The “IF”

 

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.  Matthew 16:24 (NIV)

What does the “if” mean to you?
How often do you consider the “if” that Jesus was speaking of?

God has really been speaking to me about the “if” today.  I would love to hear how you are processing the “if” in Jesus’ statement right now.  If you have a chance comment below.

Connecting Culture with Christ

One of my favorite magazines is “Relevant”.  It’s an honest review of Pop Culture, Christian Culture, and world news.  For $12/year you can plug into a great resource.  Check it out at www.relevantmagazine.com.

Get Fat on Leadership

I’m one of the Student Pastors at Church by the Glades, and as I look around at our Church staff leadership I think to myself, “How in the world do we have so many great leaders who work together so well?”  Are we perfect no, but this staff is above and beyond when it comes to great leadership.  Not only that, but the team of leaders in our Student Ministry never cease to amaze me either.  So Here are some thoughts on leadership.

1.  You can’t be a Know-It-All -   The Guys and Gals around here are always seeking out new ideas.  As a matter of fact I just read an article by Guy Kawasaki, where he talks about eating like a bird and pooping like an elephant.  He says that hummingbirds eat 50% of their weight daily (about what I eat).  On the same note, elephants poop 165 pounds a day (not going there).  He goes on to say, “a successful revolutionary relentlessly searches for, consumes, and
absorbs knowledge, about the industry , customers, and competition. You
do this by pressing the flesh of your customers, attending seminars and
trade shows, reading journals, and browsing the internet.”  As a leader it is incredibly important to sift through the information you consume, so that you and your team can begin to apply it.  (Thanks for the information Guy).

2.  Blessed are the Flexible - I have met so many guys/ladies in ministry that have the, “It’s my way or the highway attitude”.  Executive decision need to be made so thing will get done, however I have worked hard to place brilliant people around me.  I believe in my team, I trust my team, and I know that many times Travis, who is organized, TC, who is techi, Carson, who is creative, or the numerous volunteer leaders that we have on our team, will throw out a new idea that takes our creativity and goals to “whole… notha… level”, as Ed Young Jr. says.  If I’m stuck in my idea of what I want to happen, then not only do I, but our entire organization misses out on greatness.  So FLEX and admire the greatness.

3.  Don’t Bleed - It’s better to sweat in preparation that to bleed in battle.  This idea comes from a peace quote made by Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit ,“The more we sweat in peace,
the less we bleed in war.” I stole this thought at a conference a few years ago and try to put it into practice every single day.  It’s the idea that if we work hard in planning and preparing the outcome of our events and even daily activities will produce greatness, rather than junk.  We don’t want to walk into an event or program ill prepared and end up bleeding all over the place.  We want to avoid disasters.  How do we do that?  Work hard and prepare fully for what you are doing.  It also help in setting yourself apart as a leader amongst your team.  Aspire to excel.

4.  Set the Tone -  If your a rocker in a rock band, why are you wearing cowboy boots and playing bluegrass?  So many times we as leaders can’t figure out why we can’t get our team to do what we want them to do.  Often the problem begins with us as leaders.  Lead and train others to be what and who you want them to be.  If you want them to be nice, practice being nice and practice requiring your team to be nice also.  If you want your team to be relationship builders than practice being relational, and clearly convince your leaders of the importance of them doing the same.  In other words figure out develope your team into who you want them to be, through leading by example.

There are so many great ideas on what it takes to be a leader.  What are your thoughts on leadership?

Who are some of the people you like to follow for Leadership ideas?