DAVE JOCHUM

Leadership Lessons from our Veterans

Our United States military has produced some of our nation’s greatest leaders. Here are a couple of my favorite quotes from great military leaders:

“Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do and they will surprise you with their ingenuity.” George S. Patton

“Leadership is the art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it.” Dwight D. Eisenhower

“There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, learning from failure.” Colin Powell

“The truth of the matter is that you always know the right thing to do. The hard part is doing it.” Norman Schwarzkopf

In honor of the men and women of the U.S. military, my friend Steve Carlile, wrote and performed a song called, Welcome Him Back. Steve is the co-founder of Celebrating Home and his company is using this video and sales of their Celebrating Hope Candle to support the Wounded Warrior Project. Please take a few minutes to watch the video and consider supporting Wounded Warrior Project by purchasing a candle.

To all of our veterans, we say – THANK YOU!

Leadership Lessons from Homecoming

Last week was Homecoming week at Crescent City Christian School and that got me to thinking about what Homecoming means. I joked in our Homecoming Chapel service that I would make an incredibly profound statement – “Homecoming is about Coming Home.” And while I was joking about it being all that profound, the truth is that Homecoming is about coming home. In an article titled, ‘The History of Homecoming,” writer Michael Cramton says this about Homecoming: “a football game served as a center point; the events included rallies, parades, speeches and dances; the events intended to unite alumni and students to create a stronger sense of school pride; and they were wildly successful.”

So one purpose of homecoming is to be a point of uniting of students and alumni and to create a stronger sense of school spirit. All of this got me thinking about potential & leadership. That’s one of the reasons to celebrate homecoming. It’s a celebration of the potential of the school and it’s students; a celebration of the accomplishments (the fulfilled potential) of the alumni. I believe that Homecoming (and Coming Home) communicates three things about potential & leadership.

1. Coming Home helps us stay in touch with our roots. Good Leaders are well-grounded people and being well-grounded includes never losing sight of where you’ve come from. Regardless of the nature of your past – whether happy and healthy or sad and dysfunctional – being able to reflect on it and learn from it sets good leaders apart from great leaders.

2. Coming Home reminds us of our potential. When we return home, we come back seeing things from a different perspective. We see ourselves from a different perspective. Great leaders don’t let their own filters get in the way of their vision. They can look at life from varied perspectives.

3. Coming Home helps us re-establish and deepen our relationships. This is of critical importance for the person who aspires to be a great leader. John Maxwell says, “Leadership is influence – nothing more, nothing less.” And in order to influence, you have to build relationships. In his new book, The 5 Levels of Leadership, John makes this point: “Building relationships develops a foundation for effectively leading others.” Homecoming is a great reminder of the importance of relationships.

So, whether you’ve celebrated a homecoming this year or not – take some time to reflect on the leadership lessons of “Coming Home.” Stay grounded, remember that your potential is unlimited, and spend time on building relationships.

Oil Spill Disaster: Prayer Needed

It has been called the worst U. S. oil spill disaster in decades. The BP Deepwater Horizon rig exploded on April 20th, presumably killing 11 crew members who have not been found. In addition to the tragedy of lost lives is the potential for economic and ecological losses for not only the state of Louisiana, but potentially Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida. Normally, the spill could be capped off quickly, but in this case, it was not possible due to the extent of damage to the rig. The estimates of the amount of oil being spewed into the Gulf of Mexico range from 5,000 to as much as 25, 000 barrels of oil a day. At the minimum, that would mean at least 200,000+ gallons of oil spilling daily into the water. It has been reported that the Coast Guard estimates that 1.6 million gallons have spilled out so far.

What we need most at this point is prayer. It has been said that because of the timing of the incident, this could impact the fishing, shrimping and oyster industries for as many as three years. Thousands of people earn their livelihood from these industries in South Louisiana alone. I’m not sure what the impact would be on the other Gulf States. The prayer request is that God would miraculously stop the oil from spewing – that the well would be capped off. Also, pray for favorable winds to keep the oil off of our coasts. This would be a miracle as the winds are beginning to come out of the south at this time of year which pushes the oil closer to the land. But our God is able, so pray, pray, pray.

In an email to the Greater New Orleans Pastor’s Coalition, Dennis Watson, Pastor of Celebration Church, said, “This is an opportunity for the Church of Jesus Christ to rise up once again to “stand in the gap” for our city and region.  We stood up together in “service to our community” following Hurricane Katrina, and the Lord worked miracles in, for and through His church.  Let us stand together again this time in a cooperative prayer effort, asking for and believing that God will respond to the prayers of His people.  James 4:2 reads, “You have not because you ask not, and James 5:16 reads, “The fervent prayer of righteous men and women has great power and wonderful results.” May we see the Lord work mightily and miraculously in response to our prayers, and may He, and He alone, receive the glory for stopping this great disaster.”

Join us at one of our Celebration Church campuses on May 2nd as we observe a time of prayer concerning this problem. Thank you for your prayers

Victory Over the Past

If you live in Southeast Louisiana or Mississippi, you are most likely aware that today is the 4th anniversary of hurricane Katrina. I’m not inclined to live in the past and all that occurred in relation to that little storm. I am, however, inclined to think about the impact that Katrina still carries for the people of this region to this day.

Everyone was aware that it would take a long time for this area to recover from such a devastating event. The good news is that we are a very resilient group. I have been especially impressed with the people of St Bernard Parish (maybe I’m prejudiced because I’m from there). They are getting amazingly stronger everyday. Businesses are coming back, houses are being rebuilt, churches (including Celebration Church’s own St Bernard Campus) are reaching out once again and the school district has been a leader in the recovery effort there.

The recovery effort throughout the region is not only a glowing reminder of the things we can accomplish when we work hard, but it is also a testimony to the grace of God.

I’m writing this while attending the Celebration Church Men’s Victory Retreat and I’m reminded that we each need victory over our past. We sometimes need corporate recovery and we often need individual recovery. I’m so grateful to serve the one God who offers recovery, forgiveness and freedom over past hurts, habits, and hang-ups.

In 2 Corinthians 3:17-18, the Apostle Paul writes, “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the lord, who is the Spirit.”

Thank God for the Victory that is ours in Christ!