Character

Today is the last day of the first week of my second semester of graduate studies. And what a semester this is going to be; I am very excited about the course load. I am taking a New Testament class focusing on the Epistles through Revelation; Church History focusing on the Reformation through the modern era; and a pastoral theology & worship class.

In my pastoral theology class this week we discussed the five "P's" of leadership: Prayer, plan, prepare, practice, and perform. Great thoughts that can take some time to meditate on and apply. Specifically the 'P' of planning. I can definitely use some work when it comes to this area of my life. Taking time throughout the week to work specifically on areas that need work. Carving time to intentionally focus on projects that get neglected yet are crucial in taking me to the next level of life.

It made me think about the reality of leadership; much of what we do is imposed on us by outside factors. Buildings, budgets, and bodies can be a focus we can not escape and our planning is around these things. But what about the leader who is not yet in a position and much of the planning is self-imposed. What benchmarks should that leader be looking at to see if they are focused in the right direction?

I respect and value this professor so much. His answer, in my opinion, is absolutely right on. He answered (my shortened version) the leader needs to focus on character. He elaborate a bit, but for now I want to focus in on my thoughts about how to assess character. I'm trying to think of how to take a personal character inventory. What types of things should we be looking for in our lives to see where we are at on the road to quality and deep character and what indicators should we look for to see if aspects of our character need work. Self character assessment is almost impossible. I'm realizing I will need to cultivate some quality relationships with other men whom I trust in order to help me hold up the mirror and do some character construction.

Not to be trite, but "male accountability" is way overused and often misunderstood. I have seen groups of men get together and ask 'specific' questions and everyone has to answer 'honestly' and if we have a good week then it's some back-slapping, good 'ole boy congrats and if we mess up then it's some hearty c'mon man's, get in the game's. Blech. Talk about a recipe for failure. It's totally law based. I'm sure there would be someone reading this who would disagree and say, "That stuff is important, Brian." That's okay. I'll give you the freedom to be wrong.

More on that later.

For now, I've got some planning to do.