Reason For Being

"Really believe in your heart of hearts that your fundamental purpose, the reason for being, is to enlarge the lives of others. Your life will be enlarged also. And all of the other things we have been taught to concentrate on will take care of themselves."  (Pete Thigpen, Executive Reserves)

I recently read a story about a young child who suffered from polio. His journey began in August 1943 when he was nine years old. In the hospital, he met a nurse named Susan. Nurse Susan spent a lot of time working with the boy, caring for his needs and encouraging his heart because all he could see was the ceiling. He said her message was simple: "Your future ... is hidden on the ceiling, and you can find it if you look very hard. Look for what you will be doing as you grow up. It's all up there ... all you have to do is to study the ceiling. When you see your future it will start to happen."

Nurse Susan encouraged his imagination by putting pictures on the ceiling. She taught him to play checkers and chess by projecting a game board on the ceiling. When he found that he could wiggle his toes, she rigged a bell that he could ring with his toes. As he made progress Susan created more things for him to do.

The young boy survived his encounter with polio. He went on to become the president of the Hudson Institute as well as the founding president of the Fielding Institute. His name is Frederic M. Hudson.

As impressive as Mr. Hudson's resume may be, I would really like to have met nurse Susan. She must have been an extraordinary person to inspire a nine year old boy to fight and overcome polio and dream of what he might become.

I just completed about 20 hours of interviews with an incredible group of people. They are the teachers and staff at my school. In those conversations and in subsequent chats, I was reminded how much they love what they do. They are the "nurse Susan's" in their sphere of influence!

Teachers = Encourager's of the Heart!

Encourage someone to dream of what they might become!

(The story about Frederic Hudson is from 'Credibility' by J. M. Kouzes and B. Z. Posner)

Something Worth Struggling For

"Credibility is not something I decided to have. It is something that I struggle for. I struggle for the consistency - in my managerial life and throughout my life." (Kirk O. Hansen, The Business Enterprise Trust)

To be credible is to be believable and reliable; to be trustworthy and dependable.  As the author of the quote so aptly puts it, "it is something that I struggle for" in my personal life.

People are looking for it when they purchase a new car, when they go to work, when they go to school, when they call customer service, and when they look for someone to share their life with. From the simplest things to the most complex things, we want something, or someone outside of ourself that is credible, dependable and stable.

The Apostle Paul wrote in Philippians, "Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on (v. 3:12) ... one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead (v. 3:13) ... I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. (3:14)" 

What Paul is saying is that the journey towards God is worth the struggle; it's worth the effort.  Even though he had not reached his target, Paul recognized it was worth it. He tenaciously pressed forward and upward knowing he could depend upon God. His present struggle could not compare to the "surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus (v. 3:8)".

Each of our journey's are different. Some are more challenging than others. As Paul's words encouraged the Church at Philippi, may they encourage us ... stand firm in the Lord.  In so doing, we model credibility to others.

Faith For Such A Time As This

"For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place and you and your father's house will perish. And who knows whether you have attained royalty for such a time as this?" (Esther 4:14)


I am sure that these words echoed through Esther's mind as she silently humbled herself before King Ahasuerus waiting for his permission to speak on behalf of the Jewish people. She had carefully thought about what to say as he offered her up to half of his kingdom. Esther was mindful of the circumstances in which she lived, but unsure of the outcome. She trusted in something that she could not see or comprehend, and carefully and thoughtfully moved forward one step at a time.

So it is with people of faith. We may not be able to fully understand what is ahead of us. But we place our trust in the unseen reality of God. He will order our steps and instruct us as we follow Him.

Hope brings unending possibilities that we cannot see. Trust brings confidence to keep moving forward.

Be Strong

"Be strong and let your heart take courage, all you who hope in the Lord." (Psalm 31:24)


Those two words, "be strong," occur about 45 times in Scripture. They are often followed by "and be of good courage" or something similar. It is clear that we need to be reminded of this truth on a regular basis. In the face of daily stress, personal challenges, and a rapidly changing society we need to hear "be strong" and "take courage" in the hope that God will do what is ultimately best for us.

I know that some of you are facing huge challenges that are far above your ability to withstand. And for the rest of us, our "smaller" challenges may seem like mountains. Take courage and be strong today: "Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." (Joshua 1:9)

Blessings in all you do today!

Educator's Prayer

"Conventional wisdom has it that management is not a popularity contest.... I contend, however, that all things being equal, we will work harder and more effectively for people we like. And we will like them in direct proportion to how they make us feel." (Irwin Federman)


For those of us in education, consider inserting "teaching" in place of "management." In over 20 years of Christian education I have heard educators say “students don’t need to like me in order to learn.” While we are not in education in order for students to like us, we can connect better with them if they feel we respect them and value them as a learner. Even more so if they like us.

Education is about making a connection with the student rather than just pouring out information hoping some of it will sink in. There will always be students that rub us the wrong way and test our patience. But as they are, some of us once were.

May God grant us the ability to change the students that can be changed, the patience to endure those who struggle, and the wisdom to do no harm.

Students are as human as their teachers.