Cruising at thirty-thousand feet and intensively absorbed in my work, I was startled by the sudden outburst of fearful crying from a three-year-old little girl frantically running down the aisle of the big jet. Her brown eyes were wide with fear, and her face was wet from the tears cascading down her cheeks. Somehow she had managed to leave her seat without her mother’s notice.

Disoriented and scared, she stumbled past row after row of strangers, unable to find her mother in the sea of unfamiliar faces. As a father of three daughters and the “pawpaw” of grandchildren, my heart went out to her. Although prudence dictated otherwise, I wanted to leap from my seat and pick her up to comfort her.

My heart also goes out to teachers and school leaders who, like that little girl, find themselves disoriented, perhaps intimidated and frightened by a strange and constantly changing world. Everything seems to be turned upside down politically, socially, morally, technologically, and economically. Nothing seems normal, in fact, normal is being redefined faster than we can absorb the changes.

Leadership is a juggling act. Leaders have many balls in the air: emails, phone calls, meetings, events to lead and attend, strategic initiatives and projects to move forward, reports to write, presentations to prepare and deliver, conferences to attend, personnel reviews and other HR issues to address, policy review and development, board development and relationships to manage, financial decisions to make, parent and student issues to address and much more. Then, there are responsibilities to our family, church, and civic organizations, personal finances to manage, home and vehicle maintenance, household chores, vacations to plan, and so on.

It is easy to be overwhelmed juggling so many responsibilities. We are always in danger of dropping one or more balls, which only adds to stress in our lives.

The good news is that there are simple ways to keep the balls in the air without being constantly stressed.

Asking for money can be awkward, uncomfortable, difficult, and frustrating. When it comes to raising money, I find that most leaders have two things in common.

I’ve made a practice of selecting a biblical theme for each school year. The theme is a biblical truth, principle, or value accompanied by corresponding Bible verses. For example, over the last several years, I have selected the following themes and Bible verses.

• The Fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22)

• Unity (1 Peter 3:8-9; 1 Cor. 13:4ff; Psalm 133; Philippians 2:3-8)

• Reaching Higher (Matthew 5:14–16; Colossians 1:9–12)

  This became what I call a "Meta-Theme”, that is, every theme begins with “Reaching Higher” followed by the specific theme for that year.

• Reaching Higher: Love your Neighbor (Matthew 22:36–40; Matthew 7:12)

• Reaching Higher: Gratitude (Isaiah 6:3; Romans 12:1-2; Ephesians 5:1-10; 1 Peter 1:14-16; 3 John 1:11)

• Reaching Higher: Holiness (Isaiah 6:3; Romans 12:1-2; Ephesians 5:1-10; 1 Peter 1:14-16; 3 John 1:11)

Practical Ways to Use a Biblical Theme …

You have to reinvent yourself every year.

Yes, EVERY YEAR.

Unless your organizational goal is never to grow, never change, never improve, never increase giving – annual reinvention is a must.

Why? …

Too much to do, too little time. Sound familiar?

For most leaders, end of year can be a stressful time. With mere days left in the giving year and calendars filling up with holiday celebrations and obligations, November and December can be tricky months to navigate.

It doesn’t have to be.

At all times, but especially during times of increased stress or anxiety, I try to operate with the mantra choices lead, feelings follow.

Have you ever felt overwhelmed with the pressure rising? Have you ever felt like you were so busy, but couldn’t get it all done? Oftentimes, this is a false emotion.

Here are some simple questions to ask yourself during seasons of heightened stress and overwhelm.

Do I have “undone” stress?

We are actually deceiving ourselves; pressure and anxiety is actually coming from the fact that deep down we know that we need to…

We have all been there. We receive a nasty email or read something with which we vehemently disagree. We are unfairly attacked and accused. Our dignity and character are assaulted. Our deeply held values and beliefs are ridiculed and attacked. Hot anger and indignation arise from within. We hastily compose a verbal assault to defend our honor and character or our values and beliefs. We launch our digital arrows. We experience catharsis—for a little while.

Don’t do it.

There is no delete button on the Internet. You can’t put the toothpaste back into the tube.

There is a better way.

You show up for work and don’t have your usual “zing.”

Your sleeping habits are noticeably different. Whether resting or awake, you feel drained.

You snap at others, whether it’s justified or not.

You’re cynical and critical.

After dragging yourself to work, you can’t manage to get started.

The unexplainable headache is back, and the lower back pain is starting to get to you.

What gives?

You’re burnt out.