Beauty on the Backroads

Stories of grace for life's unexpected turns

faith & spirituality

Swimming in the deep end

Today’s post is part of the second leadership synchroblog by Evangelical Seminary. This week’s topic: How do we define “depth” in leadership? (You can also read my contribution on the topic of “What makes a good leader?”)

I’m not a big fan of swimming. Oh, I can watch Michael Phelps or Missy Franklin or any other Olympic swimmer do their thing in primetime, but to suit up myself and do some laps? No, thanks.

Truth be told, the water sort of scares me. I’m good in the shallow end, where I can touch the bottom, but lead me into deeper waters and I start to envision drowning and dramatic rescues. My lungs start to burn thinking about holding my breath and I get leg cramps and … well, you get the idea. It’s not pretty in my head.

I sometimes feel the same way about depth. Deep people scare me a little. They’re so in tune with who they are and what they’re about. They’re comfortable with their weaknesses and failures and they don’t seem to care what other people think.

Me? I’m over in the kiddie pool of conversation, deflecting questions to other people like a beach ball in a game of keep away. I’m unnaturally curious about other people (it’s the journalist in me) but asking me to go deep is like asking me to jump off the high dive in front of an audience. It’s not going to happen. At least not without help.

And that’s where deep leaders come in.

© Lisa James | Dreamstime.com

If we stick with the swimming analogy, they’re in the deep end already. They’ve faced their fears and forged ahead in spite of them. They’ve been in over their heads, learned how to keep their heads above water without losing focus. They’ve gained strength and stamina from being in a place where few people tread. They’ve made the decision to step away from the easy, shallow waters and make waves in the deeper water.And deep leaders don’t exclude others from the deep end. They not only say, “Come on in, the water’s fine,” they swim back to those in the shallow end and guide the willing into deeper waters, sharing their experiences of going deep. They acknowledge that, yes, the deep end can be scary, but it won’t overwhelm us. Like these words from Scripture:

When you pass through the waters,
I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers,
they will not sweep over you.

Some of my deepest moments have come because of others who were willing to share the deep parts of themselves with me first. And they’ve been deep waters I’ve needed to pass through. Without a hand to guide me, I would have been overwhelmed.

Deep leaders have passed through the deep waters of life and are still swimming.

How would you define depth in leadership?

Remember who you are: Review of The Wingfeather Saga by Andrew Peterson

I recently finished reading Andrew Peterson’s The Wingfeather Saga, books 1-3 (a fourth is on its way). Below are some overall impressions of each of the books. I wouldn’t want to ruin the story for anyone, so I didn’t get too specific about plot. My husband read these first and it was hard for him to not talk about what happens in each of the books until after I’d read them. I’d recommend these books in a nanosecond.

On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness

I have loved Andrew Peterson’s musical stories for years, and after my husband (who typically does not read books quickly) tore through this series, I was eager to give them a shot. This first book in The Wingfeather Saga starts slow and builds a lot of background for the Igiby family. It’s not that it’s a hard read or a bad story or anything. I love the relationships between the children, their mother and grandfather, and the trouble they find themselves in. Everything I love about Peterson’s music translates to the pages of this story somehow, and I found myself wishing there was a soundtrack for the book. I am wowed by Peterson’s creativity in forming a world with fascinating and frightening creatures with detailed descriptions and amusing names. I’ve said that I’m not a fan of the fantasy genre, but I think I’m being won over of late by works like this. I look forward to sharing these stories with my kids as they get older and letting their imaginations run wild. This book will whet your appetite for more. (And thankfully, there are more!)

North! Or Be Eaten

If the first book started slow, then this book is the opposite. I felt like it started with action and never let up through the whole book. It was intense and thrilling. The middle book(s) of a series sometimes lack a little as they pave the way for the conclusion, but not so this one. It was my favorite of the three (a fourth is to come). The Igiby children learn tough and valuable lessons as they flee for their lives. They struggle to work together and wonder if their mission is worth it. They long for the good-old days, before they knew who they were and the responsibility that carried. Worked throughout the story is the struggle of living enslaved to an evil power (the Fangs) although life was simpler and fleeing and fighting that evil for the promise of something better. As in the first book, the creatures and lands Andrew Peterson created in his mind translate well on the page. Maps and illustrations are a small part of that. He has the ability to take a familiar animal and transform it into something fitting for this mythical world. A page-turner, for sure. My husband warned me not to read them too quickly or I’d find myself at the end wanting more. But the story is so good, I couldn’t put it down.

The Monster in the Hollows

Just when you think you know what’s going to happen and how things are going to end, Andrew Peterson gives you a shocking and surprising twist. And you LOVE him for it. The Igiby family finds themselves in their mother’s homeland but things are far from easy. Peterson weaves deep truths into this story, the most memorable for me is this: Remember who you are. The characters struggle with identity and perception and guilt and shame. Through it all they grow and change and affect the world around them for good. I didn’t want this book to end because book 4, the concluding piece, is still a long way off. But Peterson’s story is so captivating, you can’t take it slow. So my only word of caution is that once you start this series, you’ll finish it quickly and find yourself eager for the conclusion. Book 4 can’t come soon enough!