WINDERMERE - A PLACE TO REFLECT ON EARLIER TIMES

Last Friday, Sue and I drove to Windermere, a Baptist conference center located on the Niangua arm of the Lake of the Ozarks. This was the weekend to celebrate Windermere's 50th year. Several singing groups were there along with a preacher or two. When One Accord was singing on a regular basis, we sang many times at Windermere for conferences such as WMU, Single Adults, Sunday School, etc. In fact, our children nearly grew up at Windermere. We were scheduled to sing at this celebration, but sadly, our lead singer, Bill Ursery told me he had been diagnosed with throat cancer. Bill is a dedicated Christian who graduated from Belmont University and at one time sang with the Jake Hess group. We had to cancel this time and are earnestly praying for Bill's recovery.

More than 1500 decisions for Christ are made annually at Windermere. It sits in a cove and the surrounding area is perfect for water skiing and sight seeing. At the 50th year celebration, a men's quartet from South Haven Baptist Church sang and did a good job. Their bass was outstanding and could easily sing for any professional group. The highlight for Sue and me was the appearance of Russell Newport who at age 87 sang as though he were in his 30's. Russell is a great tenor and had the opportunity to sing with the Metopolitan Opera in New York city. He used to be the choir director in the church in which I was saved and grew up. His signature song was "The Holy City," and anyone who came to that church and endeavored to sing that song made a fatal mistake. He/She should have chosen another song. This evening at Windermere, Russell sang some old songs such as "Oh, How I Love Him," "Redemption Draws Nigh," "The King is Coming," and others that truly were outstanding. I cannot express my admiration and love for that man. He has a bachelor's degree from William Jewell and a master's degree from Harvard.
My friend, Bob Speake who is as former major league baseball player once said that if you wanted a full-time job, all you had to do was follow Russell for a day. Russell has often said that if you sing correctly, you should be able to sing all of your life. He is truly a testament to that statement.

Dr. Arthur Mallory, who is chairman of the Windermere Board was there and as always was fun to be with. Dan Bench, the Windermere CEO was there and had dinner with Sue and me. He takes no salary for his work. Russell, Arthur, and Dan are truly serving leaders.

I have to get some of Russell's CD's. I know they will be incredible.

A REALLY GREAT MEETING

On August 14, I attended one of the greatest secular meetings I have ever attended. Actually, it was not secular in that many of us in attendance felt the presence of the Holy Spirit as the meeting progressed. The purpose of the meeting was to present a program for at-risk kindergartners in the St. Louis Public Schools. In attendance were Ed Watkins, Dr. Arthur Mallory, Dr. Sue Stepleton, Mrs. Kathy Lambert, Mr. Brad Lambert, Mr. Harlan Pals, Mr. Bob Peters, Reverend Lynn Mims, Ms. Kapree Graves, and Mr. Michael Lause. Representing the MOHELA staff were Mr. Ray Bayer, Will Shaffner, Ms. Mary Stewart, Dr. Jim Matchefts, Scott Giles, and Cheryl Stevens.

Mr. Watkins stated that we have assembled a very credible group and asked the following question: "Wouldn't it be wonderful if on the first day of kindergarten, teachers told their students they expected them to have a post-secondary education?" Dr. Mallory addressed the fact that we have such assembled such smart people gathered with the same goal. He said Dr. Stepleton has a high reputation nationally for her work in "Parents as Teachers. Mallory also stated that research shows the most significant learning and brain development occurs from birth to five years of age. Dr. Stepleton explained that brain development shown in MRIs of babies taken post-birth differed from those exposed to good stimulation and those who were not.

Mr. and Mrs. Lambert are the founders of Connections to Success. Mr. Lambert explained that their program helps those who have experienced homelessness, violence, incarceration, welfare and other tragic events. Lamberts are putting together the program we need to begin excellent education at an early age.

Mr. Pals described "Lifeline," as giving people an opportunity to record milestones in their life. With that program, a person will have a lifetime record of his or her skills and talents.

Reverend Mims closed the meeting with a blessing and prayer that moved each of us. What a meeting!

The MOHELA Board will hear details of the program on September 12.

DALLAS, TX IN AUGUST

Friday, August 1, Sue and I flew to Dallas to be with two of our children and their children (grandchildren). It was hot when we left St. Louis and even hotter when we arrived in Dallas. Temperature over 100 every day and very hot at night. The temp did not keep us from having a great time.

Friday evening, Rick, Cindy, Hudson, Sue and I went to the ballpark in Arlington to see the Texas Rangers play the Toronto Bluejays. First time I had seen the Bluejays in person and former Cardinals' Scott Rolen and David Eckstein play north of the USA border. I consumed a gallon of lemonade and endured the heat better than Sue. It was good to return to Rick & Cindy's home for more liquids and a bed.

Saturday, we ran some errands and that afternoon, Jamie, Kendall, Lauren and Alex joined us for a bit of family reunion. Always it is a blast when members of the family get together. Lauren and Alex took such good care of Hudson and Hudson had a blast with her older cousins. For me, it is fun just to watch and listen to the stories that come from such a get together.

Sue and Alex left Sunday morning for Colorado and the Christian Artists' Seminar at Estes Park. Sue has been teaching there for a number of years and it is kind of sad that this will be the last year for the conference. The rest of us chilled out Sunday afternoon before Rick and I went to the ball game. Again it was very hot, but the fellowship was great and there was a breeze. Leaving the game, the wind was blowing so hard that it was hard to walk in it.

Monday, Rick and I went to Ft. Worth to attend to some business of Carpenter-Smith Southwest. It was at a new Baylor hospital and I teased Cindy by asking her if she did more business with Baylor or TCU (where she graduated). I checked e-mail and Dana, who works with Rick and Cindy, got my boarding pass for my trip home. That evening, we again went to the ballpark and saw the New York Yankees. There were many Yankee fans in attendance and it was really a good game. On the way to the car, I heard someone say something about "old man," but didn't think anything about it. When we arrived where there was a man with a walkee talkee, Rick asked them to get someone from security. He told them if they didn't get there soon, the drunk with the loud mouth who had some remarks about his dad would find himself on the ground. He was not fooling. When the guy arrived where we were, he was not about to take Rick on. I don't believe I have ever seen my son so mad. Kinda made me proud.

Tuesday, I received my goodbye kisses from Hudson. She is so beautiful, bright and charming. Hugged and kissed Cindy goodbye and Rick and I went to the airport for my trip home. It was difficult for me to say "goodbye," as I tried to put my arms around Rick (He is a big guy). Once again, time well-spent with those you love so very much.

"IT'S OUR SHIP"

Some months ago I shared from a book given to me by Randy Etter, a fellow board member of the Missouri Higher Education Loan Authority. It was entitled "It's Your Ship" and was authored by Captain D. Michael Abrashoff, the former commander of the USS Benfold. In this book, there are great leadership principles and every person in a position of leadership should sit down and discover what made the USS Benfold a great ship.

Following "It's Your Ship," comes another book by Captain Abrashoff, this one entitled "It's Our Ship." I want to share some thoughts from this book, which is so insightful in making a ship, business, school district, church, or any other type of organization great. How about this:"Welcome people aboard before they are aboard." If you hire someone new, find a way to make them feel a part of the organization before they actually begin work. I liked this a lot: "Treat your people and your shipmates the way you would want your spouse or child treated in the workplace."

Here are some thoughts from the book that I have especially found helpful in leadership:

"Pick out promising people early."
"Whenever possible, develop leaders within their current jobs."
"Leading is largely people watching"
"Make truth-telling your own personal prerogative."
"Never let people know what you want to hear - they will tell you."
"The first law of leadership in today's world is to give people irresistible incentives to collaborate for a purpose that enhances everyone.
"The two big motivators in people's lives are love and respect."
"If you make an honest effort to build a relationship, they will cut you some slack even if you fumble once in a while."

That's a small sample of the many "goodies" found in "It's Our Ship." I recommend it highly to anyone who is in a position of leadership or aspires to be a leader.

WHY BE AN EDUCATOR IN THE PRESENT SYSTEM

Education is a difficult field in which to grow. The only one way to advance is controlled by the colleges and universities of America. That would probably be ok if the universities were making any advances in the field they control. So you want to teach, then you go to college, take your courses, get a degree and then you have to pass some kind of examination to get a job. A degree is not enough because the teaching in the university is not doing its job. Its a bit like Dirty Harry telling his supervisor that his mouthwash is not making it.

One of the depressing things about education is the lack of empowerment teachers receive from administrators. Administrators are limited as to the kind of positions they have in any school. The Board of Education approves the positions. If a teacher wants to move up, the question is "move up to where?" In elementary and secondary education the only up is (and that is debatable) is administration. What can a principal do to facilitate a move of that kind? The answer is not much because upward mobility is controlled by colleges and universities. No matter how great a person might be, he/she cannot move up because of the system. Because of this, many excellent teachers choose to move to another career. Even if he/she decides to go back to college and receive an administrative degree, participating in that requirement does not guarantee one will receive what is necessary to be successful.

Presently, teachers are their worst enemy. If you are a really great teacher, your salary is no better than the poorest teacher in a school. This is because of a salary schedule that is based on the number of years you have taught in a school system. I know that negotiations became a part of schools because of poor administrators. To date, there are probably more poor administrators in the field of education than any other field. I taught a class of teachers at a local university one evening and there were 28 teachers in the class from all over the greater St. Louis area. Not one of those teacher felt any kind of appreciation or empowerment from their principal. How can one grow in that kind of environment.

One thing would help. Administrators need to show appreciation to members of his/her staff. Tell them they are doing a great job if they are. Encourage them in any appropriate way. That would at least make the environment in their building one of happy feelings. Not much good teaching goes on in a bad environment. There should be a lot of smiles in a building. Now there is a novel thought that you will unlikely hear in an administrative class at the university

IT HAS BEEN AWHILE

June was a very interesting month for me. As I look back, I didn't get much done and I really didn't feel like blogging. The first Monday of the month, I went to a monthly breakfast for guys and gals who used to teach at St. Charles High School. That is always fun, but this time I learned that Jim Williams, the former and successful football coach at that school was really in the probable final stages of cancer. Jim has gone to Duke University at least twice to try new things related to treatment of cancer. I was told that the doctor told Jim that he had about a year to live. I have been praying for him for a long time and continue to do so.

After that, I had a muscle strain in my right shoulder that was painful and kept me from doing things and also from getting a good night's rest. After that calmed, suddenly my right foot was very painful. It felt like a sprain, but I could not remember doing anything that would cause that. Following several days of walking difficulty, as suddenly as it came, the pain was gone and I could walk normally.

Holly and her children then descended upon us in prelude to her brother-in-law getting married. It is interesting that the two Zabka boys grew up in California and both married girls from St. Charles. Small world. The boys were fun and Violet so cute, all three more than enjoyable. Our house was and still is a complete wreck, but Sue and I are enjoying the week together. Monday evening, we went to the Cardinals-Mets game and it was a great game and a glorious night. Hard to believe we are having resort weather in St. Louis the first week of July. After returning home, we went to bed, drained, totally exhausted, needing the great night's rest we received.

During all of this Sue's father was taken to the hospital. I stayed two nights with him in the hospital and that contributed to the tiredness that was almost overwhelming me.

Also, during this time, I was sick and Sue got mad at me. Her anger was not because I was sick, but because of the reason I was ill. I had not been taking the medicine prescribed by my cardiologist. She was mad, Holly was mad, Ed Watkins was mad, Ray Bayer was mad and Ed told me he was going to tell his wife and then she would be mad. Now I am taking my medicine to feel better and to escape the wrath of so many.

I have been reading a new book entitled "It's Our Ship" and will share some of the good things from this book at another time.

MEETING WITH REAL SERVANTS

This week I have had the privilege of meeting with some of God's special servants. Being with individuals who have a service mentality is inspirational and motivating.

First, I met with Ken McClure. Ken has spent most of his adult life in government service. He was director of budget research for the Missouri Senate, was a judge on the Missouri Public Service Commission, chief of staff for Governor Matt Blunt, and now serves as an Vice-President for administrative services at Missouri State University. In addition to those occupations, Ken is a strong Christian who continues to serve his Lord on a daily basis.

Second, I met with Dr. Mike Nietzel, president of Missouri State University. Dr. Nietzel is leading Missouri's second largest university to even greater heights. I shared my vision of MOHELA's Kindergarten program and requested that he provide scholarships for individuals who go through this program and graduate from high school. He readily agreed to do this.

Thirdly, I met again with Dr. Arthur Mallory, who continues to have great impact, not only on my life, but also the lives of all who come in contact with him. Arthur began the Parents as Teachers program that is now in every state and several foreign countries. He continues to underscore the impact this program has on the children and parents who are part of the program. All the research underscores what happens when children are brought up in this program. As a former president of Missouri State University, Commissioner of Education, and president of the Missouri Baptist Convention, he brings great ideas into every conversation. He is one of my heroes.

Fourthly, I spent Friday evening at the Ameristar Casino in St. Charles. I was not there to gamble, but to help honor a great servant who leads a great service program in St. Charles. I can't remember all the things in which Ed Watkins has had a hand; however, there are many. He helped in the building of the Highway 370 corridor which runs from I 270 to I 70 at Mid-Rivers, here in St. Charles. He started Sports St. Charles, been involved in EDC, Partners for Progress, helped raise funds for the 10,000 seat Family Arena, the Hyland Sports Arena at Lindenwood University, helped me in the building of Christian High School, sang with Sue and me in One Accord, built the Baseball Camp for hearing impaired children that brought such great baseball folks to the camp as Stan Musial, Red Schoendienst, Lou Brock, Bob Gibson, Ozzie Smith, Joe Torre, and football hall of famer, Roger Wehrli. Ed is a great servant.


I spent all day Saturday announcing four high school all-star baseball games at Lindenwood. When the day was over, I was bushed, but thankful I could still do something like the announcing and be in the presence of folks like Ken, Mike, Arthur, and Ed. I am a blessed person