I don't know about y'all, but I get hooked on a topic or an author and I want to grab everything I can and read it all at once.
I did that in April. I got on a Gordon MacDonald kick and started re-reading his books.
I did it again in May. I decided I had ready too much serious stuff and needed to read some novels. So I grabbed a Jody Picoult novel. It was so good I read two more. Some good stuff.
So here's the list from May:
My Sisters Keeper, Jody Picoult
The Pact, Jody Picoult
The Glass Castle: A Memoir, Jeannette Walls
Songs of the Humpback Whale, Jody Picoult
The Legacy of Jesus, John MacArthur
The Killer Angels: A Novel of the Civil War, Michael Shaara
Home Repair, Liz Rosenberg
If I keep this up, Oprah will have to yield the floor!
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Friday, May 29, 2009
Failure to Thrive
Most of us are familiar with Proverbs 29:18: “Where there is no vision, the people perish.”
We tend to emphasize vision when we read or hear that. But I would like us to spend some time on the perish portion of that phrase. Where there is no vision, people perish.
What does that mean? Surely it doesn’t mean they die physically, so exactly what does it mean?
I have been around some vision free organizations and I think I understand what it means for people to perish. It looks like this:
People are just showing up and going through the motions. Their shoulders are slumped as they walk and there is no gleam in their eyes. There is no passion or excitement in their voice.
When people are perishing in this environment, they become irritable and contentious. Any energy that is available is spent on self-centered agendas that perpetuate comfort and convenience.
Several years ago we became transitional care parents for new-born babies who were in the process of being adopted. We understood that new born babies needed love and affection, and we provided that for 60 babies during our 8 year run as transitional care parents. During that time, we learned about a phenomenon that occurs when babies are abandoned or ignored. It’s called failure to thrive.
Children who fail to thrive don't receive or are unable to take in, retain, or utilize the calories needed to gain weight and grow as expected. If the condition progresses, undernourished kids may:
· become disinterested in their surroundings
· avoid eye contact
· become irritable
· not reach developmental milestones like sitting up, walking, and talking at the usual age
I have seen organizations that “fail to thrive.” They are unable to take in resources and grow as expected. The members of the organization become disinterested and irritable. Individually and organizationally, they fail to meet developmental milestones. They fail to thrive and slowly begin to perish.
This is why we need vision. Vision provides what Gordon MacDonald calls “vital optimism.” He defines vital optimism as a quality of spirit possessed by a community or a person where there is a persuasion that the best is yet to be. In essence, vital optimism is hope. It is the confident expectation that history is going somewhere and that God, our Creator and Redeemer, is powerfully directing it.
A loss of vital optimism suggests the opposite: melancholy, disincentive, and a general sense of resignation. When there is a loss of vital optimism, people develop a dissipated spirit.
We tend to emphasize vision when we read or hear that. But I would like us to spend some time on the perish portion of that phrase. Where there is no vision, people perish.
What does that mean? Surely it doesn’t mean they die physically, so exactly what does it mean?
I have been around some vision free organizations and I think I understand what it means for people to perish. It looks like this:
People are just showing up and going through the motions. Their shoulders are slumped as they walk and there is no gleam in their eyes. There is no passion or excitement in their voice.
When people are perishing in this environment, they become irritable and contentious. Any energy that is available is spent on self-centered agendas that perpetuate comfort and convenience.
Several years ago we became transitional care parents for new-born babies who were in the process of being adopted. We understood that new born babies needed love and affection, and we provided that for 60 babies during our 8 year run as transitional care parents. During that time, we learned about a phenomenon that occurs when babies are abandoned or ignored. It’s called failure to thrive.
Children who fail to thrive don't receive or are unable to take in, retain, or utilize the calories needed to gain weight and grow as expected. If the condition progresses, undernourished kids may:
· become disinterested in their surroundings
· avoid eye contact
· become irritable
· not reach developmental milestones like sitting up, walking, and talking at the usual age
I have seen organizations that “fail to thrive.” They are unable to take in resources and grow as expected. The members of the organization become disinterested and irritable. Individually and organizationally, they fail to meet developmental milestones. They fail to thrive and slowly begin to perish.
This is why we need vision. Vision provides what Gordon MacDonald calls “vital optimism.” He defines vital optimism as a quality of spirit possessed by a community or a person where there is a persuasion that the best is yet to be. In essence, vital optimism is hope. It is the confident expectation that history is going somewhere and that God, our Creator and Redeemer, is powerfully directing it.
A loss of vital optimism suggests the opposite: melancholy, disincentive, and a general sense of resignation. When there is a loss of vital optimism, people develop a dissipated spirit.
Where there is no vital optimism, people perish.
But when there is a clear sense of vision people thrive. Their vital optimism becomes contagious.
- The vision trumops personal agendas and people begin to tolerate inconveniences and discomfort for the greater cause.
- A positive buzz emerges within and outside of the organization.
- The organization takes on a new level of vibrancy and enthusiasm.
- People begin to give sacrificially to the vision - both financially and of themselves
Where there is no vision, people fail to thrive ... they perish.
Yet, where there is vision, there is a vital optimism that becomes contagious. Thriving people and thriving organizations generate a positive environment that attracts resources and unleashes our God-given potential.
Thursday, May 28, 2009
I Know Why I Am Here
In my first post on Visioneering I discussed the benefits of having a clear sense of vision. Benefit number 4 was:
"It helps us to know why we are here and why our presence matters."
When I was in high school I had the privilege of playing football for the Arlington Colts. Two men on that coaching staff had a profound impact on my life, head coach Bill Carter and assistant coach, Bob Howington. You don’t have to hang around me for long before I break out in a story about those men.
They were worthy of imitation. And they are part of my legacy logic. I am trying to thank them by being to others what they were to me.
One of my favorite Coach Howington stories has to do with a day that this very mild mannered man became very angry with our sloppy execution in practice. He went off on us like I had never seen (or ever saw again). Yet in the midst of it all he was smiling.
After practice was over – and the heat of the moment had passed – I asked Coach Howington if could ask him a question: (Isn’t that a funny way to approach someone?). He responded, “Yes.” (I can hear his unique voice as I write that). I asked, “How can you get so upset with us like you did today and still be smiling?”
He responded, “It’s because I know why I am here.”
I have to admit that as a 16-year old kid, I walked away wondering what in the world he meant by that. But, I never forgot it and after several years of pondering, I finally realized what he meant.
You see, Coach Howington had a clear sense of purpose – a vision – that provided a framework for his life. He knew he was there to influence us to become the men that God wanted us to be. He knew why he did what he did and he did all that he did to bring honor and glory to His Lord.
That's why he could smile even when he was upset with us: He knew why he was there.
Coach Howington’s work with us reminds me of Paul’s work with the Thessalonians:
“…we were exhorting and encouraging and imploring each one of you as a father would his own children, so that you would walk in a manner worthy of the God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory.”
Do you know why you are here?
"It helps us to know why we are here and why our presence matters."
When I was in high school I had the privilege of playing football for the Arlington Colts. Two men on that coaching staff had a profound impact on my life, head coach Bill Carter and assistant coach, Bob Howington. You don’t have to hang around me for long before I break out in a story about those men.
They were worthy of imitation. And they are part of my legacy logic. I am trying to thank them by being to others what they were to me.
One of my favorite Coach Howington stories has to do with a day that this very mild mannered man became very angry with our sloppy execution in practice. He went off on us like I had never seen (or ever saw again). Yet in the midst of it all he was smiling.
After practice was over – and the heat of the moment had passed – I asked Coach Howington if could ask him a question: (Isn’t that a funny way to approach someone?). He responded, “Yes.” (I can hear his unique voice as I write that). I asked, “How can you get so upset with us like you did today and still be smiling?”
He responded, “It’s because I know why I am here.”
I have to admit that as a 16-year old kid, I walked away wondering what in the world he meant by that. But, I never forgot it and after several years of pondering, I finally realized what he meant.
You see, Coach Howington had a clear sense of purpose – a vision – that provided a framework for his life. He knew he was there to influence us to become the men that God wanted us to be. He knew why he did what he did and he did all that he did to bring honor and glory to His Lord.
That's why he could smile even when he was upset with us: He knew why he was there.
Coach Howington’s work with us reminds me of Paul’s work with the Thessalonians:
“…we were exhorting and encouraging and imploring each one of you as a father would his own children, so that you would walk in a manner worthy of the God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory.”
Do you know why you are here?
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Visioneering - Part 1
For some time now I have wanted to discuss “the vision thing.” So this is the first of several posts about Visioneering.
(My spell check doesn’t ever like that word – but I like it, so my spell check just needs to get over it! ... OK, now I have added it to the dictionary).
Visioneering is the title of Andy Stanley’s book and he defines it as “the course one follows to make dreams a reality. It is the process whereby ideas and convictions take on substance.”
Here’s his formula for the process:
Visioneering = Inspiration + Conviction + Action + Determination + Completion.
According to him, "Vision is a clear mental picture of what could be, fueled by the conviction of what should be. Vision is a preferred future, a destination. Vision always stands in contrast to the world as it is."
We often think about organizations having vision statements, and I think that is important. But, I think that we as individuals also need to have a vision for our life. Vision provides several benefits:
Passion. A clear vision generates strong emotions. It creates excitement as we anticipate our desired future.
Motivation. Vision provides the motivation to persevere the hardships involved in pursuit of something worthwhile. Two –a - days in August and grueling spring trainings are worth it when you can frame it in the context of pursuing championships.
Direction. Vision provides a road map for our lives and simplifies decision making. With a clear sense of vision, there are some options I don’t need to consider. They aren’t consistent with the vision and don’t even need to be evaluated.
Purpose. The uniqueness of our vision gives a sense of meaning and purpose to our lives.
My wife, Laura, has a clear sense of my vision and purpose. Sometimes her vision of my vision is clearer than my own. I begin to drift and start considering some wild ideas. She brings me back on track by saying: “You don’t even need to pray about that!”
Vision provides a sense of direction. Vision simplifies decision-making. Vision keeps your purpose clear and provides the passion to energize your efforts.
Vision allows you to be intensely intentional in everything you do.
Do you have a vision for your life?
Friday, May 22, 2009
In Prison ... and Refreshed
Last Thursday I checked into the Cleveland State Penitentiary at about 12:30 PM.
They were expecting me.
This was not a new experience - I had been in before.
I was there to speak to the men who are involved in the Prison Entrepreneurship Program – PEP. I spoke to about 70 men who are enrolled in class 11. Each class creates a nickname for their class. Class 11 is the “Lollypops.” When I heard that I knew that I was supposed to be there. Landrie and Karsyn call Laura and I “Lolly” and “Pops.”
Not only do they create a name for each class. Each participant is given a positive nickname. On my previous visit I was named “Butter Cup.”
The PEP program is an intensive and comprehensive program designed to prepare these men to be productive and contributing citizens when they are released from prison. This unique program works with men who are 6-12 months from their release. The only men who are ineligible are those convicted of sex crimes. The application process is rigorous, and being accepted into the program is no guarantee of graduating. The program seeks to develop the whole man. They have a manners night where the men are taught how to treat a lady on a date. They have a selling night, where they have 5 minutes to present a product or service and ask for the order. MBA students come in to mentor the men on preparing a business plan. This is a critical skill because it is often difficult for the men to find jobs when they come out of the prison, so they start their own businesses.
And they have a graduation ceremony when they complete the PEP program. The ceremony is complete with regalia – caps and gowns – and all the pomp and circumstance normally associated with graduations. For many of these men it is the first graduation ceremony they have ever participated in.
You have no doubt heard me say that the real measure of leadership is changed lives. It’s exciting to go to this prison because there is so much tangible life change. The results of this program are astounding. In a state where the recidivism rate is in excess of 65%, the rate for PEP graduates is less than 5%.
The men of PEP are changed men. But everyone that goes in to work with them is also changed. The MBA students come back from their time in the prison talking about how they went in thinking they would be investing in these men and making a difference. The students come out talking about the difference the PEP men made in the students’ lives.
Like my students, I went to Cleveland last week to invest in the lives of the PEP men and to make a difference. I made two presentations on Legacy Leadership. This is about the tenth time I have given this talk this year. Their response was overwhelming. The men were engaged and asked penetrating questions. The handshakes, the words, and the hugs were sincere expressions of their gratitude for my presence there with them.
The sincerity of their response and their commitment to life change fired me up. I went to invest in them, and they invested themselves in me.
“For they have refreshed my spirit and yours.
Therefore, acknowledge such men.”
They were expecting me.
This was not a new experience - I had been in before.
I was there to speak to the men who are involved in the Prison Entrepreneurship Program – PEP. I spoke to about 70 men who are enrolled in class 11. Each class creates a nickname for their class. Class 11 is the “Lollypops.” When I heard that I knew that I was supposed to be there. Landrie and Karsyn call Laura and I “Lolly” and “Pops.”
Not only do they create a name for each class. Each participant is given a positive nickname. On my previous visit I was named “Butter Cup.”
The PEP program is an intensive and comprehensive program designed to prepare these men to be productive and contributing citizens when they are released from prison. This unique program works with men who are 6-12 months from their release. The only men who are ineligible are those convicted of sex crimes. The application process is rigorous, and being accepted into the program is no guarantee of graduating. The program seeks to develop the whole man. They have a manners night where the men are taught how to treat a lady on a date. They have a selling night, where they have 5 minutes to present a product or service and ask for the order. MBA students come in to mentor the men on preparing a business plan. This is a critical skill because it is often difficult for the men to find jobs when they come out of the prison, so they start their own businesses.
And they have a graduation ceremony when they complete the PEP program. The ceremony is complete with regalia – caps and gowns – and all the pomp and circumstance normally associated with graduations. For many of these men it is the first graduation ceremony they have ever participated in.
You have no doubt heard me say that the real measure of leadership is changed lives. It’s exciting to go to this prison because there is so much tangible life change. The results of this program are astounding. In a state where the recidivism rate is in excess of 65%, the rate for PEP graduates is less than 5%.
The men of PEP are changed men. But everyone that goes in to work with them is also changed. The MBA students come back from their time in the prison talking about how they went in thinking they would be investing in these men and making a difference. The students come out talking about the difference the PEP men made in the students’ lives.
Like my students, I went to Cleveland last week to invest in the lives of the PEP men and to make a difference. I made two presentations on Legacy Leadership. This is about the tenth time I have given this talk this year. Their response was overwhelming. The men were engaged and asked penetrating questions. The handshakes, the words, and the hugs were sincere expressions of their gratitude for my presence there with them.
The sincerity of their response and their commitment to life change fired me up. I went to invest in them, and they invested themselves in me.
As I left Cleveland last Thursday evening, I was reminded of Paul’s comment in 2 Corinthians 7:18:
“For they have refreshed my spirit and yours.
Therefore, acknowledge such men.”
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Out of Touch
Over the past 25 years I have had the opportunity to work with leaders in a wide variety of organizational settings. One of my key observations is that all too often leaders are out of touch with the reality facing their organization and its people.
Some of this occurs because information tends to get filtered as it moves up the organization. This phenomena is exacerbated by leaders who set up a palace guard to keep out the information they don’t want to hear.
Leaders must constantly and intentionally work against these tendencies. One way is to practice the technique advocated almost 30 years ago in the best-selling book, In Search of Excellence: MBWA – Managing by Wandering Around.
I have consulted (formally and informally) with leaders who like to talk about their “open door policy.” That sound good, but in reality it is passive and reactive. And it doesn’t provide the leader with access to the real stuff that’s going on in the organization. People who don’t report directly to the leader are intimidated to go to the leader. Even if they were willing to go, their own direct supervisor would be intimidated by them going. So, the leader must be proactive and go to the people. Perhaps the best historical example of this can be found in Abraham Lincoln who managed and lead by wandering around before there was an acronym for it.
Another factor that works against leaders staying in touch is a misunderstood emphasis on loyalty. Leaders who demand loyalty from their team often end up with people who are afraid of telling the truth because they don’t want to seem disloyal. The result is the creation of bogus loyalty.
Loyalty is not letting you run off into the deep weeds. Loyalty is not avoiding difficult conversations about mistakes you see your leader making. True loyalty cares (I would even say, loves) enough to tell the truth even when its uncomfortable.
We all need people in our lives who love and care enough about us to tell us when we’re off-base, when we’re headed into the deep weeds, or when we are just plain wrong about a perspective or a decision. That is authentic loyalty.
As leaders, we should cultivate people who will tell us the truth and make boldly make us aware of our blindspots.It may make us uncomfortable to hear it – it might even make us mad for a minute. But when we realize that the feedback was given out of concern and love, we will come to appreciate the authentic loyalty that it represents.
Get out of the office. Cultivate authentic loyalty.
Get in touch!
Some of this occurs because information tends to get filtered as it moves up the organization. This phenomena is exacerbated by leaders who set up a palace guard to keep out the information they don’t want to hear.
Leaders must constantly and intentionally work against these tendencies. One way is to practice the technique advocated almost 30 years ago in the best-selling book, In Search of Excellence: MBWA – Managing by Wandering Around.
I have consulted (formally and informally) with leaders who like to talk about their “open door policy.” That sound good, but in reality it is passive and reactive. And it doesn’t provide the leader with access to the real stuff that’s going on in the organization. People who don’t report directly to the leader are intimidated to go to the leader. Even if they were willing to go, their own direct supervisor would be intimidated by them going. So, the leader must be proactive and go to the people. Perhaps the best historical example of this can be found in Abraham Lincoln who managed and lead by wandering around before there was an acronym for it.
Another factor that works against leaders staying in touch is a misunderstood emphasis on loyalty. Leaders who demand loyalty from their team often end up with people who are afraid of telling the truth because they don’t want to seem disloyal. The result is the creation of bogus loyalty.
Loyalty is not letting you run off into the deep weeds. Loyalty is not avoiding difficult conversations about mistakes you see your leader making. True loyalty cares (I would even say, loves) enough to tell the truth even when its uncomfortable.
We all need people in our lives who love and care enough about us to tell us when we’re off-base, when we’re headed into the deep weeds, or when we are just plain wrong about a perspective or a decision. That is authentic loyalty.
As leaders, we should cultivate people who will tell us the truth and make boldly make us aware of our blindspots.It may make us uncomfortable to hear it – it might even make us mad for a minute. But when we realize that the feedback was given out of concern and love, we will come to appreciate the authentic loyalty that it represents.
Get out of the office. Cultivate authentic loyalty.
Get in touch!
Saturday, May 16, 2009
April's Reading
During April, I went on a binge of sorts. I re-read Gordon MacDonald's classic Ordering Your Private World. I had planned to use that book in a class I was scheduled to teach this summer on "Spirituality and Leadership." When I finished that book, I decided to re-read some of his other stuff. All of which would have been very helpful in the Spirituality and Leadership course - but the course didn't make. So, now I am all prepped up and don't have a place to teach that stuff. Be careful - I might unload all of it on you if you ask the right (or wrong) question.
The binge of sorts was offset by a fast of sorts. As you have probably figured out by now, I have a book fetish. I buy books all the time. Last year I spent almost $200 a month on books. So, in March and April I went on a book-buying fast. I bought no books for two months! Serious withdrawals ensued; but, I am better now. Thanks for asking.
I also read some books in preparation for a class I will be team-teaching at Fellowship Church starting next week. Its a class on teaching. I have never taken a class on teaching, and now I am teaching a class on teaching. I am looking forward to what I will learn about teaching while teaching a class on teaching.
So here's the list of books that I read in April:
The Big Idea: Focus the Message, Multiply the Impact, Dave Ferguson
Ordering Your Private World, Gordon MacDonald
Restoring Your Spiritual Passion, Gordon MacDonald
Teaching to Change Lives, Howard Hendricks
Death by Love: Letters from the Cross, Mark Driscoll & Gerry Breshears
The Power of Multi-sensory Preaching and Teaching: Increase Attention, Comprehension, and Retention, Rick Blackwood
Mid-Course Correction, Gordon MacDonald
The binge of sorts was offset by a fast of sorts. As you have probably figured out by now, I have a book fetish. I buy books all the time. Last year I spent almost $200 a month on books. So, in March and April I went on a book-buying fast. I bought no books for two months! Serious withdrawals ensued; but, I am better now. Thanks for asking.
I also read some books in preparation for a class I will be team-teaching at Fellowship Church starting next week. Its a class on teaching. I have never taken a class on teaching, and now I am teaching a class on teaching. I am looking forward to what I will learn about teaching while teaching a class on teaching.
So here's the list of books that I read in April:
The Big Idea: Focus the Message, Multiply the Impact, Dave Ferguson
Ordering Your Private World, Gordon MacDonald
Restoring Your Spiritual Passion, Gordon MacDonald
Teaching to Change Lives, Howard Hendricks
Death by Love: Letters from the Cross, Mark Driscoll & Gerry Breshears
The Power of Multi-sensory Preaching and Teaching: Increase Attention, Comprehension, and Retention, Rick Blackwood
Mid-Course Correction, Gordon MacDonald
Friday, May 15, 2009
Our Abilene Decade
It wasn’t really a full decade. Actually, it was only 9 years…although some of the days seemed like years. There were times when I was sure our heads would explode from holding our breath. Now that I think about it, holding your breath should be added to the list of spiritual disciplines, or at least be added a posture of prayer!
It was during one of those breath-holding prayer sessions that I was given the idea of “Pay-for-Attendance.” You see class attendance had become a problem. As you know, that is just the first domino to fall; then comes the grade reports, then academic suspension, and finally scholarship suspension. So I received some divine inspiration and developed a “part of your weekly allowance is at risk” program. In order to receive the full amount of weekly allowance you had to attend every class. It was an honor system, and it worked. Each of them reported when they had overslept and missed a class.
File that away in your advice file for when your kids go off to school. Here’s another piece of advice: The Six Week Rule. Don’t let them come home for the first six weeks of the school year. That way they are forced to meet people and get involved at the school. It’s hard, but stick to your guns. You’ll be glad you did.
The decade started in the Summer of 2000. Justin and I drove out to visit McMurray and Hardin-Simmons because both were interested in him coming to play baseball there. Later that week we drove back to Abilene for a baseball tryout at Abilene Christian. That was the first of several two-a-week drives for me. I tried to make every baseball game I could and that often meant the non-conference games on Tuesday and then back for the 3-game series on Friday and Saturday.
Jordan joined Justin at Hardin-Simmons in 2002. In 2005, he tagged out as Janelle tagged in. It’s funny. The girls insisted they would not go to school where there brother was, but then they didn’t apply anywhere else.
Our visits to Abilene were well-scripted: Lunch, Wal-Mart, Dinner and then to the Gas Station to fill up everyone’s cars before we left town. These visits were expensive.
Laura hated the drive. For her it was too boring and she has a hard time sitting still. Her restlessness always seemed to kick in right about the mileage sign that says
Eastland 75
El Paso 545
As we drove by I would always tell her, “Just be glad we’re not going to El Paso.” She always responded, “If we were going to El Paso, I wouldn’t be in this car!”
That was also part of the Abilene script.
But now the Abilene decade is over. Janelle graduated from Hardin-Simmons last Saturday. It was only fitting that she graduated on her mother’s birthday – a great present: 4 of 4 now college graduates.
We celebrated with a great lunch at Perini Ranch in Buffalo Gap. That may be the last time we get to Perini Ranch. During lunch Justin told his mother that she was now officially the dumbest person in the family because she had not gone to college. She reminded him that she couldn’t be too dumb because everybody else was having to work for a living and she didn’t have to!
Actually, she earned her P.U.T. She “put us through.” It has been a 15 year marathon. Since 1994, with the exception of a 1-year gap, at least one of us has been in school:
J.Lee: September 1994 – April 1997: Ph.D. UT-Arlington
Jennifer: 1998-2001, BBA, Texas Wesleyan
Justin: 2000-2005, BBS, Hardin-Simmons
Jordan: 2002-2007, BBS, Hardin-Simmons
Janelle: 2005-2009, BBS, Hardin-Simmons
We spent the 1980’s having babies. We’ve spent the first decade of this century getting them through college. And now, the Abilene Decade is over.
It was during one of those breath-holding prayer sessions that I was given the idea of “Pay-for-Attendance.” You see class attendance had become a problem. As you know, that is just the first domino to fall; then comes the grade reports, then academic suspension, and finally scholarship suspension. So I received some divine inspiration and developed a “part of your weekly allowance is at risk” program. In order to receive the full amount of weekly allowance you had to attend every class. It was an honor system, and it worked. Each of them reported when they had overslept and missed a class.
File that away in your advice file for when your kids go off to school. Here’s another piece of advice: The Six Week Rule. Don’t let them come home for the first six weeks of the school year. That way they are forced to meet people and get involved at the school. It’s hard, but stick to your guns. You’ll be glad you did.
The decade started in the Summer of 2000. Justin and I drove out to visit McMurray and Hardin-Simmons because both were interested in him coming to play baseball there. Later that week we drove back to Abilene for a baseball tryout at Abilene Christian. That was the first of several two-a-week drives for me. I tried to make every baseball game I could and that often meant the non-conference games on Tuesday and then back for the 3-game series on Friday and Saturday.
Jordan joined Justin at Hardin-Simmons in 2002. In 2005, he tagged out as Janelle tagged in. It’s funny. The girls insisted they would not go to school where there brother was, but then they didn’t apply anywhere else.
Our visits to Abilene were well-scripted: Lunch, Wal-Mart, Dinner and then to the Gas Station to fill up everyone’s cars before we left town. These visits were expensive.
Laura hated the drive. For her it was too boring and she has a hard time sitting still. Her restlessness always seemed to kick in right about the mileage sign that says
Eastland 75
El Paso 545
As we drove by I would always tell her, “Just be glad we’re not going to El Paso.” She always responded, “If we were going to El Paso, I wouldn’t be in this car!”
That was also part of the Abilene script.
But now the Abilene decade is over. Janelle graduated from Hardin-Simmons last Saturday. It was only fitting that she graduated on her mother’s birthday – a great present: 4 of 4 now college graduates.
We celebrated with a great lunch at Perini Ranch in Buffalo Gap. That may be the last time we get to Perini Ranch. During lunch Justin told his mother that she was now officially the dumbest person in the family because she had not gone to college. She reminded him that she couldn’t be too dumb because everybody else was having to work for a living and she didn’t have to!
Actually, she earned her P.U.T. She “put us through.” It has been a 15 year marathon. Since 1994, with the exception of a 1-year gap, at least one of us has been in school:
J.Lee: September 1994 – April 1997: Ph.D. UT-Arlington
Jennifer: 1998-2001, BBA, Texas Wesleyan
Justin: 2000-2005, BBS, Hardin-Simmons
Jordan: 2002-2007, BBS, Hardin-Simmons
Janelle: 2005-2009, BBS, Hardin-Simmons
We spent the 1980’s having babies. We’ve spent the first decade of this century getting them through college. And now, the Abilene Decade is over.
Friday, May 1, 2009
My Sabbatical Ends Today
I have been gainfully over-employed for 25 years. Since 1983, I have always had more than one job. For a stretch, I actually had two full-time jobs: teaching 4 courses a semester at the University of Texas at Arlington along with my corporate job. I taught at nt night and during my lunch hour. This was a great blessing because it allowed us to supplement my income and for Laura to stay home with the kids.
After completing the Ph.D. program, I taught full-time and had a very active consulting practice. Then, as dean I continued to consult 50 days a year and teach at least one course a term.
So, last summer when I made the decision to leave the dean role and return to the faculty, I immediately began trying to create opportunities that would fill the slack time that was being created. Afterall, being overloaded was my norm!
Everything I tried to create failed to pan out. It is clear now that I needed the time off more than I realized; but, God knew I needed it and He guarded the time and protected me from myself.
I fought this down time for a while, but then began to realize that this was a necessary time.
It was clear that God was saying “Be still. Cease striving.”
Last summer, when I was in the process of making the decision to step down from the dean role, I consulted with my friend Dean. (Note: All deans need people like Dean!) He is a wise elder at our church. He said, "It sounds to me like God is freeing you up because He has something else He wants you to do."
Certainly during this sabbatical season I have had substantial margin in my schedule: time for creating new relationships and cultivating existing relationships. And that has been a great source of the refreshing and renewal I have experienced.
The challenge going forward- a challenge that has been a constant companion throughout most of my life - will be to maintain the balance in my schedule and continue to create margin that allows me to be available -physically and emotionally - for "the something else" God wants me to do.
Today is the official end of my sabbatical. Tomorrow morning I will return to the class room – renewed, refreshed, and fully convinced of the need to create and maintain the margin.
After completing the Ph.D. program, I taught full-time and had a very active consulting practice. Then, as dean I continued to consult 50 days a year and teach at least one course a term.
So, last summer when I made the decision to leave the dean role and return to the faculty, I immediately began trying to create opportunities that would fill the slack time that was being created. Afterall, being overloaded was my norm!
Everything I tried to create failed to pan out. It is clear now that I needed the time off more than I realized; but, God knew I needed it and He guarded the time and protected me from myself.
I fought this down time for a while, but then began to realize that this was a necessary time.
It was clear that God was saying “Be still. Cease striving.”
Last summer, when I was in the process of making the decision to step down from the dean role, I consulted with my friend Dean. (Note: All deans need people like Dean!) He is a wise elder at our church. He said, "It sounds to me like God is freeing you up because He has something else He wants you to do."
Certainly during this sabbatical season I have had substantial margin in my schedule: time for creating new relationships and cultivating existing relationships. And that has been a great source of the refreshing and renewal I have experienced.
The challenge going forward- a challenge that has been a constant companion throughout most of my life - will be to maintain the balance in my schedule and continue to create margin that allows me to be available -physically and emotionally - for "the something else" God wants me to do.
Today is the official end of my sabbatical. Tomorrow morning I will return to the class room – renewed, refreshed, and fully convinced of the need to create and maintain the margin.
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