A Study Plan

This Saturday 22nd October I will be in Manchester to graduate with a Master of Arts in Theology (Aspects of Christian Holiness). I started this degree in September 2008 and in the course of that study I also had to take on a new appointment (at the beginning of 2009), be a good husband and father, and look after myself throughout it all. I discovered fairly early on that I needed a good study schedule in order to achieve all that I needed to achieve, without any of my other responsibilities failing. There is no point in graduating with an MA if my marriage is falling apart, my kids don't know me, and my ministry was floundering. I had to maintain some measure of balance in my life.

I learnt this the hard way. I learnt this from experiencing extreme imbalance. This became abundantly clear when one night my wife said to me over the dinner table, "Let me know when you get back from visiting the study pixies." That was a big wake up call for me. I was present with my family physically, but mentally I was a long way away.... and it was obvious to those around me.

Leadership: Getting the Balance Right

Perhaps one of the most frustrating things is to be assigned a task and then to either be told every step of the way exactly how to do it or alternatively to be given no indication of how well you have done. I heard it said recently that leaders need to get the balance right in delegating authority and accountability. I have seen and been a part of situations where the balance has been out of kilt and I'm sure you will be able to identify similar situations.

Accountability With No Authority

Quite simply this imbalance can be summarised in one word - micromanaging. Personally I find is to be the most frustrating and disempowering way to be managed. In simple terms this occurs when the leader assigns a task and then insists on checking every minute detail along the way. The one given the task is not given any authority to make any decisions that matter but rather is placed in a situation where all they are doing is simply completing the task exactly how the manager wants it to be done.

I Did Not Vote No! - Guest Post from Tim Gittins

I don’t know about you but I can’t help but notice all of the Facebook polls that are popping up recently telling me that someone voted "Yes" for something or "No" for something or voted for their favourite TV Character,… it seems that an endless number of polls are being created everyday on Facebook.

I want to confess to something – not to purge my soul – but to share a thought: 

I did not vote “No” in the “Should Same Sex Marriage be allowed” survey. 

In fact I have not signed any petition on the issue. I have not written to my MP or participated in any protests and every time I get an email in my inbox from the A.C.L (Australian Christian Lobby) and the word marriage is in the subject line – I delete it without opening.