Movie Review: Unplanned

Movie Review: Unplanned

By: Bob Tousey, MACM

Normally, I will view a movie on its opening day so that my review can be out early, but this was not the case with Unplanned. As much as I hate to admit it, I had reservations about watching this movie as I was not sure I was strong enough to handle some of the more graphic scenes. However, this morning God clearly placed it on my heart to watch the movie and I am glad I did. There certainly were scenes that made me uncomfortable and some that even brought a tear to my eyes but that is what makes it such a powerful movie. The story it tells is an important one and I pray that those who need to see it will see it.

The movie is based on a true story about a former Planned Parenthood clinic Director, Abby Johnson. Abby was raised in a conservative Christian home with staunch pro-life parents. Her husband was also pro-life. Abby was very transparent in her story sharing that in her early years she had two abortions herself. Abby rose from the ranks of a volunteer at Planned Parenthood to one of its most successful clinic directors. In fact, shortly before her transformation she was named Planned Parenthood’s Employee of the Year. Her career with the organization appeared to be on the fast track until she questioned some goals that were established to double the number of abortions performed. She was reprimanded for questioning the goals but went back to work the next day more determined to carry out the mission of the organization. This determination all changed when Abby was called into a procedure room to assist with an abortion and she watched it on the ultra sound. What she saw changed her life forever. She not only left her position as clinic director, but she became an avid advocate for the pro-life movement.

The scene with the ultra sound hit home with me as my conversion from pro-choice to pro-life came as the result of an ultra sound. Although mine was not viewing an abortion. Mine came about when my wife was twelve weeks pregnant with my daughter, who is about to turn 29. I accompanied my wife to the ultra sound appointment and when I saw my daughter moving, I knew she was not a clump of tissue, but she was a baby, my baby. In a matter of seconds, I knew I could no longer support abortion.

I encourage you to see this movie. The story is one that we all must understand. I encourage you to also read my blog post “Healing: Mark Bradley Morrow, Post Abortive Father.” This tells Mark’s story of 4 abortions, a vasectomy, 1 adoption, 2 reversals, a miscarriage, and 2 beautiful babies.

Iron Sharpens Iron: The importance of mentoring

Iron Sharpens Iron: The importance of mentoring

By Bob Tousey, MBA, MACM

           When we think of mentorship the biblical verse that often comes to mind is Proverbs 27:17 (NIV) which teaches that “as iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another”. For teams to be strong it is important for senior members of the team to take time to share their experience and wisdom with junior team members. For this to work it is equally important for the junior members to be humble enough to accept the guidance of their mentors.

            The power of mentorship can be seen in Exodus 18:13-22 (NIV). In this passage Moses father in law, Jethro, observed Moses hearing disputes of the people from morning until evening. When Jethro inquired why he was spending so much time hearing these disputes, Moses replied these people have come to me to seek God’s will. Jethro admonished Moses that this was not good, it was too heavy a burden and would wear him out. Jethro then goes on to advise him to find other capable and trustworthy people and allow them to hear the minor disputes pointing out this would free Moses to hear the more difficult disputes. This advice resulted in disputes being heard in a timelier fashion and Moses did not wear himself out by hearing all the disputes himself. Moses was humble enough to follow the advice of his father in law and adopted the system he suggested. 

In a future post I will discuss the importance of delegation as I see too many leaders who fail in this task but today, I will focus on the importance of mentorship which is a valuable developmental tool. Early in my career I was taught that the first responsibility of every leader is to groom his or her successor. This is what keeps an organization healthy and when done properly allows for an orderly succession plan, which prevents chaos when a leader leaves the organization because there is already someone ready and able to fill the outgoing leader’s shoes. It also helps the organization grow. As the more junior members of the organization grow through mentorship, they can begin to assume more responsibilities which free up the senior members of the team to spread their wings a bit by taking on other new and innovative tasks, which can improve the organizations overall effectiveness.

            Too often I see organizations stagnate because of the lack of growth and worse yet fall apart when a leader suddenly leaves and there is no one ready to assume the mantel of leadership. It is important to prepare for the unexpected as it can occur. We must remember that leaders can be tempted away from an organization with more lucrative offers and even if they are not, they can become disabled and or worse yet die suddenly. When this happens there is a big hole to fill when no one has been groomed to take over. So, begin now. Mentor the next generation of leaders. This will keep your organization healthy and more effective for many years to come.