Leadership

Shame on Me (and How To Get Free) (Hal Rosser – 7/10/20 – NCS CT Chapters)

July 10, 2020 by NCS New Canaan Leave a Comment

With great courage, humility and transparency, Harold (“Hal”) Rosser shares the amazing journey of his life, including the fears, struggles, failures and challenges, as well as the joys, victories, miracles and lessons learned.

Hal takes us along the road that brought a kid with a 1.86 GPA in college who drank heavily to being a senior credit officer at one of the most respected financial institutions in the world and then to being the co-founder of a successful private equity firm and finally to founding his own private equity firm. He vulnerably tells about his fears and how he was always trying to prove he was good enough. Hal also talks about how he came to know Jesus and the profound impact it has had on his life, both personally and professionally, including an immediate healing through prayer that has led to 25 years without alcohol.

Looking back on his life, Hal ends by sharing and explaining eight lessons learned along the way:

Keep asking “Am I actually fully committed to Jesus?”
Living for yourself leads to an empty life.
Being in a community with other followers of Jesus is essential and life-fulfilling.
Many people are hurting and living superficial lives because they lack purpose and hope.
We are all created uniquely and need each other.
We need to release the expectations we have for others (particularly our closest loved ones) and learn to delight in them as God created them to be.
Looking back at even our most difficult times, Jesus is with us every step of the way.
Shame is a barrier to loving others and feeling loved, but we can get free of Shame by experiencing the unconditional love of Jesus.

This is a story of healing for anyone who has ever felt the shame of failures or being “not enough” or who is struggling with an addiction. It is a story of hope for anyone who wonders if Jesus is real or if God really has a purpose for their life. But mostly, it is a story of God’s unceasing love for and delight in one of his children–a love and delight he feels for each of us–and the miraculous power of accepting the open invitation to meet Jesus.

“Didn’t I” Put the “It” In Your Hand? (Dr. David Young – 5/1/20 – NCS New Canaan/NoVa/Washington DC)

May 1, 2020 by NCS New Canaan Leave a Comment

Dr. David Young, founder of Oxford Analytica and formerly a member of the National Security Council staff (and Special Assistant to Dr. Henry Kissinger) during the Nixon administration, shares a lifetime of wisdom from his faith journey, encapsulated in two phrases–“Didn’t I” and “It”. It is about remembering what God has done for us and recognizing the gifts and tools He has put in our hands to steward and put to work.

As one participant noted during his talk, “This is a privileged sitting with a sage.” Another commented, “This is about as good as its been since I started coming to NCS in 2002.” The talk itself is just under 20 minutes, but it is followed by 50 minutes of rich and deep Q&A in which David talks about topics such as the spiritual dimension of politics and power, the difficult journey of building Oxford Analytica and the people who have most impacted his life.

This talk was given to a joint meeting of NCS New Canaan, NCS NoVa and NCS Washington DC on May 1, 2020.

During his talk, David referenced various resources. Here are relevant links:

A talk by Dr. Joe Loconte to the Trinity Forum on April 24, 2020, entitled “Suffering, Friendship, and Courage: What Lewis & Tolkien Teach us about Resilience & Imagination” https://www.ttf.org/?portfolio=online-conversation-joe-loconte
A talk by Os Guinness to the CS Lewis Institute on April 25, 2020, entitled “Powerful Living for Today and Beyond” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PAFtrtLAJNM&feature=emb_title
A talk by Francis Collins to BioLogic on April 6, 2020, entitled “Science and Faith During COVID-19 https://biologos.org/resources/francis-collins-on-science-and-faith-during-covid-19
A talk David gave to the Wheaton College Center for Faith, Politics and Economics on November 21, 2019, entitled “The Spiritual Dimension of Exercising Political Power” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCbc1wE5KYY&feature=youtu.be
The book “The Seasons of Life” by Paul Tournier. https://amzn.to/2WhN4Zt
David’s talk to the Estonian Parliamentary Prayer Breakfast in December 2014, entitled “Dimensions of Power” https://assets.newcanaansociety.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/21/2020/05/01101354/Estonian-Prayer-Breakfast-Dimensions-of-Power-Dec-2014.pdf
David’s article “The Oxford Analytica Story” published in the American Oxonian (Winter 1996) https://assets.newcanaansociety.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/21/2020/05/01101401/David-Young-The-Oxford-Analytica-Story-American-Oxonian-Winter-1996.pdf

Seeking God’s Will in the Big and Small (Dean Harrington – 2/21/20 – NCS New Canaan)

February 23, 2020 by NCS New Canaan Leave a Comment

While many people seek God to discern His “purpose” for their lives, Dean Harrington believes God is real and alive and wants to be even more involved in our day-to-day journey. Dean humbly and transparently shares two amazing stories–one involving his business and one involving his personal life–to illustrate that God wants to talk to us about all our decisions–big and small.

First, Dean shares a business story in which God intervened to save his business by blocking an expensive transaction. Although at the time Dean did not understand the impediment, God made clear to him in prayer that he was not to proceed. Within months the business experienced an unexpected and substantial contraction that would have killed it had the transaction gone through. After surrendering his business to God, Dean watched it go through a complete transformation as he humbly sought guidance for each decision.

Second, Dean shares a very personal story that he had never told publicly before speaking to the New Canaan Society. God pursued Dean relentlessly for many months to remove an idol from his life. Dean very humbly describes how he tried to evade God’s will, and how God kept speaking to him more clearly and loudly until he finally surrendered.

Finally, Dean shares the “abiding” process he uses daily to humble himself before God, ask specific questions and listen for the guidance of his loving Father.

Click this PDF link to download a copy of the “Abiding in the Word” document Dean made available. Abiding in the Word

Hearing and Surrendering to God’s Will (Eventually) (Brig. Gen. Tim Gibson – 12/13/19 – NCS New Canaan)

December 15, 2019 by NCS New Canaan Leave a Comment

With a wonderful mix of humor and humility, Brig. Gen. Tim Gibson, USAF (Ret.) shares the extraordinary journey of his career through the ranks of the Air Force and eventually to the position of President of The King’s College in New York. He tells how, time and time again, God closed the doors he most wanted open and often pushed him through the ones he most wanted closed. Each time, Gen. Gibson recognized in hindsight why the door God opened was exactly the right door, often because it qualified him for, and opened, future ones he could have never imagined. Rather than fight the path God had him on, he embraced each step and surrendered to God’s will. He told how, with each adventure, he and his wife became better and better at hearing God’s will and trusting in it. What he tried to cut short after just a few years turned into a distinguished 32-year Air Force career.

How Did a Kid from Stamford Get To Be Standing Here? (Chief Don Anderson – 12/6/19 – NCS New Canaan)

December 6, 2019 by NCS New Canaan Leave a Comment

Don Anderson, the newly commissioned 11th Chief of the Darien Police Department, shares the journey that took him from a young boy growing up in Stamford as the son of a policeman and the grandson of a preacher to Chief of Police for the Town of Darien. With tremendous humility and authenticity, Chief Anderson shares the details of an horrific evening when the exemplary service of a New York State Trooper inspired him to pursue law enforcement.

Chief Anderson talks about the importance of faith in his family when he was young, as well as how his faith has played a role during his police career. He also details his police career, which began with long hours “walking the beat” on lonely streets with little prospect of promotion. Through perseverance and humility, he rose through the ranks to take the position that his father held as the 7th Chief of the Darien Police Department.

This recording includes an eye-opening introduction by John Revell (founder of Life Line Chaplaincy, Chaplain for the Stamford Police Department, Chaplain for the Connecticut State Police), as well as the Q&A session following Chief Anderson’s talk. Perhaps the most dramatic example of how faith has impacted Chief Anderson’s work as an officer is shared in the Q&A–so keep listening!

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