This summer I became reacquainted with one of my favorite tasks: training a puppy. Caspian, our yellow lab rescue puppy joined our family on April 1. He was named after C.S. Lewis’ fictional prince in the Chronicles of Narnia. Every prince needs a princess so when our Golden Retriever female puppy joined our family in late August, we named her Zara. It means “princess” in Hebrew.
Training puppies is a lot of work, but it is a lot of fun! It is a joy to see them learn new things each day. They can both sit, stay, shake my hand, come, lay down, and know what to do when I say “treats for good dogs.” They run as quickly as they can toward me, anxious to receive a small piece of a dog biscuit, a reward for their good behavior.
One thing that is a little tricky is encouraging a new puppy to walk on a leash. If the puppy does not want to move forward, it simply sits down and looks at you. What follows is the awkward moment of a stare down. The puppy looks at you as if to say, “Not happening. I am not moving.” At this point you have a few choices: go and pick up the dog, pull the dog, or encourage the dog to walk where you would like them to go.
The third option is best for dogs and amazingly enough for people. Most people generally do not like to be picked up or pulled! Henry and Richard Blackaby offer this great definition of spiritual leadership: “moving people on to God’s agenda.” They add that the spiritual leaders task is to “move people from where they are to where God wants them to be.”
God may be calling you to a role of servant leadership. Our Servant Leadership Board has three openings for persons who are highly committed to Hyde Park Community UMC and feel called to the role of servant leader. It is a three-year commitment. Applications and criteria for the Servant Leadership Board are available at the Welcome Center and in the church office. Please submit your application by October 15.
May God richly bless you as you lead those around you, moving people to God’s agenda as you shine brightly for Christ.
Peace,
Pastor Cathy Johns