RHYTHMS | PRAYER, PRACTICE, PLACE
This issue’s focus is on leadership. It features a Prayer for Learning to Lead, a Practice of Taking the First Step, and Chick-fil-A as a sacred Place for the way it intentionally develops young leaders.
One of the joys of creating content to cultivate love for our neighbors and neighborhoods is introducing leaders who deeply care about place.
For this issue, Katie Luksahow wrote the Prayer, J.R. Briggs wrote the Practice, and we interviewed Daniel Andrews for the Place.
Whatever the location you find yourself this summer, we hope these simple rhythms encourage you to love the people and place around you.
All blessings.
Jared Mackey
P.S. We included a link below to one of our favorite weekly e-newsletters on leadership by J.R. Briggs. It’s called Five Things in Five Minutes (5T5M).
Vol 3. Issue 14
PRAYER | LEARNING TO LEAD
By Katie Lukashow
God who walks beside us,
Guide me as I lead myself, my work, and my neighbors.
Teach me wisdom—
Wisdom rooted in reverence,
Wisdom beyond my experience,
Wisdom to discern what matters most.
Teach me humility,
Grant me the courage to say, “I don’t know.”
And the grace to say, “I was wrong.”
May I receive correction without defensiveness,
And offer guidance with grace.
May I see my work as holy ground—
A place to practice love and justice.
Let me not rush to impress,
But grow in integrity over time.
May I embrace my limitations with joy—
Not as barriers, but as invitations to rely on You.
Remind me creation is collaborative,
And to enter the sanctuary of rest.
Awaken in me a holy creativity—
To imagine boldly in the face of fear,
To build while still becoming.
Grant me vision to root my work—
To see my neighborhood not as backdrop,
To lead in a way that cultivates life.
On the road of leadership,
May community find me.
May Your Wisdom guide me.
May Your Spirit steady me.
Amen.
Katie Lukashow, Creative Director at Sacred Place, is thrilled to join Kairos Partnerships as the Fractional Director of Mission Advancement and Operations. Katie is currently living in New Mexico with her husband and their two Iraqi rescue dogs.
PRACTICE | TAKING THE FIRST STEP
By J.R. Briggs
“Someone has to go first. Why not let it be you?”
Practice
Noticing: Take time to observe.
Walking and Biking: Biking is a wonderful way to truly see your neighborhood in the summer.
Initiating: Small gestures build community.
Asking Meaningful Questions: Ask questions with intentionality.
Prayer Walking: It’s as simple as it sounds: you walk and pray.
When we think about leadership, we often picture roles “out there”—at work, church, or on a nonprofit board. But leadership starts closer to home—right in our neighborhoods. No matter where you live—condo, apartment, or cul-de-sac—there are simple, powerful ways to lead. Sociologists say we all have five “neighborhoods”: familial (extended family), relational (friends), digital (online presence), psychographic (shared-interest groups), and geographic. Jesus calls us to love all our neighbors, but let’s focus on our literal, geographic ones.
Leadership in our neighborhoods doesn’t need to be grand or official, but it can be powerful and effective. One foundational posture and principle at the core of neighborly leadership is this:
taking the first step. Taking the initiative to do something, even something seemingly small, rather than waiting for someone else to do it. Here are five ways you can take the first step.
Step 1: Noticing: We often rush in and out of our homes without truly seeing our neighborhood. Take time to observe: Who’s new? Who’s been here the longest? Who has kids? Who do you see often or rarely? Taking the step to notice opens doors to leading.
Step 2: Walking & Biking: As the weather allows, walking and biking become easy on-ramps to serve and lead in your neighborhood. A short walk—even five minutes—helps us see things we miss in cars. Biking is a wonderful way to truly see your neighborhood. It’s hard to lead our neighborhood if we don’t first know it.
Step 3: Initiating: Waving is nice, but what if we took it a step further? Introduce yourself to someone you’ve never met. Relearn a forgotten name with humility: “I know we met before, but I’m blanking on your name.” Small steps of initiation build community.
Step 4: Asking Meaningful Questions: It’s tempting to ask common questions such as, “How long have you lived here?” or “What do you do?” But what if we strove to ask questions with a bit more intentionality, such as: “What do you love most about our neighborhood?” or “How could we make this a better place to live?” Then, take the next step to truly listen.
Step 5: Prayer Walking: I love prayer walking my neighborhood. It’s as simple as it sounds: you walk and pray. As you pass different dwelling places, streets, or parks, pray for whatever comes to mind. You could ask yourself, “What is worthy of celebrating here? What are people afraid of? Where is there suffering and pain?” Don’t overthink it. It could be specific or general, it could be a prayer of blessing or a prayer for healing. You could pray out loud or simply to yourself. You could prayer walk by yourself or with others.
Leading in our neighborhoods doesn’t require a title—just a heart willing to notice, connect, and care. The first step to lead is yours to take.
J.R. Briggs is the Founding Director of Kairos Partnerships, where he equips leaders and organizations through coaching, consulting, and spiritual formation. He lives in Lansdale, Pennsylvania, where his love for leaders shapes his commitment to local presence and leadership formation.
PLACE | CHICK FIL A
By Jared Mackey
“Bright futures is the concept that we think people have crazy potential in life. And we get to play a role in impacting their trajectory personally and professionally.”
Chick-fil-A may be best known for its chicken sandwiches and hospitality punctuated by “My pleasure,” but the foundation beneath the company serves as an intentional platform for leadership development. Daniel Andrews, a Chick-fil-A owner-operator in Denver, shared how his journey and the company’s culture intersect to create what he calls a “leadership factory.”
Daniel got his first job at Chick-fil-A at age 14. “My brother got a job at Chick-fil-A when I was a teenager, and I was a frequent guest as a kid. I wanted to follow in his footsteps and wanted to get a job to buy a car.” Daniel admits with a grin, “I should have been fired. I was a bad employee. But I continued to work at Chick-fil-A through high school and college.”
Daniel’s experience wasn’t just about learning customer service; he learned leadership from Rob Rogers, a Chick-fil-A operator in North Carolina who combined business savvy with employee development and community care. “More than a paycheck, working for Chick-fil-A was an apprenticeship from a leader who really cared about me. Seeing the way he led in the community and lead the business was special.”
The early formative work experience inspired Andrews’ own vocational mission, which he leads through his two Denver-area Chick-fil-A restaurants. He opened the first location in 2018 and then took on a second in 2021. Daniel’s clarity is luminous. “My mission is to build bright futures for others.” He continues with incredibly well-worded wisdom. “Our work is bright futures for our team and heartfelt hospitality for our guests.” His presentation is compelling. “Bright futures is the concept that we think people have crazy potential in life. And we get to play a role in impacting their trajectory personally and professionally.”
Daniel leads a 2.5-year initiative that recruits early-career professionals and invests deeply in their development. “I have nine people in that program right now.” The results of his investment are tangible. Alumni have gone on to lead their own Chick-fil-A franchises, become certified leadership coaches, and serve in leadership roles in community organizations like the Denver Rescue Mission. “What gets me most excited in my career is to invest, and then see the impact on another’s trajectory.” “Two weeks ago I flew to Atlanta and saw Jesse—who worked with me from 2018 to 2021—ring the bell, as he was selected to own a Chick-fil-A franchise. Part of his success was because of the experience we provided him here to grow and develop.”
Beyond his restaurants, Daniel points to a culture of leadership capacity and generosity across the Chick-fil-A brand. The company is now led by Andrew Cathy, a third-generation CEO, following Dan Cathy and founder Truett Cathy. “The Cathy family is really generous and brings 10,000 of us, every Chick-fil-A operator and their spouse, and every corporate staff and their spouse to a conference each year. They create a culture of really strong investment in leadership capacity and leadership skills.” Leadership development is at the core of the company—consistently reflecting on: “How do you lead yourself? How do you lead others? How do you lead your organization? How do you lead in the community?”
“Our shared vision is to be the world's most caring company,” Daniel shares with pride. Chick-fil-A has given over $27 million since 2015 to local nonprofits through a collective grant program where operators nominate recipients. Recently a $75,000 grant was awarded to a nonprofit in southwest Denver that supports people recovering from addiction. Since 1973, Chick-fil-A has donated more than $215 million in scholarships to team members for college education. Five team members from the locations Daniel leads received college scholarships last year.
Under Daniel’s leadership, Chick-fil-A provides a place to work, learn, and grow. “Being a restaurant, we are uniquely poised to teach people that they can do hard things. You have the capacity to become resilient,” he says with conviction and compassion. “You will carry that into future relationships and into the hard things in life and realize that you have the grit to do it.” This is a place helping to form people with bright futures. “I'm passionate about formation,” Daniel concludes—and it is clear. A Chick-fil-A chicken sandwich is great. But even greater is a company and a leader committed to caring for people and place. Chick-fil-A is a sacred place.
Thank you to Daniel Andrews for sharing his story, operating a business that builds bright futures for others, and his contribution to this article.
More rhythms to root your faith in place.
Sacred Place provides a beautiful bi-weekly publication to share the rhythms of a Prayer, Practice, and Place as simple ways to help cultivate love for our neighbors and neighborhoods.
