Leadership 101 – Part 6 – Respectable
Love Example Accountable Discipline Equip Respectable “A [leader] cannot expect people to follow him if he is not respectable,” says Alexander Strauch. Simple and direct…. about as clear as one can say it. Respectable? Yup… decent or correct in character or behavior, worthy of respect or esteem. So says Webster. What’s the Bible say? In 1 Timothy 3, Paul gives instructions to Timothy regarding the character and personal qualities of those who aspire to a position of oversight within the local church. Among those qualities is respectable (v. 2). So what’s that mean? Quite simply, it refers to one who …
Leadership 101 – Part 5 – Equip
Love Example Accountable Disciplined Equip In his book They Smell Like Sheep, Dr. Lynn Anderson writes, “Just as a major role for parents is to empower their children to discover, develop, and use their unique giftedness, even so, a major role of church leaders is to help each Christian discover, develop, and use his or her spiritual gifts in the building up of the body.” There are many unhealthy myths concerning leadership… one of them being that “it’s all about me.” Wrong answer. It’s not at all about you or I. It’s about others. More specifically, it’s about seeking God …
Leadership 101 – Part 4 – Disciplined
Love Example Accountable Disciplined Paul, writing to Timothy, urged him to “train [i.e., discipline] yourself for the purpose of godliness.” (1 Timothy 4:7) Paul knew how vitally important it was for his young protege to develop the habits of self-control, restraint, and order. Without those qualities his character and his ministry would suffer greatly. Harry Truman offered this analysis, “In reading the lives of great men, I found that the first victory they won was over themselves… self-discipline with all of them came first.” Discipline is essential. Aristotle once said, “What lies in our power to do lies in our …
Leadership 101 – Part 3 – Accountable
Love Example Accountable Henry Blackaby nails this one… “The time to buy the smoke alarm is when you build the house, not after the fire starts. The time to enlist friends as partners in accountability is not when [ fill in the blank ] temptation is already a raging inferno but before the first spark. Time after time, disgraced leaders admit that, although they were surrounded by people, they had not close friends with whom they were transparent and who were in a position to hold them accountable. They rarely cite the lack of available people or the unwillingness of …
Leadership 101 – Part 2 – Example
Love [ see March 5 entry ] Example Charles Barkely once proclaimed, “I’m not a role model. Hey parents, you should be raising your own kids. Don’t rely on me to do it.” Sorry Charles, you are a role model. And you are a leader whether you accept the responsibility or not… because you’ve been given a position of tremendous influence. Hey men, we’re leaders too… as husbands and dads we’re in a position of great influence. So what should we be doing? Warren Wiersbe says that “[Shepherds and leaders] must imitate the great Example, the Lord Jesus, and, by …
Leadership 101 – Part 1 – Love
Webster defines leadership as “the office or position of a leader,” “the capacity to lead,” or “the act or an instance of leading.” Based on these definitions, leadership can be viewed as a position, an ability, and an activity. But what characteristics do godly leaders possess? What exactly is a leader? And what does a leader do? Over the next several days I’ll post a simple acrostic, one letter at a time, that will hopefully help to describe what biblical leadership is all about. Here we go! Love – Leaders love people… it’s that simple. Says Richard Swenson, “We were …
He'll Take Your Breath Away
“Take a good look at God’s wonders – they’ll take your breath away.” –Psalm 66:5, The Message “My God is so big, so strong and so mighty, there’s nothing my God cannot do. My God is so big so strong and so mighty, there’s nothing my God cannot do. “The mountains are His, the valleys are His, the stars are His handiwork too. “My God is so big, so strong and so mighty, there’s nothing my God cannot do.” So, I woke up this morning and took little Summer downstairs with me so that Nicol could get some sleep…and this …
Don't Get Tripped Up
Ever wonder why good things happen to bad people? I have. Ever question God as to why evil people get away with their stuff? I have. Ever been angry or bitter because of it? I have. Ever ask yourself, “What’s the point of being faithful and doing the right thing?” I have. Ever wear yourself out trying to understand these things? I have. So I went to God’s Word… “Truly, you put them on a slippery path and send them sliding over the cliff to destruction. In an instant they are destroyed, swept away by terrors. Their present life is …
We Gotta Pray!!!
“First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way…I desire then that in every place the MEN should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling…” (1 Timothy 2:1-2,8) A major issue has been brewing in our country for some time now concerning the preservation of the Bible’s definition of marriage. You probably know the story: one side views marriage from a “traditional” perspective, i.e., between one man and …
Life and Joy
Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but when dreams come true, there is life and joy. (Proverbs 13:12, NLT) As a young boy, every once in a while my heart became attached to something I thought I needed. This generally took place as Christmas or my birthday approached. “A dirtbike would be awesome,” I thought. Or, “I so want a go-cart.” A baseball glove, the newest Hot Wheels car, a sling-shot. One time I was determined to have a pair of Spaulding basketball sneakers…with THE coolest three-stripe design ever (sorry Adidas fans). I did everything my manipulative little self could …
