Tabor College President's Journal

Teaching feeds my soul.  Once again my tank is full as I reflect on my most recent teaching experience.  For my own continued intellectual stimulation and to stay informed and in touch with my discipline of study, I have agreed to teach one intensive course each year George Fox Evangelical Seminary.  So for the past two days I had the joy of teaching a group of high capacity influencers who are enrolled in their Leadership and Spiritual Formation doctoral program.  Students from all over the world (Australia, England, Korea, and United States) gather at Cannon Beach on the Oregon coast for the face-to-face component of their course work.  I spent two days talking with these twenty five high capacity leaders about the person and work of a leader.  We talked about how who we are impacts what we do.  We examined emotional intelligence and how we can provide strength-based leadership to our respective settings.  The focus of the course was on self discovery that will lead to increased effectiveness as a leader.  They were engaging, highly participatory, and inspiring.  Their questions, comments, and stories were challenging and affirming.  Their commitment to increasing their capacity to lead was inspiring.  They motivated me to bring my A game to the classroom.  And beyond that, they affirmed in me the importance of leadership and higher education.

Leadership is being resulting in doing.  What a leader does flows from who they are and who they are determines what they do.  I have never been more convinced of that truth.  The work of Christian higher education is to create an environment in which our students can learn, grow, and be shaped in such a way that they influence the world to  be more the way God intended it to be.  They come to us from a variety of settings.  They all are gifted in unique ways.  We work with them in formative ways.  We help them discover their strengths.  We provide settings where they can explore and increase their relational skills.  we challenge them academically and encourage them in their vocational choices.  And God reaches down and transforms them into His masterpieces.  It is a beautiful thing to behold.  And a privilege to be able to participate with what He is doing in the world.