The Python

A scream from the kitchen. I ran from the family room, down the hall, and into the kitchen - after all, my wife seldom screams from the kitchen. Yes, there was the time a handle broke on a saucepan and a quart or two of marinara sauce splattered on the floor, the appliances, and the cabinets. I knew what to do then, I knew to calmly ask her to leave the room and let me clean up. But this scream, what did it portend? What would I find? A snake? A rodent? A wood roach crawling out of a coffee mug?

Just minutes before the scream she told me she was going to try some of the persimmons pudding friends had made and given us.

When I entered the kitchen Vickie was standing by sink looking down, “It’s still coming, it’s moving, it’s growing, it’s coming for us, it’s coming for us all.” (Well, maybe those weren’t her exact words, but they are pretty close, and they are perfect in sentiment).

On the cabinets, on the countertop, and on my wife were globs of an orange substance. Looking down into the sink I saw that it was indeed still coming - for foaming out of the jar was an orange python, and it kept coming and coming, its slanted eyes looking at us as if communicating, “I am coming for you, I am coming for all of you. I will start with you and then I’ll get your neighbors.”

I ran into the washer - dryer room, grabbed a plastic bag, ran back to the sink, bravely picked the python up and put it in the bag, ran outside to the deck and down, over to the woods and heaved the python into the woods. “There,” I thought, “let it find its way to the Everglades and then let a bounty hunter get it.”

The persimmons pudding had been given to us in a jar - thankfully a plastic jar. When Vickie started to turn the lid the lid blew off and the python came out, and kept coming and coming. Suppose it had been a glass jar? It might have exploded either in the refrigerator or on the countertop. Within a few days fermentation had produced a python, worthy of Stephen King, poised to devour the world...or at least our neighborhood

The next morning I called Animal Control and reported a python. When the officer arrived I wearily led him into the woods in the direction I had thrown the bag. When we came upon the gooey substance it covered the bag and extended at least four feet from the jar within the bag - it had tried to escape down to the creek, no doubt to take over our waterways and devour our domestic aquatic life.

The officer looked at me as if I were nuts and said, “This doesn’t look like a python to me.”

To which I replied, “Well last night it was a python. If that isn’t apparent to you I wonder what kind of training you’ve had in exotic reptiles. All I know is that when I threw it into the woods that its last words were, ‘I’m melting, I’m melting.’ ”

Lina and The Big Scary Noise

How long has it been? I think close to five years. We had recently moved into our home and one of the first couples we asked for over dinner were Michael and Carol - it was really really great to see them.

Carol, Vickie, and I were in the family room; as Michael was walking down the hall to join us he inadvertently brushed up against a child gate Vickie and I had leaning up against an open passage to the downstairs and it fell onto the hardwood floor with a bang. The bang startled Lina, who was in the family room with us lying close to the hall, and she jumped up and ran to the far side of the room by the bookcases. After assuring Lina that the “mean gate wouldn’t hurt her” I stood the gate back up - thinking no more about it. The gate was there so that Lina and Lily wouldn’t venture downstairs, but rather than tighten the gate against the door jambs we learned it on the jambs to make it easier for us to go up and down the stairs.

I didn’t think anymore about the gate falling until it was time for Michael and Carol to go and we left the family room to see them out of our home and say goodnight. Lina remained behind in the family room. A short while later when it was time to take the dogs outside for their constitutional before going to bed Lina was still in the family room and didn’t come when we called her. When I went to see what was going on she was at the threshold of the family room and the hallway looking at the gate which had made the big scary noise - it was with difficulty that I coaxed her out of the family room, down the hall, to the front door.

Ever since then, for the past five years, Lina has been careful and tentative when passing by the gate that makes the big scary noise. Sometimes she will take a detour through another room to avoid the gate. Sadly, if she is lying in the hallway and we move the gate when we are going downstairs or coming from downstairs she will quickly jump up and leave the hallway lest the gate thunder threatening noises. No matter how often I say, “Lina stay, the gate is not going to hurt you,” she does not believe me. She has heard the big scary noise once and she is convinced it can only mean that the gate intends harm to her, perhaps it devours dogs who are unaware.

I write “sadly” because about a year ago Lina injured one of her hind legs, which will never be quite the same, and jumping up quickly does nothing to help it; furthermore, an injured leg is all the more reason we cannot allow her to go up and down steep stairs (we had a ramp built off our deck for Lina).

Lina is afraid of a noise from her past that affects her well-being; the gate has never been a real threat, but she thinks it is.

What about us? Are there great-big-scary noises from our past that remain with us today? Maybe the noises were associated with a true threat, maybe only with a perceived threat, but they remain with us today and they influence our lives.

Do we find ourselves taking detours in life to avoid the possibility of big scary noises? Do we replay the tapes of scary noises from long ago? Are threatening thunders part of the soundtrack of our lives? Do we live tentatively awaiting the return of crashing gates?

Jesus Christ came to deliver us from fear. The announcements surrounding the birth of Jesus were accompanied by the words “fear not” (Matthew 1:20; Luke 1:13, 30; 2:10). Paul writes to Timothy that God hasn’t given us a spirit of fear but of power and love and a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7); he tells the Romans that we haven’t received the spirit of bondage  again to fear but the Spirit of sonship (Romans 8:15). John writes that there is no fear in love (1 John 4:18). Those who know Jesus don’t even need to fear death (Hebrews 2:15) for Jesus has freed them from that fear.

Lina will probably live the rest of her life in fear of the gate that made the big scary noise.

What about us?

Reflections on a Career – 7

Tomorrow morning will be my last meeting with my managers as a group – I write this on a Sunday. I didn’t want to schedule this meeting and I put it off, but finally with Lucy’s help it was scheduled and tomorrow it is here. I didn’t want to schedule the meeting because I don’t want to say “Goodbye” to them. I know it has to be done, and I know I’ll see them individually between now and October 31, and I may even see them as part of a larger group, but tomorrow will be the last time that it will be just them and me.

Each one of them has contributed in some measure to my life, some more than others – some have worked for me longer than others. I have seen wonderful personal and professional growth in them. There are those whom I have worked with who have moved on to other jobs; they won’t be there tomorrow but I will think of them, I would have them there if I could but life moves on, seasons change. As I write this I think of a few whom I have had to let go for various reasons; accountability is critical and there are times people just aren’t good fits for a position.

One of my former managers is gone because she stole. Another is gone because she didn’t take responsibility for her property but blamed problems on her staff and treated them harshly. Another only lasted a week or two, she wasn’t a good fit, didn’t know what she was doing (even though she had years of experience elsewhere) – at the level of property manager when you represent yourself as being able to operate a multi-million dollar property and you can’t do it there is no alternative but to move on; you can either play the piano at the concert level or you can’t. I guess her previous company wasn’t playing at the concert level either. I lost two managers when their properties were sold and they remained with the properties, working for the new owners – I still keep in touch with them. Then there was one other manager who I lost; it didn’t have to be that way but it happened, she made the decision; I might write about her at some point because it is an example of what happens when people aren’t held accountable and when they aren’t trained, challenged to grow, and mentored – in Christianity we call it “discipleship.” When we don’t train and challenge and mentor people we do them a disservice, we keep them in diapers – and when challenges come they aren’t prepared.

I’m going to talk to my group this morning and thank them for all they’ve done and do my best to encourage them, I’ve sketched out some points I want to make and I’ll likely follow them up in writing with a sentence of two.

 Put others first

Keep learning

Understand your property, your market, your business

Know who you are

Know your people

Train your people and hold them accountable

Build a ship for the storms, not the calm seas

Say what you mean (or write it!) and mean what you say

Tell the truth

If you have a problem seek a solution – think it out, give recommendations

Friendships and mentors

Know where you are going, where your people are going, and where your property is going. You are the captain of your ship.

You are the example; to be early is to be on time, to be on time is to be late, to be late is unacceptable.

Put others first – they may not always like you but hopefully they will trust you. 

Reflections on a Career – 8

“Do you know why you are here?” I asked my two managers.

“No,” was the reply.

“Because your actions put yourselves before your people.”

They were silent and the words sank in.

“Throughout your careers, in whatever industry you work, you will work for one of two types of leaders; those who put themselves first and those who put their people first. Which kind do you want to work for?

“Which kind do you want to be?

“I brought you here so that you’d remember this moment. I care about you and I want to help you, that’s why you are here.”

One of the managers replied, “I will remember this because I don’t ever want to feel like this again.”

I looked at one of them, “Have you ever seen a football team get in the red zone again and again and never score?”

“Yes.”

“In leadership there are times when we have to endure pain and do what we naturally don’t want to do in order to get over the goal line; yes we’d like to go home, yes we’d like to call it a day, yes we’d like to deal with something another day – but when it comes to taking care of our people we’ve got to do what it takes to get the ball over the goal line.”

I didn’t keep these two managers in my office very long for the point was obvious to them, they had let their people down and their team would have some short-term pain as a result.

There are two types of leaders – those who put themselves first and those who put their people first…even to the detriment of themselves. While I am concerned about the productivity of my managers, for we are to be good stewards of our clients’ assets, I am more concerned about their character. Leaders of character who put others first are, I believe, more likely to produce sustainable long-term results than leaders focused on themselves; they are more likely to think long-term rather than seek instant gratification; they are more likely to work through challenges rather than seek the easy way out.

Servant-leadership is painful, no doubt about it – but my managers who learn the way of pain and putting others first will be able to take their people where others can’t go and will discover things within themselves and others that will serve them well throughout life. 

Reflections on a Career – 6

I started the post below on October 1, but then there was Vegas so I changed my Monday post.

Today is October 1, though this will post on October 2. On October 31, the Lord willing, I will “retire.” Not retire from life, hardly that for I look forward to many people and to more time with Vickie and to more special time with the Trinity, but retire from my primary business career. As Reepicheep would say, “Let’s take the adventure that Aslan gives us!”

The words of the leaders of Israel to their people come to mind, “…you have not passed this way before” (Joshua 3:4). Just as the Israelites followed the Ark of the Covenant I hope that I will follow the Presence of God and His Word in this new season of life. Traveling to a new land (even if you’ve seen images of it and read accounts of it) has its particular experiences – nothing is quite like actually being there, walking there, taking in its sights and smells and sounds. While I, of course, know “retired” folks I have not lived in land. But first I must journey to the Jordan and that means traveling to the edge of the land I am in, and it means finishing well and being a blessing to those around me.

Once I cross the Jordan I will look back at those still in the work-land and we will visit no doubt and talk and perhaps share memories, but it will be different. Not that work will cease for me, I look forward to a focused time of creativity, I am excited about that.

I may have mentioned this somewhere in a previous post, but one of the changes in me that has occurred in this season of life is that I have come not to just care about, but to love the people who work for me. Does this mean that in times past I did not love others? I don’t mean to say that, but I do mean to say that. Perhaps it is the “quality” or “nature” of the love that is different. Perhaps it has just taken this long for the wine to mature in the cask.

While my love has deepened, so I think has my firmness in requiring accountability and my readiness to quickly hold the people I love (and others) accountable. I am less likely to take the long way around to get to the point on accountability. I have always been able to be direct, but I am direct more often. I think part of that is that for the past few years I’ve known that eventually October 31 would come (though I haven’t known the date) and that I’ve needed to do my best not to waste time in developing my folks.

One of my role models in all of this has been my friend Debby Eure. Debby will never know how much she has affected the inner workings of my heart when it comes to caring for people and loving them. Vickie and I are deeply thankful for our friendship with her. She is a model of constancy; constancy is a rare gem.

If you will permit me to move in another direction…

I have known for a while that one reason I have been able to serve my clients well is that I don’t care about how much money they have or what material things they have or about their social standing or other positions of authority – I am not impressed by it. I truly believe that if we are going to “glory” that we ought to “glory/boast in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 1:31; Jeremiah 9:23). So while I have other “issues” in my life and character development, generally speaking envy is not one of them. 

My view of client relationships is pretty simple, I am serving Christ first in my position and my work is to be a form of worship (Colossians 4:22 – 25) and that I am a steward of whatever position of trust I hold – a steward first to God and then to others; I am called to be a blessing to those around me. This means, of course, that I am called to tell the truth – I think there are clients who are not used to that; some can work with it and others can’t; the same is true for people I have worked for.

Interestingly some of the toughest people I’ve worked for and some of my toughest clients have been able to work with the truth – telling the truth to them could be like a steel-cage wrestling match but when we were finished we seemed to come out fine. In reflection they tended to be people who had a fairly good sense of self-definition.

On the other hand there have been those who were offended. The representative of one financial institution got to the place where he didn’t want to communicate with me at all – I wasn’t telling him what he wanted to tell his superiors. Then there was the time I had a chat with the chairman of the board of a firm I worked for and suggested to him that he treat his daughter (who worked in my department) with more consideration, that a kind word now and again would go a long way…sadly he responded by telling me “Why I have never even thrown a ball with any of my children and I’m not going to start now.” Well, since you can only do what you can do you should do what you can do - I did what I could.

I am impressed by people who give to other people, who give themselves. I am also impressed by artists – not all of them, but many of them. Bach or Mozart – I am impressed. When I behold the painting of my friend David Zuck I am impressed. They are bringing beauty into the world, or capturing the beauty that is already here and passing it on; whether on canvass or in the music of the spheres. I am impressed when one of my managers thinks about her staff and helps develop them. I am impressed when my team works through problems together and comes out stronger and with a clearer sense of who they are.

This life doesn’t last forever. Now some people may read that and think that they have to grab everything they can now. But others of us know that we have eternity in Jesus Christ ahead of us and that the beauties that will unfold will amaze us and stagger us and be filled with indescribable joy and peace and friendship and love. I feel badly for folks who seek identity and security and recognition in possessions (I do not mean to indicate that I am not tempted with this, nor have never sought security in such things) thinking that “He who dies with the most toys wins.” What a sad and empty and fleeting way to live.

Things are just things…they really are.

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up treasures for yourselves in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:19 – 21).

Where is our treasure today? My treasure? Your treasure?

Reepicheep, from The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis

Madness

As madness grips our lands

As bullets fly and bombs explode

As drugs take life upon life

As our leaders major in minors

As hedonism reigns extreme

As material consumption becomes an orgy

As the church rides the beast.

Who will pray and intercede?

Who will carry the Cross?

Who will speak “peace” to a world gone mad?

Will I? Will you? Will we?