Encourage the Good

The best laid plans of mice and men It feels like every time a plan is starting to solidify it liquifies under changing conditions. Ideas run through my fingers and trickle away. Virtually nothing in the past 18 months has had any resemblance to what I was planning

Today we have two days for the price of one. Our feelings on moving into a new neighbourhood and some thoughts on counting time. When I get something new, like a bottle of shower gel, it seems limitless and there is no need for me to keep track of what I am using. But when the bottle is running out I become much more careful and conscious of making it last. One of the things the pandemic has done...

Aida is from Spain and has been pioneering student ministry in Equatorial Guinea. She is part of the IFES Breaking New Ground Network. An encouraging start was disrupted by the global pandemic but this turned out only to be an interruption as new opportunities have arisen. Aida has been in Canada this week and we took the opportunity to chat before she went to the airport.

This is often the problem when I decide something has to be achieved by a certain date. Frustration and disappointment arise fuelled by my failure to meet a deadline that I am often responsible for inventing myself. Audacious goals can challenge, inspire and move forward but we can also fall into a tyranny of achieving the objective at all costs. I need to take care when my way and my time take on...

Waiting for slow people can be frustrating. Dealing with difficult people takes a lot of time and energy. The influence of a difficult person spreads and impacts others. The resources a difficult person consumes are disproportionate. At the moment I am a difficult person. Now to be fair I would prefer to think about myself as a person in difficulty rather than a difficult person but I am not sure...

Three dangers to watch out for as we run the race of faith Part of the inspiration of the Paralympics is watching people embrace challenges where many of us in the same situation may well have given up.  There is a definite temptation as we get older to take the line of least resistance and to settle. I have days where I am not sure I can face the hassle of the stairs, getting in the car, going to...

 “The words of great coaches fuel great athletes”.  Some of the recurrent themes that come through these stories are humility, care, commitment and focus. The coach athlete relationship is about the coach helping the athlete’s growth not the athlete enhancing the coach’s reputation. InterVarsity and IFES have always been leadership development movements from our beginnings. We look for younger lea...

Seven things to bear in mind in an appointment and selection process. Selection for a team, in sport or work, is a huge responsibility. It is a privilege to be involved in processes and decisions that profoundly affect peoples lives. I never take it lightly. Putting your hand up for consideration places you in a vulnerable position and I always try to be as positive as possible and give each perso...

If something has gone well or badly we live with the lingering aftermath. The medals of victory hold great memories but are easier to set aside than the scars of defeat.  Failure is hard to face up to. We have a tendency to refuse to take responsibility, to cut ourselves a little slack and apportion the fault to other people. When we do something wrong we deflect blame, deny responsibility, disput...

This is the problem with measuring progress. It is not easy to see what is going on beneath the surface. We can have key performance indicators and attainment targets which will chart growth and potentially help with motivation but these rest on what can be observed and assessed. What is going on beneath the surface is unseen.  Safe to say that while I would like my ankle to be making faster progr...

The philosopher draws a rather depressing conclusion, that there is nothing that really delivers lasting contentment.  He says that he tried projects, pursued pleasure, amassed possessions, and achieved prominence.  He found these things to be meaningless. He has got what many long for but filling the void at the heart of his search has proved tantalisingly elusive.  When we do attain our objectiv...

In harder times it is helpful to remember that there are seasons. That neither good or bad things last forever. This is not to advocate fatalism it is that there is a certain beauty in the way this symmetry is articulated. Life is about difference. We appreciate the victory because we have tasted disappointment, we learn through defeat and come back stronger, we celebrate because we have known sad...

The presence of the “Believe” sign on my shelf behind my head began to draw some comparisons with Ted Lasso His statement that: “For me, success is not about the wins and losses. It’s about helping these young fellas be the best versions of themselves on and off the field”, has been part of my coaching philosophy for over 15 years. But beyond that the comparisons are not altogether clear. I am a b...

I confess to using the fast forward button on the remote quite often. It enables me to skip adverts, avoid the less interesting sections of sports matches and enjoy programs I am more interested in. I confess to even fast forwarding through elements of online church services during Covid. There are times in this season where I wish I could fast forward a bit through life. I guess I am not alone in...

In most weddings the centre of attention is definitely the bride. Although the mothers of the bride and groom and the bridesmaids share (but obviously never steal the limelight.) Here the focus is very much on the groom the bride does not appear until later in the song. This a love song about a king but the hyperbole goes beyond poetry to prophecy. It is a description that goes beyond what any hum...

Family failure is not fatal. What happens when we are young invariably marks us but it does not have to define us. Patterns in families can perpetuate or they can find new shape. Korah experienced judgement and death, his sons grieve and lament but the rebellion in the desert and the judgement that follows does not define the family for future generations. The name of Korah will be remembered thro...

Since writing about Andrew Walls I was reminded about these thoughts again more recently when I had the privilege of attending the funeral of Don Lewis who had taught at Regent College in Vancouver for 40 years. These men were born more than 20 years apart and made their homes on different continents. As well as both studying at Oxford they had many other things in common. There was no self import...

What started as a humorous photo opportunity when I spotted a book titled “Leading with a Limp” in the thrift store turned into much more when I began to read what was inside. It is challenging and helpful call to leading out of brokenness, “To admit we are foolish, weak, and in need of repentance gives the vindictive and self-righteous camp plenty of ammunition to turn against us and to turn othe...

By and large society pays more attention to the strong. Leaders especially are prone to value judgements about the ability and capacity of those in their charge. I find myself thinking more about the folly of this as I look at many who do not fit the bill but are having a significant influence.  A high cost, high commitment, high performance model of leadership will not succeed if the behaviours o...

How do confidence and vulnerability relate to each other?  If we acknowledge failure and weakness does that indicate that we lack confidence or that others should lose confidence in us? If we are self assured and capable does that mean we should not show any frailty or deficiency? I am slowly coming to the conclusion that if my confidence is in the Lord and what he has done, I am more aware of my...

Emotional maturity does not develop automatically as we age. In fact some experiences can stunt our growth rather than accelerate it.  I have had first hand experiences of experienced leaders whose behaviour has more in common with a toddler having a tantrum than an elder sharing wisdom. How we cope when we are under pressure has great significance in determining if we grow up or slip back through...

I feel the general assumption is that leaders should at least look like they know what they are doing. Self confident, poised, competent and in control would be a reasonable summary of the image that is expected to be presented. There may be a small inner circle who are shown a little bit more but even there limits are often applied to limit vulnerability and protect our image. It is deeply shocki...

There is a great Scottish expression “Dinnae fash yersel” which means don’t get frustrated by a situation or annoyed with someone. It is way too easy to get worried about things which are inconsequential. Overall I am too tolerant of worry in my life. My excuses are that everyone does it and I have always done it. Part of my identity is entwined with plans to secure the things I want and need and...

Watching the final Relay races at Tokyo reminds me of the start of the Relay Programme in the UK. The idea of this internship was born in a chat with Nigel Lee walking round a golf course in Leamington Spa. I had known him for a number of years through OM and he had recently started working with UCCF. I was planning to finish my time with the organisation at the end of the year and he asked “If I...

“You don’t understand! I coulda had class. I coulda been a contender, I could’ve been somebody, instead of a bum, which is what I am.” So speaks a washed up and washed out boxer, who took a fall but wonders if he could rise again. This self reflection is characterised by regret. He did not work hard enough, took shortcuts and bought into the myth of talent trumping hard work. Many people look back...