Lead by Example; Lead with Vision; Lead with Love.

As I am about halfway through the semester I have been overwhelmed, by assignments; relieved as I continue to do well in my class; and inspired by things I have read, understood and applied.

The following are things that inspire me this week. I want to be an active follower of Christ, a disciple of Christ and a champion of good. I understand that my actions, thoughts and decisions make a difference in the outcome of what I want to achieve. I want to continue to lead my family and conduct any business that I do with kindness, love and unselfish devotion. I will continue to read, learn and search for ways to improve in these desires.

David A. Bednar, President BYU-I, August 2004

A disciple of Christ is one who is following and learning to be like Christ—learning to think, to feel, and to act as He does. He or she is striving to gain “. . . the mind of Christ” (1 Corinthians 2:16). Becoming a true disciple of the Savior and following His ways are the most demanding learning objectives we can ever strive to achieve. No other discipline compares with His curriculum in either requirements or rewards. Discipleship demands the total transformation of a person by putting off the natural man and becoming a saint through the Atonement of Christ the Lord (see Mosiah 3:19). A disciple is one who loves the Lord and serves Him with all of his or her heart, might, mind, and strength.

The word preparation implies the process of making or getting ready; the previous putting or setting in order for any action or purpose (Oxford English Dictionary On-Line, second edition, 1989). And one of the common uses of the word center connotes a point from which things and influences originate or emanate (Oxford English Dictionary On-Line, second edition, 1989). Taken together, these three words, disciple preparation center, suggest to me a place in which followers of the Master learn and are set in order and are made ready—and from which their influence flows into the world.

Kim B. Clark, President BYU-I, December 2007

The call to be a disciple-leader is a call to minister and to serve.  It is a call to lead as Christ leads.  It is leadership with a small “L”—the kind of leadership that builds and lifts and inspires through kindness and love and unselfish devotion to the Lord and His work.  It is the kind of leadership that we need at every level of every kind of organization in the world and in every ward and stake in the Church.  It is the kind of leadership you will need to build an eternal family.

As I read about General Calixto Garcia I was impressed with his desire to serve his country and follow through. I was touched that he strapped the pouch over his heart, signifying to me that it was urgent and important and nothing would stop him from achieving his mission. I am learning from his example of how to follow through and accomplish what is needed without hesitation.

Acton Foundation

It was 1899. President William McKinley needed to deliver an urgent message to General Calixto Garcia, the leader of the insurgents in America’s war against Spain. But Garcia was lost somewhere deep inside the mountain vastness of Cuba. “There’s a fellow by the name of Rowan who will find Garcia if anyone can,” someone told the president. So McKinley summoned Colonel Andrew Rowan. Rowan took McKinley’s letter, “sealed it in an oil-skin pouch, strapped it over his heart, in four days landed by night off the coast of Cuba from an open boat, disappeared into the jungle and in three weeks came out on the other side of the island, having traversed a hostile country on foot, and delivered his letter to Garcia.” Notice that Rowan didn’t equivocate. He didn’t ask McKinley for detailed instructions. He didn’t hire a consultant or assemble a task force. He simply took the letter and delivered it to Garcia.