A few weeks ago, I was at a beach in Florida at the annual Murrell family vacation. Last year, our beach vacation featured eight adults (Deborah and me plus our three sons and their wives) and only four grandchildren. With three new grandchildren born during COVID, this year, we had eight adults and seven children.
That meant, rather than double-teaming each child with an adult, it was one-on-one defense. Next year, we will probably have to go with a zone defense.
You may be wondering what this has to do with leadership. Well, as I sat on the beach watching my sons and daughters-in-law attempt to prevent all seven kids from running (or crawling) into the ocean without floatation devices or an adult within arm’s reach, I realized that the job of watching and praying and warning young energetic children at the beach is not unlike the job of watching and praying and warning that we do as spiritual leaders.
Here’s a brief exegesis of 1 Timothy 3:1 and lessons on watching grandkids at the beach.