A People's Army

A People's Army -
That's what we were intended to be:
Of the people and for the people,
Under God.



Stratigies and structures
Must serve the end.
Of themselves they are not sacrosanct,
Immutable.
Methods may vary,
Principles must remain,
And the Spirit be our guide.

Administration needs a human heart and face
And be able to see beyond paper to people -
Not just programmes or statistics
But human beings, flesh and blood,
Sensitivce spirits.

To God, people matter most.
They must matter most to us
As to greathearts who went before us.

We must be people with passion,
And our passion must be people -
All kinds of people:
Highbrow, lowbrow,
Socially approved,
Drop-out, push-out, misfit -
All should feel accepted by the People's Army,
For what they are and for what they may become
By Grace.
Then truly,
The People's Army will continue to be God's Army too!

- by Wesley Harris
(Reprint from Officer Magazine)

UPR

I have just returned from a much needed and much enjoyed vacation. During my time away I was able to catch up on some reading and spent time trying to connect things like vision, mission, commission, and submission. Interesting concepts to contemplate, but I'm not sure I made significant progress in my search for integrated understanding.

As I return to my normal daily activities there is one thought that has surfaced again, and that is God's command that we love each other. It is not a mission, not a vision, not an objective or a strategic plan - it is a command. I find it to be a command that is easy to follow with some and difficult to follow with others. It is easy to love those who like me and are like me, but those who are not like me ... well, that's a different story.

Just before the summer I attended a management course presented by Simon Fraser University. One of the instructors introduced to us the idea of "Unconditional Positive Regard". She stated that is was the principle by which we should lead and manage. Knowing that this message was delivered in a secular context by someone who does not share my faith perspective, made it strike home even more. If a secular institution can espouse a management principle which echo's God's command, how much more should I make this a priority of my leadership style and my ethos?

"'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind'. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."
Matthew 22:37-40