DEEP WATERS

My new favorite book series is a popular YA series. I'm sure you've already guessed from my title and the above pic -- it's The Hunger Games . Before the first Hunger Games movie debuted, my teenage son Kalin told me I needed to read these books. Haughtily, I thought, "I'm not into YA books. And I'm definitely not into books that involve children killing other children -- for entertainment, at that." But after watching - and loving - the first movie, I decided to read the series . I've thoroughly enjoyed them. I've pondered much. And they've made me think a lot about leadership. I thought I'd pass on a few of these insights from The Hunger Games regarding SPIRITUAL LEADERSHIP: I. Leaders seldom feel qualified The greatest, yet most humble, leaders in history often began their rise to leadership feeling grossly inadequate. In Book Two of the Hunger Games series - Catching Fire  - 16-year-old Katniss Everdeen rejects...

On Thursday, December 5 we lost a legendary man that will never be forgotten. Nelson Mandela, a courageous, unwavering political and social leader of South Africa and the world, has left us with a beautiful legacy. In the Mandela family's first public statement since his death, his family members shared these words about their patriarch: "The pillar of the royal Mandela family is no more with us physically, but his spirit is still with us." Mandela's spirit of love and forgiveness and compassion for others does live on. And so do his words of love and forgiveness and compassion. When I thought of what I wanted to share about Nelson Mandela, I decided to focus on the eloquent words of our friend and leader.  1. "I was not a messiah, but an ordinary man who had become a leader because of extraordinary circumstances." As I've heard many people speak of Mandela since his death, this quote resonates with me. I've heard extreme response...

If I know one thing for sure, it's that racial issues in the United States are still alive and well. And although African Americans now have the right to vote, own property, attend desegregated public schools, etc. etc... I still find myself saying every so often - "Wow, and it's 2013." Take this story, for example: One of my friends, who happens to be African American too, took her two daughters to see "The Butler" last week. Her daughters were deeply moved and amazed at the narrative of history being played out before them. They had learned very little of this history in school, and they wondered why. I too have questioned this lack of the "whole-story" in our country's history lessons. I think the answer is found in the rest of this story. So... one of my friend's daughter's plans to try out for a part in her private school's production of "The Great Gatsby." In order to prepare the students for tryouts,...