Leadership and Those 3 Magic Words!

I watched Barak Obama's press conference on Wednesday first with wonder and then with great unease. At least four times the President was asked something like this: "Is it possible that you have not heard the American people, and that some of your policies are wrong?"
       Each time the President gave an answer like this: "Clearly the American people are not happy" and "clearly we have to do better."
       I wanted to SCREAM at the TV, "Just admit that you were wrong on some things! Humble yourself, mr. President!"
       But he did not. Pride got the best of Mr. Obama, as it gets of many leaders who have an immense sense of power and authority. Pastors and other Christian leaders are tripped up by this over and over again.
       Somehow I thought Obama just might rise above petty politics, discover humility, own up to situations and policies in which he was wrong.
       Instead he acknowledged that the Democrats were beaten badly in the election. Duhhhhh....
       My point here is not to say that Mr. Obama's policies are right or wrong, best or worst for the American people. But surely Mr. Obama can own up to at least SOME poor policy decisions, even a few! But to put it on the American people and to say they are upset is just dodging the leadership issue. 
       There are two sets of words that every great leadership says AND means and lives humbly by - we would all do well to seek to live with these words on our lips - so would Mr. Obama:


"I was wrong."


"I don't know."

That's My Girl!

Carly is doing really well at Westmont College in Santa Barbara.
Last Sunday was Halloween and some students had a party (I guess). Carly dressed as a Zebra, as you can see from the photos.
That's My Girl! Ya gotta love what college has to offer!

An Open Letter to U.S. President Barack Obama

Dear Mr. President,
Today is the day after the election in which the Democratic Party was roundly defeated by the Republicans. Today is also the next day in your presidency, and so as a citizen of the U.S. I am writing to you with several requests.

       1. I am a supporter of yours, which borders on crazy for me to say in public because many people in my circle of friends are NOT supporters of you. As one of your supporters, I want to remind you about something that Bill Clinton learned. You can campaign from the political left, and you may be able to win a presidential election speaking from the left. However, you must govern from the political center-right.
       2. Resist the temptation to be a political idealogue. You are a left-leaning politician, but do not use your political views as a battering ram. Political idealogues on the right are nothing more than thugs; political idealogues on the left are nothing more than goofy jokers. Do not fall in these categories. Rise above the partisan bickering of this current political climate.
       3. Now that the Democrats have held the Senate (barely), please find a new Majority Leader. Harry Reid has thoroughly discredited himself and is simply a weak leader. Please help your party find new leadership.
       4. Align yourself with the so-called "Blue Dog Democrats," those 50 or so fiscally conservative Democrats who are the last remnant of what was called a "moderate." Oddly, many of these people lost in the election, leaving the political middle ground vacant. Still, I urge you Mr. President to move into the political middle and govern from there.
       You have the most difficult job in this country, and I do not envy you for the responsibility you have. I hope, and pray, that you will govern well in the coming days.
Sincerely,
Brian Newman
Lakewood, CO
(CO- 7th Congressional District)

Today is Election Day in America

Mercifully, today is Election Day in America.
YEA!
No more political ads on TV.
No more canned phone calls with recordings of candidates.
No more four-color flyers in the mail blabbing about the candidates!
YEA!
God save the Queen!

Movember Mustache time!

Today is November 1st and the beginning of MOVEMBER. For the next month I'm joining a bunch of guys in growing our mustaches for the next 30 days - all for the purpose of growing awareness about men's health issues (such as prostate cancer).
       I'll post some photos of my "progress" with the mustache in the coming days. My greatest anxiety is that it will grow in grey!

Juvenile, Childish, Idiotic Politics

"Stupid is as stupid does." So said Forrest Gump. If this is true then Colorado Senate candidates Ken Buck and Michael Bennet are acting in pretty STUPID WAYS. Call it juvenile, childish, idiotic.
       Yesterday, public TV channel 12 said that there is more money flowing into this Senate campaign than any other Senate race in the United States. Millions and millions of dollars being spent on destroying each candidate's credibility and personal integrity.
       Like many people in Colorado and around the country, I am so sick, so tired of this political season. I'm counting the hours until Election Day (coming Tuesday). Let's get it over with and perhaps we can recover some sense of civility. 

The Greatest Leaders Did Not Have to

This idea came to me today. I'm not sure why it has not until now. Here it is:
The greatest of all leaders did not have to be.
       What I mean is that true greatness is not about having to be great. The great leaders of history often shunned the spotlight, did not call attention to themselves, were not ego driven by having to lead, did not have messiah complexes.
       This is the essence of HUMILITY - becoming one who serves and does not seek to be served.
       One who gives away because he or she knows they cannot hold onto it anyway.
       One who sacrifices greatly for the sake of the cause (to quote Mr. Spock, "the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, or the one.")
       I have known only a handful of such leaders: My mentor and colleague Homer who I knew from Geneva days 25 years ago is one of them; My friend David who I am privileged to spend time with nowadays is another one.
       These people are leaders not because they have to be, they are leaders because God elevates people to positions of authority as they humble themselves.
       From my perspective this is true greatest.

On Heroic Leadership

This week I am going to start to read two books with identical titles. They are both called, "Heroic Leadership." The first is by Chris Lowney and focuses on the leadership of St. Ignatius of Loyola and the Jesuits. My friend Brian Rice of Leadership Connextions has turned me onto Ignatius and his exercises.
       The second book was published in the past 4 or months and is by William Cohen. The sub-title is "Leading with Integrity and Honor." Cohen is a retired Major General of the U.S. Air Force. This book is his 54th published work!

       Cohen looks at heroic leadership in military contexts and how those characteristics and lessons can be applied to other situations such as in corporations and non-profits.
       I love reading about heroic leaders. They inspire me and call me to a level of living that is truly fulfilling.
       To observe a leader who is humble, self-less, full of integrity, true to his or her own core values ... is thoroughly life-giving to me. Christian organizations and the Church need many more heroic leaders.

Max DePree on Movements

Max DePree was the CEO of Herman Miller furniture in Michigan. He has also chair of the Board of Trustees at Fuller Seminary for many years. From my perspective DePree is one of the greatest servant leaders of the 20th century.
       In 1997 DePree wrote a little book called, "Leading Without Power." It did not get much press, did not sell too many copies. I found it profound at the time, and even more appropriate in 2010.
       Here is what DePree has to say about "Movements," something that is spoken about a lot these days and is the new cool thing in Christian mission circles.

"A movement is a collective state of mind, a public and common understanding that the future can be created, not simply experienced or endured. Many of us never have the good fortune to belong to suh a group, where becoming is a way of living and working together.

       Movement are easier to recognize from the inside. There is a harmony in relationships and a constructive conflict of ideas. There is a palpable unity as the people there implement their vision. There is a rhythm of innovation and renewal. There's a sense of urgency - movements are never casual. Alongside the normal tensions of organized life, there is a high level of trust."

So the question is, Have you ever been part of something that is TRULY a movement? Hmmmm.....

Josh Hamilton Inspires Me!

Josh Hamilton is the centerfielder for the Texas Rangers baseball team, which just won the American League pennant and will play in the baseball world series.
       If you ever wonder if a person is beyond redemption, beyond hope, then you need to know the story of Hamilton. If I did not believe in God his story would cause me to do so.
       Here is his story as told to ESPN some time ago. Click HERE to be blown away!
       I'm pulling for the Rangers in the World Series because of Hamilton. You go Josh!

A Holocaust's Survivor

A couple of days ago I heard Marion Blumenthal Lazan speak at Cortland State. She is a Holocaust survivor, having been born near Hannover, Germany, deported to the Westerbrook detention center in Holland when she was 4 years old, and then being transferred to Bergen Belsen. She was 9 years old when she was liberated. She has written a book, Four Perfect Pepples, about her life in the camps.

       The more I listen to Holocaust survivors (at least Jewish ones) the more I hear similar themes. Blumenthal was typical:
* First, the experience was horrifyingly dehumanizing on so many levels.
* Second, there are small parts to her story when God's mercy was incredibly evident, even though she credited it to luck or chance.
Third, she has not forgiven the people who caused her so much suffering.
       After the session I hung around for a while and wanted to chat with her. She had been signing books for about an hour and I watched her be incredibly generous and engaging with the Cortland State students. She posed for photo after photo with each of them.

       So there I was with Marion Blumenthal, who today lives on Long Island with her husband Nathaniel. Only about 30 minutes from where I grew up.
       I asked her if she thought Simon Wiesenthal had ever forgiven the German officer, as recounted in the book The Sunflower (Marion had referenced this in her talk). She stared down at the table, pensive, turned to me with a sad expression of resignation, and slowly said, "How could he? I don't think he could ever forgive that Nazi officer."
       I responded, "Even though the German officer, on his death bed, confessed to his sin and expressed his deep remorse and how long he was?"
       "Yes," Marion responded, "even then he cannot be forgiven."

The Church that keeps chugging along!

Last night I had an evening at Grace Christian Fellowship, my home church from 25 years ago, to give an update on my family, ministry, and to talk about Islam in Europe. Some 40 people showed up, which is about twice as many as I thought would! A lot of the people I know by face but not by name. Wonderful folks.
       I love GCF - its people, its vision, its history, elders, staff. The church has stood with us as partners in ministry for 25 years! A quarter century! Investing in the Kingdom of God through us - impacting the world in Geneva, Budapest, Amsterdam, beyond.
       I love the spirit of the people at GCF - down-to-earth, kind, steadfast. The best man from my wedding and his family have lived in Cortland all these years and are part of GCF. On Sunday Dan and I spent time walking around the 12-acre piece of land his family bought recently and will develop over the coming years. I got in "on the ground floor" of this new vision for this family!
       GCF is a church on mission. They have been for a lot of years. It's a really solid community, a pretty typically structured church. Nothing really flashy about them. And that's what is so powerful. They are there to serve Christ and to bless people.
       So, dear friends at GCF, I love you guys and count it a privilege to be a missionary of the church.

German Chancellor Merkel Speaks

Check out this strong statement about the failure of Europe to integrate people into their cultures in the past 50 years - a major stance against Islam in Europe:

Click HERE.

Autumn in Central New York

I am not the most observant person of nature. Beauty in nature often does little for my soul - not sure why. One exception is when I come to Central New York each Autumn and observe trees turning colors.

Slowing Down in Small Town America

I spent yesterday driving around small towns in the Adirondack Mountains with my friend Jim. We had a wonderful time together – stopping at a self-service pumpkin patch, visiting the General Stores in a couple of villages, going to the Friday Fish Fry at the Oxbow Inn.

       It was a day for an entirely different pace for us – city guys that we are. Small town America is so unique –

* It is truly QUIET here

* People know each other’s names and tell each other (their) stories of life

* Inanimate objects – such as buildings and tractors and plows and houses and parts – are a major topic of conversations

* I realize how tense and fast-paced I live because of the context with unhurried small town living

       As attractive as these small towns are in some ways, I probably could not live in one of them. The town of Piseco, NY has about 250 voters, according to the waitress at the Oxbox Inn last night. There was 4 times this number in my church in Amsterdam! Somehow I think living alongside only 250 people would be a bit claustrophic for me.