Getting Your Authority Part I

E∑¡Matthew 28:18-19 "Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit..."

In the midst of my study of Christian leadership I began to sense that I needed to help people understand authority in a more comprehensive way. For this reason, I will divide my thoughts on authority into multiple articles with this being Part I.

 While I wasn’t sure how much authority structure I would find in the life of Jesus, I went directly to the gospels to read and observe how Jesus used his authority. I was surprised when I read repeatedly that Jesus was “given” or “granted” his authority. In the sum of several passages, I found the specifics of the authority that was “given” to him. He was granted authority:

1. In heaven and earth – Matthew 28:18 
2. Over every power and authority – Colossians 2:9 
3. To forgive sins - Matthew 9:4 
4. To give eternal life to the ones the Father gave him – John 17:1 
5. Reign with all authority – I Peter 3:22 

Although I believe every word of scripture is important, I feel that when God repeats certain phrases, we should search for a special lesson. In pondering the importance of the Bible’s repetition of the phrase “given him” or “granted him,” I reflected on my own leadership life and remembered the day when being granted authority was so very important to me.

 Being Granted Authority Makes All the Difference

Have you been granted the authority that you take?

At age twenty-two, I received a promotion to plant manager. I was in a growing family business, and I really did work hard and love what I was doing. In my first few years of work, I gained experience in a variety of production positions and helped management with fixing and/or designing a multitude of pneumatic, electrical, and pipe fitting projects. While I felt I demonstrated management potential, I admit that my last name helped me in becoming plant manager of about 50 people.

However, after I was given my promotion, a strange thing happened. My superiors gave me the job but did not tell the employees. They just assumed everyone would fall into place under my young leadership. Guess what? That did not happen the way they expected. There were several employees who had worked for the family for 30 years, and not all of them were ready to follow me so quickly. In fact, one or two of them didn’t submit willingly. At best, it could be described as awkward submission.

Weeks later I, along with one senior supervisor, went to the family owners and described the problem. We told them that they needed to tell all the employees about the change in management. They were surprised, but they did call a company meeting and formally presented me as the employees’ new boss. From that day on, everyone knew that I had been given authority over them, and, immediately, the situation began to improve.

The Importance of Authority for Our Leadership

Friends, it does not matter how skillful you are or how much potential you have as a leader. You will never be able to lead effectively without this thing we call authority. If Jesus did not begin his leadership on earth without it, why should any of us think we can? In addition, authority will serve you well if it is given to you. If you try to “take it” or to use authority you do not have, it will be a thorn in your side.

"Friends, it does not matter how skillful you are or how much potential you have as a leader. You will never be able to lead effectively without this thing we call authority."

What other lesson can we learn from these passages? How about asking for and receiving clear and concise job descriptions that include specific language of who and what we have authority over? I believe the passages above clearly outline what authority the Father gave Jesus. However, many leaders fear job descriptions that are as specific as Jesus’ “job description.” I believe job descriptions need to be very specific about the scope of authority but not minute details of every task. Currently, most job descriptions are weak on authority and heavy on details.

Food for Thought

• How did you begin in your leadership? 
• Are you clear on what authority you have, and better yet, the authority you don’t have? 
• Who are the leaders who follow you? Have you been clear in what authority you have given them? 
• And finally, how about the rest of the followers? Does everyone understand your authority? If you have doubts, might I suggest you get to work?

Photo courtesy of Nick Sarebi.

Are You Arrogant, Confident, or Full of Faith

Today's Scripture References: Judges 6&7 Hebrews 11

Christ said much could be done with faith as small as a mustard seed.

Can you tell the difference between faith, confidence, and arrogance? The three may look similarly to the eyes of the outside observer, but they are so different in the heart of a leader. However, a few distinctions can help you determine which of the three applies to your character.

Faith

Reflect for a moment on Hebrews 11:1 “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see” (NIV). Faith is futuristic. It is means you have a “hope” and “certainty” about something. We cannot prove that we have faith because it is not something to be seen, touched, and easily diagnosed. But it certainly does impact our conversation and how we make decisions. Most importantly, others can identify when we have it and when we don’t.

Confidence

When we have confidence, we can usually trace it to something that happened in the past. Thus, confidence is easier than faith to “prove.” Not only can we see it, but confidence is something you can justify having because it comes from an act or event that can provide the proof.

Arrogance

My definition of arrogance is having “an overbearing and pretentious confidence.” Unlike faith and confidence, it communicates superiority.

 Using Faith & Confidence; Guarding Against Arrogance

 Now that you know what each of these terms mean and how they “look,” I challenge you to reflect and determine which term your followers see in you? Which word best describes you?

 Some time ago, a pastor and I were taking a walk, discussing the many issues impacting relationships in our church. During the walk I was sharing my perspective on a certain point, when the pastor asked me, “Ron, might it be a bit arrogant of you to say that?”

We must reflect carefully about whether our actions appear
arrogant to others.

 I can say I was quite stunned, to say the least. While the pastor who said this may not have used word the way he wanted to, I certainly knew that the true meaning of this term wasn’t flattering.

We finished our walk, and the discussion went well. However I went home that day with a heavy heart. That night in my quiet time, I searched my mind and every crevasse of my will and brain to see if I could find an arrogant piece of me, asking God to reveal it to me. At the end of a time of self-examination, I found myself clear of any conviction of the Holy Spirit in this area of my life.

 However, as I reflected on my life in an attempt to see why the pastor had thought my statement arrogant, it soon became apparent to me that I had acquired a high degree of confidence throughout my life, and the way I communicated my confidence bordered on the threshold of arrogance. At least, this is what it looked like on the outside. In addition, to this confidence, one of my stronger spiritual gifts is faith. The level of faith that I have is certainly a result of what God has done with me in the past. I don’t doubt His distinctive use of me in the past, and as a result, I have a high degree of faith about what the future holds.

 Guarding Against Arrogance

 Even though I don’t believe I was being arrogant, this experience reinforced the fact that I, and those of you like me, need to be careful. We need to be conscious of our audience and guard against our body language and speech becoming truly arrogant. I can’t help think of what Gideon’s soldiers saw in him as God pared their numbers down to 300 fighters. Somehow, I don’t think they followed him simply because Gideon appeared confident as he was telling them about a fleece getting wet and then dry. That does not drive 300 men to face what most would call certain death. No, it was Gideon’s great faith in God that inspired them to believe what he had come to believe—that he and his army of the faithful would prevail! The 300 did not follow him because he was arrogant; they followed him because of his confidence AND because if his faith.

Food for Thought

• Which one do you have the most of—faith, confidence, or arrogance? 
• Which one(s) will we bring to the office tomorrow?

Photos courtesy of Tibchris and Jacob Botter.

Let's Talk About Your Weakness

2 Corinthians 12:10 That is why, For Christ's Sake, I delight in weakness, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

God uses us righteously because of our weaknesses.

This is not an easy one for me because we cannot talk about your weakness until I talk about mine. I need to be transparent about myself in order to communicate to you how important it is to understand and acknowledge your weaknesses.


We can all take some comfort in knowing that sin and weaknesses are two completely different things, so when we talk about our weaknesses, we’re not talking about sin. We know God uses us in spite of our sin, but He uses us righteously because of our weaknesses.

There are those who say you shouldn’t waste your time on trying to improve your weaknesses. They say your time is better spent on strengthening strengths. When you listen to their reasoning, much of it makes a lot of sense. After all, we don’t want to be poor stewards of our time, do we? If the energy to improve to the next level of our weakness takes twice the energy and resources that it takes to improve to the next level of our strengths, why would we ever work on our weakness? Should ever we work on them? Hold that thought while I share three of my weaknesses: 

1. I am very weak at spelling, punctuation, and grammar. 
2. My memory of names is incredibly poor, to the extent of daily and weekly embarrassment. 
3.  High school is my highest formal education. 

Boasting in My Weaknesses

 In 2nd Corinthians 11:30, Paul tells us that he is willing to boast about his weakness. If you were me, would you boast about my weaknesses? Probably not. I am not sure I want to either, but I will try my best to boast, but to boast in the Lord.

 At the end of my last seminar, I asked folks to write me personally with any criticism and/or encouragements. I received both. One participant who was an experienced educator, self-described editor and passionate proof reader wrote to me with a quite long list of errors in my PowerPoint slide presentation. They were not evident to people who share my first weakness, but they were there nevertheless. 


I was sufficiently embarrassed, but I corrected every one of them that day, emailed her a copy of the corrections, and thanked her for her help. Because the pastor of that church was also an educator at a local college, you would think that this weakness of mine would destroy the reputation of Christ in me and render me useless in this particular venue. After all, Christ would not have had errors in His PowerPoint! It is only because of God’s grace that this did not happen. In fact, the pastor had the following to say about the seminar:

"I sincerely want to thank you for coming to Hillsboro (Ohio) last weekend. I would agree with others that you do sincerely possess a plethora of leadership gifts and a sense of how to communicate those gifts in ways that are encouraging and edifying to the individuals in the group as well as convicting and challenging to those (of us) who need to be challenged to change. I am also able to say with confidence that the principles you presented are not just theoretical or academic in nature. I have seen firsthand how you personally have applied and effectively put into practice those very same principles. In a day when charlatans seem to be multiplying by the truckloads, it is indeed refreshing to encounter someone who not only talks a good game, but lives it as well. Our leadership team is already making plans to implement the principles they learned from your visit."

Instead of scoffing at my errors, the pastor gave testimony of how God used me in his life and in the life of his church. Similarly, after my last E-leadership distribution, I received encouragement from a pastor who is a very gifted writer. He overlooked my form and encouraged me with his affirmation of the content.

God used my weakness to give American businessmen
a face in Sierra Leone.

In my first trip to Africa, I taught leadership at the Evangelical College of Theology in Sierra Leone, and, despite my weaknesses, at the end of the trip, I was told that I had transformed the students’ lives. How did God transform their lives? By providing me, an American businessman, to teach at their college. According to the students, there were few, if any, good businessmen left in Sierra Leone due to political unrest. The Sierra Leonean students could not imagine any difference with this American and were skeptical, if not totally benign to me, at first. But God did His work with the content of the teaching, which gave them a reason to think differently about the potential of their own business people. He erased their “prejudice.”

 Rising from the Foundation of Your Weaknesses

So how is God using me? From the foundation of my weaknesses, God is raising me up. From my writing weakness, he calls me to write; from a business occupation, He called me to teach; from the weakness of my education, He allows me to impact the lives of those who are educated. Therefore, I will praise God for my weakness, for “when I am weak, I am strong.”

 Food for Thought

You now know my weaknesses. What do you think? How much time should I spend on my weaknesses?

Is it now possible to talk about yours?


Photos courtesy of Jon Clegg and Seabamirum.

Getting Good Church Leaders

1 Timothy 3: 1-7 Here is a trustworthy saying: If anyone sets his heart on being an overseer,[a] he desires a noble task. (2) Now  the overseer must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable,  hospitable, able to teach, (3) not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of  money. (4) He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him with proper respect. (5) (If  anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God's church?) (6) He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil. (7) He must also  have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil's trap.

Church leaders have more bearing on the future of a
church than it's building.

How do you choose your church leaders? What do you expect of the leaders in your church? In Paul’s letter to Timothy, he certainly lays out the foundational character traits that God requires of those who hold the offices of elder and deacon. It is a common list of Christian character and life qualifications that you can look at in two ways.

Two Ways of Looking at the Church Leadership Job Requirements

At first glance, the bar might look a bit low, as these traits are really what every Christian should be striving for. If you take this position, you’ll quickly realize that the standards are the same for everyone in the church, producing a long list of qualified individuals.

On the other hand, the fact that Paul identified and listed these characteristics emphasizes the need for a solid pattern of righteousness in the life of an elder or deacon. Paul knew that we would not be able to judge a person’s heart. However, he also knew that we would see evidence of qualified leaders through the lives they lived. A developing, righteous church leader will soon admit that, in the depths of his spirit, he feels that he falls short. Therefore, it might seem strange or even contradictory that a self-admitting sinner can acquire a solid pattern of righteousness that would then qualify him for the position of elder or deacon. However, it is this very battle within a developing leader that points to his being qualified! It is that very level of humbleness that is a part of the whole of righteousness.

 "It is that very level of humbleness that is a part of the whole of righteousness."

My Experience as a Church Leader

I have served as elder now in two churches. The first one was in need of an elder, and I accepted the challenge as from the Lord. There was no self or public evaluation, no review, and no time period of testing. I was asked, I was placed on the slate, and I was voted in.

I was asked about everything from my walk with God
to my history of giving to the church.

However, when I was asked to consider serving as elder in the church that I serve in now, the process was much different. I was only asked to consider serving after someone nominated me. When I agreed, church leaders gave me a questionnaire comprised of about two dozen questions to answer. The questions were very detailed as to my walk with God, my history, my giving to the church, my work in shepherding others, and so on. Church leaders also contacted and interviewed my wife. I was given a written theological exam that had to be completed in one hour with no references and no "study Bible.” I was then interviewed for one hour by the entire pastoral staff along with other lay leaders. Then my name was presented to the congregation for a time of testing. Only after this multi-month process was complete did the congregation vote to accept me as an elder.

I need to be honest with you. I almost declined finishing the process because I thought it "over the top.” After all, I participated in three Pastoral ordination counsels myself, and I did not see any difference between the bar that was set for me and the one that was set for pastors. For some time after becoming an elder, I even began to plan, to myself, when I would take the initiative in introducing a change in the process.

Raising the Bar

That day never came. While we as elders continue to fine tune how this process is implemented, the list I included above is intact. And now, years later, I embrace that the process. I embrace it because of the quality of the group of men that I serve with. The importance of character is revealed when you, as a leader, wrestle with fellow leaders over church matters, large and small. Your personal interests, your value of money, your weaknesses, your love for God, your love of people—all will be revealed, especially inside the board room.

Paul raised the bar, not only to appoint good people, but also to appoint people who can stand the tests of each other, thus maintaining unity in the church. Some would criticized these kinds of processes by saying such they are designed to control, issued only to "weed in" friends of the current leadership. Friends, do not believe this lie, for even if it were true, such leadership tests will ultimately produce leaders who, like Paul, will labor for Christ and His church, not man.

Food for Thought:

• Do your church elders/leaders have a "bar exam"?
• Did you pass it?
• Can you?

Photos courtesy of GlassSunrise and RubberBullets

Did You Get Your Wisdom?

Proverbs 2:1-6 My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding, and if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God. For the LORD gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.

Did You Get Your Wisdom

In 1994, my life was changed. For 40 years, I had lived in Christian circles, and I had regularly shared the spiritual food of others. However, I had never regularly fed myself with time alone with God, time that He could use to speak to me and shape my life. Sure, I found myself leading a prayer and reading scripture once in a while, but never regularly, and never with great purpose. In fact, that day in 1994 when I first sat before God with the intention of listening to Him, I found myself totally insufficient before Him, knowing that what I was in for was beyond the human experience, far beyond what I could ever understand.

Don’t be confused; I certainly didn’t feel like I was stupid or that I lacked common sense. On the contrary, not only had I often commented that I thought common sense should be a course in college, but I also thought that I had enough common sense to not only pass a class but also to earn a degree! Up to that point, I had met many educated people who had no common sense. However, the insufficiencies that God revealed didn’t have anything to do with worldly wisdom. Instead, I knew I was entering a realm beyond the “wisdom of the world,” yet I could not even remember that Paul had already made the distinction between the “wisdom of the world” and the wisdom that comes from the Spirit of God. 

Wisdom is a Process

Today I can still remember minute details about the day I first allowed God to impact me through studying his word. It was late at night, and I was sitting in my family room with the Bible before me. Here, I first subjected myself and my understanding to God. It was at this first moment of subjection that I asked Him for wisdom, for the wisdom to understand His Word and His ways. During the course of the next year of Bible study, I found the scripture verses above. They became the light for the life I have before me. They are still the underlying reason for “the art and science of leadership,” for in these verses I found one of the most important components of the wisdom of God, a component that many leaders consider a waste of time. I found out that wisdom is a process, and the process begins with some “ifs.”

"[Today's scripture verses] became the light for the life I have before me."

1. If we accept God and His commands by truly pursuing His will, not our own, we will receive wisdom.
2. If we ask for it boldly through “calling out” or “crying aloud,” we will receive wisdom.
3. If we look outside ourselves, seeking wisdom as if it were silver or other treasure, we will receive wisdom. 
4. If we search for it with intensity, like we would search for hidden treasure, we will receive wisdom.

The Process is Never Complete

Many people believe that wisdom is something you simply receive and hang on to, something that is sufficient in and of itself and needs no further refinement. People who believe this way may cite as evidence the fact that they have witnessed those who can deliver wisdom “on the spot.” Can you find wisdom without a process? Surely you remember Solomon, who, on the spot, used his wisdom to identify the real mother among two feuding women. Yes the “on the spot” delivery of wisdom was real in this case. You can also acknowledge that some are given the gift of wisdom. However, might I exhort to all who read this that the delivery of wisdom is always preceded by process? It was with Solomon prior to his judgment before the women, it always has been with me, and it will always be for you.

Leaders, don’t miss out on the search for wisdom. You can’t live without it.


Photos courtesy of Rushay and DamienHR.

Just Do It (For His Kingdom)

Romans 12:8 If it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do so cheerfully.  1 Corinthians 12:28 And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles...those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues.

The Inconspicuous Leader

We need good leaders both in public and "behind the scenes."

You have had a couple of weeks to ponder the question I left with you earlier: "Why do you do what you do?" or "Why do you lead the people you lead?" To answer this question myself, I lead because God gave me a strong sense of what it takes to "inspire others to reach their full potential in the pursuit of a common vision." You might question whether this statement is too bold, as I have never accomplished any extraordinarily public vision. However, I will not apologize for it. So far, God has not given me a highly public vision of leadership. Indeed, you too might not have a vision of leadership that will catch and captivate the public eye—and you don’t need one. We need good leaders in conspicuous and inconspicuous places.

 The Highly Visible Purpose
 
However, while you personally do not have to be conspicuous, I would suggest that your purpose be highly visible. In other words, the type of leadership that you’re involved in doesn’t have to be something that the general public would label as overwhelmingly significant, but you should always explain your vision to those under your leadership. When I have embraced the right vision, been given the right authority, and been inspired with the right purpose, God has blessed my leadership.

Even the most mundane tasks of our leadership should become "spiritual"
when we become Christians.

But what if you are a Christian business person leading unbelievers? Why would you explain your Kingdom purpose to them, and isn’t that just a waste of time? I don't think so. I cannot help but compare those times that my unbelieving employees listened to what God was doing in my life with 1 Cor 7:14: "For the unbelieving husband has been sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife has been sanctified through her believing husband." When I chose to share my God-given purpose with those I was leading, even my unbelieving employees found contentment in the company leader's morals and had a positive reaction to them.

 Reflect and Respond
 
Have you identified a kingdom purpose and told the peo.ple you lead what it is? Was it the truth? Remember that, for the most part, the extent to which your followers believe you is a fairly accurate measure your kingdom purpose’s truth. Show me a Christian businessman who laments this hard economy with his employees yet spends freely on his own pleasures, and I’ll find unimpressed and uninspired followers. In this scenario, the businessman’s kingdom purpose might be in question—if he even has one.

Do you believe the following statement: "If you are a Christian and you have been given the spiritual gift of leadership, then all of your leadership life is spiritual”? I have found that about half of Christian leaders believe it and half don't. In fact, I can remember a time when I didn’t believe it. In those days, I divided my life into two categories: work in the world and work at church. However, I eventually realized that God gave me the gift of leadership so I could use it ALL the time. It was only then that I began to understand that what I did in my business life was for a kingdom purpose, and therefore, so was ALL of my life in leadership. 

"The Bible leaves no doubt that there is a special reward for those who preach the gospel, whether they do so voluntarily or, like Jonah, are compelled." 

The Bible leaves no doubt that there is a special reward for those who preach the gospel, whether they do so voluntarily or, like Jonah, are compelled. However, I suspect the reward for business people who have a similar intensity toward a kingdom purpose for their business might just enjoy more eternal rewards than the minister who preach with self-serving motives (please, pastors, no letters!). Let us use all our leadership life for His kingdom—24/7.Just do it, for Him, all the time.


Photos courtesy of Bareknuckleyellow and Theogeo.

Go Deep & Alone in Prayer

1 Peter 3:12 For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil. Matthew 6:5  And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites.... But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

Throughout their time on earth, God continues to shape the lives of His leaders, and He is still shaping my time with Him. Today, I want to focus on a kind of growth that can occur from your deep moments with God during prayer. I am not encouraging you to duplicate my experience; however, I am suggesting a way and time to approach God that you might not necessarily think of trying. Here are two approaches to my time with the Lord that have helped me hear Him better. I hope they might help you.

 The First Approach

 For five out of the last 8 days I have been awakened at 3 am with an uncommon level of alertness. Wondering what to do, each night I left the bedroom and went to the family room couch, figuring the difference would spur some sleepiness. Each time it did not, and each time I turned the light on and spent some time in scripture and equal time in prayer. Similarly, for a period of time in the 1990's He would "awake" me at 4 am, nudging me to meet with Him. I could not help remembering those days; thus, considered my recent "awakenings" at 3 am ( Each night I awakened within 15 minutes of 3 am.) nudges from God who wanted to speak with me.

If this happened to you, your first thought would probably be similar to mine: "How am I going to make up the sleep I lose if I have this devotion time?" You can probably guess what happened to quite that protest. Each of the days that God prompted me awake, I felt rested at my office, and I even felt a sense of God's presence when, on those same days, I had to deal with some difficult people. Friends, our Lord is faithful and knows what we need. However, He wants you to tell Him, preferably when you and He are alone. 

"Our Lord is faithful and knows what we need. However, He wants you to tell Him, preferably when you and He are alone." 

In our American culture, it is very hard to find that time alone to spend with God. If you are having a hard time finding time in your day for this kind of prayer, try setting your alarm for 3 am, get out of the bedroom, and find a room where you can be alone. I will guarantee you will wake up in the morning rested, and better prepared for the day.

The Second Approach

My second experience in prayer came recently after exiting my shower. I sat on the edge of my bed and began to pray. Not paying attention to the fact I had not dressed yet, I just began to speak to the Lord about life. Only a few sentences into my prayer, I began to feel an increasingly emotion of shame and/or embarrassment before Him as I realized the extent of my exposure. I can now understand why Adam hid from the Lord in the Garden of Eden. However, even in this state of embarrassment, I continued to pray.

 Soon, my embarrassment turned to learning as I began to realize the depth of God's grace in my life. My physical exposure taught me about my spiritual nakedness before Him. As I prayed, I continued to learn and experience this truth. Then I began to wonder why He would be so gracious as to continue to listen to me. Yet I knew He was listening to me; indeed, He began to challenge me to apply His listening grace to a person who has inflicted much pain in my own life. My planned behavior was being changed. 

God hears our prayers even when we feel alone.

Every time I pray, I don’t get the same immediate assurance that he is listening. However, in the previous incidences, my ability to repel my own sinful nature did have a positive impact, as He "turned His ear" toward me and let me sense that He was there. These prayer times remain a reminder of how He knows me completely, yet He continues to make himself available to listen to me. If you think about it, this really goes against every human instinct.

 Transforming Your Prayer Life

There are three things that I think you can learn from my experience.

1. He is always near us.
2. He listens to those whose lives are lived within His favor. 
3.  Deep prayer improves our behavior. 

As a practical example, I cannot remember a meeting that began with extended prayer and that ended with guilt and remorse over behavior in the meeting. However, I can remember many meetings when just the opposite took place. Friends, I know that prayer spurs us on toward more good behavior, good behavior spurs on more righteousness, and more righteousness keeps the ear of our Lord turned toward us. If you would like to understand this a bit more, begin to pray alone, and then maybe even pray naked.

How Deep of a Pile of Grace Are You Standing In?

Luke 17:3-5 If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him. If he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times comes back to you and says, 'I repent,' forgive him." The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith!" Romans 5:1-2 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we  a  have peace with God through our  Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand.

In my last article, I told you about a major mistake I made, so today I want to write about how to manage mistakes, to think about mistakes in a productive way. 

Reflecting on your mistakes can be difficult, but it is important.

If you’re like most people, you don’t want to talk or even think about your mistakes; however, knowing how to manage them is a very important part of understanding how to lead. Your awareness of where you stand before God is of more value for your own leadership progress than anything you learn from a dozen leadership books. 

And how do you gain that awareness? Through reflecting and studying your own leadership moments—positive ones as well as mistakes. In fact, I would go as far as to say that your future leadership depends on your reflection on and study of yourself. 

"In fact, I would go so far as to say that your future leadership depends on your reflection on and study of yourself."

When reflecting on your mistakes, it’s important to think about:

1. How God has treated you when you’ve made mistakes.
2. How your earthly leaders have treated you when you’ve made mistakes.
3. How you treat others when you make mistakes. 

Today, we’ll focus on how looking at how God treats you when you make mistakes influences the other two areas.

How God has Treated You When You’ve Made Mistakes

You all probably agree that, while mistakes can result from sin, not every mistake is a sin. However, I think we all can also agree on the fact that sin mistakes are worse than simple errors. Because of this, it’s important to reflect on how God responds to us when we make sin mistakes. By doing this, we can gain great insight into how we should respond to ourselves, as well as others, when we make mistakes.

In today’s first scripture passage, the disciples could not believe that when someone committed a sin mistake against them, they were (and we are also) to respond with a grace that is virtually unlimited. It did not make any sense to the disciples then, and it certainly would not make sense to many of the leaders we know today. 

Our theology of leadership is not one of unlimited mistakes. Of course, this passage discusses a heart that can forgive without limit, not a command to overlook all the mistakes that those who work with you make. After all, God does not instruct us to overlook everything. In 1 Corinthians 5 (NIV), Paul instructs the church to "expel the wicked man from among you,” a strong consequence for wrongdoing.

However, in a sub point of our second scripture, God gently tells us that he is accepting us IN SPITE of the fact that we’re standing in a pile of mistakes. The "grace in which we now stand" begs a question and an answer. The question for today is: "How deep are you in?” Do you believe God accepted you when you were ankle deep or when you were in over your head? The fact is—we all were, and still are, in over our heads.

How “Deep We Think We Are In” Affects How We Manage Others

There are leaders who realize that we’re in over our heads and leaders who think they are in ankle deep. How deep you and I think we are in will ultimately reveal how we handle and manage people. When we realize the enormity of our mistakes and subsequent enormity of God’s grace, we’re less likely to be like Matthew 18’s unforgiving servant, who was unwilling to forgive his debtor little despite the fact he had been forgiven much. 

 Leaders must realize the enormity of God's gra

However, how we view the mistakes of our childhoods also has a great impact on how we view our and others’ mistakes today. I cannot write nor comment about how your childhood has shaped your view of mistakes, but I do suspect some leaders probably need to be counseled as a result of their history. I think a few of you should think about that.

But whether the wounding occurs in childhood or adulthood, a wounded leader can negatively affect those he leads. A few years ago, I met with a pastor prior to presenting a seminar at his church. He told me that he won’t take any more action in his church because of the beating he took after making a rather simple decision. He told me his church had become graceless. Places where leaders are wounded probably precede environments where "people shoot their wounded.” It can become a vicious circle.

However, environments based on grace look just the opposite. Early last August, Google admitted it made a mistake when it shut down its highly promoted "Wave" email network. As far as I can tell, no one got fired; they did not need someone to take the role of the sacrificial lamb and "pay the price.” In fact, you may have heard of Google’s work environment, where brainstorming and mistakes are encouraged. It does not matter whether Google’s leadership understands the theology of their graceful environment, or whether they are Christian or not. This environment helps the company succeed because grace is truth.

 So how deep a grace pile do you think you are in? Are you up to your knees, up to your eyeballs, or in over your head? Would your heart toward the mistakes of others be the same depth as the pile you think you are in?

I challenge you to think about it.


Photos courtesy of Mararie and Phillie Casablanca

Are You in the Lap of Whom You Love?

John 21:15-17 When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?" He said to them, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you." He said to him, "Feed my lambs." He said to him a second time, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" He said to him, "Yes, Lord; you know that I love you." He said to him, "Tend my sheep." He said to him the third time, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" and he said to him, "Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you." Jesus said to him, "Feed my sheep."

There comes a time in every man's life where his wife gets the best of him. Last year, after I had a few days of vacation, she enticed me to go to the pet store to "look”— yeah, right—"look"?

You know how it goes. They ask if you want to hold the mutt just to get you hooked long enough for them to ring the register. And after that register rang up entirely too much money, we left with the only kind of dog we would ever buy—a peek-a-poo, a white little lap dog, two months old and full of energy. I broke my policy of no impulse buying, so there was no surprise when I woke up the next morning with a bout of buyer’s remorse.

"My love for my dog is growing, and I am learning something about God's love from my dog."

 From Buyer’s Remorse to Lesson in Love

God can teach us about him through even the simplest everyday activitie

The dog is incredibly cute. However, though I’m glad I own a cute dog instead of an ugly dog, the fact that this puppy is cute didn’t generate any of my love for it, at least none that I can think of. Indeed, I can't really say I became a dog owner for any good reason other than to show off the dog when company comes over. But now that we’ve had the dog for a while, I’ve witnessed a strange phenomenon. My love for my dog is growing, and I am learning something about God’s love from my dog.

These are some things that I have observed about my dog:

• Generally, he sits on the lap of the person who feeds him the most often. While my wife wins that award hands down, she once spent 10 days in Florida helping my parents. During her absence, our dog began to sense that I was now his food source. It was then when I won my first affection from him.
• He has an absolute need to lick the face of whoever is holding him.
• He loves the person who plays with him. Nothing excites him more that to play “tug of war” or “fetch the bone."
• He naturally rebels against the very people who feed and play with him. He really tries to obey us, but many times he fails. Sometimes, when we let him out, he does not return when called. Sometimes, even though we say “don’t bite,” he nips us in play.

Many times I have cradled this dog in my arms, stared at him, and wondered why my love for him has grown so much. He has done nothing tangible for the household—in fact, he consumes cash through his need for shots and grooming. Yet his existence has brought us joy, partly because we know he loves us.

The Distance Between Our Minds and the Mind of Christ

There is a lesson in this leader’s journey of love for his dog. I have recognized that the distance between the capabilities of my mind and my dog’s mind is far less than the distance between my mind and the mind of Christ. Yet I admit that up to this very word I type, I have been straining to know what specific lesson God is teaching me through this dog. Now, I think I have it. 


While the distance between our minds and the mind of Christ is great, He keeps loving us because we bring Him joy. 

God loves when we sit in his lap.

We bring Him joy when:

1. We sit on His lap.
2. We honorably play with the talents and gifts He gave us.

Then, in the same way that my love for my dog endures through His disobedience, so does God’s love endure with us. So far, my dog has only brought me temporary sadness when he rebels. My sadness is always temporary because my memories of his disobedience always dissipate the moment he returns and jumps on my lap.

As leaders we might apply these truths:

1. Love your followers like God loves us and like you love your dog.
2. Let your anger, sadness, and memory of wrongs dissipate quickly when your followers return to you.

I am sure God will bring me to a new level of understanding of Him through my interaction with my dog. In the meantime, my dog will remind me to remain in the lap of God so that my life will bring Him joy.

Whose lap are you on right now?

Good Leaders Drink--A Lot

Hebrews 6:7-8 Land that drinks in the rain often falling on it and produces a crop useful for those whom it is farmed receives the blessings of God. (8) But land that produces thorns and thistles is worthless and is in danger of being cursed. In the end it will be burned.

There is no doubt that some of you thought today’s title was the prelude to a discussion on Christian liberty. Some of you might even be having a bad day and were hoping you could use this article to justify having a beer right about now. After all, even Paul encouraged Timothy to take a bit of wine for his stomach.


Sorry my friends, not today! Our Scripture has nothing to do with alcohol and everything to do with thirst—drinking and growing as a useful servant of God. While the location of this parable is likely the result of its supporting a larger theological truth, today we will focus specifically on what its content is encouraging us to do.

Do You Absorb the Rain?

Are you thirsty right now? What are you thirsty for? How much of the things of God are you drinking? As a professing Christian, you are indwelled with the Holy Spirit, which can be likened to an internal storm that rains daily within you. It is up to you whether to absorb the rain, the things of God, or to become like an unbeliever, who has no access to the power of its moisture. Both the believer and the unbeliever know that if you stand in the rain, your clothes will get wet. However, only the believer knows that you must tilt your head back, open your mouth, and even stick your tongues out to absorb the things of God. There is no "filling up" within an unbeliever.

Believers must not shield themselves from absorbing the things of God.

Our passage says that God provides this rain "often." And just like farmers can tell when the ground has absorbed the rain by its yield, we can tell when we “stick our tongue out” by examining our crops. After a close inspection, would we say that what we are producing has value to those around us? Is our crop only for our own consumption or is there enough for those with whom God has surrounded us? Those of us who have a kingdom purpose for our activities might find it easier to identify individuals who might greatly benefit from the crop we have produced. Those who don't have a kingdom purpose might look at what we have and sense that it has as much value as a thorn bush—it’s not worthy of passing along to anyone.

Being Wise with Your Crops
 
As a leader, how do you think this verse applies to you? "... From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked” (Luke 12:48 NIV).

Size up the responsibilities and authority you have as a business or ministry leader, and then identify what parts of those responsibilities you have acquired on your own. If you agree that we have received it all from God, then we must ask ourselves if we have been trustworthy with ALL OF IT.


At this stage of my life, there are not many days that go by when I don’t lament the complete waste of portions of my life. If Christ had come during those periods of my life, what I had produced for Him would have been an embarrassment. While I would have been spared, my crops He would have burned.


Friends, the value of what you have grown will be directly proportional to how much of the Word of God that you have tasted. The more you taste of what is good, the more you feast on what you eat. The more you feast on God's word, the thirstier you get. The thirstier you get, the more you drink. The more often you drink, the more the Holy Spirit demonstrates His power through you and what you produce.


So while the law says "Don't drink and drive," I say, “Just drink—a lot.”

Leadership Style? Your Choice.

Phillipians 2:3-8 Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others mores significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours through Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

A Note: I really need to be careful with this article. There have been so many quality writings on leadership style by so many honorable men that I hesitate to share what I believe. However, I share with the hope and prayer that what I write will help someone break out of a stagnant life in leadership. I truly hope it will help someone grow.

Let me begin by getting the hard part on paper. The hard part is this: many leaders use the idea of "leadership style" as an excuse for their lack of leadership. They need to make an excuse for what they don't have—or what they don't understand—so they classify their own behavior as legitimate and call it "their style.” They would like to believe that their style is a different, yet still legitimate, form of leadership.

This is just not true. While there may be different ways of living out one’s personality that can be considered style, the underlying leadership principle looks the same. To illustrate, I ask, Have you seen many different “styles” of humility? I don't know about you, but all the examples of humility I’ve seen have been the same. They all resemble an aspect of today’s scripture reading; they always look like Christ. When I watch a leader primarily focused on things that benefit others before themselves, I see a servant; I see Christ. Like humility, these examples of leadership are always the same; they always look like Christ.
 
Don't Carry Unnecessary Weight

You will hear excuses of “style” far more often in the ministry world than the business world. Why? Because pastors often believe that God’s call to preach the gospel often comes with the ability AND responsibility to lead and govern the congregation. Thus, pastors who adopt this view carry a weight on their shoulders that God never intended. As they bang their heads against the ceiling of their leadership ability, the weight of this burden makes them weary. As a result, many of them quit. This is the major reason the average American church has less than 100 attendees.

While business leaders can make the same excuse for their ineffective leadership, the stakes are not quite as high; business leaders don't experience the same kind of "eternal" weight. Notice I said "ineffective leadership,” not "unprofitable leadership.” Those who use un-Christ-like leadership can still make a ton of money.
 
Leadership is Often About the Skills You Don’t Have
 
Effective leaders are Christ-like leaders because they don’t focus on themselves; they focus on others. I am aware that my own ability to grow in business has more to do with what I lack than any aspect of my personality or style. The last two employees I interviewed have in them what I believe we current leaders lack. Thus, they are an important component for our future growth.

"I am aware that my own ability to grow in business has more to do with what I lack than any aspect of my personality or style."

Leadership 101 is not a choice of style; it is simply a choice. While the "art and science of leadership” is fairly complex, the first decision in a leader's life is very simple. Will you lead like the example Christ modeled, or will you lead with what the world tempts you with? You can find clues to the path you have chosen by examining 5 areas of your leadership:

1. What you focus on as a leader
2. Why people primarily follow and listen to you
   
3. The quality of the work your followers produce individually
4. Your impact on the people you lead
5. The resulting attitude toward your leadership

I will unpack these five areas in the articles to come. However, might I exhort you to ponder these areas of your life and see if you come to any interesting conclusions about your current approach to leadership? My guess is that your answers will have nothing to do with your style or personality

Photo courtesy of Creative Commons