In their place

If you really want to lead well and influence people around you then you need to put yourself in their shoes. There are going to be times and situations when those who are following you will not do or deliver the expected. During those times it is important not to get frustrated but rather try to understand them by putting yourself in their shoes.

People want and like to be understood. When you take the time to understand a person you will increase their respect towards you and this will allow you to influence them in a positive way.

Take the time, put yourself in their shoes and learn to understand.

Knowing vs. Doing

Parents know that their actions speak louder than their words to their children but most of them use words to influence their children.

Leaders know that leading by example is much more effective than 'preaching' to their followers but most of them 'preach' rather than lead by example.

People know that giving advice to others is easy but living out the same advice is much harder but most people tell others what they need to do instead of living out the same advice in their own lives.

There is a vast difference between knowing something and actually doing it!

Be among the few who actually do and not just know!

It can be hard but the results are worth it!

7 reasons why you should get over it

After the highly anticipated NBA game last night between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Miami Heat, Scott Williams told us to 'Get over it'. Here is why you should.

• You will waste time if you dont.
• You will waste energy if you dont.
• You will dwell on the past instead of preparing for the future.
• You will harden your heart instead of keeping it sensitive.
• You will become angry for the wrong reasons.
• You will become selfish.
• You will begin to resent people.

and if non of those reasons are good enough then this should be a good reason to!

I know it can be tough, but that is never a good reason for not to get over it!

The purpose of planing

In preparing for battle I have always found that plans are useless, but planning is indispensable.
Dwight D. Eisenhower

It is important to plan not because everything you plan will happen or that things will go according to your plan but it is important to do so to build your confidence. Everyone has examples of things not going their way or as planned. The key is learning how to improvise. There are always going to be many factors that cannot be managed or be predicted.


It is the same in life and leadership. A good leader knows how to improvise and make decisions when things don't go as planned. Sticking to the book or the rules will not always work. Learning to adapt quickly and improvising is necessary. This does not mean you never stick to the 'book' or rules. Having rules is good but to they also have to be flexible.


So go ahead and plan and plan well. Boost your confidence and have an expectant future but when the unexpected happens be quick to adapt and improvise.

Actions speak Louder

I have listened to this song at least 20 times since I woke up this morning! It has several artists from Reach Records.



100% of the proceeds of the song go to build an orphanage in Sudan. You can get more information here and buy the song here!

Don't delay! Do it now! Great music and even greater cause!

Biggest temptation of a leader

There are many temptation that a leader faces during his or her leadership journey but one the most common and universal temptations of a leader especially after achieving something, is to lead people from what he or she have learnt in the past and stop growing. I have the opportunity to work with both young and old leaders and this temptation is not something that is only seen in the young leaders or only in the older leaders.

Learning and growth are an essential part of leadership and the minute a leader thinks that they do not need to learn and grow, they stop being effective leaders. Giving into the temptation of 'taking it easy' and abandoning personal growth is very dangerous for both the leader and the followers. The leader can stifle the growth of the organization as well as the people because the leader himself is not growing and learning. A leader can become very insecure and frustrated when there is a lack of personal growth.

The easy and comfortable thing to do is not to grow and to lead others based on things of the past. This does not mean that things learnt in the past are not important or not necessary but to stop growing and learning new things will only effect the organization in a negative way. It will not allow you to innovate and respond to the changes that are happening at a rapid pace everywhere.

Learning and growth may be hard at certain times but that is what a leader is called to do. Do hard things. It is the leaders job to do the hard things and inspire others to do the same. The leaders who will fight against this temption will be the ones who will lead people into the future and lead them well.

Leadership takes.....

Leadership is an art and here are a few things that it takes to be a leader.

• Courage
• Wisdom
• Timing
• Emotional Intelligence
• Maturity
• Strength
• Character
• Stability
• Resourcefulness
• Self control
• Humility
• Patience
• Faith
• Hope
• Integrity
• Learning
• Managing
• Resilience
• Empathy
• Risk
• Optimism
• Unselfishness
• and LOVE.

What would you add to this list or remove from this list?

2 essentials for a Christian leader

There are a lot of things that a leader needs to be and abilities that he or she needs to have but none are more important to a christian leader than:

1. Being full of faith and
2. Being full of the Holy Spirit.

The leaders who were selected to serve in Acts 6:3,5 were people who were both full of faith and full of the Holy Spirit.

Full of Faith

As a Christian it is impossible to please God without faith (Hebrews 11:6). It is vital for a leader to be full of faith because a leader needs to give hope to the people that he is leading. There needs to be a level of confidence in a leader about accomplishing the task that is set before the leader and the team. When it comes to accomplishing things for God it is impossible to do so without faith. God often calls leaders to do the impossible by trusting and having faith in Him! The Christian life is a supernatural life and the Christian leader must lead people supernaturally. This does not mean that learning various skills and growing is not necessary or unimportant. It just means that having faith is more important than having natural gifts and abilities. A persons faith grows when it is exercised. It comes from doing the Word and not just hearing it. So make a quality decision today to put the Word of God into practice and watch your faith grow.

Full of the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit is who empowers us to lead supernaturally. It is foolish to think that we can lead without the help of the Holy Spirit. Most people will agree that we need the help of the Holy Spirit but how many times do we really lean on and depend on the Holy Spirit to lead us and guide us in making decisions and leading the people God has entrusted us to lead? In most cases with all the information that is available around us the Holy Spirit is the last person that we depend on for help. We seek counsel and advise from every place imaginable and when none of it helps we run to the Holy Spirit. This must not be the case of a Christian leader. The Holy Spirit was send to teach us, comfort us and guide us. Lets make a decision to lean on Him before we lean on other things as we lead.

So as you learn and grow to become a better leader make sure that you are always taking care of being full of faith and the Holy Spirit.

Are you watering the camels?

In Genesis 24:15-20 we see the story of Abraham's servant traveling in search of a young women who would be suitable to marry Issac.

Genesis 24:15-20 (New King James Version)

¹⁵ And it happened, before he had finished speaking, that behold, Rebekah, who was born to Bethuel, son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham’s brother, came out with her pitcher on her shoulder. ¹⁶ Now the young woman was very beautiful to behold, a virgin; no man had known her. And she went down to the well, filled her pitcher, and came up. ¹⁷ And the servant ran to meet her and said, “Please let me drink a little water from your pitcher.”

¹⁸ So she said, “Drink, my lord.” Then she quickly let her pitcher down to her hand, and gave him a drink. ¹⁹ And when she had finished giving him a drink, she said, “I will draw water for your camels also, until they have finished drinking.” ²⁰ Then she quickly emptied her pitcher into the trough, ran back to the well to draw water, and drew for all his camels.

Rebekah did something that the other young women around her did not do. When Rebekah saw a man and his camels in need of water she did not just provide the man with water but went above what was "required" of her and provided water for the camels too. She went the extra mile to serve. This was not an easy thing to do because camels drink anywhere from 20-100 gallons of water and the Bible says she provided water for all the camels! That was a lot of work considering they did not have the kind of plumbing that we have today!

Rebekah did not know that she was being watched and that she would be making a choice that would alter the rest of her life but she did it anyway. She served.

We never know who might be watching us and how a particular reaction might change the course of our lives. We need to get to a point where we serve and help people around us as a lifestyle and not as something we do only at certain occasions.

So who are the camels that you are not recognizing and watering in your life. Sometimes it might lead to increase and elevation and other times its a opportunity that you and I have to serve and spread the love of Christ in the world.

Be wise and look around you, there are a lot of camels that need to be watered. Will you?

3 things leaders need to fight against

There are many things that a leader has to face and fight against but if you are a christian leader, there are three things that the devil specifically uses against you.

1. Discouragement: Every leader faces discouragement at some point in their leadership journey. Even Jesus was discouraged during his earthly ministry. It is not something that can be avoided in the life but the way a leader reacts during those times is a choice. Every leader has the opportunity of choosing how to act during discouraging times. The opportunity to run to God and be encouraged by Him is just as close as the choice of having a pity party and staying discouraged. Choose wisely. RUN TO HIM!

2. Depression: There are many people in the ministry who struggle with depression. There can be many reasons for depression varying from medical reasons to hardships and circumstances that leaders find themselves in. The good news is that there is always hope for the christian leader. The Holy Spirit is available to heal, comfort and help us in the time of need. DEPEND ON HIM!

3. Doubt: A leader cannot live a life without any doubt but he/she needs to make sure that they don't doubt what God has told them about their life or what they are supposed to do. There cannot be any room for doubt when it comes to trusting God and the promises in His word regarding what He wants to do in and through your life.

TRUST IN HIM!

No matter where you are in your leadership journey fellowship with God, spending time in His Word and having strong relationships with a close group of friends who help you is a must for every christian leader.

Believe

Believing has never changed.

What you believe dictates your actions and life.

Believing is a choice. It is a decision.

You chose to believe the people you did and chose not do believe the people you didn't.

This right here is what I believe.

Make sure what you believe is true because your life depends on it.

You have the choice of believing the truth about you or lies about you.

What or who will you choose to believe today?

My top 5 free leadership resources

With blogs, youtube videos and podcasts being free, there are more free resources available than ever before. You can find material for free on any subject that you want.

Leadership is one of my favorites subjects are here are my top 5 free leadership resources in no particular order:

1. Catalyst podcast - The Catalyst podcast is one of the best leadership podcasts that I have come across. You can listen to some great leaders and thinkers here. They do it on a consistent basis and it is well worth the listen.
2. Seth Godin's blog - Seth Godin is a bestselling author, entrepreneur and agent of change. He writes a blog post everyday! He is a brilliant thinker and you can learn a lot from what he writes.
3. Harvard Business's Channel - This is Harvard Business reviews youtube channel. You will find many interviews from professors, authors and leaders here. Great information that you can use in your work and personal life.
4. Andy Stanley leadership podcast - Andy Stanley is the Pastor of North Point Community Church. He is one of the leading voices on the subject of leadership, especially in the church world. The episodes are pretty short but have great information on them.
5. Fast Company - Fast Company is one of my favorite magazines. I almost visit the website daily. i really like the leadership section of the website. Lot of great articles and videos about the very latest things that are happening in the business and leadership world.

I do visit many more websites and listen to other podcasts but these are the ones that I visit or listen to the most when it comes to the topic of leadership.

Even if the topic is not leadership, what are your favorite resources? Go ahead and share.

5 essentials for young leaders

In 1 timothy 4:12 we see Paul writing to Timothy who is a young leader. Paul lets Timothy know that he is responsible for setting an example for others to follow.

The five areas that Paul tells Timothy to set an example in are:

1. Speech: As young leaders it is very important to make sure that we control and keep in check the words that come out of our mouths. The Bible is clear in teaching us about the power that is present in the tongue and the words we speak. We need to be mindful of what we say. (Ephesians 4:29) Make sure that what you say is helpful and beneficial to others.
2. Life: We need to live lives that bring glory to God and cause people to draw closer to Him. Leaders have the responsibility of setting the bar high and being accountable in all areas of live. Living a transparent life for others to see causes people to trust and follow you.
3. Love: Walking in Love is the most important responsibility of a christian (Luke 10:27). It is even more important to do so as a leader. There will be many opportunities to get offended at people around you but there will never be a good reason for not walking in love as God commanded us to do so. Every time you are faced with the temptation of not walking in love, think of the love that God showed towards you on the cross and ask Him for strength to stay humble and walk in love.
4. Faith: According to Hebrews 11:6 it is impossible to please God without faith. Faith is a very important part of the christian life. Faith is like a muscle that grows as we excersice it. Step out in faith. Believe God. There are many examples of young people both in the Bible and present time who stepped out in faith and did great things for God. By great things I don't mean that every young person needs to write a book, be on the cover of a magazine, plant a church etc. You can begin by trusting God and putting your faith in Him in the everyday things of your life, from
5. Purity: (Psalm 24:4) We need to be pure not just with our sexuality and thoughts but it every area of our lives. Andy Stanley says "Purity paves the way to intimacy." This definetly applies to sex but it is true of every relationship. When there is no purity in relationship, there are hidden agendas and secrets present. A healthy and genuine relationship cannot be developed between two people when there are hidden agendas and secrets present. When we let go of purity in our lives we are letting of very important relationships in our lives.

Most of the things mentioned above are not new for most christian leaders but everyone of us need to be reminded on living lives that are examples for others to follow.

How have other leaders in your life set an example for you to follow?

Student leaders are Church Leaders

In Student leaders are Church Leaders by Dough Franklin, the President of LeaderTreks does a great job of outlining why and how student leaders need to be developed to lead now. In the first part of the e-book he makes a case for student leadership and in the second part he writes about how student leaders need to be developed. He breaks down the development of student leaders into four steps or categories:

1. Leadership Learned
2. Leadership Experienced
3. Leadership Challenged
4. leadership Evaluated

It is a very quick but very helpful and insightful read. So go ahead and click here to get your own copy for FREE!

Read it! Digest it and develop student leaders around you!

Once you read it, let me know your thoughts!

Joyce Meyer at THE FORUM 2010

• The most courageous thing you can do is be a servant.
• Washing feet might not get a lot of applause.
• You cannot be a true servant without the right attitude.
• The right attitude only comes from knowing who you are In Christ.
• Most people don't like themselves. They look at others and want what others have.
• John 13:2-5
• You cannot be truly free until you have no longer anything to prove.
• Don't live your life trying to impress people.
• There is more value in serving God than anything else.
• Jesus was qualified because he was anointed.
• Mark 8:34
• 2 Corinthians 5:15
• Jesus died so you can live a life that is not self centered.
• What have I done to make somebody else's life better?
• Be an authentic leader.
• Ecclesiastes 2:4-11 (AMP)
• He built everything for himself. Thats why is was worthless.
• We need to know that we are nothing without God.
• Courage is actually going ahead in the presence of fear.
• Everybody is afraid, especially when it comes to doing new things.
• As leaders we need to push past fear.
• God already has laid out a plan for your leadership.
• There is always going to be an element of not knowing but you still have to do it.
• God din't tell Joshua to be Moses, even though he was under his leadership.
• Its what you do when no one is paying attention to you that is vital for the future of your leadership.
• There was a lot of rejection that I had to deal with.
• We are built for love and thats why rejection is one of the hardest thing to deal with.
• There is a difference between weird and unique.
• David was anointed to be king 20 years before he wore the crown.
• You are destined to be transformed into the image of Jesus.
• God is never going to help you be anybody other than you.
• Learn to have a meeting with yourself and be honest.
• God called us to be fruitful not busy.
• God promotes us in levels.
• Every time you have to go to the next level you will have to give up something from the past.
• Success is not easy.
• Not matter what the cost, it is always worth it to obey God!
• Being yourself, saying NO and leading takes courage.

Bill Hybels at THE FORUM 2010

1. I don't think just teaching well will get the full redemptive potential from a church.
2. Leading well also plays a very important role.
3. There is a 'mystical' side of leadership.
4. It requires tenacity and courage.
5. John 10:27
6. A dialogue between you and God.
7. The different paths of my life have been a result of listening to the whispers of God and obeying them.
8. When you hear a whisper of God and obeying does not mean that things will get easy for you.
9. The road can get very tough!
10. Even when whispers come at a high price, always obey!
11. It took 6-8 years before it looked like Willow Creek was really a whisper from God.
12. To be a high impact leader, you need to listen to the whispers.

Jim Blanchard at THE FORUM 2010

1. Perspective.
2. Philippians 2:5-8,
3. The definition of a leader Micah 6
4. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 Replace your name with love and test yourself and see how you match up.
5. Colossians 3:12-15 Qualities of a leader.
6. Leaders are called to inspire and give hope.
7. Leaders need to set and establish priorities.
8. Leaders which will influence the most in the next 10 years are the leaders that offer the most hope.
9. Jesus inspires us to be obedient to His word and live a Godly life.
10. Learn to willingly offer yourself.
11. As a leader you have opportunities to impact peoples lives everyday!
12. Work as unto the Lord.
13. Leaders are made out of stuff that either stood the test of time or stuff that burns up.
14. Make sure you are built on the right stuff. The Word of God!

Mark Floyd at THE FORUM 2010

1. Leadership can sometimes be easy and sometimes very heard.
2. leadership is when you exercise judgement and it effects others.
3. You need to learn to serve before you can lead.
4. 2 important bases: employees and customers.
5. Leadership starts with integrity. No short cuts here.
6. Also over communicate.
7. People judge you based on how you act or react after you make a mistake.
8. Don't procrastinate. Have courage to make the decisions.
9. Innovation is a vital key to revive american business.
10. Always hire great people. People who are smarter than you.
11. Ask yourself if you would work for the person you are about to hire.
12. If the answer is no, why would you place him over other people in the company.
13. A double standard will not work. Deal with it now!
14. Deal with change. Don't keep resisting.
15. Don't manage numbers. Manage your business.
16. Are you passionate about your business?
17. Take on the most difficult job. Face reality head on. You cannot hide from it.
18. Leadership is a full time job. Not just in business but also in personal life.
19. Your not a leader until you turn around and see if someone is following you.
20. You don't need a title to lead.

Andy Stanley at THE FORUM 2010

1. Reading together as a leadership team will have a huge impact.
2. 2 best kept secrets in leadership:
3. The less you do the more you accomplish.
4. The less you do the more you enable others accomplish.
5. 2 common myths:
6. Good leaders are "good" at everything.
7. Good leaders focus on their weaknesses in order to make them strengths.
8. You are most valuable where you fully exploit your strengths.
9. Living in your sweet spot is the best thing to do.
10. It is natural and necessary for leaders to try to "prove themselves" by doing everything, but what may initially be natural and necessary will ultimately limit your effectiveness as a leader.
11. Play to your strengths and delegate your weaknesses.
12. THE TARGET: Only do what only you can do!
13. This is something that you need to work towards.
14. 3 things happen when leaders drift from their core competencies:
15. Their effectiveness diminishes.
16. The effectiveness of other leaders in the organization diminishes.
17. The ability of the organization to get and keep great leaders diminishes.
18. What are you willing to give up?
19. What do you want to quit doing?
20. 5 reasons why leaders miss this:
21. Some leaders buy into the myth of being "well rounded".
22. Leaders forget to distinguish between their authority and their core competencies.
23. Some leaders are not able to distinguish between their competencies and non-competencies.
24. Some leaders feel guilty about delegating their weaknesses.
25. Some leaders won't take the time to develop other leaders.
26. Dont confuse authority with competency.
27. Let others make decisions. Push the decision making down in the organization.
28. Exercise authority with caution.
29. "I am not the smartest person in the organization, i am just the leader!"
30. Dont think that you are the smartest just because you are the leader.
31. Sometimes to have real objectivity you will need to bring an outside person.
32. Great leadership is not about getting things done right, it is about getting things done right by other people.
33. Church leaders have done a terrible job at raising young leaders.
34. Acts 6:1-7
35. They did less. They did the things only they could do.
36. They stopped taking care of widows and orphans not because it was wrong to do but they had things that only they could do.
37. They did less but accomplished more!
38. It will be much easier to establish and maintain a healthy pace.
39. The stress you feel is mostly associated with what you are doing not how much you are doing.
40. "The best thing you can bring to your team is energy" - Bill Hybles
41. Corporatly you will end up with an organization that reflect your strengths and the strengths of others instead of weaknesses.
42. A weakness can get better but it will still be a weakness.
43. Give the freedom to others to play to their strengths.
44. You will not be a well rounded leader but you can have a well rounded organization.
45. This does not apply at home. You will have to be all things. You cant hire a dad or mom.
46. Discovery questions:
47. What do you do that is almost effortless from your perspective but seems like a daunting task to others?
48. In what arenas do people consider you the "go to" person?
49. What facets of your job energize you?
50. What do you wish you could stop doing?
51. What organizational environments are you drawn to?
52. What environments do you avoid?
53. Discovery project:
54. Whats the perfect job description for you?
55. What does a perfect day look like?
56. "If anything has kept me on track all these years, it's being skewered to this principle of central focus. There are many things I can do, but I have to narrow it down to the one thing I must do. The secret of concentration is elimination."- Howard Hendricks.

Craig Groeschel at The Forum 2010

1. Going to talk about the leaders constant companion.
2. A leaders constant companion is PAIN.
3. There is a difference between stupid pain and purposeful pain.
4. 2 Corinthians 11:23-28
5. The difference between where you are where God wants you to be is the painful decision that you are unwilling to make.
6. Increase the threshold of pain in: 1. Unjustified criticism and rejection 2. Making the hard decisions and 3. To endure the pain of pruning.
7. It can be very easy to slip into a people pleasing mode.
8. The quickest way to forget what God thinks about us is to become obsessed about what people think about us.
9. Dont worry when people criticize you.
10. To reach no one is reaching you have to do things no one is doing.
11. You cannot please everyone but you can please God.
12. Leaders need to have the courage to make the hard decisions.
13. The short term pain will be worth the long term gain.
14. If you blame yourself for the decline you will take the credit for the increase.
15. You have to be willing to walk through the pain.
16. Your mind is often the greatest obstacle.
17. There is more in you! Push through the pain!!

Erwin McManus at THE FORUM 2010

1. We are all different but there are things that are common in all of us.
2. We are uniquely different.
3. Mega churches usually capture the sweet spot of culture and help a large group of people experience change.
4. The church still needs to reach the innovators and early adopters.
5. Even if you are part of the majority, culture is proving that the early adopters need to be reached because they shape the culture.
6. There are dreams inside of us that we sometimes tend to.
7. What is it that humans need from us in the experience called life?
8. You can be right in your beliefs and wrong in your execution.
9. 1 kings 3:4-28
10. Solomon shows us that wisdom is not enough to change our lives or lives of others.
11. Ecclesiastes 1:1-11
12. Four words that everyone needs to focus on: Meaning, story, beauty and community.
13. If you live your life that this world is all there is, everything will be meaningless.
14. Our purpose through work and play is to live meaningful lives and bring meaning to the world.
15. If you do anything better that anyone else in the world you will earn the right to be heard.
16. We have lost the conviction that beauty is actually important to carry the gospel around the world.
17. The world sees us as flamboyant rather than authentic.
18. In Ecclesiastes 1:1-11 solomon is describing a man who is disconnected to God and His story.
19. There is pain and discouragement but there is also love and hope!
20. Dont hide the truth.
21. We need to stop acting like we have the right to be heard.

Marcus Buckingham at THE FORUM 2010

1. Psalms 18:32
2. The difference between a good and bad marriage is not the number of fights, but what happens between the fights.
3. Excellence is not the opposite of failure.
4. Studying failure does not explain excellence.
5. Any great company will have significant range in performance in its teams.
6. Who sits on your personal board?
7. Would you be on the personal board of the people that you lead?
8. Think of the reason why you would have someone on your board.
9. Those are the same things that the people you lead are expecting from you.
10. You cannot be cowardly in leadership.
11. Leaders need to define what quality looks like.
12. Clarity is vital to leadership.
13. The three most important questions that great leaders ask are: 1. Are my coworkers committed to quality work? 2. Do I know what is expected of me at work? and 3. At work do I have the chance to do what I do best everyday?
14. The challenge of leadership is to multiply.
15. Everybody has areas that they can get better at but greatest areas to get better at are at your strengths.
16. Manage around your weaknesses. They are not areas of opportunity.
17. Strengths are not what you are good at and your weaknesses are not what you are bad at!
18. Strengths are activities that strengthens you and weaknesses are activities that weakens you.
19. S= Success (if you feel effective), I = Instinct (You look forward to it), G= Growth (you feel focused), N= Needs (you feel fulfilled.)
20. If you feel any of the above put them in the strengths category.

Brian Houston on servant leadership at THE FORUM 2010

1. Servant leaders think generationally.
2. Human nature tends to go back to the predictable.
3. The challenge of leadership is to move towards the unproven and unpredictable.
4. The challenge and risk of leadership is to empower the next generation to becomes princes in the land.
5. I want to pastor a church that sets up a generation to win.
6. We need to learn from the fathers but we need to move forward.
7. The unpredictable is not a negative thing.
8. So much of how Jesus lived was unpredictable.
9. Jesus was predictably unpredictable.
10. There are certain things you need to be predictable about.
11. Predictability is our friend in the areas of loyalty, reliability, beliefs, credibility, example and commitment.
12. Influence doesn't come from doing things the way they have always been done.
13. Innovation will never come from doing things the way they have always been done.
14. It is easier to point fingers than it is to actually take a risk and do something!
15. Honor the fathers but make sure that you are moving towards the sons!
16. Fresh life never comes from being predictable.
17. To be a learner is to inherit the future.
18. Make sure that you don't become a servant to books. Books need to be your servant.
19. Experience is not everything!
20. Experience doesn't build the house. Its wisdom that builds the house!
21. Experience is a great servant but terrible master.
22. Programing, culture and even heritage need to be servant and not the master.
23. You don't have to live your life serving history. You can live your life making history.

Conversation between Francis Chan, Mark Driscoll & Joshua Harris

What's Next for Francis Chan? A Conversation with Mark Driscoll and Joshua Harris from Ben Peays on Vimeo.

Fighting against discouragement

"Most of your unhappiness in life is due to the fact that you are listening to yourself rather than talking to yourself."

- Dr. Martin Lloyd Jones, (Spiritual Depression, It's Cause and Cure).

I have not read this book but I really agree with this statement. A lot of times when we let our minds just wander about a particular subject of incident it tends to go the negative route and think of the worst case scenarios. The Bible warns us regarding this in Philippians 4:8 and tell us to think on ".....whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable....".

So as you begin you week, here is just a reminder on what to think about. Don't allow your mind to let you down a negative and depressing path. Talk to yourself! Encourage yourself if you need to! Even King David had to do it!

Its a choice. Are you going to listen to yourself or are you going to talk to yourself?

Have a wonderful week!

How to develop emotional stability

Everyone of us need to have emotional stability. There is no arguing in that. Some need it more than others and it is especially vital to students to have more of it than others since they are faced with more challenges and need to make decisions with the right mindset.

Emotions are a part of life. They are neither good or bad just like many other things in life. The key is learning how to use them in the right way. We also need to make sure that we control them and not be controlled by them. Emotions change and vary based on the what a person is 'feeding' on. Emotions change by what you hear, see or read. Think of all the times your emotions changed because of something you heard, saw or read. Because of this it is very important to make sure that you are letting the right things enter into your mind and heart.

As a leader this is extremely vital because your decisions have a multiplied influence on the people following you and sometimes even on the people who are not following you.

Here are a few ways to develop emotional stability:

1. Have a firm foundation in the Word of God.

The most important foundation in your life needs to be the Word of God. This is where you learn who you are, what you have and what you can do In Christ. This is information that every christian needs to know!

2. Read and study the lives of great men and women.

"Reading biographies helps you build a vocabulary of overcoming incredible odds" - Peter Daniels. Reading and learning from and about the lives of great men and women helps you overcome difficult situations and circumstances in your own life because of what has already been done before. This helps with emotional stability as you will be less likely to react emotionally to situations.

3. Build strong relationships with strong and wise people.

You were never meant to live or lead by yourself. Relationships are a must in life. Be intentional in building relationships with strong and wise people that God has placed in your life. Cherish them. Don't take them for granted. Treat them with love and respect. They will be the ones who will help you stay grounded, have the right perspective and make a wise decision.

What are some of the ways that you have developed in this area?

Would really like to hear your thoughts!

Emotional stability & Patience

When we look at the life of Jesus and His ministry on the earth, there are many things we can learn from His life when it comes to leadership. Today I just want to focus on two areas that I have been studying and focusing on:

1. His emotional stability
2. His patience

Jesus had three years of active ministry on the earth and was on a mission to accomplish the greatest and most important thing in eternity. HIs job was to save the world and turn enough people into believers who were willing to lay down their lives even after He ascended into heaven.

The amazing thing is that Jesus accomplished all of this while remaining emotionally stable and patient with His disciples.

There were times when He did get frustrated with them regarding their lack of faith but he never blurted out things out of frustration. There was times when Jesus spoke sharply to both His disciples and the religious people of the day but there was never a time when Jesus had to regret what He said and never a time when He felt like He had to "take back" the words that He said or spoke to others (Mark 9:19).

We also see Him as a leader who was patient with His disciples. He continuously taught them, even when it seemed like they were not growing. When some of his disciples made emotional comments and commitments about never leaving HIm, He did not get carried away. When the same people who promised to never leave Him, said that they never knew Him, He did not give up on them. He was patient enough to meet with them after His resurrection.

As leaders we absolutely need to develop emotional stability in our lives. It is not just needed when we are in our office but in our houses as we lead our families. In the last few months I have seen leaders fail because they lacked emotional stability and have seen leaders succeed in difficult times and circumstances because of emotional stability.

Patience is another area that we need to develop in as leaders. As leaders, most of us like things to get done quickly and would like to see people around us move at a fast pace. This is of course needed in certain areas but when it comes to developing patience, it just doesnt work! As leaders we need to be more patient with the people that we are leading. We need to take the time to disciple them and coach them along the way.

What are your thoughts on these two areas? How have they affected or effected your life and leadership? Can you share any examples?

In the following posts I will talk about how we can develop emotional stability and patience.

Update!

Hello everybody!

Its been a month since I last blogged! I have been a little busy doing some traveling and attending a few conferences. Now that I am back I plan on being much more regular.

Thanks for being patient!

How has your summer been so far?

Cave of Winds

Uploading a video to blogger for the first time from my iPhone 4. Wanted to see what the video quality might look like.

Teenagers and Media

I just came across some interesting facts about teenagers and tv on Jonathan's blog. Honestly some of the information surprised me. Here is a pie chart of the total media time consumed by teenagers on various platforms:

Here is a quote from Time Warner Chairman and CEO Jeff Bewkes claims, “TV is not only not dead, but it’s one of the fastest growing businesses. Ratings, time spent and viewership are all up.”

With this mind, here are two questions:

1. Are you surprised with this information?
2. What is the primary platform with which you communicate with teenagers in your church/ministry?

The Slide - Fast lane

What if we had one of these at church?

Journey to Everest

Journey to Everest is a film directed by David Kiern. It follows the adventure of six people who trek to Everest base camp. During the trek the team get to visit some great places and interesting people.

The movie will be premiering in churches through out the country on July 11th. You can use this at your church for FREE.

Here is a short video of the director talking about how the movie can be used in various ways at your church. The video also has the trailer of the movie.

Journey to Everest Summer Release from Epiphany Productions on Vimeo.

You can click here for more information regarding the movie or to find out how your church can sign up and use this tool in various ways.

Failure, Life and Leadership

Here is a really well done video from Honda about failure and its role in achieving success.

I have personally failed many times in many ways. From failing in a subject in middle school to at times failing as leader leading the high school department at church, I have failed many times. But by the Grace of God and some very wise people that are in my life I have been able to learn from those experiences and move on instead of getting stuck. I am thankful for my family, leaders and the team I get to lead who have given me room to fail.

So what about you?

1. What did you get out of it?
2. What have you failed at?
3. How did you move past it and keep going?
4. Do you give people that you lead room to fail?

Do You Really Believe?

One of the words that is used to reference Christians is the word “believers.” Every human being believes something. So, why are Christians called believers? What exactly does it mean to be a believer?

The word “believe” comes from two old English words: BE and LIFON. BE meaning "life" (as in being) and LIFON meaning "according to." Therefore, to believe means to live in accordance/agreement with something. Continue reading here....

Making The Right Decisions

Decisions are a part of our lives. They make or break relationships, families, organizations, churches and our very lives. They play a very important part in everyone's lives. Since they are so very important, we need to make sure we are depending on the right source to help make our decisions. Who we consult with before we make decisions is very important. This is especially true for leaders. Decision-making is a part of leadership that no leader can avoid. Making decisions or owning up to a decision made by the group that you lead is part of what makes you a leader.

So, as a leader who do you primarily depend on for guidance and wisdom before you make a decision? Continue reading here...

Whiteboard Sessions 2010 : Jonathan Falwell

Here are some of the things that I jotted down during Jonathan Falwell's session.

• When a man of God dies, the work of God continues.
• What you are doing as a leader should outlast your life.
• 1 Peter 5:5-6,10,12. Two ways of doing ministry and leadership:
• Pride - Its all about me.
• Grace - Free and unmerited favor of God.
• We are called to STAND - firmly planted.
• Distractions are present even in church and ministry.
• Be who you are. Don't wear someone else's armor. (Saul and David)
• "Know who you are, accept who you are and be who you are"- Chuck Swindoll.
• Many of us try to be on the lists of the greatest and end up on the list of the broken!
• Be what you are - A minister of the Grace of God.
• As a minister of Grace - you CANNOT fail!
• God always equips you to be successful with the things he has called you to.
• Pride and grace can never coexist.
• Pride and organizational leadership will stifle personal ministry.
• It is the grace of God in which we stand. Especially when things get tough.
• Strategies are good but they cannot replace who God has called you to be.
• It is about your motivation and focus.

Tony Morgan was next and you can get his notes here!

Whiteboard Sessions 2010 : james Macdonald

Notes from James MacDonald's session.

• Ministry is hard but it is worth it in the end.
• 2 Timothy 4:9-16
• There is loneliness in ministry.
• There is discomfort in ministry.
• There is a lot of conflict in ministry.
• There is rejection in ministry.
• Through it all God is always there.
• There are no enduring relationships without forgiveness.

Whiteboard Sessions 2010 : Perry Noble

Notes from Perry Noble's session.

• Learn to embrace seasons of pain.
• Criticism is always going to be a part of ministry and leadership.
• Surround yourself with people who love Jesus and you, but love Jesus more than they love you.
• Depression is part of the many leaders lives.
• Those who deify will/can also crucify.
• Fun, family and focus are three things that help deal with depression.
• Be still and know that He is God!
• Sometimes being still is that hardest thing to do but it is a must!
• If you as the leader don't get healthy, your church will never be.

Whiteboard Sessions 2010 : Jon Tyson

Here are the notes from Jon Tyson's session.

• Jesus - "apart from me you can do nothing!"
• Church of Ephesus in the book of Revelation.
• They did a lot of things well but had forsaken their first love.
• As a leader, how do you cause people to love God more?
• A few myths about how to do it:
• Have a "super pastor" and people will love God.
• The miraculous will cause people to love God.
• If we get more missional people will love God.
• If cultural impact takes place people will love God.
• If we have a better discipleship strategy, people will love God.
• If we have the right doctrine people will love God.
• What/Where did the Church of Ephesus fall from?
• A lukewarm church does not declare the glory of God.
• The Church of Ephesus did all the "myths" yet forsake their first love.
• As leaders our responsibility is to tell and show people to Remember, Repent and Return.
• It is about the way God sees us not how we see Him!
• Our responsibility is Ephesians 3:14-19
• To make sure that they are rooted and grounded in Love.
• When that is not primary, you create a culture of work and failure.
• Leaders need to receive love and receive from God.
• When the Father blessed Jesus, He did it before Jesus started His earthly ministry.
• We are so dependent on strategies because we are bankrupt of the power of God.

Practical ministry advice

Here is a conversation between Ed young Jr and his dad Ed Young Sr about some practical things on leadership and ministry.

Listen to Ragamuffin Soul by Carlos Whittaker for FREE

Carlos Whittaker is the super famous blogger, singer, pastor, experience architect and so much more. After leading thousands for people in worship for many years, he just released his first full length album. Once you check it out for free here, go ahead and click here to get a copy for yourself and a friend!

Ragamuffin Soul - Carlos Whitt...

Getting rid of the crap!

The very famous Apple CEO Steve Jobs' advice to Nike president and CEO Mark Parker was very simple yet it is a very good reminder for all leaders.

Even when we are doing a good job of leading, there is always room for improvement and 'crap' that needs to be removed.

• What are some of the things that you need to get rid of personally so that you can lead yourself and the people better?
• What are some of the things that you or the team you lead needs to get rid of, so that the team can function more effectively.
  

Connecting with the Next Generation

Here is a pretty cool video that talks about six different types for students that might be attending your church or outreach events.



What type of student do you mostly interact with or come across?

Is there any other type you would add to the list? and

What have been some of your experiences interacting with these types of students and what have you learnt from them?

What is your 'Points of view'?

Via: onlineschools.org

I have always been an optimist. No matter how bad the situation looks I always look for light at the end of the tunnel. I believe my faith in God has a lot to do with it. Being an optimist has helped me many times in my life. I think that optimism is very important for a person to have especially if he or she is a leader.

I came across this picture earlier today and wanted to know what you thought about it and also ask you a few questions.....

what is your point of view?

Do you want to change your point of view?

Why do you want to change or stay the same?