People Of The Second Chance
Who hasn’t messed up and needed a second chance? If you just answered no, not me, you should probably start reading another blog. My life is filled with mistakes, poor choices and heart aches not only for me but for the ones I love. Chances are I will let you down and disappoint you as well. It’s always easy to talk about grace and second chances. It’s hard to accept grace and a second chances from others. It’s even harder to offer grace and second chances to others.
Grace may be one of the hardest things to teach on and live out. I have appreciated People Of The Second Chance because they are an organization that keeps it real and honest and shares it how it is.
People of the Second Chance gives voice to a scandalous movement of radical grace in life and leadership. We challenge the common misconceptions about failure and success and stand with those who have hit rock bottom in their personal and professional lives. We are a community that is committed to stretch ourselves in the areas of relational forgiveness, personal transparency, and advocate for mercy over judgment. We are not ashamed of our scars, wounds, or failures and leverage them as a source of strength and character development. People of the Second Chance have experienced a second chance so we actively support social justice organizations and advocate for the vulnerable, forgotten, and left behind. We are People of the Second Chance.
I love their core values. They are simple and practical. Give a second chance, receive a second chance and be a second chance.
Two of the most influential books I have ever read are Deadly Viper: Character Assassins and Gracenomics: Unleash The Power Of Second Chance Living written by Mike Foster and Jud Wilhite who started People of the Second Chance and it has shaped my life and my view of failure. Life is difficult. It’s even more difficult to feel like you are walking through it alone. The key to success in life is to have someone to walk through it with you. Someone who accepts you in your success and someone who accepts you in your failures. Someone who no matter what is there for you and walks with you and stands with you when it gets tough. I have that. I appreciate those in my life who show me grace. Are you a grace giver or receiver? My goal in life is to be both.
The Tiger Woods Front Row
Posted by Mike Foster
I know we could stir up a lot of debate around what happened at Tiger Woods’ press conference. Especially if we discussed whether he meant it, the format, and all the other juicy details that the public seems to be so obsessed with these days.
But we aren’t TMZ or The View who profit from trashing, analyzing, and questioning everything. And we don’t exploit the pain of others.
So here are my simple thoughts.
I unashamedly support Tiger, can’t wait for him to play golf again, and pray that his marriage survives this crisis. I’m 100% in his corner.
What stood out to me on Friday? It was the people sitting in the front row.
His Mom who he hugged right after. A top executive from Nike whose company has refused to bail on him. And one of his best friends, fellow golfer Notah Begay, who has stood by Tiger since his college days.
The front row statement was profound. On the peaks, in the deepest valleys, we stand with our son, friend, and colleague. Let the crap hit the fan, we aren’t going anywhere.
We could all learn a lesson from that.
I have to admit I completely agree with everything he said.
Character Creep
I get the privilege of teaching a group of our teenagers the book Deadly Viper by Mike Foster and Jud Wilhite. These guys both nailed it on the head with this book as they tackle the topic of character assassins. You never see the assassin coming but before you realize it, it is over, and so are the attacks on our character. It can take a lifetime to develop character and only a moment to destroy it. I am praying for myself and our staff that God will protect us, but just as important that we will not put ourselves in positions to fail. So I wanted to give a couple key points and quotes from the Character Creep chapter that really spoke to our teens and may speak to you as well.
- Character Creep SLOWLY steals integrity.
- Moment by moment we are building a life, a reputation.
- Everything we have worked so hard to build can be destroyed in a matter of moments.
- If you’re not willing to be bold with fellow friends to the point of risking the friendship, then your friendship has superficial value. Oscar Wilde once said, “True friends stab you in the front.”
- The more senior your leadership role is, the less honest criticism you’ll receive from those around you.
- Success By Default: You don’t have to be the most gifted leader or person. If you just stay faithful over the long haul, carefully manage the small things, then you’ll be the last person standing! You will have attained success by default.
- We are second chance people in the second chance business.
- The simple defense against Character Creep is to pay attention to the little adjustments.
- Refrain from doing anything today we’d be uncomfortable reading about int he headlines tomorrow.
They asked a great question, “How would your life change if you knew you’d see it all played out on television tomorrow?” The challenge is to live each day as if those details could be broadcast to the world. Living this way provides a fatal blow to the assassin.
Coaching Network
I have had the privilege to be a part of Backstage Leadership since last September and to be honest I didn’t know what to expect. I had never been a part of anything like this but I knew I was passionate about leadership and developing not only myself but taking what I was learning and applying it to my circles of influence.
I have been blown away by the line up of speakers that I have gotten to interview such as: Chuck Colson, Michael Hyatt, Andy Andrews, Carlos Whitaker, Gabe Lyons and Brad Lomenick. Mark Batterson, Dan Cathy, Catherine Rohr, Mike Foster, Ken Blanchard and Francis Chan. The line up is always incredible and challenges me in such areas as; time management, dream casting, social networking, leadership development and family being a priority.
Backstage was started by Greg Darley and has gone from concept into an idea that is transforming young leaders by giving them opportunities to learn from those who have blazed the path before us. I can honestly say I am a different leader and approach leadership differently because of this program and hopefully one day have the opportunity to pour into others like Greg has poured into me.
If your interested in joining Backstage Leadership, check out their website at www.backstageleadership.org
