Heart Reflections

I had a heart attack this summer. It happened while our "clan" was taking a holiday together, on the day of my oldest son's 36th birthday, June 14th. I had to spend a week in the Kelowna Hospital after my angiogram to wait for an ambulance transport to Vancouver, where they did the angioplasty. That week of waiting was hard in some ways, but very beneficial. It afforded the opportunity for some very serious and at times tearful conversations with my wife, Ruth, about what we had done with our lives, and what we would do with the rest of our lives --- should we live and be able to do anything.

It helps to get in touch with one's mortality in such a profound way. You realize how precious your personal allotment of time is, and potentially how little of it may be left. I've been wanting to get focused for quite awhile, and this experience forced the issue. I believe that the most important thing, and potentially the most rewarding thing that I could do is to pour myself into raising up the next generation of leaders within the church. That's not real easy to define. I have used the word "mentoring," but that could take many forms and be very broad in its application. What I really want to be free of is all the adminstrative work that comes with overseeing regional and national affairs.

In addition to pouring myself into emerging leaders in face-to-face encounters, either one-on-one or in groups, I would also like to put my thoughts about church leadership into the form of a book. I really would like to leave behind some worthwhile things that people could read or hear for some time after I'm dead. There are many people who tell me I have valuable things to share, and I tend to think it's true. That's less a thought than a fire in my gut. It feels like something needs to be shared before it's too late.