Posts by Joe Schum

“Whoever wishes to rank first must remain the last one and the servant of all”. 

~ Mark 9:35

Ambition, pride and hubris…among all the other ways we can channel our behavior; is human.  There’s so much talk about servant leadership today and still, rarely is it exhibited, even in the occasional way.  I had an interesting exchange recently in a faith based setting that caused discomfort when I mentioned this was not only needed, and also demanded of us to live a truly righteous, fulfilled life.  So even the most aware of these teachings struggle with this.  Have you noticed that the greatest of us tend to also be some of the most humble, and giving?  Servant leadership: It takes practice.

Show yourself in all respects a model of good deeds, and in your teaching show integrity, gravity, ~ Titus 2:7

While on a recent pilgrimage, attending daily mass, my homilist conveyed his concern for the lack of guidance from leading generations to emerging ones. That younger, emerging generations are truly falling behind. Not just in what is needed to be fruitful, also what is needed to be a fulfilled, compassionate and ultimately wise steward of the world. We need to be there for them. To listen to them. To show them different, better ways to walk through this world, not relying on solving its problems with man’s ideas. What are you doing to serve those who would benefit from what you know to be the truth? How are you helping others not be so in love with this world that they have lost sight of what is truly important and available to them and others in God’s world and beyond? Here’s a secret: they are waiting and wanting us to be there for them! So let’s be there for them and each other. I’m in. Who’s with me?

“For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, virtue with knowledge, knowledge with self-control, self-control with endurance, endurance with devotion, devotion with mutual affection, mutual affection with love.” ~ 2 Peter 1:5-7 I came across this passage very recently and it struck me in this way: it’s not about falling…

“You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending.”  ~ C.S. Lewis The past is gone.  It’s a history that is not yours.  Shedding our past can be a difficult and painful experience, and also an uplifting and freeing one.  We can change the ending! …

Proverbs 18:24   “There are friends who pretend to be friends, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother”   Do you have friends in your workplace? I’m not talking about lunch buddies and cube farm chat pals. Do you have a loyal friend where you work or within the market or…

“Courage is not the absence of fear; it is the refusal to be mastered by it.” ~Mark Hart One of the four cardinal virtues. When was the last time you displayed courage to yourself or others when challenged with a new idea or direction? Courage isn’t just about digging out of the negative situation you…