My fire department fought a fire last night. It came in around 8pm as a fire in an apartment. When our first engine arrived there was heavy involvement on the first floor with significant extension into the second floor. When I arrived there was heavy fire venting from the roof. At that point I would have bet that we would lose another two or three apartments in addition to the original fire apartment. One of the occupants suffered smoke inhalation — she was treated at the hospital and released.
The Incident Commander and the firefighters who fought this fire did a phenomenal job. They confined the fire to the apartment of origin with some relatively minor water damage to the 2 apartments adjacent on either side. No firefighters were injured.
Leadership take-away:
One sign of good leadership is how your followers perform when you’re gone. The Medford Fire-Rescue Fire Chief was visiting family 1,000 miles away for Christmas yet his fire department did a great job handling a 5 alarm structure fire.
Consider the following excerpt from Traveler and the Chaplain:
Traveler said, “So my mission for God here on earth doesn’t end then after I die. I’m supposed to grow future leaders to carry on what I’ve been doing while I’m alive.”
“Not just carry on but even exceed!” the Chaplain said with great enthusiasm. “Look at what Jesus’ followers have accomplished since his death. There are 2.1 billion Christians in the world today. 2.1 billion. That’s a lot of fruit! If you started counting Jesus’ followers out loud, one per second, after 31 years and 8 months, you would still be less than half way to finishing! And of course during that 31 years and 8 months more people would be accepting Christ at an exponentially expanding rate. So really, it would be impossible to keep up with the pace at which Jesus is bearing fruit for God’s kingdom.”
Jesus said in John 15:5, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”
Gilad Shalit — Wow, this video is like something out of a Hollywood movie — only it’s not — it’s real. Seems like the U.S. should help to free this guy.
He was the first Israeli soldier captured[4][5] by Palestinian militants since Nachshon Wachsman in 1994.[6] Shalit holds French citizenship, a fact that encouraged France and the European Union to be involved to some extent in efforts to release him.[7] He also received Italian citizenship after his abduction.[8][9][10][11][12][13]
If you were held by terrorists and had the opportunity to be released, but, it would mean the release of 1,000 imprisoned terrorists, would you tell your government to make the deal?
My take is that this is one of those situations where you don’t know how you’d react until you were in that actual circumstance. I would hope that I would have the courage to find a way to tell my government to hold fast and not make the deal.
In the words of Jesus, Greater love has no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. John 15:13
I have to believe that if 1,000 terrorists were to be released, odds are that people are going to die at their hands. I doubt that Gilad would encourage such a deal.
Leadership take-away: To be a good leader we must put the needs and welfare of other people ahead of ourselves. As soon as you put yourself before others, things go downhill fast. Jesus first — Others second — Yourself third.
Has anyone seen the story about the off duty police detective who drew his gun at a snowball fight? Check out the video:
Sunday night (12/20/09) on 60 minutes I listened to a telephone answering machine message from Alec Baldwin — he was unloading on his teenage daughter. His embarrassment and humiliation were painfully obvious as I watched him try to explain why he lost his cool. Teenage daughters or unruly crowds can bring us to a point of frustration where we may be tempted to unload.
Can you think of a scripture that supports the idea of keeping your cool?
Updated information below added at 2145, 12/21/09
OK, I can’t take it anymore. I’ve read some articles on this snowball situation and I think that everyone I’ve read is missing it. The detective blew it, yes, definitely. There is no way a cop should pull out his gun because he was provoked by a group of snowballers, I mean, that’s obvious right? The guy lost his cool and now he’ll pay for it with discipline from his police department and, most painful of all, a large smudge on a good long career as a peace officer. He was wrong.
The other side of this thing though, is that the snowballers themselves were also way out of line. As a leader in my organization I used to run some of the behavior of my firefighters through the teenage son test. That is, when I thought one of the firefighters perhaps did something stupid I’d ask myself, “Would either of my two teenage sons do something this dopey?” If I could answer no, then I knew for certain that the behavior was out of line. I would think that most of us would have grown out of throwing snowballs at vehicles by the time we were out of junior high school. Throwing snowballs at a man with a gun in his hand is, well, that’s beyond my comprehension. That – was – incredibly – stupid! Disrespecting a police officer — also stupid, and behavior that I would describe as, small minded. The snowballers: also wrong.
As for the scripture, two come to mind, both from James.
For the snowballers consideration: James 3:17, 18 But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness.
And for the detective: James 1:19, 20 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.
Are you a Mom, a Dad, a coach, a boss, an older brother, or an older sister? If you are then believe me when I tell you that you’re a leader. And if you’re a leader it’s worth your while to learn to lead well! It will change your life!
Check out this video of junior Democratic Senator Al Franken before reading the rest of this post.
The question posed in this post is: is humility essential to good leadership? Consider this excerpt from Traveler and the Chaplain and the words of Jesus in the italics toward the end of the excerpt.
“So what is it then? What is humility?” Traveler asked.
“Humility is an absence of pride that comes from a keen awareness of who I am in comparison to God.”
Traveler sat with a blank look.
“Let me try to explain,” said the Chaplain. “Name one of the most famous athletes in the history of our planet.”
“Uhmm… Michael Jordan?”
“OK, he played basketball right?”
“Yes. You have to ask?”
The Chaplain ignored the question. “Suppose you and a friend were playing basketball together on the same team as Michael Jordan. And at the end of the game the three of you combined for 50 points: you scored 1; your friend scored 2; and Michael Jordan scored 47.”
“That sounds about right.”
“How ridiculous would it be for your friend to then deride you for not scoring as many points as he? It was Michael Jordan who scored all the points!”
“I guess it would be pretty silly,” Traveler said.
“How much greater is the difference between man and God than the difference between your friend and Michael Jordan?”
“The difference is infinite?” Traveler answered half asking.
“Yes, that’s right!” the Chaplain said excitedly. “The difference is infinite! Remember the story that Jesus told of the Pharisee and the tax collector?”
“Yes”
The Chaplain continued, “Two men went into the temple. The first, a Pharisee, thanked God for making him superior to the other who was a tax collector. The tax collector, recognizing that he was a sinner, simply asked God for mercy. Jesus said…
I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.
Luke 18:14
“One of these men, the tax collector, recognized that in comparison to God he was but dust, he was a sinner, he was in need of God’s mercy. Pride manifested itself in the other, in the Pharisee, as he compared himself to another human. Comparing yourself to another human is ridiculous in the context of God’s majesty, and God’s majesty is ever present. Therefore it is always ridiculous to compare yourself to another human.”
This ties into a great teaching on leadership that I heard at the Applegate Christian Fellowship’s http://www.applegatefellowship.org/ last Wednesday (12/16/09) night service.
In Jesus’ last public sermon, recorded in Matthew 23 Jesus is teaching on leadership and using the Pharisees and the teachers of the law as an example. He starts with 1Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: 2“The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat.
The meaning of the word sit, in the original language, communicates the idea that they seated themselves. A good leader never has to “seat himself or herself.” That is they should follow the teaching from Jesus in Luke 14:7-11 Don’t take the place of honor, But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, ‘Friend, move up to a better place.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all your fellow guests. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Back to Matthew 23:8 Jesus goes on to say, “But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have only one Master and you are all brothers. And do not call anyone on earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. 10Nor are you to be called ‘teacher,’ for you have one Teacher, the Christ.The greatest among you will be your servant. For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.
This idea that we are all brothers and sisters, that we are all the same relative to Christ, is also expressed by the Chaplain in Traveler and the Chaplain.
“Comparing yourself to another human is ridiculous in the context of God’s majesty, and God’s majesty is ever present. Therefore it is always ridiculous to compare yourself to another human.”
Is humility an essential characteristic of a good leader? Three times, once in Matthew and twice in Luke, Jesus says that those who exalt themselves will be humbled and those who humble themselves will be exalted — each time in the context of current leadership.
5 Alarm Apartment Fire
My fire department fought a fire last night. It came in around 8pm as a fire in an apartment. When our first engine arrived there was heavy involvement on the first floor with significant extension into the second floor. When I arrived there was heavy fire venting from the roof. At that point I would have bet that we would lose another two or three apartments in addition to the original fire apartment. One of the occupants suffered smoke inhalation — she was treated at the hospital and released.
The Incident Commander and the firefighters who fought this fire did a phenomenal job. They confined the fire to the apartment of origin with some relatively minor water damage to the 2 apartments adjacent on either side. No firefighters were injured.
Leadership take-away:
One sign of good leadership is how your followers perform when you’re gone. The Medford Fire-Rescue Fire Chief was visiting family 1,000 miles away for Christmas yet his fire department did a great job handling a 5 alarm structure fire.
Consider the following excerpt from Traveler and the Chaplain:
Jesus said in John 15:5, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”
Share now:
Like this:
Leave a Comment
Posted on December 24, 2009 by Kurt Bennett
Bible Commentary
Christian, Fire, Humility, Leadership, Structure Fire, Traveler and the Chaplain
Gilad Shalit
Gilad Shalit — Wow, this video is like something out of a Hollywood movie — only it’s not — it’s real. Seems like the U.S. should help to free this guy.
From Wiki:
If you were held by terrorists and had the opportunity to be released, but, it would mean the release of 1,000 imprisoned terrorists, would you tell your government to make the deal?
My take is that this is one of those situations where you don’t know how you’d react until you were in that actual circumstance. I would hope that I would have the courage to find a way to tell my government to hold fast and not make the deal.
In the words of Jesus, Greater love has no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. John 15:13
I have to believe that if 1,000 terrorists were to be released, odds are that people are going to die at their hands. I doubt that Gilad would encourage such a deal.
Leadership take-away: To be a good leader we must put the needs and welfare of other people ahead of ourselves. As soon as you put yourself before others, things go downhill fast. Jesus first — Others second — Yourself third.
Please remember Gilad Shalit in your prayers.
Share now:
Like this:
1 Comment
Posted on December 22, 2009 by Kurt Bennett
Uncategorized
bennett's blog, Christian, Gilad Shalit, kurt bennett, kurt bennett books, kurtbennettbooks, Leadership, Traveler and the Chaplain, travelerandthechaplain
Keeping Cool
Has anyone seen the story about the off duty police detective who drew his gun at a snowball fight? Check out the video:
Sunday night (12/20/09) on 60 minutes I listened to a telephone answering machine message from Alec Baldwin — he was unloading on his teenage daughter. His embarrassment and humiliation were painfully obvious as I watched him try to explain why he lost his cool. Teenage daughters or unruly crowds can bring us to a point of frustration where we may be tempted to unload.
Can you think of a scripture that supports the idea of keeping your cool?
Updated information below added at 2145, 12/21/09
OK, I can’t take it anymore. I’ve read some articles on this snowball situation and I think that everyone I’ve read is missing it. The detective blew it, yes, definitely. There is no way a cop should pull out his gun because he was provoked by a group of snowballers, I mean, that’s obvious right? The guy lost his cool and now he’ll pay for it with discipline from his police department and, most painful of all, a large smudge on a good long career as a peace officer. He was wrong.
The other side of this thing though, is that the snowballers themselves were also way out of line. As a leader in my organization I used to run some of the behavior of my firefighters through the teenage son test. That is, when I thought one of the firefighters perhaps did something stupid I’d ask myself, “Would either of my two teenage sons do something this dopey?” If I could answer no, then I knew for certain that the behavior was out of line. I would think that most of us would have grown out of throwing snowballs at vehicles by the time we were out of junior high school. Throwing snowballs at a man with a gun in his hand is, well, that’s beyond my comprehension. That – was – incredibly – stupid! Disrespecting a police officer — also stupid, and behavior that I would describe as, small minded. The snowballers: also wrong.
As for the scripture, two come to mind, both from James.
For the snowballers consideration: James 3:17, 18 But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness.
And for the detective: James 1:19, 20 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.
Share now:
Like this:
2 Comments
Posted on December 21, 2009 by Kurt Bennett
Uncategorized
Christian, gun, Leadership, self control, Snowball fight, Traveler and the Chaplain
Is Humility Essential to Good Leadership?
Are you a Mom, a Dad, a coach, a boss, an older brother, or an older sister? If you are then believe me when I tell you that you’re a leader. And if you’re a leader it’s worth your while to learn to lead well! It will change your life!
Check out this video of junior Democratic Senator Al Franken before reading the rest of this post.
The question posed in this post is: is humility essential to good leadership? Consider this excerpt from Traveler and the Chaplain and the words of Jesus in the italics toward the end of the excerpt.
This ties into a great teaching on leadership that I heard at the Applegate Christian Fellowship’s http://www.applegatefellowship.org/ last Wednesday (12/16/09) night service.
In Jesus’ last public sermon, recorded in Matthew 23 Jesus is teaching on leadership and using the Pharisees and the teachers of the law as an example. He starts with 1Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: 2“The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat.
The meaning of the word sit, in the original language, communicates the idea that they seated themselves. A good leader never has to “seat himself or herself.” That is they should follow the teaching from Jesus in Luke 14:7-11 Don’t take the place of honor, But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, ‘Friend, move up to a better place.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all your fellow guests. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Back to Matthew 23:8 Jesus goes on to say, “But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have only one Master and you are all brothers. And do not call anyone on earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. 10Nor are you to be called ‘teacher,’ for you have one Teacher, the Christ. The greatest among you will be your servant. For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.
This idea that we are all brothers and sisters, that we are all the same relative to Christ, is also expressed by the Chaplain in Traveler and the Chaplain.
Is humility an essential characteristic of a good leader? Three times, once in Matthew and twice in Luke, Jesus says that those who exalt themselves will be humbled and those who humble themselves will be exalted — each time in the context of current leadership.
What do you think about Al Franken’s behavior?
Share now:
Like this:
Leave a Comment
Posted on December 19, 2009 by Kurt Bennett
Uncategorized
Christian, Franken, Humility, Leadership, Lieberman, senate, Traveler and the Chaplain
Signup for the inside scoop and the latest blog posts
TRENDING
Categories