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Speak Like a Leader

church_leaders_lead

Last week, I shared three ideas with our staff on leadership in the church.  Over the next few days, I thought I’d share them on here as well.  I’d love to hear your thoughts on them!

Speak Like a Leader

Often, as leaders in the church, we reach deep into our toolboxes to help motivate people to give their time, energy, prayer, and talents to ministry.  Without a paycheck, as we discussed in previous posts, we don’t have as easy leverage as employers have with employees.

One of the things we can lean into is a relational pull.  We genuinely love the people in our ministries, and we recruit people to serve sometimes by getting them to engage with us and like us, and pull them in.  At a base level, it’s great to serve with people you like.  It makes for stronger teams.

But, if that is our primary draw, we set people up for failure.  When they come in to serve, thinking that it’s a stepping stone to a deep relationship with this leader, we let them down.  Anyone with a team of five or more volunteers will quickly find out they can’t be best friends with everyone on their team.  The person agreed to serve as a sound tech, a small group leader, a 4th grade teacher, a greeter primarily to get closer to us and build a deep friendship.  We really want them to serve, and when we need someone else, we have to move on to the next person, recruiting them in the same way.  This leaves the first person disappointed and disallusioned with us.

Or, maybe you don’t have this issue, at least not at this level.  But many of us as pastor’s foster this idea by how we speak to team members.  When we soften our conversations with them by using buddy language, we can inadvertently lead them to the same conclusion as above.  By no means am I advocating being impersonal, but be aware of how you speak to your volunteers.  If you find yourself making a mess everytime you have to correct or coach a volunteer, some of it may be the miscues in your language.

If we recruit people to a role that is gift based, with a clear set of values for service, then when the relationship grows at any level, it based on mutual love and respect and is a bonus.  The role is the foundation.  When we shift that to the relationship being the foundation; then correction, coaching, or changes cause emotional loss in our volunteers.  If we use language that confuses our team on where they stand, it subtly makes things worse.

So, learn to speak like a leader.  Be a loving, caring, Jesus centered leader.  But speak like a leader.  Be their friend.  But speak from the seat of a leader.  Don’t manipulate your team by acting like their buddy when you aren’t going to actually be their buddy.

A good litmus test is this:  if they leave your ministry, will you change your schedule to continue to spend as much time with them as you do now?  If not, then you are primarily their leader.  Act, speak, communicate like their leader.  It is a more honest way of treating them than setting them up for emotional let down.

What do you think?  How have you done this well?  Where have you made these mistakes?  I’d love to hear.

People Pleasing Doesn’t Equal Love

church_leaders_lead

Last week, I shared three ideas with our staff on leadership in the church.  Over the next few days, I thought I’d share them on here as well.  I’d love to hear your thoughts on them!

People Pleasing Does Not Equal Love

In the last post, we looked at recruiting people into all sorts of different roles.  Part of that challenge is to get past our desire to serve people and see them be happy.  That raises it’s head even bigger in this issue.

So many of us develop a fear that if someone rejects a program, an idea, our congregation, or even us, then they are rejecting Jesus.  Our next thought, often unspoken, is that if our actions lead them to reject Jesus, then Jesus will be upset with us, and have to fix the mess we’ve made.  Therefore, I need to do everything in my power to be sure than people never reject anything I do, or anything that is done at any level in my ministry.

That’s just ugly.

When we try to keep everyone happy, we’ve fallen into pleasing people.  It won’t be long till we have to quit listening to Jesus somewhere in our ministry, in order to keep people happy.  At this point, we have come full circle, to where we actively ignore Jesus so that He won’t be disappointed in us for upsetting people.  Yep, its that confusing, and that screwed up.

Let’s take the whole theory apart.  If someone rejects Jesus, that is between them and Him, not them, us, and Him.  He doesn’t hold us accountable for their decision.  Secondly, rejecting your idea to paint the 3 year olds room is NOT the same as rejecting Jesus.  Someone leaving your church because they want “deep teaching” and the church across town is doing a series on Revelation is NOT the same as rejecting Jesus.  Having that mom tell you her kid will not be coming back to youth group because she doesn’t want her wholesome son around “those” kids in your ministry is NOT the same as her or her kid rejecting Jesus.  That fear is a lie.  It has much, much more with our own insecurities and our personal need to be liked than it does with any need Jesus has to be liked.  Honestly, it’s sinful.

So, when we make decisions, and tell ourselves that by letting that person go, by giving in, by letting them hold the church or ministry or you hostage emotionally, that we are “loving them” and “modeling a servant’s heart”, we need to stop and really examine it.  Are we really doing that because it’s best for the other person and for the church, or because we just can’t handle being rejected and thought of as a failure one more time?

The fear that drives a people pleasing lifestyle is not a servant’s heart.  It is not love.  It is simply a fear.  Fear like that doesn’t come from God.  Love the person, serve them by speaking the truth, and calling them to grow and become more like Christ.  Too often, we try to pick up Jesus and go to where the person is.  They need to get up and move towards Jesus.

This week, understand that pleasing people does not, in any way shape or form, equal love.  Love is honest, truthful, faithful, obedient, wants the best for others, and points everyone to move towards Jesus.

Is there someone you feel a fearful desire to keep happy?  What is Jesus calling you to instead?  I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Recruit to Jesus

church_leaders_lead

Last week, I shared three ideas with our staff on leadership in the church.  Over the next few days, I thought I’d share them on here as well.  I’d love to hear your thoughts on them!

Recruit to Jesus

One of the most common challenges of being a leader in a church setting is the issue of recruiting.  We are called to rally an all volunteer army.  Every other leader / manager in the for profit world has the leverage of the all mighty paycheck, but our teams are comprised of people sacrificing their time, energy, and talents to serve their local church.

This turns into a challenge for us, because most of us doing the recruiting are pastors.  We followed Jesus into this role because we love Him, we love people, and we want to serve and help them.  Any of the knuckleheads who get into ministry because they think it’s a shortcut to power and prestige usually burn out in a few months of day-to-day ministry.  The rest of us stay because we want to see Jesus formed in the people in our church families.

Most of us can recruit volunteers to the areas of ministry that we love with ease.  If you’re a worship leader, and you love to sing, recruiting volunteers to sing is usually a joy.  You love singing, they love singing, you invite to come sing as worship and lead others, and you’re off and running.  But when that same worship pastor hates to do the administrative work in their job, they will usually hold on to themselves.  I mean, why would you EVER ask someone in your church that you care about to do a job that you yourself don’t even like to do?  You LIKE that person, you would never curse them to paperwork Hades.  So, we either hold on to the jobs we hate the most, the ones we are least talented at, the tasks that suck the very joy out of a sunny day.  Or, we get so desperate that we step up and try to recruit someone to help us with our endless paperwork (or whatever part of your ministry you don’t like).

How do we ask?  Usually something like this: “Frieda, I was wondering if I can get you to help me out?  I have this paperwork that needs done each week to turn into the church treasurer.  I mean, I can’t stand the stuff, and I hate to bug you, but I’m kinda desperate. If you don’t want to, I completely understand.  If you could help, I’m sure God will give you some kind of super saint award someday for great suffering.  But if not, don’t feel guilty.  I can always just do it myself.  What do you think?  Want to try it for a day or two?”

The problems are we assume that:

  1. Because we hate it, everyone hates that task.
  2. Frieda will help because she loves Jesus, but she won’t like it.
  3. We are bad leaders for giving away stinky work.

What a great leader does is work against those values, and takes on a different understanding.  They will realize that:

  1. God has gifted someone in your church with a talent and love for the task you don’t like.
  2. If I connect the right gifted person with the role, they will find joy and satisfaction in using their gifts to serve Jesus.
  3. Good leaders always find ways to help people use their gifts to serve.

So, when we ask, we need to do a few things:

  1. Pray for who is the right person to ask with the right gifts
  2. Invite them to partner with you and invest their time and gifts in serving Jesus.
  3. Remind them that there is no greater thing in this world that partnering with Him to grow His kingdom, and to serve others.
  4. Be clear about what you need them to do, and have a written set of expectations.  Define for them, in writing, what success in their role looks like.
  5. Cheer for them as they serve, and tell them how much they are furthering the kingdom in your ministry.
  6. Always, always, always point them to Jesus.

When we do these things, the ministry grows, our people grow, we grow, and the kingdom grows.  What’s not to like about that.

How has this worked for you?  Any ideas on what else to do, or what could be done better?

God Uses the Craziest People to Do Amazing Things

Magi Cartoon

 

Here I am on Good Friday, the day the ordeal begins for Jesus, and in my reading for the day, I’m in Matthew 2, the story of the Magi coming to visit him.  I had never thought much about God’s interaction with the Magi in this story.  They’ve always been characters of convenience, men who show up, deliver some gifts, and disappear.  But there is much more going on in the story than that, obviously.

They come because the star of the King appears.  At the time of Jesus birth.  These guys are astronomers, and they believe in astrology.  God meets them where they are.  In their whole story in Matthew 2, the Magi never speak of God or of seeking for God.  They saw a star, it pointed to a new king, and they came to worship a new king.  A human king.  They believed the stars led them to a man worthy of worship.  They are far from God in their story, in their search.  They are diligently chasing the wrong thing, with all of their might, and God meets them in their broken beliefs, and still draws them to Jesus.

As I read this, and was trying to figure out how to apply this story, I realized that I often believe, even though I know better, that God only works in people in one way.  I know it’s not true, but I default back to that so often.  If a person isn’t coming to Jesus directly, through a church and a pastor, then not much is happening.  But that is not true.  These guys are chasing a star to a human king.  In doing so, God introduces them to Jesus, and uses them to provide for Mary and Joseph.  The Magi bring the gifts that fund the flight to Egypt.  They are of a different religion, a different belief system, and God blesses them.

Herod is partly Jewish, and knows the places to seek truth in the Scriptures, and yet He misses it all.

God simply does not work the way I work.  I have to hold fast to truth, and be willing to take hits for my beliefs, and AT THE SAME TIME make a lot more room for God to work in people who disagree with me in every way.  This is such a challenge, but it is what God is calling us to.  If He can use the Magi, and work in their hearts, He can and will use and work in anyone.  My default methods don’t hem God in.

So, this Easter, how is God working around us, who is He working in and through, that we are quick to dismiss?  Where is He moving, and we are refusing to believe it, because it doesn’t fit in our values or methods?  I hope that we can model a firm commitment to an unchanging truth while we follow a God who specializes in unorthodox methods.

Christ is risen.  Do we need more proof than that?

What I’ve Learned the Last Five Months

I haven’t written in a while, and a lot has happened in my time away from posting.  The biggest change has been a move from being the youth pastor at our church to being the executive pastor.  Ok, so I realize you’re probably thinking “Dude, you’re still a pastor at the same church, what’s the big deal?!”  Honestly, you’re right, it’s not a big deal to anyone except me.  Here’s how it has affected me.

I’ve worked with middle school and high school students for 20 years.  I love students and families, and watching God work in their hearts is unbelievable.  That doesn’t change, regardless of what my job title is.  Over the past year, I’ve been serving in some other roles at our church, and watched God generously bless those opportunities in ways that were way beyond anything I could ever deserve.  It caught me off guard.  As I spent several months praying and looking for what He was doing, it became clear that if I wanted to move sideways into a new role, God was good with that, and He opened all of the doors for me in that process.  I hate to say that I was “called” to this other role, but I do feel that God made it very available in me, and raised the passion in my heart for working with a wider range of people in the church.  So, I worked through the process of hiring a new youth pastor, and moving over.

It has been exciting and it has been tough.  It’s hard to let go of something that is so much a part of you.  As much as I tried to keep my identity from being  wrapped around my ministry, it still did to a certain level.  Letting go of that identity, and then giving that very identity to someone I didn’t know very well was incredibly emotional, and frightening.  What was waiting for me on the other side?  What if I failed at it all?  What if I didn’t find any joy or happiness after the initial move?  Over and over people have asked me if I was excited, or congratulating me on my promotion.  It didn’t feel that way, and of all the emotions I’ve felt, excitement hasn’t been at the top of the list.  Have you ever been there?  Have you ever had to step out in some area of your life, trust God with something that is intensely personal, and not be sure where you’d land?  Yeah…

Faithful

Here’s what I’m finding; the key is to chase faithfulness, not happiness.  If I constantly chase happiness, I’ll never arrive.  It will always be two steps in front of me, and disappear as soon as I grasp it.  But faithfulness…faithfulness sits down with us right where we are, and holds our hand as we take each tenative step.  Faithfulness is found right here, today, sometimes as we wait, sometimes as we obey and move forward.  As I chase faithfulness, I don’t need to worry.  God tells me when I’m faithful, He will go past happiness and give me peace, joy, and hope.  I don’t create it or earn it.  He just gives it.  Faithfulness is the pathway that leads to where those three are available.

So, today, I sit in a new office, with a different computer, writing from a different chair.  I have a new title, with a different to do list, and someone else is covering all of my old to do’s from my old office.  Am I excited by all of that?  I honestly don’t know.  Sometimes.  Am I excited about what God will show me if I’m faithful.  That one I know.  Yes, I am VERY excited about that one.

Be faithful.  Not to earn anything.  Just be faithful because it’s the best option.  It’s worth it.

(By the way, the new youth pastor is TJ Knowland.  He is a HUGE blessing from God for me, for our students, and for our church.  I am so incredibly impressed with him, and honored that God cares so much about us to bring TJ and his wife Hannah to us.  Wow, God is so good!  Pray for TJ and Hannah in their new role and home here at SCC.)

Parent Cue for the Middle and SrHi

XP3 Students: The Invisibles Parent Cue

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The Invisibles: Parent Cue

1. Be a Student of What They are Learning

We are surrounded by the invisibles. These are people who simply want to know someone cares, someone notices—people who want to know God cares. Some of us would even say we feel that way—invisible to an entire world, daily passing us by. Whether that feeling is a familiar one or not, the reality is that each one of us has felt invisible at one point or another. But we didn’t stay that way. God saw us. He sees the invisibles. And because God took notice of us, we are able to open our eyes to see those around us.

2. Be a Student of Your Student

Spiritual leader—two words people use a lot at church, and ones that they often direct right at you as a parent. Those words can be pretty intimidating. Leading our kids spiritually is one of those things we know we should do, maybe even want to do, but we’re just not sure how.

But when it comes to the influence you have on your kids spiritually, it is something we rarely learn how to do until we simply make the decision to do it. We can read books. We can listen to guidance. We can observe the pros. But we can’t really make any strides until we simply take the plunge and make the first move.

For a lot of us, there is nothing more scary than endeavoring to navigate our own spirituality, let alone talk with our kids about their spirituality. But we can’t be non-participants in this. We can’t watch from the sidelines and allow the youth pastor, the small group leader or the church as a whole take over a role designed and purposed for you as parents—as tempting, appealing and easy as that might be.

Your kids need you—more than they need a coolly dressed youth pastor. Your kids need you—more than they need a culturally relevant small group leader. Your kids need you—more than they need a spiritually impressive church. All of those can play an important role, but they don’t lessen your role. Your kids need you, because your kids are watching you, observing you, taking note of you and the value you place on what is going on with them spiritually. So fading into the background isn’t really an option.

Make yourself available. Don’t allow yourself to become invisible in your own teenager’s life. Kids notice your willingness to simply be there—whether they acknowledge it now or years later. Your presence alone is communicating a valuable message: “I care about you. You matter to me. So, I am going to make sure you have my attention. You have my time. You have me.” This could mean you make the effort to drop off or pick up your student from the student program or it could mean you are simply tuned into what is happening in the student ministry. Doing this communicates to both the youth pastor and to your student that what they are doing has validity, is important and matters enough to you for you to know what is going on.

3. Action Point

So how do you even begin to engage your kids when it comes to their spiritual well being? For one, you start by asking questions. I remember hearing years ago that people can easily determine what I value and what matters to me by the questions I ask them. When I first got married, my dad would ask me if my new husband and I were “doing okay financially.” He asked this one question often enough that I knew, to him, it mattered that we were managing our money wisely. In the same way, the questions we ask our kids reveal what means the most to us. Are we only concerned with their grades, their whereabouts and their messy rooms? Or do we take the time to ask about their time at church? What did they most enjoy about their time there? Was there something that stuck out that they heard or talked about? Was there anything that challenged them or confused them? Begin a conversation, a dialogue, an ongoing connection that happens because you made the effort to care about what is happening at church.

And to help you do this, we have created some conversation starters to get past “what” your student is doing at church and get to “how” your student is being affected by their time at church. But to make it a bit more fun (and to avoid forcing a conversation) you are going to play a game of “pass the note” with your student. This week, choose the conversation starter below that corresponds to each day of the week and write your student a quick note, being sure to include the given question. You can tuck this note in your student’s lunch or backpack or tape it to the bathroom mirror, but be sure to include this line at the bottom of your note: “Tag, you’re it! Answer this question and pass the note back to me before you leave for school tomorrow.”

Here are five conversation starters for the week to get you engaged in your student’s spiritual life:

Sunday: What was your favorite thing about church today? The message? The worship? The small group time?

Monday: What did you hear/learn in church yesterday that stuck out or inspired you?

 

Tuesday: Did anything from Sunday’s time at church leave you feeling confused? If so, what was it?

Wednesday: Was there anything that you heard or did in church on Sunday that helped you today? What was it?

Thursday: Are you looking forward to going to church this weekend? Why or why not?

As you and your student pass notes back and forth throughout the week, take time to use these notes as further conversation starters while driving in the car or during those unexpected conversations before bedtime or during family meal times. We know that as parents we have to check on the mundane things—is their homework done and did they clean their room—but let’s not forgot to notice “how” they are doing, hopefully more often than “what” they are doing. 

 

 

 

Get connected to a wider community of parents at www.orangeparents.org. 

“Step It Up” is More Than a Bad Movie

Step-It-Up-Main-Logo

Recently, I was having a discussion with one of our very best volunteer leaders.  They were sharing, reluctantly, how they were frustrated with some other leaders.  This wonderful person was struggling with the fact that they didn’t see the commitment in a few other leaders that needed to be there, and it was bothering them.  She felt like she must be in the wrong, that she was being judgmental, and didn’t even want to bring it up to me.  It actually turned out to be a great conversation, and one that is going to lead to many more.

Earlier in my ministry, I would have totally missed what was going on.  I would have seen her as complaining, and counseled her to go work this out between her and them, and basically dropped it.  Fortunately, God was kind enough to clue me in to a little more during this conversation, and didn’t let me miss this golden opportunity.  This leader is a wonderful person, caring, and passionate.  They weren’t being judgmental.  They were being called to grow.  Here is what I saw and heard as I asked questions and listened.  She spoke of how the other leaders didn’t seem to be giving their all to the ministry.  She sacrifices beyond her role at youth group, spends time with kids outside of church, listens and loves them deeply.  That level of care isn’t present in all of our leaders, of course.  Her heart is to see the ministry continue to reach and serve more and more kids and families, and is jealous for that to happen.

She needs to understand this passion is being faithful to what God is building in her.  God is calling her to step it up, and serve as a disciple maker in these adults lives.  Now understand, she has a wide variety of excuses as to why it won’t work: she can point to her past failures, mistakes, missed opportunities, selfish issues, and personality traits all as reasons God can’t use her.  It’s just like Moses standing before the burning bush, explaining to God why he can’t go because he’s a stuttering murderer.  God didn’t worry about it then, and He doesn’t now.  He only sees the potential, the beautiful hope of redemption.  That’s what is  going on here, with this leader.  He is calling her forward to the next step.  She has to come to peace with the idea that as she follows Jesus, He is actually changing her, growing her, maturing her.  It’s time.  It’s time to let Him use her in new ways, with new people, as she continues doing what she has been doing.  This is always such a tough transition for all of us.  We see ourselves as too young, too messed up, lacking experience that others have, not mature enough yet.  One day, we will be there, but not yet.  Then Jesus taps us on the shoulder, and full of love and grace, calls for us to step it up, that today is that day.  Every leader faces it, and every authentic leader struggles at some point with this call.

As a leader, are you tuned in for what God may really be doing?  If you’re not looking for it, you probably won’t see it.  I’m learning that making disciples among my adults often means I care about them way above and beyond their role in my little corner of ministry.  Are you watching for how God is working in your volunteers?  Are you fanning the flames in them that God has lit in them?

Even more importantly, is God calling you to step it up as a leader?  You may lead a children’s or youth ministry, but you are called to make disciples and be a pastor.  Are you really looking out for your volunteers, or merely training them to do the tasks of the ministry better?  Don’t be afraid to speak loving truth to your team.  YOU are called to be more than you are.  Accept that, and then be willing to call the same out of your leaders.

I’d love to hear your thoughts, stories, or questions!

Temper Tantrums, Heart Issues, and Flying Cell Phones

james1_19

Each week, I’m meeting with one of the senior high guys in our group, and we’re reading the book of James together.  I love James, because its so practical, and hits on so many issues that I deal with, and that so many other people deal with.

Today’s reading covers James 1:19-21 as part of what we are looking at this week.  You’ve likely heard this passage before.  It says:

“My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry, because our anger does not produce the righeousness that God desires.  Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.”

I know these verses well, I memorized them years ago, and have taught them dozens of times.  Knowing about being slow to speak and get angry, it makes perfect sense that yesterday in the car, I got incredibly mad at a conversation I was having, and threw my phone on the floor when I hung up.  All in front of my fourteen year old daughter.

Oh yeah, I’m the world’s best dad, for sure.

So, I apologi
I read these verses, and know the sequence I’m supposed to do.  I need to listen first, and listen for a long time.  I need to stop and measure my words before I speak.  I need to be patient, and not let anger run.  That’s what I need to do.  Sometimes it’s even what I actually do.  Other times….not so much.zed as we pulled up to school to drop her off.  But it had already messed up her morning.  I texted later, and asked for her forgiveness again.  She forgave me, but the damage was done.  I had blown it.  I hate it when I do that.  But I did anyway, and have to own it.

So verse 21 is hitting home.  Right now, I need to keep working to get rid of moral filth in my life.  I need to fight for purity in my thoughts, patience in my actions, humility in my heart, generosity in my possessions, and gratitude in my desires.  So many of those areas are the places I struggle to keep filth out, and because of that I become a person who believes they are being cheated, slighted, ignored, and unjustly accused.  Of course my anger runs the day when I believe and act on those values.  Which leads to me having to apologize…alot.

If you believe James has it right, then it would make sense to ask what is the “filth” that is lying to you, and causing you to react in anger?  What lies are you holding onto that bite you when you’re not looking?  Lust, greed, self-importance, hoping to find joy in other people or things, all of this stuff is just lies.  Lies that lead to a quick temper, a quick tongue, and a very slow ear.

And maybe a broken cell phone.

Jesus’ Last Words and Sticky Faith Prayers

Sticky Faith Prayers

John 17 has Jesus’ last prayer on earth before the crucifixion.  It’s His “last words”, if you will, and I am always fascinated by it.  I’ve noted before how Jesus prays for the 11, talking about how they are the ones He was sent for, and how He delivered all of them to the end.  That amazes me, that Jesus grand plan was primarily for 11 people.  Not quite a mega-church model, in and of itself.

I’ve also written before about how Jesus prays for us, you and me, in the prayer.  He prays for us specifically, and that continues to break me down and remind me of how loved I am.  It was as I was reading that passage of the chapter today, that a new thought hit me.

Jesus says this:  ”20″My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message,21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.”  Jesus prays for us, through the disciples.  What I mean is, Jesus prays for the ones He had taught, and then prays for the ones they would teach, generation after generation.

I do ok praying for my students and families.  But what about the people they will teach?  For some reason, it’s hitting me that I don’t pray for them.  My students will have varying level of “success” in growing in their faith.  I’m spending a lot of time right now in the Sticky Faith co-hort discussing it, thinking about it, planning for it, and re-working ministry for it.  But here, in John 17, Jesus prays a sticky prayer, if you will.  He prays for His students, and then prays for their students.  When I consider this, and apply it to my kids, it reminds me of the impact that God is planning down the road.  My investment isn’t just in them.  It’s in men and women I will never meet who they will impact.  It’s in future students who aren’t born yet, that one day my students will grow and pass their faith onto.  This is a side of Sticky Faith that I simply haven’t given much thought to.  I’ve given even less prayer to it.

But Jesus did.

At the end of His life, with the clock ticking, this is what He prays for.  He prays for those He loved and taught, and He prays for the ones they would one day love and teach.  And their spiritual grandchildren, great-grandchildren, all the way down to me.  And you.

It seems that this might be one of the most fundamental elements of Sticky Faith for us to engage in.  If Jesus knew its value, at this time and place, it’s surely worth our daily investment.

The only question is: will we?