Service-Oriented Leadership--books, articles, etc.

Books
"The Lost Prince" by Burnett
"The Tempest" by Shakespeare
"The Lord of the Rings" by Tolkien
"The Apple-Pip Princess"  by Jane Ray
"The Giving Tree" by Shel Silverstein
"The Whipping Boy" by Sid Fleischman 

People
George Washington

Articles
"The Renaissance of Kings" by Andrew Groft
http://www.wattpad.com/73687-a-renaissance-of-kings#!p=1

Movies
"Ghandi"
"Lagaan" (Cool Indian movie!)

Chiune Sugihara

Possible Monthly Topics: God/Moral and Virtuous people; Responsibility of Citizens; Service-Oriented Leadership;  Asia
Chiune Sugihara: Chiune Sugihara (杉原 千畝 Sugihara Chiune^?, 1 January 1900 – 31 July 1986) was a Japanese diplomat who served as Vice-Consul for the Empire of Japan in Lithuania. During World War II, he helped several thousand Jews leave the country by issuing transit visas to Jewish refugees so that they could travel to Japan. Most of the Jews who escaped were refugees from German-occupied Poland and residents of Lithuania. Sugihara wrote travel visas that facilitated the escape of more than 6,000 Jewish refugees to Japanese territory, risking his career and his family's lives. Sugihara had told the refugees to call him "Sempo", the Chinese reading of the characters in his first name, discovering it was much easier for Western people to pronounce.^[1] In 1985, Israel honored him as Righteous Among the Nations for his actions.--Wikipedia

Quote someone sent me from him: "You want to know about my motivation, don't you? Well. It is the kind of sentiments anyone would have when he actually sees refugees face to face, begging with tears in their eyes. He just cannot help but sympathize with them. Among the refugees were the elderly and women. They were so desperate that they went so far as to kiss my shoes, Yes, I actually witnessed such scenes with my own eyes. Also, I felt at that time, that the Japanese government did not have any uniform opinion in Tokyo. Some Japanese military leaders were just scared because of the pressure from the Nazis; while other officials in the Home Ministry were simply ambivalent.

"People in Tokyo were not united. I felt it silly to deal with them. So, I made up my mind not to wait for their reply. I knew that somebody would surely complain about me in the future. But, I myself thought this would be the right thing to do. There is nothing wrong in saving many people's lives....The spirit of humanity, philanthropy...neighborly friendship...with this spirit, I ventured to do what I did, confronting this most difficult situation---and because of this reason, I went ahead with redoubled courage."

Tolstoy's "Three Questions" Story

Great story for acting out, using in a devotional, or using as a theme for leadership and mission:

Tolstoy's Three Questions

"Why Passionate People Suffer"

The following is a great article that goes along with my post: "Generals and True Love".  It is important for our youth to understand that when they feel empathy and suffer as leaders--because they love those they serve--it is because they are great, not because they are doing anything wrong.

It is an excellent resource for a glimpse into what is required of service-oriented leadership.

Why Passionate People Suffer

by Stephen Palmer

The word "passion" has been hijacked.

Misused and abused.

Emasculated by a feel-good culture of moral relativism. Prostituted by personal development gurus.

Passion today is understood as what excites you. What puts the sparkle in your eyes, the twinkle in your toes.

Internet definitions include:

• Strong and barely controllable emotion
• A state or outburst of such emotion
• Intense sexual love
• An intense desire or enthusiasm for something
• A thing arousing enthusiasm

The word has become candy for frivolous children when, at its roots, it is meat for dedicated adults.

Coined by 12th century religious scholars, "passion" means to suffer. In fact, the word was created to describe the "willing suffering of Christ."

In his excellent book, Aspire, Kevin Hall describes a meeting he had with Arthur, a retired 40-year Stanford linguistics professor, who taught him the meaning of passion.

Kevin writes:

"After educating me about the word's etymology, Arthur added, 'Passion doesn't mean just suffering for suffering's sake; it must be pure and willing suffering.
"Arthur said that both 'passion' and 'path' have similar roots: the word 'path' is a suffix that means suffering from.
"'Think about it, Kevin,' said Arthur, 'We have doctors called pathologists. They study the illnesses and diseases that humans suffer.'
"Then he revealed a link between suffering, or passion, and sacrifice. 'The word sacrifice comes from the Latin sacra, which means sacred, and fice, which means to perform. To sacrifice is to perform the sacred.'
"'At its essence,' he continued, 'passion is sacred suffering.'"

Kevin concludes that,

"It's one thing to suffer and be a victim; it's an entirely different thing to be willing to suffer for a cause and become a victor.
"Even though it has become popular to define passion as deep or romantic love, the real meaning is being willing to suffer for what you love. When we discover what we are willing to pay a price for, we discover our life's mission and purpose."

If passion is simply what makes you happy, you'll quit doing it when it gets tough, when it becomes too risky, when you're ignored and mocked.

Your true passion is what you're willing to do if it kills you.

What you stick with even when it's excruciating. When it's risky.

The things you do because you know they're right. Because you know they'll make a profound difference.

The things that simmer in the deepest parts of your soul -- far beyond what's fun or what feels good.

As Thomas Paine wrote:

"I love the man that can smile in trouble, that can gather strength from distress, and grow brave by reflection. 'Tis the business of little minds to shrink; but he whose heart is firm, and whose conscience approves his conduct, will pursue his principles unto death."

Christ's passion wasn't the superficial bliss of what made him feel good in the moment.

It was the cross-carrying, torture-enduring suffering of a Man who understood how and why to sacrifice immediate pleasure for long-term joy.

How about your passion?

When asked what you're passionate about, don't tell me what makes you feel good or what excites you.

Tell me what you're willing to suffer for.