Costa Rica Leadership Lessons

Ten years ago, I graduated from college and jumped on a plane for Costa Rica.  My adventure involved serving on short-term property staff at a camp in the cloud forest, almost 3,000 feet above sea level.  The link to the camp's website is here:

http://lacumbredota.org/?lang=en

I spent six weeks alongside of a dozen other American college students, living and working together at a camp surrounded by mountains and bifurcated by a crystal-clear stream.  The photo above is from our high-adventure ropes course, which was unlike anything I'd ever done before.  Rappelling off of a huge tree in the cloud forest was beyond anything a kid from Texas had ever imagined.  One of my all-time favorite places in the world is at La Cumbre - a quiet spot by the river where I'd spend most mornings, reading, praying, and listening to God.  Speaking of listening, almost every evening before dinner, I would take a walk along the banks of the river and listen to beautiful music like Ryan Adams or U2 while I watched the sun set over the mountains.

It's hard to believe that happened a decade ago.  I remember walking across the stage at my college graduation, then getting on a plane barely a few days later to take off on this adventure.  The trip to Costa Rica was my "study abroad" experience, even though I wasn't going specifically as a student.  Like many of my non-school activities while I was in college, the experience of serving in Costa Rica shaped my character and passion for ministry rather than simply offering classroom knowledge.  I also think it was one of the ways God prepared me for post-college "adult" life because it was a lonely time for me.  The other folks on-staff at the camp were wonderful, but (and this is going to make me sound super-spiritual, which I don't intend to convey) I think God wanted me to learn how to be closer with Him and trust Him, rather than focusing on people.

It was one of the most amazing experiences of my life, and for a time, I wondered if part of God's call to me was to jump on-board with Young Life's incredible ministry in Latin America.  While that route in ministry didn't end up materializing, I've kept in touch with the area director for Costa Rica Young Life, and I really enjoy getting regular updates on their ministry, even 10 years later.  This past month's update included a link to a blog which I'd like to pass along.  It's written by a youth/college pastor who visited Young Life Costa Rica a few months ago:

http://www.aaronbuer.com/what-i-learned-in-costa-rica/

The observations he makes about Young Life's incredible ministry in Latin America are spot-on.  I'm especially thankful for his observation about mission: "a clear mission is like fuel."

Our sense of mission at FPC truly is a gift, and we are stewards of our mission under the grace of Christ.  Nothing saddens me quite like hearing about churches who do not seem to have a clear sense of mission.  I certainly don't think every church should have the same mission we do, but I do believe strongly that churches without a mission are missing critical fuel for serving Christ.

I hope you'll read the blog link above and enjoy it.

Travis

Welcoming Hadley

 I never thought I’d be the parent of native Coloradans.  My wife and I joke that because our children are both Grand Junction natives, for their taste buds, Palisade peaches will always be that much sweeter and more wonderful than any other fruit. :)

Our daughter, Hadley Farrell Fletcher, was born ten days ago at 8:57am at St. Mary’s Hospital.  Both Jill and I cried tears of joy when she took her first breath, and once again, I was convicted that the birth of a child is a holy and miraculous moment.  Even though babies are born every day in every corner of the earth, it’s still a miracle, and you just have to be in the room when a baby is born to understand why it’s so amazing.

Hadley has adjusted well to life at our house.  She came home to a welcoming big brother, to loving grandparents, and to two exhausted but thrilled parents.  Her sleeping and nursing patterns have been relatively humane (to us) so far.  Even though I drank at least five full cups of coffee this past Sunday morning, I feel like the sense of the familiar in this season of her life makes it less exhausting than the foreign country of Will’s first couple of weeks at home.

It’s an amazing and wonderful gift to be a part of a church which celebrates the birth of little ones.  Our daughter is treated so well, which is just how we’ve seen this church treat other families with babies.  And of course, when the people around you are filled with excitement about your kiddo, your excitement goes up a notch.  The excitement is nice, but really, it’s the love and care (and generosity!  So many gifts and meals and cards – thanks to all of you!) founded in Christ which is truly life-changing.  My heart aches for my contemporaries who don’t have a connection to a church or family in-town.  Parenting would be such an exhausting and lonely road without the support of others.

Here’s a few photos of Hadley.  Thanks again for praying for us and encouraging us during this amazing season.

Travis

Family of four!  Will is wearing his Halloween costume - a dinosaur!

Will, Grandma and Hadley.  The dinosaur costume really is as cool as it looks.

Siblings.  They'll always be this cute and joyful, right? :)

Integrity: Charlie Strong, Roger Goodell, and the Ethics of Sports

(c) forbes.com

I can’t imagine the challenge facing Coach Charlie Strong.  He was named the head coach at the University of Texas’ prestigious football program in January of this year.  Between the date of his hire and the Longhorns’ first game in late August, he was entrusted with rebuilding the culture of football at one of the most prominent athletic programs in America.  He inherited a program which, while still venerated among major universities, had been through several rough years under the previous coach, Mack Brown, who enjoyed nearly two-decade tenure at UT.

The University’s leadership had the wisdom to allow Coach Strong to bring in his own staff of assistant coaches, offensive and defensive coordinators, and other key leaders from his prior stint at the University of Louisville, effectively giving Strong the reigns to re-cast the culture of football at UT.  One of the things Coach Strong immediately introduced at Texas is a culture of respect, rather than a culture of entitlement.  During spring practice, Coach Strong removed the beloved Longhorn logo from the sides of the players’ helmets, simply stating, “You have to earn those Horns.” 

Strong has built his team’s culture around five key principles, which sound like common sense to many people, but in the world of competitive college athletics (and the larger world of major sports) are major ethical grey areas: honesty, treating women with respect, no drugs, no stealing and no weapons.  You can read a broader description of these values, as well as an interesting conversation between NFL leadership and Coach Strong, at the link below.

http://texas.247sports.com/Bolt/Charlie-Strong-is-the-talk-of-the-NFL-31587363

An article from earlier this year goes into more detail about Coach Strong’s philosophy of football:

http://www.barkingcarnival.com/2014/1/14/5308182/culture-change-at-texas

As the first article points out, the NFL is deeply concerned with learning these five core values because all of them have become issues for several of the leagues’ high-profile players during the last few months.  I think it’s clear why the NFL’s leadership – including their commissioner, Roger Goodell – sought out Coach Strong’s counsel.

Coach Strong – and the team he leads – has integrity.

Despite all of the pressure to just make the team a winner, Coach Strong has taken his five core values to the very heart of the Longhorn football program, and it has been costly to do so.  He and his team have integrity because their values are not merely lip-service; they are real, costly standards for their whole team to abide by.  Nine players have been dismissed from the team during Strong’s tenure for violating these five core values.  Some of the dismissals were starters,  and some were backup players.  Regardless, the on-field results of losing that talent have led to a 2-2 record and lackluster performances against competitive opponents like UCLA and BYU.

Texas’ alumni, fans, and administration want a winning team.  So why support such a bold move by Coach Strong?  Because he’s teaching his team how to play and live with integrity.  Betraying convictions and core values in any family, organization, or relationship does not lead to healthy outcomes in the long run.  Coach Strong wants his players to see this reality before it collides with them after they graduate or – under even greater ethical scrutiny - jump into the NFL.  The young men and coaches he’s responsible for leading are learning that being consistent with the five core values will be costly in the short term.  Buying into these values is a good experience of real life for these players, many of whom are stuffed like a Thanksgiving turkey with elevated ego and endless praise.  Theirs is a precarious position, and Coach Strong is interested in helping them succeed beyond their time in burnt orange and white.

Coach Strong and his staff are helping young men – gifted, talented young men – learn how to navigate real life and be a blessing to the communities around them, not just by putting points on the board but by living out an ethic that is about more than football.  I find it highly appropriate and satisfying that the more “mature” expression of football – the NFL – is taking lessons from the kid brother in college.