Leaders

It seems that like breathing, we can all rest naturally; but to perform at our peak, we can all learn to do it better. It turns out that we have to work at taking deliberate rest. What do you do to rest and recover? How do you detach from your work?

Although we may be highly motivated by a unique calling to serve, we often face numerous barriers along the path towards more effective leadership. Brittney shares a few of the potential hindrances that she has faced in her own time as a servant leader.

In our leadership contexts, and crucially, within our natural and preferred leadership styles, let us never forget to consider whether our approaches are genuinely reflective of Kingdom values or not.

For most of my life, I was one of the "good guys" praised by family and friends. Now that I've lost everything they were so proud of in me, I am not considered much. Not even my accumulated years of goodness count at this stage.

Too often we get the sequence of events backward. We correct far more than we pray or encourage. The result? No change.

When we first choose to live as foreigners we are prime for the suckering. We are wide eyed and overflowing with enthusiasm. There are seven great deceptions, and most of us fall for at least five. I have personally tested them all. You know . . . for research.

We won’t always get the details of culture right. Yet, when our attitude is humble and Christ-like, allowing the Holy Spirit to spur our internal GPS to “recalculate” over and over, when we let the client lead, rather than our culturally bound expectations, there is grace and transformation ahead!

The goal of teaching someone to climb mountains is more than teaching mechanics of climbing. The teacher equips the student with all the nuances of safety and planning as well as appreciation of the splendor at the top. God empowers all believers to serve with their gifts and not just to listen to teaching. Teachers must help keep the body of Christ in balance, and George urges teachers not to get so wrapped up in brilliant teaching as an end in itself, but to realize it is the means for the Body to be equipped to use their spiritual gifts to serve.

Do you live a blessed life? Do you share the Blessing of all blessings with a world in search of it?

Competition may be a healthy motivator in many areas of our lives, but what if it becomes selfish ambition? Tom shares thoughts on how to keep our competitive spirit in check by remembering and obeying God’s directives about personal humility.

People assume the surfer is in control, and he does control his body and the board, but clearly the ocean is in charge; the ocean can do what it wants with the surfer. The same is true in leadership. Most leaders live in a fascinating dilemma. Others see them as controlling everything, but they feel as though they are in control of nothing.

Every leader at times has probably reacted defensively to another. I have and I regret every single time I did. Leaders naturally face situations that can easily provoke a defensive reaction. But seldom does defensiveness move our churches and organizations forward. So how can we avoid defensiveness? I suggest five proactive ways.