What inspires you?

I'm inspired by leaders who do not look to push their own personal agenda, but instead empower others to share their vision as well. Leaders who create trusting community in this way inspire me.

Tell us about an issue that matters to you and how you became aware and involved.

Active peace and non-violence matters to me. I'm a follower of Jesus and I believe that the bible shows Jesus as an active man working to bring holistic peace and reconciliation to the world around him. (email me if you''d like to talk more about his) He came to bring harmony with god, harmony with other people, harmony with ourselves, and harmony with creation. In my research this is the most biblical view of Jesus. The Christianity that is wrapped in an American flag and has Jesus blessing American Imperialism is a lie. Jesus did not support the imperial powers of his time (Rome) and he wouldn't support any war in our time. Love and self-sacrificing servanthood are the characteristics of his kingdom.

Share your perspectives on what makes a good leader.

A good leader leads by example and serves the people who need it most.

A good leader is always empowering others to become better.

A good leader always speaks the truth in love, even when it hurts. People need to be corrected sometimes and if they trust that their leader's correcting them because he cares they will grow and mature from that experience.

Finally, a good leader is always releasing his responsibilities to the people he is leading. The best leaders work themselves out of a Job by training the people they are working with to fill their role.

Do you think TakingITGlobal can help you achieve some of your goals? Have we already? Please tell us how.

I think that TIG has a lot of potential to help people network and get together to activate projects although I haven't experienced this because of my lack of involvement. I hope to see some good things come from TIG this fall while I'm in school and more involved.