Two Months In...

People are asking "So how's it going as CEO of Paraclete." President Obama is working on his first 100 days. Somebody sent me a book titled "The first 90 Days." (I told him I might get to it on the 91st day!) I've been CEO of Paraclete since January 1.

Here's how we were welcomed to the job by the outgoing CEO, Don Parrott. Shelly and I were heading to Phoenix by car on the 2nd so on New Year's Day we were taking down Christmas decorations when the doorbell rang. There was a gift bag on the steps which was a pleasant surprise. But there was a doll in the bag. That was weird! Then we saw the note. Very creative, Don. Message received!

We named him "Clete" and he now resides at the Gilbert Para"Clete" office where staff are still enjoying hiding him each night and looking for him in the morning.

The job has been very enjoyable. It's easy to get overwhelmed by all there is to do and how small we are as an organization. But I so thoroughly believe in the Paraclete's "come alongside" ministry model that this keeps the load in perspective. "Perspective" is the name of the Paraclete newsletter and I've posted my article on the Paraclete ministry model from the Spring edition on this blog.

Travel is heavy. For both of us. Fortunately we both enjoy it, but we find ourselves going in different directions a lot. That's no fun. We were able to have a week in Phoenix together in January. I'll be going down once a month and Shelly will join me from time to time as we can afford it.

"Affording it" for Paraclete is now a part of my job description. These are difficult days for fund raising. Things are tight everywhere and most ministries are probably in for some belt tightening. The vast majority of donations to Paraclete are designated for the ministries of Paraclete Associates. We need some folks and foundations that can catch a vision for keeping the boat afloat--that's a hard sell in any economy... your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things."

I've also become the Paraclete IT guy. I started researching telecommuting solution as soon as I accepted the job in Phoenix. We put a computer and web cam in the Gilbert conference room and I'm doing video meetings and using shared desktops almost every day. I also have access to Paraclete Accounting and Donor software from wherever I go. Pretty cool.

I'm also the chief recruiter. (Actually I guess I'm the chief everything.) Paraclete has a lot of growth potential. The demographic we are looking for in associates is growing all the time--experienced people who want to serve by coming alongside kingdom workers worldwide. We need people that can bring their own funding, via personal resources, a donor base, or a fees for services. That scares some away. But the baby boomers are now in their most productive years. Send them our way! Come yourself!

In the final analysis I know that the only thing I have to offer Paraclete is a heart for God and a love for His people. Nurturing those things, frankly, is going to be hard in a CEO role. But I'm determined to maintain them. My biggest challenge is taking what I learned in the luxury of sabbatical earlier this year and translating it into my new work place.