The Desert Blooms!

Barb and I are down to our final few days of vacation time in Southern California.  Our youngest son is playing college baseball here and we love to visit and watch him play!  

On our first morning here, I saw a news story about the desert bloom.  The polar vortex that Canadians suffered through in February brought heavy rain to California.  The rain ended the long term drought across the state. Today, wildflowers that have been dormant for years are blooming in the desert!  

Droughts aren't limited to nature.  Everyone experiences dry seasons in their lives.  Sometimes droughts are self-induced or can be brought on by other people or situations beyond our control. Sometimes, no one is to blame.  

A drought will test and refine you.  A dry season can make you as easily as it can break you. Here's how I've learned to respond to these times in my life.

Embrace it!  A drought doesn't mean that you give up.  Both sides of my family farmed through the dust bowl of the 1930s.  They sowed their seed every spring believing for a better day. They diversified, created partnerships, supported their friends, and found ways to survive.  You survive a drought when you embrace it.

Manage your emotions!  Emotional decisions and actions rarely produce positive results.  This is especially true in a drought because you don't have the wins to generate the kind of goodwill that sees past an emotional reaction or decision.  Work hard at being gracious, patient and diplomatic.  It will pay dividends long after the drought is over.

Evaluate everything!  I'm not wired this way, but introspection was a huge part of coming out of my latest drought.  Doing some 'personal work'  is sometimes like being dragged through a keyhole backward, but it can be a big part of coming out of a drought.  Sometimes it's our blind spots that create and keep us in the dry season.

Update your operating system! What got you here won't always get you there.  The world is changing faster than it ever has, and being relevant and engaged is more important than ever.  Being relevant doesn't mean selling your soul.  It just means that you're able to connect in today's world.  Failure to update makes you irrelevant and a candidate for an ongoing drought.

Droughts never last!  This season is not your end.  It is the transition to a new and better day.   Watch for the signs of coming rain. When it begins to fall, enjoy every drop!   Your desert bloom is just around the corner.

A Four Letter Word To Change Your Life

Barb and I are enjoying some time away together this week at a borrowed beachfront condo in San Diego.   It's a lovely spot to catch our breath, get some sun, enjoy the ocean, watch some baseball and just generally do whatever we want to do.  We intend to make the most of the next 10 days!

A number of years ago, I sat with a loved and respected friend who was recovering from a moral failure.  In the midst of his sharing, he blurted out "one of my biggest mistakes was not taking time to rest and renew."  Then he looked me in the eye and said, "missed days off, missed vacations, missed holidays are a big part of what led me to where I am today."  At the time, his words seemed a feeble attempt at justifying a poor life choice.  Twenty years later, the wisdom in his words is profound.  

Rest is the most basic of boundaries.  Every time we rest we say that work time is over.  When I look up from my laptop as I write this, I see families playing on the beach, people surfing, running, walking and cycling.  They could all be working, but they set a boundary and came to the beach instead.  The important thing is not where they are, but that they made a choice to do something other than work.  Instead of working, they are laughing and making memories.  It seems like a win to me!

Rest is a rhythm.  If your recurring answer to 'how are you?' is 'BUSY', I'm talking to you.  We were made with a need to rest.  I know you THINK you are getting a lot done, but you aren't doing as well as you could be if you just took some time to rest.   Working tired leads to more mistakes:  some small, some big.  Some are life-altering for all the wrong reasons.  Rest helps us see things more clearly and from a different and better perspective.  Downtime allows our subconscious to bring insights and ideas we wouldn't normally have if we just give it the opportunity.  'Sleeping on it' is almost always a game changer. 

Rest makes the road ahead possible. I'm a visionary by nature. I can tell you what I want to accomplish in the next 18-24 months. However, I know that without plenty of time to rest, none of it is likely to materialize. Rest doesn't have to be about taking a nap.  Sometimes rest is just about doing something different.  Running, cycling and motorcycling are all rest activities for me because I don't think about work when I'm doing those things.  My best friend is working on his second cedar strip canoe for the same reason.  What do you do outside of work that energizes you?

Rest allows time to reconnect.  Barb and I spend more time apart now than we ever have in our lives.  These times together are important for us as a couple.  We will take some time to walk the beach, hear the waves, watch the sunsets and just be present and together.  We'll talk and we'll laugh.  We may even disagree over a few things and, in the end, we'll come away stronger and better because rest permitted us time to connect in a meaningful way.  

Rest renews our inner man. This is the core of what my friend was alluding to in our conversation.  In failing to rest, he failed to renew his inner man.  That led to an affair that destroyed his reputation, his career and had an irreparable impact on his family.  Regular rest is low-cost insurance against high-cost poor decisions.  The psalmist wrote these words to describe how God works in this area of our lives. 'He leads me beside still waters.  He makes me lie down in green pastures.  He restores my soul.'

Have a great week everyone.  I'm off to rest, recreate and renew! 

The Fingerprint Series - Episode 1

I've been thinking about the people who have impacted and touched my life in meaningful ways over the past little while.  These are the people who have left their fingerprints on my life.  Some have passed.  Some are still here.  All have had a part in shaping my life in a meaningful and profound way.  

Meet 'Mrs. B'.  Her first name is Carolyn although I could never bring myself to her call that.  She came into my life when I was about 10 years old.  'Mrs. B' was my pastor's wife and became my mom's best friend.  She was my Sunday School teacher, my 'youth group' leader, confidante, mentor and friend.  

While she certainly had 'positional authority' in my life because of her place in the church and in our family circle, her real influence came because of her relational investment in me.  She was determined to be my friend and found ways to make herself welcome in my world.  Mrs. B was a master at finding opportunities to speak into my life in meaningful ways.

The church I grew up in was very small and many Sundays and Fridays, I was the only attendee in my age group in Sunday School or at 'Youth Group'.  (Is it really youth GROUP on the weeks that I was the only one there?)  She was always prepared with something meaningful to say whether it was just me or if by some stroke of Providence more than 5 or 6 others showed up!  Her influence was intentional.  Rather than just hoping she'd land upon something worthwhile to say, she thought about it, prayed about it and prepared for it ahead of time.  

It's probably safe to say that I disappointed and frustrated her far more times than I made her feel like a roaring success in those years.  It's not that I didn't understand or grasp what she was sowing into my life.  It's more that I was strongwilled and determined to do things my way, or at least to do things my way as often as I could get away with.  Her influence was persistent.  She wasn't going away or leaving me alone just because I wasn't responding positively.  She just kept preparing and showing up.  Over time her persistence had a profound impact.  Preparation and persistence are key influence ingredients. 

I learned to play the guitar when I was about 14.  In a word, I was terrible.  I could manage about 3 chords on a good day.  On an exceptional day, I could play 5.  She convinced me that she needed me to play guitar for our 'youth group'.  We had grown to about 8 people but were limited to about 4 songs every week in those early days!  She helped me grow in my abilities and uncovered the gift of music in my life.  Over time, music became a big part of my world.  Mrs. B gained influence in my life because she added value to it.

The Brown's moved to another community within a few weeks of my High School graduation.  At the end of my first year of college, I lost a brother in a car accident.  It fell to me to call the important people in our lives to let them know the sad news because both of my parents were receiving treatment.  Mrs. B was my 1st call.  On the day of his funeral, I played guitar with a band in the church where the Brown's were serving.  (It sounds premature, but it was the best thing for me.)  That night, Mrs. B helped me process the trauma and pain of what had happened in my world over the previous 4 days.  I know she would have reached out to me even if I was a stranger, but her impact that night came because of 8 years of making herself present and available. Longevity results in influence.

Mrs. B has been gone from this life for almost 20 years but her fingerprints remain on my life and I'm in no hurry to wipe them away. 

Welcome to The Biggest Week of My Year!

Scott and Karen Hagan

I have been looking forward to this week for months!  I'm thrilled to have my friend Scott and his wife Karen with us for a few days.  Scott is the President of North Central University.  We've known each other for 30 years and he has been a leading influence in my life.  They live in Minneapolis so I'm hoping they can enjoy a bit of balmy Victoria weather while they are here.

Scott is speaking at our Leaders Dinner tonight and again tomorrow morning at our 13th Annual Prayer Breakfast.  The Breakfast has been growing in leaps and bounds over the past few years and this year, we've received over 40 confirmations from Members!  This is our largest response ever and I am SO thankful I'm no longer responsible to manage seating assignments!  The Prayer Breakfast generates tremendous goodwill and open doors for us at a ministry level.  Members appreciate that so many people come just to encourage them and pray for them. I love that we get to bridge the gap between the Church and Politicians in this way!

Watch for pictures on our social media streams (Leading Influence and PrayBC on FB/LinkedIn and @timschindel on Twitter).  We'll post them here as well!

On Thursday, I'm speaking to a group of church leaders in Victoria about our upcoming 'PrayCanada' election prayer campaign.  Our vision is to mobilize 100,000 Canadians/day to pray during the upcoming federal campaign that God would use this election to accomplish His plans and purposes for Canada.

In other news, we've been going through a branding process as we prepare for a new website.  We are still a few weeks away from the new site going live, but I'm excited about the new look and feel and I think you'll like it too.  One of the really big changes is that we are consolidating all of our prayer networks into our main site.  Everything will remain the same in terms of purpose and delivery, but they are going to look much, much prettier than they do right now! 

One final thing before I go.  Take a minute to order Scott's newest book. It's packed with leadership insights like this:

'Your three most important resume builders: Failure. Fortitude and Friends'

Have a fantastic week!  I know I'm going to!

Grow Your Leadership Here!!

'Always keep your heart twice the size of your brain.'
'If you want to waste your day, spend it chasing notoriety.'
'Procrastination doubles the price of everything.'
'I would rather be in a room of leaders than be the only leader in the room.'
'If the idea was accomplished by one person then it wasn't a big enough idea.'

The Language of Influence and Personal Power - Scott Hagan (2018)


I met Scott Hagan long before he was writing books and the President of a University.  In the 30 years we've known each other, we've spent a relative handful of days together and most of our contact has been by email or social media, but he has been a leading influence in my life.  Scott is a proven leader, innovator and team builder.  I appreciate his wisdom, integrity, character and credibility.  His leadership instincts and insights have inspired and resourced me over and over again. Scott's purposeful growth as a leader inspires me!  He is always stretching and strengthening his gifts and skillset.  

At about the same time as we were looking for a speaker for our annual Prayer Breakfast, Scott released his latest book.  I sent him a quick note congratulating him and on a whim asked if he might be available to speak at our breakfast.  He responded with... 'I always knew this day would come! I'd love to be there!'  I am over the top excited about having him and Karen with us!

The bad news is that the Prayer Breakfast is sold out and has been for a couple of weeks.  The good news is that we've added a Leadership Dinner next Monday (March 4) night to accommodate people who can't get to the breakfast.  You'll enjoy a great meal, meet interesting people, hear Scott and have a chance to purchase his book before you leave. (He might even sign it for you!)

We've got a limited number of spots left for dinner and ticket sales close on Wednesday!  I really want you to meet Scott and hear his heart.  You'll be a better leader for it!  Hope to see you there!

Rethinking Your Impact

I'm scheduled to speak at an event this weekend on 'Having an Impact'.  It all seemed pretty straightforward as I began to write down some key concepts in my journal.  If having an impact is all about focus, clarity, passion and intent then people who live with these qualities change their world or maybe even THE WORLD if they think, live, care deep enough. (How much easier can a talk prep be?)

My pen paused as I pondered some other options... I've lived life and worked with people long enough to know that people who have no focus, no clarity, no passion and no apparent intent have an impact as well.  The image of an unkempt yard or garden comes to mind as an example. The impact is obvious, it's just the impact of neglect, apathy and disengagement. Replace yard or garden with life and family and the fruit of dysfunctional homes and relationships coming from the same approach is obvious for all to see.

I smiled at my apparent enlightenment and then my pen paused again as I realized that I had missed the option most taken.  Abdicating is a more popular choice than option A or B.  The king of all abdicators was King Edward VIII who chose to give up the throne of England to marry Wallace Simpson.  Edward told everyone who would listen that he was marrying for love but in reality, he was unwilling to fulfill the obligations that came with being king.  Fortunately, his brother had the kind of character that inspired an empire through the Second World War and lives on through today through Queen Elizabeth.  Abdications don’t generally end this well!

Abdication means to fail to fulfill or undertake a responsibility.  More clearly it means that we willfully choose to give someone else the opportunity to have what rightfully belongs to us.  'I'd rather not get involved' is code for 'I choose to abdicate'.   Abdicating our opportunity for influence and impact means that we intentionally let people who don't share our values, foundations, perspectives and objectives use their impact on our behalf.  Life is too short, too important and too fragile to entrust someone else with what has been entrusted to you.

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We shape our world through influence.  Our influence is measured in impact.  The scope and nature of your impact is entirely up to you!  Live towards the impact you want to have!

PS.  I got my journal (travellers notebook) for Christmas.  I'm finding that writing things down helps with my thought processes (because I can't just backspace to make it go away) and is helping me become a better writer as well.  Plus, this one is made by a friend who lives in Merrit, BC.  Don is a master saddle builder and leather craftsman.  He didn't ask me to do this for him, but I'd encourage you to check out his site to see his work.

The Speech Goes On and We Were There!

The show must go on” said by one reporter on Twitter when officially learning that the 58cm of snow that fell in the capital since Sunday was not enough to keep the Speech from the Throne from happening today!  It may have shut down schools (for a 2nd straight day) and prompted CFB Esquimalt to tell it’s 5,000 employees to stay home, but the opening of the spring session, minus some of the usual outdoor pomp & circumstance, forged ahead.  The big advantage for me, the “snow day” meant my wife Christine, who teaches grade 3, she was able to join me and my colleague, Tim, for the proceedings.

Unlike some provinces in Canada, the Speech from the Throne in BC is quite formal, complete with an invite-only reception following the speech from BC’s lieutenant governor.  I always enjoy this reception because it gives me the opportunity to re-connect with many of BC’s MLA’s, mostly from the government side, who are all back in town and eager to get rolling.  Together, Christine and I were able to have many meaningful conversations with members and staff alike.  

As a chaplain, TRUST is the currency most highly valued – and now in my third year, the level of trust I have gained with MLA’s and the staff is producing a good return, today this was evident.  Although the room was loud and the conversations short, it was very easy to offer quick words of encouragement that were received with heartfelt appreciation.  It didn’t matter if was the newly hired intern, the catering staff member or the well-tenured politician with significant responsibilities: when you’re thanked and told you’re doing a great job it fills your tank.  

There will be many more opportunities over the coming months to have longer visits and more in-depth conversations, but if today was any indication, this spring session is going to be the best one yet!