Always Green
Recently, I heard retired NFL Quarterback Drew Brees, share one of the most impactful lessons he ever received from a college coach: “As long as you’re green, you’re growing. As soon as you’re ripe, you start to rot.”
That line has stayed with me throughout the week. In other words, the moment we think we’ve “arrived”, we’ve actually started to decline. And personally, I want to live a life where I’m constantly being stretched and constantly bumping up against areas where I need to improve. I want to make a habit of learning new things and sharpening skills and increasing my capacity. I don’t want to be a one-trick pony either! I want to be well-read and well-rounded. I want to stay ahead of the rotten curve! I also want to model this to my sons and to every Young Lion I have the privilege to lead. I want them to know that we don’t coast, we grind and we grow!
I talk about this mindset with my sons and lions all the time. None of us have ever arrived. And none of us ever will. It keep us humble and it should keep us hungry to see others in our circles going after new and exciting endeavors. A little healthy peer drive and competition is a good thing!
As Lions, we are servant leaders who are never above any task. We are lifelong learners — always hungry to grow. We are disciplined individuals and we’re leading ourselves well, first. We know we can’t lead and influence others for good if we are not leading our own lives with strength and conviction. This plays out in every area of life: spiritual, physical, emotional, relational; it affects our private and our public lives. Simply put – growth is a lifestyle.
This week three of our core leaders in Ndola, young men who already carry and lead a huge portion of Orchard’s ministry with kids and youth, are attending an intensive ministry training hosted and led by our friends at the Vineyard Church in Pamodzi, near Chifubu. They’re attending class for long 10-hour days, receiving deep teaching in a new environment, and they’re being stretched in new ways too!
They’ll do it again next month, and again in July. And once they complete 3 full terms of this intensive course that emphasizes personal growth, spiritual formation, and the integration of biblical principles into daily ministry practices, they’ll receive a recognized ministry certificate at the end of Spring 2027!
These lions are not coasting on what they already know. They’re choosing to stay green.
We believe in exposing our leaders to new voices, new tools, and new challenges, because that’s how people and ministries grow. I’m so proud of them for their humble willingness. It’s a good example they’re setting for our lions-in-waiting!
So, my encouragement to lions everywhere this week is: Stay green. Stay teachable. Stay hungry. Stay humble enough to learn. Because the moment we stop growing, we start rotting. Junior Lions and Little Lions are watching. Let’s show them how to live and lead. Let’s be men and women who remain committed, throughout our lives, to keep sharpening, stretching, learning, and becoming the most roaring versions of ourselves. Lion lives like that honor God, big-time!