I’m in my 16th year of providing spiritual and emotional support to Canadian leaders. My journey this year has taken me to every provincial capital, from beautiful Victoria, BC, to historic Quebec City, the oldest city in North America. Mixed in with those visits, I’ve been able to spend multiple weeks on Parliament Hill.
My travels have allowed me to build meaningful relationships with leaders from across the political spectrum. Regardless of where they sit, they share several things in common:
- The answers to the problems are more complex than we tend to think they are.
- The pressure of political life takes a tremendous and often unfair personal toll.
- There is a surprising spiritual openness if you’re willing to meet people where they are at.
I spent a few days at the Saskatchewan Legislature this week, supporting our Spiritual Care Provider, meeting with Members, and attending our first Saskatchewan Prayer Breakfast. As part of our time in the building, we took the ‘official tour,’ and our guide took this picture of me at The Well.
I’ll confess to being disappointed with the quality of the picture at first, but it’s grown on me. My relative smallness and the graininess of the image remind me that while I’m a part of what God is doing with Leading Influence, I’m not the centre of what He is doing.
The Well reminds me of the encounter Jesus had with the Samaritan woman in John chapter 4. He met her in the middle of her day as she went about her business. Their conversation went from ordinary to profoundly transformational. Her world changed for the better that day!
It’s a picture of how our team engages with the leaders God has given us to serve. We have ‘well moments’ that we hope and pray will become profoundly transformational for the people we have the privilege of serving in this unique way.
I’m thankful for what I get to do, whom I get to do it with, and the opportunity to be a part of something much bigger than I would have dared to ask, think, or imagine.
– Tim Schindel, National Director