Leadership Lesson Series: Trust One Another

In college I rock climbed quite frequently. There is more time for that sort of thing prior to a family and career. One bright Saturday my longtime friend Brian* and I decided to go climb some routes at Tennessee Wall near Chattanooga, TN. Known locally as T-Wall this beautiful cliff set in the Tennessee River Gorge offers grand vistas and legendary traditional routes that attract climbers from around the world. Near the end of a fantastic day of climbing, I was leading a moderately hard route while my close friend Brian belayed from below. I methodically placed one piece of protection into the rock after another paying little attention to my surroundings beyond the line I was climbing. I trusted my belayer who held the end of my rope and therefore my life in his hands. We communicated with one word sentences without having to looking at each other. "Slack." I would say as I continued up the cliff-face. "Thanks." He replied. "Take." I yelled after placing another piece of protection into the rock to secure the rope. "Thanks." I heard from below.

One-word commands are the best way for a climbing team to communicate without an over abundance of "What did you say?" A team that is experienced with one another and knows each other can more accurately fulfill a one-word command like "Tension" with just the right amount of force. Trust between a climber and belayer is everything. As I neared the top of the cliff I was able to hear a squirrel jumping from branch to branch in the trees at the top. But this was at the back of my mind as I focused all my effort on finishing the last few feet of the climb. It was not an easy route and as the leader I would need to build an anchor once I reached the top. Climbing is about pacing your self to avoid using all your energy too early. It requires a lot of focus and it is easy to ignore whats going on around you, which can be a major mistake.

Suddenly I heard a piercing crack! I knew something must have broken loose at the top of the cliff. I did what all climbers are trained to do when something falls from above and yelled at the top of my lungs, "Rock!" I pulled my body in tight to the cliff as I knew Brian would below. This is the safest spot as falling objects are most likely to bounce out away from the cliff-face. Out of the corner of my eye I saw not a rock, but a log bigger than any person go falling by me. My first thought was "God save us." Next, I thought if Brian is hit, let him only be injured. This was for his sake and mine because I knew, short of being killed, he would find a way to lower me to the bottom. He was my only way down! A split second after yelling "Rock" I heard a second crack. I looked down and saw a log 8 feet long and 8 to 10 inches in diameter right where Brian had been standing.

To my relief I saw he was not under it. God spared us that day I have no doubt. That experience also impressed on me the importance and value of trusting those with whom we venture outside. This trust becomes even more indispensable when we are responsible for leading others. It is no wonder Jesus sent his disciples out in pairs to preach the Gospel before the leaving them with the Great Commission. They needed to trust not only him, but also one another. He could have sent them out individually and covered more territory. But he knew the value of companionship and trust. We are always more likely to succeed when we have both. The beauty is that by learning how to trust each other we also learn how to trust God more.

You must trust your fellow staff if you are to succeed in the mission of your group or organization. No church, outreach, club, or mission will be successful if the staff lack trust. Here are several tips to grow trust among your staff. Use an interview process to filter out untrustworthy staff candidates before they even join the team. Ask a couple questions such as: How would you handle it if you were asked to do something you know is unethical but not illegal?” or “Would you report a dishonest co-worker to your manager?” Also, be sure to actually check out any references they provide. Give new staff some time to mingle and get to know current staff they will interact with regularly before making them permanent. Give them a trial period to ensure its a good fit for both of you. To build trust among your current staff, plan some staff only events. An afternoon filled with games and socializing is a good start. Tryout some classic team building games that encourage working together and get people out of their comfort zone just a little. Outdoor activities like an overnight camping trip are a great way to build interpersonal trust. A day spent learning to rock climb will build trust, guaranteed! For other team building ideas and activities check out this article by U.S. News The Best Team-Building Exercises or the book 365 Low or No Cost Workplace Teambuilding Activities by John Peragine and Grace Hudgins.

Written by David F. Garner
*Names have been changed for privacy.

Christian Outdoor Object Lesson 66: Winter Support

Key Verse

“Let us not neglect meeting together, as some have made a habit, but let us encourage one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” Hebrews 10:25 BSB

Lesson

Where do all the birds go in the winter? It is well known that many birds fly south for the winter. But not all birds do so. Many remain in cold regions and endure the snow, ice, and frigid weather including Cardinals, certain wrens, some woodpeckers and others. It is incredible to think that some birds would choose to remain in cold climates when they can so easily fly south to warmer areas. Perhaps if they all went south there would not be enough food for all of them. So how do birds stay warm in the cold and where do they go if not south?

On most nights birds sleep in a nest or on a tree branch. During cold winter nights birds seek warm lodgings out of the wind. Such places include cavities in trees, tree stumps, vine tangles, upturned roots, old barn roofs, and bird houses to name a few. Birds have been known to stay just about anywhere they can find, including a mailbox. I’m sure that post man was quite surprised. Birds tend to only go out in the cold when the must for food. This is why they are seen less during the winter. They only travel as far as required to find insects or bird feeders to eat.

Birds have other ways of combating low temperatures besides going inside. They will often add insulation to their winter roost with bits of moss, twigs, leaves, and man-made material such as paper. They can also ruffle their feathers up to trap more heat around their little body. Of course, the best way birds use to stay warm is to huddle together with other birds. As many as 46 birds have been documented inside one nesting box!1

Birds know the value of relationships. Having others around to support you when things get hard can be a big help and even save your life. The early Christians realized the benefit of relationships and community also. That is why in Hebrews 10:25 Paul encouraged his fellow Christians to meet frequently so they could encourage one another. It is not safe to be a Christian all alone with out the support of fellow believers. Jesus also encouraged believers to get together when he said where two or three are gathered in my name I am there also (Matthew 18:20). We need each other, especially in hard times, for warmth and support.

Questions

What are some things you could do to help ensure birds make it through the cold winter?

Do we have to be part of a church to be Christian?

Can you come up with some other reasons why it is important to meet with fellow Christians?

What could you tell someone who says they don’t need other Christians?

Sources

1 Joe Smith. “How Do Birds Stay Warm on a Cold Winter’s Night?” (JANUARY 19, 2016). The Nature Conservancy. Accessed January 1, 2018 from https://blog.nature.org/science/2016/01/19/how-birds-stay-warm-cold-winters-night/.



Written by David F. Garner

Photo Credit: christijamin via www.pixabay.com

Activity: Rope Connections

Activity Type:
Icebreaker, trust builder.

Time:
5-8 minutes.

Group size:
3-15 people. 

Goal:
This game is ideal to get a new group comfortable with each other. It is also a fantastic way to build trust in any group and especially in a new group.

Materials:
A 3 foot (1 meter) piece of sturdy rope or webbing is needed for each participant in the activity. It is necessary to use a strong rope not string or twine. Preferably use a rope that is at least 3/8” or 7mm.

Instructions:

This activity is best done at the beginning of a trip or activity period. If you have a larger group break them up into smaller groups of no more than 15 people. 

Begin by passing a piece of rope to each participant. Tell them this represents themselves as an individual. Next, ask the group to make a circle facing the middle with everyone about 1 foot (30 cm) apart. Instruct each person to turn to the right and tie the right end of their rope to the left end of the rope that belongs to the person on their right. When this is done the ropes tied together should make one giant circle. Each person should still be holding their rope but now it is tied to the rope of the person on either side of them. Note: everyone must tie their own knot, no helping each other!

Now comes the trust building part. Have each person hold their section of rope and step backwards until the circle is almost tight. Finally, ask each person to hold onto their rope section and lean outward away from the circle until they are being held up by the rope. Ideally, the knots will all hold together and no-one will fall to the ground. Everyone will be holding each other up. If it does not work the first time, fix the mistake and try again until the group can lean out without falling. After the first try, you can allow group members to help each other to tie secure knots.

Potential Lesson:
Trust: If one person does not tie a good knot the whole group can fall over. You must trust your team members to do their part.

Teamwork: Point out how teamwork is critical for this to work. If someone decides not to cooperate the whole thing fails. Every single person in the group matters and they must all cooperate or it will not work. Teamwork is very important! (See Ecclesiastes 4:9-10)
Humility: If we do not know how to do something the group is relying on us to do, we should be humble and admit we don't know. We should be willing to ask for help rather than put the whole group at risk because of pride.

Christian Outdoor Object Lesson 19: Knots and Unity

Key Verse

I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me. Philippians 4:13 WEB

Lesson

What is the best knot? There are hundreds of knots. Knots are used for many purposes. Some are used for decoration. Others are useful for every day tasks because they are simple and effective. Some knots are good for very specific tasks but not much good for anything else. Knots can be easy and quick to tie or complex and take a long time to master.

Knots have a real power. What would we do without them? A piece of rope is not much good without knots. You could jump rope with it, or play tug-of-war. Perhaps it would be good for scratching your back. Ok maybe not. Knots provide endless uses for ropes.

Joining two ends of rope together with a knot makes the rope pieces more useful then either would be alone. Knots are incredible because the rope itself will break before the knot comes undone. Knots have represented a bond of togetherness or unity for centuries. When we unite together with each other as friends or family we are stronger than alone. Uniting with God makes us even stronger. Philippians 4:13 tells us that Christ strengthens us enough to accomplish anything. 

So what is the best knot? A figure 8 knot is said to be the strongest knot. A bowline knot never tightens even when pulling a heavy load. A square knot has an endless number of applications. But the best knot is always the correct one for the job. Knowing the right knot will allow you to do anything with rope. Knowing God and being united with him will allow you to do anything he asks of you.

Questions

What is your favorite knot?

How to we unite with God to receive his power?

How do we achieve unity with friends or family?

Written By David F. Garner
Photo Credit Steen Jepson