Integrity

Dr. Henry Cloud’s book “Integrity” tackles the challenge of connecting character to the day to day activities many people face in the work, family, or personal environments.  He shows that being competent at a skill and knowing how to build mutually beneficial relationships is not enough.  Cloud argues that integrity and character (i.e. who a person is) hold people back from getting the results they believe they should achieve.  To make his point, he deconstructs the common personal defense mechanisms that people build over the years to uncover personal truth. Starting with the initial point of truth, Cloud provides a way of thinking about character that goes beyond the traditional definition of integrity and aligns with skill-competency and relationships.

A foundational metaphor that Cloud uses in his book is the wake of a boat.  The wake is a person’s character. The two sides of the wake represent the task to be accomplished and the relationships encountered.  Examining both sides of the wake (their smoothness) provides insight into someone’s personal issues.  How the wake ripples are handled is more telling about a person than the actual presence of the ripples.

Leading-the-Self

Leading-the-Self is a foundational discipline that needs to be practiced first before all other disciplines.  It gives power to the other disciplines since it enables the self to be real and alert.  Leading-the-Self is the discipline of taking time for personal reflection and intimacy with God.  It is taking care of one’s soul first before ministering to others.  It requires critical observation and self knowledge to hear and interpret what the physical body and emotions are saying.   This discipline often surfaces in solitude.  Jesus withdrew to “lonely places”.  The greater the demands of Jesus the more he prioritized his need for solitude.  [Luke 6:12]
 
Leading-the-Self requires intentional observation to see the true self with all its limitations and not build defense mechanisms to compensate.  It requires a humble attitude of brokenness before God, striving to live pro-gospel and counter-culture.   Leading-the-Self engages in confession by choosing to change the pattern of sinful behavior, and embraces detachment by rejecting idolatry in its many forms.  Leading-the-Self practices secrecy; forgetting the need for appreciation and running away from personal grandiosity, ministry gets done without the need for others to know “who you are”.  Lastly, leading-the-self requires submission – this is intentional and volunteer placing of oneself under the authority of someone else.

Solitude & Community

The cycle of solitude and community provides additional insight into the rhythm of life. Spiritual transformation requires a trusted community to help process it.

Spiritual transformation thrives in a community that understands sin, yet practices grace.

The community must practice a healthy cycle of movement between group discussions and times of reflection. Spiritual formation does not flourish through control or authority, nor is it meant to produce clones.

Each human being is to display the uniqueness of what it means to display the image of Christ in them.