Like Jimmy Carter, how might we do good work with the rest of our lives?
Last week, the nation and the Carter family laid to rest the 39th President of the United States, Jimmy Carter. Partisan debates aside, Carter is almost universally regarded as a good human being who aimed to live out his faith through his family and his work. There are more than a few leadership lessons we can learn as we reflect on Carter’s public life. Hearing his oldest son describe the way his dad responded when he failed Latin in grade school also makes it abundantly clear that we can glean wisdom from his personal life, as well. One of the most talked-about characteristics of Carter’s leadership is that he was honest. He publicly declared that he would not lie to the American people. While a promise not to lie seems naïve to many of us today, historians believe that Carter kept his word. In leadership, it is tempting to shade the truth to avoid conflict or to ensure that plans continue to move forward. Carter may have suffered professionally for his commitment to being a truth-teller. What price are we willing to pay to tell the truth? When Carter lost his bid for reelection, he was 56 years old. At the time, he was America’s youngest living ex-president and when he died at 100 years old, he was the oldest living president. In the aftermath of a failed candidacy for reelection and what some regard as a disappointing presidency, Carter could have used his resources to rebuild the “Carter brand.” Instead, he became a champion for forgotten people around the world. Most of us will not inherit the influence of being a former U.S. president, but all of us can ask ourselves the same question that motivated him: What good work can I do with the rest of my life?
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| | The former president’s message was that the work of faith is hard but the calling is simple, writes a former executive director of the New Baptist Covenant who worked with Carter. |
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| Seven Christian writers reflect on the election results and how to move forward faithfully. |
By Austin Almaguer, William H. Lamar IV, Liz Theoharis, Lydia Shiu, Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove, Adam Russell Taylor, and Michael Wear
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| When we focus only on the shiniest success stories, we miss out on what we can learn from the realities of failure, writes a director of grants for Leadership Education at Duke Divinity.
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By Victoria Atkinson White |
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| COVID has complicated how we determine the scale of our work, but asking key questions can help, writes the executive director of Leadership Education at Duke Divinity. |
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| Not content to do just some good, the former senior engineering director at Google has tackled the question of how to help social organizations do more good. Her lessons: think big, start small and relentlessly seek impact.
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Interview with Ann Mei Chang |
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What’s so remarkable about Carter’s life, especially his post-presidency years, is the impact he had. At the start of the new year, we are making plans and setting goals. What might be different if we set our sights on making an impact? What if we asked new questions? For example, in what ways might the human and financial resources in our congregations be stewarded to bring about a change in our neighborhoods and a transformation in the lives of our members? Although this kind of change can take a long time to measure, what good work do we want to start that could bear significant fruit in 10 or 20 years?
Take some time to sit with your leaders and wrestle with these questions. Only God knows the difference your church could make.
You can always reach me and the Alban Weekly team at alban@duke.edu. Until next week, keep leading! |
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| Editor Alban at Duke Divinity School |
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