January 21, 2004
Volume 2: Issue 1
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with Dr. Jay Strack
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When I
think of January, I think of one word – opportunity. This is the perfect
time to begin anew. Have you ever wondered what January even means? It
originates from the Roman god Janus who is known as the god of beginnings,
doorways, and openings. He is depicted as having 2 faces – one looking
forward and one looking backward. He looks back towards unfinished
business and faces forward looking to new opportunities.
The term
opportunity is very interesting in and of itself. It can be
defined as a “wind that blows favorably.” The word is often depicted as a
great ship with its sails boasting at full mast and full of wind, clipping
along at top speeds towards its port of destination. The term communicates
momentum and of being zoned in to the task at hand.
My
favorite image of all time is the statue of opportunity. In the 4th
century B.C., there was a renowned sculptor named Lysippus who is credited
with more than 1500 statues and artistic works and is renowned for the
extreme delicacy with which he sculpted. Most notably, he was the chief
portrait maker for Alexander the Great. All the statues by Lysippus were
made in bronze and were usually modeled after heroes, athletes, and the
Greek gods. His statue of Opportunity depicts a man with wings on
his feet, a huge lock of hair on his forehead, and no hair on the back of
his head. When Lysippus made this sculpture, he also included an
inscription at the base of the statue that explained why he made it in
such a strange way. The reason for putting wings on Opportunity’s
feet is that opportunity has the quality of flying away quickly. The huge
lock of hair on Opportunity’s forehead was for people to recognize
him while he was there and as for why Opportunity is bald in
back—well when he’s gone, it is impossible for anyone to reach out and
grab him to come back.
What a
powerful picture and what great insight by Lysippus! Opportunities we have
come and go quickly. We should never fail to make the most of them when
they are here, and when they are gone, we will never have another chance
to grab hold of them. Not taking the opportunity to make a shot in an NBA
game could mean a total loss for the team. Many games have been won
because a player took the opportunity he had – sometimes as little as 3 or
4 tenths of a second – to make the shot and to make it count. Small
hesitations and second thoughts have been the price tag for many lost
games! Opportunities come and go. Are you making the most of your
opportunities?
Our great
adversary Satan would like nothing better than to steal away all of our
opportunities. If he can get us to waste them and watch them go by, then
he has succeeded in neutralizing and hindering us from reaching our full
potential for the Kingdom of God. We must use our time wisely! Not to do
so would be to throw away the opportunities that God places before us.
Shakespeare wrote in Julius Caesar,
“There is
a tide in the affairs of men,
Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune;
Omitted, all the voyage of their life
Is bound in shallows and in miseries.” (4.3.217)
Napoleon is also reported to have said, “There is in the midst of every
great battle a 10 to 15 minute period that is the crucial point. Take that
period, and you win the battle; lose it and you will be defeated.” We must
make the most of our time and of each opportunity - we cannot afford
defeat in the game of life! This is your opportunity to develop the leader
within!
Dr. Jay |
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with
Luke Lin
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Excellence is never an accident! It is the product of meticulous work
invested towards a goal over a sustained period of time. An accident,
however, is always a last-minute outcome that results from lack of
preparation and poor planning. When accidents happen, we spend a lot of
our time and energy worrying about fixing the problems that have resulted
or agonizing over the way things could have been.
The cost of not applying yourself towards excellence in every opportunity
can result in the death of your dreams and goals, and it can mean the loss
of other even greater opportunities that would have resulted. We must as
leaders ensure that we grasp every opportunity to propel ourselves towards
excellence – we cannot afford to miss out on God’s best for our lives.
Begin by doing what you can in your arena to make a difference. For
example, begin by responding to several of our featured articles this
month. As an article details, if it bothers you that only nine percent of
professing Christians holds a genuinely biblical worldview, then enroll in
classes that will help you shape an accurate biblical understanding and
begin Bible studies that will encourage others to develop their
comprehension of God’s Word as well. Or as another article this month
expresses, there are certain companies that step way beyond the boundaries
of sex appeal to sell their merchandise. Take the needed opportunity to
respond by boycotting, writing and calling to express your thoughts on
such marketing.
For those things that deeply move you to action, take the steps necessary
to ensure that no opening fall by the wayside and that you reach far above
mediocrity in all that you do. Look for these opportunities and act on
them! After all, excellence is not an accident. |
featuring Dale Glover
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I have seen a lot
of things happen in student ministry over the past 18
years. Most of what has happened has been good - from tools
that inform and challenge to a hodge-podge of events - but
never has the nature of student ministry changed as much as it
has now! With all of the key ingredients of our purpose the
same as before, somewhere down the road we ceased to be as
effective. When I discovered this in my own ministry, I
started to search to strengthen what seemed to be the weak
points in my students. What I discovered was that they lacked
both leadership and lordship. I began to seek the
Lord’s guidance in each of these areas and I then discovered
what I believe to be the total package to instill a defining
moment event, Student Leadership University.
Over the past nine
years we have sent over 200 students through the process of
leadership training and there have been some astounding
results! Out of the 200 students that we have seen complete
SLU, over 190 are still actively involved in church with over
150 in committed leadership positions and 49 in ministry
positions. All of these students are involved in evangelism,
servant leadership, and are in the top 10% of their graduating
class.
Through Student
Leadership University, the Lord has opened doors and developed
dreams in me to begin a lordship process to move students from
complacency to commitment called the Jesus Ring Project (www.jesusring.com)
and it will be ushered into over 60 thousand churches this
year! It all comes down to this: we have each been given
something to work with for God’s kingdom and it is our job to
develop what we have been entrusted with. I can promise you
that SLU will help your students do that and might be able to
teach old dogs some new tricks.
Remember, this is
not your run of the mill camp. SLU is a serious week for
serious students. But, if you will take a chance with your
core group and invest SLU into them, it will pay dividends for
years to come.
His!
Dale Glover
Luke
5:38
Click here to find
out how Dale and his youth group fundraised over $22,500 to
come to SLU!
www.cellfund.com |
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Can you believe
it's already 2004!? Before you know it, the summer season of
SLU will be here! Registrations have been piling in, and we
are looking forward to having the biggest and best season of
SLU yet! And thanks to our sponsors, SLU is offering an
all-time low price. If you haven't registered yet, be sure to
register soon! The Super Early Bird deadline of March 15 is
coming quickly, so don't miss your opportunity to take part in
our 10th Anniversary pricing! Don't forget our "7-11" deal on SLU 101 - if you register 7 people, the 8th person gets to
come for half price, and if you register 11 people, the 12th
person registers for FREE!
Youth Pastors!
Our Youth Pastors Summit this spring will be held here in
Orlando from March 11-12. We are featuring an incredible slate
of speakers this year, including Ed Young, Jr., David Nasser,
Bob Reccord, Michael Chatman, Jay Strack, and others. You
won't want to miss this completely FREE event, so
register
online today!
Thanks for your
participation in Student Leadership University. It is our
privilege to remain your source for student leadership issues
and for leadership motivation. It will truly be an exciting
year! As always, we want to hear from you. If you have any
concerns, questions, suggestions, or comments, please let us
know. May this
truly be a year of great opportunities for you!
To view past
editions of The Edge, check out our archive
here.
Questions or comments are always welcome. E-mail us at
edge@studentleadership.net
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January 2004
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On the
Edge
Dr. Jay Strack, President and Founder of Student
Leadership University, shares an exclusive leadership
insight on opportunity
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Edge Ledge
Your section
for culture and Christianity. Discover ways to make
the most of every opportunity you have |
Life on the Edge
Read the story
of an SLU Youth Pastor who fundraised over $22,500
to send students to SLU! Send your story to us at
edge@studentleadership.net
This month, we
feature Dale Glover |
Cutting Edge
What's in
store for the New Year with SLU? Get the latest scoop on
what's happening here at Student Leadership University |
Featured Articles
Check out the
featured articles of the month, including a new Barna
poll, an article debunking college myths, and
advice on how to transform your failures into success
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Follow the links for the
full article. |
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The Dirty Little Secret of
College
One in four
college freshmen at four-year universities do not return
for their sophomore year. Why? Call it the dirty little
secret of college. Stanford University also describes it
as...
Read full article |
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New Barna Poll on
Christians and their Worldviews
A new survey
by pollster George Barna who surveyed over 2,033 adults in
his study found that, of professing born-again Christians,
a genuinely biblical worldview was only held by...
Read full article |
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Transforming Failure Into
Success
These five
principles will help you transform feelings of failure
into motivations for success...
Read full article |
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The Vixenette
Read this
dramatic presentation of a situation that is at the heart
of the Christ and Culture debates. Do the things we listen
to or watch really affect us...
Read full article |
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A Boycott that Worked
If you go into
your local shopping mall, you'll find something missing
from the counter...
Read full article |
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The Year in Review
What did last
year look like? More importantly, how does that affect
what happens this year...
Read full article |
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"In
the middle of every difficulty lies opportunity."
Albert Einstein
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"When one door
of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at
the closed door that we do not see the one which has been opened
for us."
Helen Keller |
"Opportunity is
missed by most because it is dressed in overalls and looks like
work."
Thomas Edison |
"The pessimist sees
difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees the
opportunity in every difficulty."
Winston Churchill |
"For you,
brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty
as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one
another."
Galatians 5:13 NKJV |
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We want to hear from you! Do you
have a thoughtful response to the articles here? Have you
written a paper on one of the issues we're discussing this month
or have discussed? Send it to us at
edge@studentleadership.net |
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Established in 1994, Student Leadership University's
purpose is to empower students to conquer the future!
Combining hands-on experimental learning with a dynamic
classroom setting, students are equipped to influence
their generation for Christ with confidence.
For more information, visit us at
www.studentleadership.net or call us toll-free at
888-260-2900.
Edge Executive Editor:
Chris Crowe
Edge Associate Editor:
Luke Lin
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