David and Absalom: Success
In this final reflection on the contrast between the leadership of David and Absalom, we’ll look at how they viewed and measured success. All leaders long for success and either consciously or unknowingly ask themselves, “Am I successful as a leader?” David and Absalom answered that question in very different ways. David sought God for […]
David and Absalom: Power
All leaders have power, but not all leaders handle power the same way. David and Absalom demonstrated two very different ways that leaders gain and use power. They saw the power of the kingship in very different ways. David accepted power; Absalom sought power. The difference between how David and Absalom came to power could […]
Joseph: The Death of a Dream
Issue #215, September 6, 2017 As a 17-year-old, it was exciting for Joseph to have a dream. He was going to be someone great and do great things! But one day as he went to visit his brothers his dream came crashing down. But they saw him in the distance, and before he reached them, […]
Joseph: The Birth of a Dream
Issue #214, August 23, 2017 Josephs’ dream was born when he was a young man, 17 years old. Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him all the more. He said to them, "Listen to this dream I had: We were binding sheaves of grain out in the […]
Jacob: Limping Towards Leadership
Issue #205, April 19, 2017 The life of Jacob provides a clear contrast between two kinds of leadership. He spent the first half of his leadership journey as many leaders do, limping towards leadership. But an encounter with God later in his life marked him with a limp for the rest of his journey. In […]
A Sense of Timing: A time to harvest
Issue #204, April 5, 2017 In the last issue we examined when it is time to sow or plant. There is a time to plant and a time to harvest. Every farmer plants with the expectation of a harvest to come. Every leader plants with the anticipation that there will be a time when they […]
John the Baptist: Bold Confrontation
Issue #180, May 4, 2016 The humility of John the Baptist didn’t mean that he was quiet! Instead, he was able to boldly confront wrong. It didn’t matter if he was talking to kings, religious leaders, soldiers or farmers. He spoke the truth with power and confronted wrong. But when he saw many of the […]
Watch Over Others
Issue #169, November 25, 2015 Paul’s instructions to the church leaders in Ephesus are good advice for servant leaders in any position of responsibility: “Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers” (Acts 20:28). In the last issue we looked at what it means to “keep […]
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 […]
Inspecting the foundation
Issue #157, June 10, 2015 The strength of a building lies in the hidden foundation, and periodically an engineer is called to inspect the foundation for any hidden weaknesses. Since leadership is an inside job, servant leaders are not concerned only with external appearances; they are equally alert to the hidden parts of their lives. […]