Leadership

Charles Swindoll, one of the great leaders in the church recently reflected on the greatest lessons he has learned in leadership over the years and I think they're worth sharing:

1) It’s lonely to lead. Leadership involves tough decisions. The tougher the decision, the lonelier it is.
2) It’s dangerous to succeed. I’m most concerned for those who aren’t even 30 and are very gifted and successful. Sometimes God uses someone right out of youth, but usually he uses leaders who have been crushed
3) It’s hardest at home. No one ever told me this in Seminary.
4) It’s essential to be real. If there’s one realm where phoniness is common, it’s among leaders. Stay real.
5) It’s painful to obey. The Lord will direct you to do some things that won’t be your choice. Invariably you will give up what you want to do for the cross.
6) Brokenness and failure are necessary.
7) Attititude is more important than actions. Your family may not have told you: some of you are hard to be around. A bad attitude overshadows good actions.
8) Integrity eclipse image. Today we highlight image. But it’s what you’re doing behind the scenes.
9) God's way is better than my way.
10) Christlikeness begins and ends with humility

Reading the bible

I preached Sunday from Ephesians 4 and over the next two Sundays will work through Romans 12 and 1 Corinthians 12 to unpack some of the wisdom from God to us about the gifts bestowed on believers by the Holy Spirit. This is central to us understanding our place in the body.

I have preached the first sermon and will preach the second and third in the same expository way – unpacking thought at a time what the particular passage in the Bible is saying and then, God willing, we’ll try to apply those things to our daily lives. Bible application is desperately important in preaching and every preacher needs to make sure there is some application of the text in a relevant way. In doing some reading this evening I found this gem about reading and applying the Bible from youth pastor Jeremy Berg.

“Instead of "applying the Bible to our lives" (which again assumes we are the fixed center point and the Word is just a holy ointment to be applied to our souls) let's instead try to "apply ourselves to the Bible." Put narratively, let's not let give God a convenient place within our own story; but rather find ourselves swept up in God's much larger Story!”

Wow! That is good!

Applying ourselves to the Bible might help us become “doers of the word” as Jesus intended. Applying the Bible to us keeps us in the same human centred ethos we so sinfully fall into time and time again.

Wish I had said it!