Pig Pen's Cloud

I have had some wonderful emails about the leadership posts. Most of them have been from members of our congregation. These friends form part of the Christian community that makes me want to be a godly leader. I believe that our actions and attitudes touch the lives of others in profound ways - both positive and negative. This is why Paul wrote, "Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity, and sound speech that cannot be condemned, so that the opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say about US."

Missing the mark as a leader causes real problems for others. I found a good metaphor that spoke to this in this morning's USA Today. By quoting it I'm in no way making a political comment. I simply love the image. Former Republican national chairman Frank Fahrenkopf was asked about the Iraq war's impact on the elections. He said, "It was like the old Charlie Brown cartoon, with Pig Pen shadowed by a cloud of dust. Every Republican had that cloud over him regardless of what they did. It was pretty tough to get out from under that."

The televangelist scandals of the eighties, the priest scandals and the Ted Haggard story illustrate the power of the cloud of dust. We must strive for good leadership. The Christian US depends on it.