Columbine ... 12 years later

Twelve years ago today two students at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado went on a rampage killing 12 students and a teacher.
       The scene of that massacre is about south 5 miles of our house. In fact, Steven and I umpire baseball games at Clement Park which sits adjacent to Columbine High. Last weekend we umpired on a baseball field that sits right on the edge of the Columbine Memorial. Look out into centerfield and you see the mounds of dirt which mark the beginning of the Memorial area.
       Today I will go to the Columbine Memorial - along with hundreds of other people - to remember the 15 lives lost on that tragic day. While I do not have any personal connection with the people who lost their lives, I feel strongly about the sanctity of all life. This is a time to ask God to protect His creation, that future Columbines will not happen.

Reflecting on Pesach

Today is the first night of Passover. We are hosting a seder with about 30 people at a friend's house. It will be the first time I am using the Haggadah which I recently wrote and got printed. Quite frankly I am a bit nervous about using this booklet as I share some personal reflections on the Passover in my life.
       For the past few days I have done a lot of reflecting on Israel's slavery in Egypt, God rescuing them, and the people eventually wandering in the desert for 40 years.
       I doubt that the likes of John Grisham could write a more suspenseful story than what is found in the book of Exodus. What makes it most suspenseful to me is not whether God will save the people, but rather if the people will have the courage to leave Egypt and enter the desert/wilderness. Will Israel obey and follow God from slavery to places unseen and unknown?
       I suppose that is the question for all time: Will we leave our "Egypts" (whatever that may be in our lives) to the wild unknown with God?

Only in America

Can someone explain to me "fat-free half & half?" I think this is one of those "Only in America" types of things. Isn't it an oxymoron to reduce the fat from half & half?
       This is one of those things that Andy Rooney should speak about at the end of a 60 Minutes show.

Haggadah First Edition Complete

The first edition of the Passover Haggadah that I have written is done, and ready for printing now. For those of you who will be coming to the Seder at Lookout Mountain Community Church next Thursday eve we will be using this Haggadah.
       If you are interested in getting a copy of the Haggadah please let me know and we will arrange it.

Bobby Clinton - Back to Basics

Brian with Bobby Clinton

I attended Bobby Clinton's retirement celebration last night. It was a great evening in many, many ways. Bobby spoke briefly, highlighting six core leadership values that he hopes is part of his legacy.
       Three of these values hit me right between the eyes, and were a sobering reminder about my own leadership:
   1) Leadership ultimately flows out of being more than doing;
   2) Over a lifetime a leader must be transformed into the image of Christ by the Holy Spirit;
   3) A leader should minister with gifted power, i.e. through spiritual authority.
       I sat at a table with Terry Walling and Frank Hankins, two men with whom I studied under Bobby 20 years ago. These two guys are walking out these values in their own lives and it was a special time to be with them and see how God is working in their lives.
       Here was my "gut level" response to the evening - I feel grateful to God that He put Bobby (and Marilyn!) Clinton in my life. I also felt small this evening - small in the context of how big God is and how He uses people. And small in the midst of leaders such as Bobby, Terry, and Frank who are living out these values more fully than I am at the moment. Just talking honestly here.

Leadership Guys: Paul, Terry, Bobby, and Brian

Retirement Dinner for Bobby Clinton

I am in Los Angeles for a day for the retirement dinner for Dr. Bobby Clinton who has taught leadership at Fuller Seminary for many years. Some of you reading this blog (and others) have been impacted by Bobby's teaching and approach to leadership, even if you do not know him.
       Bobby has had a tremendous impact on my life and leadership for the past 20 years. It is a privilege to be invited to his retirement celebration this evening. I am sure it will be bittersweet.
       I'll say more on my blog about the celebration in the days ahead.

I Found a Designer!

I found a graphic designer for the Passover Haggadah. He's living in Barcelona. Doesn't that sound so cool?
Seriously, I'm excited my friend Justin is able to jump into this project somewhat last minute. He's also a great photographer so maybe a few of his photos will show up in the Haggadah! (hint hint, Justin)
You can check out Justin's blog at Urban Idealist.

Draft of Haggadah

The first draft of the Passover Haggadah is done. I've got my nose into the editing and then proofreading process. Brings me back to my journalism days.

       Next week it's off to the graphic designer/layout folks. Almost ready!

An Umpire's Journal: Missing a Call

For those of you who are baseball fans, you will remember the now infamous missed called at first base by umpire Jim Joyce (see photo at right). He called a runner safe when he was out and that would have been the last out of the game AND it would have been a perfect game for the pitcher. Joyce commented after the game that he had "kicked the sh-- out of the call," meaning that he had totally blown it.

       Well I blew a call last night at a game. I called a balk on a left-handed pitcher when I should not have done so. The coaches jumped all over me and I defended my call to them when they came up to me to discuss it at the end of the game.

       Then I came home and asked Steven about the play, and I looked online about balk calls on lefties. I blew it - I was wrong!

       During training umpires learn that "the umpire is always right." As an umpire you don't admit that you made a bad call, at least not during the game. The problem with this philosophy is that umpires are NOT always right! We're human, we miss calls sometimes. It's part of the game.

       Tomorrow is another day, and another game. There will be a whole bunch of calls to make in that game. Time to move on from today's game.

One Shining Moment

The NCAA basketball tournament is over and the Connecticut Huskies are the unlikely champions. I absolutely love this sports event and I have been totally into the games over the past couple of weeks.
       I have been so impressed with the Butler Coach, Brad Stevens, who at the young age of 34 has brought his team to the final game two years in a row. His brief interview after the game for full of humility and pride for his team.
       And then the tournament ends with the annual rendition of Luther Vandross' "One Shining Moment" as the highlights from the many games roll across the screen. And as it happens each year, I get all teary-eyed watching it.
Man, I love March Madness!
       

Focus in April

I find it helpful on the first Monday of each month to "take stock" of the next 30 days. Not that I can pre-determine what will happen, but rather to have an attitude of Moses' words in Psalm 90:
Teach us to number our days,
that we may gain a heart of wisdom. (v. 12)
AND
May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us;
establish the work of our hands for us -
yes, establish the work of our hands. (v. 17)

       So, here's some things I anticipate and am grateful to be involved with -
* Susy's and my 23rd anniversary is on April 23rd! (thinking of something fun to do together);
* Passion Week is April 18-24: BIG week with two Passover seders, Good Friday, and Easter Sunday;
* Celebration dinner of Bobby and Marilyn Clinton with their mentorees at Fuller Seminary on April 11th;
* Visit with Leadership ConneXtions friends in York, PA from April 12-14th;
* Visit with Crescent Project friends in Indianapolis on April 27-28th;
       Lots of preparation and writing this month:
* Writing, editing, and producing first draft of the Passover Seder Haggadah;
* Preparing for the Amsterdam Missions Trip at the end of May;
* By the end of April I hope to finalize summer ministry/travel for June through August;
       Along the way I will be umpiring a lot of baseball, most weekends with Steven as we work tournaments together.
P.S. to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS): I would really appreciate if you put on your "to do" list for April to please send me my income tax refund! It would be quite helpful this month. Thank you.

The Best Leadership Book

Someone I am mentoring asked me the other day, "What is the best leadership book?" My first inclination was to recite an annotated bibliography of my "top ten." Of course I would do that after I said that the Bible is the best leadership book ever.

       But I refrained from both of these things. I had to consider his question for only a second or two and said, "Henri Nouwen's In the Name of Jesus is the best leadership book I have read. If you have not read it you should. I re-read it every year and it hits me between the eyes every time about how much I need to grow (up) as a leader.
       By the way, I realize Nouwen's book is not a full treatise on the practice of leadership. In many ways it is an UN-leadership book, which 

Selecting Which Genocides are Most Important

This is a quote from the speech that President Obama gave to the American People last week:
       "Rather than stand down, [Qaddafi's] forces continued their advance, bearing down on the city of Benghazi, home to nearly 700,000 men, women and children who sought their freedom from fear.
       "At this point, the United States and the world faced a choice.  Qaddafi declared he would show 'no mercy' to his own people.  He compared them to rats, and threatened to go door to door to inflict punishment.  In the past, we have seen him hang civilians in the streets, and kill over a thousand people in a single day.  Now we saw regime forces on the outskirts of the city.  We knew that if we wanted -- if we waited one more day, Benghazi, a city nearly the size of Charlotte, could suffer a massacre that would have reverberated across the region and stained the conscience of the world.
It was not in our national interest to let that happen.  I refused to let that happen."
       I am left with a DAUNTING question. When IS it in our national interest to allow a leader to massacre his own people? And how do we define "national interest" so that we can know when to step in?
       Presumably President Franklin Roosevelt determined it was not in our national interest as Jozef Stalin massacred between 20 and 30 million of his people in Russia;
       Presumably President Harry Truman and then Dwight Eisenhower determined it was not in our national interest as Mao-tse-Dong slaughtered more than 50 million Chinese;
       And what about Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge of Cambodia?
       And why haven't we Americans intervened in Zimbabwe, or the Congo in the past years as their governments have tortured and murdered people?
       Surely we would not argue that a Libyan's life is more valuable than a Zimbabweans! Or would we?
I think Jon Stewart got it right in this commentary:

The Daily Show - America at Not-War - Obama's Pragmatic Foreign Policy Decisions
Tags: Daily Show Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,The Daily Show on Facebook

Well, This Has Been a Different Week!

The pace of my life changed quite a bit this week:
* I have spent 3-4 hours per day writing ... a Passover Hagaddah. So, working with my hands in one way (typing);
* I have spent 2-4 hours a few days doing manual labor - helping my friend Jim who is a contractor. I'm the "go-fer," i.e. the UNskilled labor/help;

View from the bedroom of RV.

* Oh yes, Susy is in California this week visiting Carly ... and Steven and I are staying in an RV at a park in Golden. We woke up to snow flurries the other morning! Not sure how well we are eating either? :o) Guys...
* In the midst of this I continue to work through the Ignatian exercise workbook which is being developed by my friend Brian Rice at LCI. It great stuff, just a little disjointed in the midst of my fairly eclectic life at the moment!
       And now I am looking forward to April and all that is ahead!

Ah ... a Most Cross-Cultural Experience...

Once in a while I go to a Vietnamese supermarket in Lakewood which I absolutely love. First off, none of the workers speak English, except a young Asian gal who is a cashier. It's funny having to point and "play charades" with someone to describe that you are looking for canned anchovies rather than dried ones. I finally was led to a jar of anchovies ... I think.

       And the smells in the market are phenomenal. Go from one aisle to the next and it smells like raw oysters to soy sauce to sambal (spicy) sauce to Asian sweets. Many of the items on the packed shelves are completely unfamiliar to me. Check out the picture from yesterday for one such item: Fried-Gluten Vegetable Minced Pork. Yummy! Let's buy a can.
       The other thing that cracks me up is watching Vietnamese, Thai, and other Asian women standing in front of the fresh fish case seemingly debating about which fish to buy. Several of these languages are tonal in pronunciation so their conversation sounds to me like aliens trying to figure out how to live on earth.

       The other day when I was in the store two older Vietnamese women were talking, presumably about the taste of the fish in front of them. Here's a picture of the fish which was "staring" at them as they had their lively conversation! One of them was seemingly insistent on buying this fish. Other other seems to have wanted to buy the Saba fish. I wish that fish in the case could speak; I'd love to know his perspective on it all!