Quality Assurance: Temperate/Sober-minded
Issue #100, February 25, 2013 After calling leaders to be blameless and to honor marriage commitments, Paul adds to his quality assurance list; the leader must be “temperate” (1 Timothy 3:2). My first response is “What?” Temperate is not a word I use often! Other translations use “vigilant” and “sober-minded.” The main idea is the […]
Quality Assurance: Husband of One Wife
Issue #99, February 11, 2013 After the general quality “above reproach” Paul quickly focuses his checklist on an area that deeply impacts all servant leaders who are called to be, “the husband of but one wife” (1Timothy 3:2) At first glance most of us who are married would go ahead and mark this requirement as […]
Quality Assurance: Above Reproach
Issue #98, January 30, 2013 Every manufacturing business is concerned with the quality of their product because they recognize that substandard products will hurt their reputation and ultimately destroy their business. So they invest large amounts of time and money in quality assurance programs to protect their profit. Christian leaders should be even more concerned […]
Leading For His Glory
Issue #97, January 15, 2013 The beginning of the year is a good time to set goals and look forward to what God has in store for us as servant leaders this year. I hope you’ve already thought about what you want to accomplish through your leadership this year. But have you thought about why […]
Act Like Paul: Encourage the Heart
Issue #93, October 24, 2012 Encouragement is a tool every effective leader uses well. It meets basic human needs in those who follow and encourages full development of human potential. To ‘en-courage’ is to ‘put courage in’ someone. Contrast this with ‘dis-courage’ or take away courage! Encouraging the heart is simply the act of giving […]
Act Like Paul: Empower Others to Act*
Issue #92, October 10, 2012 Great leaders inspire others to share the vision but also empower others to carry out the vision. They are not only capable of great accomplishments; they inspire others to greatness. Many leaders focus on drawing people to follow them and perhaps serve as good models but fail to bring out […]
Act Like Paul: Inspire a Shared Vision
Issue #91, September 26, 2012 Leaders are people who see and have the ability to stir passion and action from others with a shared picture of the future. Servant leaders inspire groups to move towards God’s ideal for the future. They see the vision and share it with others. Because of this the Old Testament […]
Act Like Paul: Challenge the Process
Issue #90, September 12, 2012 Effective leaders are never content with the way things are; they challenge the process. They refuse to accept that current reality is the best that is possible. They push themselves and encourage others to develop and grow towards a better future. Challenging the process is a mindset that creatively pushes […]
Act Like Paul: Model the Way
Issue #89, August 29, 2012 What are common actions that the best leaders do well?* In the next five issues we’ll look at specific actions that all effective leaders do well and reflect on how Paul demonstrated the way servant leaders act in these areas. The first of these actions is to model the way. […]
Grace to lead in a new year
Issue #73, January 11, 2012 As we enter 2012 I've been reflecting on why New Year's Day is a significant event around the world. While we know that nothing really changes from December 31st to January 1st, the mental change is profound and results in massive celebrations in every time zone. I conclude that New […]