1 Cor. 9:27 NLT  “I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified.” Discipline – training oneself to do something in a controlled and habitual way. Leadership takes discipline . Becoming the best version of you requires a willingness to do things that others will not put the effort into. What does that look like? Well, how much sleep do you need to be effective and at your best? How often do you exercise? How much attention do you pay to your […]

J. Oswald Sanders in his book Spiritual Leadership makes this statement about becoming a leader: “If you cannot keep a secret, do not try to lead. If you cannot yield a point when someone else’s ideas are better, save yourself the frustration of failed leadership. If you want to maintain an image of infallibility, find something else to do besides leading people.” Leading people is giving my best to their best and coming up with something incredible for those who are being served. In the church leading is about enabling people to use their giftedness to develop the church and […]

“Now, as you can see, the Lord has kept me (Caleb) alive and well as he promised for all these forty-five years since Moses made this promise–even while Israel wandered in the wilderness. Today I am eighty-five years old. I am as strong now as I was when Moses sent me on that journey, and I can still travel and fight as well as I could then. So give me the hill country that the Lord promised me.” Joshua 14:10-12 ff  NLT Vision is the ability to see beyond what is to what could be. I love this passage of […]

Mark 10:42-44 NLT  So Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be a servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must be the slave of everyone else.” The greatest impact that we will ever have as leaders will be determined by our ability to serve those God has placed right in front of us. Not those we hope to serve, or […]

As leaders, we sometimes get a lofty idea of who we are. It can be easy to get caught up in all that we are accomplishing or making happen, and we begin to think we are more than we are. Each of us, no matter what position we find ourselves in, are simply people. No more, no less. The problem with getting a lofty idea of yourself is that you begin to forget that the simple facts of life apply to you as well. Things like, saying thank you to those who serve you, a kind word or smile, a […]

Proverbs 3:13 “For wisdom is more profitable than silver, and her wages are better then gold.” Proverbs 19:8 “To acquire wisdom is to love yourself; people who cherish understanding will prosper.” One of my life goals has been to seek out people who are wiser than I am and learn from them. Here are five little nuggets I have gathered over my short life. 1. Live like today is your last, plan as though you will live forever. 2. Do every job for God, not for the one who is paying you. 3. Pay close attention to those closest to […]

ALONE. It’s is a common feeling among those who lead. There are times when you are the person who has to take the first step, carry the first load, take the first hill. There are times when you have to keep going when no one will go along with you. There are times when you must take a stand, and no one else will. There are times when what you are carrying cannot be shared with those you are closest to. There are times when you have allowed yourself to become isolated. As a leader some of the “aloneness” is […]

Have you ever thought about the saying, “You are what you eat”? You know the idea is that what you put in your body on a regular basis determines the health of your body. I would like to change that saying a little. “You become what you train for.” All of us, every day, are training ourselves to become something. The habits you have formed or are forming will determine who you will become. If your actions are thoughtless and unintentional, that is who you will become. If your actions are well-planned, reaching towards a specific goal, that is who […]

Often I spend time thinking about the best ways to teach or help people understand a truth. I try to think of an illustration or object lesson that will make people “get it”. As I have been re-reading the gospels I have been reminded of how the greatest teacher (Jesus) made this happen. He did it as he lived life with his disciples. It is so interesting that Jesus taught lessons and then gave practical ways for his guys to walk the lesson out in their lives. It is by doing what we learn that truth filters down into our […]

It is not what a man does that determines whether his work is sacred or secular, it is why he does it. -A.W. Tozer Why do you get up every day to do the things you do? For fame? For glory? For money? For pleasure? For the joy of a job well done? To survive? To keep up with the American dream? Because it is expected? To get to the next level? To keep your job? To buy that next thing? Because someone is counting on you? Because you were taught to? As a Christ-follower and a leader the only […]