{"id":30292,"date":"2023-01-19T21:39:17","date_gmt":"2023-01-20T05:39:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/?p=30292"},"modified":"2023-06-02T10:59:32","modified_gmt":"2023-06-02T17:59:32","slug":"god-of-love-give-me-ears-to-hear-and-eyes-to-see","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/god-of-love-give-me-ears-to-hear-and-eyes-to-see\/","title":{"rendered":"God of Love, Give Me Ears to Hear and Eyes to See"},"content":{"rendered":"

In his book, Mining for Gold: Developing Kingdom Leaders through Coaching,<\/em> Tom Camacho presents leaders with an invitation to mine for the gold hidden within the people around us. Mining for gold is a mindset and a heart attitude to see the immense treasure and image of God in others. Camacho\u2019s premise is that God designed each one of us with gifts to be stewarded for the good of others and for the glory of God.[1]<\/a> Coaching leadership is a journey of discovery to find the rich leadership deposits hidden within each person. It is coming along side others to uncover their unique design, find places of thriving and fruitfulness, and ultimately their true identity as God\u2019s beloved sons and daughters.[2]<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Love Never Fails – <\/strong>1 Corinthian 13:8
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

It all starts with love, God\u2019s love. Camacho made the point that our true identity is rooted in a deepening understanding of God\u2019s unfailing love for us.[3]<\/a> For me, this is the foundational truth that supports this mining for gold model. In the context of developing leaders, experiencing God\u2019s love is a significant and recurring experience that all leaders need to thrive. Camacho writes, \u201cOur hearts need continuous fresh revelation about how much we are loved. Our identity forms, grows, and expands as we mature in our understanding of the love God has for us.\u201d[4]<\/a> I see coaching leaders as those who are committed to Jesus\u2019 greatest command to love God, others, and self.[5]<\/a> This is only possible because he first loved us.[6]<\/a><\/p>\n

Our leadership journey begins by embracing God\u2019s deep love for us personally. Without this awareness we can do a lot of damage. We can\u2019t mine for gold in others if we are not discovering and living out that truth for ourselves. Leaders rooted and grounded in God\u2019s love are free to be who they were created to be. They are safe, secure, and can genuinely love others without ego, fear, or pride getting in the way. It is from a place of security in God\u2019s love we can begin to explore the leadership qualities and potential in others.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The first duty of love is to listen.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0Paul Tillich<\/p>\n

Listening is an act of love. My NPO is centered on the desire of Christian ministry leaders to be known, accepted, and loved. The leaders I work with identified the need to be deeply listened to without judgment. The idea that listening is not only an expression love, but a primary duty within safe, loving relationships is astounding, and sadly not a skill that comes naturally to most of us. Counseling, spiritual direction, and coaching share the skills of deep listening, asking good questions, cooperating with the Holy spirit, and taking next steps.[7]<\/a> As a counselor and spiritual director, I mine for gold every day. In face of the shame that keeps us in bondage to lies I see first-hand how the truth of God\u2019s love can set us free. Being deeply listened to without judgement reduces shame and moves us toward love and connection.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cHave I not reason to lament what man has made of man?\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 William Wordsworth<\/p>\n

Lament is an act of love. Lament is evidence that God\u2019s love is taking root in our hearts. The book of Esther is always unsettling to me and the examples of Hegai and Mordecai as coaching leaders move me to lament. They all lived their lives under circumstance beyond their control. Like Esther, Mordecai, and Hegai, we are all immersed in systems and cultures that normalize and devalue the dignity and autonomy of human beings. In today\u2019s world, what Esther experienced would be considered sex-trafficking, the edicts and retaliation which followed genocide. This should give rise to lament. Esther\u2019s leadership emerged under devastating circumstances, both personally and socially. This is not uncommon. Leadership gold arises in the consequences of real life, real pain, and real trauma. We need the certainty of God\u2019s goodness and love especially in situations when injustice and oppression prevail. Good leadership calls us to lament and to respond with wisdom and love. More than ever, we need eyes to see.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Mining for Gold<\/strong><\/p>\n

We all carry a mantel of leadership. This is a recent insight for me. I never saw myself as having many leadership qualities. I am in the process of mining for my own gold. As I look\u00a0 more closely at those around me, I am finding leadership gold in surprising places. I see it in my elderly friends who faithfully look after one another and find ways to share Jesus with their limited strength and resources. I see leadership gold in men and women, who are working through past and current trauma, and find strength to lead and serve in dangerous spaces. I see leadership skills coming to life in my clients recovering from addiction and other mental health challenges as they take courageous steps to reach out for help and offer it to others. I notice those who faithfully labor for the benefits of others without recognition. I see the strength of their leadership in their acts of service and humility. I notice the leadership and unique design of my children and grandchildren and wonder how I might come alongside them as they grow and mature into who God calls them to be. Leaders are all around us!<\/p>\n

My prayer: God of love, give me ears to hear, \u201cWe are your beloved,\u201d and eyes to see the treasure within all your sons and daughters.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

[1]<\/a> Tom Camacho, Mining for Gold: Developing Kingdom Leaders through Coaching<\/em>. (London, UK: Inter-Varsity Press, 2019), 131.<\/p>\n

[2]<\/a> Camacho, Mining for Gold<\/em>. 115<\/p>\n

[3]<\/a> Ibid., 109.<\/p>\n

[4]<\/a> Ibid., 111.<\/p>\n

[5]<\/a> Matthew 22:36-40<\/p>\n

[6]<\/a> 1 John 4:19<\/p>\n

[7]<\/a> Ibid., 59.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In his book, Mining for Gold: Developing Kingdom Leaders through Coaching, Tom Camacho presents leaders with an invitation to mine for the gold hidden within the people around us. Mining for gold is a mindset and a heart attitude to see the immense treasure and image of God in others. Camacho\u2019s premise is that God […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":184,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[2529],"class_list":["post-30292","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-dlgp02camacho","cohort-dlgp02"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30292","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/184"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=30292"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30292\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":32665,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30292\/revisions\/32665"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30292"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30292"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30292"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}