Here's a portion of an email I received last night from Kim Sykora, one of Jeff and Michelle's closest friends:
As some of you already know, Jeff's surgery went really well. The Dr's think they got all of the cancer and he should have full use of his leg! They did take some muscle but were able to reconstruct it so it should work normally. He did not have to have a skin graft either. So really, it sounds like it went as well as it could have. When Mike and I left Jeff and Michelle tonight at the hospital, he was trying to get comfortable and was hurting. But you know Jeff, he's not a complainer at all. I pray he has a good night and his pain will be minimal. God bless each one of you for making such a difference in their lives. You all bless them so much! I can tell you for them, they love and appreciate you so much. And I do to! Give God all the glory for all He's done!
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The Rangers are now 5 games up!
The last three wins have taken on the tenor of a team doing things against conventional wisdom and recent history. Consider...
*On Sunday, the Rangers won, though more men reached base via the walk(7) than a hit (6).
*On Monday night, rookie John Rheinecker and Rick Bauer combined on a 5-hit shutout. How often do you remember seeing those at Ameriquest Field?
*Sunday and Monday saw the Rangers' offense combine for 12 hits, yet those 12 hits produced 2 wins.
*And last night, with ace Kevin Millwood scuffling, Michael Young and Brad Wilkerson picked him up, combining for 2 homers which produced the 6 runs. In spite of 4 defensive errors, the Rangers still found a way to win.
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Over the Memorial Day holiday, I finished off an excellent read on leadership from John Schuerholz, General Manager of the Atlanta Braves, entitled Built to Win. I must preface my comments by stating on the front-end, I have never liked the Braves. It's impossible not to appreciate their run of 14 straight National League pennants. But for some reason, I just have never cottoned to the Braves.
In the book, Schuerholz talks at length about how he had to reinvent the culture surrounding the entire organization when he took over as General Manager. How did he do it?
1.) By creating a new vision
2.) By establishing organizational goals
3.) By developing a roadmap for success
4.) By leading through inspiration
5.) By modeling leadership for the entire organization
Schuerholz discusses each of these facets in detail, describing how each piece played a critical role in establishing a culture of anticipated success in an organization that had grown apathetic.
If you are looking for a good read on organizational leadership and how those 5 principles play out practically, then Schuerholz's advice is right up your alley.
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Finally, a question for you this morning that was born of some thoughts I shared in my sermon last Sunday morning. We talked about how Jesus turned the age-old Passover meal into a memorial, the Lord's Supper.
In Luke 22.21, Luke implies that Judas was at the table when Jesus instituted the Supper. But John's gospel implies a different timeline. In John 13.21-30, John says that Judas had left the room.
So which was it: was Judas at the table for Jesus' revisioning of the Passover meal or not? Mull it over and see what you come up with and I'll devote my blog tomorrow to an attempt at answering this seeming discrepancy.
