Barnabas File

One of my cherished memories of childhood is going with my Dad when he voted on election day.     He drove a city bus in Mobile, Alabama, so he usually went to work early and got off in time to go to the polling place at a local school after work. Often, he would take me along.    I was always impressed that this was a priority for him and that he wanted to share this experience with me.   I have rarely missed an election and voted by absentee ballot when I was on active duty during the Vietnam era.  Voting is not just a privilege for me but a responsibility as well.  There are many around the world who do not have this opportunity.  As a result, I don’t have a lot of patience for those who say, “I am just not going to vote.”  The last time I looked, we have more than two choices, even in the Presidential election.  And if you don’t like any of those available on the ballot, you have the option in most places to ...

Since I attend a Baptist church, we do not observe All Saints’ Sunday, but we do practice a Service of Remembrance during worship that remembers those of the fellowship (saints), who have passed during the previous year.    Each name is read, and a bell is tolled in their memory.   As part of the service, we sang the familiar hymn "Shall We Gather at the River?"    Shall we gather at the river, Where bright angel feet have trod; With its crystal tide forever Flowing by the throne of God? Yes, we'll gather at the river, The beautiful, the beautiful river; Gather with the saints at the river That flows by the throne of God.   This classic gospel hymn was written in July 1864 by American Baptist minister and composer Robert Lowry (1826–1899).   During an oppressive summer and a local epidemic/fever outbreak in Brooklyn, New York, Lowry wrote both the words and music.  Lowry reflected on the many hymns of the era tha...

Although we may have learned clear definitions of coaching that guide us as coaches, we are always seeking ways to build upon those definitions to practice our craft effectively.        The common aspects of the definitions tend to focus on the person being coached, the collaborative nature of the process, and helping the client achieving his or her potential.     Undergirding these definitions is the expectation of change on the part of the client, even though change is one of the greatest challenges each of us faces in life.   Helping People Change   provides the coach with deeper insights and suggestions about how to pursue change with our clients. The authors face the potential and challenge of change head on.  Building on the insights of positive psychology, neuroscience research, and extensive coaching experience, they provide an effective framework for guiding a client through the process of personal change, one based on the Inten...

A friend had lost his job.     We were having coffee together and he was outlining his options.      I asked, “What about your network?”     He gave me a puzzled look and said, “What do you mean?”     I followed through by asking about his contacts with peers in similar positions, professional organizations, and so forth.     No, he couldn’t really think of anybody!    Somehow this had never been on his radar.   Networking is a core leadership skill.  The basic idea of networking is to connect with people in in your professional community for encouragement, knowledge sharing, and broadening your presence.  Networking is important not just for finding a job but for contributing to your field.  It has been vital in my growth and service as a minister.   In  Lead with Quiet Confidence , Jennifer Marcou identifies networking as a skill vital for every professional, including introve...

Most of us got into ministry because we wanted to help people and be problem solvers.  As a coaching leader, we exercise skills that assist staff members in learning how to help themselves and develop their gifts to solve their own problems.  Transitioning from institutional “boss” to developmental companion requires mastering three fundamental practices: 1.          Ask Powerful Questions Instead of Supplying Instant Answers   Pastors are conditioned to provide answers. When a staff member walks into your study describing a breakdown in youth ministry, a worship conflict, or an administrative bottleneck, the natural reflex is to solve it. A coaching leader resists that impulse. When you provide the immediate answer, you keep the staff member dependent on your problem-solving capacity. When you ask powerful, open-ended questions— What options have you explored? What does wise stewardship require here? What outcome are you seeki...

A coaching leader invests in others by encouraging, challenging, and supporting them. It begins with seeing the other person as a capable and gifted.  A friend who took a coach approach as a supervisor used his planning sessions with staff members to ask questions like:    ·        “What did you learn from this experience?” ·        “What can we celebrate about your work?”   ·        “These are great ideas, but what will you have to give up to pursue them?”  ·        “How can I help you to accomplish your goals?” Both supervisors and coaches bear ultimate responsibility for mission execution, but their core postures toward people differ fundamentally.   Conventional Supervisor Pastoral Coaching Leader Operates out of fear of failure or reputational risk Views failure as a threshold for reflection and discipleship Maintains s...

So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. (Ephesians 4:11-13, NIV)   If you serve in ministry long enough, you will eventually find yourself moved into administrative oversight. For many lead pastors, this transition comes as an unexpected tension. You were trained to preach, care for souls, and guide a congregation spiritually; now, you find yourself managing staff, directing ministry teams, allocating budgets, and overseeing staff performance.   Managing is not an inferior calling. Faithful stewardship requires directing resources to meet kingdom needs and advance ministry goals. Yet the most challenging element of pastoral administration is not mana...

I love this book.     And it is not just because I am an introvert.     I love it because Jennifer Marcou does not attempt to change introverts into extroverts. She recognizes the inherent strengths and abilities of being an introvert and provides guidance for leveraging those attributes into successful leadership.      In Leading with Quiet Confidence:  A Practical Guide to Success for Introverts , Marcou states that “Introverts can be leaders by changing their behaviors, not who they are.”  One doesn’t have to give up the gift of being an introvert to become a good leader. Becoming a leader is not just about our capabilities, it is about how people perceive our capabilities.   There are four parts to the book:   Awareness:  What do I need to know to be successful as an introvert? Confidence: How to build and exude confidence. Behaviors:  Practical guide to being successful as a leader. Impact: ...

Do you know the story of Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Jesuit order?      A nobleman, he spent his early life as a soldier.    He was severely wounded in battle. While recovering from surgery, he underwent a spiritual conversion and discerned a call to the religious life. After times of pilgrimage and spiritual discernment, he founded the Jesuits as a religious order to create schools, colleges, and seminaries across Europe.   As a former soldier, Ignatius paid particular attention to the spiritual formation of his recruits and recorded his method in the  Spiritual Exercises  (1548). In time, the method has become known as  Ignatian spirituality .    “In God’s economy, nothing is wasted” is a statement   popularized largely through Alcoholics Anonymous (often attributed to co-founder Bill W.) to express how personal struggles, failures, and hardships can still serve a purpose in growth and recovery.  ...

Someone posed a question to me recently that really caught my attention: “What do we gain from procrastination?”     Why is it that certain things or projects tend to slip on our calendars or get buried deeper in a pile of things to do later?    One of the topics that Jobert E. Abueva addresses in The Janus Plan:  A No-Resolutions Path to Begin Your Year with Intention is the practice of procrastination or avoidance.  Here are some of the reasons he suggests.   Fear of failure.   Often, we have anxiety about addressing something because we fear that we will fail.  Perhaps it is because we have failed in the past?  To be honest, if you have not failed, you probably have not tried something that really challenged you!   Perfectionism.   Not quite like fear of failure, but an internal drive to be perfect.  Seth Godin uses the term “time to ship.”  At some point you need to produce...

One of my favorite verses in the Bible is Jeremiah 29:1:    “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. (NIV)   But it is helpful to understand the original context that is offered by the preceding verse:    This is what the Lord says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place. (NIV)   That’s next exactly good news, is it?  Here’s the context.  This is a letter from the prophet to Israelites who had been deported from their homes to exile in Babylon.  When he wrote, Jerusalem and the Temple had not yet been destroyed, but the Babylonians had already attacked the city twice and taken the letter’s recipients as captives.   And the prophet’s message is, “God has not forgotten you, but it will be sevent...

The Janus Plan:     A No-Resolutions Path to Begin Your Year with Intention challenges you not only to read but to engage with the author’s thoughtful and thorough approach to planning.    Jobert E. Abueva draws on his considerable personal experience of marketing, philanthropy, and global engagement to share with the reader an approach that is both reflective and action oriented.   Using the image of the Roman god Janus who had two faces—one to look back and one to look ahead—the author points out that “endings deserve reflection” and “beginnings deserve reverence.”  He perceives planning and goal setting as acts of personal reflection, assessment, purpose, and expectation. His six-step process includes:   Ponder the Past. Frame the Future. Nudge the Now. Clean and Clear. Revel in Ritual. Revisit and Reignite.    One aspect of the book that I found particularly significant was his emphasis on mindfulness and mediation as a preparation ...

Even when a novel is on the New York Times Best Seller list and is picked up by various book clubs, I am usually rather skeptical about whether it will appeal to me or not.     However, when several friends recommended Theo of Golden to me, I decided to give it a try.     Actually, I bought it in March and just read it in August.    Once I started, I was hooked.   Author Allen Levi shares the story a mysterious stranger who arrives in the city of Golden, Georgia, and begins investing in the lives of people there.  Levi weaves together various themes—faith, nature, art, music, relationships—to illustrate the impact that one individual can make in the lives of others.  He reminds us not only of the power of generosity but of compassion as well.  He does not ignore the ugliness and chaos present in even a small community but reminds us that love and faith make a difference in any circumstance.   To share just one exampl...

In recent days, I have been in several conversations with friends about retirement—some contemplating leaving a full-time position, some already in that reality.     I have often said that I have failed retirement.     I have “officially” retired twice but continue in several roles, including my work with Summit Coach Training.     Perhaps it would be better to say, “I have negotiated retirement in the way that works for me.”     And that’s the key.    Everyone is different and each must identify their own path in this third phase of life.   Here are four things that I think someone contemplating retirement should consider.   Retire TO something rather than FROM something.  When leaving a full-time role, we often think about what we are leaving behind rather than what we are entering.  We may have a mythical view of retirement as having all the time in the world to do what we want to do.  But what ...

  We have reflected on how learning and research from adjacent fields of study have impacted the core theory and methodology of coaching and the growing awareness of inclusivity and relationships in the application of coaching.  Now we turn to what I will term the emerging frontiers of coaching.     These topics are growing areas of interest among practitioners—the impact of artificial intelligence, the recognition that neurodiversity requires focused attention, and the role of faith-based or spiritual coaching.   Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Coaching   It’s here and it is not going away.  The role of AI in coaching is both energizing and controversial.  It means different things to different people.   Using AI in one’s practice may range from assigning administrative tasks to a virtual assistant to using a programmed avatar to do intake interviews.   The integration of AI technologies (such as conversational...