(from a recent interview – Karen was interviewed by Dr. Sharon Johnson of Comtivate C2M)
[During COVID-19 Shelter-in-Place Spring 2020]
We’re all hunkered down (ooops, that’s a Texas/Southern term!) and living in uncertain times. And I don’t know about you, but one of the first things I did was look to my trusted leaders for community, encouragement, and wisdom. I looked to God’s Word, the Bible; to the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control (not wanting to get caught up in the media hype); to my husband, to my daughter (a Family Nurse Practitioner); to my coaches – the John Maxwell Team; and to my own team (because they will look to me for leadership and hold me accountable to lead well and they will be supportive and offer me wisdom in return).
In this series of Blogs, we will talk about:
- Why leadership and engagement are so important during uncertain times,
- What Christian leaders can and should do during uncertain times, and
- Some favorite Christian resources (Scriptures, quotes, books, podcasts, etc.); and we hope you’ll share your advice with us as well in the comments below!
What Can and Should Christian Leaders DO During Uncertain Times?
I am called to lead!
You are called to lead.
“You are never NOT leading!”
– Dr. Karen Lindwall-Bourg
[You may be leading well, you maybe leading poorly; but you are always leading someone!]
To lead well, we need to:
Be honest!
I think we need to be as honest as we can be about several things – about the facts and only the facts. The last thing we want to do is disseminate wrong information or jump to conclusions or cause people harm. We only want to help. I’m trying, for example, to look only to the Centers for Disease Control and the World Health Organization for information. And honestly, I’m not looking very often.
Be honest again!
I think we need to be as honest as we can be about how we are feeling and managing during these uncertain times. I think in some ways, for example, our family was more prepared than other families for this crisis and therefore, so far, we have not been as adversely affected by the changes forced upon us as some people have been. We’ve even been able to help others. But when people ask me how I’m doing, they can usually tell if I’m being truthful or not. And honestly, there have been times during this crisis that I have shed some tears (even though I’m not usually much of a crier); and I’ve been concerned, even to the point of finding myself sitting in front of my computer with tasks to complete staring off into space, completely unproductive! Sort of frozen in time! You’ve heard the adage – when we are faced with a crisis, we enter either Fight, Flight, Freeze or Fawn (Faint) Mode? I’m a “Freeze” gal!
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.
Philippians 4:8-9 ESV
Follow Wisely
We need to follow God, follow and obey the rules being set before us by the governors God has appointed, and follow wise counsel. God, in His Word, has the best and wisest and most comforting counsel of all. We should at least start there! My husband has provided for and prepared for a crisis like this and he is well researched. I look to him during these trying times much more closely than I do when things are sailing smoothly. He chooses carefully the wise counsel he receives as well so I feel doubly covered! Our daughter is a Family Nurse Practitioner and like my husband, one of the most well researched medical professionals I know! I look to her for advice on how to take care of myself during these uncertain times knowing that she will give me wise counsel and if she doesn’t have the answers she will research until she finds them! As a John Maxwell Certified Coach, I immediately sought out his thoughts on this crisis and found his counsel to be wise and comforting. We should all choose wisely the counsel we follow.
Lead well – by being honest, by following wise counsel ourselves, and by setting an example for those who are turning to us for help.
- Show UP! The people who want to hear from you will listen. The people who don’t will go elsewhere. Don’t be afraid to talk to others. I WANT to hear what you have to say! They WANT to hear what you have to say!
- Listen Well. By that I mean… Listen to hear, without considering your expert response while they are pouring their hearts out to you. When my first husband was at Baylor Hospital in Dallas being worked up in preparation for a possible Bone Marrow Transplant to fight cancer, the whole family went along on a visit. The nurses and staff there were so great – they showed us around, explained things, loved on our kids… At one point we were walking down the corridor and behind me I heard Matthew who was maybe 5 or 6 at the time, say, “What is sex?” As you can imagine, I thought I was going to die of embarrassment and the added challenge of answering him in front of this medical team! Just before I opened my mouth, I turned to see Tim kneel to the ground and point to a clipboard full of forms in his arms and say, “Well, if you’re a boy, you put a checkmark by ‘male’; and if you’re a girl you put a checkmark by ‘female’!” Listen well, my friends! Don’t be too hasty to give an answer!
- Ask Great Questions. My Professor of Family Therapy, Dr. Jennings, used to say, “The best counselors, ask great questions, and lots of them!” We’re not the answer police; we’re searching for answers ourselves. Ask questions that lead others to the Lord, to His Wisdom, to peace and hope and empowerment, and to their own solutions.
- Be authentic and vulnerable at the same time.
- Pray often.
- Rest in God’s Unforced Rhythms of Grace
Matthew 11: 28-30 “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”
The Message (MSG)
Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson
Lastly, Reach Out and Touch One Another!
- Companion – As a counselor working with grieving families and families in crisis since 1995, one of the best helps I learned from grief experts in the field was to walk alongside/companion those who are hurting during uncertain times. Most of the time, they don’t need answers, they just need to know they are not alone.
- Love – Listen, Care, Let others know you love them. Let them know Christ loves them!
- Serve – as unto the Lord. Ask Him what you can do during these ambiguous times to serve in new ways.
Leader Q&A:
Dr. Sharon added, “Show up with Clarity” and “Show up with Hope!” Always be ready. Wrap yourself in the Word. One of her favorites is Psalm 23 – The Lord is my shepherd…!
CONTACT US:
Community -When you need a Nurturing, Active, group of like-minded Christian Women Entrepreneurs whose goals are to provide Community, Networking, Education and Missions opportunities – join the National Association of Christian Women Entrepreneurs (NACWE) on Facebook http://facebook.com/groups/NACWEFreedom / our Website http://nacwe.org Once you’ve gotten to know us, we hope you’ll consider joining our more Intimate and Elite Group as well. NACWE was established in 2010 and has served thousands of women across the United States AND the world!
Coaching & Writing -When you need small group Coaching/Masterminds and/or Individual Coaching with opportunities for trips, retreats, VIP Days and more to achieve extraordinary levels of success worth celebrating, join Me / Dr. Karen Website http://karenbourg.com/work-with-me I’ve been coaching since about 2007 when I opened a Private Practice Marriage and Family Therapy/Biblical Counseling Practice and realized to grow took a whole lot more than “when you build it, they will come”! It took knowing how to run a business/ministry God’s Way!
Conference -Also, we hope you’ll consider joining us for our ANNUAL Conference “Working God’s Way” north of Dallas September 18-19, 2020. Our keynote Speaker will be Shae Bynes, Co-Founder of Kingdom Driven Entrepreneur and the Author of Grace Over Grind. https://nacwe.org/savethedate2020conference/
Blessings,
Karen Lindwall-Bourg
“Achieve Levels of Success Worth Celebrating”
*Founder, Karen Bourg Companies http://karenbourg.com
*Owner, President {Inter}National Association of Christian Women Entrepreneurs/International Christian Mompreneur Network http://nacwe.org
*Founder, RHEMA Publishing House http://rhemapublishinghouse.com
*Founder, RHEMA Lakeside Retreat Center https://www.facebook.com/rhemaretreat/
*Founder, RHEMA Counseling Associates http://rhemacounseling.com
About Karen Lindwall-Bourg
Karen Lindwall-Bourg is the President of the {Inter} National Association of Christian Women Entrepreneurs [est. May 2010] and the new President of the International Christian Mompreneur Network [est. July 2010], both at http://nacwe.org . She and the NACWE Operations and Leadership Teams work diligently to provide
· Community
· Networking
· Education
· Missions
opportunities to Christian Women Entrepreneurs, Mompreneurs and Nanapreneurs alike all over the world!
Our Core Values are
· Community – we value Connection, Collaboration and Contribution
· Networking – we value Nurture, New relationships and New and innovative offers
· Education – we value Encouragement, Excellence and Expressiveness, and
· Missions – we value Ministry and Making a difference
Karen is wife to Fred, Mommy to 6 kids and 5 in-loves, Nana to “going-on” 11 grandchildren, and treat provider deluxe for a herd of Great Pyrenees who protect their north TX ranch! She is an entrepreneur coach, author, publisher, retreat hostess and more! Learn more about Mastermind groups and “Celebration” coaching with Karen at http://karenbourg.com.