Gettysburg and Leadership: wrap-up

Today we walked Pickett's charge, and had some time to process as we wrap up this conference.  Walking the mile uphill to the Union lines really drove home the incredible fortitude and commitment to their cause that these soldiers had.  I can only pray that I am as committed to the cause of helping others know the love of Jesus.

The final ground of Pickett's Charge.  The copse of trees left of center was where the 12,500 Confederates were to converge.

Yesterday, we heard the Gettysburg Address, at the National Cemetery where Lincoln originally delivered it, and talked about the "language of a leader".  Lincoln, Churchill, Martin Luther King, and other leaders used metaphors extensively, and helped people to see visions rather than reasons as they made their arguments.  These 2 sentences from MLK's I Have A Dream speech particularly impressed me:

This momentous decree [the Emancipation Proclamation] came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice.  It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of captivity. 

One of my goals is to practice using metaphors to paint a picture of what could be, rather than simply making a logical argument.

I'm very glad that I got to spend time at Gettysburg this week, and grateful for how God has been speaking to me through the lives of those who fought here 150 years ago.

Our van(one of 8), assigned to the 26th North Carolina Regiment, at the monument marking their furthest advance on the July 3rd charge.  Only 39 of the 800+ in this regiment were left after Gettysburg.