Servant Leadership, a New Norm of Greatness

 MLK: A New Norm of Greatness

“Jesus gave us a new norm of greatness. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and your verb agree to serve. You don’t have to know about Plato and Aristotle to serve. You don’t have to know the second theory of thermodynamics in physics to serve. You only need a heart full of grace, a soul generated by love. And you can be that servant.”—Martin Luther King Jr., “Drum Major Instinct,” sermon, Atlanta, February 4, 1968.

Martin Luther King gives us the short version of servant ministry, which Bishop Bennett Sims described in his 1997 landmark book, Servanthood, Leadership for the Third Millennium. Our worthiness has nothing to do with our IQ.

Being a servant leader differs entirely from being the smartest, working to become the greatest, needing to control, or needing the admiration of others because of your abilities.
Servant leaders make room for and empower others, work to build up others, not to polish the system or the leader’s self-importance. A servant leader does not see production as the first purpose of any family system, endeavor, church, or business. Human enhancement, not human employment, is the primary aim of organizations led by servant leaders.

 Meaning and joy in work come from power with, not power over.
Sims describes collaboration with others as the “meat and potatoes” of human nourishment, while competition is the “salt and pepper.”
 Sims believes our society has been living on “spices.”

Being Part of the Symphony

Balbir Matbur: Part of the Symphony

“I plant trees, but I am not the doer of this work. I am the facilitator, the instrument—I am one part of the symphony. I know there is an overall scheme to this symphony that I cannot understand. In some way, we are each playing our own part. It is not for me to judge or criticize the life or work of another. All I know is that this is my dance. I would plant trees today even if I knew for certain that the world would end tomorrow.”—Balbir Matbur in Heron Dance interview (Issue 11) from Inward Outward, Daily Words, October 19, 2016, inwardoutward.org 

Our tickets at the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra were in the third row for many years. At times, we felt we were part of the orchestra. We knew who sat where, when someone new was there, or when someone was missing. We learned a few by name. Many orchestra members were still there when we first came to Little Rock over forty years ago.

I especially remember one moment many years ago when the first cellist had a twenty-second solo close to the end of the performance. Suddenly, his deep, melodious sound was heard above the rest of the orchestra, and then, just as suddenly, he faded back into the background to support the other instruments.

If I had been him, I would have been too nervous the whole night, waiting for that brief moment when the soloist’s voice soared above the rest of the orchestra. The professional cellist, of course, seemed as comfortable blending in the symphony as he was with his solo. He also continuously maintained direct eye contact with the conductor while playing his brief solo part. I later wondered about the many hours he must have practiced this short solo until it was almost part of his being.

The cellist taught me that we spend most of our lives as members of the orchestra with our unique instruments and talents, blending and giving depth to the composition assigned to us. Sometimes, we are called to speak out above the symphony’s music. Before we do this, however, we should be prepared by practicing, knowing our part intimately, especially the timing, and keeping our eye on the conductor. Most of the time, we are called to spend our gifts blending, supporting, and, in many ways, encouraging the sounds of others.

The Topping Out Ceremony of the ASO Stella Boyle Smith Music Center will now be Tuesday, January 30 from 10 - 11 a.m.

New Symphony home

Walking Prayer and Meditation

Thich Nhat Hanh: Walking Prayer and Meditation

“People say that walking on water is a miracle, but to me, walking peacefully on the earth is the real miracle. The Earth is a miracle, each step is a miracle. Taking steps on our beautiful planet can bring real happiness.”—Thich Nhat Hanh, The Long Road Turns To Joy, a Guide to Walking Meditation.

For many years, I would walk around the block in my neighborhood for twenty minutes before going to work at the hospital. This seems to quiet the committee meeting in my head. Putting my feet on the earth, even the pavement of the road, reconnected my head to my body as I become “grounded.”

When I am outside, I realize there is a world greater than where I live daily. There is a power greater than myself.
 I have trouble meditating by simply sitting, but some movement, such as walking, can lead me into that meditative journey. The Vietnamese Buddhist, Thich Nhat Hanh, is one of the most well-known meditative walkers. This pocket-sized book contains simple mindfulness exercises to practice as we walk.
He introduces us to several methods of following and listening to our breath as we walk. He teaches us to be aware of the ground, our feet touching it, and our breath.
My pattern became breathing in on the right foot and breathing out on the left. This was like walking the labyrinth and paying close attention to the path. In mindful walking, as I stay with my breath, no more rooms are available for that committee to meet in my head.
Thich Nhat Hanh compares walking to eating, nourishing our bodies with each step. With each step, we massage the Earth. When the baby Buddha was born, he took seven steps, and a Lotus flower blossomed under each step.
Thich Nhat Hanh suggests we imagine a flower blossoming with each step.
 We can also practice mindful walking anywhere, between meetings, in hospitals, at airports, and walking to our car. The Buddhist monk also offers several poems to recite while walking: “I have arrived, I am home, in the here, in the now. I am solid. I am free. In the ultimate, I dwell.”

Murfee labyrinth El Dorado