Daniel: Serving with Pure Motives
Issue #164, September 16, 2015 Some years after Daniel’s first interpretation of a dream for Nebuchadnezzar, the king’s son, Belshazzar, also needed a wise man to tell him the meaning of a hand which had appeared on his wall and written a message.The king calls Daniel to interpret the message. “Now I have heard that […]
Daniel: Giving Credit Where Credit is Due
Issue #162, August 19, 2015 The king ordered his death, but after speaking to the king’s messenger with “wisdom and tact,” Daniel called his friends together and urged them to pray that God would reveal the king’s dream. With their lives still hanging in the balance God answered their prayers and revealed the dream to […]
Daniel: Appealing to Authority
Issue #159, July 8, 2015 Our first lesson from Daniel’s life was his resolve not to be defiled; he lived with a moral compass that would not be moved. But his moral resolve quickly brings Daniel into conflict with the king’s plans and leads to his first leadership challenge. But Daniel resolved not to defile […]
Serving People with Place and Purpose
Issue #156, May 27, 2015 When we meet a leader we quickly ask what position they hold but we seldom ask why they hold that position. King David had a healthy perspective on the place God had called him to serve as well as the purpose. “And David knew that the LORD had established him […]
David: Leading with Prayer
Issue #142, November 12, 2014 After his early mistake David was finally able to bring the ark of God to Jerusalem with joy and celebration. He clearly desired to have God at the center of his leadership journey. As he settled into his new role as king he again expressed his heart for God by […]
David: Leading from Position
Issue #140, October 15, 2014 All that we have already observed about David’s leadership happened before he had any position! His early life illustrates that leadership is not defined by position. But now, at 30 years of age, David begins to rule as king, first over a portion of the nation and finally over a […]
David: Following an Insecure Leader
Issue #137, September 3, 2014 David seemed ready to lead! He had a shepherd’s heart, a sense of identity, a clear life purpose, the anointing of God, and a true friend. But God had at least two more difficult leadership lessons that he needed to learn before he was ready for the throne. First, he […]
David: Developing the Heart of a Shepherd
Issue #131, June 11, 2014 From looking after sheep to leading a nation, David has one of the most comprehensive biographies recorded in scripture. David is known as a man after God’s own heart (see Acts 13:22) and there are many lessons servant leaders can learn from the story of his life and leadership. In […]
Lead with Your Ears: The Barriers to Listening
Issue #128, April 30, 2014 Lead with your ears, follow up with your tongue, and let anger straggle along in the rear (James 1:19, The Message). Leading with our ears sounds great, but leading with our tongue seems a lot more natural to most leaders. After all, our tongue is right at the front of […]
Profiles in Bold Humility: Timothy
Issue #124, March 5, 2014 In the last issue of this series we’ll examine the life of Timothy, a young leader who was learning to balance boldness and humility through the mentoring of his spiritual father, Paul. He encouraged Timothy to be bold, especially as it related to his willingness to share with others the […]