What Great Leaders Are Made Of…

Amy and I took the kids to see Prince Caspian last night.  One of the greatest lines of the movie came near the end.  After the Talmarines are defeated, Prince Caspian, Peter, Edmund and Susan kneel before Aslan.  He says “rise kings of Narnia.”  They all rise except Prince Caspian.  He says again, “I said rise kings.”  Prince Caspian responds, “I do not believe I am ready.”  Aslan says, “It’s for that reason I know you are ready.”

Humility is the key to great leadership.  I know my greatest moments have come when my King has spoken and I feel like I’m not ready.  God can do more with my weakness through humility than all the strength and pride in the world.  It is only through my humility and weakness that God can do His greatest work through me.  When I am weak, He is strong.

This reminds me of an old song, “Humble yourself in the sight of the Lord, and He shall lift you up.”

When have you felt weak and not worthy and God did great things through you?

Jam on it.

Amy’s 20th reunion is coming up soon and she is helping plan the event.  My sister sent us her collection of 80’s music and we happened to be listening to some last night when our son (Nathan) came into the kitchen.   Nathan constantly cracks us up.  Here is a spontaneous dance by Nathan - a lip-sinc, robot, gangsta, hip-hop thing.  Jam on it!

“A joyful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit dries up the bones.” Proverbs 17:22

So what goes on at your house that no one would expect?

Saturday Morning with My Boys…

“Follow Me and I will make you fishers of men.”  Matthew 4:19

Been fishing lately?

Caught anything?

Who are you teaching to fish?

Count it all JOY…

It’s been a heck of a day.  I woke up to my hall bathroom being flooded.  Water must have been overflowing from the toilet half the night.  It went through the floor and caused the ceiling in our den to fall, flooded the den with 1/2 inch of water then flowed thought the wall to the garage and laundry room.  Praise Jesus! 

I spoke about joy on Sunday.  New revelation.  You cannot know true joy until you are tested.  James said to “count it all joy when you face trials of many kinds.” James 1:1  I think this one qualifies. 

I must be doing something right.  Amy and I went out to eat tonight at Hiro’s for Japanese.  My fortune cookie said, “Stay your present course, you are doing the right thing.”  I don’t normally take advise from Confucius but I think I’ll believe this ones from God.

You must choose Joy despite your circumstances.  When things suck choose joy.  Deep huh?

Now I’m more excited than ever about what God’s up to.

It’s JOY BABY!!!!   Join the happy wagon!

Who’s Your Daddy…

“Even though you have ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers, for in Christ I became your father through the Gospel.”  I Corinthians 4:15

We have a lust for knowledge in our world.  We always want to know and we feel an obligation to help everyone else to know what we know.

There are many people who know about Christ but don’t know Him.

What we need is not more spiritual teachers, but rather, more spiritual fathers.  Being a spiritual teacher and being a spiritual father are two different things.  One only takes responsibility for giving information but not for the development of that person as they process and work through that information.  A Father takes responsibility for the process from birth to maturity.  Teachers will come and go but a father is always a father to his sons and daughters.  A teacher has a job.  A father has a relationship.  A teacher doesn’t have to feel anything.  A father feels everything!

This is the investment God is calling us to make; to be fathers to sons and daughters of the Kingdom.

Who’s your Daddy? 

Who are you a spiritual father to?

A Sure Footing…

“The man of integrity walks securely, but he who takes crooked paths will be found out.”  Proverbs 10:9 (NIV)

Amy and I just got back from a week in San Antonio, Texas where we were invited to speak at a retreat by a great friend and his wife.  The time we spent with Robbie and Annie made me think of the first part of the verse above.  Robbie is a Youth Pastor with 412 Youth Ministry at Trinity Church.  and was a part of the camp ministry we were involved in over the last 15 years.  We have had the pleasure of watching Robbie grow into a man of God and one of the best Youth Pastors I know.  Over the last week I felt like a proud parent as I watched Robbie handle very trying issues with the utmost integrity. 

Integrity is a most precious commodity.  It is Kingdom currency.  While others around you compromise and operated dishonestly, men and women of the Kingdom of righteousness must walk in integrity.  Integrity enjoys the favor of God.  It sustains you in the pleasure of the Father.  It keeps you on a sure footing.

A lack of integrity robs your security and any attempt to hide dishonest or compromising ways will be short lived.  God’s plan for our lives is too important to the Kingdom for Him to leave us living lives that lack integrity.  He will allow us to go in the wrong direction in order to deal with what is lacking or needed in our lives in order to make us more effective for the kingdom.