County Judge Chad Adams

Interviewed Ellis County Judge Chad Adams this week. Here’s a preview of the full interview to run Sunday in the Waxahachie Daily Light.

(regarding the Ellis County Facilities Committee)WDL: Do you feel that they had enough tools and authority to do the job they were asked to do? Some people have said that they weren’t able to do their job at times.CA: There’s a concept – and this is from the mission field – but a man told me and I’ve forgotten his name now but he worked in the administration.
I don’t know if you know this, but that’s why I came back – to get my degree in administration — to actually go back and serve as an administrator in the field. What you have is a lot of missionaries who want to be in the bush country but because of the need for administration they end up in administration and don’t do a good job. So I felt like my gifts were good in administration so pursued an administration degree to go back and be a missionary.
But this Australian administrator looks at me and says in an Australian accent, with his blue eyes and black hair – and he was hot about something, “Let me tell you something. You can never have the responsibility without the authority. And you can never have the authority without the responsibility. They always have to be the same. You remember that.” And I did. And that concept has been wonderful.
Ultimately the court was and is responsible for the decisions that we make for this county. So I think that though some may argue the authority of the group was limited, it’s because the responsibility of the group was limited.

WDL: What then fell off track? What led you into county judge if your plan was to go back to the mission field?
CA: I guess I helped Bob Carrol in his race when he first ran for county court at law. And its funny how many people consider Bob Carrol a good friend and I guess I’m one of those. Because he is such a good friend to people. But I think that was my introduction into politics, while I was finishing up my degree in administration. And once that was completed it was just natural to slide into running for office.
We ran for justice of the peace. And an interesting dynamic is that running for public office is sort of like being a missionary. You’ve got to get your message out. You have to send your letters out for your fundraising efforts. You raise the funds and then you go and serve. It’s similar in that scope.
And I think all along my wife and I have been committed to investing our lives into other people and ultimately that’s where we see our eternal reward coming from. And this is just a natural extension of that concept.

WDL: Do you have plans to go back?
CA: To the mission field? You know I want to take my family, when the girls are old enough on a summer mission trip. It’s so important for my girls to see that they are not the only person in this universe. We develop a very selfish attitude if we think that way. and I think the girls, I want them to have a global perspective. And I think when they’re up to it we’ll make a very strong effort to do that.
My wife has done many short term mission trips in Mexico. We’ve done some together as a husband and wife. It was an interesting dynamic. I’m a take charge kind of guy and I was invading her territory in a way. But she’s an awesome girl and I’m very thankful for her.
I know this is a side note, but my personality has to have someone like my wife and she simplifies things so well. She is a very wise woman. I’ll come home with an issue and I can’t give her the entire details, but I give her a nutshell and she gives me a nutshell answer back — and she’s right. I don’t know how she does it, but it’s kind of like that intuition, wise aspect of summing the issue up and summing up what’s really going on.

WDL: What things have you taken from the mission field and put it into your public service?
CA: I don’t want to take God and throw Him up for purpose of getting elected. But honestly when you’re walking with the Lord and a decision comes — and I’m human and I don’t do this every time — but when you’re walking with the Lord, there is a voice of wisdom that is present. And it doesn’t matter which decision you face but it’s usually a right decision if you head that voice of wisdom. But if you’re not walking with the Lord and you’re not in fellowship with Him then you lack wisdom.
And if you’ve ever studied wisdom in scripture it’s an awesome live, living thing. In fact it’s an extension of God Himself.
I think decisions on the court, and in the court, and in daily routine are similar to the mission field because when you’re on the mission field there is always a crisis. When you go over there you don’t know how things are going to work out. You have to be flexible. And you’re always praying, “Lord I we’ve got this circumstance, we’re trusting you right now to take care of this situation.”
Today I was in a meeting and I went to the restroom to freshen up, and its become a standard operating procedure for me, it’s a conscious effort to say, “God You are in control, I don’t know how this meeting is going to go but I give it to you,” and it was a great meeting — I’m glad I didn’t forget to do that. But I think constant fellowship with the Lord is something I really learned on the mission field because maybe you’re up against a nation or a country or region of people that you have no way of politically manipulating, motivating or working through, you just have to say, “God I trust you.” I guess that was a big concept burned into my mind in distributing the grain to the people on the mission field — just trusting the Lord.