When a group of 200 executives was asked what makes a person successful, 80 percent listed enthusiasm as the most important quality. Before water will produce enough steam to power an engine, it must boil. The steam engine won’t move a train an inch until the steam gauge registers 212 degrees. Likewise, the person without enthusiasm is trying to move the machinery of life with lukewarm water. Only one thing will happen: that person will stall. Writer A. B. Zu Tavern says this about enthusiasm: "Good work is never done in cold blood," he says. "Heat is needed to forge anything. Every great achievement is the story of a flaming heart."
During our recent cabinet planning retreat, we used this image to frame a question for discussion: "What is the burning question?" That is, what is it that sets your heart on fire and drives you toward your purpose? There were many answers from many perspectives in response to the question—posted as always on a white flip-chart. Since the context for our discussion was our cabinet ministry together in the church, the answers made sense within that setting. But then we added a second question: what is the burning question in the hearts and minds of those who are not a part of any church? These answers tended to be much shorter: where is my next meal? Why am I here? How can I be me (in the face of other’s expectations about me)? What values shall I live by?
Then we looked at the two lists to see how one might inform the other. The results of that discussion are still unfolding—specifically as the conversation goes beyond the cabinet to include the Conference Leadership Team. Later in our retreat time, I shared the short list I have in my head about things I am enthusiastic about going into these next four years—and several people said, you need to say those so everyone knows where your heart is. So here’s a glimpse of those things that enflame my heart today:
1. "Hope for the Children of Africa" has been a Bishops’ Initiative, and our conference’s partnership with Nigeria is our window into that mission. Many of you also know of my personal connection with Rev. Eunice Musa, whom I met in Nigeria and who later came to study at our Claremont seminary. Because of this personal relationship, it is easy for me to be excited about what we are doing as a conference and a denomination in Africa.
2. Strengthening ecumenical and interfaith connections: this is only in part practical; every Bishop serves one of our general agencies, and I have been assigned to the General Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns. But I had a choice in this, and I chose GCCUIC because I believe events in the world today are explicitly showing us just how much faith plays a role in every aspect of domestic and international affairs—and, unfortunately, faith is too often used divisively. I believe in "one God of many names," and we must find ways to build bridges of faith with all our brothers and sisters. That is the work of this Commission, and I will be glad to serve there.
3. I am excited about the possibility of developing a Western Jurisdiction Spiritual Retreat Center, probably in the Los Angeles Area. This began with the Jurisdictional Leadership Team, and the Rev. Won Kie Kim and the Korean Mission have caught and carried the enthusiasm for this to other groups. I am eager to see these dreams come true and benefit all of us.
4. Here’s a short description but a BIG job: I want to see our church decrease our carbon footprint and increase our compassion footprint. I want United Methodists to be known as a people who care for the earth, and for all the people of our communities.
5. A "fire in the mind" that I have is the conviction that our denomination has chosen the right focus for all our work as United Methodists. General Conference adopted the "four emphases" to 1. address the leadership crisis in the church by focusing on leader development (our own Center for Leadership Excellence is our response to this issue;) 2. to create a strategy to develop new congregations; 3. to partner with the poor in addressing poverty; and 4. to implement a global health initiative. I anticipate that we will use these four as our own themes for Annual Conference Sessions from now through 2012.
6. One more: I want to lift up this Annual Conference for healing and spiritual wholeness, so that the woundedness of our past is honored, but does not keep us from being the Cup Overflowing with spiritual wholeness for all the people in our Area. With several pastors and lay leaders, I am exploring an initiative on conference-wide prayer.
That’s just my "To-Do" list, what about yours? What burns in your heart and fires up your ministry? Where do you see opportunities for us to fulfill the prayer we offer most every Sunday: to bring about "thy kingdom… on earth, as it is in heaven"?
