In our previous posts we have talked about what following really means and why it really matters. But sometimes, a worked example is worth a thousand words. So, consider the story of Nicholas Herman.
As we began to study leading and following in the New Testament, we were startled by how much language there is about following, modeling and imitation, and how comparatively rarely leadership terms appear. Even more startling are Jesus' own statements about himself in the Gospel of John.
鈥淚鈥檓 writing a book on followership?鈥 鈥淵ou are writing a book on what???鈥 We can hardly count the number of times each of us have had this conversation in the past two years.
In a well-known sermon from 1987, Dr. E. V. Hill preached his wife鈥檚 funeral. Interspersed with remembering Jane Edna鈥檚 life and grieving her loss, Dr. Hill intones Job 1:21, 鈥淭he Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away, blessed be the name of the Lord.鈥