Three Forgotten Skills in our Turbulent Tweeting Age

Louisiana Legislative Session Ends on a Turbulent Note
and a Special Session Starts Thirty-Minutes Later

Many Statehouses across the country have had contentious Legislative Sessions this year. Louisiana was no exception. Tensions hit the boiling point. Rancor is up. Unity is down. Common Ground is sometimes tough to discover. Welcome to my world.

Turbulent Times Open Doors of Ministry

I love what I get to do. I get a front row seat to democracy in action. Sure … sausage making isn’t always pretty … but I get to know the leaders of our state, pray for them and help some take a next step in their faith. As the old saying goes, “Christians are like teabags … you don’t really know what is in them until they get thrown in hot water.” Turbulent times reveal much. Turbulent times open doors for conversation. Turbulent times open doors for sharing the heart and way of Jesus.

Jesus is the Master Leader in Turbulent Times

Leaders often find themselves in the hot seat. Sometimes they are grilled by some of the smartest and most powerful people in the state or by the press or constituents. I watch this happen in the Louisiana Chamber, in Committee Hearings, in Town hall meetings and locally. Talk about pressure.

I’ve also been a student of Jesus during his encounters with the Governor Pontius Pilate or the Religious and Political Leaders who tried to trick and trap him. He was flat-out grilled by the most powerful people in the land. Surely, he was tempted to be wishy-washy, feel rage, misrepresent truth or be defensive. The God/Man was human after all. Yet, he responded to turbulent grilling and trick questions with poise and wisdom often in one of three forgotten ways:

1. Sometimes he didn’t answer. It was the power of silence. That’s hard. Have you ever just kept still when asked a question? It takes guts.
2. He asked another question. Remember when Jesus was asked to step into this cultural hornet’s nest: “What do you say about divorce?” Jesus said, “What did Moses say?” Remember when Jesus was called, “Good Teacher,” He replied, “Why do you call me good?” Interesting!!
3. Jesus responded with a story. Often tricky designed questions were answered with a parable. The art of storytelling is often neglected in our quick answer tweeting culture. Stories can be compelling.

Praise and Prayer

1. Some of you are aware I was in a serious car accident on Mother’s Day. I was sitting at a red-light and was hit full speed from another car which hadn’t even braked. What a jolt. I was somewhat dazed and spent the afternoon in the ER. I’m fortunate to be spared. Pray for recovery from headaches and lingering spinal issues.
2. Donna retired from the public-school system. She made a great impact with children, especially special needs children. This will enable her to spend more time on ministry opportunities. We are also glad to have celebrated our 35^th wedding anniversary. Jonathan turned 30 last week. Time flies.
3. Speaking opportunities and Bible study groups abound. You can check out some of these dates at Capitol Commission Louisiana . Recently, I was asked to give the invocation at our Louisiana Senator’s Town hall meeting. Thankfully, it was uneventful compared to the ruckus in the spring.

   

Helping Louisiana’s Leaders,
Michael