“Send me a man to fight!” was the cry from the valley of Elah by the Philistine warrior Goliath. Saul had the opportunity to save countless thousands of his men from slaughter if he would fight for them - serve as their Protector. This was a common practice for armies in those days and soldiers knew how good leaders performed…
The ability of a leader to clearly communicate message is vital. As Gilbert Amelio said, “If a leader can't get a message across clearly and motivate others to act on it, then having a message doesn't even matter.” Leaders usually fail to clearly communicate message for one of two reasons: They are out of touch with their constituency, so they…
So be honest: do you think Youth Pastors are Overrated? Do you think they get too much attention in churches today? When I mention Youth Pastors, do youth camp pranks, noisy kids in the sanctuary and the crazy colors they paint youth rooms come to mind? Whatever your reaction may be, perhaps you just don’t get all the fuss over…
I made a remarkable scientific discovery in the fifth grade. Actually I did not discover the principle: I just became aware of it. I was playing with two magnets, watching them attract each other when it happened. I turned them around and voila! …they repelled one another. I know this is not “earth shattering” information. Most of us know about…
Leadership by nature can be demanding, time consuming, draining and stretching; and that’s on a good day. It takes a special type of person to love leadership enough to give this type of effort. Leaders don’t march to the beat of a different drummer; they are in an entirely different band. Usually people do not get selected for leadership because…
Matt’s eyes were huge as he entered the conference. The sea of youth leaders in one location exceeded his expectations. He felt confident this would be the place to discover the qualities of the "Perfect Leader for Student Ministry." The plan had been to interview enough student leaders in three days to build a profile of the “Perfect Leader.” His…
Authenticity is when who we really are matches the image we portray to others. “Esse guam videra,” means, “to be rather than to seem.” Look up the word authentic in a dictionary and you will find clarifiers like real, genuine, credible, dependable, faithful, reliable or trustworthy. The Bible uses some of the same words in reference to a steward’s (worker/leader)…
For over four decades I have studied the DNA of leadership. Yes, I have read books and attended seminars but primarily I have just closely watched as leaders did life. These leaders were intergenerational, representing multiple leadership styles, personalities, experiences and language groups. It is no coincidence they share some of the same “DNA” traits or that they are consistently…
Okay, sing along with me, “This little light of mine, I’m going to let it shine, oh…” Perhaps you remember singing this song as a child in Sunday school or maybe at camp, but what does it really mean? In Matthew 5:14 Jesus said, “You are the light of the world” and in verse 16, “Let your light so shine…
“Good enough is the new perfection” captured my attention as I read the words on the sign. I found it to be extremely intriguing and simultaneously troubling. Was this meant as a joke or an excuse? I admit to being a perfectionist--or shall I say “given to excellence”--from time to time, so let me tread carefully. However, lowering the standard…