Celebrating Impact
November 22, 2024As 2024 draws to a close, let’s look at some of the ways THF has made an impact this year.
“Absorb fear and exude hope.”
This phrase is the recommendation of former Continental Airlines and Burger King CEO Greg Brenneman on how to lead well through uncertain times. In the early 2000s, Brenneman became known as the “Turnaround King” due to his ability to take a failing company (like BK) and guide it toward renewed success. Asked in a 2022 interview what he would recommend leaders do when things are difficult, he responded, “You need to absorb fear and exude hope.”
What does that mean? As Brenneman explained, “Everybody is just running around not knowing what’s going to happen. You need to absorb it from people and say, ‘Hey, you know, we’ll get to the other side of this.’”
This is no doubt good leadership advice. It also happens to be good biblical advice. There are lots of examples of leaders in the Bible who embody more or less this kind of leadership philosophy. We often hear that the most common imperative in Scripture is “Fear not.” Often that command is given by God or God’s agent (an angel or a prophet) to his people. But there are lots of times when God’s people say this to each other. What are they doing? They’re absorbing fear and exuding hope.
Consider Moses. When the Israelites were trapped and terrified on the shore of the Red Sea, Moses calmly said, “Don’t be afraid. Just stand still and watch the Lord rescue you today” (Ex. 14:13). He was saying, “We’ll get to the other side of this”—both the other side of the immediate crisis of the Egyptian threat and literally the other side of the Red Sea. He was absorbing fear and exuding hope in God’s power to rescue his people.
Or Joshua, who was tasked with leading a nation unaccustomed to warfare into the Promised Land, which they would have to take by force. “Be strong and courageous,” he told the people. “Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go” (Josh. 1:9). Joshua was encouraging the people to look to him as an example of trusting God. He was absorbing the people’s fear and exuding hope.
What about Nehemiah? When they were rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem, the people of God faced threats from enemies, and the workers were afraid. Nehemiah said, “Don’t be afraid of the enemy! Remember the Lord, who is great and glorious, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes!” (Neh. 4:14).
A leader who calmly tells his (or her) followers not to be afraid is absorbing fear. A leader who gives a reason for confidence is exuding hope.
There is much to fear in our world today (it’s not lost on me that today is the 61st anniversary of the JFK assassination). And there are many who seem to be stoking people’s fears for personal or political gain. But the voices I’m trying to pay attention to are the ones who are absorbing fear, not spreading it, and exuding hope, not quashing it.
I commend to you this article by Warrick Farah, a missiologist I’ve gotten to know over the past couple of years. He’s analyzing the MAGA movement through the lens of movement theology. It’s not a political piece; rather, it’s an exercise in absorbing political fear. Or this op ed by Wissam Nasrallah, COO of Thimar, on understanding the war in Lebanon. Wissam lives in Beirut. The war is personal for him. But by calmly assessing the circumstances surrounding the conflict, he’s absorbing people’s fears and exuding the hope found in Christ.
There’s an anxiety crisis in the world today. We know that. Many of us feel that. What can we do about it? Spread this message: “Don’t be afraid. Remember the Lord.” In other words, absorb fear and exude hope.
Here’s what’s happening.
Ken Taylor Award Announced
African Christian Authors has just announced a new Kenneth N. Taylor Legacy Award for Book Cover of the Year. The announcement from last week reads, “In tribute to Ken Taylor, founder of Tyndale House Publishers and the creator of The Living Bible, this award honours excellence in book cover design—a crucial element that draws readers to explore the book’s message. The recipient will receive a KES 100,000 Republishing and Printing Contract to enhance both the content and its visual presentation, showcasing their work in a polished, compelling format.” (KES 100,000 is worth approximately $775.) It’s a little bit funny to me that an award honoring Ken Taylor’s legacy is for book design, since I don’t think of that as one of Ken’s passions or strengths. But in a year when Tyndale House Publishers has been honored with an award of its own for excellence in cover design, the Kenyan KNT Legacy Award does seem fitting. To me, the real point is that Ken’s legacy—and the legacy of Tyndale, both the publisher and the foundation—extends all the way around the world, including throughout Africa. I hope and pray the work we do today, whether it’s designing covers or meeting with foundation partners or writing a weekly briefing email, is a fitting tribute to that legacy as well.
Strategic Impact Grants
Every year since 2020, the Tyndale House Foundation board has set aside a portion of the annual grantmaking budget to respond to crises and special opportunities that arise between normal cycles. Originally this was intended to respond to COVID, but scope of these special grants has expanded a bit over the years to include what we now call “Strategic Impact.” So far this year we have given nearly $350,000 for strategic projects including:
- Renovation of a church building in Burkina Faso, that is housing hundreds of refugees displaced by terrorism.
- Translation of the Bible into Anyii, a language group in Ghana.
- Startup funds for Beeyond Borders, an agricultural ministry getting Christian workers into closed countries.
- Evangelistic children’s camps in Zimbabwe.
- Refugee relief in Lebanon with a special emphasis on women.
- Technology funds for a teacher-training institute in Argentina.
- Rebuilding a theological library in Ukraine that was destroyed by Russian forces early in the war.
THF Resources Available
Each year, Tyndale House Foundation staff releases resources that help people in the wider Tyndale community get to know our grantees, their work, their contexts, and their needs. I’m excited to announce that this year’s Impact Report and Never Stop Praying book are out and ready for distribution! The Impact Report is a special one, since 2023 was THF’s 60th anniversary year, so the report contains articles and information related to that important milestone, including data on special anniversary grants to strategic partners. This year’s prayer book underwent a massive revision from last year, with country information, regional prayer points, and nearly 100 beautiful images in addition to important information related to each THF grantee. This is a wonderful resource to use for praying for our international partners, as you can learn about the mission of each organization, the specific focus of last year’s grant, and the particular prayer needs each leader has highlighted for us. Praying for our partners is one of THF’s core values, and we invite the entire community of Tyndale family and friends to join us in this critical endeavor. We hope these printed resources (which are also available in electronic form) will be a help and an encouragement to you in this regard. We’ll send out hard copies next week.
From the Bookshelf
Since I represent a foundation that is closely connected to a prominent publisher, I often receive books as gifts when meeting with partners—gifts I receive with joy and gratitude! It’s an extra special privilege when partners give me books they themselves wrote. That was the case when I met recently with Stan Wallace, president of Global Scholars, an organization that works to equip international educators to model Christ to their students. Tyndale House Foundation has given many grants to Global Scholars, most recently in 2023 for a conference of African authors in Nairobi. In addition to being an amazing academic thinker and a strong leader, Stan is a highly regarded neuroscientist. He’s also a popular podcaster and writer, and in the last few years, he has become a good friend. I always come away from conversations with him feeling smarter. Stan’s book Have We Lost Our Minds? examines how neuroscience is related to human flourishing and the true nature of the soul. If you think that seems like kind of a dense topic, you’re not wrong, but Stan is an excellent writer and manages to make his subject matter accessible even to people like me. If you’re interested in how science and faith can work together, you may want to check out this excellent new book by THF partner Stan Wallace.
That’s it for this week’s briefing. Please send any questions, comments, and Ken Taylor awards to [email protected]. I send out this email resource most weeks primarily for a Tyndale audience, but you should feel free to share it with others who may be interested, inside or outside of Tyndale. Thanks for continuing to pray for and support our partners around the world.
Jeremy Taylor
President | Tyndale House Foundation
The THF Weekly Briefing provides information about significant events happening in the wide universe of Tyndale House Foundation partner organizations as well as an occasional peek behind the scenes of THF’s operations. It is available to anyone at Tyndale who’s interested in learning more about the Foundation side of the organization. Was this email forwarded to you? Contact [email protected] to be added to (or removed from) the distribution list.