Real Leadership

The past two days our church hosted the Global Leadership Summit, which is an incredible event put on by Bill Hybels and the Willow Creek Association. I highly recommended it for any for anyone who wants to get better at whatever it is they do. There were some great talks and inspiring music.

Thursday and Friday were great days to think about Leadership. I was thinking about the lessons and information and how they would apply to the roles of leadership I find myself in such as Pastor, Father, Husband, Son, Brother, and Friend. I also started thinking about Saturday...Today.

Today I am attending the funeral of a 32 year old man who battled cancer for almost 2 years, last Saturday he got to see his Creator face to face and entered into a place where cancer doesn't exist. It really is a heart-breaking story. A man way too young with 3 kids and a wife who loved him and depended upon him. Parents and sisters who never thought he would go first. Friends, Co-workers, and other Family who are asking all the usual questions of why and how did God allow this?

The story is very heart-breaking. It hits close to home. It could have been much much worse.

You see, Thaius Holmes is a REAL Leader. She didn't speak at this year's Global Leadership Summit, but she is an incredible Leader nonetheless. Thaius is the person God used to bring hope into a horrible situation. She is the person that brought a young man from her work, who was diagnosed with Cancer to her church so that someone could pray for him to be healed.

Her relationship and invitation with Jeremy and his wife Roni, changed this story in an incredible way. A few months after that first visit and time of prayer I had the incredible joy and honor to watch Thaius baptize the entire Sandall family, well except for the 3 year old. She introduced them to the only person who can give hope in times like these. She changed the story from 32 year-old loses battle with cancer, to 32 year-old meets Jesus face to face. She and God changed the story from 32 leaves behind a wife and 3 kids to fend for themselves, to 32 year-old entrusts his widow and children into the hands of God's Family and their Neighborhood Group until they all reunite in Heaven.

Thaius is a REAL Leader. The Families in Neighborhood Group with the Sandalls are REAL Leaders. I am going to be sad when I don't see Jeremy helping serve communion tomorrow at the 10:00 service, but I am grateful that because of REAL Leadership we will see each other again in God's Eternal Kingdom.

Thank you Thaius.

Wedded Blister

Today I celebrate 16 years of Wedded Bliss with my wife Kristi.
I don't know a lot about marriage or relationships in general, but I have learned this:

To get to the Bliss you have to work through the Blisters.

When you get a blister, what is your normal response?

If you keep doing the same things that gave you that blister, will it get better? Probably not. If you don't change your shoes, your wet socks, or at least apply a band-aid to the blistered region you aren't going to allow for a blister on your foot to heal.

What I see in marriage over and over again are people who claim to love each other, who are still wearing the wet socks that give them blisters. They don't change the behaviors that are damaging their spouse or their kids. Marriage is hard work, and a good marriage is really hard work.

I am so blessed to have an incredible wife. She decided long ago to never settle, to never let the things that were bothering her in our marriage to go un-addressed. She is probably the most wise person I know. I have not made many decisions these past 16 years that Kristi didn't make better. She is one of the most authentic people I know. I am incredibly grateful for Kristi as we have moved along this path of life. I am a better person today because of her. I hope she can say the same.

We would have never gotten to this Bliss without the Blisters. Thank you God for Kristi. Thank you Kristi for 16 years. Let's kick some butt these next 16.