Looking for words

On Friday I spoke for a Leadership Seminar. These are seminars that Laura coordinates as part of the Leadership Development Program.

My topic was "Leadership Beyond." I spoke on the importance of making the most of you time during your university experience and education, thinking about leadership beyond the business world/career endeavors, the importance of having a mentor, and choosing education for wisdom development over a passport to a comfortable life. I know, it was a pretty lofty task, but it is all things that I have been thinking about since grad school. And more than anything I wanted the students who came to hear me to not just jot down some notes, looking for the right answer to become a leader, but to walk away from the seminar starting to think deeply and critically about what their education means and why they want to be a leader.

Most of the students at the seminar were freshman. As part of my talk I told them about how it wasn't until my junior year of college when I started to think about my education as something that was deeper than merely getting good grades, so that I could get a decent job. My educational experience became a more meaningful part of my life in my junior year for a number of reasons, but a few that come to mind are: 1) being mentored by Jim Fereira, Dean of Students at Bethel, 2) getting connected to the Student Life department via being an Resident Assistant, 3) joining a guy's group Bible/book study with Jay Barnes and Denny Morrow...and the continued mentorship of Jay that sprang out that. There are more great things that happened that year, but these stick out the most.

I would not be sitting in Klaipeda, Lithuania right now as a Resdient Director, pursuing a life of ministry via higher education without many of the conversations that took place that year. And maybe even more than the conversations, these mentors of mine instilled in me confidence that I had never seen before in myself. I don't know if Jay, Jim, Lisa, Sherry, and many others will ever read this, but if you do, thank you.

And while I am on a role. Many of the ideas I have been pondering and shared in the seminar are things I have been thinking about since Geneva. So thanks to the great people who took time to teach me and mentor me there: Ann, Nancy, Dave, Don, Terry, Brad, Eric, and more.

I know we've said it before, but Laura and I learning so much as we live, minister, and educate here at LCC. Pray for us as we continue this journey. We are so blessed by each of you and they way you have encouraged us, mentored us, and loved us. We love to get your notes and to know you are thinking of us. We are praying for you all.