Lessons for Leaders

The news on Monday carried the story of the head of the Segway Corporation who drove his Segway and off a cliff and died. How in the world could this occur? The owner of ..., drove the Segway off... surely not. But it is true. hen it dawned on me - what a tragic picture of a great lesson for those in leadership.

The man had the title. He was the boss. The man had authority and influence. He was the boss. But the man was not the developer of the machine he was driving and his experience with the machine was from a limited perspective.

Serving in leadership is not easy. Those who have never done so do not understand the complexities of such a role and calling. Decisions are made moment by moment. Once in the position you are expected to make the right decisions for the team, corporation, ministry etc. You are pulled by differing ideologies and rare are the days when you can find a few if any who agree with you. But this is the role. This is the duty of the position.

Problems will always be in front of you. But not all problems have to be deadly. The key in being an effective leader is to learn. Leaders must learn their product and get to know it better than anyone else. Leaders must know where they are going and how to steer the whole of the organization in that direction. When one fails at any or even just a few of the above, the leader drives off the cliff. Ideas and dreams are great. But it is in the fundamentals of life that those things are brought to fruition and survive.

Our world sees the lack of these fundamentals in every facet of our lives. Churches, Denominations, Conventions, Organizations, and world leadership as a whole suffer from the same issues today that the owner of the Segway Corporation obviously held. Tragic yes. But it does not have to be so!

If you are leader ask the following questions:
1. Do I know what I am leading?
2. Do I know the inside out of what I am leading?
3. Am I compromising basics to reach consensus?
4. Am I using "pressure tactics" instead of vision to lead?
5. Do I really know where I am going?
6. Is where I am going the place I really know I need to be?
7. Am I listening to sound wisdom from those who may know more than I?

There are so many more questions that could be asked. But I can assure you that the answers to the above will give you a more broad perspective in your mission. There are many cliffs. You do not have to drive off any of them. The choice is up to you.

Lost People Matter - Don't Miss This!

I encourage you to read this article. It is indeed a great picture on the heart of God relating to people who are lost without Jesus!

God is in control...!

Even when it seems that situations are out of control, we must remember that God is never out of the picture nor is He ever out of control. God knows all. This knowledge is unique to our human perspective. We see only a few aspects of life. We can logically put things our there beyond our ability to see but in this we are merely speculating. God sees and know is all - all the time.

As you walk through your week with Him - seek to grow in faith knowing that God has it all worked out. He allows somethings to occur (His permissive Will) to grow us. He directly brings things into our lives to teach is. He knows the choices we will make and He knows the consequences of those choices. Faith is the key to living not in a state of worry nor fear but in peace with God sitting in the drivers seat of our life and our hands off the steering wheel.

Is God in control of our life? Now that is the question that we all need to focus on.

James 4:7-17
7 Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.
8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
9 Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom.
10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.
11 Do not speak evil of one another, brethren. He who speaks evil of a brother and judges his brother, speaks evil of the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge.
12 There is one Lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy. Who are you to judge another?
13 Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit";
14 whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.
15 Instead you ought to say, "If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that."
16 But now you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.
17 Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.
(NKJ)

May We Never Forget!

Take time today to remember and to honor those who lost their lives!

9/11 and Christians Nine Years Later

My thoughts have been replaying the horrible day nine years ago. America was attacked like never before. It was a different type of attack than we were familiar with. In wars past, political ideology was the leading motivator played out in war and human murder by crazy leaders. 9/11/01 was different.

On that day we saw a vivid display of the evil in the world relating to religion and beliefs. In the days after, I remember coming to grips with the full view of what had taken place. For a group of thugs to do as they did for the sake of their beliefs and religion still grips my mind. Beyond the evil and hatred was then and is now a lesson. One might say many lessons. Lessons that I do not think we as American Christians are learning.

Lesson One
American Christianity has become too easy. Easy believism is every where. We are not passionate about much beyond our own well being and desires. We fight for our rights as individuals while we sit apathetically by and watch our freedoms fall by the side of the road. While fighting for our rights, we have forgotten the command to "GO" and spread the Gospel. We send money. Yet more money is spent on humanitarian needs than on the sharing of the Gospel. We run from churches that still preach the truth of Gods Word and call people to repentance. We fight for a watered down holiness of self developed righteousness while we ignore 2 Corinthians 7:1 which states that we are to "cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God."

Lesson Two
American Christianity is willing to squander an incredible inheritance. Muslims will die for their beliefs. Not many American Christians will do the same. We are living in an hour of compromise in hopes of preserving our material things while we sell out the spiritual. People before us poured their hearts into the ministry of Gospel. Churches thrived in a land of freedom to worship. Now, we find Christians who argue against any moral stand in America while failing to realize that the very freedom that gives them the right to argue is at stake. A freedom that was paid for with blood from many people and handed to us.

Lesson Three
American Christianity still fails to understand that we are in a holy war that will last until the return of Christ. Though we may attempt to compromise, no compromise will appease our enemy. Muslims are on the march in every part of the world. A holy war is brutal. It will get brutal no matter which path a person takes. If we defend and fight, we will be attacked. If we continue appeasement, we will be conquered. It is not difficult to see the stage being set for anti-Christ. Problem here is that many people who claim to be Christians will join with him and his movement. Have you not noticed the number of Christians joining hands and working with Muslims.

Lesson Four
This world is NOT our home! And this excites me! We do not need to live in fear. Wisdom demands we know the hour. But the same wisdom also reveals that the plan of the one true God is call us home. Leading people to Christ should be our focus and passion from here on! Knowing that are day is soon coming to see our Lord and Savior should anchor us and propel us.

Nine years later we find much has changed. My prayer is that we will see the real changes that need to occur and get busy about living the life we have been called to live and loving the people that God has placed before us to lead to Him and serve.

I only wish that more people would see that as Americans we have been blessed. Rather than throw it all away, let us embrace our inheritance and make the most of it for the sake of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The world may be against us, but greater is He who is in us than he who is in them!

May God Bless America!

Redistribution of Wealth Coming!

The following link is to a report on the goals and direction of the United Nations. A carefully reading of the material provided should cause every American to fall on their knees in prayer. We are in for some rough days if we do not stand against the evil aimed at us.

I am thankful that this earth is NOT my home!

Times R Changing

From weather to finances, church to education, change is in the air. Change is not always bad nor is it always good. Organizations that experience change will often promote the new way as "the best" way. Only problem is they said the same thing last time change was promoted.

Personally there is a sense that some of the change we see coming these days deals with where we are on Gods timetable and the return of Christ. This is true when see the changes occurring around the world and even here at home in politics. But more important to me is the change that is taking place in REAL Christianity compared to the "form" of that has been so prevalent over the past few decades.

What change are you seeing in your life? What changes are you seeing in the hearts of people around you? Embracing Gods change of the heart and life is one that should excite us. Either we will be part of Gods final push or we will be part of the great falling away. There is NO middle ground. Change will be found in every life.

Are you changing for the better? Take a long look and listen to the sweet voice of the Holy Spirit. He longs to change us. He longs to bring about His will in our lives for His glory.

Is your life changing?