Summoned to Lead Ch. 2

Yes. I'm a tad late on this post. Two days to be exact. My bad.

Annoyed a bit

I get the point of his metaphor - hearing is what leadership is about, not vision. Got it. All the examples he uses are all well and good, but not only do they beat the point to death, I also feel like they are examples that quickly could fall apart. For example, submarines may not have windows and so "hear" their way through, but they would have windows if they could see well enough or wouldn't compromise the structure of a ship, not just cause its better. Vision is important too. Let's not throw it all away.

Liked it
I really enjoy his emphasis on not just doing lots of stuff, but stopping, listening and responding to what we see. He uses this example of da Vinci and that he probably only did 30 paintings (of which we have maybe half). There is much to be said for that. Sometimes I think I get so caught up in hearing that others are doing things, thinking about things, writing things, preaching things, etc, that I feel like I should be too. Let's focus on catching the wave that God has sent our way and riding that out and then going back out and finding another one. I wonder if there is a rhythm to following God and living in the way of Jesus?

Missed it
I saw the heading "hearing heart" and thought for sure he'd bring up Solomon and his request not for wisdom, but for a hearing heart. But he swung and missed mightily on that one. I can only hope that he'll hit it later and that he's saving it. Or that he's reading this blog now and making the adjustments to the second edition. [If you are, Mr. Sweet, I've actually met you and enjoyed a "black eye" with you at Starbucks in Indianapolis.]

I Think I'm b-flat too
Cool point that everything makes sound. Black hole is B-flat 57 octaves below middle C.

Love It!
I really love the "and God sang" instead of "and God said". What an awesome picture to me! How great to think of the God of the universe YHVH, actually singing us into existence, creating in a new way!!! That so connects with the way music as a whole can take us places we've never been, can cross time and space, can go to levels of the spirit and heart that nothing else can seem to touch or name. And it explains why music is so important to the spirit of life.

Shawshank Redemption has a great part that brings this out. When they find a record of these two Italian women singin opera and they lock themselves in and play it over the loudspeakers for only a few minutes, one of the prisoners (Morgan Freeman) remarks, "We didn't really know what they were singing, but then it didn't really matter."

Encouraged
I'm encouraged by this book to stop and step back more. To listen more and not just do because I feel inadequate or unworthy or like everyone is watching. My ears hear a different song and I need to dance to that one. Even the rests.

Perhaps its the stuff we've been going through, or perhaps something I ate, but I think taking a step back and gaining perspective is SO IMPORTANT. Sorry God for all the times I rush on into foolish behavior and decisions, when I should just listen.