leading Innov

6.1 Assignment.Devotional - Tola

Getting Started

Have you ever wondered why people love turn-around movies? These movies show someone (usually the hero) in the middle of chaotic circumstances, triumphing over the odds to save the day? As a culture, the American public loves stories about overcomers.  A CEO comes into a failing business and turns the profits from red to black. A coach takes a group of misfit kids and leads them to the championship. An athlete overcomes a personal injury to make a great comeback. Isn’t being an overcomer one of the attributes that many people think of when they talk about a strong leader?

The Old Testament judge Tola found himself in a situation where chaos reigned. Once again, the Israelites had entered into the sin cycle and the enemies of Israel were destroying them. While we do not have a ton of information about Tola, the book of Judges tells us he came into leadership at a time when Israel was in turmoil, turned things around, and “rose to save Israel” (Judges 10:1).

Have you ever found yourself in a turn-around situation? Or perhaps you have seen someone else lead through a situation like this? What must a person’s inner life reflect to lead such a charge? Resilience? Strength? Purpose? Before moving on, take a moment to pause to think about what qualities are present in leaders who overcome challenging circumstances.

Upon successful completion of this assignment, you will be able to:

· Explore how living out values and virtues fosters change in others.

· Reflect on personal motivations when leading others.

· Consider what qualities are present in the inner lives of leaders who overcome challenging circumstances.

Background Information

Review this short  article (new tab)  on the judges of the Bible.

Access the drop-down below to read or listen to Judges 10: 1–2.

Tola - Judges 10:1-2

Instructions

1. Review the information in the Getting Started section.

2. You may want to refer to your personal Bible for a preferred translation of the story of Judges 10.

3. Write a half-page reflection paper (Word document) that shares what stands out to you about how Tola stepped into leadership and rose to save Israel. Consider what convictions he must have had. What do you think his inner life was like? Have you ever found yourself in a turn-around situation? What happened? What helped you through it? Include your thoughts/perspectives on your beliefs and motivations for overcoming a situation. Even if you do not prescribe to a Christian worldview, how does the idea of turning a situation around fit with your worldview?

4. Reflection papers are to be written in accordance with  APA Guidelines (7th ed.) (new tab)  including format guidelines. Papers must be logical, well organized, grammatically correct, and have correct spelling and sentence structure.  Write in complete paragraphs.