By: Shawn Cramer on April 19, 2021
As I interact with ministries and faith leaders, I often hear the word “stuck” or a synonym. As these leaders tease out their discontent for the status quo and dream aloud a bit about their hopes for the future, they inevitably express a desire for something “new” or “fresh.” In his leadership reflections, Simon Walker…
By: Chris Pollock on April 16, 2021
A leader who has surrendered their dependence to God is one who is released (untethered), lives undefended and free. Affliction can change and break this enlightened orientation. God, help those who love You and have set their hearts on You. Of this kind of leadership, that is one that has ‘let-go’ and fallen for higher…
By: John McLarty on April 13, 2021
The eighth and final strategy of leadership Simon Walker examines in “The Undefended Leader” is called “Self-Emptying.” He lifts up Jesus Christ as the model example of this style. A self-emptying strategy is back stage and attentive, one in which a person is willing to give up power as a deliberate act, trusting that the…
By: Greg Reich on April 12, 2021
Simon Walker, in his section on the self-emptying strategy, explores power in weakness. For many people in history, Jesus – from a social perspective – was a victim of injustice by the false charges of envious leaders. Christianity would argue that Christ’s death was no accident, it was done willingly. Jesus would show his followers…
By: Jer Swigart on April 12, 2021
In Luke 3:1-3, we learn of a time when the word of God came to a nobody…a locust-eating, camel-hair-wearing hermit in the middle of nowhere. The word was “Repent.” But repent from what? …from idolatrous religion that centered performance and piety over love? …from ethnocentrism that elevated some at the expense of others? And why…
By: Darcy Hansen on April 12, 2021
There she sat on a bar stool next to a small café table lights bright room quiet except for her breath shared through words I don’t remember what she preached The passage slips my mind But the room was full The eyes of the women in attendance were fixed Mesmerized I think…
By: Jer Swigart on April 12, 2021
Check it out HERE.
By: John McLarty on April 12, 2021
Here’s my Prezi
By: Dylan Branson on April 11, 2021
At the end of Marvel’s Avengers: Endgame, Steve Rogers gives up his role as Captain America and officially goes into retirement. In a symbolic passing of the torch, he gives Sam Wilson – Falcon – his trademark shield. Since his creation as Captain America, Steve Rogers has served as the symbol of American values within…
By: Shawn Cramer on April 11, 2021
I had walked by, in, and through nearly every building on campus, but finally one day I noticed a carved pineapple built into the architecture of one of the buildings. After inquiries, I finally found out its meaning. “That’s the international symbol for hospitality,” one student told me with a smile. Hospitality… now there’s a…
By: Chris Pollock on April 11, 2021
The leader carries a lot of responsibility. Most of the time, more than enough for just one person. Simon Walker refers to different kinds of leadership, based on personality, and their various approaches to public involvement and behind-the-scenes integrity. He writes that the ‘good leader is in command of the overall theatre of his organization,…
By: Jer Swigart on April 8, 2021
Power. It’s a remarkable force. In the word of The Lord of the Rings character, Gollum, power tends to be that “Precious” entity that is worth contorting body and soul to attain. It seems that once we get it, our bodies and souls have already been reshaped in order to protect the power at any…
By: Greg Reich on April 8, 2021
Stories of success of leaders who overcome adversity and succeed against great odds are inspiring. Whether it is the story of Abraham Lincoln overcoming political failure, after failure, to become our 16th president. Michael Jordon overcoming childhood awkwardness to become one of the greatest basketball players of all time. According to Wikipedia “success is the state…
By: John McLarty on April 7, 2021
What happens when a good person finds themselves in a situation where the expectations of the leadership position they occupy do not match their leadership style? For one, you get the Jimmy Carter Presidential Administration. Carter’s “Serving” strategy, as described by Simon Walker[1], may be an idealistic and honorable way to lead, and can be…
By: Darcy Hansen on April 5, 2021
There was a time when I was a “double barrel shot-gun” kind of leader. In my home, it was “my way or the highway.” God, scripture, and faith were to be understood through a fundamentalist viewpoint. Our home was to be an external reflection of our internal reality: tidy, orderly, simple. Nothing was to be…
By: Shawn Cramer on April 5, 2021
While power and control are key elements within leadership, understanding the ego is key to seeing the route to undefendedness. In his leadership trilogy, The Undefended Leader, Simon Walker connects the ego, power, control, and conversely empowerment. While there might exist a temptation for the leader to minimize their insecurities or believe the lie that…
By: Dylan Branson on April 4, 2021
One theme that has popped up through my time in the LGP is that of imagination and dreaming. When I first began the program, I started with several questions: Why does my church not feel like a community? What is missing from my experience of church? Why do I feel so alone in the midst…
By: Chris Pollock on March 21, 2021
Everyone was after me; I felt targeted and alone. The weekend is not a quiet time at the Church. On Fridays we had Youth Group, Saturdays an afternoon jam session followed by a Saturday dinner and Sundays, street church with an evening café called the Urban Hermit. The scenes changed numerous times over the weekend,…
By: John McLarty on March 17, 2021
*the title of a U2 song written for the 2013 film “Long Walk to Freedom,” based on Nelson Mandela’s book. We can’t fall any further if We can’t feel ordinary love And we can’t reach any higher, If we can’t deal with ordinary love When we think of “front stage” leadership, Simon Walker’s description of…
By: Greg Reich on March 16, 2021
I didn’t grow up in a perfect home. My parents weren’t perfect parents. Despite that, I have many fond memories, many of which are oriented around items of restoration. I always enjoyed being part of seeing old things brought back to life, whether it was an old farm tractor or a piece of furniture. To…
