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One of the exercises in CLP is about identifying and clarifying our own personal values. We each identify our top 5 values, writing one each on 5 index cards. Then we have to drop one… and another… until we are forced to choose our number 1, top value. What is your current One right now and why?
Integrity! Our society is being stripped away from it and it appears as if people are not so concerned with the ramifications that are associated with lack of ethics. I work hard to keep integrity because I want to be trusted in my community and called upon when needed.
What is one big, burning leadership question you are wrestling with these days?
What drives us as leaders? Are we driven by our personal accomplishments or by empowering others?
What inspires you, gives you hope these days?
When I see young people want to and work hard to succeed. When I see young people remain focused throughout their high school and college years, it gives me hope for the future.
This work of transformational change is hard. Stepping in, stepping up, over time, can be draining – physically, intellectually, emotionally, psychically, spiritually. How do you recharge, restore, take care of yourself, rekindle your fire?
I recharge by pressing the stop button, taking inventory and asking myself: Am I present? Am I taking the steps needed to keep my body (my temple) healthy? Am I listening to the voice of my Creator? What is He saying to me? Am I connected to Him and is He reflected in all I do? By reflecting on these questions, I am able to continue my walk.
Introduce us to someone you are/were close with personally (e.g., family, teacher, friend, mentor), who shaped (or shapes) you and how you view leadership and possibility for a better community/world?
Archbishop Wilbert S. McKinley – Senior Pastor of the Elim International Fellowship in Brooklyn, New York – was one of the most influential and outstanding clergymen of his day. His preaching and teaching were unique, scholarly, and relevant to everyday issues. He was a community leader who supported programs and services for low-income families and encouraged young people to pursue education and strive for excellence. He was a mentor to many, a leader to his congregation and community, and my spiritual father. He died on November 1st, 2008.
I met Archbishop McKinley in the spring of 1993, after receiving an invitation to visit his church. At the time, I was living in the Bronx; commuting to Brooklyn to attend a church service was not part of my weekend agenda. But after numerous invitations from a friend, I attended my first service on Easter Sunday that year. I was moved by the events of the service. The music, the kindness displayed by the parishioners, the overwhelming sense of ‘feeling at home.’ I remember feeling empowered that Sunday after listening to Archbishop McKinley’s message. I leaned over to my wife and said to her “We are home!” Elim was home to us until we moved to Connecticut in 1998.
What do you recommend to us, in each of these categories:
- Reading – The Supernatural Ways of Royalty by Kris Vallotton and Bill Johnson
- Listening – Erykah Badu’s “Bag Lady” – a classic!!
- Eating – If you like Indian Cuisine, try Star of India in Orange, CT.
- Watching – Beautiful Boy – A true story of a family’s heartbreaking experience with drug abuse.
- Laughing – Kevin Hart’s Night School – Hysterical!
- Wildcard – Reflect on who you are and why you have been placed on this earth. Then move forward knowing that you will fulfill your destiny! All things are possible to achieve if you believe.
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To get in touch directly with Elvin: elvinmelendez@sbcglobal.net