Transparency is clear with MWAP

By CAZ TAYLOR

To most men, transparency suggests weakness and vulnerability. To Dwight Johnson, author of The Transparent Leader (books I & II) and the founder of the Men With A Purpose (MWAP) fellowship group, transparency is the key for a man to become all he can be in Christ.

≥I discovered years ago,≤ said Johnson, ≥we men donπt do well being transparent. But, Iπve also found that transparency with others will lead to confidence and trust. From this, bonding relationships and accountability just happen. You canπt legislate that kind of stuff, but we see it happen all the time.≤

An environment in which man-to-man bonding occurs is during the Men With A Purpose (MWAP) luncheons, the third Fridays of each month. ≥We have an all-you-can-eat buffet at noon in the Doubletree Club Hotel in Hotel Circle,≤ said Johnson, ≥where we open with prayer and a song, bring on one attendee who gives a brief åWho am Iπ presentation, and introduce a guest speaker.≤

≥A distinguishing feature that makes us different,≤ Johnson added, ≥is the quality of our guest speakers. We bring in people of worldwide acclaim.≤

One particular instance stands out in Johnsonπs mind. ≥In December, for example, we brought in Charlie Duke, one of the few men who walked on the moon.≤

Johnson recalls that this godly manπs transparency and even vulnerability were key elements to his greatness. The Apollo 16 lunar module pilot recounted the excitement, challenges, concerns and even his fears on his monumental moon walk.

≥Our speakers model how it is okay to be transparent and how that trait can help, not hinder a manπs success,≤ said Johnson.

As the author of two popular books on leadership, Dwight Johnson has made it his life goal to study qualities that inspire greatness. A willingness to be transparent is often the key component. As Tim LaHaye, author of the popular Left Behind series stated in his forward to Johnsonπs books, ≥The current business model would have us believe that a leader who is vulnerable or transparent before employees, customers, or stockholders will create a lack of confidence and put the business in peril. The Transparent Leader looks at it a different way. A better way. A way that was modeled after the teachings of the greatest Leader of all: Jesus Christ.≤

Johnsonπs books offer stories and spiritual insights from leaders, including George W. Bush, Chuck Colson, businessman Adolph Coors IV, legendary football coach Tom Landry, U.S. Senator Bill Armstrong and other leaders and celebrities.

Johnson has had a few brushes with his own celebrity. A retired naval officer and electrical contractor by trade, he constructed what is still, after 44 years, the tallest lighted cross in the world. Just 15 ½ miles southwest of Denver, in the Rocky Mountains, stands a 393-foot tall, 254-foot wide illuminated cross.

≥Pilots can see it from 100 miles out,≤ beamed Dwight. ≥From the road, itπs visible for about 50 miles,≤ he added. This bright cross has become a symbol of the life Johnson desires to live and an illustration for the many businessmen and professionals he has discipled through the years.

Biblical analogies of ≥letting your light shine before men≤ and ≥not hiding your light under a basket≤ abound.

Johnson believes that transparency is contrary to the worldπs ways, but it allows for Christ to be seen through everything we do. Understandably, one of his favorite verses is found in Romans 12:2, ≥And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.≤

If the idea of transparency, friendship, fellowship and hearing remarkable speakers appeal to any businessmen or professional men reading this article, Dwight Johnson invites you to find out more.

Inquire about the Men With A Purpose luncheons by e-mailing him at Dwight@cts.com.