I was joking around with my youngest daughter earlier this week. OK, I thought I was joking around; she probably just thought I was being annoying. Two people looking at the same situation and seeing two different things ... Anyhow, at one point, she said to me, "You need to see a philanthropist." Before I started laughing, I readily agreed with her. "Yes, I do need to see a philanthropist." She then realized she had said the wrong word and tried to keep from laughing. It didn't work. "I mean to say, 'You need to see a therapist.'" "I probably need to see one of those, too. After I see the philanthropist."
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Here is a great article from Ed Stetzer about what it means to be a courageous leader. ********** Courageous Leaders, Bullies and Weasels by Ed Stetzer The other day, I talked about arrogant pastors — a problem that is all too common. As I had both expected and feared, there was quite a response across various forms of social media. People quickly identified with the issue. I've been thinking more about the issue of character. Even this morning, we see what the lack of courageous character can do as we watch government leaders fail to take action and the "sequester" takes effect. True leadership demands character. In ministry, that character has to be courageous character. My experience is that it is not celebrated enough and, to be honest, is sometimes lacking in ministry. Abraham Lincoln said, "Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character,…
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In my reading selections, I try to read from disciplines outside of preaching and theology. Every now and then, I go on a reading binge and get hooked on a particular topic (neurology, cults, prisoners of war, simple things like that). For many years I have been a consumer of business books. My typical approach to any reading material is to read it and "baptize" it. In other words, I'm always thinking, "How does this apply to the church world?" Each year, I will plow my way through several books on leadership. Most of these are written from a non-Christian perspective. Good ones have Christian principles embedded within them, even if the author's don't recognize them as such. Books on "servant leadership" are a good example of this. Back in the early 90's (that's 1990's for the younger generation), I bought a copy of "Jesus CEO" by Laurie Beth Jones.…
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For anyone in a leadership position, it is easy to believe the lies of your critics. It is just as easy to believe every good word ever said about you. Neither of which might actually be true. Norman McGowan in his book, My Years With Winston Churchill, tells the following story. Winston Churchill was once asked, "Doesn’t it thrill you to know that every time you make a speech, the hall is packed to overflowing?" "It’s quite flattering," replied Sir Winston. "But whenever I feel that way, I always remember that if instead of making a political speech I was being hanged, the crowd would be twice as big." Don't believe every critic. Don't believe all the applause.
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Have you noticed that very few human interactions are truly neutral? In other words, regardless of how short or long our interaction may be, we usually leave the interaction feeling either better or worse. It may be slightly better or only slightly worse, but we typically leave the interaction a different person. Now, in some cases, we leave the interaction drastically different. Perhaps a kind word redirects a very bleak morning. Or, as it sometimes happens, we leave an interaction with our heart racing and our blood boiling. Because we are social creatures, our social interactions leave an imprint. When we rub shoulders with another person, something rubs off. The residue might be barely noticeable or glaringly obvious. When Christians interact with other Christians, one of two things will make up the residue: encouragement or discouragement. Encouraging people spark joy instead of controversy. They delight in finding the right word…
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