It feels like the Pine-Richland community and school district are fragile. There is an existential threat to it as we know it today. It feels polarized because small groups on the polar ends, with improper motives, have been stirring the pot. Much of what they say is not the truth, but hearsay. The consequences are being felt. There is a lack of trust among adults which is seeping into the children.
We need to establish social and political unity. A leader is needed that can be trusted with the power to build that unity, a servant leader that can be trusted because they are conspicuously willing to give up that power. This leader’s greatest act of sacrificial obedience needs to be done by establishing neighborly love from the heart. That needs to be their only motive.
I am humbly called to serve as that leader, and I’d be grateful for the opportunity. I will do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit but in humility will value others above myself. I will serve the P-R school board, administration, and community humbly in love.
Stubbornly clinging to our self-focus is a stare for our spirit. Pride, anger, resentment, and self-pity are like thick weeds in our path, preventing us from moving forward. When we give in to such feelings, we steep in emotional turmoil. That is what’s been happening within the P-R community.
My main priority is to lead by following God’s Spirit, even if He leads us into uncomfortable conversations. In my experience, when those conversations are conducted in love, they are healthy and constructive. Wisdom is knowing how to balance encouragement and loving confrontation and good leadership is knowing when and how to do both.
I believe leadership is all about love. Wisdom manifests itself in relationships. The role of a servant leader is to draw the wisdom out of every person by asking smart questions. If you know the right questions to ask, you can learn from anybody.
One of the things I’ve learned over the past 30 years is that I never learn anything while I’m talking. If my mouth is moving, I’m not learning. You don’t learn when you’re talking. You learn when you’re listening.
I will lead by asking good questions, listening, and loving my neighbors well.
Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people willing to do menial work. Do not be conceited. Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.
Romans 12:13-18
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