{"id":4344,"date":"2015-03-12T12:38:47","date_gmt":"2015-03-12T12:38:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dminlgp\/?p=4344"},"modified":"2015-03-12T03:44:02","modified_gmt":"2015-03-12T03:44:02","slug":"transitions-planning-to-preparing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/transitions-planning-to-preparing\/","title":{"rendered":"Transitions: Planning to Preparing"},"content":{"rendered":"

Not long ago I was going through one of the piles in my office (yes, I sort by piles not by files \u2013 yes, I generally know what is in each pile) and came across a message that I had started about 12 years ago. It is based on just a few short verses in the book of 2 Samuel, v. 17-25. David had just been crowned as king over Israel and the Philistines were coming against him. He\u2019s already at this point an accomplished fighter and an accomplished leader. He\u2019s gained the trust of his people, in particular his army. Whatever he wanted to do, they likely would follow him, particularly against this nemesis. Despite all of these credentials and ripeness of the situation, David chooses to inquire of the Lord. It seems like a no-brainer and yet there is a humility to this action that runs almost counter intuitive. From that inquiry comes assurance and focus. From the assurance and focus comes determined action. On its own this story is good, but the follow up story makes it even better.<\/p>\n

\"inquiry-based-learning\"<\/a><\/p>\n

A second time the Philistines come against Israel. Now David and his army have all the credentials and experience they had previously plus they can add, \u201cwe just beat the snot out of them\u201d to their resume. It would again seem like a no-brainer \u2013 just go get after the Philistines. However, again David inquires of the Lord \u2013 he doesn\u2019t make assumptions based on his experience or knowledge. And this time the Lord comes back with a different approach, one that reveals the need for readiness and action together with discernment and timing.<\/p>\n

In consideration of Caroline Ramsey\u2019s writings on the \u201cScholarship of Practice\u201d, I am compelled to agree with her conclusions that \u201ca scholarship of practice recognizes the constitutive importance of ongoing relations within management practice.\u201d (p.17) This is true not only from an ancient biblical perspective but also from a contemporary ministry perspective. \u201cThe improvisational and mindful skills\u201d which Ramsey also mentions are necessary terms that speak to the discernment and sense of timing. In her work on Provocative Theory, her stories of Mike and Kieran accentuate the importance of inquiry in the decision-making role of a leader, \u201cFor it is in the cycle of inquiry, as reflection follows action before projecting into further action that evaluation of the quality of previous evidence can be made.\u201d(p.24)<\/p>\n

If David had gone \u2018by the book\u2019 on these advances against the enemies; few people would have questioned him. It would have been easy to say, \u201cthis is the way we fight, this has been our plan, this is what our plan will be, now let\u2019s execute the plan.\u201d Instead David models a different way of leadership \u2013 rather than focus on the executing the plan; he demonstrates the importance of preparing for action without necessarily defining the action until it has been made clear by the Lord.<\/p>\n