up or to do something halfway , you can ’ t fire them . You elevate your risk as a leader , but you also elevate the opportunity for value to be unleashed in ways you ’ ve never imagined . In this space volunteers know they are trusted to be more than a cog in a machine .
This is the amazing opportunity organizations have to release the hero that lies within their volunteers and employees . Heroes are hard to identify in the morass of the mundane . They always emerge from the fertile ground of adversity . Something about being a part of a movement that has high expectations with little chance of success straightens the spine and enlarges the heart of every person . A desire deep in the human spirit wants to be part of a high calling , a challenging adventure with an unpredictable outcome against all odds .
Heroes are always formed in direct connection with confrontation . Involvement can get people close to confrontation , but influence places them directly on the front lines where they will experience the thrill of victory or the agony of defeat .
We have the opportunity to be a light in the shadows and call out the heroic influence that rests in each one of us . This has never been needed more than at such a time as this .
Excerpted with permission from Empower by Jeff Martin . Copyright 2021 , B & H Publishing Group .
Jeff Martin is an FCA Executive Director and founder of Fields of Faith . Martin received his Master of Divinity degree from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary . He lives in Kansas City , MO with his wife Julie and has three grown children AJ , Ashleigh and Alexis .
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