Nothing Under the Banyan Tree

Today I picked up a copy (with appropriate payment) of a book by Ted Engstrom and Paul Cedar, called "Compassionate Leadership". As I turned to the Foreword by Leighton Ford, I found words that are too good to keep:

Here goes: "An old Indian proverb says that 'nothing grows under the banyan tree.' That huge tree towers so high and spreads its branches so wide with such thick foliage that the sun cannot filter through to nurture the tiny seedlings below. The same thing, unfortunately, can be said of many visible and strong human leaders. Their reach goes high. Their influence goes wide. They are seen by many as leaders. And yet they do not create space within their circle of influence to permit younger leaders to put down their roots and spread their branches."

We in the Launch Group have been encouraged to mentor other people---listening to them, talking with them, sharing with them, praying with them, encouraging them. Banyan Trees Need Not Apply.