“Leader, Stay Alive.”

We got the privilege to take a few days off for Spring Break this year.  One of the things we did was tour a Civil War battlefield.  My son and I are both history nuts and thankfully my wife and daughter actually seemed to mildly enjoy it as well.  (Well, either they did or they faked it real well.)

The Battle of Pea Ridge in Northern Arkansas was a hard fought battle between the Union and Confederate forces.  Many lives were lost.  As we learned about the battle, several things cropped up in my mind.  I plan to explore them in several blog posts beginning with this one.  All of the lessons seem to point that leadership, more than anything else, seemed to turn the tide of this key Civil War battle.  

“Leader, Stay Alive.”

The first lesson is this- “Leader, stay alive”.  In the battle of Pea Ridge the Confederate forces had significantly more troops than the Union had gathered (16,000 vs. 10,500).  The Confederate troops also had the element of surprise.  They had secretly marched into a different place to launch their attack than where the Union troops  expected them.  With the new location, a bit of surprise, and more troops, they had many advantages.  However, a key element that stalled the Confederate forces in this battle was losing their leaders.  

“Leader, Stay Alive.”

During the Confederate Army’s offensive charge, Brigadier General Ben McCulloch died.  Then just an hour later Brigadier General James McQueen McIntosh was killed.  This forced a segment of the Confederate forces to stall and grind to a halt, not sure what to do next.  They had the advantage to push ahead, perhaps even to win the battle in one day, but they were stuck.  Why?  They had lost their leaders. A couple of key men were now absent from their ranks and they had to sit and wait for further orders.  If the campaign was to forge ahead the leader needed to be alive!

“Leader, Stay Alive.”

Certainly leaders need to deal with all the physical (heart, lung and body) issues that accompany their work, but “staying alive” as modern leaders of families, businesses, churches, and organizations means more than having a heartbeat.  In my profession, leaders are not “staying alive” very well.  Depending on what statistic you read, 40-80% of pastors leave the pastorate in their first five years.  They don’t just move onto another church, they leave the profession altogether.  Equally staggering, is the fact that 1 out of 20 (5%) of those that start in the ministry remain in it until retirement.  

“Leader, Stay Alive.”

How can we “stay alive” better?  Not just pastors, but all of us, as we all are fighting many pressures in life.  What sort of things do we need to do to “stay alive” and stay fresh in our callings as parents, leaders, and members of society?  While a list could get extensive on ideas to try, I think the key is to be creative. There is no “one size fits all” on how to get healthy and “stay alive”.  Here are a few ideas that might get your own creative juices flowing on how to “stay alive”:

*Read Fiction– I had not read a fiction book in years.  My wife recommended I do so. I just finished a Western frontier paperback and loved it!  I plan to grab another one very soon.    

*Try the church year (or not)– We just finished using a Bible study published by a Presbyterian church with the word Lent on the cover during the pre-Easter season.  (Lent is often a foreign word to a Baptist Church!)  Sometimes, mixing it up with either more or less liturgical worship and language can be a spiritual change that you need in your life as a Christian.  

*Get a hobby– I am not good on this.  However, I did shoot my bow and arrow a few months ago which felt really good.  (Ok, I see months needs shortened to weeks or days if it’s to be a meaningful hobby.)  

*Sleep– I read a really good blog from Carey Nieuwhof on the power of sleep- https://careynieuwhof.com/sleep-secret-leadership-weapon-one-wants-talk/   Just about all of us could use more sleep to be that much more alive.  Sometimes the best thing we can do really is to take a nap.  

*Journal– There is something life-giving when you get your thoughts out on paper.  Go ahead and grab a pen! 

*And always PRAY!  Let the God who designed you and loves you lead you into ways to stay alive.  “He knows us far better than we know ourselves,” Romans 8:27 (The Message).

“Leader, Stay Alive.”

The Battle of Pea Ridge might have been been very different had a couple of key leaders stayed alive.  How might your organization, church, or family be different if you sought to “stay alive” in fresh, new ways?  Leader, Parent, Pastor, Friend let’s do our best to stay fully engaged, fully alive, in the life we are given here on this Earth.

(PS- In the particular season that I write this, I also am asking myself, what do I need to do to “stay alive”?  I have much to learn on this topic.)  

Love to hear your feedback.