing. The message is basic ‘absolutes of Christianity’ where there are no organizational add-on’s or emphasis. A personal aside, of getting organizationally burned twice in 15 years has caused me to re-evaluate my ministry and put it into a more Book of Acts style. Still very active and still accountable and still proclaiming but realizing I must answer for my minutes and moments as well as movements. Sorry for rambling.
By Ray Waldo, October 22, 2009 @ 7:48 am
@Bruce: What have you changed in your ministry? A long-standing question for many people is the difference between teaching and preaching. Do you feel that your change was in style, technique, or what? I have a discussion going on at my Chiefshepherd site asking the question about teaching/preaching. Check it out at http://chiefshepherd.com/2009/10/preaching-or-teaching/ I look forward to hearing your comments.
By Bruce Kuhlman, October 20, 2009 @ 12:30 pm
It is very interesting and believe it or not…enjoyable to see changes in leaders lives over 30 some years. Out-spoke-ness (alias..Mouth) has been one of my character traits over the years. That has diminished somewhat with age…I enjoy seeing your thoughts in print, Bob, and how reflection affects today’s function in a changing world.
By Robert A. Moore, Jr., October 21, 2009 @ 12:06 am
It’s always great hearing from you Bruce. I thought of you when I was riding into those 30 mph winds last Saturday. I think I may trade up to a heavier ride.
I hope I am changing in the sense that I am learing. Change is of little value in itself. If change is linked with growth and adapting then it is good indeed. My studies have taken me recently to some interesting older books by Charles Handy. He is the man who popularized the idea that all organizations go thru the repetative stages of birth, growth, struggle then decline. He reflects that usually the point of decline creates a crisis that forces us to either adapt and learn better ways to continue or we become ineffective, irrelevent or die. Handy suggests that effective people, leaders, organizations remain effective by practicing what he calls the “discipline of the 2nd curve”. In other words, before the cycle reaches the point of decline we learn enough to start a new growth cycle.
By Bruce Kuhlman, October 21, 2009 @ 9:30 pm
At 66 years old, I am changing directions..I am going full tilt into the Young Life organization, local. We are emphatic about the message..that does not change..but the method is what changes…and it has taken some real hits on my traditional loyalist soul to understand this. What are the names of some of Handy’s books you recommend?
By Robert A. Moore, Jr., October 27, 2009 @ 7:20 pm
Sorry for the delay Bruce. Charles Handy wrote a number of books that affected the structure and strategy of organizational leadership but the most noteworthy (in my opinion) were “Age of Paradox” and “The Age of Unreason.” If you’re interested in a little bit of different reading I’d suggest “The Fifth Discipline” by Peter Senge.
By Jason R Stiltner, October 17, 2009 @ 5:46 pm
Hi Uncle Rob – First time I have visited your site and appreciated that message and example. Love ya.
By Ray Waldo, October 17, 2009 @ 2:20 pm
Integrity, credibility, responsibility, accountability – all these concepts are so interrelated. You are so right that it only takes one mistake…
A statistic that I read somewhere said that it only takes one negative comment to offset eight positive statements.
From my experience, if the negative comment is legitimate, then it probably will take another 80 (legitimate) positive comments to recover – if it is even possible.
By Robert A. Moore, Jr., October 17, 2009 @ 11:07 am
Thanks Ray. I’m not at all sure I deserve those accolades but it feels good to know that I have your respect. I pray I will continue to earn it from you–and from others. What I know is that it is a daily commitment. It only takes one lax moment, careless promise given/not kept or one indiscreet decision and our credibility is shot.
By Ray Waldo, October 17, 2009 @ 10:03 am
This experience speaks well of the other man — but it also speaks well of you as a leader (more appropriately, as OUR leader.)
1. It says that you have communicated to those you lead that your ARE accountable to them as well as the inverse.
2. It also says that you have not spoken words that you did not mean. To publicly state that you received this man’s criticism and yet still hold him in high regard is an encouragement to others who may (rightly or wrongly) also feel offense. It may enable them to also bring their issues to you “head on.” What you have been saying on this blog would mean nothing if you did not put it into practice while operating in your leadership position.
3. It says that you are a real man. The “macho” view of some today suggests that to admit even the slightest failure is to lose some of one’s manliness. The reality of the matter is that the duplicity of refusing to admit failure just leads to more cowardice. IT TAKES A REAL MAN TO ADMIT HE WAS WRONG.
Thank you Rob. It is no small thing to hold such a critical position within the ranks of our denomination. And you have faced some unique “opportunities” during your tenure in Louisiana. However, day by day you reveal more and more about yourself. And each time, I am even more impressed with your integrity and character – as well as the wisdom of your actions. You are a great leader. I am proud to call you my friend!
I just finished a related article on “The Source of Authority” if anyone would like to see it, just click the link:
http://chiefshepherd.com/2009/10/source-authority/