“Courage isn’t done for the sake of being practical. It’s chosen for its own sake. As soon as you make courage practical, you’ve stolen its humanity.” Peter Block

Courage is a subject with application for everyone. At some point or another, we are going to face various situations and decisions where courage will be needed.

They may be personal or professional. Be assured, they will be part of every facet of life.

However, the question is how do we develop the courage to face them? It would be powerful if a step by step process for developing courage existed, but there is not.

Will expressing our fears help develop courage? Potentially!
Does facing what we fear most really develop courage? Probably not!

Courage is rarely developed, but rather the choice of the moment. When challenging obstacles or decisions are faced we must choose in that moment to act with courage.

The ability to act consistently with courage is a defining mark of great leadership.

Knowing who are God is will enable us to develop the greatest courage.

I know what you are thinking, and this is not it. We have all been in elevators. I have taken some elevators with all the ease and confidence in the world. However, I was in an elevator recently that left me more than wishing I had taken the stairs.

Elevators are convenient, easier on the body, and much quicker.

How wonderful would it be if we could take an elevator to the top of leadership? Think about it. Less stress on the mind and body. We would not have to go through the process of strategically putting one foot in front of the other. It would sure be more convenient.

I am sorry. It does not work this way: never has / never will.

It is not reaching the top quickly, or with the least amount of stress that will make us leaders. We are shaped by the experiences throughout the journey. We learn invaluable lessons to help us deal with the various issues facing leaders.

There are no quick and easy ways to the top. It takes work and the more diligence we exercise the greater our leadership.

A few years ago the Energizer battery company put together ads of an indestructible rabbit powered by Energizer batteries. Regardless of attempts to stop it, this rabbit kept on going and going and going…!

Perhaps the idea was a little embellished, but we certainly understood and remembered the message.

While our physical bodies are not going to last, our leadership influence will be remembered long after we are gone.

How do we want to be remembered? The answer to the question is more difficult to give than at first glance. The reason is because of the implications of our answer.

How we want to be remembered is how we need to be living…NOW!

We cannot think about someday making the changes necessary to be remembered differently.

We will not wake up one day having accidentally achieved an epitaph of an influential godly remembrance.

The way we want to be remembered is the way we must strive to live every day. It is the result of intentional and diligent effort.

Like the Energizer bunny, our influence keeps on going. The type of influence is determined by the choice we make.

Values is not a word to be thrown around lightly. It deserves far more than just lip-service.

We talk about values. We understand the need for values. We even categorize our values; personal, family, moral, and work.

What would we consider to be the “core” values of our life? What is it that makes up the core of who we are and we are unwilling to change? Honesty? Hard work?

What is our integrity worth?

However we answer these questions, we are faced with the necessity of recognizing our leadership must be based on our core values.

These values remain the constant of our life. They must be consistently seen in every area of our life.

God’s word must be the standard for determining our core values. Family, work, and community will all benefit from developing and living by our core values.

Our leadership will not grow beyond the level of the values we have established and live by as a leader.

Let us all make sure our values measure up to the right standard.

One of the greatest fears people have today is public speaking. However, fear of the unknown also ranks near the top. Perhaps it is because our fear of the unknown encompasses so many different areas.

We fear the unknown with the economy.
We fear the unknown with our own job security.
We fear the unknown with health and safety.

If we allowed it to, this fear would challenge every area of life. Certainly, the unknowns of leadership would qualify.

The task before us in spiritual leadership is to remove the unknowns for others. When we consider death, there is a fear of the process of dying and what happens at death… the unknown.

The answer has been provided in Scripture. The body will return to the dust, but the spirit returns to God who gave it.

Because of the death and resurrection of Christ, the fear of the unknown has been removed. The unknown has now been made known. We can provide no greater confidence to others than sharing this hope. Because He lives, all fear is gone. Think Souls!

Love What You Do

“Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle.”

It seemed fitting with the death of Steve Jobs to use one of his quotes about life and leadership. There have been several powerful statements with application to leadership, but this one seems characterize the whole.

Leading others on the spiritual path cannot be measured by any means this side of heaven. Our work is about nothing short of getting to heaven. We need to love what we do, knowing the benefits for the life to come.

We need to not only believe it is a great work, we need to know it!

Don’t settle with just enough to get by, or as little as possible. The work is far too valuable and important to do the minimum.

This is the work of our God. Love it, live it, and invest your life into it.

I enjoy meeting new people everywhere I go. From lectureships and gospel meetings to traveling overseas, I usually meet someone new.

I recently had the privilege of meeting Tom and Maureen Jackson in New Hampshire. Over the few days we were together we talked of leadership (I know you are shocked).

Tom is looking for someone to help work with the congregation in Lancaster. In one conversation he said; “I am not stepping down, but stepping aside.”

All of us will eventually face the fact we are getting older. As we do, there needs to be an awareness of what we are able and unable to accomplish as leaders.

One of the best ways to help the work continue is not by stepping down, but stepping aside.

Stepping down brings an element of finality and completion.

Stepping aside says I am here to help and do whatever I am still capable of doing. It brings a powerful element of mentorship needed to make the work a little easier and better for the one who follows.

Thank you Tom for a great lesson in leadership!

Everyone is probably aware of the recent death of Steve Jobs. Nearly every newspaper, electronic media, along with every television news broadcast has covered his death.

He has been credited with saving Apple.
He is said to be the one who has shaped all of us.

It fascinates me the power one man had in changing the electronic / digital world in such a short time.

However, his death reminds us of the brevity of life, the certain outcome we all face, as well as the need to be prepared for something beyond the physical.

Numerous people have changed the history and direction of the world. However, none compare to the power of One man who changed the course of the physical and eternal realm.

He is the One we need to know. He is the One we must lead others to know.

While the accomplishments of Steve Jobs may leave an incredible legacy, he is still a man whose soul is now in the hands of the Creator.

I pray our leadership legacy will make a difference in the eternal outcome of others, not just the physical.

Recently, I began reading a new book about leadership. I will spare you the details at this point. Suffice it to say something in the beginning of the book really caught my eye and it has to do with the word “passion.”

We often think about people being passionate and we associate the thought of excitement, enthusiasm and a number of other characteristics.

However, the history of this word shows it comes from a Latin word meaning “suffer.”

Most will remember the movie The Passion Of The Christ. The title of this movie was derived from the idea of the Latin word. Certainly, the movie was filled with the suffering of Jesus.

The book I referenced is A Leader’s Legacy. The authors quickly point out the need for leaders to understand they must serve and suffer.

The significance of suffering is about the willingness of leaders to put the needs of others above themselves. It is a Biblical truth and the quality of great leadership will only be seen when leaders abandon a self-seeking worldly approach.

Be passionate, but understand what passion really means.

The world’s population is beyond my comprehension. When I consider the fact we are approaching seven billion, it simply becomes a number. As I travel to places around the world, the reality of this number becomes even more incredible.

I think about the plethora of languages in the countries I have visited.
I think about my inability to communicate adequately.
I think about the time I am in each location and may never be again.
I think about how all of these people will come to know Christ.
I think about their soul!
I think about what can and needs to be done.

I have more questions than answers. However, the best way I know to make the greatest difference in the world, spiritually, is to train men who know the culture and language to teach their own people.

I am thankful for the dedication and willingness of mission minded brethren who have and continue to labor on foreign soil.

I pray we can build upon their efforts and work with them to step up our work in ways to reach so many people.