Check out this excerpt from the Washington Post, http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/12/26/AR2009122601150.html , describing what happened on the plane when the Nigerian bomber’s activities were discovered. If you haven’t already heard, this guy, who has been tied to Al Queda, tried to take down a Northwest Airlines airliner headed for Detroit:
“People were just running, and they were scared,” said Veena Saigal, who turned from her seat on the Christmas Day flight and saw the fire’s glow six rows back. “They were running toward the center of the plane, running to get away from the flames.”
Jasper Schuringa, an Amsterdam resident, lunged toward the fire in Row 19, jumping from one side of the plane to the other and over several other passengers. He burned his fingers as he grabbed a piece of melting plastic held by Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the Nigerian man accused Saturday of trying to bring down the passenger jet with a homemade explosive device.
Schuringa, a video producer, restrained Abdulmutallab as others used blankets and fire extinguishers to douse the flames.
“When I saw the suspect, that he was getting on fire, I freaked, of course, and without any hesitation I just jumped over all the seats,” Schuringa told CNN on Saturday. “And I jumped to the suspect. I was thinking like, he’s trying to blow up the plane.”
The stretch of time from bafflement to abject fear to a calamity averted lasted just a few minutes on the flight, yet as they replayed those moments from their homes on Saturday, passengers described a drama that left many shaken long after the jetliner safely touched down.
“We heard a pop, then the smell and the reality kicked in for all of us. The reality was the fear in the flight attendants’ eyes,” said Charles Keepman, a Wisconsin businessman returning from Ethiopia, where he and his wife had adopted two children. “We’re just thankful to the Lord that we were spared.”
Leadership Take-away: Leaders initiate. Every good leader that I have ever had the occasion to observe has been an initiator. Three different leaders initiated action on this flight. Not all leaders are leaders for good — the Nigerian bomber initiated an attack on a plane load of innocent people. Jasper Schuringa initiated a response to that attack — thank God! Finally Charles Keepman (and his wife) initiated an adoption of two children from Ethiopia.
Jesus initiated on many occasions, including initiating contact with his disciples when he chose them. He initiated too many teachings to count. He even initiated his own baptism, over the protests of John the Baptist, to receive the Holy Spirit and begin his public ministry. Matthew 3:14-16
If you’re a leader, a mother, father, supervisor, coach, teacher, become an initiator. Good leaders spend time in God’s word, spend time in prayer, spend time in fellowship with the body of Christ, as a foundation to initiate. With an intimate relationship with Christ as a foundation, good leaders make good things happen.
To quote a friend from the blog Anchor Watch, http://anchorbuoy.blogspot.com/2009/12/why-blog-pt-1.html :
Biblical, God-glorifying, Christ-like, redemptive leadership does not and will not happen on accident. We cannot be passive, but must actively engage our minds in the process of purposely leading to fulfill our potential in Christ.
You, “…can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth…” you. Phillipians 4:13
Initiate.
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More and more everyday I am aware that I need to make the decision to be proactive in my living. I need to take a leadership role in my own life and sometimes in the lives of others. Many people have been lulled into a false sense of security that the “authorities/leaders” will take care of all of our needs. Many times these leaders have promised what they can’t deliver. Like Jasper, we need to jump into action to do what is right instead of sitting back and waiting until our leaders come to our rescue and set things right. I’m not talking about anarchy. I’m talking about participating in the world around us. Bringing a positive attitude and positive action to our everyday life.
We need to find and support leaders who reflect our values in leadership roles which we cannot handle ourselves, but we must not assume that we no longer have to participate. Jesus called on us to participate, not just be bystanders. It is our obligation. It is uncomfortable. It is a necessity in the face of sin. We need to make a commitment to lead toward the light right now, so that when you “see the flames”, you jump without having second thoughts. Go Jasper! Thanks for showing us how.
Great comment! I appreciate what you said about “It is uncomfortable.” Your touching on something that we all need to learn and re-learn. That is, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, we must develop the habit of doing the awkward wise thing.
Go Jasper!
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