Thoughts on the future

May 2, 2013 — 1 Comment

Sospesa - SuspendedThis week I finished up a teaching series I was doing at STORYCHURCH called “88MPH: Overcome the past, embrace the present, change the future.” (You can listen to the series by subscribing on itunes here.) Every so often I finish a particular teaching or maybe a particular series and I feel like there was more to be said. As I’ve been reflecting on the way we ended the series I feel like this is one of those times. So here are some bonus thoughts.

There’s this guy named Paul in the New Testament who faced all kinds of pain and trials and difficulty. But through it all, his mentality was this:

Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. – Philippians 3:13-14

For Paul, there were plenty of reasons for him to quit. There was lots of opposition. If he was looking for an excuse he had plenty to pick from. But what’s clear to me is that despite everything else – Paul was focused on a particular future. He had a goal in mind (to “know Christ” as he tells us a few verses earlier). Nothing was going to keep him from that goal.

I think too many of us treat life as though we are simply along for the ride. It’s as if we are a ship at sea that’s lost it’s rudder – falling victim to the waves, the winds, and the tide. We act as though our circumstances dictate our future and that we can’t do anything about it.

Even worse, some followers of Jesus do this and then over-spiritualize it and say that whatever happens “must have been God’s will.” I’ll be honest, I don’t buy it. I believe God gives you and me WAY MORE room to shape our future than we sometimes want to believe. Don’t get me wrong, there are definitely setbacks and obstacles and opposition. I’m sure there are even times when God redirects us. But I think that more often than not the future that we end up with has way more to do with the choices we make than something outside of our control.

People often talk about having vision. Vision is a picture in your mind of a preferred future. I have a vision for a particular future for my marriage. For my family. I have a vision for my church. I can guarantee that as life happens there will be MAJOR obstacles to those specific visions. As opposition and obstacles get in the way I have a choice to make every single time. Do I forfeit the vision I have for my marriage, my family, my church – or do I fight through that obstacle? When it gets hard do I say “Well it must not be God’s will” or do I do whatever it takes to overcome the obstacle? No story worth telling develops without opposition and setbacks.

What’s the vision you have for your marriage? Even if you are single today – what’s the dream marriage? How many losers are you willing to pass up in order to wait for the vision that’s in your heart? Do pictures of old couples holding hands move you on some level? Then what will you push through to make that a reality?

What’s the vision for your family? Do you want kids who love you and respect you as adults? Then what are you willing to do to see that become a reality? What job or promotion will you pass up because of the time it will require you to be away from your kids? What will you sacrifice in order to create the memories for them?

Your future isn’t decided for you. Sure, circumstances and sickness and pain will come along. But it’s up to you. You create your future. In spite of opposition and obstacles – your vision is worth the fight. It’s worth the struggle. It’s worth pushing through the pain.

A brief word for STORYCHURCH:

The future of our church is up to us. We get to decide how it goes. Kimi and I have committed our lives to see a church for people who don’t go to church. A church that helps people embrace the story they were meant to live. It’s why we get out of bed in the morning. Every so often we see glimpses of the future we are pushing toward. Every time someone who gave up on God shows up giving God one more chance – the future peeks through. Every time someone goes from death to life and chooses to follow Jesus – the future breaks in. Every time someone is baptized and we see a life transformed – the future comes crashing in around us. Every time a couple does the hard work of rebuilding their marriage rather than letting it implode – the future shows up. Every time a village gets clean water because our community decided it mattered – the future looks bright.

None of this will come easy. There will be challenges of every kind. Spiritual, financial, relational. It will be messy. There will be conflict. There will be tough decisions and difficult seasons. But it’s worth it. Because we have a vision of thousands of people finding life and embracing stories they were meant to live. I hope you share that vision. I hope you have similar dreams for our city – for your coworkers, your neighbors and your friends. And I hope you’ll do whatever it takes to see this vision become a reality.

photo by: Porfirio
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The world is broken… for now.

April 17, 2013 — 4 Comments

It seems like we continue to get reminders every so often about the brokenness of the world. This time, from Boston. But it’s not just the news is it? I was sick all day Monday this week and didn’t want to move. Today my daughter is undergoing surgery even as I write this.

Pain. Sickness. Relational friction. Bombs.

It’s easy to grow cynical and jaded. It’s easy to believe that there must not be a God, or at least He must not care.

But then we see pictures of people running toward explosions seconds after they happen. We see doctors who are doing everything they can to comfort people and to fix what’s broken.

The world is full of bad news. But it’s even more full of good news. For every bomber there are thousands who are celebrating life by running a marathon.

In Romans 8 we are told that all of creation groans with the pains of childbirth. But as Bono told us a long time ago – “There’s always pain before the child is born.”

I choose to believe that this isn’t the end. That the pain and struggle simply tells us that it isn’t over.

Don’t let the cynicism win today. Choose to focus on what is good. And while you’re at it, be part of what is good with the world today.

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Should my kids get baptized?

March 14, 2013 — 2 Comments

One of the more frequent questions I get from parents is about how to talk to their kids about baptism. Many don’t feel prepared to do so, others aren’t sure if their kids are ready, and others want to know if there’s some age at which baptism becomes a natural next step. Ask 10 pastors this question and you might get 10 different answers. Ask a mom who happens to also be the STORYCHURCH Kids ministry leader – and you get some serious wisdom. As you can probably guess, that’s what I did. So here is a brilliant guest post from Liz Vance:

DUNKING THE KIDS

A few months ago I was challenged to approach the subject of baptism with my kids.  My children have accepted Jesus Christ into their hearts, they know He is their Lord and Saviour.

Whenever it comes to the crunch, whenever they need a miracle, whenever they need someone bigger than Alastair and I to step in and move mountains, they know exactly where to go.  They call on God!  In fact, they often turn to us asking us to pray to God.  As parents, there’s no greater pleasure than interceding on behalf of our kids.

So, when is the right time for our kids to be baptized?  Neither Alastair and I agreed with child baptism or that special sprinkling that sometimes happens not long after your bundle of joy is born.  I was “sprinkled” when I was 7 during a trip to my family’s home in India. My grandparents felt it was necessary to baptize my sisters and me into the family church.

It was a big occasion for the family but my sister was stood there threatening to punch the bishop for splashing her.  It just didn’t have any significance for us except the fact that this dude just splashed water in our faces.  I couldn’t even understand what they were saying since they were speaking in our parents’ mother tongue.  Oh well, the grandparents were happy!  When I was seventeen I decided for myself that I wanted to get baptized.  It was actually a few years after asking Jesus into my heart.

Nathan and Noah are now 12 and 11 respectively.  After being challenged, I realized it was time to find out exactly what they knew about baptism.  I did a little google research to find out how other Kids Ministries dealt with baptism.  One thing stood out to me.  Leaders were challenged by kids who confused baptism with salvation!

I like to use my kids as guinea pigs on a regular basis so this was a great opportunity.   I’d ask my boys to explain what baptism meant.  They’ve seen plenty of baptisms and I thought I had explained it all well enough but sure enough, when I asked “why do we get baptized?” they talked about salvation.  They thought that when you get baptised you receive your salvation!  Okay, now I had to do some unravelling.

So this was the main misconception.  Basically, children (and adults) need to understand that salvation comes when you ask God into your heart.  You ask God for forgiveness and accept Jesus into your heart. If we have done this, we don’t need to doubt our salvation.

Baptism, on the other hand, is an act of obedience.  Peter’s instructions were to repent and be baptized (Acts 2 vs 38).

Baptism is the symbol of the old life being washed away and the start of a new life with God.  It’s a symbol of the decision we’ve already made.  Baptism doesn’t save you or get you into Heaven.  Only the sacrifice and  grace of God can do that (Ephesians 2 vs:8-9).

We also have to remember that baptism does not make us christians.  People may choose to be baptized or have their children baptized but this does not give them that relationship with Jesus.  Again, only the sacrifice and grace of God has that power.  We have to invite Jesus into our hearts.

Baptism is an opportunity for us to show others what Jesus has done for us. It’s showing people on the outside what has happened to us on the inside.

Hopefully my kids and I have talked through any misconceptions.  I often wonder what their next step will be in their relationship with God.  I continue to watch them serving in church (I’m definitely a proud mummy).  I hope to see them off on many a mission trip, maybe go on a few with them, and when they are ready I hope to watch them get baptized.

lizI don’t intend to push them to do it, although I’ll take the opportunities to talk to them about it.  When they are ready and when they choose to, I’m sure they will be baptized.

I’m thankful that we have so many great leaders and mentors in my church.  People that I can trust to take my children under their wing and help lead my kids.  It definitely takes a village to raise a child and Story Church is my village.

 

You can connect with Liz through twitter @lizvance.

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Relocation update

February 13, 2013 — Leave a comment

Hey STORYCHURCH, here’s the latest on our search for a new home:

Our relocation team continues to meet almost every week. To date they have called or visited more than 30 different facilities and are continuing to work on several more possibilities, with new places opening up all the time. It’s an exciting process of honing in on exactly the right space for us – one that meets our specific needs (parking, kids space, seating, staging, accessibility, visibility, etc.) as well as our budget. But our team is doing an incredible job. I had the opportunity to meet with them last week and they remain encouraged that the right fit is out there somewhere.

One of the questions that I want to continue to keep at the forefront of our search is this: Why move? It’s a great question. Below are a few of the reasons we think this is an important step for us:

  • Our current location has its limits. In some ways, our current location is sort of hidden. It’s in a new school in a new neighborhood. Many GPS systems have a hard time finding it. Explaining to someone where we meet is often a challenge, in fact few people have ever even heard of Spring Valley Elementary. It’s also limited in terms of growth. We are already maxing out our main parking lot, and the main room puts quite a few constraints on us as well.
  • Movement is unsettling, and that’s a good thing. While we will likely have a permanent home some day – chances are that this is not that day. There’s something beautiful to me about the unsettled nature of being a portable church. It keeps us moving. It keeps us innovating and thinking and creating and finding new ways to do what we do. It’s hard to believe that a three year old church could be settling, but sometimes it seems that STORYCHURCH is starting to settle and be comfortable. I want us to live in the discomfort of faith – constantly trusting God to do something unexpected. Moving is a chance to rethink how we do things, to reinvent and re-energize around a common goal.
  • People matter. We believe the message of Jesus is really good news. And we believe that there are thousands of people in our city that God has called us to reach with that message. We are willing to do whatever it takes to continue to grow and reach more people. The same reason you love STORYCHURCH and keep coming back is exactly why we have to share that with other people. If moving to a new location opens up opportunities to reach more people, then we feel like we have to consider it.

A couple of things you can do to help us out:

  1. Please pray for our team on a daily basis. Pray that the right contacts and the right people come along and point them to just the right place for us. Pray that they stay encouraged and find great joy in seeking God’s will for our church.
  2. Communicate with them. If you have any ideas of potential spaces or contacts that they should know about – you can email Jeff at jeff.fabu@gmail.com.

 

In STORYCHURCH
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Making art

January 16, 2013 — 6 Comments

bookCreating something is a process full of fear. There are constant doubts and struggles and questions that haunt. Whether you are starting a business, writing a song, or preaching a sermon – there comes a moment when the thing you have created has to be shared. And then the doubts and questions get louder. Because once it’s out there – it’s open to criticism. It’s open to opinion. Some may reject it. Some may not like it at all. Some may receive it in a way that is different than you offered it.

I know that for me the 24 hours or so after I preach a sermon is a very critical time. I often walk off the stage and want to crawl right in a hole. Making eye contact is painful. It’s as though I’ve just ripped off a scab and now it’s open to the elements. I think that’s pretty normal. I’ve heard similar things from other pastors or musicians or artists. Creating something and then putting it out there is a terrifying ordeal. The artist pours herself into her craft. It’s her heart and her soul that is on display. She has shared something that is deeply personal and very much a part of her.

Whether it’s a pie you baked from scratch, the way you decorate your living room, or the new business venture you’ve just announced – those first moments when you share it with the world are critical moments. If we’re not careful, we can easily let the response of others deter us from ever trying again.

But it’s what we do. We create. We make art. We start things. When Genesis tells us that we were made in the image of God, the only thing we know of God at that point is that He’s a Creator. It’s who we are. It’s in our nature.

I believe that you have something to offer the world. You have an idea. You have a killer recipe. You have a song. You have an online business idea. There’s a blanket that needs knitting. There’s a child that needs mentoring. There’s a garden to be planted.

My guess is that somewhere along the line you tried something and you failed. You put an idea out there and it got shot down. You painted a picture and it was picked apart. You wrote a blog post and no one read it. You planted roses and they died. And so you stopped. You decided not to try again. You withdrew into a safer world.

I believe that when you and I aren’t creating we aren’t living the kind of lives that God intended for us. I believe it’s woven into your soul to create. To initiate. To start something.

So I want to encourage you to create something today. And then do it again tomorrow. And the next day. Start drawing again. Push “publish” on the blog. Make the pie. Paint the living room. Start the business.

Oh yeah, and that picture above? That’s a book I’m writing. And it scares me to death to say that. Because at some point I’ll put it out there. And then I won’t be able to make eye contact with anyone for a week. Maybe longer.

 

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Stop writing 2012 over again

January 1, 2013 — 4 Comments

pencil and eraser on paperHow long does it take you? You know, to stop writing 2012 on your checks, your homework, your documents – and to start writing 2013? Will it be March? April? At what point does it become normal for you?

I think there’s a lesson in there actually. The truth is that many of us relive the same things every single day. Our past is always with us in the present. We have a hard time moving on, turning the page, or writing a new number. We either get hung up on our mistakes and regrets, or we get stuck dreaming and reliving some version of the “glory days” where everything was just right. Can I share something with you?

YOUR BEST DAYS ARE AHEAD OF YOU.

Seriously. It’s true. There’s nothing that happened in 2012 or 2011 or 1994 for that matter that has any say in what this year can be for you. This year is in front of you. It’s wide open. It’s full of opportunity. It’s a book of blank pages and you get to fill it up starting today.

I want to encourage you today to be intentional in 2013. Intentionally move on. Stop rewriting 2012 over again. If there’s a habit you want to develop, today is the first day of that. If there’s an addiction you want to break – today is the day to start. Get the help you need. Call someone. Tell someone.

I really believe that the best is yet to come for you and for me. I love how God says it through the Old Testament prophet Isaiah:

15 I am the Lord, your Holy One, Israel’s Creator and King. 16 I am the Lord, who opened a way through the waters, making a dry path through the sea. 17 I called forth the mighty army of Egypt with all its chariots and horses. I drew them beneath the waves, and they drowned, their lives snuffed out like a smoldering candlewick. 18 “But forget all that— it is nothing compared to what I am going to do. 19 For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland. – Isaiah 43

It’s as if God is saying – “Remember all that cool stuff I did before? Yeah, it was cool. Now forget about that and get ready for what’s next.”

Get ready. This is the year. No more reliving the past. Beginning today – embrace the story you were meant to live, and get after it.

 

photo by: shawncampbell
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2012 Reading List

December 31, 2012 — 2 Comments

I am convinced that if a person isn’t learning and growing they either aren’t having an impact at all or their impact will be short lived. So every year I set some goals for myself in terms of reading and learning. This year my goal was to read 36 books. Well, it’s time to pay the piper. While I didn’t quite reach my goal, I didn’t do too shabby either. Here’s the list:

  1. Money, Eternity, and Possessions – Alcorn
  2. The Cloak –  Gogol  // Master and Man – Tolstoy
  3. Pujols: More than the game – Ellsworth
  4. Built to Last – Collins
  5. Big churches getting bigger – Morgan
  6. Courageous Leadership – Hybels
  7. Gracism – Anderson
  8. Developing the Leader within you – Maxwell
  9. The Advantage – Lencioni
  10. Velvet Elvis – Bell
  11. The Fred Factor – Sanborn
  12. Simply Jesus – NT Wright
  13. IT – Groeschel
  14. Platform – Hyatt
  15. The New Traditional Church – Tony Morgan
  16. Real Marriage – Driscoll
  17. The Measure of our Success – Lovejoy
  18. The Top Ten Mistakes Leaders Make – Finzel
  19. You are a Writer – Goins
  20. Creating Innovators – Wagner
  21. A million miles in a thousand years – Miller
  22. The myth of a Christian nation – Boyd
  23. Greater – Furtick
  24. Fresh Air – Hodges
  25. God’s Politics – Wallis
  26. Deep and Wide – Stanley
  27. Love Does – Goff
  28. It’s Personal: surviving and thriving on the journey of planting a church – Bloye
  29. The 5 Levels of Leadership – Maxwell

Somewhere during the year I made the transition to mostly digital books. While I sometimes miss the feel of a book in my hands, I don’t regret it. I now have all my books right there in my kindle app and all of my highlights and notes are synced across all my platforms through Evernote. That means no more searching and wondering where that one line of that one book was (or was it the other book?) ever again. Everything is now searchable instantly.

I also learned that this much reading was a bit too much for me. Along with doing a reading plan to read through the bible this year, I found myself sometimes reading simply to check it off a list and get on to the next one – after all there was a rather aggressive goal to reach. I need to spend more time digesting what I’m reading and trying to take one or two key concepts or thoughts away from what I read instead of the “drink from a firehose” technique.

It’s hard to say what the “best” book I read this year was, mainly because I read many of them for different reasons. Some were for sermon preparation, others for spiritual growth, others for personal development. But I think the one or two books that I will come back to again and again are “Courageous Leadership” by Hybels, “Deep and Wide” by Stanley, and probably the one that will continue to shape me the most was “The 5 Levels of Leadership” by Maxwell.

So I’m already forming a reading list for 2013. Many of the titles on that list are re-reads. I want to go back to some of the books that shaped me the most and revisit them. What about you? What should have made my list this year? What would you recommend I get to in 2013?

 

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I have questions for God today

December 15, 2012 — Leave a comment

The last 24 hours have been difficult haven’t they? A senseless act of violence resulted in the loss of the lives of dozens of people – many of whom were children. Parents woke up today in the first day of a new reality – one where their babies are gone.

I have lots of questions today. Questions that only God can answer. How can this happen? Where were You? Why didn’t You thwart this evil act? How can a loving God let this happen?

The Bible is full of this kind of language:

How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and every day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me? Look on me and answer, O Lord my God. Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death; my enemy will say, “I have overcome him,” and my foes will rejoice when I fall. – Psalm 13

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from the words of my groaning? O my God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer, by night, and am not silent. – Psalm 22

I cried out to God for help; I cried out to God to hear me. When I was in distress, I sought the Lord; at night I stretched out untiring hands and my soul refused to be comforted. I remembered you, O God, and I groaned; I mused, and my spirit grew faint. – Psalm 77

I don’t know what you are feeling today. I don’t know what questions you might be asking or how your faith may be shaken today. Let me encourage you to give voice to your questions. It’s ok to feel how you feel this morning. Pain, anger, confusion, loss. Pray the psalms above out loud if it helps. Take comfort in the fact that God is big enough for your questions today.

And remember that while evil is real, it will not win. Any story that ends in suffering can’t be the end. Because the story ends in resurrection. In restoration. In new life.

May you and I hold on to the hope that the story isn’t over.

 

In FOLLOWING
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Let’s Change the World

December 10, 2012 — 2 Comments

For weeks now we’ve been challenging our church to prepare for December 16. For us, it’s the day we’ve determined to Change the World. A couple of weeks ago I wrote this article, laying out the challenge. Today I want to show you more specifically what changing the world looks like.

 

car20092009

Before we were technically even an official church yet, before we had even started having Sunday services, we gathered together and began talking about what it would look like to change the world. At that gathering we received an offering that ultimately became the first well STORYCHURCH ever funded. In 2010 a well was dug in the Central African Republic that serves more than 600 people today.

guatemala20102010

Our first Christmas as an official church we decided we would try and do it again. And so we all gave and this time were able to completely fund a well that was later drilled in Guatemala. One of our own actually went as part of the team that drilled the well. More than 350 people in this village benefit from this particular well.

 

haiti2011

2011

Last Christmas we did it again. And in the late summer of this year the third well was drilled – this time in Haiti, where more than 400 people now have access to clean water. This particular well was drilled on school grounds and is primarily accessed by kids, staff, and the community directly around the school.

 

World Changers

So for those keeping score at home, that’s three wells and more than 1350 people who this morning took a drink from a fresh water well provided by a small group of people in Durham, NC.

2012

So that brings us back to December 16 of this year. In just a few days we get to do it again. And unlike years past, this year we already know where this new well will go – we’re headed back to Guatemala. AND, for the first time, we will be sending the entire team that will physically drill the well and put the pump in the ground. Part of the money we are raising this year will go to subsidize some of the cost of the trip for those who will do the work of providing clean water. In addition to the well, some of the funds will help STORYCHURCH expand our reach into our city to see lives changed right here where we live.

So this is it! This is our chance to do something of LASTING significance this Christmas. Rather than buying that tie he’ll never wear, or the sweater they won’t really like, or the pre-packaged lotion and loofah set, why not join us as we literally CHANGE THE WORLD together!!!

Here’s how to get involved:

First of all, you can give. We would love to have you join us on December 16 at 10am for our service at Spring Valley Elementary School where you can physically give a check or cash made payable to STORYCHURCH. Be sure to write “Change the World” in the memo line. We will also have envelopes available for you. You can also give digitally on Sunday morning with any major credit or debit card. Or you can give starting TODAY online through our website.

Second, you can share. Share the link to this blog post on your Facebook or Twitter. Help us get the word out. Tell your friends what you are doing. Here are some sample tweets or posts for FB:

  • This year for Christmas I decided to Change the World, and you can join me! http://jeremycopeland.com/2012/12/10/lets-change-the-world/
  • Join me in providing clean water to a community in Guatemala this year. http://jeremycopeland.com/2012/12/10/lets-change-the-world/
  • All I want for Christmas this year is to Change the World. Is that too much to ask? http://jeremycopeland.com/2012/12/10/lets-change-the-world/
  • Dear Santa, you can keep the socks and underwear this year. How about water instead? http://jeremycopeland.com/2012/12/10/lets-change-the-world/

Finally, here’s the deal. You have the ability to CHANGE THE WORLD. Maybe for you it’s mentoring an at risk teenager, or contributing to an after school program, or maybe it’s helping the homeless in your community, or providing Christmas for a single mom. Take the risk this year to do something great. Invite your friends and family to join you, and let’s CHANGE THE WORLD together!!

 

 

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How Gangnam style changed the world

November 19, 2012 — Leave a comment

So the biggest moment at the American Music Awards last night was a Korean pop star. Let that sink in for a moment.

I’m fascinated by the way that music is able to cross boundaries. Maybe it hasn’t always been that way, but it seems like in the last several years the lines are blurring between styles, genres, even cultures. Whether it was Aerosmith and Run DMC, Elton John and Eminem, Johnny Cash and Trent Reznor, or now Psy and MC Hammer – music brings people together who would probably normally have nothing to do with each other.

How is this happening? I think that as technology advances it becomes easier for people to be exposed to other styles, other cultures, whatever the case may be. Now YouTube makes it possible for a Korean pop star to absolutely own the American Music Awards.

So what does it mean for us? Well if you are a leader of an organization you can bet that the people you serve – whether that’s your customers, your employees, or your competition – are being increasingly exposed to ideas that are far beyond what we’ve always known. The world is getting smaller all the time. We can enter that world with eyes closed and pretend that it doesn’t exist, ignore the change, ignore the influence of other cultures, other voices, and we will find ourselves struggling to keep up. Or we can approach the new reality with eyes open to the possibilities.

I choose the latter. So here are a few quick thoughts on what this means for those leading in this ever shrinking world.

  1. It’s more possible than ever before for one person to change the world. Seriously, whether it’s a grassroots organization like Invisible Children, Charity:Water, or Hopemob – social media makes it easier than ever to find your tribe, become a catalyst for change, and spread your cause exponentially.
  2. Those who listen first and speak second will thrive. There are all kinds of new voices out there. Whether in music, art, leadership, ministry, technology, etc. Look at the success of TED talks, or the world of blogging. Everyone has a voice. And we can either compete with the noise and try and be louder, or we can listen first, learn from others, and thereby earn the right to speak second.
  3. The next generation won’t wait for us to hand them the reigns. We can fight it all we want. But they will lead. They will change the world. We can either resist it and try and hang on as long as we can, or we can pour in to them, empower them, and influence the key leaders who will shape the world for generations to come. If you and I will believe in them, if we will invest in them, they will listen. But the insecure leader will find himself leading insecure people with no influence.

And just in case you missed it, here it is:

In LEADING
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