Morning Leadership Thought

A leader must be so committed to a project that he is willing to do it with or without someone else.  David did not become king until after he took on Goliath alone.  Don’t ask someone else to do something you’re not willing to do.

Be a Voice, Not an Echo

Be a voice, not an echo.

To complete the road to success you have to follwo the roads marked “Value other people’s time” and “Communicate constantly.”  You must avoid the detour that heads to “Status quo.”

Where am I an echo?

Where am I a voice?

Dear Lord, Help me find my voice and use it for Your glory.  Amen.

Meet God’s Will

Faith is about taking action in the moment, trusting God to guide you–not waiting for miracles to arrive fully formed. 

God’s will for our lives is often revealed to us in retrospect.  We take action and then look back and see how everything came together…how this person crossing our paths led to this happening, and so forth.

God’s will for us is so immense and complex that it could never be revealed to us in an e-mail.  We must go out and meet it!

You Only Take 2 Things With You When You Die

When you die, you only take 2 things with you.

1. Memories
2. Relationships

But what do we spend most of our time on?  How wealthy are you? 

Lord, Help me remember that in Your world, relationships are not everything: they are the only thing.  Help me remember that my net worth is determined by my heart’s work, especially with others.  In Your name, Amen.

Busy-ness Masks Productivity

Our busy-ness masks what it means to be productive.  Productivity isn’t about “doing more” or even about “accomplishments.” 

Does a tree “accomplish” bearing fruit?  Or is the fruit merely a manifestation of what was inside the tree all along?

Fruit comes in due time, looks different in different stages, and is good to behold and eat.

Are our deeds–those produced by busy-ness–the same?

Sunday Morning Thought on “Pleading with God”

Men of God in the Bible pleaded with God.  Think Abraham, Moses, David, Jeremiah, Daniel.  Pleading seems “beneath” us, yet when we come to God’s throne, why shouldn’t we plead.  In fact, if we don’t, does it imply that we “deserve” something? 

God is greater and holier than our feeble pictures of Him.

Read the stories of Nehemiah and Moses and see the 3 prerequisites of pleading: 1) Jealousy for God ’s reputation; 2) Love for one’s fellows; 3) Indifference to one’s own life and destiny.

Not Always Welcome

Don’t think for a moment that when you are suddenly clear about your mission/vision and you head out to do miracles that you are always going to be welcomed by others.

Look at Matthew 8:34, Luke 10:10-11.

“Take me, or leave me,” He said, “But be willing to face me.”

Jesus was a Servant

Jesus, knowing that He was God and that He was about to go to the Father, knelt and washed His disciples’ feet.

Jesus, Lord of Lords, saw Himself first and foremost as a servant.

Great leaders do the same.

“Cruise Control” Vs. “Race Car” Spirituality

Today I’ve been thinking about “cruise control” spirituality versus “race car” spirituality (Jerry Bridges coined the terms).  Most of us are on cruise control.  We’re not living in “disobedience.”  It’s just that we’re content to be “in the pack” and just keep up with everyone else so as not to feel out of place or inferior.

Race car Christians want to keep growing.  They don’t care about how they compare to others but how they compare to Christ’s likeness. 

Which am I?  Which are you?

Sandwiched by Exhaustion and Guilt

Why do we get sandwiched by exhaustion and guilt?  Exhaustion for doing too much and guilt for feeling like we’re not doing enough.

Jesus did not heal everyone nor raise all the dead.  He knew His mission, and He stuck to it.  He was very conscious about His boundaries.