Also Ran

I know next to nothing about horse racing. I read Seabiscuit, and saw the movie; enjoyed them both. That's about it. From hanging around the Illinois State Fair as a kid, though, I remember that the first three places in any race's finish were called win, place, and show. Any other horse in the field was listed as also ran... Any horse that ran in the race, and didn't get one of the first three spots was an "also ran."

Nobody remembers the "also rans." We remember the team that won the world series, but not the team that finished over .500, yet failed to make the playoffs. We recall the president of the company, but not the guy who retired as a department head, but never made it into the inner circle of company officers. I my professional world, we'll all remember the likes of Charles Swindoll, Bill Hybels, Rob Bell, and Francis Chan. And well we should - their impact on the mission of changing lives in the name of Jesus is immeasurable. No one will recall the pastor of the little church of thirty people, who lead them into genuine discipleship, growth, and impact in their small town, thus keeping the church from closing its doors. Our world assumes a hierarchy of influence, and "also rans" are low in that worldview.

Biblically, we remember Simon Peter, who lead the first gathering of Jesus-followers in Jerusalem. We remember Stephen, the first recorded martyr; surrendering his life for allegiance to Jesus. We recall Saul/Paul, the unlikely ambassador for Jesus throughout the Roman empire. Few people remember or know a follower of Jesus named Joseph, who was nicknamed Barnabus. I've never heard a sermon about him. He warranted only two verses in the Bible. I wonder why the Holy Spirit wanted us to know about this "also ran"?

More on Joseph, the "son of exhortation" in the next post. I'll see you around the next bend in the river.

Humility and Also-Rans

Sorry for the long hiatus. No real reason...probably too sidetracked by Facebook, Twitter, some great fishing, and other distractions.

There are two subjects I want to pursue for a while by way of these postings. First, there's a dimension of leadership that seems to be capturing some attention right now; at least it's grabbing mine. Many needed facets of leadership have been promoted for the last couple of decades: the need for vision, the need for courage, the need for flexibility, the need for assertiveness, the need for drive and momentum, the need for people skills, the need to get tough when required, etc. I now see a leadership trait rising to the top of discussion, which kind of torques all the other "out there" kind of characteristics. It's humility. How is humility defined in leadership? Among our most effective leaders, in and out of gatherings of Jesus-followers, we often see fairly strong egos in play, or at least high levels of personal confidence. How does that square with mandates on Jesus-followers such as those found in the Bible in Philippians, chapter 2? What's the difference between a leader such as Donald Trump, who functions with an unrestrained ego, and a leader such as former professional football coach Tony Dungy, who almost completely avoids the limelight?

The second matter has to do with those who are not found in the limelight, with or without the trait of humility. In old horse-racing language, these are the ones who do not get listed in "win", "place" or "show." They are the "also-rans." More on this with the next post.

I'll see you around the next bend in the river. (It's great to be able to say that now, finally as an owner of a kayak!)