Friday Blog

Irreplaceable?

In: Friday Blog
Hits: 0 92
Innovation Studio sign and open door

This morning I had several people stop by the Innovation Studio to inquire about completing various projects. Most had become aware that with the school year wrapping up I would be working on tying up loose ends in preparation for our move to Tennessee. A couple of them commented to me "what is the University going to do when you are not here to run this place and do these projects?" Since I have been very intimately involved in the development and implementation of the Innovation Studio over the past three years that question, in one form or another, has been lingering in the back of my mind. I have a passion for this place and the possibility of it closing weighed heavily on my mind when I made the decision to move back to the Collegedale, Tennessee area a few weeks ago.

When I came to Texas in 2021 the Business department at Southwestern Adventist University had just completed a five year strategic plan that included developing an entrepreneurship center/maker space by the end of year three. That space became a reality in October 2023. With my decision to leave SWAU the business department faculty and academic administration scrambled to find a solution that would provide a knowledgeable person to continue providing access for students to the Innovation Studio. Unfortunately it was more difficult than we thought to find someone with the right combination of skill sets to be able to operate the equipment, oversee the business operations, and teach Marketing and Management classes. The possibility of having to close the Studio down due to the inability to find a qualified director was coming closer and closer to reality. It is real easy in situations like this to begin to believe that you are irreplaceable - no one can do this job except me. This past week we received an inquiry from someone interested in teaching but also having an interest in the Innovation Studio. After meeting with them, sharing our vision, and listening to their passion it appears we may have found someone who possess the vast majority of the desired skill sets. Just when we thought there was no solution, God provided someone who appears to be able to meet the need.

In 1 Kings 19 Elijah has just completed the dramatic confrontation on Mt. Carmel. The 3 1/2 year drought has ended and Jezebel, furious that Elijah destroyed the prophets and priests of Baal, sets a bounty on Elijah's head. In fear for his life he flees over 100 miles into the desert before collapsing under a juniper tree. After being fed by an angel he travels another 40 days to Mt Horeb where he now has a confrontation with God. In verse 9 God asks Elijah a very direct question, "What are you doing here?" Elijah's answer was equally as direct, "I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts; for the sons of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars and killed Your prophets with the sword. And I alone am left; and they seek my life, to take it away." His message is "the King hates me and wants me dead, no one is following You except me, and there is no one to take my place when I am gone." He seemed to be declaring "I am irreplaceable and now my enemies what me dead!" After experiencing a tornado, earthquake, and brush fire Elijah hears God's voice in a gentle breeze. God was declaring to Elijah that He was not in the chaos, but He was in the peaceful breeze. God asks again "What are you doing here?" and while Elijah's words are the same his attitude seems to have changed. God's answer to Elijah was simple, "I have a new king (Jehu), your replacement is Elisha, and there are 7,000 who follow me and have not bowed down to Baal."

In John 21 after Jesus has fed the disciples following His resurrection he takes a walk with Peter along the beach. After Jesus describes to Peter the type of death he would die Peter sees John following behind and asks, "What about him?" Jesus responds by declaring "don't worry about him, you follow me." (verses 20-22)

Too often like Elijah we worry that we are the only ones who can do a certain job, and like Peter we worry that we may have it harder than someone else. I was reminded this week that God has it covered, He doesn't need me to worry about. What He is asking me to do is follow Him.

Fresh Articles

  • Friday Blog
    At Your Age You Shouldn't Do That

    "For someone your age you really should stop doing ..." Not the words you want to hear from anyone but those were precisely the words the Emergency Room doctor used to begin the conversation with me last Sunday evening. To set the full context for the conversation I had been working on replacing some rotted out fascia boards on my house that included the "bird box" on the gable end. Since this house is built on a pier and beam foundation with a 3 foot crawl space the roof line is about 10 feet off the ground. I had set up an adjustable step ladder and was standing on the second from the top wrung piecing the bird box together. The ground was a little bit uneven and the piece I was replacing was about 5 feet long so it required stretching a little bit to reach the ends if I didn't want to reposition the ladder. As I was stretching to the uphill side the ladder decided it no longer wanted to stand upright and deposited me on my back on the ground below. In my mind my ego was far more damaged than my body but my wife and daughter insisted I get medically checked out.

  • Friday Blog
    Who Am I?

    Last week on Thursday and Friday two candidates for President of Southwestern Adventist University were on campus and met with faculty and staff. Both candidates were asked to describe their plan for engaging faculty and staff with the vision and mission of the university. One of them, Nelu Nedelea, presented a very interesting concept - "I like to ask three questions, Who am I?, What is the context?, and What is my role." He went on to explain that generally the core of who we are doesn't change, we may grow and expand our sphere but our core beliefs and values do not change. The context and our role influence how we apply who we are to any given situation, but in the end who we are ultimately determines how we act.

  • Friday Blog
    What is Right with the World?

    A few months ago I was watching an episode of the Canadian TV series Highway Thru Hell where Jamie Davis, owner of Jamie Davis Heavy Rescue, comments about a tow truck that is sitting in a parking lot lit up like a Christmas tree. His observation is how unnecessary it is to have all the lights flashing and that it actually increases danger rather than reducing it. His contention is that the flashing lights draw your attention away from the road toward the source of the lights increasing the probability of an accident because you miss what is right in front of you. I have heard for years that broken down cars parked on the side of the road with their hazard lights flashing at night will draw you to them causing you to wander off the road and onto the shoulder.

  • Friday Blog
    Smoke or Fire
    Sitting in front of my fireplace watching the logs smolder I began contemplating why the fire burns well sometimes but at others it just sits there and smolders. I know there have been times that I have brought in "green" wood that is still so wet it doesn't want to burn but there are also times when I use seasoned wood that just sits there smoldering!
    While growing up my family spent many weekends camping. One of the things I remember my dad doing on some of these camping trips was filling a paper cup with water and placing it in the middle of the fire. We all know that paper burns readily, much easier than wood, but the paper cup filled with water does not! As an adult sitting around a campfire with friends I demonstrated this to their teenage son. We even went so far as to boil an egg in the cup in the middle of the fire.
     
  • Friday Blog
    Complicating the Simple

    A few months ago the key fob that I carry to unlock the doors to our Buick Enclave started acting up. The buttons would stick down causing the lift gate to open or the alarm to go off spontaneously. After several attempts to clean the fob it became evident that I was going to need to replace it. After researching my options I discovered the key fobs for my model and year were NOT end user programmable. While I could buy the fob on Amazon I would need to take it to a locksmith (or worse, a dealer) to have it programmed. I consider myself a resourceful individual so I figured since the control board inside was fine it was just the button covers that were sticking, and it is the same shape and size as the original, I could purchase a new fob and just swap out the board. Little did I know that inside the battery contact setup was different - the new fob had a clip on the board to hold the battery but in the old fob the battery was secured in the case - making it difficult to swap out the boards. I did it anyway and tried to tape the battery in place with very limited success - the fob would open the doors one or two times before the battery would slip, losing contact so the fob stopped working. For the past two months I have been opening the doors with the key which triggers the alarm until the car is started. This has been very frustrating and I was coming to the conclusion I would have to give in and pay a locksmith to reprogram the fob.

  • Friday Blog
    Chasing the Shadows
    When we were first introduced to Pogo one of the things that fascinated me about him was his intense focus on chasing things. Throw anything - sticks, rocks, a ball, any of his toys - and he will chase it down and bring it back to you. He has exceptional mouth-eye coordination - he can catch things coming over his shoulder, or while he is spinning around. Every morning before heading off to work he wants his Frisbee time (he also wants it when we come home for lunch or when we quit work for the day.) One of his weaknesses however is that he can be easily distracted, - on a day like today when the sun is shining and few clouds in the sky he often gets sidetracked by the shadow of the Frisbee flying overhead. In the afternoon when the sun is getting lower in the sky the Frisbee can be right over his head but he is focused on the shadow 20 feet away. He misses the real thing because he is chasing the shadow.
Joomla! Templates by RSJoomla!