As we come off the Feast, we are mindful of the fact that the individual components of the body of Christ are being trained for responsibility in God’s Kingdom. Leadership in today’s social climate is a confused commodity. Part of the reason for this is that it is often seen as an opportunity that provides status and power.
We witness leadership where the well-being of the people is overlooked as power-seeking pushes policies into the background. Additional to the world political upheavals we are witnessing, we also see CEO’s stuffing their pockets with obscene amounts of bonuses. Meanwhile, as businesses struggle many workers find themselves out of jobs.
Godly leadership is not about status or position. It is about what you are. Christ’s comments about the attitudes of those called to be a part of the Church are quite profound in this regard. We are the salt of the earth and a light to the world. The world doesn’t recognize the words we say, but they can see the example.
We are a community that finds no exact equivalent in the world. As John Gardiner points out in his book “On Leadership”: “A community lives in the mind of its members – in shared assumptions, beliefs, customs, ideas that give meaning, ideas that motivate. And among the ideas are norms or values. In any healthy, reasonably coherent community, people have shared views concerning right and wrong, better and worse – in personal conduct … they define for their time and place what things are legal or illegal, virtuous or vicious, good taste or bad. They have little or no impulse to be neutral about such matters.” These are concepts we can apply effectively to our role as the Church community.
Each part of the body has a responsibility to live a leadership lifestyle – implementing for our time and place the values established by God’s law. By God’s grace we have been called to be leaders now. “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age … “ (Titus 2: 11-12). Being the body of Christ and members individually, we have a responsibility to exercise godly leadership by example. We are to display God’s values and standards to the world around us, “… in the present age”.
As we witness the confusion that surrounds us, let us be motivated to see the need for true godly leadership in our “communities”.
Philippine Update:
About earthquakes, it seems that it is a daily occurrence. Sometimes we have two or three but some of it are aftershocks.
The quake last Tuesday was a strong one, stronger than we had during the middle of the Feast. About eight deaths were reported, including a child piled upon by hollowblocks, in Cotabato provinces, which was near the epicenter.
In Davao City, I have not read or heard any damages.
Today, just several minutes ago, we had another strong earthquake. I could sense the house was shaking. Barcy [daughter] was washing the dishes and was terrified to see the barrel, full of water, swaying.
The regularity of earthquakes is unusual. In my whole life, I only experience it now. These are dreadful.
The earthquakes are only from Mindanao. It might have affected other parts of the country but only slightly.
Thank you for your concerns.
Jonathan Dicen
California Fires Update:
Fall is historically one of the most dangerous times of the year for wildfires in California — many fueled by powerful winds, including Santa Ana gusts.
Northern California: We are not aware of any members who have suffered loss by fire. Some were evacuated and others had the power cut off for lengthy periods of time. For them, it was mainly the inconvenience of relocating and losing food stored in refrigerators and freezers. Not to make it sound like it wasn’t frightening – it was! The winds were some of the strongest seen in the state. It makes us realize how quickly the normal can become abnormal.
Thanks to everyone for their prayers. While many fires are still burning the worst appears to be over.
Southern California: Serious fires are breaking out in the Los Angeles area. No information on members is available.
Brian Orchard
