Leaders Who Serve
Connect The Highest
And Lowest
Organizational Levels

My small group watched a DVD recently in which the speaker mentioned Servant Leadership several times, without explanation. The assumption was everyone understood.

During the discussion that followed one of the participants, a good friend, asked:

What is servant leadership?

Good question and I knew the answer, kind of. I was familiar with the term but had never really thought about it in detail. I knew it was generally based on the example of Jesus washing the disciples’ feet but beyond that, not much.

I did answer the question, though, and even as I answered I realized how little real thinking I had done on the subject.

In typical sound-clever-waffle-much fashion, my answer was a bit long.

My friend, the one who asked the question (and does business training by profession), gently reminded me that long-winded answers usually indicate a lack of understanding.

He was right.

Following that discussion, I made a point of investigating the topic for myself. [Read more…] about 2 Foundational Underpinnings Of Servant Leadership

Gospel Leaflets Don’t Correspond
To Growling Stomachs

Strategy is often treated with ambivalence by Christians.

It isn’t difficult to understand. Strategy simply refers to the plans we make for reaching specific goals. A good strategy keeps you focused and efficient. We all understand that. It’s a good idea.

The rub comes because we worry that planning on a human level may be at odds with planning on a divine level, and we don’t want to interfere.

So I let’s take a look at the concept of strategy and answer a few questions:

• Should we be strategic?
• Is being strategic the same as being biblical?
• Is being strategic spiritual or is it just mechanical?
• Is human strategy by nature in conflict with divine strategy?

The short answer is make a plan and work it as well as you can without forcing it. Circumstances have a way of guiding us through the process.

But the answer needs more detail and to find it we need look no further than the Apostle Paul. [Read more…] about 3 Strategies For Christian Outreach

Jesus Made The Church Simple
Humans Complicated It

When a person first becomes a Christian they simultaneously develop an interest in church. Not traditional church. Not denominational structures or buildings but gathering.

With a new heart comes a strong sense of belonging and Christians naturally gravitate to church, wandering blindly into different settings not really knowing what to expect.

New believers aren’t looking for the historical church or traditional church or formal or modern or liberal or conservative church. Mega or mini isn’t the issue. It’s church. It’s a place to gather. They go, and often find themselves fitting in somewhere.

The churches to which they attach can be quite different but there are basic qualities that should be evident wherever they land. This post lists several.

The following ideas are taken from Matthew 18:15-25 which you can read here. [Read more…] about 8 Basic Truths About Church

Becoming Godlike
Is The Aim
Not The Assumption

Never assume that “WWJD” is the same as “What Would A Christian Do.” Christians don’t always think, speak or act like God. Becoming a Christian requires nothing more than repentance and faith, and changes nothing but your heart (nature). The next step is learning to allow the new nature to speak more loudly than the old – becoming Godlike – but that requires an intentional effort over an entire lifetime.

God is out partner in that process and He never stops trying to move us in the right direction, but He doesn’t force the issue. Sadly, some Christians continue to foster the same attitudes after salvation that they displayed before. And this makes one thankful that God isn’t a Christian.

Mom Is Your First
Main Person

Usually, when we talk about Mom in church it’s from an outsider’s perspective. The focus is on some Mom in the Bible or what the Bible says about motherhood.

All of that is good but it’s a little far removed from where we are now. Relevant, yes, but only in a distant sort of way.

To make Mother’s Day a little more personal, I asked people to write down a few thoughts about their Moms and share it with us. They were given three guidelines to help inspire thought. They could share:

• A word characterizing some special trait of their mother. (Insistent, Understanding, tough, undaunted, etc.)
• Or a short phrase or line describing what she taught them to do or what they learned from her example. (“She taught me to” . . . or “always talked about” . . .)
• Or a short paragraph sharing some memorable moment – humorous or serious. (“Once my mother did or said or tried” . . . )

And following is what they wrote: [Read more…] about 10 Testimonials To “Mom”