Rescue Mission Blog

My Goals and How I’m Held Accountable

  

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We all answer to somebody.  In my case, I answer to the board of the Tacoma Rescue Mission.  These men and women meet each month to talk about the policy and direction of the Mission and to hold me accountable for the Programs, Operations and Finances of the Mission.  Each year they set a series of goals for me in these three areas by which to measure how well I’m doing.  Last night we met to go over my performance and to set goals for the coming year.

Of course, as the leader I feel a deep responsibility to the staff, client and donors of the Mission as well.  The Mission is a community asset that is critically important to Pierce County and I’m mindful that I”m just a steward of the resources here.  Having said that, it’s hard to answer to “the community” so we set up a representative group of advisors that can get an inside peek to how it’s all going and give honest feedback.

Here is a sampling of some of the goals the board has laid out for me:

Fully develop our new Volunteer Program

Fully develop our new Alumni Program

Develop a plan looking forward to our 100th anniversary in 2012

Exapnd/improve our Internet presence

Expand our Family Services

Study potential expansion of emergency service centers into other parts of Pierce County

Develop a budget of $5,250,000 for 2010

Culitivate donor support for our new Adams Sq. Family Center.

These are a few, not all, of the goals they have laid out for me.  Clearly there’s much to do to meet these goals and I’m looking forward to the challenge.

If you have any questions about how this works, a complete list of the goals, or any other information please ask.  My goal in sharing this information is to show in a transparent way that we are doing all we can to meet the serious responsibility we have at the Mission to help save and transform the lives of the most needy in Pierce County.  We’re not drifting, or meandering into the future.  We are setting a course and doing all we can to meet our goal of transforming lives.

Thanks for your support and encouragement. Comments Welcome.

An UNselfish Holiday

  

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With these crazy times when everybody seems to be worried about padding their own nest in order to survive, it is so good to take an opportunity to get out and serve others.  To make Thanksgiving and Christmas an unselfish event.  It’s about being thankful for what you’ve got and for the people in your life.

Here are a few ideas about where you might be able to serve in the Tacoma Rescue Mission and in Tacoma/Pierce County area:

Serve food: One of the most oft-asked questions I received is: “Can I serve dinner on Thanksgiving?”  As you can imagine, we are able to fill the volunteer positions on Thanksgiving day quickly and they are often filled months in advance.  However, this doesn’t mean that the original intent of your heartfelt request cannot be met.  We are serving warm/delicious meals to folks every day/ 3 meals a day, so there are plenty of opportunities for you to get plugged in.  This is a great opportunity for parents to get your kids involved in serving others.  It’s fun and easy.

Bell-Ringing: The Salvation Army in the Tacoma area has opportunities each year to spend a couple of hours ringing a bell in front of a grocery store or shopping center.  Put together a group from work, rotary or your church to divide up a whole day.  It’s fun and rewarding.  You’ll be a part of something bigger than just your own challenges.

Sponsor a child/family for Christmas: Each year there are homeless families and children who wouldn’t otherwise have Christmas presents without the sponsorship of a caring individual like yourself.  Click here to get in touch with Need a Break services, which is coordinating a gift project between several different agencies, including the Mission.

Give Food: I know that Emergency Food Network, Salvation Army, Tacoma Rescue Mission and other agencies always need turkeys, hams, potatoes, pumpkin pies to help feed the hungry during the Thanksgiving and Christmas Season.  I do this every year and it’s so much fun to go out and buy food for someone you know wouldn’t otherwise have a great dinner.

Give resources: Clearly, there are many charitable agencies that depend upon your support throughout the Thanksgiving and Christmas season.  Find those agencies you believe in and be a giver.

Most of all, make your Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays unselfish.  Lift up and encourage others and remember the Blessings that God has given you.

DC

Historical Heroes: Abraham Lincoln

  

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This is the second in a series of blog on different historical figures who I’ve learned important life and leadership lessons from.  The first in this series was a journal entry on Winston Churchill.

My journey learning about Lincoln has been an evolving one.  The stories I learned when I was a child about Lincoln were probably similar to that most schoolchildren hear, but I had no real sense of awe or any great respect for Lincoln because I didn’t have a context to understand the day in which he lived and how his life and lessons applied to me.  Then some years ago I took a tour of Ford’s theatre were President Lincoln was assassinated and of the home were he died just across the street.  Seeing those physical spaces was quite moving and decided at last to pick up a book and read about his life.  I’ve read many books since then, (perhaps the most interesting was Lincoln’s Melancoly – touching on his tough life and struggle with depression) and even visited his summer retreat at the Soliders Home in D.C..

Last Tuesday I was present at a forum at SPU to hear historian Ronald White Jr. talk about The Faith of Abraham Lincoln.  It was a great presentation and I have provided a link here to a video of the talk.  While at the talk I bought a copy of Mr. White’s book A. Lincoln and read it this week.  It was a good book and I would recommend it to anyone.

All this leads me to share with you some lessons from these books and experiences that I have learned from Lincoln which I believe will help any leader:

1.  Lincoln was self-taught:  Growing up with a father who didn’t respect learning, Lincoln fought to be a man of words.  A voracious reader, he would often be seen sitting and reading for hours.  His own father interpreted this as “lazy”, but Abe was not discouraged.  In fact, he was somebody who read and learned from others all his life.  In this same way, all leaders must be self-motivated, curious learners.  If you stop learning once you leave school your knowledge will be limited and often outdated.  Keep reading.

2.  Lincoln was a listener: Lincoln spent hours sitting and talking with people, asking questions and getting to know others.  Although known as a great story teller, he was also known to take the time to hear complaints from people and listen to their story.  It’s hard for leaders of significant importance to take the time to slow down and listen, but it’s critically imporntant.  Lincoln spent lots of hours talking with soldiers, widows of fallen soldiers, common people and more.  Be a listener.

3.  Lincoln was a student of his own nature:  His early years were marked with great struggle, heartbreak and difficulty, in addition, Lincoln himself had a nature that tended toward depression.  Over and over people have said, “He had the saddest face of anyone I’ve ever know” and he himself was known to have said, “I’m the most miserable man living”.  According to Joshua Wolf Shenk’s book, Lincoln’s Melancholy, Lincoln suffered from chronic depression.  Certainly much of the historical record supports this conclusion.  But he didn’t let it sit there.  Lincoln strove to understand his own nature and to make his internal melancholy something to be understood and to be considered.  It made him a more sensitive and understanding leader and helped him to be accepting of the concerns of others.  Know yourself and your own nature.

4.  Lincoln knew which battles to fight.  It’s well known, that Lincoln surrounded himself in his cabinet with people who were political opponents and would put up with much disrespect from General McClelland and others who thought themselves smarter than himself.  In fact, Lincoln was not a pushover, he just knew what battles were important to win and which were better left alone.  Eventually he did deal with McClelland and others who went too far, but he didn’t reflexively respond to personal slights when there were larger issues at hand.  So many leaders loose sight of this lesson.  The biblical encouragement to “not be easily offended” is often the first thing to be forgotten.  Unfortunately, this forces most leaders to spend their time solving petty people problems instead of the larger issues which would bring the most benefit.  Find the big issues and stay focused.

5.  Lincoln succeed inspite of a rough family life.  After Lincoln’s death, his wife Mary Todd Lincoln was famously known to have become unstable and was institutionalized for a period of time.  But she was always an extremely high-strung person who caused Lincoln no small amount of drama and grief.  However, it is clear that he loved her and cherished his family very much.  The lesson here is that Lincoln never forsaked her or decided to divorce her even though she was a difficult person to live with, he continued to work through his issues and love her in the most patient of ways.  In addition to a rough marriage, he also suffered the loss of two young children that he loved very much.  This made living difficult, on top of the unbelieveable pressure to hold together a country that was splitting apart.  Yet Lincoln stuck with it and dealt with his personal challenges and was able to succeed.  Don’t let personal problems disqualify you from doing great things.  Too many people use past mistakes and problems to rule out greatness in their future.

6.  Lincoln was on a spiritual journey.  Know for his outspoken doubts about God and Christianity in his early life, Lincoln remained intellectually curious and open to discovering truth.  Through the death of his sons and the struggles he faced in his life he continued to seek answers to life’s tough questions.  His spiritual journey was not so different than a lot of us in today’s pluralistic society, but it was very unusual in that day and age.  I applaud Lincoln for being honest, open and pursuing truth.  In the end, he seems to have come to grips with God and to have a genuine faith, although it remained different than the culture of that day.  Don’t give up looking, keep seeking God and answers to life’s quesitons.  (Check out A. Lincoln for more on the subject of Lincoln’s faith)

There are many more lessons, but I hope these will prompt you to pick up a book on Lincoln and learn some more on your own.

DC

Video Message for Need a Break Board

  

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Need a Break Services has been a part of Tacoma Rescue Mission for one year now and is growing and developing in so many positive ways.  We’ve got a great team with Julie, Albert, Big Al, Chuck and all the volunteer staff.

This important ministry has it’s own advisory board which helps it to develop it’s ministry and give oversite to the projects that Need a Break get’s involved in.

I was scheduled to speak to their board at their latest meeting but was unable to attend at the last minute due to my son Jack’s football game, (family first) so I recorded some thoughts about Need a Break and “how I see it”.

This is an informal video but I thought some might be interested in viewing it.  DC

NeedaBreakmtg from david curry on Vimeo.

Why Its ALWAYS Too Soon to Quit

  

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A few weeks ago I read an article in a national newspaper about a man who committed suicide on the day a judge was set to rule on his case.  A guilty verdict would have meant he would go to jail.  Ironically, the judge ruled later in the day that the man was innocent of the charges.

There’s a lot of social/moral questions that arise out of that kind of a situation, but let’s just focus for a moment on the incredible irony of someone doing the ultimate in giving up, just when he’s on the verge of a breakthrough.

While I pray that most of us never come to a point of wanting to give up on life, my experience tells me that most of us face some deep despair and disappointment at some point in our lives.  Many smart, functioning people feel absolutely desperate and despondent on the inside, yet they hide it from all except those closest to them.

With the loss of financial stability and the facade of living on credit wiped away by last years financial collapse many people are struggling to keep up with it all.  Truth be told, they’d love to just give up and quit.

I spend every day working with those who are in lifes most desperate situations and I can tell you without fear of contradiction it’s ALWAYS too soon to quit.  You can change directions, rethink your plans, head down a different road, re-orient your life and values, but DON’T quit.

Why is it ALWAYS too soon to quit?  Here are a few quit reasons I’ve noticed over the years:

1.  Tomorrow is a new day.  As trite as it seems, it’s true.  You don’t know what tomorrow is going to bring.  You think the world is against you and it seems destined to be “Guilty” and yet tomorrow might bring a different verdict.  It’s amazing the difference a little time can make.  I believe that many divorces, suicide attempts, and relationship problems could be avoided if people would just go to bed and wake up ready to take a fresh look at it in the morning!  I’m serious, so many midnight decisions look tragic in the light of day.  Don’t give up, morning is coming.

2.  You’ve more control than you think.  Most people quit because they believe it doesn’t matter what they do, it will never turn out right.  But really more of an emotional response than a rational one.  The fact is that you have control over many, if not most, of the outcomes of a situation.  This is true even if you have no control over the situation itself.  Perhaps the best example of this is the response of people who suffered as prisoners of war.  There are numerous books that talk about how attitude, not circumstance, was the determinate factor in surviving.  Books like Night by Eli Wiesel, Good to Great by Jim Collins (Stockdale Principle) and more.

3.  Things Change.  Most people quit thinking that the circumstances they are battling are permanent, but they aren’t.  Things change.  Don’t accept negative as permanent.  Work to make a positive change and believe that it’s possible.

4.  Every Decision Resets Potential Outcomes.  I once heard someone refer to leadership being “like billiards”.  Once someone shoots, all the billiard balls are reorganized and it’s a whole new setup.  I’ve often thought of how true that is.  When you make a decision to stick with it and fight, all the opposition in the universe has to rethink their opposition to you.  You are changing the game when you decide not to quit.  What happens when you make a decision to live 100% in the belief that you were made for something great?  People will have to deal with the more positive, optimistic you.  They will reevaluate their doubts, judgements and conclusions.  Over time, you will potentially win back friends and supporters.  It’s a whole new game when you decide to make the most of a tough situation.

5.  Most things only require you “hang in there”.  Not everything in this world requires you to be the best.  In fact, most things just require that you be present.  Unfortunately, being “present” is just too much for some people, so they don’t even make an effort.  So you’ve made mistakes, made decisions that you wish you could change, don’t drop out- show up and hang in there.  Most failures have the potential for success buried within if you could look at them objectively.

6.  Bad news isn’t always bad.  I recently read an article about companies that were started by folks who were laid off in the past recessions and used their layoff as the motivation to start doing what they loved and always dreamed of doing. (unfortunately I can’t seem to find the link to this article, but I will keep searching)  This rings true in my life.  Some of my biggest disappointments are now blessings that I only recognize with the passing of time.

Every day we are helping people at the Tacoma Rescue Mission get set free from the biggest problems our society is facing.  Addiction, poverty, homelessness and many more problems are being conquered by those we are serving.  Yet every day we see people in those same situations who try and convince us that it is too late and that there is no point to living.  Nonsense!  It’s always too soon to quit- don’t give up on your life.

I’d be happy to talk with anyone who is facing a problem so big they just want to quit.  please email me at davidc@trm.org if the problem is private or post a response here and I’ll respond to you.

DC

Discernment: Key Skill in Today’s New Media Age

  

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Most baby boomers born today grew up with three major television news outlets, ABC, NBC and CBS. Walter Cronkite, David Brinkley and other “respected” news professionals delivered content that had been refined down to the “best of” the day. Everybody had a local newspaper and there were a handful of major national newspapers such as the New York Times and Wall Street Journal. News was information was shifted, input, digested, regurgitated and repackaged before most people even knew what had happened.

Today’s world is much more democratic and for the better. People are allowed to contribute their opinions, news, commentary and supporting video and audio to events big and small. This has made it possible for some important events that would have never made it through the filter of news years ago to make it into main-stream consciousness. This year’s revolt in Iran that was covered by folks in Iran on twitter is a great example of how it can be helpful to have technology available to democratize news and information.

Clearly, it’s also had some troubling side affects as well and created a lot of clutter that has made it very difficult to determine what is actually ‘the truth’.

That’s why I think DISCERNMENT is the key skill that needs to be developed and used in our current media culture. We need to challenge ourselves and the next generation to be able to use wisdom and intelligence to know when, what and how to filter- because no one is filtering our information anymore.

So how do you have DISCERNMENT?

1. Pray for Wisdom. In this world you need a perspective bigger than your own. What’s eternal? What’s been true over the course of history? What stands the test of time? How does this line up with my values? The scripture says if you pray for Wisdom you will receive it. If you are praying for wisdom you’ll be thinking about what is wise and using better judgement as well.

2. Judgement. Judgement is not being judgemental, it’s simply knowing that you must make a decision about what to believe and how to act. You CAN’T believe everything you hear- no matter what emotional buttons it pushes in you. I’m afraid we are running the risk of becoming accustomed to immediate information and immediate responses to it. You’ve got to pause for a moment and QUESTION whether there is more to the story.

3. Input Multiple Points of View. The news of old wasn’t objective, you had a handful of people who held a similar world view digesting information for a diverse group of people. But you creating your own narrow band of biased information is not much better. Listening to only conservative, only liberal, only ANYTHING creates an unbalanced perspective and is frankly lazy. We need to hear multiple viewpoints, use judgement based on the whole of the information. Will your viewpoint be challenged? Yes. Does it need to be challenged? Of course it does.

4. Take your time to settle on a decision. If you hear a news story and immediately go into a head spin, maybe that’s a first clue that you’re not taking the time to let it settle on us and to think through all the information. Few of us have to respond to the news of the day immediately, so you can take the time to be thoughtful about your responses.

Stop Believing Lies

  

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It’s shocking when someone who’s life has been shipwrecked by drugs and alcohol returns to their abuse. It happens because the drug is telling the user a smooth story, “It’ll be better this time, you’ll be able to control it.” Drugs and Alcohol are LIARS.

Millions of people are affected by alcoholism and drug abuse in the United States and around the world. Here at the Tacoma Rescue Mission we see lives with great promise and potential that have been destroyed by these addictions.

While our culture struggles to deal with the affects of broken lives due to addiction, it continues to believe the LIES that perpetuate the abuse and addiction.

These are strong words, but consider the definition of a LIE. To lie is to deliberately deceive, to tell a falsehood, or to give a false impression.

On television, radio, movies and through out advertising, our culture repeats these lies:

1. You deserve a drink

2. This will help you relax

3. Reward yourself with a drink

4. Life is more fun when you drink

5. You’ll have more friends when you party

These LIES lead to the destruction of many lives.

More amazing still is that people who are recovering form abuse, having spent weeks, months and years trying to understand their addictions – STILL FUNDAMENTALLY BELIEVE THE LIES. They believe that if only they could control it, all of these promises could potentially come true.

But that is a LIE. Drink and using will NEVER give you true friendship. It will NEVER help you becoming socially comfortable or confident, it will only create a dependence on itself. Leaving you worse off than before.

You are enough. You don’t need alcohol or drugs to conquer your fears, mask your disappointments, help you socially, or as a reward.

The truth is that there is no shortcut. You need to face each challenge with God’s help and be confident that He will help you through each day.

Do not belief the lies. Don’t forget the lies your drug told you. You can’t assume that things have changed and now your drug is going to reward you after so many years of punishment.

Live in Truth.

DC