My 5c Worth Of Leadership Advice

shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly;
First Peter 5:2

What makes a good leader? At our last monthly leadership training night we explored this question. The answer is more critical than ever for any church. While many churches are facing all kinds of problems, the solution to them is bound up in the answer to our question. 

We could summarise this answer with 5 C words.

Character

Character is invisible but eventually evident to all. It is what constitutes a person. A person of refined character strength is someone who can handle criticism and correction sweetly and well. It enables a person to endure when the opposition is fierce but the cause is right. It motivates a person to do long hours of preparation in private what is necessary in order to be done in minutes in the public. 

Competence

Sincerity is a beautiful leadership trait, but sincere leaders can inadvertently hurt people. Sincerity alone is not enough. Good leaders must also be competent which means that they have undergone training, evaluation, correction, and have gained supervised experience appropriate for their duties.

Chemistry

Lone leaders are limited. For any leader to increase their leadership capacity they must be able to work with other leaders. This requires a certain chemistry. It takes good chemistry for a leader to know how to deal with another leader who may be irritable or under stress. It takes good leadership chemistry to work with a shy discouraged fragile leader.   

Connection

Someone has said that you can tell if someone is a leader if they have people following them. Conversely, if someone claims to be a leader and there is no one following them, they aren’t leading, they are just going for a walk! Good leaders build connection with those they are leading. They spend time with them. They grow to understand them. And importantly, they build trust with those they are responsible for. Good connection involves good communication. (This skill is critically important for any leader called upon to preach. While a preacher’s sermon content is important, it is all for nothing if the preacher has no connection with their hearers.)   

Calling

In churches, we often list calling first as the prime quality required for good leading. But being called by God is not the final stage in the making of a good leader. And while it may take place ‘before the foundation of the world’ in God’s sovereign scheme, it is often a sense which grows in the realisation of the called. Experience tells us that God often equips the called over many years with – trials and tests, incredible problems, people who irritate us, people who stretch us and bring the best out of us.   

Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.
Ephesians 4:15-16

Christ deserves the best we can offer Him. This includes how we look after His Church. Of course these leadership qualities also apply in other arenas of life such as parenting and business management. If you have surrendered yourself to God then chances are pretty good that He is already at work in your life to develop these 5 Cs.

Pastor Andrew

The 5 Must-Have Character Traits

Each week, on a Wednesday morning, I am the invited guest on our local radio station. Usually, I take a life issue and give some advice on how people can address it. This week I addressed an issue that is relevant to us all. And as I was thinking about each of our students around Australia I was struck by how relevant it might be for us all. 

ABOUT CHARACTER

Character is who we really are. A person’s character is not changed by adversity - it’s revealed by it! But how a person deals with success is as much a glimpse into their character as adversity is. Success can sometimes mean that a person is deprived of the advantage of daily struggles. And it is in those times when a person is not compelled to do anything that their true character is also often revealed. This might seem counter-intuitive because many of think that when we have plenty of time, talents and treasure we can become a better person. But our available time, talents, and treasure does not limit or grow our character. Yet, our character can limit or grow our time, talents and treasure! A person can change their character - to either improve or damage it.

THE 5 “MUST-HAVE” CHARACTER TRAITS

#5 - Humility: 

Virtuous character starts with humility. It takes humility to admit your real needs, your mistakes, and to accept a realistic view of yourself.

#4 - Teachability: 

You can have the best teachers in the world, but not be teachable, and you won’t learn much. Conversely, if you are teachable it’s amazing what you can learn. How easy are you to correct?

#3 - Consideration: 

People who learn to be considerate of others make themselves very attractive. Considerate people invariably become thankful people. Thankful people can not avoid being happy people.

#2 - Preparation: 

It takes developed character strength to prepare well. For athletes this means early mornings pounding the pavement or hours of lonely times in the gym. For students this means making sacrifices to not be out with friends so that they can study. 

#1 - Perseverance: 

Virtuous character culminates in pleasant perseverance. Many people start things but only a few start and finish the same things. Whether it’s a book, a diet, an exercise regime, a marriage, or a course of study, perseverance is required. 

If you take steps to develop these five ‘must-have’ character traits you position yourself to maximise not only your happiness and sense of significance, but also your time, talents, and treasure.

Andrew

'A' GRADE CHARACTER

Every parent wants their children to do well at school. When they receive their child's school report they look hopefully at it to see if they got any 'A's. But there is a set of 'A's that every parent should want for their child that will have a lasting benefit for their lives well beyond the school ground.

When it comes to helping their children learn, many parents confuse schooling for education. If you have to choose, choose education. And while your children's teachers are busy showing your children how to do well on the Government's Naplan tests, you might like to introduce six 'A's that you insist your children learn: Ability, Accountability, Awareness, Attachment, Actuality, and Awe.

and endurance produces character, and character produces hope
Romans 5:4

These six 'A's are the components of character. Character is the fabric of a person's soul. This fabric can be weak - torn by the slightest flutter, or it can be strong - able to withstand life's storms and adjust accordingly.

The story is told of a couple of friends who grew up together. One of the young men leaves his hometown and eventually builds a very successful business. Meanwhile, his childhood friend who remained in their hometown has become a struggling carpenter. As the years go by, the successful businessmen pines to return to his childhood hometown and does. The news of his return spreads around the town. He soon catches up with childhood friend and learns that he has become a carpenter. "That's great!" he tells his tradesman friend, "You can build my my new home!" The proposed house is grand. It is the biggest project that the carpenter has ever undertaken. Added to this, his successful businessman friend has offered to pay very generously for its construction. Without a contract, the two old friends shake hands and the deal is done.

As the carpenter is building the new home, he becomes angry. "How dare he come back into town and start throwing his money around like a big-shot!" he thinks. The more he thinks about how unfair life has been, the closer he gets to his hatching his scheme. He begins to reason that this old friend might be a good businessman, but he surely doesn't know much about carpentry and building. He further reasons that if he was to scrimp here and there and use second grade material rather than the first grade material he quoted on, he could increase his profit margin and his wealthy friend would never know the difference. But as he begins to swindle his friend he goes far further than he ever intended. But when the day comes to hand over the newly constructed house to his friend and client, he has a moment of guilt about what he has done but then quickly dismisses it because he reasons his wealthy friend can afford it. As he brazenly hands the keys of the new home over to his client he is then stunned when his old friend explains why he is giving the keys back. "I heard that things had been tough for you. I've done well in life and I'd like to do something for you. You've built me the finest house money could buy - and you've poured your heart and sould into building it. I'd like to give you this house as a gift!"

Character is the fabric of our lives just like the building material was the fabric of the house in this story. Just as a house can have a fancy façade and a coat of paint to hide its structural deficiencies, so we too can put up façades to hide our character deficiencies. These six 'A's are the ingredients to first-grade character development.

Practice these things, immerse yourself in them, so that all may see your progress.
First Timother 4:15

1. ABILITY

Every child needs to develop their abilities. This can only happen when allowed to fail. It takes practice. (Most children do not naturally understand the difference between rehearsing and practicing). Developing abilities involves stretching present capactities, focussing for an extended period of time, learning from those with better abilities. It unavoidably involves setbacks. It requires persistence. Life demands certain abilities and the level of a person's character is how those demands are met.

To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away.
Matt. 25:15

2. ACCOUNTABILITY

None us of like to be corrected. But without the character strength to accept correction our children's characters cannot be developed. Children must be taught how to receive correction, welcome it, and apply it humbly. This is the process of accountability. Parents often don't want to correct their children for fear of nagging or discouraging, but children need to understand that being held accountable for their actions (what they've done) and responsibilities (what they should do) will set them up for maximising their life's potential. Accountability also involves congratulating, rewarding, and celebrating your children's efforts as well.

For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it.
James 2:10

It takes an extended season of heat and pressure to turn a piece of coal into a diamond.

¶ In the end, serious reprimand is appreciated
far more than bootlicking flattery.
Proverbs 28:23

3. AWARENESS

Parents are responible to make their children aware of no only what is right and wrong, but also, what is appropriate and what is inappropriate. Learning the right and appropriate way to behaveis an essential skill for life. It requires the character trait of awareness.

¶ For our boast is this, the testimony of our conscience, that we behaved in the world with simplicity and godly sincerity, not by earthly wisdom but by the grace of God, and supremely so toward you.
Second Corinthians 1:12

4. ATTACHMENT

When surveyed, the majority of employers said that they would employ someone who was moderately competent and able to get along with others, before they would employ someone highly competent. Getting along with others is a learned art. Parents may be proud that their child gets an 'A' for Social Studies (History and Society, "Sose") but if their child lacks social skills that 'A' means little. From the toddler years, parents train their children to share, to be polite, respectful of elders and those in authority, how to apologise, how to hold a conversation with appropriate eye-contact, and how to show sympathy.

Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.
Romans 12:10

5. ACTUALITY

Character is strengthened when reality is accepted. Our children may not like reality. They may not be willing to accept it. But as soon as they do they are best equipped to begin to deal with it. Apparently Denial is not just a place in Egypt! Playing in a Grand Final for the losing team. Failing an exam. Not passing a test. Being told you can't sing. Not being selected. Attracting certain people. Finding yourself repeatedly in similar circumstances. Earning money but never having any. Helping your child align with the actual world rather than the ideal world, will be one of the greatest training gifts you can give them.

For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now.
Romans 8:22

In the actual world, dishes need washing up (not just putting in the sink for someone else to do), clothes need folding and putting away, grass needs mowing, people let you down, people offend you, and you let people down and offend others. Parents should help their children to accept the actual world of reality in which we live and learn to forgive, forget, flex, and friend well.

6. AWE

If you add nothing else to your child's character, add this one thing: awe. This is a deep sense of reverence for God. It is a sense in which we take our right place in the universe (which is not the centre of it). We acknowledge that this universe is God's and everything in it - including us (Psalm 24:1). We live our lives in awe of what God has done. We admire it. We take pictures of it. We sing about it. But most of all we admire Him. We become a picture to the world of Him. We sing about Him.

A deep sense of awe centres around a profound devotion to Christ. This is why children need to learn that church is a delight. They need to see us model to them that when we are assembled in church we are in awe of God through the worship (sometimes despite the music and sometimes despite the engagement of those around us), in the midst of our fellowship with other believers, under the sound of the preached Word, and in the acts of service that we each contribute to the Lord's House.

I don't know who raised the young lady we met in the carpark at James River Assembly in Springfield Missouri. But they deserve badges or medals of honour for the outstanding job they did in raising their daughter! We drove into the church carpark when the temperature was -10ºC ! She was wearing warm clothing - beanie, mittens, thick jacket. But she must have been cold. As we drove into the carpark she was smiling as she directed the traffic. But that's not all she was doing. She was dancing. Yes, dancing! She looked genuinely happy to be serving the Lord in any way she could. That day I heard the famous pastor preach but was barely impressed. Instead, the best and loudest sermon I heard that day, was from this young lady! She was a picture of awe. She was in awe of her God and it showed because she was prepared to serve in the House of God in a way that few would have even been prepared to try. I can tell when people have a deep sense of awe for God. They too serve. If you look closely at our ushers this Sunday you'll see the word "awe" written on their souls.

¶ For a day in your courts is better
than a thousand elsewhere.
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
than dwell in the tents of wickedness.
Psalm 84:10

And awe doesn't stop at the doorway of the Church building - it's refueled, re-calibrated, re-ignited so that we can enter into the world with an awe-full awareness of God and His works.

These are six essential ingredients to strong character that School Report cards tend to neglect but no parent should.

Ps. Andrew

CAN YOU HEAR IT?

Have you ever watched one of those "talent" search TV shows where someone who is convinced they are a world-class singer gets their big break to sing to the world and when they do, despite the desire and determination to be a pop-star, they obviously can't sing?!

Before millions of people watching on television they are then humiliated and made the object of YouTube mockery! But I wonder how people can go through so much of their life and not ever have someone tell them the truth about their dire lack of singing ability? Or maybe some did...

Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 

Ephesians 4:15

Some people are convinced that they are good (even great) at something (such as singing) when, in fact, they are not. I suspect that some people, not wishing to offend, will simply tell someone what they want to hear becuase they want to encourage them. I love people like this! They are encouragers through and through. Thank God for them. I suspect that there are some other people who form a judgment about someone's lack of ability and say nothing. These people are not naturally encouragers but neither are they liars - they can't tell someone they are good at something they are clearly not. Then I suspect that there are some people who just tell it like it is. Their primary motivation is to be truthful - not to be encouraging or even caring.

Whoever speaks the truth gives honest evidence,
but a false witness utters deceit.
Proverbs 12:17

HOW TO SPEAK THE TRUTH

So I've been wondering: How do you tell a bad singer that they are a bad singer? After all, singing is a window into the heart of the singer and criticising a singer is therefore an injury felt in their heart. But as these various Talent TV shows prove, if no one convincingly tells a bad singer that they can not sing, they are going to have their heart hurt even more painfully and this time on national television before millions of mocking crtics. However we answer this important question, it will probably be done best when we do our utmost to apply Ephesians 4:15 - speaking the truth in love.

Speaking the truth in love rarely means being rude, blunt, or harsh. But neither does it mean lying. The fact that I am thinking out loud about this important problem should probably indicate to you that I don't do this well. Therefore anything I say about this has come about not becuase of any great wisdom I pretend to possess, but from the hundreds of times when I have got it horribly wrong. In this light, interpret my advice as a confession of my many mistakes.

• TRUTH SOUNDS LOVING when you have developed a relationship of trust with the person you are speaking to.
• TRUTH SOUNDS LOVING when you get permission to say it.
• TRUTH SOUNDS LOVING when you separate the person from the problem.
• TRUTH SOUNDS LOVING when highlight positives while pointing out the negatives.
• TRUTH SOUNDS LOVING when you haven't told everyone else before you've said it directly to the person you're talking about.

HEAR, HEAR

As tricky as it is to speak the truth in love, it is no where near as tricky as hearing the truth in love. In fact, based on my random guess, I would say that hearing the truth correctly and accepting it is about 63% of the determining factor involved in the Truth With Love equation. In all probability, many of the bad singers who audition for these TV Talent shows have more than likely had several people try to tell them that they can't sing. But what if they hadn't? This was a topic of discussion for our small group this week when our Bible Study group was considering the verse in Romans 12 about forming a "sober judgment" about yourself and not "thinking of yourself more highly than you ought." The question was asked about such talent show contestants whether others had tried to tell them the truth about their lack of talent. "Surely", said someone in our group, "surely they have people who care about them?" The question presumed the Truth With Love principle is going to be best practiced by those who care for the person. But this question also makes another presumption: that the person being told the truth will receive it in love.

¶ For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.
Romans 12:3

Receiving the truth requires hearing well. As difficult as I have found it to speak the truth in love to someone, it pales dramatically compared with my general thin-skinned lack of ability to hear the truth with love from someone. Sometimes I just don't want to hear the truth. Sometimes, although I know that what I am being told is true, I won't hear it because I don't like it.

The follower of Christ is commanded in Romans 12:3 how to think and therefore, by implication, how to hear what others tell them. How well do I do this? How well do you do this? Our truth-targets may not be our singing. It may be our attitude. It may be our punctuality. It may be our level of sacrifice for our family, for our church, for our State. It may be our workmanship. Our ability to hear the truth and our attitude about hearing it from others is a large factor in whether others even attempt to love us with the truth.

For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.
Second Timothy 4:3-4

¶ Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; 
James 1:19

How we speak to others is a refection of how we love others. But how we hear others is a reflection of how easy we are to love. James links listening with speaking and getting angry. I imagine that he experienced what many of us have experienced when we've tried to talk to someone we love about something that needed to be said because it was true. In our attempt to say something true to them, they get defensive and do more talking than listening - and then eventually get angry with us. [Sigh] And while I find this frustrating in others, I am far less able to hear how others might find it frustrating when trying to be truthful with me. The sober judgment of Romans 12:3 calls the follower of Christ not to be defensive ("I can't change now ... This is who I am ... If others don't like the way I do it then they can ... I'm too old to change now ... Who do you think you are to talk to me like that! ... Well that's just your opinion - there are many others who love my singing!" ... ). Can we hear the truth? Hearing the truth is one of the first steps in letting others love us. And as strange as it sounds, there are many people looking for love who actually make it difficult for others to love them because they don't hear well - if you hear what I'm saying?

Ps. Andrew

Journey To Integrity

And David shepherded them with integrity of heart;
with skillful hands he led them.
Psalm 78:72

On April 28th, 1988, Aloha Flight 243 set off from Hilo, Hawaii, bound for Honolulu. It never arrived. As it reached its cruising altitude of 24,000 feet, suddenly the left side of the roof near the front of the plane ruptured then exploded off from the plane tearing a huge gap in the roof and damaging the right wing. Miraculously the Captain was able to perform an emergency landing at Kahului Airport on Maui but not before one flight attendant had been instantly sucked out of the place to her death and 79 seriously injured.

Air Crash Investigators concluded that the crash was "caused by a breach in the aircraft's integrity". Their official NTSB report noted that Gayle Yamamoto, a passenger, noticed a small crack in the fuselage when boarding the plane but did not tell anyone. Maintenance workers had failed to insert several pop-rivets near the left side passenger door which had placed this small section under extraordinary pressure.

This small breach in  Aloha 243, was no more than a few centimetres long, but it was the basis for a breach in integrity. There is a life application here.

Integrity comes from the word: integer, which is the word used in mathematics to describe 'a whole number' (as distinguished from a fraction or number with a fraction). Being a person of integrity involves being a person who is one. They have one identity which is aligned with reality (the truth about themselves and the world in which they live). It is this latter aspect which makes moral uprightness (character) integral to integrity. When most people use the word integrity they are most often referring to this latter aspect to describe a person who is honest, trustworthy, and reliable. But this is more to do with character than integrity - although good character (moral uprightness) is an essential quality of integrity - integrity also involves the absence of any breaches.

And when he had removed him, he raised up David to be their king, of whom he testified and said, 'I have found in David the son of Jesse a man after my heart, who will do all my will.'
Acts 13:22

King David is described as 'shepherding Israel with integrity and skill' (Psalm 78:79). But this description applies to David toward the end of a long process of becoming a man of integrity. It seems that God saw David's potential to become an extraordinary man of integrity because his heart was soft before God. This was despite the Lord also seeing the existing breaches in David's integrity. But the qualities of David's heart, such as (i) humility, (ii) correctability, (iii) reverence for God, became the very qualities that enabled him to become whole - a man of integrity. These qualities are very close to God's own heart. Thus, integrity in a person's heart is, in one sense, the means by which a person can come close to God's heart. David became such a man and earned the most honoured description as a man after God's own heart - a description not given to any other man in the Scriptures. Here is an overview of David's journey to integrity. We begin with his battle against Goliath which reveals both his heart and his integrity breaches which would need to be exposed, confronted and dealt with for him to become a man of integrity.

The scene is set with the Philistine's champion, Goliath the Giant, challenging the nation of Israel to send a man to represent them to fight against him. No man is prepared to take up this challenge - not the least of all their king, King Saul. The young 16 year old shepherd-boy, David, is sent to the battle front to deliver supplies to his brothers. He hears that the king is offering riches, honour and his daughter to the man who will overcome Goliath. This piques David's interest. But it also sheds light on what would later become the obvious small breaches in his integrity.

It is no mere cliché that the downfall of many a man has been the girls, the gold, and/or the glory. In essence, King Saul's reward appealed to each of these human weaknesses. Yet, it was one of these rewards which particularly attracted David.

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THE UNFINISHED GENERATION

In the year 2000, $32M (thirty-two million dollars) had been raised to produce the movie - The Man Who Killed Don Quixote. The cast was hired, including Johnny Depp in the lead role, a director appointed, and budget allocated. Shooting commenced. It was to be the biggest European film ever made. After one week of filming, a support actor developed a double herniated disc and the director, Tony Gilliam, scrapped the project. While I haven't yet spent $32M on any of my unfinished projects, I do have several unfinished projects. But the difference between me and Mr Gilliam is that I intend to finish each of my currently unfinished projects. Do you? The answer to that question is increasingly determined by which generation you belong to.

This is the generation that starts things. Dishes get put in the sink. Degrees get started. New books begun to be read. Diets commence. Exercise regimes get implemented. Books begin to be written. New Year's resolutions get made. People commit to walking with Christ. But this might be the generation that struggles to finish well.

Gyms today happily sell more memberships than they could possibly cater for, because they know that most gym members will turn up just after they sign up - but after a short while, they will stop coming (despite having to pay their monthly membership fee). Do you know people that start things with gusto but soon lose heart and then fail to finish?

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.
Second Timothy 4:7

In 1968 at the Olympic Games in Mexico City, John Akhwari from Tanzania was competing in the Marathon. Unaccustomed to running at such altitudes, he cramped badly.  Then at the 19 kilometer point during the 42 km race he was bumped by other runners and fell badly and dislocated his knee. His shoulder was also injured in the fall. He continued running, finishing last among the 57 competitors who completed the race (75 had started). The winner finished in 2:20:26. Akhwari finished in 3:25:27 after sunset, when there was only a few people left in the stadium. As he crossed the finish line a cheer came from the small crowd. When interviewed later and asked why he continued running, he said, "My country did not send me 5,000 miles to start the race; they sent me 5,000 miles to finish the race."

For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, 'This man began to build and was not able to finish"
Luke 14:28-30

While referring to Olympic Marathons, some of us might remember the remarkable scenes of the 1984 LA Olympic Games, where the Women's Marathon was introduced to the Games.

 

It's not how you start out in life, it's how you finish - just ask Steven Bradbury! (He's the guy in the dark green in this video below.)

And he erected the court around the tabernacle and the altar, and set up the screen of the gate of the court. So Moses finished the work.
Exodus 40:33

It takes endurance, patience and persistance to finish. Each of those qualities is a character trait. You can't borrow them. You can't delegate them. You can't even fake them! Finishing things strengthens your character to be able to finish other things. That's why it's important to finish even the little things that you start - because it's the little things that make you a bigger person.

When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, "It is finished," and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
John 19:30

There is tremendous satisfaction that comes from finishing. The other week our family went to one of our favourite Tasmanian holiday spots: Wine Glass Bay. We have been there many times and camped there overnight several times. But Ruby has never quite walked unaided over the Hazards and back. As we walked along, she began to struggle and lag. I reached down to pick her up (as I have always done previously) but she immediate refused and demanded to be allowed to walk all by herself. This was not obstinance. This was the spirit of a finisher.

Talk to anyone who has learned to finish, and they'll tell you that it involves a certain plodding and a certain amount of pain. The student who is committed to finishing their assignments on time will often have the pain of not joining their friends in the mall to catch the latest movie. The husband and father who is committed to finishing the regular maintenance routine around his home will have the pain of not joining his mates who have gone out finishing for the day. The woman who has committed to finishing her diet will experience the pain of watching her girlfriends eat her favourite dish as they catch up for their regular café date. The pastor who is committed to finishing his call will experience the pain that comes from labouring week after week to research, prepare, and produce a sermon which he hopes will be received by his congregants eager to be discipled, when he could instead be playing computer games or off to the footy. Anda couple who have lost their original interest in each other will experience the pain that comes from remaining committed to a set of vows they intend to finish until death do they part.

Your heart's been in the right place all along. You've got what it takes to finish it up, so go to it. 
Second Corinthians 8:11 MSG

Finishing takes practice. Finishing takes character. Finishing often hurts.

Is this generation one that doesn't like the tediousness of practicing? Has this generation has been tricked into thinking thatsuccess is the same as significance - and therefore that talent outweighs character? Is a generation emerging where pain is avoided at all costs with amusements, medication, self-harm, or denial? Could this generation be the "unfinished generation"?

I wonder if there are any members of this generation who will go against this strong cultural tide, pay the price, and live out First Corinthians 10:31? If so, will you commit to finishing well? If you will, you could inspire your generation to finish well - to endure, persist, and press on. You don't need me to tell you what a difference this would make to marriages, families, businesses, communities, organisations, cities - and churches! But I'm not quite finished yet.

Ps. Andrew