The Slide

Ever been to one of those county fairs where they have the big slide on the runway. You know the one. It’s about three stories tall. You have to ride it on a burlap bag. It’s got two or three humps on it. It’s got parallel tracks so you can race your friends. And for $5 you can wait in line for an hour and enjoy the 3 seconds it takes to slide all the way to the bottom.

I’ve never seen a kid who didn’t want to ride the slide. Even parents who were suspect of the upkeep and safety of other carney row offerings like the ‘whirl and hurl’ and the ‘cereal spiller’ would let their kids ride the slide. Let’s face it, the three hump slide seemed tame next to the upside-down pirate ship.

I’ve ridden the slide. I’ve also watched a lot of people ride the slide. Funny thing about the slide. Every once in a while someone on the slide tries to stop midway. They brace their sneakers against the gun walls, and try to stop their descent. I don’t think they were scared of the slide; most were just trying to show off how cool they were on the slide. Few could ever halt their descent, but a few managed to slow themselves down.

Another funny thing about the slide, it always ended at the bottom. Once you got on it there was only one place you could end up. Down at the bottom.

Leaders know that there are alluring slides all around us. Some are moral slides, flirting with this coworker, viewing this website is no big deal, just a little diversion. Some are integrity slides. Fudge the data on this report so we look a little better. Twist the truth here so we avoid some consequences. Some are discipline slides. I really should study or prep for that meeting, but the Tribe is on. I can skip my workout today. Church involvement isn’t crucial every week, isn’t that important is it?

Little slides but every slide always ends up taking us down. Have you fallen pray to a slide or two? It’s too easy to end up on one time and time again with not much to show for it except a trip down.

Little slides can ruin a leader. Watch out for carney row.

The Lure of Carney Row

Every year in August the Chemung County Fair would arrive in Horseheads, NY. While we were not die-hard 4H’ers or Junior Jaycees, we would make our way to the Midway each year to take in the sights and the smells of the fair. Quite an alluring place a county fair. Little alleyways lined with booths to entice the passerby. It doesn’t matter how disciplined or self- controlled you were, something along “carney row” would beckon and call to you.

Name your pleasure. Deep fried waffles, corn dogs, Italian sausages, cotton candy, salt water taffy, caramel corn, elephant ears, French fries and vinegar. (It seems that the county fair is the only place people ever eat their fries with vinegar. I’ve never seen anyone in a restaurant or under the Golden Arches ask for vinegar for their fries.)

Turn the corner and a row of “Games of Skill” were lined up each with a hawker calling you to take a chance. There were wooden bottles, the baskets for the softball touch, the revolving spiral with the metal ring to be removed without touching the rod. Dart games, water pistol games, horse-racing tic-tac-toe games. Floating ducks. A penny toss, nickel toss and a quarter toss. (I never saw a dime toss. The price seemed to jump from a nickel to a quarter. Maybe dimes are just too light for effective carney tossing.)

Carneys were always willing to show you how easy it was to beat the game so that you felt like a fool if you didn’t play. Then if you did play and lost, which most of us did, you could walk away and feel like a loser for failing to win such an easy game. To make it worse there were always the few scattered lucky ones who actually won the five-foot orange gorilla or the dog larger than a twin-sized bed.
Around the next corner more of the same. Food rows and game rows. Food rows and game rows. All decorated and painted and at night they were lit up better than the average Christmas display. Everything about the displays was designed to lure us to spend some money on either a tasty delight or a game of chance.

I don’t know what people are looking for when they go to a county fair, but I’m pretty sure it is not an orange gorilla. I don’t think that anyone goes to a county fair and believes that the $6 Italian sausage they have to fight the flies for is a great bargain. I don’t think anyone actually finds what they are looking for at a county fair except maybe for those individuals showing and selling their goats and sheep and cows and pigs. I think most of us go the fair because it comes to town, and not having anything else to do one night, we just show up and discover we’re still a sucker for games of chance and an ove-rpriced sandwich.

County fairs remind me of life. When I lack purpose, mission and drive, I’m easily distracted by the lights and temptation of so many things all around me. They seem compelling, alluring, desirable, a sure thing to satisfaction. But I’ve been to too many county fairs. Who needs a five- foot orange gorilla?

The Forgiver promised abundant life. It will be found in a relationship with Him that gives of worth, meaning and purpose not in the carney rows beckoning all around me.

Staying In The Game

I played basketball with old friends recently. It was a group of men with whom I had played basketball with for almost eleven years. It had been a year since I was on the court with them. We still knew each others moves, each others strengths and weaknesses. It was good to be on the court with them again. It was good to be in the game even though my 50-year-old knees were aching.

Staying in the game is a challenge as we age; muscles are weaker, reflexes and reactions are slower. We can still compete, but the days of one man shows are over. The days of taking over a game are behind me. When I play basketball today I realize how dependent I am on others to have a “good game.” At nearly 50 I understand and value my teammates more than I ever did when I was 25.

Leaders recognize the same thing as they age. Once they blazed like a brilliant flare, lighting the way with their drive and enthusiasm. No job was too big. No task was too difficult. No challenge could hold them back.

But as they age good leaders change. They understand the value of the team. They recognize that real success will be measured in how well the team functions. So they become more team-focused and less self-absorbed, self-motivated. They recognize that staying in the game becomes dependent on the team around them. Go team!

Polish Proverb

I had this deep thought the other day. It had to do with mentoring and team building. It was based upon what I am calling a “New Polish Proverb.” I’m calling it that in honor of my Polish Grandfather who said such pithy things to me growing up.

Here it is.

One candle eventually burns out. A thousand lights will not be easily extinguished . . .
. . . so light another candle.

--New Polish Proverb.

Whenever my grandfather would say something profound to me he would follow it up with this great statement in his broken English accent. “You understand me that Brucie?”

Read the proverb again.

One candle eventually burns out. A thousand lights will not be easily extinguished . . .
. . . so light another candle.

--New Polish Proverb.

“You understand me that leader?”

Fishermen have “Reel” Persistence

Matt 4:19 "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men."

Lesson four is about being a “fisher of men.” Fishermen are persistent. “Reel” fishermen are always ready to fish and they will keep fishing when others have quit.

I’ve gone fishing on a Friday night and suffered through a poor bite. The water color was off, the temperature too high. For whatever the reason, the fishing was poor, but ask me if I want to go back out on Saturday morning and the answer is yes. “Reel” fishermen know that the bite that was off on Friday night may be hot on Saturday morning. So back they head.

“Reel” fishermen are persistent because they will keep trying to catch fish even when the bite is off. I’ve changed lures and techniques numerous times on the bank of a river, the back of the boat, the side of the stream. “Reel” fishermen know that even when the bite is off some fish will bite if they can just present the right lure in the right way. So they keep trying until they catch fish.

Imagine if we were as persistent as fishers of men. Imagine if the night after a seemingly futile witness attempt we headed right back out to the stream. Imagine remaining so persistent in our effort to reach our neighbors that we tried approach after approach, conversation after conversation, invitation followed by invitations until they responded.

“Reel” Fishermen have persistence, shouldn’t we?

Matt 4:19 "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men."

Fishermen have “Reel” Optimism

Matt 4:19 "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men."

Lesson three is about being a “fisher of men.” Fishermen are optimistic about fishing. It doesn’t matter if the fish aren’t biting; “reel” fishermen are always thinking that the next cast will lead to results; a lunker waits just beyond that weed bank. If I change my lure, freshen my bait, move down the bank the fishing will change.

Strike out on a Thursday; “reel” fishermen will be back out on a Saturday, trying again. They know that a day is coming when the bite will be on, when cast after cast will lead to fish. Success is just a matter of time, conditions and persistence. No “reel” fisherman is ever defeated, just delayed.

The optimism that a fisherman has is fueled by others. Put ten guys on a pond. Let them fish without success for an hour, wait right up until some are ready to quit, then suddenly someone lands a perch, nails a bass and all ten are ready to keep fishing.

When it comes to being a “fisher of men” we must be optimistic. After all the Master Fisherman has declared that we can do this. Each of us can be successful, so with the Forgiver next to us on the bank, we should keep casting. Success may be only one cast away. If we’re not catching fish, not impacting others with the Forgiver’s story, change the lure, reposition on the bank, but keep fishing. Success may be only one cast away. And when you hear stories of successful fishermen, don’t be discouraged. Listen and learn, pick up a tip or two and keep fishing. Success may be only one cast away.

Matt 4:19 "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men."

Fishermen have “Reel” Purpose

Matt 4:19 "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men."

I finished a book by Ed Young on creative leadership. He ended it with a chapter on fishing for men. This chapter and my own fishing obsession lead to some musing on Jesus’ first invitation. So for the next few leadership devotions here are my thoughts on being a “Reel” fishermen.

Fishermen are obsessed with fishing. There is always another pond, another stream, another river, another spot on the lake, another hole where the fish are. Fishermen long to fish. They find creative ways to manage their schedules so they can fish. They skip sleep, rise up early, endure the bugs, sometimes the cold, sometimes the heat, just so they can fish.

“Reel” fishermen don’t just settle for talking about fishing or reading about fishing or picking up a hot tip about fishing. Fishermen have to fish. They have to be on the water, at the stream, on the bank to be fulfilled.

When it comes to being a fisher of men, how do you stack up?

Are you obsessed with fishing, reaching out to others? Do you see every house, every neighborhood, and every street as a new place to fish? Have you settled for just studying about fishing? Have been content with just occasionally wetting a line? Or do you live to fish? Is it your purpose? Is it what you do?

When it comes to Jesus’ first invitation, how well have you followed?

Matt 4:19 "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men."