Leadership Risk

Leadership Risk

The greatest risk a leader has is leading!

That one who sees the direction clearly,

Or more clearly than others -

Is the one who upon expressing his vision

Is at the greatest risk from his peers.

And His enemies.

The greatest reward of a leader is leading!

When someone follows.

And time proves good direction!

But some, even then, remain the enemy

Of one who risks wise leadership!

No, the biggest risk of leadership,

Is commitment to the direction

Even when the facts cease to support

The underlying theories.

And when one's innate fallibility is not considered possible.

I am amused

As I started to pour coffee into the sugar bowl

How many more mistakes

I could have made

If I had not caught myself

In the midst of the making!!!

Billy R. Masten

09/20/13

ERA

ERA

There was the era of my childhood,

And it was gone.

And the era of my youth,

And it was gone.

There was the era of the harvest

And of agriculture

And the people from Texas to Canada,

And it was gone.

There was the era of study,

And it was gone.

The era of teaching,

And it was gone.

There was the era of high tech,

And travel

And innovation

And it was gone.

There was the era of children

And it was gone.

There was the era of consulting,

And it is going.

There is one era of a church,

And then another.

Perhaps a new name,

Perhaps a new character or vision.

There was the birth of a new church,

And there was growth,

And there was decline.

Three times and more.

Then there was a grafting,

A merger

Of the new into the old

And a new era came to be.

It begins to look to me like

God’s work is always new!

Yet often built upon the old.

His work has never changed.

Yet His work is always new!

It is always looking to the future.

“I go to prepare a place for you …”

The one who does not change –

And He who sits on the throne said,

“Behold, I am making all things new”

“Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature;

the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.

Isaiah 43:18
"Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.

Isaiah 43:19
See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.

Isaiah 65:17
"See, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind.

Ezekiel 36:26
I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.

John 3:3
Jesus replied, "Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again."

Romans 6:4
We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.“

Billy R. Masten

08/16/13

Extreme

Extreme

Extreme he was.

Extreme was his name.

He looked upon others,

From his extreme position

And all but a few, close by,

Who used his own words,

He saw as extreme.

And a few he saw

As

Lazy wishy washy

Spineless moderates.

Most, he saw as enemies,

Evil, enemies, out to destroy him

And his way.

Facts matter little to Extreme.

They rarely change his view.

I knew him in school.

I knew him at work.

I knew him at play.

I tried repeatedly to be his friend,

But he would not.

No dialog was possible with him.

He was right and all the world was wrong.

Pride and Arrogant could have been his name.

He was Extreme.

I tried to understand his position

On an issue

And I tried to support it.

To my surprise,

He switched view.

I tried again.

Again he switched.

I tried to determine what goals drove him.

My conclusion is still wavering.

Self?

Attention?

Social welfare?

Wealth?

Power?

Fear?

What is the driving force behind Extreme?

He seems willing to destroy his own life,

And the life of others,

While wailing about pro life,

Or freedom of choice,

Or conservation,

Or gun control,

Or religion,

Or the lack thereof.

Or the use of resources.

To please him seems impossible.

To speak to him seems fruitless.

I note he has no ears,

Just tiny holes that filter all but words

He wants to hear.

And then I wonder,

“Who am I?”

Can I hear

Words quite clear

I have not heard before?

Is it possible for me to change my view

Because of the truth of those new words?

Do I filter all but words I want to hear?

Do I know that I do not know

All I need to know?

Have I been changed by new understanding

Of Truth lately?

I wonder

Am I driven by

Love,

Joy,

Peace,

Long-suffering,

Patience,

Goodness,

Kindness,

Gentleness,

Self control,

Or am I driven by

Fear,

Anger,

Self interest,

Ruthless disregard for the life

And property of others?

If I am one who is extreme,

I would like to be extreme

In

Love,

Joy,

Peace

Long-suffering,

Patience,

Goodness,

Kindness,

Gentleness,

And self control.

To judge others by these standards,

Would be foolish,

But to measure myself by them

And improve

Would be wise.

The reality, I see, however

-

I am often drawn by

The fruit of some other spirit

Than His!

Lord, teach me your ways.

Lord, change my spirit

That I may bear good fruit

And beneficial!

Billy Reese Masten

11/13/12

I Like the Sound

I like the sound

Of a water fall.

A mountain stream trickling down from the heights.

Music.

A kind voice with kind words.

A baby's cooing.

A complement.

Loving criticism.

Encouragement.

'At-a-boy!

Thunder.

The ocean waves hitting the shore.

Enterprise.

Success.

A project that works out well.

I overhauled an engine.

It took hours and hours.

For days and days.

It looked good.

I hooked it up.

Turned on the switch.

Stepped on the starter.

It started!!!

What a nice sound!

Like a piece of music coming together!!!

The Voice of God saying “I love you.”

“Yes, I forgive you”

“Yes I know I can say a definite yes I will take care of you.”

“I will present you faultless!!!”

I like the sound of the character of God!

Billy Masten

11/15/09

I Spoke a Word

I Spoke a Word

I spoke a word.

He was sitting in the back of the room.

There were 12 or so others there.

To most the word I spoke was true and innocent.

To him it meant war!!!

That word I spoke

Cut him.

I know not why

But I saw it cut.

I sought to take it back.

Then to modify it.

It was too late!

The word was like a freight train

I could not stop nor slow.

It took skill beyond my own

To mend the broken opportunity --

To put back together the damage done by my word.

To me it was just a descriptive word.

Still today I do not know what the word was.

To him it represented a conflict from the past

Come back to haunt. It brought back hard memories

Of conflicts discomfort, yes hatreds, from

Wars long since settled, -- but for him --

That word cut like a sword.

The word had a simple meaning to most

But a far different meaning to him.

Never assume a word has the same meaning to another as it has for you.

Billy R. Masten

02/16/10

I saw a thing of beauty to behold.

I saw a thing of beauty to behold.

A pumpkin seed.

A pumpkin plant.

A pumpkin bloom.

A sunflower bloom.

A field of sunflowers in bloom.

A tiny flower

On a tiny weed in my lawn.

Raj Horan spraying Reid's field.

A thunder cloud to the west.

I would have missed them all,

Had I not stopped to look!

Some, no, all developed over time

What I saw was stopped,

Or stepped motion.

I wonder what I missed,

But am thankful

For what I saw!

Billy R. Masten

081910

I Saw a Sliver of Rain

I Saw a Sliver of Rain

I saw a sliver of rain

Streaming down from a lonely cloud

Against a golden sunset sky.

It never reached the ground.

'twas swallowed up by the dry air beneath.

It is like a complement never spoken;

A praise never given;

Respect not shown;

Joy not shared;

Good news kept to ones self;

Thanks not given;

A smile hidden behind a frown;

A gift not delivered;

It is like love never spoken.

A lonely cloud indeed.

Billy Masten

11/10/09