David Bahn – Reflections

I attended a conference led by Lyle Schaller, whom Christianity Today called “the dean of church consultants.” The title of the workshop, Pastor as Professional Leader, was intentional and somewhat embarrassing to me at the time (40 years ago). I told my people I was attending a workshop on pastoral leadership. He told us at the conference that he used the term professional, “because most people in your church considered you to be the professional leader.” I learned a lot in that workshop. Leaders lead. Leaders frame the question. Leaders speak first. Since that time, I’ve often said, “I want to have the first word, but not necessarily the last word.”

I am a leader. I don’t say that as a boast. I didn’t say I’m a good leader or a bad one. Truth is, we’re all leaders of one kind or another. Good, bad, confusing, dictatorial, acquiescing, or conflict-causing. But I take my role seriously. And frankly, in my current vocations, the term sometimes weighs heavily on me. I take it seriously and seek to lead faithfully, and I pray that the Lord judges me to have led faithfully.

Paul takes a decided leadership role in the face of the dire circumstances he and his shipmates are facing. The seas are dangerously destructive because of the wind and storms they encounter. It’s so bad that they have lost hope of being saved. They jettison cargo and even the ship’s tackle (which might have included the means to steer the ship. They are in grave danger.

In the face of this Paul stands tall as leader. He takes charge with a word of hope and a witness to God. He reminds them of his previous advice that, had they taken it, would have saved them from this trouble. He tells them of his angelic visitation. He points to the God he serves. He testifies to his faith in God. And he encourages them with the hope of ultimate safety, but does not varnish the truth. They will “run aground on some island.”

That’s what leaders do. They take an assessment of the current realities – brutal or blessed. They point people toward a better future. They encourage as needed with reminders of the goal and vision to which they are moving. They offer grace to those who are struggling to go along. They spend the necessary time with those who are discouraged, helping them to a place of success and prosperity. The ultimate success is in serving God’s purposes in the world, and experiencing his grace eternally. The fullness of prosperity is the abundant eternal life of the world to come.

Paul’s ability to offer hope to others demonstrates how faith can foster leadership in dire circumstances.

Is there someone who needs to hear a word of faith and encouragement? Can you point them toward God’s faithfulness and goodness? That is the best kind of faithful leadership ever.

I seldom struggle with a sense of despair. My hope quotient is mostly well above 50%. Hopefully (no play on words here), that’s not because I have delusions of adequacy. But I do see the world through possibility lenses – rose-colored or otherwise. I tend to see around problems, and look for solutions. I most often take preemptive action. I know nature abhors a vacuum, and so does a difficult situation. It will pull solutions of many kinds into its black hole of possibilities. Some of those solutions will not honor God. Some will be harmful to the Body of Christ. Some will be hurtful to me or those I love. Some may be good, helpful, edifying, and God-honoring.

Luke tells us that the people aboard the ship “gave up all hope of being saved.” The storm’s relentlessness wears them down mentally and physically. Without any visible sign of salvation, fear and despair set in, making survival seem impossible.

These two dynamics destroy hope, paralyze us, and quash resourceful and creative thinking. Rather than reflecting on the possibilities and God’s hand in what faces us, we get stuck in the malestom of negativity, doubt, and hopelessness.

We must learn to face the brutal facts. That’s half of the equation, however. There is another equally-important and necessary thing we must do. We must hold onto hope. This is the essence of the Stockdale Paradox.

Jim Collins, in his book, Good to Great identified the “Stockdale Paradox,” named after Admiral James Stockdale. Stockdale was one of the most decorated United States Navy officers, who was also awarded the Medal of Honor in the Vietnam War. As a prisoner of war from 1965 to 1973, Stockdale was tortured over 20 times, had no prisoner’s rights, no release date, and no idea of whether he would survive to see his family again. Yet, he survived when many of his co-prisoners didn’t.

He did so by facing the brutal facts of his situation, but never giving up hope of being freed. But his was not a hope oblivious of his dreadful situation.

The brutal facts of Paul’s situation – along with his traveling companions – are monstrous: They lost all hope of being saved. But there is yet hope. Paul delivers a message of hope in the face of despair. God’s angel had appeared to him. This was a messenger from the God Paul served and believed in. The message had a solid dose of brutal facts: the ship would be lost. But there was hope: no lives would be lost.

There is an even greater hope to which Paul refers when he speaks to the people on the ship. Paul will get to Rome and stand before Caesar. He will stand before Caesar and will no doubt testify to the eternal hope we have in Jesus’ resurrection.

No matter how dire the circumstances may be (brutal facts), there is always hope. Always. The tomb is empty. Our salvation has been won. We will rise with Jesus on the Last Day. That is the kind of hope that withstands even the most dire circumstance and brutal despair.

Face the brutal facts – whatever they may be in your life; and

Hold onto hope – in Jesus’ help here and now and in his salvation in the life of the world to come.

Just over a week ago we visited Mount Washington in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Mount Washington, is an ultra-prominent mountain and the highest peak in the Northeastern United States at 6,288.2 ft. It is the most topographically prominent mountain east of the Mississippi River. The mountain is notorious for its erratic weather. Here’s photo showing Diane and me at the summit of the mountain. Even though it was a pleasant day at the foot of the mountain (55 degrees +/-). The windchill on top of the mountain was closer to 35 degrees. But just last Friday the mountain lived up to its notorious reputation for erratic weather. Snow began accumulating the day after we visited, marking the first significant storm of the season. Approximately 2.5 inches was blanketing the summit as of Friday afternoon, capped with a layer of ice. Weather there is not only notoriously erratic, it is also brutal. The highest recorded wind speed at a manned weather station was recorded there: winds in excess of 200 MPH.

It wasn’t a matter of windchill that caused Paul and his shipmates such grave concerns. It was the Northeaster storm that buffeted the boat. Lasting several days, and forcing the crew to throw cargo and even the ship’s tackle overboard to stay afloat, it was a brutal storm! Despite their best efforts, they feel powerless against the fury of nature, eventually losing all hope of being saved (v. 20). Paul will testify to God’s providential care and point them toward God’s promise of a successful journey to Rome – albeit with the loss of the ship and cargo. Thankfully no lives will be lost.

We are vulnerable to nature’s forces however they may be caused and however they may come. There comes a time when human effort will fail in the face of tumultuous weather. The recent hurricanes hitting Florida testify to that fact.

Mother Nature isn’t the one in charge of the weather. That’s God’s department. And since the creation of time, the weather has testified to God’s omnipotence and man’s limits. We may not like to face storms of any severity. But when we do we best look to God for help and salvation. Storms may well remind us of our human limitations, and our need to rely on God. We may need to take action to secure our lives and property in these storms, but we can take comfort in knowing that God is over it all.

How do your actions and reactions to grave danger or tumultuous weather reflect your faith?

One of my favorite quotes is from a list of employee evaluation comments. “This employee has delusions of adequacy.” I love it!  A delusion is a false fixed belief that is not open to change – even in light of conflicting evidence. It is not merely a belief based on false or incomplete information, because people with those beliefs are able to repent of their false notions and adjust their beliefs with new evidence. Deluded people are blind to their own blindness.

It may be too harsh to suggest that the crew of the ship had delusions of adequacy. But they certainly did have to face challenges for which they were ill prepared. I say that because Luke makes two statements in this account that show how bad the situation really was. He says, “we,” twice. “We,” Luke writes, “gave way to [the strong wind] and were driven along.” Then, “we managed with difficulty to secure the ship’s boat.” It seems Luke was pressed into service in the face of the terrifying storm.

Paul had earlier warned them (Acts 27:10) that the voyage would be dangerous. But the weather seemed favorable and they seem to have become overconfident and set sail – only to face sudden disaster because they encountered a violent storm. The storm even has a name, “Noreaster.” This wind was feared among ancient sailors for its destructive power. They were overconfident in their ability to sail safely.

This overconfidence led to poor decision-making. They should have known better. The favorable conditions lulled them into a false sense of security. They decided to set sail even though the time for sailing safely had passed. Luke had noted that the Fast was over. This most likely refers to the Day of Atonement. This would be after October 5, the date of the Day of Atonement in A.D. 59. The idea is that as winter approached, the weather became more dangerous for sailing. They decided to head out anyway. Poor decision.

I can easily fall prey to either of these traps. I don’t think I have delusions of adequacy, but I can too easily underestimate the challenges that may lie ahead in a path of my own choosing. I don’t underestimate the challenges of a hike up a mountain. But I can underestimate how long it may take to complete a job I’ve undertaken. And we’ve all made poor decisions. I certainly have.

Years ago I had a great idea. I don’t recall exactly what it was, but I do recall sharing the idea with a faithful and dedicated church staff member. She looked at me, squinted her eyes, and with a puzzled look on her face asked, “Have you thought about…” Again, I don’t remember the exact idea or her exact words. But I do recall that my idea was an overreach, and her question helped me reassess my ability to make the plan work.

Thank God for those who call me to reconsider. Thank God that when we do alter our course, or reassess our own capabilities, he is gracious to receive us in love and does not disqualify us from further more appropriate avenues of service!

We “enjoyed” a picnic lunch today. I say “enjoyed” because it was a bit of a challenge to enjoy it fully. The picnic table was serviceable – after cleaning it off. The shelter was adequate – though we didn’t need it for protection from the sun. The food was great – even though it has been the same for the past 5 or 6 days. The company was delightful – though we all scurried back to the car as soon as we were finished eating. The weather was the challenge. It was a bit on the nippy side: “feels like 43 degrees” our weather app said. We all agreed: it felt like 38 degrees. But it was totally suitable.

Paul and his traveling companions were looking for a suitable place to spend the winter. Their voyage to Rome had been challenging. They sailed slowly for a number of days and arrived with difficulty off Cnidus, and as the wind did not allow [them] to go farther, [they] sailed under the lee of Crete off Salmone,coasting along it with difficulty.” It was getting too late to continue on through the winter months, so they had to find a suitable place to spend the winter; suitable being the key word. 

Paul’s definition of suitable was safe and secure. The sailor’s definition was fun and fascinating. The owner of the ship had in mind successful. All three of these definitions were in competition with the others. Each wanted to preempt the other. 

Recent hurricanes in Florida make finding suitable shelter a much more difficult and challenging quest. This is not a matter of comfort, fun, or enjoyment. Some of the people there are literally looking for a place to live in hopes of surviving the storms. Theirs are not first world problems.

Sometimes we remind each other that our concerns or frustrations are first world problems.nA cracked phone screen. A dead phone battery. Forgetting your headphones. Feeling like there’s nothing to eat when there is food available. We very seldom worry about surviving the winter. We’ve not had to dodge the one-two punch of one hurricane after another. Suitability has much to do with the urgency of our situation. We’re so sated we worry about the kind of bedding we sleep on. We don’t give a second thought to being able to find a bed. 

I think of the circumstances Paul and his companions will endure as this trip continues. They are in for quite a bumpy ride. Dangerous. Disastrous. Deadly. Through it all their definition of suitability will change according to their most obvious need.

Maslow postulated that there is a hierarchy of needs. According to his reckoning we don’t really care about self-actualization if we are worried about self-survival. Yet, at whatever level of needs we find ourselves there is a need for God’s grace, his divine provision, and his eternal salvation. We may be numbed to those needs by our first world comforts. There are no atheists in foxholes. Nor should there should ever be ungrateful people in the pleasant places of life.

If God has drawn your boundaries in pleasant places (cf. Psalm 16:6) it is suitable, to say the least, for you to praise and thank him, even as we pray for and send whatever aid we are able to those who cannot even find a suitable place of safety from the storm.

Our kids loved the Where’s Waldo books. We would look at page after page in order to find the cute little red and white hatted guy. OK, I’ll be honest: I may have had as much fascination with the quest as they did. And there’s a stupid comic strip I read daily that often hides a triangle, star, crescent, or “x” somewhere in the panel. There will be a “Find It” with the symbol. Sometimes I cannot find it at all – although I don’t spend more than a few seconds in my quest.

Finding Jesus in the account of Paul’s trials and travels, however, is a much more important quest. And he is not obviously present in these events. He’s not mentioned in Luke’s account here. Paul doesn’t have an opportunity to witness to him even by allusion when he warns the centurion of the impending danger of their voyage.

But make no mistake. Jesus is present. When Saul was struck down on his way to Damascus, Jesus spoke, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” The church is the body of Christ. When Christians are persecuted, Jesus is persecuted. He takes it personally. Jesus promises that when two or three are gathered in his name, he is in their midst. Jesus also speaks of visiting “the least of these” in prison as visiting him. Jesus is very much present in these moments and events of Paul’s travails and travels.

I’m inclined toward explicitly naming Jesus in my prayers, conversation, and teaching. I want to be sure that I honor his name as clearly as possible. A missionary once shared with me about her and her husband’s work in south Asia. “Jesus is not getting the honor he deserves,” she said. That really captured my heart. I’m all in for honoring Jesus. I want to do that in word and deed. And I can do that also by remembering that he is in every nook and cranny of life – whether he is named or not.