sheryl giesbrecht

Uncommon Leadership: From Fear and Pride to Effectiveness

I was tired but energized by the response of the audience. I had completed my ninth day of teaching business and leadership skills in several remote villages on a mission trip to Kenya. And now, we weren't quite sure how many would attend our business women's conference at this location. We knew God would honor our efforts, even if only 20 people showed up.

We were overjoyed when on day one, the rural church sanctuary was overstuffed with women, many seated on the dirt floor. Countless others piled into flimsy plastic lawn chairs, spilling out every opening of the cracked block walls under the shelter of the sweltering corrugated tin roof. Scores more strained to lean in through pane-less window shaped holes to glean wisdom, and even more lined up on curbs outside. We were impressed with their desire to learn – no matter what obstacles they faced to get there or the discomfort they experienced to listen in.

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Spiritual Fatherlessness

"Be careful, sweetie,” my dad’s strong voice cautioned me to avoid the object in the road. He’d just removed the training wheels on my Schwinn; so even though I was seated securely on the banana seat, both hands on the handlebars, the front tire still wobbled a little. I focused intently on the path ahead, “Yes, Father,” I said. I veered to the left just a little and swerved to avoid the obstacle.

“Father is one of the most familiar and commonly used name of God."

However, some cannot relate to God as a caring, tender and involved dad, like mine, because they've been disappointed by their own negative personal paternal experiences. So what's the big deal about 'spiritual fatherlessness'? A lot.

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