Snow Mountain Ranch http://www.calvin.edu/weblogs/snowmountainranch en klj7@students.calvin.edu Copyright 2011 2011-08-09T14:22:43+00:00 2011 Blog http://www.calvin.edu/weblogs/snowmountainranch/2011-blog/ Looking for the 2011 blog? It’s moved! To read the thoughts, insights and stories from the 2011 LCI, click here: LCI at SMR 2011 -Kelly Johnson Looking for the 2011 blog? It’s moved!

To read the thoughts, insights and stories from the 2011 LCI, click here: LCI at SMR 2011

-Kelly Johnson

]]> 2011-08-09T14:22:43+00:00 Ron Nydam on Romantic Radar http://www.calvin.edu/weblogs/snowmountainranch/ron-nydam-on-romantic-radar/ According to Ron Nydam, from Calvin Theological Seminary, we all have romantic radar—a disposition, directed by the Holy Spirit, that attracts us to some people and not to others. Psychologically speaking, this radar is reflective of our pasts, and romantic relationships may be our minds’ way of working out some of the hurts we have experienced in our lives. But Ron believes that something greater is at work with romance. Love is Spirit-directed, and the dynamics of marriage might just serve as an ultimate road to forgiveness. We read from Genesis: “For this reason a man will leave his father and his mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh” “You got to Leave well in order to Cleave well,” Ron said. Meaning successful relationships can only work from properly addressing (and often forgiving) pains from our past. To illustrate this point, Ron told us a story. We heard about a couple whose marriage was in trouble. Through counsel, the couple realized that pain in their lives had led to the problems they were facing, and this past pain may have also led them to each other. We listened as Ron described some of the details of the couple’s past and began to see how the Holy Spirit works in love and uses marriage, even this troubled one, to allow those in it to do the deep forgiving necessary to honor their covenantal marriage and to honor God. We were encouraged to consider our own lives. If forgiveness is necessary, as it may be in some cases, we have to be willing to do the work necessary to forgive. You got to leave well in order to cleave well. Ron provided, in sum, this quote from David Worster: “The [Holy Spirit] directs people to choose partners who have the potential for bringing them to face some of their central life fears so that these fears can be worked through for further growth and mastery…people recreate in marriage their central life dilemma for themselves in order to work it through and this time to come out better. In this process only the person we really love and who touches our very roots has the capacity to drive us crazy as well as help us find our deepest strengths.” According to Ron Nydam, from Calvin Theological Seminary, we all have romantic radar—a disposition, directed by the Holy Spirit, that attracts us to some people and not to others. Psychologically speaking, this radar is reflective of our pasts, and romantic relationships may be our minds’ way of working out some of the hurts we have experienced in our lives. But Ron believes that something greater is at work with romance. Love is Spirit-directed, and the dynamics of marriage might just serve as an ultimate road to forgiveness.

We read from Genesis: “For this reason a man will leave his father and his mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh”

“You got to Leave well in order to Cleave well,” Ron said. Meaning successful relationships can only work from properly addressing (and often forgiving) pains from our past. To illustrate this point, Ron told us a story.

We heard about a couple whose marriage was in trouble. Through counsel, the couple realized that pain in their lives had led to the problems they were facing, and this past pain may have also led them to each other. We listened as Ron described some of the details of the couple’s past and began to see how the Holy Spirit works in love and uses marriage, even this troubled one, to allow those in it to do the deep forgiving necessary to honor their covenantal marriage and to honor God. We were encouraged to consider our own lives. If forgiveness is necessary, as it may be in some cases, we have to be willing to do the work necessary to forgive. You got to leave well in order to cleave well.

Ron provided, in sum, this quote from David Worster: “The [Holy Spirit] directs people to choose partners who have the potential for bringing them to face some of their central life fears so that these fears can be worked through for further growth and mastery…people recreate in marriage their central life dilemma for themselves in order to work it through and this time to come out better. In this process only the person we really love and who touches our very roots has the capacity to drive us crazy as well as help us find our deepest strengths.”

]]> 2010-08-12T14:39:26+00:00 A God of Surprises with Glenn Triezenberg and Kent Meyer http://www.calvin.edu/weblogs/snowmountainranch/a-god-of-surprises-with-glenn-triezenberg-and-kent-meyer/ We serve a God of Surprises. Glenn Triezenberg, Director of Career Development, and Kent Meyer, CEO of the YMCA of the Rockies, were our presenters this past Monday for the Leadership Challenge Institute. Both Glenn and Kent shared personal stories, backed by scripture, which reveal that the God who made us and loves us is also a God who continually surprises us. We began our meeting by discussing the essential qualities of a leader. Glenn encouraged us to think about our lists as we progress through our lives. We may alter or all-together change some of what we now consider to be the essential qualities of a leader. What is important is that we are mindful of what we value in leadership and that our essential qualities of leadership are consistent with God’s plan in our lives. Glenn then related our essential leadership qualities to the fact that God is a God of surprises. How then do leaders function with uncertainty? When good surprises come, Glenn told us, be grateful. When bad surprises come, have a plan, a proper focus and an attitude of approach. Also, we should understand how to manage grief and loss surprises that match our spiritual, psychological and physical strengths and weaknesses. From Glenn’s Presentation: Our God of surprises is also a God who is powerful and in control of our lives as leaders. He has promised to “do a new thing” with each of our lives, even things that may seem impossible like making a road in the wilderness or a river in the desert. These two metaphors in this text are especially clear to us as we experience the grandeur of the mountains. Our Creator God has formed these and all the rivers flowing through them. Will He not also do great things in us? Will He not also do great things in us? We serve a God of Surprises. Glenn Triezenberg, Director of Career Development, and Kent Meyer, CEO of the YMCA of the Rockies, were our presenters this past Monday for the Leadership Challenge Institute. Both Glenn and Kent shared personal stories, backed by scripture, which reveal that the God who made us and loves us is also a God who continually surprises us.
We began our meeting by discussing the essential qualities of a leader. Glenn encouraged us to think about our lists as we progress through our lives. We may alter or all-together change some of what we now consider to be the essential qualities of a leader. What is important is that we are mindful of what we value in leadership and that our essential qualities of leadership are consistent with God’s plan in our lives.

Glenn then related our essential leadership qualities to the fact that God is a God of surprises. How then do leaders function with uncertainty? When good surprises come, Glenn told us, be grateful. When bad surprises come, have a plan, a proper focus and an attitude of approach. Also, we should understand how to manage grief and loss surprises that match our spiritual, psychological and physical strengths and weaknesses.

From Glenn’s Presentation:

Our God of surprises is also a God who is powerful and in control of our lives as leaders. He has promised to “do a new thing” with each of our lives, even things that may seem impossible like making a road in the wilderness or a river in the desert. These two metaphors in this text are especially clear to us as we experience the grandeur of the mountains. Our Creator God has formed these and all the rivers flowing through them. Will He not also do great things in us?

Will He not also do great things in us?

]]> 2010-07-30T01:31:06+00:00 How We Read the Bible: Nate Bradford http://www.calvin.edu/weblogs/snowmountainranch/how-we-read-the-bible-nate-bradford/ Our faith backgrounds affect our understanding of God. Nate Bradford, one of the Associate Chaplains for Residence Life, spoke on Monday evening about just this topic and how we might approach reading the Bible. Scripture, Tradition, Reason and Experience are all ways that we, as Christians, come to know God and different faith backgrounds emphasize certain aspects over others. Perhaps, Nate said, we can grow in our faith by understating our background and realizing the value in aspects we occasionally overlook. We also learned how the issues that people hold dear tend to affect which scripture passages they often emphasize in their reading of the Bible. To drive these points home, Nate asked our group to analyze some very well known verses. In this project, we ranked these verses as they related to our understanding of the Bible—not to devalue certain verses, but to understand how we read and interpret the Bible. We then spent some time reading and thinking about the Parable of the Talents. Nate offered to us a non-traditional interpretation of this passage as a way to demonstrate how we can read scripture. We discussed the ideas of canon (the scriptures that influence how we read and understand the Bible and God), genre, the social-historical context of the Biblical story, and the scriptural context of God’s word. This non-traditional interpretation led to some good discussion about how immense and beautiful the Bible is. The difficulty in interpretation should not be as frustrating as it should be humbling. At no point in Nate’s presentation did he make the claim that he had all the right answers (or that anybody has all the right answers, for that matter), but it’s important to remember that there is a right answer. Reading the Bible is one of the best ways to come to know God, and studying the scripture is not something that can be done quickly or carelessly. Our faith backgrounds affect our understanding of God. Nate Bradford, one of the Associate Chaplains for Residence Life, spoke on Monday evening about just this topic and how we might approach reading the Bible.

Scripture, Tradition, Reason and Experience are all ways that we, as Christians, come to know God and different faith backgrounds emphasize certain aspects over others. Perhaps, Nate said, we can grow in our faith by understating our background and realizing the value in aspects we occasionally overlook. We also learned how the issues that people hold dear tend to affect which scripture passages they often emphasize in their reading of the Bible.

To drive these points home, Nate asked our group to analyze some very well known verses. In this project, we ranked these verses as they related to our understanding of the Bible—not to devalue certain verses, but to understand how we read and interpret the Bible. We then spent some time reading and thinking about the Parable of the Talents. Nate offered to us a non-traditional interpretation of this passage as a way to demonstrate how we can read scripture. We discussed the ideas of canon (the scriptures that influence how we read and understand the Bible and God), genre, the social-historical context of the Biblical story, and the scriptural context of God’s word.

This non-traditional interpretation led to some good discussion about how immense and beautiful the Bible is. The difficulty in interpretation should not be as frustrating as it should be humbling. At no point in Nate’s presentation did he make the claim that he had all the right answers (or that anybody has all the right answers, for that matter), but it’s important to remember that there is a right answer. Reading the Bible is one of the best ways to come to know God, and studying the scripture is not something that can be done quickly or carelessly.

]]> 2010-07-27T16:44:48+00:00 Listening for the Sake of Loving http://www.calvin.edu/weblogs/snowmountainranch/listening-for-the-sake-of-loving/ The Calvin group was thrilled to have Aminah Bradford, one Calvin’s Associate Chaplains of Residence Life, speak to us on Monday night. Using the story of Job, we learned about and shared ideas on attending to suffering people. As leaders, and as members of the Christian faith, we may be called to be with and have compassion for those that are hurting. There will even be times when we, ourselves, are hurting. Learning to listen for the sake of loving, and for the sake of leading, is an important factor in living out Christ’s teaching in our lives. To do this, we first had to learn some of the wrong ways to listen. Relying on the acting talents of the Calvin group, we had to engage a “sufferer” using assigned, cliché, mishandled attempts at being considerate. Some of us were “Generals” who told the sufferer exactly what he needed to do and when. Others were “Quick Change Artists” who turn the conversation another direction. Some were “Interrogators,” barraging the sufferer with questions about how he got into this state. And some coddled the sufferer, offering cookies and saying, “oh, you poor, poor thing.” This was the “Granny Cup of Tea” group. The lesson we learned from this was that all these methods, while none of them inherently or all-together bad for dealing with someone in pain, rely on vapid attempts at comfort without being truly compassionate. True compassion, literally meaning “to suffer with,” is what the Bible expects of us in dealing with others’ pain. “How can I be with them in this?” is the question we should ask before “how can I fix this?” Jesus, of course, reveals the most magnificent and pure act of compassion. Not only did he suffer with his people, he suffered for us. To mark the middle of the program and to allow the Calvin group to bond, while thinking about where they’ve been this summer and where they’ll go in the future, the LCI had a retreat to Meadow Creek Reservoir. We played and explored around the lake, following it up with tin foil dinners around the campfire. We dedicated an hour of our evening to solo-time—a chance to quietly and solitarily reflect on God’s work in our lives and through this program. We returned to make smores, set up tents, and sleep. In the morning, the men and women of the Calvin group returned together for morning worship until it was time to leave and we returned to SMR for work and a strong finish to the summer.

The Calvin group was thrilled to have Aminah Bradford, one Calvin’s Associate Chaplains of Residence Life, speak to us on Monday night. Using the story of Job, we learned about and shared ideas on attending to suffering people. As leaders, and as members of the Christian faith, we may be called to be with and have compassion for those that are hurting. There will even be times when we, ourselves, are hurting. Learning to listen for the sake of loving, and for the sake of leading, is an important factor in living out Christ’s teaching in our lives.

To do this, we first had to learn some of the wrong ways to listen. Relying on the acting talents of the Calvin group, we had to engage a “sufferer” using assigned, cliché, mishandled attempts at being considerate. Some of us were “Generals” who told the sufferer exactly what he needed to do and when. Others were “Quick Change Artists” who turn the conversation another direction. Some were “Interrogators,” barraging the sufferer with questions about how he got into this state. And some coddled the sufferer, offering cookies and saying, “oh, you poor, poor thing.” This was the “Granny Cup of Tea” group.

The lesson we learned from this was that all these methods, while none of them inherently or all-together bad for dealing with someone in pain, rely on vapid attempts at comfort without being truly compassionate. True compassion, literally meaning “to suffer with,” is what the Bible expects of us in dealing with others’ pain. “How can I be with them in this?” is the question we should ask before “how can I fix this?” Jesus, of course, reveals the most magnificent and pure act of compassion. Not only did he suffer with his people, he suffered for us.

To mark the middle of the program and to allow the Calvin group to bond, while thinking about where they’ve been this summer and where they’ll go in the future, the LCI had a retreat to Meadow Creek Reservoir. We played and explored around the lake, following it up with tin foil dinners around the campfire. We dedicated an hour of our evening to solo-time—a chance to quietly and solitarily reflect on God’s work in our lives and through this program. We returned to make smores, set up tents, and sleep. In the morning, the men and women of the Calvin group returned together for morning worship until it was time to leave and we returned to SMR for work and a strong finish to the summer.

]]> 2010-07-19T01:41:12+00:00 Youthful Leadership with April Berends and Drew Bunting http://www.calvin.edu/weblogs/snowmountainranch/youthful-leadership-with-april-berends-and-drew-bunting/ This past week began with fireworks in Grand Lake. Absolutely amazing! Grand Lake consistently puts on one of the best Fourth of July celebrations in the area, and they don’t seem to be keeping that a secret as thousands and thousands of people gather year after year. Most of the Calvin group found their place along the lake, amid the masses, to watch the boat pull the firework barge across the water for the entire crowd. Some bits of burning embers fell a little too close for comfort by the seated crowd, but I think that everyone would agree they witnessed a great display of explosive celebration. On Monday, April Berends and Drew Bunting led the group in a discussion on Youthful Leadership—considering the strengths and difficulties of being a young leader. We were asked to consider Ephesians 3, specifically verses 20-21: Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than we could ask or imagine, to him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen We discussed, as a group, thoughts on discernment about God’s plan for our lives, reflections on our personal gifts for leadership in God’s kingdom, ideas of a Ministry of Presence, and the concept of living in the present as participants in God’s future. Both April and Drew reminded us of the importance of paying attention to God’s work in our lives and that we should continually be humble and hopeful as the future belongs to God, not to our personal agendas. We received a rare treat on Wednesday evening as Drew Bunting performed a concert for us. He played for us several of his songs that displayed both his self-ascribed quirky sense of humor and Christian beliefs. He plays in a way that surely demonstrates his love for God ad love for music. Finding that balance of being a Priest and song writer has not been without it’s challenges, as Drew himself said, but I believe, and I think everyone who attended his concert would agree, he has found it. Friends and Family: though it might seem hard to believe, the Calvin College Leadership Challenge Institute is at its midpoint. We are entering into our sixth week and have our mid-summer retreat this coming Wednesday. Please pray that the words and wisdom of the speakers so far have been met with openness and discernment and that the speakers yet to come continue in the offering of their hearts to the Calvin Program. Pray that each member of the Calvin group is mindful of God’s presence and that their time here in the mountains is viewed as more than just a job for the summer. From April and Drew’s Presentation: Glory to God whose power, working in us, can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine:  Glory to him from generation to generation in the Church, and in Christ Jesus for ever and ever READ MORE for some pictures of the week…

This past week began with fireworks in Grand Lake. Absolutely amazing! Grand Lake consistently puts on one of the best Fourth of July celebrations in the area, and they don’t seem to be keeping that a secret as thousands and thousands of people gather year after year. Most of the Calvin group found their place along the lake, amid the masses, to watch the boat pull the firework barge across the water for the entire crowd. Some bits of burning embers fell a little too close for comfort by the seated crowd, but I think that everyone would agree they witnessed a great display of explosive celebration.

On Monday, April Berends and Drew Bunting led the group in a discussion on Youthful Leadership—considering the strengths and difficulties of being a young leader. We were asked to consider Ephesians 3, specifically verses 20-21: Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than we could ask or imagine, to him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen

We discussed, as a group, thoughts on discernment about God’s plan for our lives, reflections on our personal gifts for leadership in God’s kingdom, ideas of a Ministry of Presence, and the concept of living in the present as participants in God’s future. Both April and Drew reminded us of the importance of paying attention to God’s work in our lives and that we should continually be humble and hopeful as the future belongs to God, not to our personal agendas.

We received a rare treat on Wednesday evening as Drew Bunting performed a concert for us. He played for us several of his songs that displayed both his self-ascribed quirky sense of humor and Christian beliefs. He plays in a way that surely demonstrates his love for God ad love for music. Finding that balance of being a Priest and song writer has not been without it’s challenges, as Drew himself said, but I believe, and I think everyone who attended his concert would agree, he has found it.

Friends and Family: though it might seem hard to believe, the Calvin College Leadership Challenge Institute is at its midpoint. We are entering into our sixth week and have our mid-summer retreat this coming Wednesday. Please pray that the words and wisdom of the speakers so far have been met with openness and discernment and that the speakers yet to come continue in the offering of their hearts to the Calvin Program. Pray that each member of the Calvin group is mindful of God’s presence and that their time here in the mountains is viewed as more than just a job for the summer. From April and Drew’s Presentation: Glory to God whose power, working in us, can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine:  Glory to him from generation to generation in the Church, and in Christ Jesus for ever and ever

READ MORE for some pictures of the week…

]]> 2010-07-12T16:39:25+00:00 SMR Week 4: Incarnate Leadership with John Witte http://www.calvin.edu/weblogs/snowmountainranch/smr-week-4-incarnate-leadership-with-john-witte/ On June 28, John Witte, Dean of Residence Life at Calvin, shared with us ideas about Leadership using Christ as a model. Before discussing five aspects of Incarnate Leadership, John asked us to consider that we can’t always know how our present state will play into the greater story of our lives. Looking back at major moments—growing up, high school, choosing a college, choosing a major—has a way of reminding us that God was there. It’s often unclear how God’s presence played a role in major life events until after the fact, sometimes years after. John encouraged the group to remember that God is with us this summer. We are in Colorado, at Snow Mountain Ranch, belonging to the Leadership Challenge Institute for a purpose. Maybe it will take years, maybe less, to realize why we are here, but God is with us—working in and through us. John Witte then delivered to us thoughts on leading like Jesus. Undoubtedly, as Christians, we desire to model our lives as our Savior has called us to. John pointed out to us aspects of Jesus’ life and ministry that are important to remember and model in our own lives. They are: Jesus dwelt with those he led Jesus’ disciples beheld him The glory of Jesus was a reflection of his Father Jesus led with grace and truth From the manger to the cross, Jesus sacrificed. Using John 1:14 as the basis, we worked through these points about Jesus’ life to try and understand how to be more effective, authentic Christian Leaders. John 1:14 says: The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. On Wednesday morning, a group of Calvin students, with John Witte and his sons, kayaked atop the peaceful waters of Grand Lake. The sun was warm, the water still. It was a great morning to paddle amidst the mountains on the edge of Rocky Mountain National Park. The vacation homes that line the lake were nearly as awe-inspiring as the peaks that serve as their backdrop. However—and spending weeks in the Rocky Mountains has illustrated this point to us with absolute clarity— large houses, boats, and fancy cars may showcase an earthly wealth, but these mountains around which we live and play showcase a wealth of love that God has for His earth and His people. On June 28, John Witte, Dean of Residence Life at Calvin, shared with us ideas about Leadership using Christ as a model. Before discussing five aspects of Incarnate Leadership, John asked us to consider that we can’t always know how our present state will play into the greater story of our lives. Looking back at major moments—growing up, high school, choosing a college, choosing a major—has a way of reminding us that God was there. It’s often unclear how God’s presence played a role in major life events until after the fact, sometimes years after. John encouraged the group to remember that God is with us this summer. We are in Colorado, at Snow Mountain Ranch, belonging to the Leadership Challenge Institute for a purpose. Maybe it will take years, maybe less, to realize why we are here, but God is with us—working in and through us.

John Witte then delivered to us thoughts on leading like Jesus. Undoubtedly, as Christians, we desire to model our lives as our Savior has called us to. John pointed out to us aspects of Jesus’ life and ministry that are important to remember and model in our own lives. They are:

Jesus dwelt with those he led
Jesus’ disciples beheld him
The glory of Jesus was a reflection of his Father
Jesus led with grace and truth
From the manger to the cross, Jesus sacrificed.

Using John 1:14 as the basis, we worked through these points about Jesus’ life to try and understand how to be more effective, authentic Christian Leaders. John 1:14 says: The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

On Wednesday morning, a group of Calvin students, with John Witte and his sons, kayaked atop the peaceful waters of Grand Lake. The sun was warm, the water still. It was a great morning to paddle amidst the mountains on the edge of Rocky Mountain National Park. The vacation homes that line the lake were nearly as awe-inspiring as the peaks that serve as their backdrop. However—and spending weeks in the Rocky Mountains has illustrated this point to us with absolute clarity— large houses, boats, and fancy cars may showcase an earthly wealth, but these mountains around which we live and play showcase a wealth of love that God has for His earth and His people.

]]> 2010-07-06T19:37:58+00:00 Steve Peterson: Leading with Integrity http://www.calvin.edu/weblogs/snowmountainranch/steve-peterson-leading-with-integrity/ Last Monday Chaplain Steve Peterson led the LCI group in a discussion about what it means to have integrity and how that relates to being an authentic Christian leader. “Integrity inspires trust and trust inspires confidence,” he said. But before we got to that we spent some time discussing what integrity really means. We gave personal definitions—being consistent in words and actions, what you do even when no one is around to see, being unified, lacking corruption, the list goes on. All are good definitions, but defining integrity and living with integrity are drastically different things, the latter requiring living faithfully and living strong in our values. And this brings us back to the quote on confidence. Having confidence in your leaders is crucial, and we, as leaders, aspire to be viewed as confident. Confidence, here, is not to be confused with arrogant or egotistical, but rather it has to do with a firm sense of unwavering trust, faith. From Matthew 23 again, we learned about Jesus’ revulsion against hypocrisy. In this too, we as leaders need to focus on being integrity-building and not image-building. Remember, integrity inspires trust and trust inspires confidence. Last Wednesday the Calvin Crew journeyed about 30 minutes down Highway 40 to Hot Sulphur Springs. Despite some slight mosquito irritation and the smell of sulphur, the 20+ natural hot tubs lining the mountain rocks were tranquilly peaceful. Not too shabby a way to end a day in the Rocky Mountains.  Last Monday Chaplain Steve Peterson led the LCI group in a discussion about what it means to have integrity and how that relates to being an authentic Christian leader.

“Integrity inspires trust and trust inspires confidence,” he said.

But before we got to that we spent some time discussing what integrity really means. We gave personal definitions—being consistent in words and actions, what you do even when no one is around to see, being unified, lacking corruption, the list goes on. All are good definitions, but defining integrity and living with integrity are drastically different things, the latter requiring living faithfully and living strong in our values.

And this brings us back to the quote on confidence. Having confidence in your leaders is crucial, and we, as leaders, aspire to be viewed as confident. Confidence, here, is not to be confused with arrogant or egotistical, but rather it has to do with a firm sense of unwavering trust, faith.

From Matthew 23 again, we learned about Jesus’ revulsion against hypocrisy. In this too, we as leaders need to focus on being integrity-building and not image-building. Remember, integrity inspires trust and trust inspires confidence.

Last Wednesday the Calvin Crew journeyed about 30 minutes down Highway 40 to Hot Sulphur Springs. Despite some slight mosquito irritation and the smell of sulphur, the 20+ natural hot tubs lining the mountain rocks were tranquilly peaceful. Not too shabby a way to end a day in the Rocky Mountains. 

]]> 2010-07-01T15:50:16+00:00 The Power Of Influence: JB Britton http://www.calvin.edu/weblogs/snowmountainranch/the-power-of-influence-jb-britton/ Please forgive the infrequency of the blog posts over the last couple weeks. The reason is anything but a lack of having things worth mentioning. We’ve been very busy out here. On Monday June 14, we were treated to a presentation by JB Britton, the associate Dean of Student Development, about the importance of influence in a leader’s life. Once again we were told that there is more to being a leader than just having power or status or title—we don’t have to be “in charge” to be a leader. Being influential—being somebody others want to follow—is important to being an authentic Christian leader and begins within. It involves being a person of respect, being one who cares for others, and being action oriented. In discussion, we mulled over examples of leaders who exemplified integrity and personal leadership and compared them to other leaders that did not. Following someone because you are required to is quite different than following someone because of who they are and the values they represent. For scripture this week, we read through Matthew 23 where Jesus derides the Pharisees and Church leaders for caring more about outward appearance than about following God’s true teaching. In the passage, Jesus explains that washing the outside of the cup is not enough, “wash the inside first and then the outside also will be clean.” All leaders should follow these words. For some examples of good and bad leaders, and for a fun Calvin outing, we made our place among the seats at Red Rocks Amphitheater for an outdoor showing of The Princess Bride. The Film on The Rocks series brought us this classic from our childhood on Tuesday night. Though many of us have seen this movie more times than we can count, there is new appreciation to be had when it’s viewed outdoors with 9,000 other fans mouthing along to the words, “As you wish” or gasping for Wesley and Buttercup while they battle the Rodents of Unusual Size (R.O.U.S’s) in the Fire Swamp. It was a great week with JB and his family and one that prepared us well for the next with Snow Mountain Ranch’s Chaplain, Steve Peterson. Please forgive the infrequency of the blog posts over the last couple weeks. The reason is anything but a lack of having things worth mentioning. We’ve been very busy out here.

On Monday June 14, we were treated to a presentation by JB Britton, the associate Dean of Student Development, about the importance of influence in a leader’s life. Once again we were told that there is more to being a leader than just having power or status or title—we don’t have to be “in charge” to be a leader.
Being influential—being somebody others want to follow—is important to being an authentic Christian leader and begins within. It involves being a person of respect, being one who cares for others, and being action oriented. In discussion, we mulled over examples of leaders who exemplified integrity and personal leadership and compared them to other leaders that did not. Following someone because you are required to is quite different than following someone because of who they are and the values they represent.

For scripture this week, we read through Matthew 23 where Jesus derides the Pharisees and Church leaders for caring more about outward appearance than about following God’s true teaching. In the passage, Jesus explains that washing the outside of the cup is not enough, “wash the inside first and then the outside also will be clean.” All leaders should follow these words.

For some examples of good and bad leaders, and for a fun Calvin outing, we made our place among the seats at Red Rocks Amphitheater for an outdoor showing of The Princess Bride. The Film on The Rocks series brought us this classic from our childhood on Tuesday night. Though many of us have seen this movie more times than we can count, there is new appreciation to be had when it’s viewed outdoors with 9,000 other fans mouthing along to the words, “As you wish” or gasping for Wesley and Buttercup while they battle the Rodents of Unusual Size (R.O.U.S’s) in the Fire Swamp.

It was a great week with JB and his family and one that prepared us well for the next with Snow Mountain Ranch’s Chaplain, Steve Peterson.

]]> 2010-06-30T23:07:59+00:00 Your Leadership Sweet Spot: Henry DeVries http://www.calvin.edu/weblogs/snowmountainranch/your-leadership-sweet-spot-henry-devries/ “Not all of you are going to be CEOs” These words, part of Henry DeVries’ talk on finding your leadership sweet spot, reminded us that leadership isn’t all about being in charge. It’s not about status or power or title. It’s about service and influence. And it’s true—not all of us are called to be the Chief Executives of major corporations, but we are all called to do God’s work and praise Him in all we do. We are called to be servant-leaders. Henry’s talk enlightened us to the idea of finding our “leadership sweet spot.” In tennis, the “sweet-spot” is the section of the racquet where your hit on the ball will be most effective. It has a distinctive “feel” to anyone who has played tennis for long enough to find it. We, as leaders, have a sweet spot too—a position where we are most effective. Whether that position is the front, middle or back is largely determined by how analytical, behavioral or emotional you tend to be. More so, though, your leadership sweet spot is determined by: Where you most often find yourself Where you are happiest Where you are most effective Where you feel most satisfied And where you feel called to be Over the next nine weeks, we are sure to learn a lot more about what it means to be an authentic Christian leader. I think that each member of the LCI would agree that Henry’s talk set a good groundwork and raises questions that can be prayed about, thought about and discussed the entire summer. “Where is my sweet spot?” many of us our asking ourselves now. Through our work, small group discussions and large group presentations, I’m sure we will begin to understand ourselves better as Christ-honoring servant leaders and discover where it is we are most effective. On Wednesday evening, the LCI group went to Adams Falls in Grand Lake, a quaint town on the edge of Rocky Mountain National Park. In comparison to other hikes we’ve done recently, Adams Falls is short, but it’s certainly beautiful. The water raged heavily because of the recently melted snow in the high country and the sun setting behind the Rockies made it feel like we were walking in a living post card. The biologist in Henry DeVries came out in full force, teaching us about the different wild flowers and other plants of the area. Thank you Henry! Another thank-you belongs to Henry (Calvin College, actually) for treating us to ice cream at Grand Lake Chocolates. It was delicious and the perfect end to a beautiful day. Grand Lake, we will be back!  
“Not all of you are going to be CEOs”

These words, part of Henry DeVries’ talk on finding your leadership sweet spot, reminded us that leadership isn’t all about being in charge. It’s not about status or power or title. It’s about service and influence. And it’s true—not all of us are called to be the Chief Executives of major corporations, but we are all called to do God’s work and praise Him in all we do. We are called to be servant-leaders.
Henry’s talk enlightened us to the idea of finding our “leadership sweet spot.” In tennis, the “sweet-spot” is the section of the racquet where your hit on the ball will be most effective. It has a distinctive “feel” to anyone who has played tennis for long enough to find it. We, as leaders, have a sweet spot too—a position where we are most effective. Whether that position is the front, middle or back is largely determined by how analytical, behavioral or emotional you tend to be. More so, though, your leadership sweet spot is determined by:

Where you most often find yourself
Where you are happiest
Where you are most effective
Where you feel most satisfied
And where you feel called to be

Over the next nine weeks, we are sure to learn a lot more about what it means to be an authentic Christian leader. I think that each member of the LCI would agree that Henry’s talk set a good groundwork and raises questions that can be prayed about, thought about and discussed the entire summer. “Where is my sweet spot?” many of us our asking ourselves now. Through our work, small group discussions and large group presentations, I’m sure we will begin to understand ourselves better as Christ-honoring servant leaders and discover where it is we are most effective.

On Wednesday evening, the LCI group went to Adams Falls in Grand Lake, a quaint town on the edge of Rocky Mountain National Park. In comparison to other hikes we’ve done recently, Adams Falls is short, but it’s certainly beautiful. The water raged heavily because of the recently melted snow in the high country and the sun setting behind the Rockies made it feel like we were walking in a living post card. The biologist in Henry DeVries came out in full force, teaching us about the different wild flowers and other plants of the area. Thank you Henry!

Another thank-you belongs to Henry (Calvin College, actually) for treating us to ice cream at Grand Lake Chocolates. It was delicious and the perfect end to a beautiful day. Grand Lake, we will be back!

 

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