What is happening exactly? Is this story going anywhere?

There are days when the toilet clogs and my neighbors on the first floor get a rain shower in their kitchen, and then there are days when the sun shines brightly.

There are days when the city calls me at work to say that there is an i on line 23 of chapter 46 that is not dotted.  Then there are days when folks talk about giving us millions because we are doing such great work.

There are days when folks pray and life seems good.  Then there are days that seem like a New York pot hole.

Folks experience God, then people get angry and run away.

Life is full of incongruences and detours.  Ups and downs are the norm.

What is the cohesive narrative?  Where is the forward progress? 

Are we going to the promised land or just wondering in the desert?  Are we just sitting on an ash heap with a potsherd? I wonder if Daniel knew how many nights he would spend in the Lion's Den?

These are the questions I wonder about sometimes.

Wouldn't it be nice if there was a beginning, ending, and you could see the progress in the middle?

In Eastern philosophies, I am told there is more of cyclical view of time.  We Westerners tend to expect things to be linear.  Nature certainly seems cyclical, so maybe the Eastern folks were on to something, but the Bible does tell a story about time.  The story has an author, a beginning, and ending.  Some of the chapters are just pretty long and confusing. 

"Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith" (Hebrews 12:2)

What's the problem with leadership?

Theoretically, there is a desire in every man to be "the man."  We all want to be the "top dog," the "Big Kahuna," large and in charge, but why is there such a dearth of good leadership nowadays?

From presidential candidates, to cell group leaders, to program directors at work, leaders are hard to find.  I used to read leadership books by folks like John Maxwell or Steven Covey, but now that I have had a taste of leadership I fantasize about a cabin in Montana.

What's wrong with leadership?  Why is something that seems like an honor turn out to be such a burden instead?  Everyone who doesn't have it wants it, but many who have tasted it, ache.

Something dawned on me the other day.  Leadership involves a painful paradox.  You have to have qualities that conflict with each other.

You need to be . . .

Soft and hard both.
Gentle enough to hold the hand of a child and strong enough to take a bullet for him.
Sympathetic toward everyone, yet not swayed by anyone.  
Focused on a goal but not preoccupied.
Think strategically with an eye to the future, but be present in the moment.
Be relaxed, but vigilant.
Have fun, but don't be foolhardy.
Show your feelings, but none of the petty ones.
Show your emotion, but none of the bitter ones.
Show your desires, but not the perverted ones.

Enjoy the people you are leading while dying on a cross in front of them.

No wonder it is hard to find a leader.

"And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself." (John 12:32)