Uneasy is the Man Who Wears the Crown
“Uneasy is the head of the man who wears a crown.” Shakespeare I listened to a sermon last night from Dr. Martin Lloyd Jones in which he referenced this quote when talking about how man becomes a slave to power, adoration, and the worship of other men. The idea that I will be happy when I final ‘arrive’ is a lie that I consistently trip up on. I sin when I dwell on the falsehood that contentment and happiness will come from attaining some level of respect and achievement in the eyes of others. What I forgot is that should …
Shift Happens
After visiting Seoul, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Beijing, after reading The World is Flat by Thomas L. Friedman and after watching the video below titled “Shift Happens”, I was trying to digest a paradigm shift that was happening in me. One afternoon, I was driving down the road with my family in my Suburban and while stopped at a traffic light, I turned to my three oldest children (Kai, Avery and Noah) who were sitting behind me and I said: “Guys, school is important. There are kids in India and China right now that are studying …
Blocking Sled
When I was in 7th grade, I was a bit overweight so when it came to playing football, they put me on the offensive line. Actually, I was a left guard. I really didn’t think I belonged there. I hated blocking and playing “bit parts” in the success of the team. I also hated the blocking sled. Most people know what a blocking sled is, but if you don’t, its just a bunch of metal that is on a “skid” platform that lineman “hit” and push in order to practice their skill. (See http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_YL0o-kjEGA) Notice I said skill because that’s …
Reality 2.0
I’m listening to a book on Integrity by Henry Cloud and one of the topics he brought up was dealing with reality. Many of us at times, myself included, create an alternate reality to live in. Let me explain. You have a great idea that you have been cultivating for years, you share the idea with someone and they say that you should try to market this idea. You spend the next 16 months developing a business plan, putting in long hours away from your family and working on finding funding for this project. You finally get funding and launch …
Leadership 101 – Part 10 – Patience
“If any are inclined to despond, because they do not have patience, let them be of good courage. It is in the course of our feeble and very imperfect waiting that God Himself, by His hidden power, strengthens us and works out in us the patience of the saints, the patience of Christ Himself.” –Andrew Murray If you were to ask my wife to list my strengths, I can assure you that patience probably would not make her Top 5. Sure, I get it right some of the time… with our 16-month-old daughter, even when she lets out a blood-curdling …
Leadership 101 – Part 9 – Integrity
Love Example Accountable Discipline Equip Respectable Servant Humility Integrity John Wesley once said, “Let your words be the genuine picture of your heart.” No games, no fronts, no facades please. Walk the walk, don’t just talk the talk. And don’t forget what Jesus said: “…whatever is in your heart determines what you say.” (Matthew 12:34b, NLT) I’m sure we can all think of times when words and actions have exposed the junk in our hearts… I sure can. I have a friend who told me not long ago that “a person either has integrity or he doesn’t.” His statement caught …
Leadership 101 – Part 8 – Humility
Love Example Accountable Discipline Equip Respectable Servant Humility Augustine thought that humility is rather important. “Humility,” he said, “is the foundation of all the other virtues; hence, in the soul in which this virtue does not exist there cannot be any other virtue except in mere appearance.” In other words, if we’re not humble, there’s nothing genuine about the rest of our character. Strong words! J. Oswald Sanders agrees. “Humility is the hallmark of the spiritual leader. A leader’s humility should grow with the passing of years, like other attitudes and qualities.” So what does God’s Word have to say …
Leadership 101 – Part 7 – Servant
Love Example Accountable Discipline Equip Respectable Servant Of servant leadership, Warren Wiersbe says,”To put it plainly, shepherds serve their sheep. Shepherds know their sheep and can call them by name. They lead their sheep to places where they can find food, water, and shelter. They protect the sheep from enemies, they appy oil when the sheep have been cut or bruised, they enable the sheep to be useful in growing wool, providing milk, and reproducing after their kind. When any of the sheep go astray, the shepherd goes after them and seeks to bring them back.” Jesus referred to Himself …
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 …
