Hello all!
I wanted to send you an email to introduce myself. I’m Craig Hanson, the newly appointed Vice President of Advancement at Frontline. My wife and I graciously accepted Cole’s offer to join the team back in January, and we moved up here just a few weeks ago to start this new chapter. I'm excited to share some of my first impressions and experiences since becoming part of this incredible community with you.
I have been pretty overwhelmed by the kindness of the Frontline support base. I’ve been offered lots of food, lots of pointers, and lots of love from our community. I think I might have found a family!
You see, I’m not really one of those people who is from anywhere. Born in Wisconsin, lived in Oklahoma, then Illinois, then fancy graduate school in the northeast, then a life in Florida. And if I meet you at the Run2Win conference coming up, just ask me about my years in Europe, Africa and Latin America (you’re coming, right? REGISTER HERE so that I can share the road stories!) . After a while, you just learn to adapt.
But one thing has been tripping me up: how to talk like a Georgian. All I know is that it’s its own thing.
At our recent sponsored debate for the 3rd congressional district, a kindhearted member of a campaign staff came to my rescue. She said, “Here’s a tip. if you want to say something mean, but don’t want to be too mean about it, just learn this phrase: Bless your heart.” She then instructed that there are a lot of different ways that it can be used depending upon whether you add “little” or the mumbling of “mmmm.” Here’s what my flashcards read:
“You’re not smart, bless your heart” = You’re not smart, but I won’t be mean about it
“You’re not smart, bless your little heart” = You’re not smart, and I’m kinda mean about it
“you’re not smart. Mmmmm, bless your little heart” = You’re really, really not smart.
Did I get that right?
But talking like a local isn’t the only thing that I’ve been learning. I’m also learning that Georgia is changing. It’s growing, it’s evolving, and it’s expanding in every way – socially, economically, religiously. Everything. I’ve seen this story play out over and over around the world. Here is a pro-tip from my experiences: in moments of change, the big prizes go to the courageous. Especially if they’re strategic, intelligent, and first to the fray. Here’s another tip: if we don’t, then someone else will.
That’s what drew me to Frontline. Even its name signals that we are running towards the action, not away from it. Frontline doesn’t wait for things to happen, it makes them happen. It doesn’t react, it responds. And when you add to this the fact that Frontline now has a dream-team staff who outperform the best-of-the-best, it was an easy call for me and my family to pack up, head north, and learn how to use the phrase “bless your heart.”
I’d love to hear more of your tips on life in Georgia. Please REGISTER HERE for the Run2Win conference, where we can pull up a chair and have a tutorial. Be sure to ask me about the great things we have cooking on the Frontline stove. Because there’s a lot that we’re up to. And, honestly, if you attend the breakout sessions at the conference, you’ll be getting a really, really good clue as to what. We aren’t aiming low!
Finally, let me thank those of you who have been supporters. Most of you were in the Frontline family well before I showed up. So one night, when I was leaving the capitol building after a string of incredible Frontline wins, it really struck me that none of it would have been possible without you. You were faithful well before I came along. You helped to build the organization into the juggernaut that it is today. I can’t express to you how touching that is.
So let’s press on. Let’s move the Church Ambassador Network forward, let’s pack the rafters with folks at Run2Win on April 26-27, and let’s build something that glorifies Christ in all public spaces. Let’s assemble a group of business leaders who have a vision for economic vitality. Let’s transform education into something that blesses the lives of our children and gives opportunity to kids sentenced to a life in bad schools just because of where they live. Let's transform our churches into centers of community improvement, and let's enable our pastors to be our most prominent civic leaders. Because I tell you most assuredly, these things can be done. They have been done before, and they can be done again.
And to those who oppose these goals, I simply respond: Bless your heart.
(Did I nail it??!!! I tried! Let me know at [email protected])
- Craig Hanson
